Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet

The Beauty of Ambivalence

For wisterianmaiden

The Head Advisor to the Duke of Orion nearly fell out of bed when the alarms for a prisoner escaping went off at some ungodly hour in the morning. As soon as he heard the sirens the Duke's advisor headed straight to his chambers, throwing on some respectable dress in the process, knowing he was probably going to be scolded by him for pointing out the obvious. They made sure that the sirens were loud enough to be heard from any part of the stronghold so that the advisers wouldn't have to do this but he was going to do it anyway because either way the Duke would get annoyed at him. However when he entered his rooms instead of finding him running around like a headless chicken he was watching the prisoner escape from his balcony. He looked so calm and relaxed he wasn't sure whether the Duke was fully aware of the situation. His advisor approached him cautiously, knowing that how he could react to anything he said or did could be unpredictable. He glanced up at him noticing a small smile on the nobleman's face and frowned.

What in the galaxy did he have to be happy about? He thought.

"My Lord?"

"Yes?" The Duke slurred.

"Are you alright?"

The Duke chuckled. "Never better."

"But, my Lord," He stuttered. "She got away."

"Precisely. Well observed as always."

"I don't understand, my Lord, why this is a good thing. I thought you intended to use her. Although I must admit I wasn't sure how she was going to be of any use to us-"

"She is of better use to us when she has escaped because everything is now going according to plan. Or back on track." He offered. "If, as I expected, she was not only her mothers but her fathers daughter, which has turned out to be the case I knew she was going to find some way of escaping. Although it looks like she had some outside help in doing so."

"But, my Lord-"

"Patience. You will find out soon enough what I have planned for her."

~ (***) ~

Once they were back under the protective shelters of the forest the sun was already beginning to rise. Cassandra was exhausted but she kept on going for the sake of her dignity. She wasn't exactly going to start playing the role of the helpless maiden even after to consenting to the need of James Hawkins help and in front of a couple of people she didn't know and wasn't sure whether she could trust. The pirate woman who introduced herself as Marianne told them that there was an inn they could stay at while they waited for what the next move could be. She glanced around the area and couldn't think why there would be one around her considering it was so dead. So far this woman and her over-sized sidekick had helped them but Cassandra still wasn't sure whether she could completely trust them. They were pirates after all. Although in her lessons she was sure now her father intended to help her become the Space Captain she wished to be one day, never entailed any form of hatred towards pirates. Whenever they were mentioned when some friends he knew in the Space force was over for dinner her father seemed a little impassive during the conversation or sometimes she almost thought she saw a ghost passing over his eyes. As if he was being haunted by some unspoken secret.

Although as if by magic a small, pleasant looking inn appeared on the side of the road. She wondered whether it was the same road she had travelled along on the same to her temporary prison and glanced at Marianne. The pirate knew what the younger woman was thinking and assured her.

"They won't find us here."

Cassandra looked a little bit sceptical. "How do you know?"

"This is off a little road. This isn't the main one you would've passed through. We're going the long way round back to the port."

"We should really be heading there now-" Cassandra reasoned but she was cut off.

"You need to rest." Marianne affirmed.

"I'm fine." She replied tiredly, instead of snapping. She was too exhausted to have an argument.

"No you're not. You're filthy and you look like you need at a bed even if it isn't a soft one to lay in for a few hours."

"What do you mean by that?" She demanded.

Marianne frowned. "Nothing."

"Really?" Cassandra replied walking quickly towards the inn.

Jim sighed and hurried after her. Her wrapped an arm around her thin shoulders which she surprisingly enough didn't object to.

"What right does she have to say such things to me? Nothing." She muttered angrily. "She doesn't know me."

"She actually came here looking for you." Jim whispered.

She looked at him with a look of surprise and confusion in her face. "What do you mean 'looking for me'? Am I-"

He shook his head. "No you're not in any danger. She's here to look after you but she won't tell me why. She even claims that no one hired her to take care of you."

