A few quick things before we get started:

1. I'm very sorry about not posting as often as I used to. I haven't been in the "zone", so I haven't been nearly as enthusiastic about my writing. I hope it still sounds good to you guys.

2. I would just like to say thank you yet again to my fans, and anyone who reads this story. I can never explain how much your support means. Your comments really give me a confidence boost, about the story and just in life in general. Seriously - thank you.

3. I'm going to take a brief second here to tell you I am super excited because I just found out that I'm getting a Treasure Planet movie banner for Christmas! It's ginormous (6 feet x 4 feet) and I am absolutely in love with it. It's super rare and it took me forever to find someone with it, but I did, and we're buying it! *happy dance*

4. Ahem. Okay, anyways, here's the story. I'm not so sure how I feel about this chapter; it feels kind of awkward to me, but it's what I came up with. And I'm just going to tell you now that it's really late at night, but I was feeling motivated so I went ahead and posted this chapter. Please forgive any typos or anything that just plain does not make sense. I'll fix it tomorrow.

Enjoy!


"Theodore and August - you go double check all the mechanics on the ship, make sure everything's running smoothly. Cason and Rylee - look over the deck and make sure everything looks okay. Graham - you're in charge of buying any extra supplies we may need, and Tabitha and I will grab some food to stock up on. Okay?"

"Yes, sir," the adolescent spacers responded to Jim's orders as they set off to complete their assignments.

The cruise to Crescentia had been easygoing - slow speeds, minimal danger, and a general lack of excitement. Everyone was very relaxed about the whole thing, except for Jim. Maybe it was the lack of sleep or just nervousness about being a Captain - even if it was just a simple journey, it was still a huge responsibility - or even just typical pre-travel jitters, but Jim had been on edge since they boarded the boat.

"Well, so far so good," Tabitha said contentedly as she and Jim walked hand-in-hand down the road. "I really thought that with such a small crew, we were bound to run into some problems, but we haven't had any."

"We haven't had any yet," Jim added.

"So much for optimism," Tabitha rolled her eyes and playfully elbowed Jim. "Come on, Jim! It wouldn't hurt you to have a little more confidence in yourself. Your girlfriend's proud of you, your mom's proud of you, the Doppler's are proud of you - "

"I'm proud of ya."

Jim and Tabitha stopped dead in their tracks at the voice. Slowly, hesitantly, they turned around, both afraid they'd only imagined it, that it had only been wishful thinking that made them here it...

"I knew ya had the makin's o' greatness in ya," Silver smiled at the bewildered couple.

They were both completely floored. After all this time, after all the wishes and hopes and prayers and maybes, Silver was here. Here. Right in front of them. He was not a figment of their imagination, a hallucination brought on by hopeful thoughts. He was really here.

"Well? Ya gonna say somethin' or should I jus' be on me way?" Silver said teasingly skeptical.

Tabitha was the first to move. She ran to the old cook and eagerly through herself into his open arms. He laughed and returned the hug, lifting her off the ground as he did so. Jim's reaction was a little more subdued. Though he wanted to run to Silver and embrace him just as she had done, he didn't. He wasn't sure it would be entirely appropriate, or becoming for a captain, or if it would even be returned in the same way. Instead, he walked slowly over to him, maintaining his calm disposition, despite how fast his heart was racing from the shock. As Jim approached, Tabitha stepped away, leaving the two men face-to-face with each other.

"Hello, Silver," Jim greeted, sounding tensely cordial.

"Jimbo," Silver said with a simple nod.

He held out his hand and Jim shook it. After a second though, they laughed. Knowing that a simple handshake after all this time wasn't going to be enough, they pulled each other into an embrace.

"What are ya doin' here?"

"What are we doing here? What are you doing here?" Jim asked, still stunned by the sudden reappearance of the old friend. "We don't see or hear from you for three years, and then we just happen to bump into you at the spaceport?"

"Three?! It's been t'at long? O, have mercy, that'd make ya..."

"Eighteen," Tabitha smiled.

"Eighteen! I'm gettin' too ol'," Silver chuckled and shook his head. "Aye though, lad - I've done a terrible job o' keepin' in touch wit' ya, an' I apologize. So what's happened to ya? Other than the fac' ya wen' and grew up on me. An' wha' are these trimmin' uniforms ya got on?"

