After a cup of tea and a few more minutes of small talk, Delbert pulled his watch out of his pocket and cleared his throat.

"Well..." he paused, sliding his watch back into his pocket.

Amelia raised an eyebrow as she watched him stand, taking a sip of her own tea. Delbert watched her for a moment, before mentally shaking himself. "I… I should probably return to my cabin. You know, before… before the rest of the crew wakes up."

Amelia calmly set her teacup back on its saucer and addressed him, a tiny smile on her lips. Their rather short time together had been quite enjoyable, a comfortable reprieve from the distress and panic she had been so absorbed in the night before. She had to admit, his presence, while originally not quite as welcome as it should have been, had quickly become something she felt she would look forward to being in for the remainder of the voyage.

"Yes, wouldn't want the rumor mill to catch you leaving my stateroom at such an early hour, now would we?" she hummed.

"N-No, of course not." Delbert smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as his entire face turned beet red. Just the idea of anyone on this ship thinking that he… that they…

"You may go." she chuckled, running a hand through her hair as she stood as well and walked over to the shelf on her wall that held her collection of star charts.

Delbert nodded once, then spun on his heel and made a beeline for the door. It took all the strength in his body to keep from speed walking all the way back to his cabin, where he could safely examine the thoughts running rampant through his mind.

While it was true that he had gotten significantly more comfortable in her presence over the past several hours, she was still the very intimidating, and beautiful, captain. It hadn't escaped him for a moment how captivating she was, especially now that they were… well, more than just acquaintances. Her wit was sharp as a sword and admirable when not directed at him. Her smile shone brighter than any nebula or star, especially when it was genuine. And her eyes… They were the deepest pools of emerald green.

And he… he was just an astrophysicist. A book learned, socially awkward, astrophysicist. How opposite they were.

Pulling himself back to reality, he nearly sighed in relief when he finally reached the door and placed his hand on it. He had just turned to pull the door open when he heard her voice behind him.

"Oh, and Doctor?"

He physically winced, mentally cursing the way his voice caught in his throat as he failed to respond. He shouldn't still be this nervous around her. She had cried herself to sleep in his arms for goodness sake! Perhaps it was the fact that she had reverted to calling him 'Doctor' that had him so uncomfortable. They had been utilizing each other's first names all morning, it was strange to hear her use his title now. Perhaps he had done something wrong, maybe she was calling him to correct some error he had committed. He ran over the last few hours in his mind, and couldn't recall any egregious error… But it had been a rather quick few hours. Knowing him, it could've been a Freudian slip of the tongue that had offended her. If that was the case, he couldn't blame her for being upset. His more intimate thoughts did have a tendency to use his slips of the tongue as escape routes, much to his disdain.

"Yes...?" he asked hesitantly, turning around to face her once more.

Delbert was pleasantly surprised when he only found amusement in her eyes, not disdain or anger.

"If you'd like to join me for breakfast this morning, on the off chance that you have no other plans," she spoke quickly to stop herself from second guessing her decision. "...You would be welcome to do so."

Delbert chuckled a bit, tugging at his suddenly very tight collar. Either he was delusional from the lack of sleep… or she had actually invited him back to her stateroom for breakfast. He stared at her for a few moments, trying to gauge whether she was toying with him or not. He searched her face, but found nothing more than a raised eyebrow.

"I… I'd be honored to join you."

The pleased smile that spread over her lips sent chills all down his spine.

"Splendid."

XXXXXX

As Delbert made a rather frantic exit, Amelia bit her bottom lip to keep from chuckling at the way his shoulder caught the doorframe on his way out. When she was finally alone with her thoughts, she let out a soft sigh and got out of her desk chair as she mulled over the events of the past day or so.

Delbert had gone above and beyond the call of duty. No one had asked him to care for her, endure her chaotic grieving process, or clean her stateroom… yet he did all that, and had even remained until morning. Amelia didn't know his motivation behind it all, but couldn't truthfully say that she minded. He was kind and gentle, and rather humorous at times. He vaguely reminded her of Arrow.

Arrow.

Her best friend should be here. He should be telling her what to do about the way she was feeling. He should be sitting across from her, laughing good-naturedly at the confusion she was sure was written all over her features. He would know exactly what to say to her. He would know exactly how to quell her fears.

She stood in front of her destroyed windows, closed her eyes and furrowed her brow as a gentle Etherium breeze blew over her face. She sighed softly and tried to imagine it was Arrow letting her know he was still with her.

When she opened her eyes, she found him standing in front of her amidst a billion stars, a familiar warm glow in his eyes.

"Amelia."

His voice sounded hollow, like an echo from miles away. The air around her was littered with the glittery shimmer that only appeared in her dreams, and she realized that this was indeed that. A dream. A dream where nothing between them was different.

