Never a Peaceful Moment

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own 'em. I just play with 'em. Please don't sue me. I'm trying to pay off my car.

As the stares of nearby patrons continued to fall upon her, Captain Amelia, formerly of the Royal Navy, sat quietly seething in her seat. Once again glancing at the time, she noted it was now 45 minutes past the appointed time she and Delbert were to meet.

The waiter, who was very attentive, had been by several times – no doubt Delbert had seen to that when making their reservations. Initially, she had enjoyed a glass of Montressor's finest vintage, had consumed a second in slight irritation and was now halfway done with choking down a third. Although she usually was rather careful with how much she imbibed – being in full control of her faculties was something she didn't toy with – Amelia was beyond all rational thought at this point. It was becoming rapidly clear that one Delbert Doppler had stood her up, and it was a thought that filled her with both a deep hurt and simmering anger. For the time being, she chose to allow the anger to come to the forefront, as it was easier to deal with and required less reflection than the hurt that came with the realization that he would actually do something like this to her.

Tonight was supposed to be the celebration of a milestone event in their relationship – their six-month anniversary. Up until recently, it had been six wonderful months of laughter; days spent wandering about Montressor, each showing the other their favorite spots, evenings nestled together under a blanket in front of a fire or on the wooden swing that set behind Amelia's small, but comfortable home on the other side of Montressor. After their first date so many months ago upon returning from Treasure Planet, Amelia had allowed her guard down and slowly opened all of herself to Delbert. His gentle persistence in pursuing her as Amelia, and not The Captain, had been a difficult thing for Amelia to initially adjust to, but he had been patient and aside from one or two small disagreements, their relationship had been relatively smooth. At least, until now.

Had she been of a clearer mind, she might have stopped to consider the many possibilities that could exist for Delbert not being here. But the day had been filled with frustrations concerning administrative nonsense that so often came with the responsibility of cargo transport. Although she was usually adept at handling the intricacies of command, she had been a bit out of her element during the day, no doubt a result of the preoccupation she had recently sensed in Delbert. Her repeated questioning to if there was something wrong had been met with a dismissive wave of his hand and an all-too-ready assurance that he was absolutely fine. She was not so easily fooled, but she had been unable to pry from him whatever was the matter. It was so unlike Delbert, and for the first time in their relationship, she was given pause as to where they stood.

As her attention was once again brought back to the present by the gentle chiming of the clock, she pushed her chair away from the table and stood, gathering her coat. With a sharp nod of her head to the matire'd, she returned the chair to its rightful position and, ignoring the glances of the other patrons, walked confidently out the door and in to the dark night.

A young waiter, relatively new to the job, watched as the attractive feline determinedly flagged down a carriage. Ignoring the conversation behind him – something about a runaway freighter taking out several communication facilities near port – he let his eyes trail along the shapely figure that filled the ruby red dress, and he couldn't help but whistle softly to himself as he admired the long legs extending from beneath the knee-length hem.

Any man stupid enough to stand up someone like her doesn't deserve to have that beauty by his side, he thought before turning to clear away the table for the next, and hopefully happier, patron.

X X X

His day that was supposed to be rather joyous and capped off by an evening in the company of the most beautiful woman on Montressor was rapidly disintegrating into an unequivocal mess. He had arrived at the restaurant a good hour-and-a-half later than they had agreed upon only to find that Amelia had left soft time ago and hadn't been in the best of moods upon leaving. Not that he could blame her. He'd be rather upset were he in her shoes.

He frowned and a pained expression crossed his eyes. "She probably bought new shoes for tonight, too," he sighed aloud. Add that to the list of strikes against you, Delbert. For all her forthright blustering, Amelia had an uncanny way of being decidedly feminine when it came to her relationship with Delbert. With his luck, tonight would be no exception. Dress, shoes, earrings, elbow-length gloves. He had been looking forward to seeing her dressed in her finest – not that she wasn't always gorgeous. There wasn't a moment when Amelia didn't take his breath away, but when she donned that red dress she saved for special occasions and took a few minutes more to give her appearance that extra "oomph" … well, Delbert didn't stand a chance. And he loved it. Absolutely loved it.

As he neared her small but elegant home, he could make out a single light in the far corner – her bedroom. She was still awake. At least there was that in favor. He knew he had to speak with her tonight. To clear up any misunderstanding between them. He couldn't go home without getting this sorted out. He'd never get any sleep. Knocking hesitantly, he waited several minutes, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, silently urging her to open the door. After a minute or so, it was becoming apparent that she had either not heard his knock or, and he feared this to be the more likely reason, she was ignoring him. He eyed the doorknob and bit his lip in thought. Should he? He'd come in many times before unannounced. Indeed, once they'd established their relationship, he'd come in many times before shortly before she was scheduled to arrive from port to fill her houses with tokens of his affection or prepare an intimate, quiet dinner and have it waiting for her. But those times had been different. She hadn't been angry with him.

