I know! It took forever! Please don't kill me!
I gave you another long chapter... does that help?
Ivan finished explaining how he'd met up with Tabitha and Silver. Charlotte was speechless for a moment, then she smiled coyly up at him.
"You know, when you first came and found me all those years ago and told me about the treasure, I was skeptical, but I agreed to help you..."
"So... you're Tabitha's godfather... and you want me to help you steal her fortune?"
"Precisely," Ivan nodded.
"What's in it for me?"
"A percentage, naturally! That's the reason I came to you in the first place. Your father was always jealous of Melody's father, so I assumed you would naturally be jealous of your cousin Melody."
"I... I guess so."
"So, how about it?"
Charlotte gave the man a once over again. She couldn't find any holes in this story, and she really wanted to find this treasure. It had been her father's dream to be a part of the "family business" as he jokingly called it; he so wanted a part of the fortune like his older brother had. Her father was dead by now, but perhaps she could do this on her fathers behalf, for his sake.
"What do I have to do?"
Ivan grinned. "Tabitha's mother, your cousin, has just passed away."
"I never met her," Charlotte mumbled to herself.
"It doesn't matter now," Ivan waved away her comment. "The first thing you have to do is go to her funeral and play nice with Sam. He and Melody were working on the clues together. See if you can find out anything."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Has he decided to cooperate now?"
"Yes," Charlotte sighed. "I feel bad about having to threaten to kill Tabitha though. She is my family, after all."
Ivan's face hardened. "And had you ever even met her before Melody's death? Did you even care about her at all?"
"Well, no, but - "
"But nothing! If you didn't care then, don't start now."
"Okay..." Charlotte sighed.
Ivan softened and walked over to her. "Don't worry, we won't actually have to kill her. It's just to give Sam a little motivation," he said as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Remember why you're doing this."
"My father... I know, I haven't forgotten."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Charlotte walked into the house after Sam's funeral. 7 years into the search with Ivan, and they weren't any closer to finding the fortune than they had been the day he came to talk to her. Every time Sam had been sure he'd figured it out, and Charlotte had traveled off on another search to find out if he was right, he had been wrong. All they'd managed to do was make a list of places the fortune definitely wasn't.
She walked through the house, easily weaving through the small number of people who had shown up at the funeral and made her way upstairs. It didn't take her long to find the clues she and Sam had been working on figuring out - they weren't exactly hidden. His closet, top shelf, a box with a note on top that read, "To my Tabitha: In the event of my sudden death." Charlotte scoffed at the sentimentality and opened the letter. To her surprise, it said nothing about the fortune. 3 lines that, as far as Charlotte could tell, really didn't explain anything. Perhaps Sam had been trying to save her from ever knowing about it, to let this senseless search end with him. Charlotte had to admit it was becoming increasingly frustrating, but every time she came close to quitting, she remembered her father.
She resealed the envelope, stuck the box back on the shelf for now, and walked downstairs to play the part of a concerned relative.
"I guess this is yours," she said as she handed the note to Tabitha.
Tabitha took the note, casting Charlotte a puzzled glance, then opened it.
"What is this?" the child asked.
"I have no idea. I just found it in his closet and it was addressed to you."
"Right. Thanks..." Tabitha mumbled.
With the girl distracted by the small number of guests saying their goodbyes to her, it was easy for Charlotte to grab the box and sneak out of the house unnoticed.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"What do you mean she's gone?!" Charlotte screamed. "She was there last night!"
"Well she wasn't there when I went just now. The house was completely abandoned!"
"Ugh!" Charlotte voiced her aggravation and stomped her foot. "Well what now? What brilliant plan do you have to save us this time?"
"Don't," Ivan threatened. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "She can't have gone far in a day... we need to spread the word."
"Spread the word?"
"Go to one of the bars at the spaceport and start drunkenly blabbering about how there's a girl out there that knows how to get to the Reddend Fortune," Ivan explained. "If you want something found quickly, just tell a bunch of sailors and pirates on leave that it involves treasure. She hasn't had time to get out of the spaceport yet, so someone is sure to find her. When they do, word will spread quickly among the sailors and it will be easy to figure out who has her and get her from them."
"But - "
"I'll go with you. I have to go there anyway, I'm leaving again tomorrow."
"So why don't you just do it?"
"Because people there know me. No one knows who you are."
Charlotte was obviously confused. "Can we go through the plan one more time? I really don't understand - "
"Look, it's not that complicated," Ivan rolled his eyes. "We need Tabitha in order to figure out where the fortune is. When we do find her, I'm going to develop a relationship with her. The only way we can get to the fortune is if she trusts me. If I go to the spaceport and start blabbing about her and how she's the heir to the fortune and send a bunch of spacers out looking for her - "
"Then in will be clear that you aren't the trustworthy guardian you're supposed to be."
"Very good," Ivan smiled and kissed her forehead. "Now, let's get to the spaceport and find that little brat."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Ivan sat with a friend at the bar and watched - well, listened, as it was hard to see her through the dark, smoke filled tavern and the crowd that had gathered around her - as she rather convincingly played the part of a drunk woman who somehow knew all about this Reddend girl.
Every time someone asked her a question she couldn't answer - for example, how do you know this girl? - she managed to change the subject and it was quickly forgotten, for the time being at least. They crowd clamored for details about this girl that could supposedly lead them to a fortune, and their alcohol-lowered inhibitions didn't make them question some of the more shady facts. All it took to get their hopes up was to know that supposedly this girl was somewhere at the spaceport, which meant that everyone there had just a good a chance of finding her as the next person.