"Nice of you to join me." She said with a smile.

"I decided it would be best I check up on you. I know how lost you are without your First Mate." he chuckled. "How are things?"

"Not as ship shape as they once were. But not unmanageable."

"My apologies for no longer being there to assist you, Captain."

There was a beat of silence, where all they did was stare at each other. Everything felt familiar between them. The camaraderie, the banter, the teasing… it was all still there. But he wasn't. Not physically. She supposed she should have been crying, should have felt the grief washing over her… something... But she felt nothing of the sort. Perhaps she had exhausted herself.

"Arrow, what happened to you?" She finally asked, that question being the one that had needled her relentlessly since his death.

"I'm afraid I don't remember my last moments."

"Ah. Well isn't that the most satisfying news." She deadpanned. "All the grieving I did and what do I receive in return? No solution as to what happened and who is to blame."

"Amelia, why must you assume anyone is at fault?" Arrow chuckled, his eyebrow raised. "I could have just fallen from the rigging."

"Are you saying that was what happened? Because if so… You must've been more of a clumsy oaf than I remember."

"Perhaps." He mused. "I suppose we'll never know."

"I suppose not." She took a breath, the smile on her face finally fading. "I miss you, Arrow."

"I miss you as well, Amelia. It was not easy leaving you, and I truly wish we had more time together, if only just to see this voyage to its conclusion. The afterlife is not nearly as exciting as life on the Legacy."

"Don't even mention this godforsaken voyage." Amelia huffed. "It's a ludicrous bloody mess."

"Be that as it may…" he laughed. "There is something I will admit to being curious about."

"And what is that?"

"The fact that you're still here."

"Indeed I am. Nothing to be curious about there."

"I know how you can be, Amelia." He stated tensely. "I know what you've gone through with the loss of your family. We can't pretend as if we don't both know what you wanted to-"

"I did what I had to do and I grieved you." She interrupted. "I still am grieving you. I suppose I always will. I had no one left to lean on when you were taken, and without you there…"

"Amelia..."

"I was so tired, Arrow… so tired of losing everything and everyone I ever loved. I didn't want to go on anymore. I… have no one and nothing to go back to."

"...and yet you're still here."

"In a way."

They stood in silence for what felt like an eternity, Amelia's gaze dropping to the floor below her feet. Tears were welling in her eyes, and she couldn't bring herself to wipe them away.

"Amelia."

He had spent his life at her side, encouraging her, supporting her, caring for her... loving her… when no one else could. He was her confidant, her first mate, and her best friend. Nothing could have torn them apart except death. It was fitting that that was exactly what had happened.

"Arrow I won't beg you not to leave me." She said finally, raising her eyes to his.

"You've never been one to beg. You are so strong, Amelia. Continue to be so."

"I will. And I will continue to miss you, Arrow. Truly."

"And I you."

Arrow smiled, and Amelia's tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Again she made no attempt to stop them as she sighed and made to turn her back on him. She felt herself beginning to wake from her daydream, but before she reached full consciousness, she heard Arrow speak again.

"Oh and Amelia? Give Doctor Doppler my many thanks. I can see I have left you in very capable hands."

XXXXXX

Jim continued the game of chase he had going with Morph, laughing as the shape-shifter finally ducked below deck into the kitchen. Jim hopped up from the metal grate he had been peering into, turning to run down the stairs and snatch up the little troublemaker.

Out of everyone on this ship, Morph had to be one of his favorite creatures. And after the night he'd had with his mistake and Mr. Arrow's subsequent death, Jim definitely welcomed the consistent distraction that was playful little Morph.

"Whoa!"

Both Jim and Delbert fell to the floor, Delbert's glasses hitting the deck next to Jim's hand. Jim blinked, sitting up and smiling apologetically.

"Sorry about that, Doc." He said, helping Delbert to his feet and handing him his glasses. "Didn't think anyone would be up and moving this early."

Delbert chuckled nervously, taking the glasses and wiping them clean with his sleeve.

"It's alright, Jim. I'm just… er…"

Delbert blinked, putting his glasses on and rubbing the back of his neck nervously. While it was perfectly normal for Delbert to be heading to the Captain's stateroom around mid-morning, it was less than normal for him to be leaving from there moments before anyone woke up.

Jim honestly wasn't too concerned with whatever the Doc was up to. He was more focused on shooting down to the galley to find Morph and get payback for this morning's antics. The Doc's business was his own.

"Getting a feel for the ship…?" Jim offered, chuckling at how uncomfortable Delbert looked. He grinned when all Delbert could do was nod.

