Sometimes, Jim Hawkins wishes he could just stay on his ship forever. Never have to return to Montressor, never have to make port again. Just float through space for the rest of his life. For a long time, he hasn't been able to explain this feeling, or justify it. But he's finally come to the conclusion.
It's because waiting for him back home is something terrifying. Beautiful and terrifying.
That thing is a girl. A girl named Daphne, who was tired of Jim going away on his explorations without her and before he left on his most present voyage she gave him an ultimatum. Propose to her or lose her while he was in space. So he proposed. Of course it's what he wanted. What else would he want? He wants to spend the rest of his life with the woman he loves. He met her five years ago, when he was eighteen. She came to the Benbow Inn looking for a job. She didn't get a job, instead she met Jim. They became friends instantly and four months later they were dating. Daphne was talking about marriage ten months later.
Marriage is, at least, what he thinks that's what he wants. The choice was scary for him. But throughout this voyage, he's been trying to convince himself it is what he wants. He loves her. He does love her.
If nothing else he was doing a hell of a good job convincing himself. But that all that convincing came to an end when he and his crew stopped to refuel at another space port and a new crew member was needed after two of his best sailors contracted a terrible disease which left them severely handicapped. So, while on port he needed a replacement and quickly. And who was to walk up and offer her resume but the one woman he thought he would never see again. He could only stare at her.
She didn't notice him staring until she looked up to see why he wasn't answering. That's when she recognized him too. "Jim?!" she exclaims.
"Jeera," he breathes. This woman, this spacer, was someone he knew from his mission to treasure planet, so long ago. She was part of the pirate crew, but Jim had managed to change her allegiance. She was four years older than him, but something about her had intrigued him. There were many times when he would be swabbing the deck, and Jeera would keep quiet company while sitting on the railing. She would talk to him for hours, while he asked her about spacing. She told him everything, and in exchange all she asked for was details about Sarah's cooking. But while talking about the good cooking, memories of his childhood life came out too. Like on the day his father left, Sarah didn't make dinner that night. She just made his favorite pastry and tried to hold back her tears. Jim nearly forgot he was talking to her when he admitted that and was angry at himself for telling someone that memory that he had just held on to for so long.
Jeera learned a lot about Jim, without him meaning to give her that information.
When Silver decided to mutiny, Jeera had instead helped Jim escape and was thrown in the brig for doing so. She was saved when Jim had prevailed against the pirates, but as soon as the mission was over and they made port again, Jeera had disappeared. She wasn't one for staying on land. He was only sixteen then, and she was twenty. He just labeled it a good friend and moved on.
Jim had almost forgotten about her. But here she was and she was experienced with spacing, so Jim took her aboard immediately.
Almost instantly, the two spent more time together than ever. She told him about everything she had seen in the past seven years, the new planets she had visited and the voyages she had gone on. She would talk with her hands, her eyes getting an excited twinkle in them when she talked about the new places and creatures she had met. She never wanted to stop exploring, and Jim felt the familiar ache of wanderlust creep up on him.
Their journey lasted another two months after Jeera had come aboard. And now she is making the idea of marriage and going home more difficult than he could have ever dreamed.
He's leaning against the rail, watching the stars. Morph is snoozing away in his pocket. The night is still and quiet, only interrupted by the snores of his crew below deck. He hears quiet footsteps and a second later Jeera has joined his side. She doesn't say anything, just nods in acknowledgment.
The stark difference between Jeera and his fiancé is almost painfully obvious. Jeera is tall, willowy, with a quiet nature and soft, long black hair that never seemed to want to stay in one place and braids weaved through some of the strands. Daphne was beautiful, short, and loud with brown wavy hair and blunt bangs. Had she been on the ship she would have come running up and screamed some sort of greeting before telling him all about her day.
"You should be sleeping," Jeera finally says and turns to look at him.
"It's my turn for watch tonight," he responds quietly. She nods and looks back out at the beautiful starry night.
Temptations are always abundant for a spacer. At almost all the space ports, many sirens wait for the ships to dock and entice the men or women into their houses for a night of pleasure. Jim has always been able to avoid them, despite how difficult it was. The thought of his father leaving his mother and all the nights he spent with those sirens had kept him away. He felt almost guilty when he realized that it wasn't the thought of Daphne that kept him from going into their brothels.
Daphne's eagerness to get married makes it even more difficult for him to want to go home. And now with Jeera back in his life, the initial spark he felt from her is back too. Daphne wants him to stop sailing and exploring, to settle down and take over the Benbow inn from Sarah. For a while he thought he could, but he knows he would hate his life in a few years. He's an explorer and the sudden realization that he may have to give up his life soon because of this woman is horrifying to him.
"Is something on your mind, Captain?" Jeera asks him, bringing him back from his thoughts.
"Too many things to count," he mutters. She looks to him for a longer answer but he doesn't give one. He begins walking down the deck, and can feel Jeera looking at him. Maybe bringing her on this ship was a bad idea.
They'll arrive at the Montressor port tomorrow, their three month mission coming to an end. He'll see Daphne who will bombard him with wedding plans, watch Jeera melt into the crowd, and see his mother who will fuss over everything and he'll have to decide if he will give up his freedom for Daphne, the woman he loves. Or at least thinks he does.