"We just graduated from the academy," Tabitha hurriedly explained. "But I want to hear about you. How are you? Are you still on the run? Are you working? What are you doing at Crescentia? How - "

"Easy, lass," Silver laughed. "I'm alrigh'. Bein' honest wit' ya, I'm still a wanted felon, but I hadn't heard a t'ing about anyone lookin' fer me fer months, so I'm no' too worried. An' I'm doin' the same thing I always been doin' o' course - bein' a cook."

"So nothing illegal?" Jim asked skeptically.

"O' course not! Have a li'l faith, Jimbo!'' Silver replied as if the the suggestion was unheard of. "Jus' sailin' on voyages from one side o' this universe to the other. Tha's why I'm at Crescentia - this was the las' stop on me trip, so I thought I'd jump ship an' come visit ya'."

"Well that's too bad, because we were just leaving," Tabitha explained, feigning disappointment as she formulated a plan. "But... you don't have anywhere else to go, right?"

"No' a' the moment, no."

Tabitha smiled brightly as she was stuck with an idea. She looked up to Jim pleadingly, but he had already had the same thought.

"Why don't you come on our voyage? We need a cook anyway, and we're only going to Kinapis and back - just a few days," Jim proposed.

"Please?" Tabitha begged.

"Well, I'd love t' kids, but don't ya think ya'd better consult wit' yer cap'n 'efore ya start givin' away jobs?"

Tabitha and Jim both snickered, and Silver eyed them suspiciously. "Wha'?"

Jim stopped laughing long enough to inform him. "I am the captain."

Silver stood there totally bewildered for a moment before his senses returned to him. "Heavens, I should 'ave known by yer uniform! You, Jimbo? A cap'n? I don' believe it..."

"Oh, have a little faith, Silver!" Jim mocked.

"But yer only eighteen, lad! How'd ya manage tha?"

"He scored amazingly high on the SAKE when he graduated, just like I knew he would," Tabitha explained matter-of-factly as she grabbed Jim's hand and beamed up at him.

Jim smiled back and gave her a quick kiss.

Silver smiled. "Well, guess tha' answered me nex' question on whether ya two lovebirds are still togethe'."

Tabitha bit her lip to hide her smile and Jim laced his fingers through hers.

"Well? Will you join us?" Jim asked, his voice hopeful.

"Well..." Silver contemplated, then grinned. "Course I will!"

Jim was about to say something but was interrupted when Graham suddenly came around the corner and approached them.

"Hey Jim, we - " he paused, taking in Silver's fairly haggard appearance and wondering what on earth Jim and Tabitha were doing talking to him. "...we're all ready... and waiting for you guys."

"We're coming," Tabitha nodded. Graham nodded back, still looking baffled, then turned and left.

"Alrigh', if I'm gonna be cookin' for the lot o' ya, then I'll need to know what food ya got."

"Not much of anything, really. That's what we were on our way to buy when we bumped into you," Tabby said.

"Easier tha' way anyway - I'll be able to pick what I'm workin' wit'," Silver agreed easily. "I'll go buy what I need and meet ya back at the ship. What's the name?"

"Ah, it doesn't have a name... yet," Jim explained regretfully.

"Oh... it's bad luck to sail a boat wit' no name," Silver said ominously.

"Hey, what happened to your overwhelming confidence in me?" Jim teased. "We'll be fine. We survived a supernova, a black hole, a mutiny, and an exploding planet; after that, I think we can handle just about anything."

"I surely hope yer righ', Jimbo. I won' be too happy if this journey's me last," Silver chuckled as he left.

The two just stood there, looking after the man that had just abruptly, unexpectedly re-entered their lives.

"Whoa..." Tabitha stated as they finally moved and began to head back. "I mean, just... he was just... here. Wasn't he? I didn't dream that, did I?"

"If you did, then I had the same dream."

Tabitha sighed contentedly, the looked up worriedly at Jim. "Uh... we're going to have to explain some things to the others."

"Yeah... that'll be interesting," Jim said as he took a deep breath.