"Yes, getting a feel for the um… the ship." He chuckled uneasily, then noticed that Jim was missing a shoe. "And uh… what are you up to, Jim?"

Jim blinked, following the Doc's gaze down to his foot. He laughed awkwardly, pulling his boot from behind his back and waving it a little.

"Just playing with Morph before I do my chores."

"Ah." Delbert said, shifting his feet as he approached the subject he felt he should have brought up last night. "And um… Jim… I want you to know that… w-what happened with Mr. Arrow… it… it wasn't your fault. It was a mistake that anyone could have made...and-"

"Listen, Doc. I appreciate the...concern. I do. But… I'm fine." He shrugged. "Really."

"Oh. Well, good… good. I suppose I will... leave you to it then."

"See ya later Doc." he smiled, patting Delbert's shoulder as he jogged past him and down into the galley.

XXXXXX

Delbert did his very best to avoid keeping the Captain waiting. But even though he originally had the mind to speed things along, once he stepped into the steady stream of hot water in his cabin's shower, he found himself unable to move any quicker. The comforting warmth of the water mixed with the flood of thoughts in his head had put him into a sort of daze.

Mr. Arrow was dead. That was it. He would no longer be giving orders or doing routine checks of the ship. He was an upstanding man and a great spacer, unafraid and strong. His death was a great loss, that was for sure.

Jim was doing… better. Delbert hadn't spoken to him immediately after the incident, too focused on making sure their Captain didn't need any assistance. Not that he regretted his actions, he had plenty of evidence supporting his decision to leave Jim to himself for a while. Teenage boys like Jim tended to need alone time before talking out their feelings, and although Delbert felt badly that he had not been there when Jim finally let it all out, he was glad to see the outcome of it.

Captain Amelia was something else. Intelligent, quick-witted, brave… Why she chose him to pursue a friendship with he would never understand, but he felt honored to have this opportunity. While it was true that he had already seen some hidden sides of her, the vulnerable side and the conversational side, he wanted to see more… so much more.

But as excited as he was to be getting to know her better, he felt a twinge of guilt needling at him regarding the circumstances. The only reason he was even being afforded this opportunity was because of Mr. Arrow's death. If Mr. Arrow hadn't died, the Captain wouldn't have needed his assistance. He wouldn't have ended up putting her to bed, cleaning her stateroom, or making her tea. This realization gave him pause. Was he doing the right thing? And what exactly was he doing in the first place? Was this a friendship, or slowly blossoming into something more?

Climbing out of the shower and wrapping his towel around him, he realized that he was better off reminding himself that this was a friendship… and that was enough. Regardless of how he felt in his heart, he would only go as far as she would allow. And at this moment, they were becoming friends. He supposed he had to be content with that.

With that being said, Delbert knew he had feelings for her. He wasn't sure what they were exactly or what to do about them… but he did know that he would have to literally bite his tongue to keep from Freudian slipping his way right out of her good books.

XXXXXX

The hesitant knocking on her door shook Amelia from her daydreaming. She opened her eyes slowly, the slight stiffness of her cheeks letting her know that she had indeed cried a bit. She sighed, feeling the storm within her finally settle into a sort of calm. She felt a sense of peace, as if the hole in her heart had been temporarily patched up and was on its way to recovery.

She walked back to her desk, using her hand to wipe away the remnants of her tears from her face as she took the star charts that had been on her desk and returned them to the shelf.

"Enter." She called to whoever had knocked, forcing her voice to come out strong despite the fact that she hadn't used it in the last 45 minutes. She ran a hand through her hair, narrowing her eyes a bit when Mr. Hawkins walked in carrying her breakfast on a tray.

"Good morning, Captain." He said as he avoided her eyes, his gaze going everywhere but her face.

"Good morning, James." She replied stiffly, watching him set the tray down as she returned to her desk. "I trust Mr. Silver received my request?"

Jim nodded, glancing up at her face once before taking the lid off of the tray.

"Yes, Ma'am. Enough food and dishes for two."

"Very good. You may go."

Jim nodded and left, walking as fast as he could without running. While he was a little curious as to who the Captain would be having breakfast with, he knew he was on such thin ice with her that he was better off not even thinking about it.

On his way back down to the galley, he noticed that the rest of the crew had already gotten up and were headed that same direction. The only one headed a different way was…

"Doc?"

Delbert obviously hadn't heard him, because he just kept on awkwardly shuffling right on past him. Jim raised an eyebrow at his weird (but not out of character) behavior, then smiled to himself as he realized exactly who Captain Amelia would be sharing her breakfast with.

"Hm."

XXXXXX

The first few minutes of their shared meal was awkward to say the least. Bits and pieces of small talk, mostly stunted on Delbert's part, which obviously bothered Amelia. In his attempt to keep his more complex feelings towards her hidden, he had changed his behavior to the way it was when they had first met.

