The stale Benbow morning air was heavily doused with the scent of bare earth and charged lightning. The quiet mining town was on the verge of its raining season and already the horizon was jumping with ominous clouds that made Amelia's delicate nose crinkle ever so slightly. She was not looking forward to her first season of dreary rainfall; the felinid could already feel a layer of moisture developing on her sensitive skin.

A sudden clattering of wheels resounded through the silence as a child's penny farthing clumsily rolled over the horizon towards the Doppler home. Amelia straightened, ran her hands down her rumpled commoners pants, and strode forward to meet the young boy the same she would a diplomat. "You're tardy again, this time by a full five minutes." The child couldn't have been older than nine but he already had the malicious glare of a teenager. "The ol' miser didn' never care when I git here." He argued, kicking a stubby leg in the direction of the house. Amelia's flattened ears twitched; where in the Queen's good name were these children learning how to talk? "Rest assured that I will not be as lax in your expectations as my husband." She replied coolly. "We pay good money to have our newspaper delivered by seven and yet it is now…seven oh eight and here we are chattering away and still lacking my paper." On cue the tightly bound bundle flew from the boy's hand and only Amelia's quick reflexes kept her from catching it with her eye.

"Peever!" He hollered the moment she turned to collect the paper; she bit the inside of her cheek and watched as the impudent urchin puttered away on his contraption. What was wrong with the youth of today? Amelia resumed her professional stance and with the paper tucked securely under her arm returned to her home. It took only a few minutes to bring a modest blaze to life in the parlor fireplace and she sat a comfortable distance away in Delbert's favorite plush chair. Her fingers shifted through the bundle until they found the spot she was searching for – page seventeen. The woman felt uncharacteristically anxious as she pulled the page out of place and laid it open on her lap for her to read.

A Voyage of Deception?

-T. Scout

A recent expedition founded by local astronomer Delbert Doppler and captained by Amelia Smollet has

gained the spotlight from media; not only for the alleged monumental discovery ofFlint's legendary

trove, but also for the unusual, and suspicious, so-called mutiny. Of a crew hosting more than twenty

mates only eight, the supposed pirates, the financer, Doppler, Captain Smollet and a young cabin boy, James Hawkins returned to port.

Their outlandish story has been circulated among newspapers and courtrooms alike; however, there

are many suspect details which have not been explained. One such is why Doctor Delbert Doppler, a quiet astronomer

of little notoriety who has had no past involvement with space crusades, suddenly recruits Her Majesty's finest celestial captain to

navigate to an undisclosed location. Are we, the citizens, supposed to believe that

these seemingly unacquainted persons, who have been inseparable since returning to the Crescentia spaceport, would

inexplicably employ each other with no other motives in mind? Further supporting evidence is Doppler's hiring

of the infamous John Silver, the identity of whom 'unintentionally' bypassed the supposedly intelligent collegian. Is it a

coincidence, then, that Silver was able to 'escape' in one of the remaining

longboats, and under the supervision of Hawkins himself? And if that were not

enough, the remaining crew, after being charged with mutiny, kidnapping, and conspiracy to

commit murder, were miraculously reprieved of the death penalty and replaced with a prison sentence after Hawkins

mysteriously backed out of his testimony. A sudden attack of a guilty conscience? As if these questionable actions were not enough…

"That egotistic philistine!" The fire surged with fresh energy as the paper landed in its starving flames. That petty excuse for a journalist! How could any newspaper, even one as garish as the Benbow Gazette, stand to publish such a biased, blatant fabrication of the truth? Amelia abandoned the chair in a huff and set out for Delbert's study, intent on working off her frustration the only way she knew how.

It took her only an hour to clean and organize the astronomer's study and by the time she was done her sprained nerves were exhausted to the point of relaxation. Just as her father always said: hard work was the best remedy for any ache or worry. She had just settled down for her second cup of Earl Grey when the familiar sound of Delbert's shuffling feet drifted down the staircase. "Good morning dear." She welcomed cheerily, lifting her cup in greetings as the man rubbed his eyes with two balled up fists. "I was wondering when you would grace me with your delightful company."

Her husband rubbed his eyes and sat across from her with a lazy flomp, not even bothering to cover a yawn. "You might not have to wait so long if you didn't insist on waking two hours early to catch the paper boy." Despite her years of interrogation training Amelia's eyes jumped to the smoldering fireplace. "Did you really think I hadn't noticed that page seventeen has been missing for the past three weeks? Or that I've been featured in four articles since then?"

"How do you know…?"

"I've been reading the newspaper records at the children's library."

Amelia sighed, exasperated. "Delbert, this charlatan obviously distresses you, so why do you insist on wallowing in this mediocre drivel? From the way you pour over it one would think it was written by Geoffrey Chaucer and not some two-bit stringer." Delbert's folded ears lifted in a puzzled manner. "You read them too!"