Cassandra tried to speak, she tried to speak her mind but she found that she couldn't. She was unable to say anything because she didn't know what to think when it came to this whole situation. She shook her head and carried on down the path trying to think how she should make of all this. This was more than she expected from this trip. She thought that there would be more than a pool of tears and a hint of drama but nothing as colossal as this. War. Pirates. Secrets. Hidden feelings. This was something which occurred in a far-fetched romance novel, not reality. Not within her reality anyway. She tried to keep drama as far away from her life as she could possibly control. This was too much for her. This life which she had lead was becoming too much for her. She had been carrying so much all these years only to discover that there was more than she could ever imagine for her to discover. All she had intended for herself in this trip was to support her friend through her own trials not the other way round. She was so used to helping other people to find herself having to need help was disorientating, so strange it made her feel like that weak, helpless little girl again witnessing the death of her own mother where there was nothing she or anyone could do to stop it.

When they reached the inn she practically shoved the door open with such force that it swung and hit the wall.

"That doesn't even make sense." She muttered under her breath.

"Well that was what she told me." Jim replied calmly although he didn't know whether that was going help as he eyed the door she just damaged and their two companions who also looked a little worried.

"And you believe them? Jim they're pirates." She reasoned.

He looked away dismissively. "I wouldn't hold that as a reason not to trust them."

She frowned at this comment, thinking that he of all people should have something against pirates. He was a Space Captain for goodness sake. It was against his principles for him to even accept the help of a pirate let alone be able to trust one of them. Then again that wasn't exactly a reason to hate them considering what her fathers opinions were and that didn't make him any less of the honourable man she knew him to be. It made him seem more open minded than he already was, more than anything. She even felt a little bit ashamed of herself for a moment for even making such presumptions about this woman since she had actually saved her from the Duke and whatever plans he may have had for her. She shook her head and turned to the owner, a tall, silver-haired woman who still looked strong enough to hold her own against a rabble of pirates.

"What can I do for you darlings?"

"Can we have two double rooms for the night." Jim requested politely.

The woman glanced at Jim and Cassandra then at the two companions behind them and raised her eyebrows.

"I'm presuming your parents are having the other room, Duck." The woman commented looking directly at Cassandra. "I have to say you're being quite lenient leaving her alone with this young fella." She added giving Jim a wink.

Both Jim and Cassandra blushed at this. She could help but allow herself to smirk a little. If her teachers were here. Or Selina, she was sure she would've made some lewd comment if she were here. She was sure she was going to anyway when Cassandra would tell her. She always had a way of finding out about these things even when Cassandra vowed to never mention such things to her friend knowing of what may follow. The idea of actually being alone in a room, sharing a room with Captain Hawkins made her feel a little bit nervous. It was something she daydreamed about for years not knowing why the image was always planted in her mind. It was a desire she didn't wish to admit to having. She glanced at James wondering what he made of this. She had to admit she felt a little bit worried. Not because she suspected him of doing anything malicious against her virtue but the idea made her feel something which she knew she should be guilty of feeling but at the same time couldn't help but feel was just natural. Thoughts of his lips upon hers made her tingle, his arms wrapped around her with the moonlight shining over them in the darkness of the night, his hot breath on her neck. She shook her head, attempting to shake herself back into reality.

Jim couldn't help feeling like a groom on his wedding night. His palms were sweating like as soon as they walked into the room they would be committing the one act of intimacy any two people were close enough to making. In fact this whole scenario felt like he just had a private ceremony and they were here for their honeymoon and their first night together as husband and wife. If only...He smirked, as he couldn't help thinking that if that ever happened he should be happy that she wasn't beginning to take the reigns in terms of booking things, considering that was what most wives were like. Instead she was standing there almost seeming as nervous as he was, then again she had been through quite an ordeal for the past few days. Nevertheless, he knew that Cassandra would be no different. If she was going to consent to tying herself to such a thing she was at least going to take the highest amount of control as she possibly could. That was how Captain Amelia turned out. But then again Doctor Doppler was always a whimp. They glanced at Marianne who looked a little bit annoyed.

"I wouldn't worry, I was actually going to be sharing a room with my daughter."

Marianne looked like she was going to add, not that it's any of your business. But Cassandra could tell she had more sense than that.

After they had finished signing in they made their way up the stairs and Cassandra frowned when she saw Jim going down the corridor with Murat.

"Where are you going?"

"To my room." He answered slowly and in a slightly confused voice.

She stared at them all and almost laughed. "No you're not. You're staying in a room with me."

"I think it would be better-"

"Listen, first of all, I don't know you and I'm not completely willing to trust you." Cassandra began heatedly.

"Cassandra." Jim said in a weary voice but Cassandra chose to ignore him.