Awkward and uncomfortable.

The tension in the room was dense, suffocating the life out of what was supposed to be a pleasant interaction between the two of them. That is, until Amelia grew sick of it.

"You know, Doctor, if you didn't wish to join me this morning, you could have declined."

Delbert's gaze shot to her face, his stomach knotting about a billion times.

"N-No, that… that's not it. I mean I…"

"Because I am not blind, and I can see the discomfort written all over your face and in your body language."

"I..uh…"

"Not everything I say or offer is a direct order." Her voice was tight, similar to the way it had sounded when they had first met.

Not good.

Delbert took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down for once. This was ridiculous, all he had been trying to do was not offend her or be too friendly, and had alienated her in the process. That was not his intention at all.

"Amelia… I… I meant what I said when I accepted your invitation. I was… am!... honored." He smiled sheepishly. "I'll admit that I'm just a bit... nervous."

Amelia took what he said and mentally examined it, surprisingly tickled at his confession.

"While I am used to others being intimidated by me, it comes with the title of Captain, I am a bit perplexed as to why you are still intimidated… considering what… ahem… occurred last night."

Delbert's hand twitched beneath her line of sight. So she was acknowledging that something was different between them now. That meant he could as well.

"Yes, well… I have to be honest with you. I've never… done anything like that before, and I wasn't sure how you were feeling about it. I was… trying not to offend you. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I tend to have a few Freudian slips from time to time."

"So I've heard." She hummed. "But in all honesty, Delbert, I have to admit that I am very grateful for what you did for me. My apologies if that did not come across."

Delbert watched her for a moment, mentally forcing each of his muscles to unclench. He could relax a bit now, his uncertainties were out in the air and she wasn't upset by them. And she appreciated his sacrifice.

"I'm not the most observant man, I'm sure you'll find." He chuckled. "But… I am glad I was able to help."

Amelia gave him a smile as well, then reached forward to pour herself a cup of tea. She hissed angrily when one of the healing scars on her gloved palm sent a shooting pain through her arm, and she was forced to let go of the kettle. She retracted her arm, not realizing that the kettle would fall to the desk and splash scalding hot tea all over both of them… which never happened.

Delbert's hand flew forward with a speed he never knew he possessed. He caught the kettle handle right before it hit the desk, causing only a single drop of tea to escape. He let out a short sigh, chuckling nervously when he looked up from the kettle to find Amelia staring at him.

Impressed was perhaps not even enough to describe how she was feeling right then. She watched him lower the kettle to the tray, as she gently rubbed the scar that had caused the problem beneath her glove. Delbert smiled sheepishly as he shook his slightly burned hand to cool it.

"U-Um..." he said quietly, unsure of what to even say after that. He didn't know what entity had suddenly gifted him with that sort of finesse, but he definitely wasn't complaining.

"You know, perhaps you aren't quite the bumbling doctor you present yourself to be."

Delbert's eyes met hers again, and he just grinned, accepting the compliment hidden in that statement. He offered to pour her tea for her instead, relieved when she accepted.

"Very capable hands indeed." she mused.

XXXXXX

Somehow in his hurried attempt to not keep her waiting, Delbert had forgotten that he had yet to get any sleep in the last 24 hours. He had spent last night caring for Amelia, and hadn't even left her stateroom until almost two hours ago. Unfortunately, his fatigue had chosen the absolute worst time to make itself known, when his meal was half finished and he was listening to Amelia finish detailing a story from her famous battle with the Procyons. He shook himself, trying to think of another topic to talk about that might help keep him awake. Not that her recollection of war was not intriguing.

"So… if you don't mind me asking…" he started, running a hand over his face quickly in an attempt to wake himself up. "After what happened to Mr. Arrow… um… what… what happens now? Navy-wise?"

Amelia stiffened a bit, but relaxed again after only a moment. She ran a single clawed finger around the rim of her teacup as she spoke, her eyes not meeting his.

"The Navy has protocol for these situations. I'm sure I will have a new First Mate only weeks after we return to Crescentia. That is… if I finish the ludicrous amount of paperwork involved." She scoffed. "In my opinion, all they should need is a sheet that states that he's deceased."

Delbert nodded in agreement, polishing off his second cup of tea. He admired her ability to speak of Mr. Arrow's demise so freely. After seeing the state she was in before, the contrast was almost startling. She had gone from a grieving, distraught Amelia who had collapsed in a sobbing heap… to the calm, collected Amelia seated comfortably across from him that had been sipping tea and telling stories about her former First Mate for the past hour.

"Well I'm assuming they'll assign someone with as much experience as Arrow."