The couple arrived back at the ship and walked to the group of friends. They were already congregated, apparently all finished with their assignments, and talking in hushed voices.

"...got to be him. Who else could it be?" Graham was finishing saying.

"Who else could who be?" Tabitha asked.

Graham turned around sharply, then relaxed and addressed Jim instead. "That man back there... was that... Silver?"

"How do you know about Silver?" Tabitha asked almost defensively.

"Jim told me," Graham replied as if this should be common knowledge.

"It had to be, Graham. How many cyborgs do you think they know?" Rylee said.

"Wait, you know too?" Jim questioned.

"Tabitha told me," she shrugged. "... and then I kind of told Cason."

"And Cason told me," Landon said.

"August and I didn't know," Theodore stated. "... until just now when they all told us about it."

"Okay, wait, wait - what do you all know about him?" Jim asked.

"Not much," August shrugged. "He took care of Tabitha after she was orphaned, he was your superior on the Legacy, he's a cyborg, more specifically the one Billy Bones told you to beware and the one who mutinied the voyage."

"Well... guess you know all the major stuff anyway," Tabitha shrugged.

"And now I know who not to tell secrets too," Jim said, eying his friends. "Yes, it was Silver. He's going to be our cook now and - "

"What?!" the rest of the group shouted in horror.

"He's a pirate!" Cason said. "What are you thinking?"

"Yeah, no offense Jim, I realize your the captain and all, but do you really think that's a good idea?" Theodore asked nervously.

"Easy, guys," Tabitha calmed them. "We can trust him. Yes, Silver was the pirate in charge of the mutiny on the Treasure Planet voyage, but... he was like a father, to both of us. In the end, he gave up all of that treasure he'd spent years trying to find to save our lives. And he gave Jim the money to rebuild the inn - "

"Which also paid for this boat," Jim added. "So he's kind of the financier."

"Yeah, but... how do you know he's still, like, good?" Rylee questioned.

"Look, don't worry about it," Jim snapped. "I don't care if you trust him, I do, and he's coming with us."

The group of friends nodded silently, taken aback my Jim's heated tone.

"Sorry..." Landon apologized. "We didn't mean to sound so accusatory."

"I know," Jim sighed apologetically. "Sorry, I know it must sound crazy from your point of view."

"It does, but if he means that much to you guys," Graham said with a smile. "Then we're all for it."

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Well I don't care if you are, were, or are ever going to be a pirate. You cook like that and as far as I'm concerned, you're welcome to stay as long as you want," Cason said, stretching after the huge dinner they had just consumed.

"Why t'hank ya lad," Silver chuckled.

The current dinner group left, murmuring their agreement on how great the food had been, and headed up to the deck to get the others.

"Thanks again for coming with us, Silver," Tabitha said as she cleaned the dishes. "I really have missed you."

"Well, I missed ya too, lass," Silver said as he served up more bowls of his famous bonzabeast stew.

"And I don't know if you've had a chance to talk to Jim yet, or if he would even tell you if you did... but he missed you a lot too," Tabitha dried her hands and turned back around to face Silver. "I'm not sure you know how much you meant to him."

Silver paused and faced her. "If I mean nearly as much to tha' boy as he does t' me, then I know."

"Good," Tabitha smiled, happy to know that they were in agreement.

Jim, Rylee, August, and Theodore all came thundering down the steps to the galley. They rushed to grab their bowls, Jim taking a little more time than the others by pausing to smile at Tabitha. Tabitha smiled back then started to head up the steps.

"Oh, and Silver?" Tabitha said as she turned around one more time. He looked up to her and she continued. "What happened to that old eyeball trick?"

Jim laughed, and August questioned the comment. "What eyeball trick?"

No sooner had he spoken, then an eyeball floated to the top of Rylee's bowl. Rylee shrieked as if she had just seen a ghost and dropped the bowl to the floor. Their was a momentary pause, then everyone burst into a fit of laughter. Rylee crossed her arms angrily and picked up her bowl to re-serve herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry lass, but that had t' be the bes' reactions I've ever seen!" Silver said to Rylee as he poured her another bowl.

--Tabitha's POV--

I shook my head. I should have known - he always did that trick.