Charlotte continued to keep her eye on Ivan and the man he was sitting with. She slowly stopped playing the part of a drunk and actually became one. She was becoming steadily tipsier and the details she was supposed to be explaining were becoming steadily foggier. What was that girls name again? It wasn't only the alcohol that was distracting her - it was that man, the man who was sitting at the bar beside Ivan. He looked just like... but it couldn't be him.
Ivan eventually got up to leave and Charlotte made a note to herself to remember to leave a few minutes later, though she really wanted to wait for that man at the bar to leave. Then, as if designed by fate, he got up to leave just as she was about to. She craned her neck to see if it was really him... only to topple off of her stool. By the time she had been righted and stood up to leave, he was gone. Downhearted, she left the bar. When she walked out into the smoggy air and her vision began to double-image, she quickly realized she'd thrown back more drinks than she'd meant to.
"Charlotte!"
She turned around too quickly and dizzily fell into the arms of Ivan.
"Oh, so you weren't pretending, were you? You actually are drunk," Ivan smirked at her. "That explains why you kept calling her 'Alexander' instead of 'Tabitha'."
"Tabitha... that's her name..." she looked up at Ivan's stern glare. "Sorry, I didn't wanta be drunk... I's just nervous."
"Good news - you have no reason to be anymore! I found her."
Charlotte gasped in surprise and looked down the road to where he pointed. There, sticking out like a sore thumb, was a girl clad in a white dress and a brown vest. Her face appeared nervous and she walked so quick that Charlotte was afraid they would lose her.
"C'mon! W-we gotta go get her!" she said as she tried to pull out of Ivan's grasp.
"Relax, I've taken care of it," Ivan said as he supported her. "I sent some of my friends to grab her."
"You have friends?"
Ivan rolled his eyes at her stupor. "All muscle and no brain. They'll be the crew coming with us when we go to get the fortune - Whoa!"Ivan stopped when Charlotte suddenly stumbled and started to fall, until he caught her. "Easy there... come on. Let's get to an inn."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Charlotte groggily awoke the next morning in a bed. She groaned as the nausea and headache overwhelmed her. This was not going to be - oh no. Someone was in bed with her. What...?
She turned her head to see that it was Ivan. Ivan? Was that a good thing, or a bad thing? Had they... no. Upon further realization she realized she was still fully dressed and that there was only one bed in the room. She breathed a sigh of relief just as there was a knock at the door.
"Ivan?" she groaned. The knock came again and she shook him as much as she could without shaking herself. "Ivan, the door."
"Ugh..." he groaned as he threw his feet over the edge of the bed and pushed himself off.
"What do you want?" Ivan asked in an annoyed voice.
"It's the girl, sir. She got away."
"What? All of you... and you let that... that puny little girl get away?!" Ivan nearly shouted. "How the hell did you manage - "
"It wasn't our fault, sir," someone else spoke up. "Somebody saved her."
"Saved her?"
"Yes sir, we knew him. We've worked with him before. A big guy, a cyborg. He came and - "
"Cyborg?" Ivan stopped. "A cyborg saved the girl?"
"Y-yes sir," the man stuttered, worried that he'd said something wrong.
Ivan rubbed his chin. Cyborg... it had to be Silver. Pirate or not, Silver had a heart, and he would be just the kind of man to save her. An evil smile graced Ivan's lips.
"Fortunately for you, I believe this can all be fixed. Until it is, however, stay out of my sight."
"Yes sir. Of course, sir." The group mumbled as they hurried away.
Ivan shut the door and turned back to see Charlotte awake. "They let - "
"I heard," she answered. "But... how are you going to fix this?"
Ivan chuckled and climbed back into bed. "Well, it looks like the plan worked even better than I had originally imagined. Not only was the girl found, she was found by someone I know - John Silver."
"J-john S-s-silver?" she stuttered in disbelief.
Ivan didn't notice. "Yes. I'm almost certain that was the cyborg that saved her. Of course, we'll have to..."
Charlotte stopped listening. It had been him - the man at the bar. John Silver...
Her thoughts were interrupted when she realized Ivan was slowly getting closer to her... "And now, everything is finally coming together."
He ran his hand up her arms and moved even closer, until they were only inches apart. Charlotte's heart stopped as a barrage of thoughts twisted through her mind. No, she didn't want to -
A knock at the door interrupted everything. Ivan rolled his eyes in frustration and got out of bed, allowing Charlotte to release a sigh of relief unnoticed.
"Oy, what?" Ivan grumbled as he opened the door. "This better be good."
"I found 'er."
That voice...
"Who?" Ivan yawned.
"T'e girl! Tha' Alexander girl we 'eard abou' las' nigh'!"
That's him...
Ivan pretended he had no idea what Silver was talking about. "What?! But, what? How?"
"Lon' story, bu' I saved 'er las' nigh'. 'er name's Tabitha Alexander, an' she's an orphan."
"Tabitha, you say?" Ivan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well... sounds plausible. What are you going to do?"
"Hired 'er as me cabin boy, try t' fin' some t'ings out," Silver said proudly.
Charlotte's heart was racing, her head was reeling...
Ivan's heart lept with joy - he had been right. "Damn, wish I could join you... but I've already got this job lined up. Will you let me know? If you find anything out about the fortune?"
Silver agreed and left. Ivan smirked and turned back to Charlotte. "That was him alright."
Charlotte's only answer was to be sick to her stomach.
Charlotte smiled. "So when will she be here?"
"They will be here sometime in the next week or so," Ivan said. "John's traveling with them."
"W-What?" Charlotte stuttered. John Silver was going to come? Here? To see her? She cleared her throat to try to cover up her shock - Ivan still had no idea that she had known John Silver... "I thought you were just going to find out information from John. Why is he coming?"
