Jim's Folly

I tell you, this idea came to me a few days ago. I can't wait to add to it. It's great. You won't know what I'm talking about until you read the chapter, of course, so get reading and let me know what you think in your review!

Chapter Five

Raven Calls entered her small apartment with a loud sigh, kicking her shoes off and setting her keys down on the table. She lived in the poorer parts of town, but she didn't mind. She had a place to stay, a roof over her head. She couldn't complain. Even as a captain at the Interstellar Space Academy, she still didn't earn enough money to support herself.

Her orange cat, Felix, came to greet her and she opened her arms to him to scoop him against her. "Hello, baby. Did you miss me?" Felix purred and nuzzled against her chin.

She held Felix against her and walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge to retrieve a glass of juice for herself.

"Andrew! I'm home!" she called. A small boy, four years of age, entered the room, a large smile on his face. "Did you bring anything for me today?" he asked her. She shook her head faintly with a quiet apology and set Felix down, kneeling to envelop Andrew in her arms.

"I missed you today, baby," Raven said, stroking Andrew's short, brown hair. He squeezed her tightly, his hands clasped behind her neck, his fingers toying with her long, now messy, braid.

"I missed you too, Mama."

"Guess what, Andy?" she asked. He looked at her with wide brown eyes and cocked his head in inquiry. "What?"

"I'm off for a few weeks."
His eyes grew wider and his smile broadened. "Does that mean-"

"Yes, honey. It means Mommy will be home to spend more time with you!"

"Yay!"

Raven scooped her son onto her hip and carried him with her as she wandered around her apartment. Setting him down on her bed, she opened her closet. "Should we go out for dinner tonight, Andy?"

"Da!" Andrew cried in the Romanian dialect. "Do you want to go somewhere fancy? It's almost Christmas. We'll go out for an early Christmas dinner, da?"

"Da, da!" Andrew cried excitedly. "Do we have to dress up!"

Raven pondered this for a moment and then nodded. "Why not?"

"Yay! Mommy in a pretty dress!" Andrew ran into her closet and looked through her clothes. "How about this one?" he asked, holding out a blue dress to her. Midnight blue and velvety, it was subtle, yet elegant. It was perfect. She smiled.

"Da, Andy. It's beautiful."

"Do I have to wear a tie?" he asked. She shook her head. "Maybe your good shoes, but no tie."

Andrew's smile grew even wider and he laughed happily. "I'll go get my clothes on, Mama."

"Thanks, Andy."

Raven sighed and changed into her dress. When Andrew was done, he knocked on the door and invited himself in. "Mommy, how do I look?"

She scanned him over once and nodded approvingly. "You look very handsome, Andy." She knelt. "Come here, sweetie."
Andrew ran into her arms and Raven held him tightly. "We're going to have a great time tonight, right Andy?"

He nodded. "Da, Mama. But I have to do one thing." Without further explanation, he went into the bathroom and grabbed a hairbrush. "Stay there on the floor, Mama," he instructed. When he returned, he stood behind her and pulled out her braid. Allowing her hair to sit on her back, he brushed it out until it was smooth again. Andrew brushed until he was convinced it would get no prettier and he told her she could stand up again.

"There. It's wonderful!" he said, setting the brush on her bed. She grinned and looked in the mirror. Not partial to having her hair down, her son had done a good job of brushing it until it shone.

"Should we get going?" she asked. He nodded.

Raven led her little boy from the apartment, locking it behind her as the two ventured into the night.

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On Montressor, Jim and his family consisting of Morph, B.E.N., Sarah, Delbert and Amelia, were sitting down to one of Sarah's famous meals.

Jim was ecstatic to be home, and Morph was definitely happy to have him home, sitting on Jim's shoulder throughout the entire meal.

Sarah, when finished her dinner, turned to Jim and smiled. "We're happy to have you home, sweetie."

Jim blushed. "Thanks, Mom."
"You're turning seventeen soon, too! My goodness, you're growing up so fast and I feel as if I'm missing it…"

Jim shook his head. "I'm still your little boy, Mom. Don't worry about it, I won't grow too fast."
"Good…"

She was quiet for a while.

"So…tell me about this Rowan boy who got you into trouble back at the Academy."

Jim stopped chewing and swallowed his bite hard. He knew they'd discuss this.

Amelia seconded Sarah's request. "I'd like to know what kind of students they're harboring at the Academy these days," was her excuse.

"He's a thief from Ydredin and he likes to break the rules. Enough said."
"He's rude to your captain and he got you in trouble with the police," Sarah added. "Shouldn't he be suspended?"

"That's for the captain to decide," Jim stated.

Amelia frowned. "Sounds to me like you don't have a very strong-willed captain," she replied. Jim's face grew hot and his temper flared. "She's a great captain! She believes in all of us! Captain, she's only keeping him because she believes in second chances!" Jim cried.

Morph was even startled by his outburst. B.E.N. sat still for a moment and sighed loudly. "Well, I think it sounds like he has a great captain," he stated.

Amelia looked at B.E.N. disapprovingly and shrugged. "However and whoever she is, she sounds like she needs a lesson in discipline."

Jim bit his lip. They didn't know. They didn't know what she was like. Why couldn't they have a nice dinner and not argue?

Jim suppressed his urge to fight back again and continued to eat his meal in silence.

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Rowan smiled from where he stood on Montressor. The Inn he was looking at was in mid-construction, but he was convinced it would be finished soon. This could only mean one thing: Jim Hawkins was somewhere nearby.

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