Still giggling, I made my way up to the deck. I paused long enough to take in a deep breath of the cool air, then smiled as I took my place at the fo'c'sle. It was really only a precautionary measure that I keep watch. Neither Montressor nor Kinapis were known to be the harbor of many pirates, so their was little danger of being attacked by them. They were also both peaceful planets, so no chance of somehow becoming involved with battleships. I didn't mind though - it felt so good to be back out, traveling through space. I had almost forgotten how much I loved the feeling that came with it; It was addicting. And besides, being on watch gave me a chance to be alone with my thoughts for a little while.

There were several things that had been fighting to occupy my mind. For example, Jim - was the Doc right? Had Jim really been planning to... propose? My heart fluttered at the very word. Me and Jim... married. The idea seemed amazing, but somehow terrifying. I want to spend the rest of my life with him. He's perfect- charming, handsome, daring, brilliant, charismatic, and so many other things that are impossible to explain. I was attracted to him in every way, shape, form, and emotion imaginable. Marriage though... it was just a scary thought. That's a really big step, not to mention all the repercussions and expectations that would come along with it.... My heart fluttered again, this time in a more worried way. I took another deep breath, and shook away those thoughts. It's too soon to think about it right now. All of this is hypothetical. Maybe he's not planning on proposing at all. That time I felt my heart fall. But I want him too...

I shook my head and sighed and gave up trying to predict the future. Instead I focused on the past - that dream I had had last night. What was that about? It had started off just like that night when Silver saved me, except Silver wasn't there. He never came. Maybe it was just because you've missed him so much. But then there was the second part, when the man was gone and there was that voice... the voice that kept telling me he wouldn't come. What was that voice? Whatever it was, it was wrong because Silver's here now. That thought at least was reassuring; Silver was back... he had come, he did care. Maybe it was really just a nightmare...

I took another deep breath and stared out into space. I didn't have any answers.

0o0o0o0o0o0

--Jim's POV--

"So, you an' Tabby, eh?"

I looked up at the statement. Silver was wearing his familiar smirk.

"Yeah..." I compulsively ran my fingers through my hair.

Silver chuckled. "I knew the two o' ya were made fer each other."

I smiled. It was good to be back around Silver. After all this time, nothing had really changed. I still can't believe he's back. I was half convinced that Tabitha had been right, that this was all a dream. Since I'd found out I'd made captain, everything felt surreal. Three years ago, I never would have expected any of this to happen... at least not until Silver came into the picture, not until he encouraged me the way he did.

"Ya love her?"

I blanched at the suddenness of the question. "W-well I... yeah."

"Have ya told her?"

"Yeah."

"An' she returned it?"

"Yeah..." Now I was getting nervous. Where was he going with this?

But he said nothing, just nodded in understanding. I was just about to breathe a sigh of relief that the interrogation hadn't continued any farther when he asked the next question.

"Ya gonna ask her t' marry ya?"

I can only imagine what my face looked like when he said that. A thousand different feelings coursed through me at once - surprise, embarrassment, happiness... - and all of them showed on my face. By the end of the emotional rush, I knew I was blushing bright red.

"I-I..."

Silver raised his eyebrows at me and crossed his arms, waiting for an answer.

I sighed and finally managed to explain, "I want to..."

"Then why don't ya, lad?" Silver said as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

"No, Silver, it's not that simple," I hopped off the bench and walked to the other side of the room. "There's a lot more to it."

"Like wha'?" he challenged.

I walked back over to the other side of the room. "Okay... like how do I know that I'm ready? I-It's marriage - its a big deal."

"If ya t'ought abou' it this much an ya still want to, then yer ready," he explained easily.

"And then there's what comes after you get married. A family? I-I'm not..."

I continued to pace the room as I tried to end that sentence. I'm not what? Ready? Capable? I knew what the problem was - my dad. What if I'm just like him? What if I just... leave? But another part of my mind argued. Leave? Leave Tabitha? Your family? You wouldn't. You're different. You are not your father. You'd be good, you'd be there. The words of Captain Amelia, Doc, and Tabitha flashed through my head. They all think you're going to be a good father... and they're right.