"Silver's been a sailor and a pirate the majority of his life, so maybe he'll be able to help figure out the clues and the maps. Plus, his relationship with that girl will make him willing to do just about anything to help her, which is why I told him about her plan."
"You what?! How could you - "
"Listen!" Ivan shouted. "It gave him a reason to come. He's not only like a father to the girl, he's a wanted felon. All I had to do was threaten to turn him in, or kill Tabitha if he refused to join us, and he was all set. Now, he won't dare chicken out or refuse to help and leave the girl alone."
Charlotte absorbed this new information for a moment. "But what if he just tells her and then she refuses to go?"
"We don't have to worry about her refusing to go. I made sure to emphasize how much her parents loved her and how much they did for her," Ivan said sarcastically. "She's not going to back out now. As for John telling her..." he laughed evilly and pulled Charlotte to him. "I'm counting on it."
Tabitha peacefully awoke around midday to the gentle sound of a guitar. Yawning, she rolled over and found Jim strumming the chords, humming quietly. When he realized she had awoken, he placed a hand on the strings to silence them.
"Good morning," he greeted as he leaned over and kissed her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."
"No," Tabitha sighed contentedly. "I like waking up like this."
"Like what?"
"With you here. It's nice," she smiled as she stretched and sat up.
Jim chuckled. "Well you know, I was thinking... when Ivan joins us on the ship, it might be nice to give him his own room instead of making him stay in the crew's quarters with a bunch of teenagers. So... we could give him your room, and you could stay with me?"
Tabitha raised her eyebrows at him. "I have a feeling you're just using Ivan as an excuse..."
"Okay, you caught me," Jim laughed and pulled her closer.
Despite his carefree attitude at the moment, Jim had some underlying serious reasons for asking Tabitha to stay with him. Ivan probably did deserve his own room, but mostly Jim was worried about her nightmares. Last night she'd been fine, but who knew how long that would last? Jim desperately wanted to help her, and he believed if he could be there when the dreams occurred it would give him an advantage on figuring out what was wrong without her actually having to say it.
"What are we doing today?" Tabitha asked Jim as she absentmindedly fiddled with his hand in hers.
"Well we slept in pretty late..." he paused. "You know, as your captain, I should probably say we need to go work out all the details of our trip so that we can be ready as soon as our friends get back," Jim started. "But as your boyfriend, I'd say I have some other things in mind," he said as he lightly ran his hand up her arm.
"Uh-huh... and what would these "other things" be?"
Jim smiled and kissed her as an answer. "Why don't we just stay here all day?" he asked a moment later when they seperated.
"You mean in bed?" Tabitha giggled.
"I didn't say that, but if that's what you think..."
"Oh, you mean like a mental health day?" she pretended to be clueless. "Because as a doctor, I'd say that sounds most beneficial to our psychological health."
"I was actually thinking more along the lines of something that might be beneficial to our physical health," Jim said slyly as he kissed her neck.
His warm breath and touch sent pleasant chills up her spine, but she was refused to simply give in. "You can go ride your solar surfer for exercise if you're so worried about your 'physical health'."
"Oh, thanks a lot."
"Well that's what you get with a cheesy pick up line like that."
Jim smirked, then began to tickle her. Amidst their peals of laughter, she fought to get out of his grasp while he did his best to wrestle her down. Quickly, the tables turned and Tabitha was in control of the situation. She pinned Jim down, straddling him and holding down his arms so that he couldn't fight back.
"You should never start a fight with a girl who can finish it," she teased.
"Okay, okay, I've learned my lesson... though I wouldn't really call ending up with a beautiful girl on top of me 'losing'," he added mischievously.
"You are such a typical guy. Your hormones just - " She stopped when she noticed his facial expression had changed. "What's that face about?"
"You really are beautiful, Tabitha."
"Whatever," Tabitha dismissed the compliment.
"No, really you are," Jim insisted. "How in the Etherium did I ever end up with someone like you?"
Tabitha was taken aback and blushed at the suddenness of his comment, then slowly leaned down to kiss him. Just as their lips touched, Jim took this opportune moment to flip Tabitha over and switch their positions so that he was no in control. Tabitha fought and wriggled, the whole time trying not to laugh, but could not escape his grasp.
"Oh, whats the matter? Having a little trouble?" Jim taunted.
"That's a foul!" she cried in offense. Morph appeared from nowhere - probably slipped under the door again - and Tabitha pleaded to him. "Morph, isn't Jim cheating?"
Morph shook his head and the turned into a bell, ringing it three times to signify the end of the 'round'.
"Thank you, Morph," Jim said.
"Oh, what do you know?" Tabitha criticized Morph. Then, with a sudden burst of strength, she pushed Jim off of her. Jim lost his balance and fell of the bed, pulling Tabitha down too. Tabitha landed on top of Jim as they both stopped fighting and burst into another uncontrollable bout laughter.
Moments later, their door opened. "What t'e devil are t'e two o' ya doin'? I send Morph up here t' - " Silver stopped and eyed the couple on the floor. "Why is it e'ry time I here some ruckus an' come t' check on it, I find ya like t'is?"
Tabitha rolled off of Jim and they finally managed to calm down.
"Well? Wha' was it t'is time? D'ya 'fall' again?"
"We were wrestling," Tabitha explained as she pulled herself up.
"Which wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I said 'physical'..." Jim murmured so only Tabitha could hear.
"Wrestlin', eh?" Silver said as he crossed his arms. "Well, looked t' me like Tabby had ya pinned down, Jimbo. D'ya let her win, or did ya actually get beat by a gal?"
"Ha!" Tabitha said triumphantly.
"You didn't beat me! I was winning until I fell!"
"Because you cheated!"
"Distracting you with compliments isn't cheating!"
