Chapter Text
Jean-Eric Louvier crossed his arms contentedly over his broad chest as he leaned back against the wheel of his older, but much loved, diving vessel – The Reef Seeker. He was an attractive older man with graying hair and a matching beard who just naturally felt at home on the water – especially in the South Pacific where his diving company was based. Just a few minutes ago, he had dropped the anchor so the boat wouldn’t drift, and then proudly stood back to watch the L & L Diving Service team suit up and prepare for their next dive.
This was a scientific mission, not a salvage one – so all four of the divers would be going down together - instead of just in pairs like they normally did. As he watched them help each other don the usual diving equipment, along with the various bulky scientific instruments, he took a moment to marvel at how seamlessly this diverse group worked together. They did not even have to ask each other what needed to be done. They already knew exactly what to do and they just handled it with a minimum amount of fuss – even while keeping up the constant friendly banter and goodnatured jesting that they had all become used to since forming their team almost a year earlier.
A small smile graced Jean-Eric’s slightly grizzled face as he thought about how lucky he was to have each and every one of them on board.
First, there was the apple of his eye – his beautiful granddaughter, Oceana. Even though she was only 17, she had been with him the longest. He had raised her on his own and taught her how to live with the sea ever since her parents had died tragically in two separate accidents during the same year when she was just a young child (Her grandmother, his wife, had passed away several years before that).
With her slight French accent, long lean frame, dark hair, and big expressive brown eyes, she was a constant physical reminder of her father, Jean-Eric’s late son, Matthias - who had been lost in a diving accident. Oceana may have been young, but she was very dedicated and determined, with good instincts, and was already a master diver. Even though she was generous and thoughtful, she also had a good head for business and one day would inherit L&L from him. He was so proud of the woman that she was becoming!
GG (aka Gaston Gray) stood next to her as he double checked her safety equipment for her. GG said that he had been born in California, but had traveled extensively all over the globe from a very young age, and that was why he had no traceable accent. The tall, muscular, dark-skinned man in his mid-30s had at first irritated Jean-Eric with his flamboyant style and over inflated ego. However, after GG became a part of the team and showed his true worth, Jean-Eric soon realized that it was all really a cover to shield the kind-hearted man underneath all of the bluster.
Now that Jean-Eric understood him better, he completely trusted the younger man – even though they had been competitors originally. He even allowed him to pilot the Reef Seeker on occasion and escort Oceana out on dives when he was unavailable to do so himself. Not only was GG an expert salvager, but he was also a quick problem solver, and very protective of his team. During their down time, he also kept everyone amused with outrageous and greatly exaggerated stories of his diving exploits.
The newest member of the team, Hayako Sakurai, sat in the stern of the boat, as she completed a final calibration on one of the instruments that they would be taking down with them. She was an attractive Asian woman in her late 30s and was the most brilliant person that Jean-Eric had ever met. She could converse intelligently on any subject, spoke multiple languages, and held several doctorate degrees in everything from Marine Biology to Archeology.
Her vast knowledge had come in handy so many times during her short six month stint with L&L – most notably during their successful search for the legendary Pacifica treasure that had really put their company on the map. Unfortunately, she was also the curator of the Kyoto Aquarium, so she was not with them as much as he, and the rest of the team, would like for her to be. However, he tried to involve her with their work as much as possible – especially when it involved her areas of expertise.
Jean-Eric finally let his eyes settle on the other woman who was cheerfully chatting with GG and Oceana while she pulled on her flippers. He felt his breath catch and his heartbeat speed up when Teagan Sanderson’s sparkling blue eyes flicked up to meet his momentarily across the length of the boat. She then flashed him a sweet grin while she continued to explain to the others what kind of data that they were hoping to collect that day. Her wavy chestnut hair was pulled back in the casual pony tail that she usually wore while diving and she looked so … lovely. He smiled as he remembered that it had been almost a year ago now when he had interviewed the pretty and resourceful American for the additional diving help that he had desperately needed then.
It had been just him and Oceana back then. They had been in a serious bind because he personally could not dive anymore due to complications from decompression sickness some years earlier and Oceana just could not handle everything on her own. Teagan was mainly a recreational diver at that time, but he hired her on the spot anyway due to her enthusiasm.
Nevertheless, it did not take long for her to show, beyond a doubt, her vast range of skills and bravery. She had also proved to have an almost supernatural intuition when it came to the mysteries of the sea. She was now the lead diver for L&L and the others were happy to follow her without question – especially after her instincts had been proven correct so many times during the Pacifica treasure adventures!
Teagan was also very popular with both their diving tour and salvage contracting clients. She was constantly being requested for by name – especially by their male clients. In fact, Oceana had mentioned several times how many of them had asked Teagan out for dates. Jean-Eric did not think that she had accepted anyone, yet - even though there were no rules against it. He just did not know how he felt about that particular situation, though, since he obviously knew very well that they were not the only ones that were fascinated by her.
He sighed quietly to himself as he thought about the fact that he had been fighting his attraction for her almost since the moment they had met. She was only in her 30s, though, and he was twenty years older than her. He knew that she deserved better than some old broken down water dog, so he had never acted on his feelings. At any rate, he was sure that someone so young and lovely could not possibly return his affections and he did not want to lose the camaraderie and comfortable working relationship that they had together. Therefore, he was determined to keep his distance in order not to scare her off.
She certainly made it difficult, though, with her constant smiles, quiet talks (in her charming slight Southern American drawl), light touches on his arm to get his attention, grazes of his hand with her own when she handed him something, and especially with the celebratory hugs that she always gave after a successful diving mission. He really enjoyed any and all attention that she chose to pay him, but knew that the effect that these actions had on him was all unintentional on her part. He could tell that she was just a naturally affectionate and kind person. However, being close to her drove him crazy, both physically and emotionally, and it was becoming harder to hide it. He would do whatever it took, though, because it would be worth it to keep her in his life.
He shook his head and brought himself out of such bittersweet musings when he saw that his team was ready. Therefore, he gave each of them a thumbs up sign as they tipped back, one at a time, into the water to begin their survey mission. He smiled again as he thought about how Oceana, GG, Hayako, and Teagan were more than just his team and his employees. They were all special to him in their own ways. They had become his family - even if Oceana was the only one with an actual blood tie. In fact, the past year with their companionship and adventures had been simply amazing...the best he had experienced since he had lost Oceana’s father. The grief and guilt from that time seemed easier to bear now and he felt younger and stronger than he had in a long time.
Jean-Eric shook his head to clear his thoughts again and reached down to fiddle with the audio equipment instead to fine-tune his radio signal. He then double checked his connection to the underwater team and proceeded to verbally guide them to the reef where they needed to collect their samples. It was not going to be a particularly difficult job today, per se, but it would require quite a bit of precision, skill, and teamwork. They were definitely up for that challenge, though!
The L & L Diving Services dream team was on the move!