This is a bad idea. This is a very, very bad idea, Vanessa thought, watching Jim tread across the bow with his arms held out straight and a goofy smile on his features.

"You gotta try this, it's so cool!" Jim called over his shoulder.

She bit her lip and shook her head, pushing one of her poppy red braids behind her shoulder, "N-No thanks, I'm good,"

He turned back toward her, motioning around him with a wave of his arm, "Seriously, Butterfly, it feels amazing, with the stars and planets passing by, and the wind so strong!"

Strong was right. She could see massive ripples forming in his clothing, and could feel the space breeze pushing her towards the railing. Vanessa was afraid it would push her right off the ship and send her hurdling. Jim made his way back to her, his balance impeccable. That wasn't what she was focusing on, however. It was his eyes that captured her attention, his deep, ocean blue eyes, so calming that they almost overdrove her fears.

"Come on, let me help you up," Jim held his hand out to take hers.

Oh, so tempting.

Vanessa took a step back, "This is worse than the crow's nest," she reasoned.

"And remember how great that was? This will be the same,"

"The wind is t-too s-s-strong. There's nothing to k-keep me from falling off,"

"I'll keep you from falling," slowly and gently, to keep her from freaking out, Jim took her hands in his, "We're just going to walk out and sit down on the bow, okay? You trust me, right?"

She took a deep breath, "O-Okay," she murmured, and she let him lead her forward. Vanessa's balance wasn't nearly as good as Jim's. Several times she wobbled, or her foot slipped off the side.

"Ah!" Vanessa shrieked as she miss stepped. Instantly Jim's arm came around her waist, his hand tightening on hers to keep her steady. So afraid of falling, she pressed herself against him, her wide eyes glued to the deep blue and purple wisps of space below them and a sudden nervous lump forming in her throat. Jim resolved to stay put until her fear and tension subsided, preferring to hold her until she was comfortable with him. He noticed while holding her just how thin she was, still like a skeleton, only now with more meat on her bones since she'd been properly fed here on the ship. Jim also remarked that she felt quite nice in his arms, that her skin was soft, and she was the perfect height for him.

He chuckled to himself, making Vanessa glance up at him, "W-W-What?"

"I'm holding you and you're not freaking out," he stated.

He was . . . she wasn't . . . she glanced at his hands, the one that held hers, and the one around her waist, and she didn't feel anything but comfort. She didn't feel the sudden need to freak out, the crawling of her skin, nothing.

"I . . . I g-guess I'm . . . comfortable with y-you," she whispered.

Finally, Jim thought.

"A'ight kiddies, we gotta get to that shooting star, and fast! The harvested ice crystals are used to power our laser cannon,"

As Vanessa and Silver held onto the floating long boat, Jim jumped across the way and untied the ropes. The boat was lowered into the space below them, with Silver commanding it, and disappeared out of sight. Not expecting to go with him anyway, she glanced up at Jim, who had a sudden look of disappointment.

"Jim? A-Are you o-okay?" she asked.

Just them the buzzing of the little boat's engine grew and Silver came back into sight. He waved up at the two teenagers, motioning for them to hop in. Jim's dejected expression brightened up considerably, and with a laugh he jumped into the long boat, leaving Vanessa to stand nervously at the edge.

"Come on, I'll catch you!" Jim called.

Taking a deep breath, Vanessa closed her eyes and jumped. She felt the wind push up against her and gravity dragging her down. Her heart rose in her throat, blocking the scream she wanted to release. It was all over the minute she felt strong arms grab her at the waist and pull her close to a warm body, a hold that, surprisingly, she didn't want to end.

Jim backed into the control seat next to Silver. His mentor explained the controls and switches, nodding every once in a while, and when he'd figured it all out, Jim calibrated the drivers, put it in gear, and off they went into the night sky. The shooting star soon came into sight, the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen – a great ball of light with swirls of blue and purple star dust trailing. It took her breath away.