"Not necessarily." She replied, crossing her legs and spinning in her chair to face the wall off to her left.

"Oh?" Delbert raised an eyebrow, waiting a moment before spinning in his own chair to face the wall, resting his chin on his hand.

"Sometimes the Navy tries to fasttrack promising upstarts. I could end up with someone fresh out of the Academy." She said rather bitterly, her gaze lazily drifting over the map on her wall.

"Well that hardly seems fair to them or you. Assigning someone who has hardly any spacing experience to work alongside someone with lots of spacing experience… it seems frustrating."

"I'm glad to see that someone gets it." She chuckled, glancing at him before returning her gaze to the wall. "Perhaps the Navy should employ you instead of the neophytes currently in charge."

They sat in companionable silence for a while, Amelia's gaze flickering between the shelves on her walls and the ceiling above her. The Etherium breeze behind her ghosted over her face occasionally, ruffling the strands of her hair that had gone rogue and were floating about her head.

She truly was a sight to behold. That fact hadn't changed one bit in the weeks they'd spent on this ship. In fact, his opinion of her had only grown more and more positive, and he could only smile and soak up this rare moment. In fact, he was so caught up in the moment that he hadn't realized that the arm that had been holding his head up as he stared at her had started to slip due to his fatigue. Before he could even really catch himself, his arm gave out and he ended up landing face first... in his plate of half finished breakfast.

Amelia physically jumped at the sound of his head hitting the plate, and blinked in shocked surprise when he sat up a millisecond later, half of his face covered in an amalgamation of food.

"Oh well this is just… lovely." he muttered irritably. "I swear, I am only aboard this ship to attract all the bad luck."

There was silence for a moment, and Delbert contemplated simply getting to his feet and making a hasty and embarrassed exit. But his plans were completely derailed when he heard a strange sound coming from the Felid across from him. It almost sounded like… laughter? He scraped some of the food from his eye, his cheeks burning like a fire when he realized that she was indeed laughing.

"Delbert Doppler, you really are too much at times." She grinned, one hand on her stomach.

Her laugh was warm and melodious. He would readily admit that he had been wondering what making her laugh might feel like, and found that in reality it was even more wonderful than he ever thought it would be.

"I suppose someone has to be the comic relief aboard the Legacy." He smiled as he attempted to scrape more food from his face, the embarrassment he felt within him slowly dissipating.

"Hold on a moment." She smiled, standing from her chair and moving to a door he'd never noticed before. She returned a moment later, handing him a small face towel. He thanked her, using it to wipe as much off as he could.

When he was finished, he smiled sheepishly when he saw her perched on the edge of her desk with her arms crossed, amusement twinkling brightly in her eyes.

"I believe you've missed a spot, Delbert." She chuckled.

He blinked, trying to discern where this spot might be and finding nothing. She rolled her eyes, sliding off of her desk and taking the towel from him.

"Here."

Delbert simply sat there in silence as she gingerly wiped the substance from the area right above his eyebrow, her brow knitted slightly as she focused. One hand was on his shoulder to keep him still, and he tried his best not to tense that shoulder. He couldn't help but find her absolutely adorable in this particular moment, her tongue peeking out from one corner of her lips.

When she finished, rather than moving away, her eyes met his. She had never noticed how warm they were. They were a milk chocolate brown that seemed to see right through her facade, and strangely, she wasn't bothered by it.

"There. Finished." She said rather quietly.

"...Are we?" It's said without thinking, his voice unintentionally low and husky.

There was a hint of confidence there, and for a moment all she could do was stare at him. That single phrase, more of a question than anything, had conjured up a feeling within her that she couldn't explain with words. She couldn't describe the emotions running through her, or explain why her face felt instantly hot. Not that she truly cared to.

Every bit of her common sense was demanding that she back away before something awful happened. Although, she wasn't sure what awful outcome there could be when it came to this particular situation… as foreign as it was. What was so wrong with letting herself feel again? What was wrong with allowing herself to care for another the way she had Arrow… or even more so? There was a tiny voice in the back of her mind that was whispering to her that perhaps this was a good thing… and she was more inclined than ever to listen.

Delbert couldn't explain where his loaded question had come from. He didn't know what it meant or where he was trying to go with it, it had just felt right to say. And he couldn't take it back. Not that he would want to… he felt a rush of something strong and confident within him, and he readily welcomed it. And apparently she was feeling the same rush of endorphins, judging by the soft pink tint that had settled in her cheeks that he was sure matched the color on his own. His eyes searched her dazzling emerald ones, wondering what was to happen next but too afraid of what the answer might be. A strange part of him that he had never noticed seemed to spring to life, urging him to take her face in his hands and do exactly what he had been wanting to do. But the part of him with actual common sense reminded him that she may not be okay with that. He didn't want to alienate her again by screwing up so royally so soon. But it was obvious that something was happening here. Something had changed between them, and they couldn't pretend as if things were the same they had always been.