With a final sigh, he decided to chance it and slowly turned the knob, wincing as the door creaked open, announcing his arrival. He removed his coat and hung it on its usual peg by the door before unwinding the scarf from around his neck and depositing it over his coat. As he made his way through her home, he was once again struck by what an orderly and tidy residence she maintained. He simply couldn't fathom how she did it. Amazing. She'd tried – time and time again – to get him to embrace some of the simple tenants of organization, but try as he might, he couldn't. He often liked to point out that while she was meticulous in her methods, his disarray had a precise organization to it, too. Usually, she'd laugh at this insight until he was forced agree. But then, she would situate herself in his arms and remind him that it was yet another reason she loved for him before seeking out his kiss. He tried to engage her in that argument often.

Sighing, he had a sinking sensation that argument would not be on the list tonight. It really isn't fair, Delbert thought. After all the effort he'd gone through to arrange tonight, it simply wasn't right to be denied an evening in the company of Amelia. And on such an important night. Their six-month anniversary. Six months with an amazing woman! He didn't know why the cosmos had decided to smile upon him with such a blessing, but he wasn't going to argue with them. He'd spent weeks planning tonight. Reserving the restaurant, picking out just the right suit – one that would hopefully catch her eye. Indeed, the sharp cut of the ivory coat looked rather elegant against the deep red shirt he had beneath it. His breeches wore the same shade as his coat and the dark black boots that came up to mid-calf stood starkly in contrast to the light ensemble. The salesman had told him it screamed "power," and while Delbert didn't necessarily care for that connotation, he couldn't help but be impressed when he saw himself in the mirror. The man who stared back at him from the glass seemed entirely capable of having the honor of a lady as beautiful as Amelia on his arm. It was a new sensation. He had hoped Amelia would like it. Giving in to her wishes, he had trimmed his hair ever so slightly and finally given it to his barber's desire to give it a "little flair." The end result was impressive and Delbert had to admit, he did look a little more distinguished and less frenzied than he had of late.

But none of that mattered now. He honestly didn't think his new look would be of much help. Although he had never truly experienced her wrath firsthand, he had been witness to it once or twice on the Legacy. At those times, he had made a mental note to never be on the receiving end of that fury. It looked like he'd be discarding that note tonight.

The light from beneath her door spilled out on the dark wooden floors of the hallway at the back of the house, and he crouched down pressing his ear to the door and listened, trying to discern any sound from within. A moment later, he found himself unceremoniously sprawled on the floor as the door swung open and, losing his balance, he fell to the floor. He looked up to see Amelia staring down at him, a hard glint in her eyes.

"And pray tell, Doctor, why are you crouched at my door?" She glared at him and stepped back slightly.

Delbert, still surprised from his unplanned entrance into her bedroom, could only look up at her in silence, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide in surprise.

"Do get up, Doctor," she motioned impatiently. She was still wearing her dress, Delbert noticed as he pulled himself from the cold planks of the floor. The red material dipped enticingly down her neckline and snugly fit her body, the folds swirling around her hips, then falling just below her knees. He sighed in defeat as he noticed the new shoes that adorned her feet. The thin straps of red leather that crossed over the top of her foot and behind matched her dress. Custom made. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. She was saying something to him. Caught up in both the beautiful vision before him and the knowledge that she'd obviously gone the extra effort, an effort he'd no doubt be made to suffer for, he'd tuned her out. Oblivious to what he'd missed, he tried to focus on what she was still saying.

"I've a good mind to call the constables and have you carted off for trespassing."

"Trespassing!" he cried and shot to his feet. "I'm not trespassing!"

"I don't recall inviting you in," Amelia looked at him coolly.

"Well no," he stumbled, "You didn't, but I just assumed what with you and I … and I needed to … we've never stated it, but I thought it was an unspoken agreement. Isn't it?" he stopped talking and looked at her, the hurt and confusion evident in his eyes.

In any other circumstance, Amelia would've been moved by the pain she saw there, but tonight, she was nursing her own wounds – wounds he had caused – and she was in no mood to offer compassion.

"I'm really not in the mood for your blather, Doctor," she informed him with a careless wave of her hand and turned away. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like you to leave. I have things to take care of tonight, and to be honest, I'd rather not have you here."