Seeing the pure joy etched permanently on her face made Jim's joy expand. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Make a wish, Butterfly,"

Vanessa tore her eyes from the star to look at him, her heart giving a little jolt at the smirk on his face as he accelerated their vehicle. Jim had done so much for her over the past few months. She couldn't imagine life without him.

I wish you'll stay with me, she silently pleaded.

They were going so fast that her braids came undone, and she had to remove her lavender bandanna for fear that she would lose it. As they neared their destination, Vanessa crawled to the front of the boat to get a closer look. Jim pushed his way inside the star's tail, sending them into a wicked electric blue warp. They were blasted with freezing ice crystals in an instant, so cold that even her bones felt the piercing chill. And then they were spinning around and around, fast enough that they didn't fall out of the boat as they escaped the star and raised the sail, but enough to force her backward into Jim's lap. One of his arms instinctively wrapped around her waist and held her close so no harm came to her. Their boat was covered in ice; it surprised her that they could still sail.

"Yer quite ta dare devil, aren't ye Jimbo?" Silver chortled, taking off his black hat and shaking the ice from it.

"That was . . . that was . . . OH MAN THAT WAS AWESOME!" Jim hollered, caught up in the moment. Then he looked down at Vanessa, who was shivering intensely, "Oh God, sorry Vanessa, are you alright?"

Vanessa turned to face him, and Jim had to keep his jaw from dropping. With her hair out of her braids, and silver star dust covering it, her sunshine eyes, full lips, and rosy cheeks, she looked like something otherworldly. He thought that if he let go of her she would vanish in front of his very eyes, and he had to restrain himself not to pull her closer. She was already close enough, and he might scare her away by doing so.

"I-I'm f-f-fine," she stuttered, although she didn't move from his grasp. Instead she stayed within the circle of his arms, thoroughly surprising him as he steered the long boat back to the ship.

Jim and Silver pulled on the ropes to raise the boat, while Vanessa sat in the middle as to not tip it. She would have offered to help, but the fact was that instead of helping, she would have been in the way. She wasn't that strong to begin with, not to mention she was freezing after going inside the star.

"Aw, what's wrong Butterfly?" Jim asked as he tied the boat up, a teasing tone in his voice, "A little cold?"

"A-Are you k-k-kidding? I'm f-freezing!" Vanessa glared at him when he came to sit next to her, "N-Nice going!"

"It's not my fault, it was the only way to get the crystals," Jim chortled, but he shrugged out of his black coat and dropped it over her shoulders. Vanessa gratefully slipped her arms into the sleeves and hoped out of the boat.

"I'm g-g-gonna go w-warm up. S-S-See you g-guys l-later,"

Jim laughed and winked at her, making her blush as she left. Silver huffed, plopping down on his side of the boat with a bit of a chuckle in his voice, "Jimbo, if I could maneuver a skiff like that when I was your age, they'd be bowin' in the streets when I walked by today,"

"Bowin' in the streets!" Morph mimicked in his form of Silver, plopping down on thin air the way he did.

"I dunno, they weren't exactly singing my praises when I left home," Jim countered.

Taking a rag from his red and green stripped trousers, Silver removed his hat and rubbed the sweat off his face with a hearty sigh.

"But I'm gonna change all that,"

"Are you now?" the obese cyborg inquired, "How so?"

"Uh . . . I got some plans . . . gonna make some people see me a little different," he explained vaguely, leaning back with his arms behind his head and a content expression.

Silver's expression, however, was concerned and unsatisfactory, "Oh" he mumbled, "Well . . . sometimes, plans go astray,"

"Not this time,"

Shivering, Vanessa climbed up to the deck with the plan of reporting to the captain of the ice crystal collection they had for their laser cannons. Her journey included passing the galley, which was supposed to be empty. Instead, she heard low and secretive voices coming from the darkness. Curiosity and suspicion got the best of her, and she tip toed to the entrance to listen.