"Soun's to me like yer tryin' to plan out yer whole life," Silver shook his head. "An' I'll tell ya righ' now there's no way tha' ya can. Ya just gotta take it one t'ing at a time."

He's right - you can't predict your entire future. It's going to be a long time before I have to worry about that. "Well... th-there's the whole issue of actually asking her. It should be... I don't know, special or something..."

"If ya think tha' Tabby's gonna care at all abou' when or where or how ya do it, then maybe ya shouldn't marry 'er cause ya don't know 'er at all," Silver laughed. "She won' be expectin' somethin' romantic or any t'ing like tha'. Jus' be hones' wit' her, tha's all she wants from ya."

I was down to my final concern, the thing that worried me the most about this whole thing, the thing that made my stomach churn to even consider it as a possibility...

"What if she says no?"

I had barely dared to whisper it, but Silver heard. He froze and turned around to face me, his demeanor more serious now.

"Lad, sit down an' stop pacin, yer makin me nervous," Silver ordered.

I obeyed and sat down with a huge sigh. I didn't really how anxious I had been about all of this until I'd said it out loud.

"Now see here, Jimbo. Ya already tol' me yer in love wit' her, so calm yerself," he said authoritatively.

"Yeah, but - "

"No buts! If the lass loves ya half as much as ya love her, t'ere's no way in the Etherium she'd dare t' say no t' ya."

My heart skipped a beat at the hope. He's right - you love her, you want to be with her forever... ask her.

"Thanks," was the only thing I could think of to say. "For listening. I really needed to talk to someone."

Silver chuckled. "Well, I know how ya feel. Been there me self, in fac'."

That statement surprised me - Silver didn't really seem like the settling down type. "You were married?"

"Nope."

"But you said - "

"But I wanted t' be," he ended. "I was jus' like ya - young, dumb, and scared half out o' me wits."

For a second, I was offended... then I realized that was a pretty accurate description of me right now.

I felt bad for starting this, but now I had to know. "What happened?"

"Didn't ask her. Never go' up the courage t' tell her..." Silver said staring off into space.

I wasn't sure what to do or say; this was obviously a tense subject, one that I probably shouldn't have brought up.

Silver looked back up at me suddenly. "Don' miss yer chance."

I stood up and nodded, baffled by the entire conversation and the odd turn it had taken. I started to leave, and was about halfway up the steps when he added something else.

"An' she's gonna say yes."

That was all the motivation I needed.

When I reached the deck, I found that Landon had already taken over Tabitha's watch position. Good thing - I'm sure she's tired. I made my way to the hallway that housed the three bedrooms that were separate from the crew's quarters. After much arguing against it, the bedrooms had finally been designated to Silver, Tabitha, and I. I of course ended up with the captain's quarters, though I didn't even want them. For a trip like this, I didn't need a huge stateroom plus a bedroom. But everyone had been adamant about me having it, so finally I had given in.

As I walked past Tabitha's door, I hesitated.

I could just do it now... I could just ask her.

I reached out to the door, then withdrew my hand.

No, not yet.

I bypassed her completely and headed to my own room. I shut the door behind me and just stood there, debating whether to turn around.

Just go back and do it! It's just like Silver said...

I started pacing again. I thought I had been fine after Silver's pep talk, but now that I'd been left alone to my own thoughts again, I was as tense as ever.

Maybe you're not ready.

No! I am.

I knew this was what I wanted, but I was just... too scared. I laughed out loud at the thought.

Scared. Sure, I can be fearless against an exploding star and pirate attacks, but when it comes to asking Tabitha to marry me...

I stopped walking and just stood there again.

No. It's not right. Not yet, not tonight.

I was waiting for the opportune moment - the moment it felt right, like it was the thing to do. Sure, I could just go do it now, but something inside me persuaded me to believe that this needed to be perfect, and barging into her room in the middle of the night after she was already asleep didn't really seem that way.

When the timing's right, I'll do it.

I walked into the bedroom and undressed down to a shirt and boxers, the whole time willing myself to think of anything else, anything that wasn't this stressful. I tried to concentrate, but every thought led back to how nervous I was. I was so distracted that it didn't even register with me when Tabitha shouted from the other room, not until she called my name.