"Amelia, I-"

"Captain!"

Her stateroom door flew open with an urgency that startled them both. So much so that their heads nearly collided when Amelia shot up into a standing position, retrieved a laser pistol from a compartment on the desk behind her, and used Delbert and the chair he was in as her cover.

She had done it with such speed that even Delbert hadn't realized what was going on until she was literally straddling him, the arm holding the blaster over his shoulder aiming at whoever had bombarded her stateroom. Her other hand was still on his shoulder, inadvertently preventing Delbert from spinning in his chair to see what was happening. So he settled for craning his neck to try and see. He had to admit that the intrusion was a bit of a welcome distraction, it gave him a reason to avoid looking at what was in front of him… which at that moment was Amelia's torso.

"Sorry! Sorry! I… I didn't mean to intrude or anything!" Jim's face turned a deep red as he realized what he had apparently walked in on. Last time he checked, breakfast didn't involve that much physical contact. Maybe he just hadn't had breakfast with a girl recently enough. He put his hands up in surrender, his gaze locked on the ceiling as Amelia let out a huff and removed herself from Delbert's lap. This was too weird, whatever it was.

Amelia stood, tucking the blaster in her hand into the waistband of her belt.

"Honestly, Mr. Hawkins you should know better than anyone not to-"

"I know, I know and I'm sorry. But there's a reason I broke protocol! Silver and the rest of the crew are all pirates!"

Amelia raised an eyebrow at the boy, then looked over at Delbert who had finally managed to pull himself together enough to stand. Delbert, his cheeks still warm and red, just chuckled awkwardly and turned to the frightened looking boy in front of them.

"What's going on, Jim? Why do you think they're pirates?"

"They're mutinying right now!" He exclaimed, turning to the Captain who had already made a swift beeline for her locked cabinet to retrieve the map and a few spare blasters. "We have to get out of here or they'll kill us all."

"Pirates on my ship? I'll see they all hang." She muttered angrily, tossing a laser pistol in Delbert's direction. "Doctor, familiar with these?"

He barely caught it, and got a bit too cocky when he managed to hold onto it, twirling it about in his hand.

"Oh, well I've seen… well I've read-"

The globe she'd been given as a gift never even stood a chance.

"Uh… no, no I'm not." Delbert smiled apologetically, and all Amelia could do was roll her eyes. She could scold him about that later, if there was a later.

"Mr. Hawkins, defend this with your life." She commanded, tossing the spherical map in Jim's direction. The little shapeshifter, Morph, snatched it from the air at the last second and Amelia made to take it back.

Jim noticed and beat her to it, snatching the map from Morph and shoving it into his pocket.

"Gimme that!"

Amelia glared at the boy, handing him his own pistol.

"Do not let that happen again, Mr. Hawkins. When I said defend it, I meant defend it."

Jim simply nodded, swallowing thickly.

"Yes, Ma'am."

The sound of cracking metal from the door behind them caught all of their attention. Amelia took a breath, aiming her laser gun at the floorboards and blasting a hole into them. Delbert and Jim stared at her, confused and startled.

"If you want to make it out of this alive, I strongly suggest you follow me." She huffed, jumping down into the hole.

XXXXXX

Amelia kept her breathing even and controlled as she landed in the longboat in the depths of the Legacy. She reloaded her gun, ignoring the sense of panic that had risen up inside her. While she was no stranger to battle, she'd never had to battle alongside those with absolutely no experience. Fortunately, it seemed that Delbert was doing better than expected beside her. Mr. Hawkins was peering over the edge of the longboat, his own pistol being lost in the scuffle. Amelia hardly noticed his absence until she spotted him sprinting away from them, chasing after what looked like Morph carrying their map. That meant they had to buy him time… which wouldn't be easy. The door to the longboat bay exploded, allowing a sea of weaponized pirates to flood in to try and block their escape.

Delbert did his best to fire at the pirates alongside Amelia, too afraid to stand up the way she was. He stayed in his crouched position, taking a break from firing when something caught his eye up above. He wasn't sure what it was, but by calculating the angle it might fall at, it was worth a shot. He stuck his arm out, aimed, and fired off a single shot towards the fixture.

Amelia's eyes followed the shot, prepared to turn and remind him that the pirates were not firing at them from the ceiling… when she realized exactly what he had done. The pirates that had been closing in on them realized that the floor beneath them had just disappeared, and went tumbling down out of the ship and towards Treasure Planet below.