"I'm tired of all this sneaking around!" someone whispered, sounding like this voice of Mr. Scroop.

"Yeah, why can't we move now?"

"Move now! Move now!"

"We can't. Not until the captain tells us we can. When that happens, we be showin' our true colors,"

What was going on? Move now? Captain? Surely they weren't talking about Captain Amelia. There must be another captain hiding away on board.

A large blast of light came out of nowhere, and the ship rocked violently to the side. Vanessa was swept off her feet and thrown into the mast. Groaning, she searched for the disturbance and saw an explosion on the port side. Getting to her feet, she ran up to the quarter deck to get a better look. Doctor Delbert had come to stand beside her, telescope in hand and pointed in the explosion's direction.

"Good heavens," he gaped, "The star Pelusa . . ."

She knew exactly what was going on before the words came out of his mouth.

"It's gone supernova!"

With fierce determination, Captain Amelia ran up the steps, "Evasive actions, Mr. Turnbuckle!"

"Aye-aye, Captain!" the squid-like alien replied, turning the wheel away from the kindling star. The ship's speed accelerated, trying to get away as quickly as possible.

"ALL HANDS FASTEN YOUR LIFELINES!" Mr. Arrow shouted. Vanessa ran to the mast and was met by Jim and Silver. Vanessa's heart pounded in her ear drums and her breath came in short gasps as she fumbled to tie the rope around her waist.

Hands came out and took the rope from her, tying it tightly around her thin frame. Then they took her hands and squeezed them, "We're gonna be okay," Jim told her, confidence lingering in his words.

She wasn't sure if she should believe him. Nonetheless, she nodded her agreement.

Gusts of hot wind washed over the ship, biting and nipping at their skin. Meteorites burst through the golden solar sails above, leaving them damaged and lessening their chances of survival.

"Mr. Arrow, secure all sails!" the captain ordered.

"SECURE ALL SAILS!" he repeated, "REEF THEM DOWN, MEN!"

"Ms. Kendrick, I want you up here front and center!"

"Nessie, take Morph," Silver said as he passed over the little pink blob, "Keep him safe,"

Jim gave her a last fleeting look and a squeeze of her hand before running off. Holding Morph close to her in her hands, she ran up to the quarterdeck, ducking at incoming debris, and stood at attention, "Y-Yes, Captain?"

"Help the doctor as best you can," she said.

"I need help watching the monitors," Doc informed, "Take note of the rising temperatures and any incoming meteors,"

Jim slid along the wooden bowsprit, shielding his eyes against the strong wind, with Silver right behind him. He tightened his lifeline before grabbing the rope to a sail and pulling as hard as he could. Silver turned the wheel that connected the ropes together, keeping it taut as Jim secured the fabric. A small meteor unexpectedly blasted the wheel, forcing him to flail back, lose his balance, and fall.

"SILVER!" Jim screamed. He grabbed the cyborg's line and heaved with all his might, almost hyperventilating at the thought of Silver not existing. He couldn't let him die.

Please don't die!

A robot hand latched onto the beam. Keeping the line tight, Jim helped Silver to scramble to safety, feeling relieved.

"Thanks, lad," he panted.

Vanessa had lost years on her life, watching this scene take place. She would have been screaming the whole time if there weren't dust in her throat. Her heart should have ruptured by now.

"S-Stay in here, Morph," she slipped the scared, trembling blob into Jim's coat pocket and ran to the mast, tightening everyone's line, especially Jim and Silver's. And then she saw it. The biggest meteor she'd ever seen, a red hot ball of fire, hurdled towards them. The alien controlling the laser canons, who had been destroying the smaller meteors, had abandoned all hope and ran for his life. Vanessa shield her eyes against the piercing light and harsh winds, waiting for the ship to be crushed into a million splinters of wood and to be killed on impact. But it never game, this fate.

Instead, she heard Mr. Onus scream, "CAPTAIN! THE STAR!"

