Chapter 36

The days seemed to whisk by, and soon it was the day just before Amelia and Delbert's upcoming wedding. Kitty and Sarah insisted on throwing a bachelorette party for Amelia.

"I beg your pardon," Amelia said quite primly, drawing herself up to her full height. "A what?"

Kitty and Sarah assured Amelia that she would both enjoy herself, and each grabbing an elbow, they escorted the somewhat unsettled Captain out of her house, and caught the first transport to downtown Benbow. The transport let the three girls off in a better part of town, and Amelia soon found herself being led to a reputable pub called the Golden Galleon.

"Now, see here," Amelia protested, though weakly..at least for her. "If you two think for even a single moment that..."

Kitty cut her off before she could get into a rhythm. "Loosen up, Amelia. Bachelorette parties are an important tradition," she explained, even as she urged her friend inside and toward a table reserved for them all in the back.

"A tradition, you say?" Amelia replied, feeling a bit better. After all, she was a spacer first and foremost, and spacers were sticklers for tradition. "Well, then... I suppose it would be all right..."

The pub keeper smiled upon seeing his guests. "Good evenin' to yeh all, me fine bonny ladies!" he began. He was human fellow, a bit stout, with bright red hair and a friendly, gregarious manner that set Amelia at ease. "What would yer Ladyship's pleasure be this fine evenin', then?"

Sarah took care of ordering. "I'm Sarah, and I think I'll have a Mango Mandalay. This is Amelia, and she's the girl of the hour. I think... no, I know! She'll have a Golden Drubloon." Sarah turned to Kitty. Ordinarily, she would of ordered for her as well, but... experience had taught her that Kitty liked things her own way, none other. "Kitty? What would you like to order, dear?"

Kitty smiled at Sarah's courtesy. "I don't much care for alcoholic beverages, Sarah. So... I'll just stick with a glass of chilled purp juice, thanks."

Sarah, when Kitty was talking with Amelia, whispered to the owner that he should keep the drinks coming. Sarah soon found out that Amelia could certainly hold her liquor. Poor Sarah's head was woozy, and she found she couldn't keep from giggling at the littlest thing. Amelia was feeling no pain either, the serene look on her face a definite clue of her current state.

"Kitty," slurred Amelia to her friend. "Yer like... hic... the sis-sis-sister I never had." Amelia leaned over and bussed Kitty noisily on the cheek.

Kitty laughed, then kissed Amelia back. "Thanks, Sis. Oh, incidentally... in case you're wondering... you're drunk as a skunk. And... I mean that in a very caring way." Kitty shook with mirth.

"Drunk? Me?" Amelia slurred indignantly. She squared her shoulders, and tried to give Kitty a baleful stare. However, in trying to do so, she found the whole thing ludicriously funny, and began to giggle. Which only set off Sarah, and the two girls held each other up as they laughed.

"Hey! Amy?" Kitty said to Amelia, more to stop them from giggling like school girls than anything else. However, she did have an ulterior motive in mind as well. When she had Amelia's attention... finally, she asked. "Say, have you ever thought of getting your ears pierced? I've got the prettiest set of emerald earrings, and they'd look smashing on you... if only you had pierced ears..."

Amelia thought a moment. "Sure!" Amelia replied a moment later, still a bit tipsy. "Why not, I say! Fortune favors the bold!"

Sarah frowned. "Hey! What about me, Kitty?" Sarah demanded, having to uncross her eyes to do so. "I'm tired of being so conventional. Say, do you think you could well, find a place to give me a tattoo tonight?"

Kitty could scarcely believe her pointed ears. "Well, sure," Kitty replied happy, but more than a little surprised. "Exactly what did you have in mind, Sarah?"

In less than an hour later, Kitty was walking her two friends about town, Amelia with both her ears pierced, and Sarah sporting a tattoo on her upper bicep that consisted of a little heart with the name Jim inside of it. Kitty winced on occassion as the two ladies sang raucously any number of space chanties that Amelia could remember.

Their penchant for singing led them all to a few other places as well. Most of them, unfortunately for Kitty, were karaoke bars, and quite frankly, the patrons of those establishments nearly cheered when Kitty insisted they move on.

Kitty heaved a sigh of relief when the clock finally struck midnight. "All right, you two... back home we go," Kitty informed her two inebriated companions. Kitty helped the two women back to the mansion, having to endure their drunken singing all the way home.

Once inside, Kitty was met by Delbert, who simply smiled and shook his head. "I hadn't realized one could even hit such a note," he mused as he collected the now very sleepy Amelia into his arms and carried her to the sofa in the living room.