Morph flew between the two of them and scolded Jim, then raised Tabitha's hand in the air to declare her the winner. Tabitha cast Jim a smug look.
"I though you were on my side you little squid!" Jim said as he tried to grab the blob.
"Aww, don't feel t' bad about yerself, lad. I t'ink Tabby here 'ad an unfair advantage," Silver said placing a hand on Jim's shoulder.
"Learned it from the best," Tabitha said, giving Silver a couple of punches to the arm.
Jim looked up at Silver. "You taught Tabitha how to fight?"
"More jus' defend 'erself," Silver corrected. "After wha' 'appened t' her wit' t'ose men in t'e alleyway, I t'ought it was somethin' she migh' need t' know."
"Yeah, so don't feel too bad about getting beat by a girl, Jim," Tabitha said in mock comfort. "I'm sure it was only because she knew how to defend herself."
"Oh, that's it. You're going down, Alexander," Jim laughed and chased Tabitha out of the room.
Morph giggled and flew after them. Silver's amusement disappeared as he remembered he was going to have to take away that happiness.
Jim caught Tabitha at the bottom of the stairs and threw her over his shoulder.
"James Pleiades Hawkins! Put me down this instant!" Tabitha demanded.
"This instant!" Morph said as he buzzed around them.
"Not a chance."
He spun her around a few times before finally lowering her back to the ground. Tabitha blew the bangs out of her face. "Jerk," she muttered, clearly joking.
Jim stared suspiciously at her for a second, then smiled. Grabbing her hand he pulled her straight into a kiss. She of course didn't resist, but a moment after she had wrapped her arms around Jim's neck, he pulled back, rubbing his head.
"Ow! What - " Jim asked angrily as he looked around to see who had hit him.
Morph was chattering warily at them. Before Jim could complain, Morph pointed timidly to the other side of the dining room, where Mrs. Hawkins was standing there glaring with hands on her hips. "Mad," the blob explained.
"You two are adorable and all, but I'm not sure our guests - " she emphasized, loosely gesturing around the room " - really want to see that."
The couple looked around at the crowd gathered at the tables. Some were snickering, some looking shocked or offended, some looking on knowingly at the young love - but in any case, all eyes were on them, which was enough to make Tabitha start fiddling with her hair and Jim turn scarlet.
"Nonsense!" Silver laughed as he came down the stairs. "Ya can simply start advertisin' dinner an' a show!"
One meal - breakfast or lunch, depending on how you look at it - later found Tabitha and Silver outside, watching Jim perform stunts on his solar surfer in what little sunlight there was. The humidity from the night before still hung in the air and the dark clouds and occasional thunder made it clear that rain was coming soon. Jim insisted that he'd still be able to ride though, and was now showing off, presumably for Silver.
"So, how'd ya like t'e academy?"
Tabitha shrugged. "It was neat. I mean, my classes were difficult, and the teachers weren't always too fond of me and Jim and the rest of our friends - "
"Oh, so ya got in t' trouble a lot, did ya?" Silver smirked.
"Not a lot... but more than we should have. None of it was ever real serious though." She laughed and added, "Plus the headmaster loved Jim, so he could usually weasel us out of anything."
"Well, ya couldn't 'ave been too bad if ya graduated first in yer class! Look at ya - Valedictorian," Silver said with a smile.
Tabitha smiled and began twisting the ends of her hair. "You know you're the only reason I made it."
"What d'ya mean, lass?"
"The whole reason I went to the academy, the reason I tried so hard, the reason I was able to make Valedictorian... I just wanted you to be proud."
Silver looked surprised at this confession. "I am proud of ya, Tabby."
Tabitha turned her attention away from Jim and looked up at Silver, a huge smile plastered across her face from his praise. "Thanks."
"Sorry fer missin' out on so much. I'd loved t' 'ave seen ya graduate," he said apologetically.
"It's alright..." Tabitha mumbled, looking down at her hands.
"No it wasn'," Silver scolded. "I should 'ave kept in touch - "
"You couldn't have! You were on the run!"
"I could 'ave dropped ya a line or - "
"Stop it," Tabitha frowned. "Don't focus so much on the past." She stepped over and hugged him. "You're here now."
Silver hugged back, perhaps a little tighter than he normally would have.
"Did you see that?!" Jim asked as he landed a few feet away from the pair.
"I certainly did, Jimbo! Ya sure 'ave got a knack fer tha' t'ing," Silver said. "Now I wanna see Tabby!"
Tabitha scoffed. "No way."
"Why no', lass?"
"Don't bother, Silver," Jim stopped him. "I've only gotten her to ride it with me once."
"She scared?"
"Yeah, that and she's really bad at it," Jim chuckled.
"Hey!" Tabitha shouted. "I got used to it after we were on it for a while."
"Until you almost fell," Jim rolled his eyes.
Tabitha glared at them, then snatched the board from Jim and stood on it. "Tell me how to steer."
"Tabby, ya don' have t' ride it," Silver told her. "Don' get hur' jus' cause - ."
"I won't," she said calmly. "How do you work this thing, Jim?"
"Tabitha, maybe Silver's right..." Jim began hesitantly. "Are you sure you - "
"Yes."
The teens stared each other down until finally Jim sighed and gave in. "Okay, put both hands on this bar and use it to steer. This pedal controls the brakes, this button releases the sail - but you won't need to do that, so don't press it - and this button starts it up. Make sure you - "
"Got it," Tabitha said as she prepared to take flight.
"No wait! You have to - "
But it was too late; she'd already started it and taken off at a lighting fast speed. She managed to go about a hundred feet before she pitched forward and flipped over. She rolled across the ground and finally came to a stop; The solar surfer skidded to a halt a few feet away. Jim fearfully rushed towards her, with Silver not far behind.