0o0o0o0o0o0

--Tabitha's POV--

I didn't even remember falling asleep. I'd been so tired mentally - from focusing on all the redundant thoughts that had spent the last few hours circulating through my head - and physically - because I hadn't gotten any sleep last night and now I'd been awake over eighteen hours straight - that when Landon took over my watch, I just wandered down to my room, took off my boots, and flopped onto the bed still fully dressed.

I had no trouble at all falling asleep. I'd convinced myself earlier that I wasn't going to have another nightmare. The dream was about Silver not being there for you. Now that he's back, you won't have anymore bad dreams.

But I was wrong.

I was alone, back in the alley. It was pitch black again, and I felt like the darkness was absorbing all the air around me. Every breath I took was shallower than the last.

I could here whispers of people around me, but I couldn't see anyone.

"Hello? Silver?"

"He can't hear you..."

Yes he can.

"He doesn't care..."

Yes he does! He came back. He is here.

I wanted to yell, but my body wouldn't respond to my commands.

The whispers got louder and more frantic.

Then suddenly, there was a figure in front of me. I could barely make out the outline, but there was definitely someone there.

"Don't trust him..."

No. I do trust Silver.

"You can't believe him..."

About what?

I couldn't say anything. All I could do was listen to the whispers that surrounded me and the voice of the figure in front of me.

"He's not what you think he is..."

Finally I managed to meekly say, "I do trust him. I'd trust Silver with my life."

"No!" The figure said as he grabbed me by roughly by the soldiers.

I couldn't help it - I screamed. I couldn't fight though, the figure had complete control over me. It felt like he was somehow restraining every inch of me.

"Don't..."

"No!" I shouted over the figures next warning.

The whispers all ceased at once, and it let go of me. It was completely silent, until someone, or something, said my name.

"Tabitha."

I started awake. That voice, it had sounded somehow familiar, but the way it had said my name scared me. It felt like a threat. I wasn't as shaken up as I had been last night, but I was still altogether terrified. There was something eerie about it, something beyond a normal nightmare. It left me feeling uneasy and sick with panic.

I did the only thing that I could think of.

"Jim!"

I didn't know what time it was, or if he was even anywhere near me, but it was all I could do. My breathing was heavy, and I felt like my entire body was on fire; I could feel the heat radiating off of me.

"Tabitha?" Jim questioned as he opened my door a crack.

"Jim..." I still couldn't formulate complete thoughts, or force myself to say anything. It was like the dream had taken over my whole psyche.

"What is it? Are you alright?" he asked concernedly, coming fully into the room.

"I-I had another nightmare." Only now did I realize how stupid I sounded. I'm not five - I don't need to call out to someone just because of a bad dream.

Jim however looked worried and came to sit down on my bed. "Was it the same one you had last night?"

"No... but it was similar."

"Well you don't look as scared as you did last night. That's good." He reached out and brushed my hair out of my face, then looked at me alarmed. "But you're burning up. Are you sick?"

"No. At least I don't think so."

Jim ignored my reply and walked over to the water basin to wet a washcloth. He pressed the cool fabric to my forehead. "Here. Just try to cool off."

I took the cloth from him and held to my face. "I'm sorry about this... did I wake you up?"

"No, and don't apologize," he consoled.

"It's just that I realize how childish I must sound, calling for help over a bad dream."

Jim shook his head reassuringly. "No, I can tell it really upset you... Are you sure you don't want to talk about it? It might help."

I shook my head. I wasn't sure why - I really had no reason not to inform him of the strange dream - but something kept me from telling him. For some reason, it felt like I needed to keep it a secret.

"Okay," he nodded understandingly. "Do you need anything else?"

"No."

Except I'm a complete scaredy cat and I don't want you to go. He kissed my forehead and started to leave. A debate raged on in my head between whether I would sound stupid and immature for asking him to stay, or if I should just do it because I was scared and it was comforting to have him here. The latter won by a long-shot.

"Jim?" I called as he reached the doorway and turned around. "W-will you stay with me... again?"

He shut the door and smiled. "If you want me to, then of course."