"Amelia." He stepped closer and reached for her hand, his fingers closing gently around hers to pull her to him.

"Take your hands off me!" she hissed, recoiling from him and turning away.

Delbert was nearing the end of his patience. He had come here to apologize, to explain what had happened, and she was intent on treating him like some scoundrel. He understood she was upset, but his limit of understanding was rapidly approaching an end.

"Amelia, I understand that you're upset," he told her, his voice rising, "but I will not let you treat me like I'm some common deck hand who's pawing you!" He stepped back in to her line of sight. "I came over here to try to explain what happened, and you could at least do me the courtesy of hearing me out."

"Courtesy?" she repeated incredulously. "You think you can talk to me of courtesy? I went out of my way to make tonight special. I bought a new dress, new shoes," she gestured to her outfit. "I made certain to get away from the Legacy in time to meet you and then I sit, for almost two hours, in a noted public establishment – alone – while you were off dilly-dallying, to caught up in whatever you were doing to remember our special night." She turned away and moved to her window and continued. "What precisely did you expect, Doctor? I am a decorated naval officer. Certain people – people that move within the upper echelons of that world – are bound to recognize me." She folded her arms defensively across her bosom. "Or perhaps that thought didn't happen to cross your mind as you did "other" things tonight?"

Delbert ran a hand down his face, his expression scrunching in tightly-controlled frustration as he mentally willed himself to keep his patience. Amelia was quite angry. Answering her in anger would accomplish nothing.

"Darling, I didn't have "other" things, as you so succinctly phrased it. The department meeting ran longer than anyone anticipated. The fact that they've tapped me to chair the new interstellar physics program made it difficult for me to leave. I couldn't very well tell them I couldn't stay to speak with the Chancellor because I had to meet my girlfriend. It was unfortunate. But it only lasted an extra fifteen minutes."

"I waited two hours. Fifteen minutes I can understand. Care to explain the other hour and forty-five?" Her question dripped with sarcasm. "Are you not capable of picking up a communications device, sending a message along to the restaurant, a message tied the leg of avian perhaps?"

Delbert sat on the edge of her bed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. She could be so stubborn at times. But, that was one of the things that he had initially found attractive about her, so it was own fault, he mused. Steeling himself for another round, he licked his lips and raised his eyes to her.

"I would have contacted you, darling, but a freighter ran ashore of its berthing and managed to effectively disable all inner port communications as well as the central transport system." He took a deep breath. "Seeing how the University is located centrally within the city and quite near to the port, it was affected, as well. There was simply no way for me to get a message to you." Amelia's shoulders stiffened as his words floated across the room. Thinking back over the evening, she found herself recalling the conversation between two other patrons about some mishap down at the port. At the time, she hadn't really paid attention, as her thoughts had been focused on more important matters, but now as it rolled through her mind, she could distinctly remember that and the lack of available carriages when she had finally left in anger. But that still didn't explain his unusual behavior of late, and when she stopped and let herself reflect upon it, that truly was what had been festering inside her all evening.

"I can understand the communication issue tonight, Doctor," she acquiesced and Delbert breathed a sigh of relief. "But," she continued, turning to look him square in the eye, "that doesn't account for the way you've been these last few weeks."

Delbert opened his mouth to comment, but Amelia waved a hand at him, silencing anything he might have said. "I can't put my finger on it, but something has been different. You've been different. Don't argue with me," she cautioned him. "I've witnessed it first hand when we talk, Doctor. Your mind is elsewhere, and it worries me."

"Amelia," he sighed, standing up again. "My mind hasn't been elsewhere," he assured her. "I promise it's only been on you." What he didn't say, couldn't say, was that he had been trying, rather unsuccessfully, to come up with a way to ask her to marry him these past few weeks. Although it had only been six months, he knew, without a doubt, that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But again, it had only been six months! He wasn't ready to believe that after such a short period, she'd be willing to say yes. And it had been gnawing at him. Day in and day, out. As much as he wanted to tell her what had been weighing so heavily on his mind, he couldn't. Not yet. All he could do is hope that she would believe his half-truth of an answer.

Amelia kept a steady gaze trained on him as he grew silent, sensing his internal conflict. In all the time she and Delbert had known one another, he'd never lied to her. And she could tell he was truthful in his statement. He was still keeping something from her, but he wasn't lying. Of that much she was certain. She'd let him keep his secret for now. It was obviously something he was working through. So with an accepting nod of her head, she turned from him, effectively dismissing it.