"Tabitha!" Jim shouted as he knelt beside her. He started to carefully turn her over when he realized she was laughing.
"Tabby!" Silver said when he reached them a few second later.
"Ow... well that was short lived," she giggled. They both stared at her wide eyed but she shook the crash off as no big deal. "That was fun!"
"Ya sure yer alrigh'?" Silver asked.
"You didn't hit your head or anything, did you? Does anything hurt?" Jim questioned.
"I'm fine. Trust me, I'm a doctor, remember?" she said as she stood up. "What did I do wrong?"
"That's what I was trying to tell you," Jim said seriously. "You have to have your foot on the brake and then slowly ease off or it will just take off like that when you start it."
"Oh." She nervously ran her fingers through the ends of her hair. "Sorry... is your surfer alright?"
Jim picked it up and surveyed it, then sighed. "The sail tore."
"Oh, Jim, I'm really sorry. I... it was my fault. I was being stupid. I'll pay to get it fixed."
He gave her a half-hearted smile. "It's no big deal. I've can fix it. Trust me, this board's seen a lot worse."
Tabitha released her breath and smiled back apologetically. Silver grabbed her and embraced her tightly. "Silver, I'm fine! You don't have to smother me!"
"Sorry, lass," Silver said. "I hope I'm not aroun' when ya actually get hurt..."
"When? Are you suggesting I'm accident prone, or am I just naturally in more danger when you're around?"
Thunder rumbled overhead, and they turned their heads upward just as the rain lightly began to fall.
"Let's go back in," Silver said, his demeanor now much more solemn.
Tabitha couldn't help noticing his attitude change when she'd asked the question, and how he hadn't answered...
"Mom?" Jim asked hesitantly as he approached her. "I need to talk to you."
The dinner crowd was finally gone and Mrs. Hawkins was finished with work for the night. As the rain tapped against the glass, she flipped through the screens, trying to find something more cheerful to cover up the gloom outside.
"Sure. What is it?" she asked pleasantly as she decided on a clear, starry night as a backdrop.
"It's this trip... We're still going."
Mrs. Hawkins turned slowly to Jim. His face made it clear he felt guilty going against her wishes; she sighed. "I know you are, Jim."
"What?"
"I knew if you really wanted to go on this trip, I wouldn't be able to say anything to stop you," she said as she brushed his bangs out of his face. "It makes sense. You love Tabitha, so you want to help and protect her. You love adventure, so of course your ready to head off on some crazy trip. And... you loved your father."
Jim was startled by this comment. "What does that...?"
"Are you telling me that knowing this fortune is the reason your father left hasn't increased your curiosity at all?"
"Okay... you're right," he sighed. "But you know I'll always - "
"Always come back. Yes, Jim, I know," she assured him. "I don't expect you to be like Leland. I'm not... happy that you're going, but I have accepted it. Please try and understand why I'm so worried about you going on this trip though."
"I do mom," Jim smiled. "And... thanks."
They retired to the den together, where most everybody else was already gathered. Dr. Doppler was sitting in one of the big easy chairs, holding two of his daughters - the red head, Danielle, and the brunette, Marianne. Amelia was trying to hold onto a squirming little boy, Benedict. Tabitha was sitting in front of the fireplace, playing patty-cake with the blonde, Alison.
"So tell me, Tabitha, when will you be embarking on this expedition of yours? - Oh, thank you Sarah," Dr. Doppler said as Mrs. Hawkins relieved him of Marianne.
"Just a few more days."
"Yeah, as soon as they get back, we're going," Jim added. He approached Amelia and the squirming little boy. "Can... can I - ?"
The mother smiled and handed Benedict to Jim. Benedict stopped squirming when he realized he was free of his mother's grasp and clapped his hands together happily. Jim smiled and joined Tabitha on the rug in front of the fire, grabbing a ball to keep the child entertained.
"Out of curiousity, Mr. Hawkins, how will this voyage compare to our last?" Amelia questioned.
Jim thought for a moment. "I don't know. I'm not really going on them for the same reason, so it's kind of hard to compare the two."
"And what are your reasons?" Mrs. Hawkins asked.
"Well, the voyage to Treasure Planet was kind of like... getting to live out one of my favorite childhood stories, and while I wanted to go just for the heck of adventure, I was mostly going for you, mom."
"You were going to 'set things right', if I recall," his mother smiled.
At that moment, Silver entered the room and took a seat, but made no attempt to join in the conversation.
"Exactly," Jim continued. "But this trip seems... I don't know, maybe it's just because I'm older or something, but it seems more... real. It's not just a story I read when I was a kid. I don't want to say this trip is more important, but... that's kind of how it feels."
"Does that have thing to do with Tabitha?" Dr. Doppler asked humorously.
"Yeah, it might, Doc," Jim said, smiling over at her.
Tabitha grinned back. "Well I know I'm really excited. I can't wait to meet Charlotte again and find out more about my parents from Ivan and then go and find the treasure... It's so weird to think that all this time, there's been someone out there that knew my family and was looking for me." She sighed happily. "It seems almost too good to be true."
It was at this point that Benedict decided that, instead of rolling the ball back to Jim, he would throw it at Alison. The girl burst into tears as the ball bounced into her and knocked her over. Tabitha scooper her up and calmed her.
"I believe it's their bedtime," Amelia said to Dr. Doppler, who nodded in agreement.
"Good night, Ali," Tabitha said as she kissed the little girls forehead.
Jim picked up Benedict. "Hey, Benni, don't hit your sister anymore, okay?" The little boy put his thumb in his mouth and leaned against Jim's shoulder sleepily. Jim chuckled. "I'll take that as a maybe."