Treasure Planet. They had arrived? Amelia frowned for a moment. Had she really been that distracted in her stateroom that she never realized they had reached their destination? Interesting.

"Did you actually aim for that?" She asked Delbert after a moment, both surprised and thoroughly impressed.

"You know actually I did!" Delbert said incredulously, staring at the pistol in his hand in awe.

Shots rang out again, and Amelia pushed Delbert back down into the longboat where the shots couldn't hit them. She crouched down next to him, smiling when he shot her a proud grin.

"I honestly can't believe that worked."

"Neither can I." She smirked, reloading her gun before returning to the firefight.

Just as she got back into firing position, she noticed that the light from the planet below them had started to move. She looked down and realized, with a wave of frustration, that the hatch was closing. She looked back towards the control lever, and saw Mr. Silver grinning darkly right back at her. He was the one closing off their escape. If that hatch shut completely, they would be trapped.

"Ah, blast it!" She growled, looking up to try and find a solution to their growing problem… and she found it. The cables keeping the longboat tethered to the Legacy were right above them. If they shot them both at the right time, the longboat would be released and be able to fall through the opening in the hatch below before it closed on them. It would take precision timing, but she was sure she and Delbert could manage it.

Hopefully.

"Doctor, when I say 'now', shoot out the forward cable. I'll take this one." She said quickly, checking both of their guns. Delbert blinked at her for a moment, saw the cable she was talking about, and nodded affirmatively.

Amelia had to admit, the look of determination on his face was endearing. But now was not the time for that.

"Mr. Hawkins needs to hurry along if he's coming with us." She muttered. "We can't wait much longer."

"Just… give him another minute. He'll be here." Delbert said assuredly.

"I'm not sure we have a minute to spare."

It was only ten seconds, but felt like 10 years before they saw Jim again. He was bolting towards the longboat, map in hand. Amelia looked over at Delbert, who nodded and aimed at the cable.

"Now!" She commanded, bracing herself when the longboat immediately dropped.

As soon as they were out of the Legacy, Amelia set about powering up the longboat. Delbert yanked Jim into the boat, and the two of them watched in fear as Amelia called out what she was doing before they went soaring away from her ship.

"Parameters met, hydraulics engaged…"

"I got the map back, Doc." Jim said breathlessly. "But Silver almost… he almost…"

Delbert put his hand on the boy's shoulder, only imagining what he might be feeling. If what Delbert had read about pirates was true, he knew exactly what Mr. Silver had almost done to the poor boy. He opened his mouth to console him, but shut it when he saw something out of his peripheral. Something big.

"Is that…?" Jim asked, turning around when he saw the fear in Delbert's eyes. "Uh…"

"Captain! Laser ball at twelve o'clock!" He cried, ducking down into the longboat. Jim followed suit, hoping the laser ball would somehow miss them. The last thing he wanted to experience was falling from the sky in a flaming longboat.

Amelia's eyes widened as she turned to see the laser ball heading right towards them, doing her best to try and strafe out of its path. But they had been alerted just a second too late. The laser ball hit the back of the longboat where Amelia, sending shrapnel flying, some of which hit Amelia's ribs so hard that she actually cried out in pain and clutched her side. She swallowed past the agonizing throbbing, doing her best to try and direct the now wildly out of control longboat into a safe part of the jungle below. But the longboat wouldn't cooperate.

Delbert and Jim cried out in fear as the boat lurched and bumped from side to side, both of them holding on for dear life. The fire behind them had gone out for the most part, but the pollen, foliage, and debris from the plants in front of them made it nearly impossible to see where they were going or what they would be crashing into.

Jim held the map tightly in his pocket, and squeezed his eyes shut, one hand clutching the boards beneath him to ensure he wouldn't be bumped out when they finally hit the ground. Right at that moment, the longboat hit a particularly stiff plant, flipping and spinning before it skidded upside down to a halt on the foliage covered ground below.

Amelia was thrown forward, her side flaring up with so much pain that she had hardly even registered that they had even stopped. She landed next to Delbert, the three of them silent for a solid ten seconds as they tried to assess whether or not they were dead.

"Ugh…" Jim groaned out finally, pushing the longboat upright and off of them. He looked over at Delbert, who was patting the ground around him to try and find his glasses that had been knocked from his nose.

"Oh my goodness. That was more fun than I ever want to have again." Delbert sighed, putting his glasses and getting to his feet. Nothing on him seemed broken, and he only felt a few aches and pains in his muscles. Nothing too serious, thankfully.

"That was not one of my… gossamer landings." Amelia chuckled as she stood and started to brush herself off, only to gasp and fall to her knees when a blinding wave of sharp pain hit her with the intensity of a hundred laser shots. Her vision swam, her head spun, and her stomach convulsed as if she were mere seconds from vomiting.

