Night Music: Finally someone who sees my point! Silver and Sarah all the way!

Raine Ishida: I'm sooo sorry. And it was longer than chapter 22. Snaps for me!

Jim'sgirl: Welcome aboard! I'm glad you like it! And no worries hon, we're all a little mad!

Chapter 24:

Jim and Zandra spent almost all of their days together, hardly leaving the other's side. Zandra insisted that they keep an eye out for another job opening and with it another voyage. Jim wanted to wait a bit, but always melted when she begged him. They went to the spaceport at least twice a week, and when they weren't there, Jim was teaching Zandra to solar surf. The main objective of that was to get her over her fear of heights without her knowing. So far it was working moderately well.

That didn't leave them much time to help out at the inn, so Silver, being the gracious pirate that he was, offered to help out in exchange for room and board, which Sarah would have given for free anyway. "Anything for bringing Zandra back." She had always said.

"John, when do you think he'll ask her?" She asked one evening while they were doing dishes and the younger ones were taking a walk.

"He know she'd never say no. Those two were made for each other!"

"I knows dat, Sarah. Methinks they knows it too. Der's no reason fer 'im ta be awaitin' so. Guess we just hafta give 'em time."

"If I was in love with a man like she's in love with him, I'd ask him myself to marry me! There's no point in going on like those two have been and not tying the knot!"

"We gots ta be patient with 'em. There's no point in pushin'. It'll come in due time. All in due time."

Sarah rolled her eyes. There was no point in pressing the topic. John was right. They just had to wait. But it was so hard! She made a mental note to ask Jim the next time they were alone.

The time never came.

The next evening Zandra had come storming up the steps, tears streaming down her cheeks, muttering about how much she hated the whole male species. A few minutes later an apologetic Jim had followed her inside. The apologies hadn't lasted long. It soon turned out to be a full blown yelling match, ending in both of them stomping away, Jim out to the roof and Zandra to the docks.

"Which one do you want to handle?" Sarah asked Silver softly after the two had departed.

"I'll take 'im. She's needin a mother an' at the moment yore the only one here."

"I was afraid you'd say that. I'm no good at being a mother to a girl."

"Ye'll do fine."

Sarah took a deep breath and left the room, grabbing a shawl on her way out.

"Good luck. I'm afraid that he's going to be difficult."

"I'll be fine. Watch out fer da rocks she'll likely be throwin'."

Sarah precariously made her way down the rickety steps to the landing, eyes scanning the rocks for Zandra. She saw her hunched next to a huge bolder, arms wrapped around her legs, head rested on her knees. She looked up, startled when Sarah walked over. When she knew it was just Sarah, she lowered her head back to her knees.

"Do you want to talk about it dear?"

"No." Came the muffled reply.

"Are you sure?"

"No." Her voice was shaky and Sarah could feel tears well up in her own eyes. The poor little thing must feel awful. She knew how much fighting with the one you loved with your whole heart hurt.

"What did he do?"

"Nothing."

"That's why you hate the entire male species? Because one didn't do anything?"

"No."

**********

"Lad? Ye up dere?" Jim glanced up from were his gaze rested on the docks.

"Yeah, I'm up here. Care to join me?"

"Don't mind iffin I do." Silver hoisted himself up onto the roof and glanced at Jim, whose eyes were unconsciously roaming the docks for Zandra.

"What happen?"

**********

"We were walking around, just talking, when I asked him what he thought about marriage...

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"And I said why do you want to know something like that?"

**********

"And I said, 'Well, I was hoping to you know, get married somewhere in this lifetime."

***********

"And I said, 'I don't necessarily like the thought of marriage' ."

***********

"Well that made me really mad. So I asked him why on earth was marriage a bad thing?"

***********

"And I said that my parents got married and then they started fighting all the time and my dad left."

***********

"And I said, that he wouldn't ever leave me, would he?"

***********

"And I said of course I wouldn't. I was just afraid that somehow getting married would make me turn into my dad."

***********

"And I got really mad. And I started yelling at him in the middle of the street and everything and...

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"I got pretty mad too. And she ran away, which...

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"I guess made him feel bad so he followed me.

***********

"And you saw the rest."

***********

"What am I going to do, Sarah?!"

***********

"Well lad, da best ting fer ye ta do is apol'gize."

***********

"But it was his fault!"

***********

"I know tis' gonna be hard. But face it. Tis either dat or lose 'er."

***********

"Lose him! How would I lose him?!"

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"Jimbo, iffin ye don't go ta 'er an' tell 'er yore sorry. She's gonna find another boy, one dat's not 'fraid to admit he's wrong, an' she'll marry 'im instead."

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"But I love him! He'd never do such a thing!"

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"Do ye know that fer sure boyo?"