She peeked through her nimble fingers. A swirling golden inferno surrounded a black hole.

We're gonna die.

Mr. Turnbuckle was having trouble keeping hold of the wheel, weaving his tentacles in and out of the pegs, "We're being pulled in!" the force of the black hole pushed him away.

The captain took up the wheel in an instant, "Oh no you don't!"

Despite her desperate attempts to steer the ship away, they were indeed being pulled in. As they drew near, a wave of white hot energy was expelled from this monstrous hole. It hit the boat with such power that it knocked everyone to the ground, and even a few off the side.

Including Jim.

He was pushed into the side of the ship, and then pushed over it. Jim couldn't get a proper hold of his rope. It burned his hands and arms, cutting into them so hard that it drew blood.

"JIM!" Vanessa shrieked. She dove over the side, not for his lifeline, but for him. She caught his hand just in time, feeling the warm blood squelch between their palms, but wasn't strong enough to pull him back up. In fact, she was beginning to fall over the side as well. Silver rushed to help them both to safety. Just as they were standing straight, a second wave hit. Jim quickly clutched Vanessa to him and dropped to the floor on his own accord, like it was her that had fallen off.

"Blast these waves!" the captain yelled, still trying to steer the ship, "They're so deucedly erratic!"

"No Captain, they're not erratic at all!" Doc disagreed, his hands working rapidly over the panels, "There'll be one more in precisely 47.2 seconds, followed by the biggest magilla of them all!"

The realization sent awe to the captain's face, "Of course! Brilliant, Doctor! We'll ride that magilla out of here!"

"All sails secured, Captain! Mr. Arrow yelled over the heated winds.

"Good man! Now release them immediately!"

"Aye . . . Captain," his tone held confusion, but he did as told, "YOU HEARD HER MEN! UNFURL THOSE SAILS!"

"What?!"

"But we just finished -"

"-tying them down!"

"Make up your bloomin' minds!"

Do you want to live or not? Jim thought irritably as he and Vanessa got to their feet. He looked between her and the shrouds. This might be the last time he would ever see her. There was a chance that they were going to die in the next few minutes if the Captain's plan didn't work.

"J-Jim, what is it?" he heard her timid voice enter his ears over the shouts and the roaring winds. His blue eyes locked on her golden ones. Even frightened as hell, she was beautiful, and over the months he'd come to be extremely protective over her.

He loved her.

"Don't hate me for this," he whispered. One of his arms wrapped around her waist, while his hand rested on her cheek. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. His mind exploded with bliss, and he didn't want it to stop, but he didn't want to scare her either. As quick as it begun, it ended, and he left her standing there, confused and her heart pitter-pattering like no tomorrow.

He kissed me, she thought with disbelief, He kissed me. He kissed me! Despite the situation, she stood there like an idiot with one of the biggest smiles on her face.

Just as he was beginning to climb the shrouds, the captain called his name, "Mr. Hawkins, make sure all lifelines are secured good and right!"

"Aye-aye, Captain!" he hopped off the netting and ran to the mast, testing each of the lines' strength and pulling them as tight as physically possible, "Lifelines secured, Captain!"

"Very good!"

As Vanessa clambered up the steps, a third shockwave hit them and she was knocked backwards, the wind in her lungs leaving her. She felt her head for any bumps, and felt nothing but hair.

Wait . . . hair? Where was her bandana?

There was no time to waste looking for it. Vanessa tried again to climb the stairs up beside Doc, taking any orders he gave while also keeping an eye on Jim and the lines.

"The last wave! Here it comes!" Doc yelled.

"Hold onto your lifelines, gent, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!" the Captain called to her crew.

Vanessa took a last look at the mast. One lifeline was missing.

NO!

Morph freed himself from her pocket and turned himself into string, tying himself to a thicker rope. Vanessa scanned for some place to hold onto, to secure herself.