"Second of all I would much rather-"

"'Well thank you for saving my life, Marianne.' Is that your way of saying it? Because I have to say its a very unorthodox manner of saying the phrase."

"Look, I'm very grateful, I'm not saying that at all. I would just rather-"

"Well I don't think it would be appropriate." Marianne replied curtly.

"Since when did you think you were my mother?" Cassandra demanded.

A split second after Cassandra finished her sentence, Marianne's expression changed from parental annoyance to a look which conveyed the emotion you would feel if you had been shot in the chest. She stepped back for a moment and stared at Cassandra unable to find the right thing to say. Jim glanced up at Murat who was unsure whether he should threaten Cassandra or not on the account of her being a woman, he presumed. Jim felt a little sorry for her, despite her being all secretive and untrustworthy there was no way not a single person in the galaxy would be unable to read that expression and know what it meant for the person. He knew more than ever now that Cassandra meant more to Marianne than he could comprehend. Until she would tell him that is...Although right now he wasn't even willing to submit her to a cross-examination. He wanted to walk over to Cassandra and do what you would do to a child when they were misbehaving and slap her round the face for her behaviour. Or that was what the teachers used to do to him at school which followed by his mother marching up to the school and giving them 'a piece of her mind'. He couldn't help feeling that this exchange felt like an argument between mother and daughter.

Marianne blinked, finally finding her voice. "Fine." She made her way down the corridor exchanging keys with Jim and leading Murat silently into the room without a word and closing the door behind her.

~ (***) ~

Jim and Cassandra said nothing for a while after going into the room. They silently walked in and she sat on bed looking down at the floor. Shamefully? Or was she simply just thinking? Jim didn't seem to care at the time. He lit a candle and shut the curtains wordlessly. Not asking her whether she wanted to go to sleep or talk. She was going to sleep, rest. That was what she obviously needed and if she had some she would be able to see the sense in going to Marianne's room and apologise to her for what she had said. He wasn't going to give her any attention after her display outside. He could feel her eyes burning into his back furiously but he knew that the best way to deal with this was to not give her the satisfaction. He couldn't understand why such a loyal friend could be so spiteful and ungrateful. He was unable to see why such a free, open-minded person could be so judgemental.

Cassandra glanced down at herself realising she was still in her ball gown and sighed. This was so stupid...

She glanced over her shoulder feeling a little bit self-conscious about undressing in his presence but she was the one who got herself into this situation.

"Look, I'm sorr-"

"I'm not the one you should be apologising to." He replied firmly.

She got to her feet and raised her hands in mock dumbfounded-ness. "What would you have me do? Go down there an apologise to her?"

"Yes. She saved your life, she at least deserves a little gratitude."

"I am grateful."

"And you're doing a poor job of showing it then." He snapped. She shook her head and turned away as she began to pace around the room. He threw down his coat and marched over to her. "You know what your problem is?"

She laughed maliciously. "Oh but I bet you desire nothing more than to tell me."

"You're proud."

"Oh...I think I've heard this one before..." She replied with a mock-thoughtful look on her face.

Jim shook all over desiring nothing more than to take that mocking expression off her face and he knew the only way how. He grabbed her face between both his palms and bring her lips to the mercy of his own. She was so caught off guard that she had no idea what to do but comply. Her senses were tell her to push him away. But her desires overcome her senses and did more than give him consent but returned these wildly expressed affections. She dared to part her lips like a brazen woman. She could feel his tongue in her mouth tingling all the senses in her body. She tentatively touched his with her own. She drew away for a moment, slightly, kissing, biting his lower lips, feeling a little bit braver. He ran his hands through her hair, making her moan softly and ran her hands over his upper arms, massaging his muscles in response. They eventually parted, out of breath but still clinging onto one another with their foreheads pressed against one another. He kissed hers passionately and cupped her cheek his his hand.

"You did know...?" He began hesitantly.

"I heard you...When I was sleeping. In the dark I heard a voice telling me they loved me...Your voice. When you came to me when I awoke I knew it was you." She assured him with a hopeful smile.

He smiled uncertainly. "What will happen? After this is all over..?"

She buried her face in his neck, kissing in lightly but which thrilled him wildly. "Please. Let's not think of that." She whispered.

He glanced down at the low cut of her dress with his expression shaded with desire. She touched his lips hesitantly but the look in her eyes was enough to draw any man into sin...