Disclaimer: Sadly I do not own any of these wonderful characters, or even the setting and world of Firefly. They all belong to Fox/Universal and Joss Whedon.
James Norrington and related belongs to Disney, Gore and Ted and Terry.
A/N: This series of ficlets takes place after Browncoats at World's End. You don't have to read it, but it would explain how an 18th century commodore came to be aboard Serenity
Saga: There is a saga? I guess since most of these fics will be after "Browncoats at World's End" and continue after each other it is a saga.
InsomniaChapter 2: Bed Time Snack
James Norrington had waited until River had closed her eyes and her breathing had slowed down before he pulled back the strange thin door closed on her cabin. He couldn't help but feel guilty that he caused her prolonged exhaustion.
Perhaps it is what she told him. It was true that no one forced him to give Sparrow a head start. No one forced him to sail through the hurricane and no one forced him to resign. He had nearly forgotten why he had given Sparrow the head start. It was either because he was still feeling the effects of Elizabeth's rejection or was it the mere fact he was impressed by Sparrows antics.
"Absolute rubbish," he scoffed at the thought as he opened the screen to his own bunk. His fingers pressed against the glass smooth material. It was called plastic, a material born from chemistry and from what he could garner from Dr. Tam it was a very malleable substance that could be any shape or color, could resemble glass, but was stronger and lighter than most metals. It was one of many things he had deemed as progress that had occurred between the 18th and 26th centuries.
There were many other items of progress in James's own bunk, such as the clear adhesive called tape and the easy attachable hooks that held his uniform, commodore hat, and wig.
The electrical light as well as his own bed also impressed him. He had heard of electricity and the generators that produced such sparks and there was the brilliant and fine colonist, Benjamin Franklin who brought the attention to lighting. James could see how a light source could have come from electricity, rig the wire to the source have the end in a glass enclosure. Serenity was constantly powered and it just took press of a button to light up his small room. He still tried to open the small plastic panel to snuff out the flame until River told him it was electrical.
"Who knows what tomorrow would bring?" He turned off his light and settled down onto his bed. It was far more comfortable than his old bed back in Port Royal. The synthetic foam and springs or whatever was inside the mattress, he wasn't exactly sure what was inside since too many people were talking at once, all he knew it was extremely comfortable and his first night as one of the new crewmembers he went to sleep instantly.
He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to return. He thought back to what River said. He still could not clearly remember why he was generous to Sparrow. He knew about the other two reasons. He was under a lot of pressure from his admiral to recapture Sparrow. At the first sign of the dark clouds and rough waves he should have turned around, but he thought he could avoid it if he sailed around.
That was a foolish decision. The wind pulled the Dauntless into the storm. He and his men had fought hard to get through it, but the storm was strong. When the sun came out he found himself and what few other survivors floating on debris and out of the ten men who survived the storm only three survived long enough to be rescued by another ship.
James could not face those three brave souls. He had let them down. He had let the rest of his men down, including Gillette and Groves. He let down the Navy, and Port Royal. He did not deserve the commission of Commodore and retired. Several people protested that choice and tried to convince him to not retire, including Governor Swann, Elizabeth, Turner and even the other three survivors.
He opened his eyes after several minutes, wondering why he didn't feel tired. When he first lain his weary body down he fell asleep instantly. After his talk with River he did not feel the slightest bit tired. Was he afraid of the nightmares from earlier? No, that couldn't be the problem, was it because of his discussion with River that kept him awake? He had been thinking about a lot and all those thoughts are racing through his mind, but what was he to do? He could take a walk around his new home or just lay there.
The rumble in his stomach had made the decision for him.
Serenity's galley was already well lit when James stepped inside.
"Oh, hello." Kaylee Frye was seated at one end of the wooden table with a small container in front of her. If she was caught by surprise she had quickly gotten over her shock.
"Good evening, Miss Frye," James greeted her. He liked the young woman in an almost instant when they met. The few times when Kaylee was in disguise on the Intrepid and visited River he took time to speak with the young woman. It was hard to not like such a friendly woman with an uplifting spirit.
"Can't sleep either?" Kaylee placed her spoon inside the container and scooped out a pale pink substance.
"I was sleeping," James grabbed onto the back of one of the empty chairs. Propriety was holding him back again. He was waiting for an official invite before he would sit down. "I came here to find something to eat."
"Plenty of protein packs to snack on," Kaylee said after she swallowed her bite. "Course you need to know how to prepare them so they would look and taste like food and we don't cook a lot except for breakfast and dinner, but we got bags and boxes of stuff to snack on and then there is this." She pointed at her container. "Powdered yogurt just needs water."
"I believe I shall give that a try." His taste buds and stomach do need to accommodate to the futuristic food.
"I'll get you one," she rose from her chair and went rummaging through the small doors. "What flavor would you like? We have strawberry, peach, orange, and vanilla."
"I'll try a vanilla." He had tried the flavor before, and preferred vanilla to chocolate.
"Do you want to try?" she held out the container. James knew she meant if he wanted to make it himself.
"I have to learn." He took the small cup like container; another wondrous product made from plastic and went to the sink.
"Don't add to much to start," she handed him a spoon.
James removed the lid and added a mere trickle of water from the sink before he stirred it in. He added a bit more and a bit more until the substance in the container was as thick as clotted cream.
"What would you like to talk about?" Kaylee sat back down and pointed at a chair next to hers.