They passed the children off to their parents who, along with Mrs. Hawkins, adjourned to bed. Tabitha and Jim sat down together on one of the couches near the fireplace, where the flames had died down to nothing but a dull glow.
"Hey, Silver, did you forget how to talk?" Tabitha asked.
Silver looked up. "Hmm? Oh, I's jus' t'inkin', lass."
"About what?" Jim questioned.
"Jus' t'is trip," Silver said as he worriedly rubbed his chin.
Jim and Tabitha looked at each other, each wondering why Silver was suddenly so sullen.
"Is something wrong?" Tabitha asked.
"Well..." Silver began hesitantly. "Yes."
"What is it?" Jim asked in a low voice.
Silver looked up at the concerned faces of the two kids and sighed. "Ya can't go on t'is trip."
Tabitha's face didn't change for a minute, and then she laughed in disbelief. "What?"
"Ya can't go. Ivan, he's... well, he's usin' ya, Tabby."
"Using her?" Jim questioned, his voice rising slightly.
"Yeah," Silver sighed again. "I wen' t' talk t' him one nigh' an' he tol' me tha' he's gonna take the fortune from ya."
"What?" Tabitha breathed.
"He asked - no, tol' - me t' help him. He said he wanted me t' help him try an' get any information from ya, and t'en use it t' get find t'e fortune, an' tha' if I didn't go with an' help, he would still take t'e fortune from ya, bu' t'en he'd kill ya."
Tabitha felt her pulse speed up. What? Had she heard right?
"Wait, what?" Jim asked angrily. "You're telling me that Tabitha's godfather told you that he wanted your help in stealing her fortune, and that if you didn't, he'd... kill her?" Jim stood up and started to pace. "That doesn't make sense... Why would he tell you?"
"Because they used to be friends," Tabitha answered, her face unwavering from the a stunned look.
Jim looked at her, then back at Silver. "What?"
"Aye. Years ago."
"Well surely he knows that Tabitha's like a daughter to you now. Why would you help him steal from her?"
"I'm guessin' he t'inks I'm still t'e pirate I was when we was friends," Silver shrugged. "If I was, I'd 'ave no problem goin' an' helpin steal from Tabby here... I guess t'ats why he threatened 'er, too. If I'm really no' t'e pirate he t'inks I am, t'en I'd still go to protect 'er."
"So he was trying to make sure you'd go?" Tabitha asked as she rubbed her forehead in confusion. "Why? Wouldn't it be easier to steal from me if you weren't there?"
"It goes back to the pirate thing, doesn't it?" Jim guessed. "Ivan thinks he'll get the fortune if Silver helps because he's a pirate, or if he's trying to protect you because he cares about you."
"'xactly, Jimbo."
Silver felt a twinge of guilt at glorifying these answers. That wasn't the reason Ivan had asked Silver and why he believed Silver joining them would be beneficial, and now he'd just passed up the opportune moment to tell Tabitha why he'd really saved her in the alley that night... but that could wait - what she didn't know, couldn't hurt her.
"So ya see now? If we go, Ivan'll end up wit' t'e treasure no matter wha'."
The three of them all stood there in silence for a minute, working the story through their heads. Silver was still trying to convince himself that he was doing the right thing by not upsetting Tabitha anymore by telling her he too had once been a part of this plan. Tabitha was thinking about how much of a let down it would be if she didn't get to go, and how, even though Ivan could end up with the treasure, she still wanted to go, at least to find out more about her past. Jim was attempting to work through every detail of the story; he knew something was missing, but he couldn't figure out what. He was the first to speak again.
"We're still going."
"What?!" Silver and Tabitha both said.
"We are? Really?" Tabitha asked excitedly, glad that she wasn't the only one who still wanted to go.
"Are ya crazy, lad?" Silver asked. "Ya wanna put Tabitha in danger jus' so - "
"No," Jim said darkly. "I am not going to put Tabitha in danger. Think about it: if we all went - the three of us, plus all of our friends - and Ivan was the only one against us, how would he be able to take on all of us?"
Silver stared blankly at him for a minute, then turned away. He sighed and rubbed his eyes with his fingers.
"What's the problem?" Tabitha exclaimed. "Jim's right - with all of us, there's no way Ivan would ever be able to - "
"It's no' jus' Ivan, it's t'e trip itself. It's no' gonna be easy. If anybody finds out wha' yer out lookin' fer... No. I'm not gonna let ya put yerselves in danger jus' for the heck o' some treasure!" Silver said sternly turning back on both of them.
"Look who's talking!" Jim shouted back. They glared at each other and Tabitha intervened.
"Silver... what Jim said makes sense. I think we should still go. I know the trip's dangerous, but we can handle it, and if we're all together, nobody will get hurt."
Silver shook his head in disappointment. "I don' t'ink t'ats true anymore, Tabby."
"Why?"
"I... it's too hard t' figure out who t' trust now."
Tabitha looked close to tears, but her voice stayed steady. "You already told me you didn't trust Ivan... but you said you'd still come with me."
"Tha' was afore he tol' me his plan!"
"So now you know I need you more than ever!"
Silver hesitated. "Well I'll no' be goin'."
"What?" Tabitha whispered.
"If yer countin' on me to protect ya, don'. I won' help ya."
Tabitha swallowed anxiously. "But this is really important to me..."
"I know 'tis, lass," Silver said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Bu' I don' wan' ya t' get hurt."
"Then come with me! I won't get hurt if you - "
"I can't protect ya from everyt'ing! T'e only way t' keep ya safe is fer ya no' to go."
Tabitha shook her head in disbelief at what she was hearing, from Silver of all people. "So what then? You're never going to let me travel anywhere because it might be dangerous!"