Amelia awoke en route, and realizing Delbert was carrying her, said in a husky soft voice, "Hello there, sweetheart. Does this mean we can play 'Captain and the Pirate' again? Hmm?"

Delbert blushed deeply at that. "Um, uh, no. Not tonight, love," he told her quietly. "Four's a crowd, don't you think?"

"The more's the merrier," Amelia intoned, then giggled. Delbert sighed, shaking his head again.

"Whatever you say, dear," he told her, more to pacify her than anything else. "Amelia, my dear, you smell as if you've fallen headfirst into a brewer's vat," Delbert murmured, wincing at the smell of alcohol on his lady love's breath. "Hello? What have we here?" Delbert then asked, noticing that Amelia had pierced her lovely ears. "Kitty?" he added, glancing meaningfully at her.

Kitty held up her hands in her own defense. "Oh no. She did it before I could stop her. You know how she can be," Kitty said innocent.

Delbert sighed then, taking Kitty at her word. "Very well then," Delbert said and so he and Kitty helped the two other up to their respective rooms.

The next morning, Kitty was rudely awakened by a menacing growl coming from Amelia's room. She opened her eyes blearily when she heard her door slam opened, and before she knew it, Amelia had hauled her bodily from her bed, and slammed her rather abruptly up against the wall, her expression dangerous.

Kitty smiled, which sort of took Amelia back a bit. "Look, if all this is about you getting your ears pierced, remember that it was you did it, not me," Kitty told her.

Amelia scowled, allowing Kitty back down, her hand going to the small, pink holes in the bottom of each ear. "This is still all your fault, you know," Amelia growled. "If you hadn't plied me with all those vile concoctions, I'd of never let soemthing like this happen."

"Aw, now don't be that way, Amy," Kitty soothed, still grinning.

"Quit calling me Amy, you insufferable little rogue," Amelia groused, glaring her way.

"Oops. Amelia, c'mon... you look great with these," Kitty said, holding up the pair of emerald earrings. "They really bring out the color of your eyes, you know."

Amelia snatched the beautiful earrings from Kitty's hand, and gingerly fitted them into her ears. She then looked at herself in the mirror, and grunted when she saw they truly did look quite smashing on her. But, she wasn't letting Kitty off that easily... oh no! She lifted a warning finger up to Kitty, and said in most irritated whisper, "If this wasn't my wedding day, you wretch, I would see to it that you, my dear, would get a full facial and complete make-up job, am I clear on this?" Amelia observed, stressing the last bit of her statement for Kitty's benefit.

Kitty swallowed hard at that. She might be twenty-eight years old, but she was still essentially a tomboy at heart. That being the case, the threat of a facial and the use of make-up, perfume and dresses could almost make her feel ill. "Understood," Kitty answered a bit surly.

"Good," Amelia said, relenting now that she had made her point. "Now, my sister the tomboy, you get into your dress smartly," Amelia said and pushed her back to her bed.

"Amelia?" Kitty said, causing Amelia to turn around to meet her gaze.

"Yes? What is it? You may not realize this... but, I'm a rather busy girl this day," Amelia told her. "After all, it's not every day a girl gets married now, is it?"

Kitty laughed. "No, I imagine not. Oh, here!" Kitty said and threw her a pair of sparkling diamond earrings to Amelia. "These will go much better with your wedding dress than those emerald ever will." Kitty smiled, reached out to pat Amelia fondly on the cheek, then winked at her. Amelia could only smile, shake her head, and turn to get on with her preparations.

Later on, found Kitty sitting down in the living room, grumbling softly to herself. She was wearing her pink dress, complete with a pair of long white satin gloves. Kitty was really the very picture of a Maid of Honor... well, but for the dangerous scowl on her normally pretty face. She muttered---growled, really---things like 'I look like a Barbie' and 'I hope that spaceport floozie was the look Amelia was going for with this'. Then she heard someone coming down the stairs, and chose to button her lip. It wouldn't do to have Amelia suddenly eavesdrop on her just then, no sir.

She sighed in relief when she saw it was only Sarah and Jim coming down from their rooms. Jim looked with pleasant suprised upon Kitty in all her splendor.

He was just about to tell her just how pretty she looked, when...

"One word from you, buster, and you´ll be walking funny all day. Understand?" Kitty growled savagely.

"Yes, ma'am," Jim said, edging back away from Kitty.

Sarah smiled at Kitty, her blue eyes filled with wonder. "Oh... you look just wonderful, Kitty."

"No, I don't. I look like some spaceport floozy," Kitty said scowling at Sarah, who simply smiled at her.