"Captain!" Delbert cried, kneeling down beside her, concern written all over his face. He groaned inwardly when he realized how staggered and shaky her breathing was. Lovely, she was injured, and only she knew how extensively.

This was the last thing they needed right now.

"Oh, don't fuss." She managed to groan out as she swallowed past the nausea, using Delbert's knee as a crutch to stand. He let her go when she was standing again, only to immediately grab ahold of her arm and waist when she faltered on her feet for a moment. The lightheadedness and the pain that lanced through her when she breathed was definitely going to be a problem. But she couldn't reveal that she was that badly injured to her companions. Not yet. She had to be the strong one in this crisis, as she always was. She felt Delbert's hands on her arm and waist, and recognized the familiar fluttering in the pit of her stomach. Flashbacks of how he'd cared for her in her stateroom worked their way into her mind, and she shook her head to clear them.

Now was not the time for that.

"Slight bruising, that's all. Cup of tea and I'll be right as rain." She said quickly, pulling away from Delbert and straightening herself. "Mr. Hawkins?"

Delbert raised an eyebrow at her when she addressed him as Jim, and made a mental note to somehow examine what exactly had happened to her. She was obviously seriously injured, but her need to be the strong leader in any situation would not let her admit it. He figured it was because of Jim's presence. Delbert liked to think that Amelia trusted him enough to care for her injuries, but with the boy around, she felt it was best to maintain her facade for as long as she could. But if the way she was behaving was any indication, she wouldn't be able to keep up her facade for much longer.

Amelia realized her mistake after a second, blinking and turning to the boy on the other side of her.

"The map, if you please."

Jim blinked, reaching frantically into his pocket and pulling out the map with a sigh of relief. He had done exactly as he was told for once. After the most intense and terrifying event of his life so far, he had managed to hold onto the one thing Captain Amelia had ordered him to.

So he was understandably angry at Morph when he realized that the sphere he had grabbed was actually the shapeshifter playing a trick on him. In his childlike ignorance, Morph thought they had been playing a game with Silver in the longboat bay, and decided to mask himself as the map.

"Morph?!" Jim cried, growing more and more frustrated at the way Morph laughed at his reaction. "Morph, where's the map?!"

Amelia's vision was still a bit cloudy, so all she was able to do was listen to the boy shouting at the shapeshifting nuisance. She was able to discern was that, somehow, Mr. Hawkins had mistakenly left the actual map on the Legacy… the ship they had just risked their lives to escape. As upsetting as that was, a rumbling familiar sound above them caused Amelia's ears to flick towards the sky behind them and she realized they had much bigger problems to deal with at the moment.

"Stifle that blob and get low…" she said tightly, crouching down behind the wreckage of the longboat. Jim and Delbert followed, crouching down on either side of her. "We've got company."

Amelia squinted as she peered over the edge of the longboat, her eyes finally able to focus on the second longboat to launch from the Legacy flying overhead, full of pirates. She sighed, realizing that they could only hide here for so long. Eventually, the smoke from the wreckage would snake past the giant plants overhead, and they would be spotted and killed. Someone needed to find a better place for them to hide, and as frustrating as it was, she knew she couldn't be the one to do it.

"We need a more defensible position." she muttered.

It was between Delbert and Mr. Hawkins to scout out a place, and when she really thought about who she would rather be stuck with while injured, the answer was obvious.

"Mr. Hawkins," she held her pistol out to him as she leaned on her own gun for support, her eyes narrowed. She hoped he understood the gravity of what they needed him to do. She was placing all three of their lives in his hands… again. If he failed a second time, he wouldn't get the chance to fail again. "Scout ahead."

Jim hesitated, but took the pistol without a second thought. He knew exactly what the Captain was thinking, and he nodded once in affirmation that he would not screw up this time. She and Doc could count on him.

"Aye, Captain."

Delbert watched the exchange from his position next to Amelia, giving Jim a nod of his own as the boy shot him a weak smile and headed out into the jungle with Morph at his side. He watched him go, silently praying that it would not be the last time they saw him. There was no telling what was inhabiting the planet, and Jim didn't have nearly enough experience with a laser pistol to guarantee that he would be able to fight off whatever found him.

They would just have to trust him.

A/N: This took WAY too long to write, omg. But I really hope it's okay, I know there are some weaker parts in this one but I started a work study job recently so my free time has been cut down quite a bit. I also got writer's block for a little while there, so I had to watch the movie again and do a little bit of thinking. I hope everyone isn't too OOC, I got excited with the more romantic parts XD review please! I'm trying to get chapter 11 out as quick as possible.