"No! I," Silver began impatiently. "Look, ya graduated from t'e academy. Ya should be goin' on respectable voyages, not t'ings like t'is!"
"But I want to go on this trip."
"Yer no' goin', and tha's final!"
"Silver..." Tabitha said, hovering somewhere between tears and shouting. "You... you can't stop me."
Several emotions flickered across Silver's face, and then it hardened. "I can't?"
"N-no. I-I still want to go. I understand that it's dangerous, but you've let me go on dangerous trips with you before."
He advanced closer to Tabitha so that he was towering over her, making her gulp out of fear. Jim had taken a few steps back during their discussion, but now he stepped forward to her again.
"Now mark me - I'll keep ya from goin' anyway I can."
"But you - " Tabitha tried to say.
"I'll not have ya traipsin' 'cross the Etherium - "
"It's only - "
"Riskin' yer life - "
"I won't - "
"Jus' to see tha' Bryne fella get wha's rightfully yers!"
"I'm not going for the fortune! I'm going - "
"Tha's jus' more reason ya don' need to be riskin' yer life!"
"I just want to - "
"Don' argue wit' me, Tabitha Renee!"
"Stop it, Silver! You aren't my father!"
That settled it. Silver took a step back and Tabitha gasped at what she had just said. Jim realized that the argument had suddenly just jumped to a whole other level, and he stepped fully in between the two of them to mediate.
"Uh, pardon me - " B.E.N. said as he opened the door. "Is everything okay in here? I heard yelling, and yelling usually isn't good."
"It's fine, B.E.N.," Jim said.
Morph flew into the room, chirping happily to the them. When he saw that none of them looked very pleased, Morph's face fell and he swished over to Jim and jabbered quietly to him, gesturing questioningly to Tabitha and Silver. Jim sighed.
"Oh, okay..." B.E.N. nodded. "Well, I'll just, um... I'll just be going to bed now."
Jim waited for the door to close all the way behind the robot before talking again. "Look, we're all obviously... tired, and stressed, from everything that's been going on. Let's just go to bed, and we'll figure everything out in the morning."
Silver stared at Tabitha, his expression somewhere between anger and remorse, but she refused to look up at him. Keeping her eyes focused on the ground, she left the room and followed Jim up the stairs. Neither of them spoke as they went to their separate bedrooms and changed clothes. Tabitha really didn't want to talk about what she had just said, but the guilt was eating her up inside. When she couldn't stand it any longer, she gave in and walked over to Jim's room.
"Yes?" Jim responded to her light knock.
"Can I come in?"
"Sure." Jim was already in bed, but he sat up when she entered.
She sighed heavily and sat down at the foot of his bed. "I shouldn't have said that."
"You were mad." She shot Jim a look that clearly said she didn't want him to stick up for her and he sighed. "Okay, it was kind of harsh... but it's Silver. He'll forgive you, don't worry."
"Guess your right... but I shouldn't have let it get out of hand like that."
"Hey, look at me," Jim said as he crawled down to her. "It's going to be okay." Jim knew he was probably about to touch on something really sensitive... but he had to know if Tabitha... "Can I ask you something?"
"Yeah."
Jim looked back up at her, looking guilty for even asking this. "Did... something seem, I don't know, off about Silver's story?"
Her eyes widened. "You noticed too?"
"Yeah," Jim said as a crease in his forehead developed. "I feel like we're missing something... like the pieces just don't quite fit together."
"Like there's something important we're... forgetting to question."
"Exactly..."
They sat there in silence for a second, contemplating what this missing piece might be, then Tabitha shrugged. "I still believe him though, don't you?"
"Of course I believe him. I don't think he'd make something like that up!" Jim said. "What I don't understand in all of this is Ivan. What was he thinking, telling Silver about this plan?"
"Tell me about it. I - " Tabitha paused, wondering if she should finish her thought. "I almost wish I'd never met him."
Jim started to object to her statement, but stopped - he could see where she was coming from. "Well at least now we know we can't trust him... although, honestly, I never really did."
"Jim!"
"What? I'm sorry, but ever since that day at Kinapis I've had this nagging feeling that something wasn't right, and I think it's because of him."
"Yeah..." Tabitha agreed sadly. "I wish there was some way to... to tell him not to come."
"I think it's a little late for that," Jim said. "Even if we told him not to, he'd just follow us or something. Ivan's obviously really determined."
"I think I'm beginning to understand why Silver didn't trust him."
The two stared at each other, then laughed at Tabitha's major understatement.
Jim recalled something Tabitha had said earlier. "Hey, when you said you weren't going just for the fortune... what did you mean?"
She sighed heavily. "I wanted to go because I thought it would be interesting to see what my parents had worked on trying to find for so long... and I thought it might be fun for you to be the captain of a voyage that was 'just for fun'," she smiled and gave a small shrug. "I'd like to end up with the treasure... but that's not the most important thing to me. If Ivan ends up with it in the end, so be it, as long as everyone I love is safe."
Jim thought for a moment, then had an idea. "Why don't we just go to Lacuna to talk to Charlotte?"
Tabitha squinted at him. "That's what we're already doing, isn't it?"
"No, I mean just that," Jim explained. "If you don't care about the fortune that much, then we can just go talk to Charlotte, find out about your parents and your family from her, then tell Ivan to get lost and never have to worry about traveling with him again."
"And Silver could come with us and he wouldn't have to worry about us being in danger or anything. Jim, that's perfect!"
"Well, I am captain after all," Jim boasted. Tabitha rolled her eyes, but they both laughed. "We'll tell Silver in the morning."
Tabitha nodded and stood up. She walked all the way to the door before Jim spoke again.
"What, you aren't going to stay?"