"Vanessa, here!" Doc had a position under the control board. Vanessa wasted no time in hesitating and scurried underneath. Doc wrapped his arm around her while he held onto the edge in hopes to keep them still. The world became dark and silent around them, striking fear into her heart. She felt the plunge and her panic rise. They were falling so fast.

A shrill whistling sounded, and the world went from black to white. The ship was ejected from the black hole, the force pushing Vanessa and Doc from their hiding places and into a length of rope on the other side. They managed to sail a well enough distance from the dastardly space element.

As the crew rejoiced, Vanessa unfettered herself from the rope and searched frantically for him. She held her hard breath in her lungs, refusing to breathe again until she found him. There he was by the mast. Tripping as she went, the ginger girl threw herself into Jim's arms.

"Whoa!" the unexpected weight he had gained, and his arms wrapped around her waist, "Hey Butterfly, I told you we'd be okay!"

"Captain, that-oh my goodness, that was-that was absolutely-that was the most -" Doc's words were all over the place.

"Oh tish-tosh," the captain played off her heroic deeds like they were nothing, "Actually, Doctor, your astronomical advice was most helpful,"

Doc's face flushed, "Well, uh-uh, thank you. Thank you very much, I have a lot of help to offer anatomically – amanamonically – as-astronomically," he slapped his forehead in embarrassment.

Captain Amelia strode down the steps to the deck, surveying her crew, all of whom had tired but ecstatic faces. Her eyes rested on John Silver and Jim, whom had come to stand beside him. She allowed herself to smile a little, "Well, I must congratulate you, Mr. Silver. It seems your cabin boy did a bang-up job with those lifelines. All hands accounted for, Mr. Arrow?" she questioned. When there was no answer from her right hand, she called for him again, "Mr. Arrow?"

As she continued to call his name, the crowd parted for Mr. Scroop. His expression was somber as he approached the captain.

"I'm afraid Mr. Arrow has been lost," he then handed over an object in his claws – Mr. Arrow's hat. Captain Amelia gasped and took it from him, her ears drooping. For the first time, Vanessa saw her captain's vulnerable side. It was bizarre, and almost heart breaking.

"His lifeline was not secured," Mr. Scroop added.

All eyes turned toward Jim, who adopted a shocked expression. No, that couldn't be right. Vanessa saw Jim tighten each and every line.

"No, I checked them all," Jim argued. He turned and pushed past two men to the mast and froze when he noticed Arrow's rope was gone, "I-I did, I checked them all. They were secure, I swear!"

It appeared that no one but Vanesa and Silver believed him. Captain Amelia cast the boy a disappointed look before sighing, "Mr. Arrow was a . . ." she cleared her throat, ". . . fine spacer. Finer than most of us could ever hope to be . . . but he knew the risks, as do we all. Resume your posts . . . we carry on,"

Dejected mumbles broke out as she walked away. When Vanessa looked to Jim, he had disappeared.

It was official. Her beloved bandanna was gone.

She had searched the entire ship, from the bottom up – well, not all the way up. There might be a chance that it could be in the crows next, but she highly doubted it. Sighing, Vanessa slid to the ground and rested her elbows on her knees. The top of her head felt so cold without it.

She looked up when she heard the familiar clicking of Morph, and her glum expression instantly switched to surprise as she noticed the plain lavender fabric he was trying to hold up.

"M-My bandana!" she took it from him and smoothed it out over her knees, "Morph, w-where did you find it?"

With another small click, the pink blob changed into a miniature copy of the mizzen, with a little bandana caught on the tip.

"You're the b-best!" she let a small smile form on her lips and she stood to tie it over her poppy red hair. In the corner of her eye she saw the form of a boy sitting on the rim of the ship. Jim stared at the floorboards with a brooding expression, hands limply hanging between his legs with a piece of rope wrapped around his fingers. He didn't look at her when she approached him.

"J-Jim?"

He didn't answer.