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a hassle. I don't want you to lose sleep over me or anything so - "

"Tabitha, it's fine, really," he said as he sat back down on the edge of the bed. "I don't mind at all. I love sleeping with you."

Jim blushed immediately, and I couldn't hold in the laugh that escaped me.

"Th-that is... I mean I like... staying with you. Not, you know..."

I kissed him to stop his stammered explanation, then shifted over to give him space. He smiled and laid down, and I put my head on his chest.

"Thanks, Jim," I whispered.

"You're welcome. I love you."

I smiled, and quickly drifted to sleep in the comfort of his arms.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Jim and Tabitha had both had the privilege of sleeping in the next day, and so had only been awake a couple of hours when they arrived at their destination late afternoon.

They decided the best thing to do would be to just go eat somewhere; there wasn't enough time to do any sightseeing or anything like that, and it was dinner time anyway. Silver had agreed easily, saying he didn't mind a break from cooking for once. They headed to some place that August proclaimed had "the best foods this side of the Lagoon Nebula". After ordering, they were each given a glass of champagne - a splurge paid for my Silver - to toast with.

"T' Jimbo, the bes' young cap'n ever t' sail the winds of the galaxy," Silver proclamined.

"To Jim," the other murmured as they clinked their glasses.

"And to all of you," Jim added. "A good crew, and even better friends."

They drank again, and Tabitha added, "And to Silver - I'm so glad your finally back."

"And I'm so glad your our cook," Cason added, making everyone laugh.

"And t' ya, lass," Silver said. "Tabitha Alexander - the bes' cabin girl I ever had - "

"The only cabin girl you ever had," Tabitha interrupted jokingly.

" - A grea' singer, an' a grea' doctor."

"Cheers!" The group said merrily.

They laughed at their exaggerated toasting. They were happily enjoying themselves when they were interrupted.

"Excuse me?"

The entire table turned around to face the stranger. He was a tall man, medium build. He looked like he could have been clean shaven, but had circles under his eyes and a general bedraggled look. His black hair was oily, as if he needed a shower, and his shirt and pants were worn.

"Your name is Tabitha?" the man asked Tabitha.

"Yes..." she said uncomfortably.

"Tabitha Alexander?"

"Y-yes."

"Oh! I can't believe it! After all this time!" the man burst out excitedly. "I can't believe I finally found you! Here... of all places!"

"Found me?" Tabitha shifted nervously. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Jim was wearing a scowl that made it clear he was not okay with this new strangers presence.

"Yes! Finally!" the man said, apparently oblivious that Tabitha had no idea what he was talking about. "Oh you must come with me! We'll have so much to discuss!"

The man reached out and grabbed her arm. Jim hurriedly stood up and pushed it away, stepping between the two of them defensively. The man surveyed Jim, looking taken aback, then smug, then pleasant all in a matter of a few seconds.

"Hello," he said pleasantly.

"What do you want with Tabitha?" Jim asked darkly.

"I simply wanted to catch up on old times. I've been looking for her for ages, and now - " the man paused, then looked back at her in shock. "I just can't believe it... You're really Tabitha Alexander?"

"Aye, she's Tabitha," Silver jumped in, looking just as displeased with the whole situation as Jim. "Would ya kindly tell us who ya are?"

"Oh good heavens, yes. I'm Bryne, Ivan Bryne."

The group stared blankly at the man, so he added, "I was friends with your parents."

This was a little intriguing to Tabitha, but she still didn't understand what this man wanted with her. Finally, he stated:

"I'm your godfather."

Ooh... interesting.

Sorry if this chapter kind of skipped around a lot. I was trying to get on with the story and I just kind of got fed up... anywho, I still like how it turned out.

Please leave comments! I can't wait to hear what you think, too!

-Emily

+Responses to Comments+

23jk: Well that's good! And this chapter certainly was pretty long, so I guess you were right. I'm so glad that you keep loving it more!

anon: Thanks!

Horsygirl 96: The best author on fanfiction? ... WHOA. That is a seriously amazing comment. And then you went and added that it was better than a lot of PUBLISHED BOOK?! I'm a bookaholic too, so that was a huge compliment to me. I'll keep updating regularly as long as you keep being one of my biggest fans :)