That was the invitation James wanted. "I would like to start with why you are awake." He said as soon as he had sat down. "Unless it is because you are hungry."
"So much has gone on," her smile never left her face. "We went back in time, over centuries. No one has really done that before and it was us, and we met you and you are a really nice man and Jayne might not like it but I like how you keep calling everyone Miss and Mister and Mrs."
James had to smile. "I appreciate your kind words." He brought a spoonful to his mouth. It did taste like vanilla, but there was something off about it. He had tasted vanilla in cakes and biscuits. He read the label on the container. The vanilla was artificial. Fake vanilla? Was that really progress?
"And we brought you back with us," Kaylee's smile faded. "I still feel guilty about that."
"It was my choice to go with you."
"Serenity didn't work unless you were aboard."
"I chose." He swallowed another mouthful. "I serve others."
"I still feel responsible."
"You had no hand in the matter, and in a way I did not have a hand in the matter because I had to disappear from the 18th century." He waited for her to loose her distressed expression. "Please do not blame yourself for something you did not cause. I am not blaming you."
She nodded. "Do you like it here?"
His eyebrows lifted at the question. Nobody, not even River had asked him that question. "From what I had seen so far, yes I do like it. I'm not fond of the shots in the arm." The past few days he would receive an inoculation or two from Dr. Tam. He mentioned having to space the shots to allow James's body become accustomed to it. For a few hours after each shot, His arms would feel stiff and sore.
"We have a lot of cures that you didn't have. We want to make sure you live a long and happy life."
He took his third spoonful of yogurt. "That will begin when I start to serve." Captain Reynolds had yet to give him a single chore. The man wanted him to adjust, but James could handle something simple such as mopping the cargo floor or even wash the dishes.
"You are that eager to do the dishes?" Kaylee asked.
"Are you certain you also cannot read minds?"
She chuckled. "I'll let the cap'n know you are ready."
"I think I will adjust in time," he loaded up his spoon once again. "I can adapt." It did not take him long to adapt to life on Tortuga and the new technology he had recently encountered was making it a bit easier. "The acts of piracy will be difficult."
"We just do what the people hire us ask. Sometimes we are like Robin Hood and there was this one time we were to rob a train and we found out it was medicine for an ailing town and we brought the medicine back to the town."
"My new captain is a man of honor," James could not deny that fact. "We military men usually are."
"I bet you are looking forward to sharing military stories with Cap'n and Zoe."
"Of course," he was still trying to get his mind to accept the fact that women were allowed to serve in the military. "Miss Sera and Dr. Tam are people of good class and manners, Miss Tam and I are already friends, you, Miss Frye are easily likeable and I hope we could also be friends."
"I already think that we are." Kaylee said before she swallowed the last bite of her yogurt.
She was right. He could feel another friendship bonding with her. "So it would appear."
"I'm no longer the only person with green eyes on Serenity."
He nearly chuckled himself. It was true. The other men all had blue eyes and the other women had brown eyes. "I am unsure of Mr. Cobb."
"He is rough around the edges, but he has a soft heart."
"You would know him better."
"You will get to know him," Kaylee smiled. "I have a feeling the days ahead are going to be good ones."
She had to have been thinking about her upcoming wedding. James was not only invited to attend, but also asked to participate as a groom's man.
"I am looking forward to this space station." He finished the last of his yogurt and stood up. "How much longer will it be?"
"About one more day," Kaylee retrieved both of their containers and spoons. "Then we nearly turn around and it will be about three more days till we reach Santo."
"We should try to get some sleep," James said after Kaylee had disposed of their empty containers and spoons.
"Hopefully it will be easier now that our tummies are no longer empty." She gave her stomach a light pat.
"Good night, Miss Frye."
"Goodnight Mr. Norrington, unless it is no longer too forward for me to call you James."
James smiled. "At this point you may call me James if you wish." He turned to face the nearest window and stared at the stars. "I have to adjust to my new home, and my new time."
"I just want you to be comfortable."
"I believe I will grow comfortable," he yawned. "Sorry, that was a bit rude of me."
"It means you are sleepy again."
"I should be getting to my quarters," he nodded. A smile appeared briefly. "Good night Miss Frye, and pleasant dreams."
James's conversation with Kaylee, along with the snack had put the thoughts of the hurricane and his resignation out from his head at least for the moment. As soon as he returned to his bunk the thoughts came back. They weren't the only thoughts.
He had thought of the space station they were headed towards. The simply idea of a port floating in space and not attached to a planet was fascinating on it's own, as well as getting to see it. James could not guess how he was going to feel when he stepped inside such a structure.
There were also the few months on the planet named Santo. Captain Reynolds was going to give him some lessons, most likely on how to use the weapons and there was going to be a wedding. He smiled at the idea of the wedding as he settled down into his bed. Perhaps at this wedding Captain Reynolds might be moved enough to start courting Inara. Now he was thinking like the rest of the crew.
James Norrington did not have the heavy and guilt-ridden thoughts from the past on his mind as he drifted off; only the possibilities of the future were in his head.
A/N: Benjamin Franklin was respected by the English, up until the Revolution started.
Replies: Ogreatrandom. Thank you for the review. It's not an angsty angst story more or an angst and stress type.
Dragon-Raptor. Thank you. My muse may go down that road in the future, but now it wan'ts to just keep them as friends.