"Fine. I believe you, Doctor. You're not keeping things from me. There was a communication glitch because of an accident and there was no available transport because of the same accident." Her tone betrayed the weariness in her voice. She was past fighting now. Delbert could sense it. Hoping to regain some footing within the conversation, Delbert shifted on the bed and played the only sympathy card he knew he had.

"As it stands, I walked from the University to the restaurant."

At that, she turned around, her green eyes widening in disbelief. "You walked? Delbert, that's a solid eight miles – at least – from the University."

"I know," he nodded, slightly pleased to note that she had called him by his first name rather than Doctor. He hoped it was a good sign. "That's why it took so long for me to get there." He stood and took a step toward her, but stopped when he noticed the wariness still evident in her eyes. "I spoke with the matire'd, but he said you had already left."

"Stormed out would be a more accurate description," she corrected him.

Delbert knew better than to comment on that. Instead, he chanced another step in her direction. "Amelia," he softly called. "I did have every intention of being punctual. I tried to get a message to you. But nothing seemed to work in my favor. You must believe me when I tell you I had nothing but the breast … BEST … intentions tonight," he finished, a deep crimson filling his cheeks.

Amelia smiled to herself at the window as his explanation washed over her in warm relief. Hearing his casual slip of the tongue effectively diffused the last of her anger, and she casually toyed with a fingernail, trying to collect her thoughts, dreading what she knew she had to do.

Delbert waited as Amelia stood silently by the window, her gaze locked on to some distant star. He had done all he could do. Now, he could only hope she would accept his explanation, forgive his ever-constant slip of the tongue and not ban him from her home forever. He watched as her shoulders lifted and then fell, smiling hopefully when she turned to face him.

"As much as it pains me to admit it, I believe I owe you an apology, Delbert." As she moved toward him, he shook his head. "No, no apology is necessary, Amelia. I –"

"Oh do hush, Delbert. This isn't easy for me and you incessant blathering isn't helping," she scolded.

Delbert looked at her in surprise, but merely nodded.

"Now where was I?" She bit her lower lip and looked down. "Ah yes. Apologizing. Gods how I hate this." She brought her gaze back to his. "I fear I greatly misjudged you and for that I apologize. I should've known that you would never do something like that. I'm afraid I let my embarrassment and anger get the best of me and instead of logically assessing the situation as I usually do, I let my impulsiveness get the better and jumped to the wrong conclusion."

She laid a hand against his cheek and peered in to his eyes. "Can you please forgive me? I was wrong."

Delbert smiled into her palm and nodded his assent. "There's nothing to forgive, darling."

"You constantly amaze me, Doctor." There was a soft wonder in her voice as she spoke. "Your genuine nature is something I dearly love."

"I love your dress," he told her without a moment's thought.

"Well, there is that," She laughed and caressed his face as he blushed yet again. "I'm glad you like it, though. I had the damnedest time picking it out."

"You chose well," Delbert smiled. "Believe me."

"Oh I do," she winked. "And might I say that you also look dashing tonight? That suit looks wonderful on you."

Delbert pulled away and stood a little taller. "Oh, you, ah, like it? I saw it and thought it might be … um … more distinctive." His eyes caught hers and waited hesitantly for her approval.

"Very distinct," she assured him, running a hand along the soft fabric of his lapel. She reached up and gently tugged on the bow holding his back until it came free, allowing his hair to fall around his shoulders. Running her fingers through it, she smiled as his eyes closed in contentment. "There, that's much better."

"Really?"

"Indeed," she assured him.

"You always seem to get my hair loose one way or the other," he commented thoughtfully.

"Yes, I do, don't I," she mused.

"Why is that?" he questioned, snaking his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

Amelia laughed. "It's simply one of those things, darling. I can't explain it."

"Ah. Should I be concerned?" he teased.

Amelia brought her lips to his neck and placed a soft kiss against skin. She smiled against him as she felt him jump slightly at the unexpected sensation. Bringing a hand to the back of his head, she pulled his lips closer to hers until they were slightly touching.

"I don't think you should question it, darling," she murmured softly. "Do you?"

Delbert nodded his head before softly capturing her lips in a kiss. Breaking away a moment later, he smiled and cupped her cheek in his hand. "I don't want to question anything, love."

Amelia reached behind her and gently flicked the lamp off, leaving the room illuminated only by the soft moonlight spilling in through the windows. "Happy anniversary, Delbert."

The End

A/N

This was originally intended as the second part of a three-part series, and it still might be. But, I am going away for a few weeks, so I thought it best to go ahead and post this middle section. As it is, it stands well on its own (I think!). Please, if you have a moment, take time and leave me a review. As always, I appreciate reviews and believe it or not, they really do encourage me to write!