"Yes, but from a purely inquisitive nature. I simply want to stay informed about what is being written about us."

"US!" Delbert yelped. "You mean he's dragged you into this now?" Amelia cursed herself under her breath and casually scratched the corner of her eye. "It's not surprising dear. After all I was in command of the voyage; it was only a matter of time before my name surfaced. And this recent…situation regarding Mr. Hawkins seems to have given him the perfect ammunition for a fresh wave of slander."

Delbert frowned and wrung his wrists nervously, a habit he had picked up after their captivity on Treasure Planet. "Darling, Jim did what he believed was right, and – "

"I don't need to hear your reasoning Delbert. Not again." Amelia pushed herself away from the table but was immediately pursued by the canid. "I'm not your financier anymore Amelia, I'm your husband. You can't just brush me aside when you find the conversation to your dislike." Her biting retort was drowned out by the melodious chiming of the doorbell drifting throughout the open house. The pair stood there for several moments, almost afraid to move, until Amelia finally turned and made for the foyer. "Let your little wife answer that." She snarled and left before Delbert's exasperated sigh could reach her. When she reached the front door there was no person waiting but a simple folded envelope with a wax seal. She took her time returning to the parlor, twirling the letter through her fingers as she walked. Delbert had returned to his seat and was leaning childishly on his elbows as she entered. "Just a letter."

Her husband remained silent as she used one perfectly manicured nail to break the seal and pulled the paper from its secure coat. It took a grand total of three seconds to read and she did so twice.

A –

Meet me on Crescentia, the Romakin district. Catch the

earliest shuttle you can. Alone, as always.

- R. Walker

"That's odd." Amelia glanced up and met Delbert's questioning gaze. "It's a note from an old professor of mine; he wants me to meet him on Crescentia."

"Perhaps he intends to use you as an instructional tool for his class?" He smiled. Amelia shook her head dismissively. "He left the Academy some years ago to pursue a career in homicide…"

"Hom – homicide?"

"Investigating homicide. Perfectly legal." Delbert flushed and despite the tension created in the last few minutes she couldn't help but smile. "Well what in Heavens name does a homicide detective want you for?"

"I'm as clueless as you; he doesn't give any indication as to why. But he has never called upon me for a trifling matter so I suppose I'm taking a day trip."

Delbert traced the grain of the wooden table with his index finger. "Ahh. So I suppose I'm not invited on your little venture?"

"Don't sulk Delbert. The letter specifically requests my sole attendance and – Delbert Doppler you did not just roll your eyes at me!"

"Oh no." He chimed, raising his hands in the universal surrender pose. "I would explain what that was but it would just be another form of reasoning you don't want to hear."

"Charming." She growled and left the table, and Delbert, behind for the second time that brief morning. Her green eyes fell upon the fireplace as she gracefully stormed out, a few stubborn pieces of paper lingering just out of reach of the dying, desperate flames.

Amelia kept an internal time of how long it took her to prepare her space bag with the bare essentials for an overnight stay at the Montressor space station. After her wedding it was one of the rare occasions where she could still apply her years of naval training. 'Five minutes and thirteen seconds' she thought as she securely pulled the drawstrings shut. 'Could be better'.

"I've been thinking." Delbert called from the bedroom doorway. "Perhaps I've treated you unfavorably this morning." The woman turned ever so slightly to see her husband hovering in the threshold, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his maroon overcoat. "That's a very comely way of describing your behavior." He held up one finger in protest. "However! I would ask that you admit to having acted shallow, er, callow, er..." Delbert tapped his forehead against the wood paneling, his old flustered self rising to take hold, and to her surprise Amelia felt a laugh bubble inside her. "Juvenile?" She offered. Delbert merely nodded. She finally allowed herself to smile and faced him fully. "I accept your premise." The astronomer grinned, delighted, and offered his hand invitingly. "Friends?" He proposed.

Amelia shrugged but took his hand in hers. "I suppose." She had only a moment to smirk before Delbert pulled her into his arms, holding her close and kissing her with an uncommon fury. Her hair itched in a pleasant way as his fingers played with the strands and a slight purr escaped her throat at the sensation."You know, if I were possessive and jealous I would suggest that this was all a well manufactured attempted to have an affair." He blurted as they parted.

"And if you were any of those rest assured I would not have married you." They shared a small smile, his hand resting lightly on the curve of her jaw "So I'll see you tomorrow morning, then?"

"Oh I doubt that very highly." Amelia quipped, her arms wound around his neck. "Seeing as how you make it a habit to sleep until late aftern – " Her playful insult was cut short and she settled against the canid's chest as they fell into another deep, lingering kiss that somehow erased and reconciled everything.

To Be Continued

Disney/RLS (c) everything except OC's