She turned around and smiled. "I was waiting on you to ask."
"You always have an open invitation."
They quietly snickered as she climbed under the covers and put her head on his chest.
"Jim?" she whispered after a minute.
"Hmm?"
She yawned. "I love you..."
Jim opened his eyes and looked down at her, but she looked to already be asleep. He kissed the top of her head and she smiled dreamily.
Confident and reassured, they were both asleep in a matter of minutes. Tabitha's peace didn't last long though...
"...I almost wish I'd never met him."
"Well at least now we know we can't trust him... although, honestly, I never really did."
"Jim!"
"What? I'm sorry, but ever since that day at Kinapis I've had this nagging feeling that something wasn't right, and I think it's because of him."
"Yeah... I wish there was some way to... to tell him not to come."
"I think it's a little late for that..."
Too late, Silver realized this was a conversation he shouldn't be listening to. He stepped away from the door as thoughts and plans formulated themselves in his mind.
Is that really how Tabitha and Jim feel? That he couldn't be trusted? That they didn't want him to come with them?
Silver had had a hard time believing that Tabitha would truly go if he didn't. He'd been sure that, without his protection and support, they would change their minds. It had been an empty threat, though. If they were really still going to go, he would have given in and gone too, despite that father comment she'd made; she had just been mad... at least, that's what he'd thought until he'd heard what they just said. Maybe that comment hadn't been so innocent after all... Silver didn't know what had happened between them, only that it changed things.
Silver sat on his bed, staring blankly at the door, for minutes? hours? Who knew? Eventually he made his decision... and he was almost okay with it.
If they didn't want him with them, he wouldn't go.
Tabitha and Jim could go on this adventure that they were determined to go on and wouldn't have to be bothered by Silver coming, Ivan would still be able to get the fortune (if he could), and Silver didn't have to feel guilty about helping Ivan and he was still able to watch out for his (almost) daughter.
Silver quickly scribbled down a note and left it on the bed, along with fair amount of money (it was the least he could do in return for what he was about to do).
He looked around his bedroom once more. He hated to do this, to leave her, but maybe it was the only way - everyone would be happy.
And, after all, he wasn't leaving really.
A quiet room...
A shadowy figure...
A packed suitcase...
A mumbled voice...
The darkened hallway...
The creaking stairs...
The door slamming shut.
"Silver!" Tabitha shouted.
She was sitting upright in bed, panting heavily.
"Hmm, wha - " Jim mumbled as he too woke up. "What happened?"
"Silver's gone." Tabitha had never thought that dreams could predict things... but she had a sure feeling hers just did.
"What?" Jim asked again as he rubbed his eyes, trying to focus on what Tabitha was saying.
Tabitha flung back the covers and raced out into the hall, down to Silver's room. Without bothering to knock, she threw open the door... and stared at the empty room.
What she had said slowly dawned on Jim. Suddenly wide awake, he looked out the window, the early rays of dawn just illuminating the boats in front of the inn.
This was all too familiar.
Jim raced out into the hallway, saw Tabitha standing frozen in front of Silver's open door, and headed down the steps.
This was all too familiar.
Jim flew open the front door and it crashed into the wall behind it. He raced half-way down the slick walkway in front of the Benbow, and stopped, and stood there in the misty morning air.
This was all too familiar... except this time, there was no one to run after, no one to reach for, no one to cry out at.
He stood facing the dock where the boats of guests at the inn were tied down... and quickly realized his was not among them.
"No," was the only thing he could mutter to himself, and that wasn't reassuring at all.
It was a mistake... something was... It just couldn't be like this. There was no way this was happening. A dream! Yes, of course! He was dreaming.
But the wet air that was making him shiver told him otherwise - he was awake, and this was very real.
By the time he was able to make his feet move again and head back up to his home, he could see that his mother was comforting a sobbing Tabitha just inside the door.
He stepped inside and fell into a wooden chair at a table by the window. Morph flew from his place on Tabitha's shoulder to him and cooed sadly, but Jim didn't look at him.
"He's gone?" Mrs. Hawkins asked in a small voice. "How?"
"Our ship."
"What?" both of the girls asked as Tabitha pulled back out of the mother's embrace.
Jim sighed and angrily flipped off the starry night background that was still obscuring the window, allowing them to gaze out into the harbor.
"It's gone..." Tabitha mumbled. "W-why..."
"I don't know why," Jim said bitterly. "Morph, what - "
"We already asked," Tabitha said through her sobs.
Morph nodded, then turned into a miniature Silver walking out of the front door, then back into himself, chattering worriedly.
"That's all he could tell us," Mrs. Hawkins said. "I-I just don't understand..."
"It's my fault!" Tabitha cried, covering her face with her hands.
Jim quickly stood and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back, trying his best to comfort her, but hardly able to while he was still so upset himself.
Mrs. Hawkins looked to Jim for an explanation, but he looked at her pleadingly and she finally just nodded and whispered, "We'll talk later."
Jim nodded thankfully and she left to go to the kitchen, taking Morph with her. Jim closed his eyes and leaned his head against Tabitha's neck.
The couple stood in the open doorway, confused, rejected, insecure...
Alone.
I know, it's melodramatic.
Alas, we have answered questions and we have new questions.
How does Charlotte know Silver? What happened to Silver? What will become of Tabitha's fortune? What will Ivan's reaction to all this be?
And have I mentioned that I have no clue what I'm doing with this story? Because I really don't.
I realize the plot has a lot to it (my bad - I didn't mean for it to be so complicated), but if you are truly confused, let me know so I can fix it.
If any of you have questions, or concerns, or confusions (is that even a word?), or the like - please leave a comment.
Thank you! I hope I haven't lost you guys yet.