A woman was standing on a small crate in her living room ready to shelve the book she'd been engrossed in moments before. She stretched overhead to reach the top shelf, sliding the book back into its rightful place with the tip of her finger. Streaks of sunlight were pouring in from the eastern windows and creeping pleasantly along the floor. It warmed the floor boards and worked its way up the walls that where completely lined with shelves filled with books. A neatly made bed at one end of the room was opposite the window where a table was flush, and on top of the table sat a vase of flowers that was always filled.

The woman jumped lightly from her perch and busied herself about the room collecting her breakfast dishes and retiring them to the sink in the kitchen to be dealt with later. She was late as it was.

Her tiny apartment was settled above a bakery in the center of town and already humming below her with the activity of the morning orders. Usually she would be among them, turning out loaves of bread and dispensing pastries but today she had business to attend to. A leaving was always a big event, but her heart leapt a little each time she had to say goodbye.

In the cramped bathroom she pondered her reflection for a moment in the mirror taking stock of the little wrinkles in the corners of her eyes. Laugh lines, she'd been told. Just the thought made her smile. She pulled her long dark hair back at the base of her neck and secured it in a bun before tying a faded green bonnet over it. She grabbed a shawl to wrap around her shoulders and cover her simple clothes. It had been many years since she'd settled into the routine of wearing a man's shirt over a skirt with sandals that laced around her ankles and kept her feet cool in the hot bakery. Easily cleaned and kept up with darning it was much easier than being laced into fancy dresses.

The streets were bustling despite the relatively early hour and she hurried amidst the merchants and buyers towards the harbor front where her skiff waited in its slip. She threw up the little solar sail and warmed the engine as it drank in the rays. Once on her way she closed her eyes briefly, enjoying the wind in her face while she clung to the shawl with one hand and steered with the other.

She knew instantly the building when it came into view, stationed as it was on the edge of the precipice to preside over the docks below waiting for incoming guests. The inn watched the sun rise on one side and set on the other, never faltering in its gaze as the days passed. She loved it as much for the architecture and her true first home as for the people who resided there.

When she had pulled into an empty slip and tied up her skiff she turned to see a figure standing at the top of the walkway waiting for her. A tall man silhouetted by the light. He raised his hand in welcome and she did the same. As she walked to meet him Ellie smiled to herself, 'Welcome home,' she whispered under her breath.

They met on the boardwalk as old friends, embracing each other exchanging generous pats on the back. Jim had lost none of his swagger in the years since they'd met though his clean shaven youth had been replaced lately by the bearded indication of his rank. As an instituted Captain he was leaving that day for another mission, the frequency of which had increased as of late, a reflection of the changing times they lived in. She'd come today to see off her friend and to provide support to the woman they both now called 'mom'.

"So," she said, tracing the line of hair down his jaw. "When did you acquire this?"

"You know the rules," he replied with a smile, "Captains are bearded. That's how they know who to shoot at when we meet the enemy."

"Don't joke like that," she said, "you know we worry when you have to leave like this. How long will you be gone this time?"

"I don't know. They expect it to be a quick trip but you never know with these things. It could be a few weeks or a few months. It's becoming increasingly unstable on the edges of civilization. We'll see what surprises await us."

Ellie nodded in understanding at his words, knowing he couldn't speak freely of his mission. They walked slowly towards the building where the rest of the family was waiting.

"And what of Ann?" she inquired, knowing the subject of his wife who was heavy with their first child was a favorite subject of his. "How is she holding up?"

"As best as can be expected," he said. "She's nearing the end of her pregnancy and is worried that something will happen with the baby while I am away. It breaks my heart to see her so and my mother is trying her best to keep her spirits up but it's difficult."

"Well I am sure everything will be fine," Ellie said trying to clear away the shadow that had fallen over her friends face. "You know we'll all be here for her when her time comes ."

"And for that I am grateful."

They had arrived at the door of the inn knowing that behind it waited those they loved. Before he could open it Ellie stopped Jim for a moment and looked him deep in the eyes, "You come back to us," she said, turning their light mood serious. "You know we'd fall apart without you."

"I promise," he said, pulling her into an embrace and promising her with every fiber of his being. For a moment they stayed like that, both providing some comfort to the other for what lay ahead though neither of them knew how it would end. They just kept moving forward knowing they'd always be there for each other.