Perched at her writing desk, the Captain let himself look with tenderness at the lovely blonde woman working away on a story there by the fireplace of the Master Cabin. Her curly haired mouse of a dog stretched out on the hassock in front of her, it represented the kind of heart-warming domestic scene he had always sworn he would despise. Glad that she was focused on her story, he let himself watch her with a surprisingly gentle expression as he returned to a rather frequent daydream. One where they were able to be one, to be together, not as they were today in this semi-cursed life, this near purgatory, one where they were so very close and yet so very separated by life
Standing he moved to the telescope, glancing over his shoulder at her for a second longer. Peering out to the horizon, he wondered what it would have been like, if they could have shared a world, those ordinary every day kind of moments a man and woman were meant to spend together in life. Shaking his head, he returned to scanning the waves. It was true, there was another way they might be together, but its use was restricted, quite specific and would never be possible to pursue without risk. He'd take on any risk himself to be with her, but to place her in harms way, that was not to be considered, and he realized was something he should not even be thinking. 'Dwell on something, and you'll find yourself caught up in that reality yourself,' he chided himself as he silently vanished regretfully from the room.
It surprised him that nearly instantly as he disappeared; she called out to him, "Really Captain! Is that necessary?" Reappearing in the desk chair, he paused, looking at her with contentment. Even this bit of normal life was appreciated; the give and take, the sort of thing you might hear from any couple gave him more pleasure than he would ever be willing to admit aloud. Since he wouldn't share that, what he did say with a twinkle in his eye was, "Really Madam is what necessary?"