"Whatever you say, dear," Sarah told her, then leaned over and fondly bussed her on the cheek. Kitty tried hard to scowl, but found it nearly impossible for some reason.

"How's your arm, Sarah?" Kitty asked sweetly, grinning like a hunting tiger.

"Fine, just fine, Kitty. Thank you," Sarah said, subconsciously laying a hand over where her tattoo graced her arm nervously. Kitty smiled then, knowing she'd won that match. Sarah begged their pardon, then headed off, saying she had to go check on Amelia.

"What was all that about?" Jim asked when his mother had gone.

"Your mother was, shall we say, just a bit wild last night," Kitty smiled. "We had Amelia's bachelorette party, you understand... and well, Amelia and Sarah had a bit too much alcohol. Before I could do anything to stop them, she and Amelia had gone into the nearest shop, and each got themself some little thing to remember the night by, shall we say. Sarah, your mother, now sports a lovely tattoo on her upper bicep, while Amelia now has pierced both of her ears."

"I see," Jim said with a smirk. "So, what about you?" Jim asked.

"Sorry, I don´t drink things with alcohol in them, buddy," Kitty said.

"On your feet, you two rogues!" Amelia barked from where she now stood in the door.

Kitty, quite possibly for the first time in her life, was to stunned into silence. Amelia looked... well, gorgeous in her wedding dress. Her long white gown was perfect, snug in the bodice, with just a bit of poof in the shoulders, the skirts flowing smoothly over Amelia's long legs. Now, add to that the earrings Kitty had given her last evening, and well... she looked like some sort of goddess. "Whoa!" Kitty whistled.

"I'll say!" Jim added, his eyes bulging. "Wow, Captain... you're---you're beautiful..."

"Does that seem such a stretch to you, Mr. Hawkins?" Amelia asked coyly, one perfect eyebrow arching up primly.

"No, Ma'am!" Jim said instantly, swallowing hard.

Amelia chuckled quietly in her triumph. "At ease, Mr. Hawkins. Don't you know, Jim, that every woman is lovely on her wedding day?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I can see that, Ma'am," Jim said honestly.

"He's improving, Sarah," commented Amelia to Sarah as she scurried down the stairs carrying Amelia's bouquet. "Not nearly the scruffy boy who once was my cabin boy..."

"Yes, he's coming along rather nicely, really," Sarah said proudly. She then moved over and tugged Kitty up from her place, hustling her toward the open door.

"Hey! You don't actually expect me to let everyone see me this way, do you? Geez, let me get a coat on first!" Kitty grumped.

"Whatever for, Kitty? You look breathtaking," Sarah said by way of compliment.

"Maybe," Kitty reluctantly consented. "But, even still... I´m not letting all of Montressor see me looking like some sort Barbie doll," Kitty said and with a snap of her fingers, she was suddenly dressed in a long coat that hid her entire dress. A pair of dark sunglasses covered her lovely baby blues, so nobody would recognize her out of the crowd.

Amelia shook her head. "Kitty, now don't you think that a bit much? Don't you know that everyone shall be paying attention to me, the bride? All this subterfuge is hardly necessary, you know," Amelia said. "Now, do come along. Don't make me drag you into the carriage by your ear, young lady! For I will. I will indeed!"

Kitty believed her, and grumbling to herself under her breath, she glared at them all, and stepped up into the carriage that Jim thoughtfully held open for them.

"Where's Delbert?" Kitty wanted to know as she seated herself, grumbling anew as she was forced to smooth down the skirts of her dress.

"At the church," answered Amelia tersely. "Just where he's supposed to be."

"Huh?" Kitty replied, looking over to Sarah in hope of an answer.

"It's bad luck for the groom to see his bride, Kitty, before the ceremony begins, dear," Sarah explained. "It's customary for we girls to secret Amelia away from Delbert until we hear the wedding march play."

"Oh," Kitty remarked. "Thanks, I didn't know that."

"Wish me luck, Kitty," Amelia then whispered, evidently nervous.

"You shall have only good luck, my sister," Kitty assured her. "Remember, I've sort of got the means to make that happen, sister dear."

Amelia blinked rapidly, then sniffed back a tear. "Thank you, Kitty. I love you, and I'm so glad you're here with me today."

"C'mon, Jim!" Kitty boomed, startling Jim as well as the bullyadous pulling the carriage. "Let's get this woman married before she drowns us all back here!"

Amelia gasped at that, then gave Kitty a look. The next moment she threw her arms around Kitty, hugging her close, laughing. "Kitty, Kitty, Kitty... whatever would I do without you, dear?"

Kitty could only grin at that... which was yet another first for her this day...