"Are you o-okay?"

When he said nothing, Vanessa lowered her eyes. A large cut occupied his forearm from his near fall. It bled pretty heavily, the red seeping into his baggy pants and staining his skin.

"Y-You're hurt," she noted.

Jim glanced nonchalantly at his wound, and then back into oblivion, "I'm fine,"

More silence. Vanessa leaned against the rim, biting her lip. She wasn't sure what to do or say in situations like this, "It w-wasn't your fault. You d-did a g-g-great job at securing the lifelines. I s-saw you,"

"Doesn't matter if I did or not, I still screwed up,"

"You d-d-didn't, Jim, you gave it your all. S-so many people would b-be dead unless you -"

He cut her off, his tone harsh enough to shock her more than he collar, "Vanessa, I screwed up, okay? I'm never going to amount to anything, so just leave me alone before you're dragged down with me,"

She gasped, "Oh, p-please don't s-s-say that! It w-wasn't your f-fault, it was an acid-dent!"

He exhaled deeply, "I need to be left alone right now,"

Her eyes went back to his wound. Stepping forward, she took his arm in her nimble and stretched it out gentle in front of her.

Jim winced and tried to take his arm back, "What are you -?"

"You're g-going to bleed to d-death," she muttered. She wrapped her bandana around his lower arm and tied it tight. Her hands lingered on his wound a moment, feeling the tears well in her eyes before she left. She only hoped he didn't keep blaming himself for this.

It's all my fault.

Jim had been sitting here for hours, twisting the last bit of Mr. Arrow's life between his fingers. All he could think about was how he had screwed up, how he wasn't careful enough, how he basically killed Mr. Arrow himself.

I'm a screw up. Everything I do is wrong. I'll never amount to anything.

The more he thought this, the angrier he became. His blank stare turned into a murderous glare, and he bit the inside of his cheek hard enough for his mouth to fill with blood. Jim silently dared anyone to come and talk to him when he was in such a rotten mood.

"It wasn't your fault, you know,"

He didn't look up to know it was Silver below him. He sighed and ignored him.

"Why, half the crew would be spinning in the black abyss -"

God, first Vanessa, and now him?! Jim let out a frustrated growl and threw the last bit of Mr. Arrow over the side. He slid down the shrouds and clammed his feet on the rim, swinging around to face the cyborg holding a pipe, "Look, don't you get it?!" he jumped down to the deck and got up in his face, "I screwed up! I mean, for two seconds, I thought that maybe I could do something right, but . . . AAGH!" he ran his hands through his hair and turned away, leaning up against the mast, "I just . . . forget it . . . forget it . . ." he cut his rant off before his voice could crack. His shoulders slumped and he felt the corners of his eyes begin to sting. Jim hid his face in his hands before anyone could see.

A hand was placed on his shoulder, "Now you listen to me, James Hawkins," he was turned around to face Silver, whom had a proud look on his face as he spoke, "Ye got the makin's of greatness in ya! But ya gotta take the helm and chart yer own course,"

Jim glanced up through his watery blue eyes, his hope beginning to rise with each word.

"Stick to it, no matter the squalls," Silver told him, nudging his shoulder, "And when the time comes ye get the chance to really test the cut of yer sails and show what yer made of, well . . . I hope I'm there, catchin' some of the light commin' off ye that day,"

Jim stayed silent, sniffing as he rested his head on Silver's stomach. Silver adopted a surprised expression. He glanced around for an eavesdroppers before his expression turned caring and he patted the boy's back, "There there, lad, it's alright, Jimbo," his pats turned into a loving hug, "It's alright,"

Then he cleared his throat and gently pushed him back a bit, "Now, Jim, I-um-I best be getting' about my watch, and you best be getting' some shut-eye," Silver gave him a little nudge toward the sleeping quarters with a small smile. Jim paused at the top of the stairs. He looked back at him with a great amount of admiration before heading down the steps.