"Kitty" Year-Round

Part II: Flight of the Heroine

By Mia LeighArc

Delbert awoke in the middle of the night, unable to get back to sleep. He was remembering something Amelia had said to him back on Treasure Planet.

"Now, let's have a look at that." He said softly.

"Oh don't fuss. I'm fine, Doctor." She said bluntly. She resisted his care with a wave of the hand, but Delbert stared at her with a firm look that she had no choice in the matter.

"Captain…" he said forcefully as he eyed her. She was taken aback by his forceful words and hesitated to accept his help.

"I told you, I feel right as rain. Now would you please stop fussing over me. I'm a lot tougher than I look, truly." She retorted as forcefully as her injury would allow.

"Well it won't do us any good if I left you out here without at least trying to care for your wounds! You could be captured by those pirates and worse, possibly killed. Jim and I don't have the experience or know how to get us out of this unscathed, but you do! You might be injured but a Captain or not, I'm not a man who will stand aside to let a woman be hurt and in need of protection from eminent danger!" Delbert exclaimed aloud. His anger with her growing rampant. She glared at him for his comment feeling he was saying she couldn't defend herself in her current condition.

"Doctor, just what makes you think I cannot defend myself from said 'eminent danger'? I'm not the one who needs protecting, it is my job to protect my crew and I will do so whether you like it or not! I need no man to protect me, I am not a fragile woman."

"I never said that you couldn't defend yourself! I merely was making a statement about you being injured. We've all seen how strong you are! Me most of all! Why must you be so stubborn, woman?! You are not as invincible as you like to pretend to be, so please, let me help you for goodness sake!" Her eyes widened at his proclamation and the kind gesture of being her protector even if she was no true 'damsel in distress' as he seemed to believe. She opened her mouth to speak but no sound came. Finally she found her words and her general lack of trust in the opposite sex also bubbled to the surface as well.

"Very well, Doctor. I give you permission to tend to the wounds, but best be assured if you do anything unsavory in the process, I shall make sure you suffer a painful punishment!" She snapped suddenly, trying to hide the wave of pain in her side. Delbert threw his hands back, not sure what to say and suddenly afraid to touch her for fear of her wrath.

"Well I would never—not to say that you're -n-not beautiful but I would never-do anything to h-hurt you or do anything that was in any way unaccSEXable—err unacceptable." He stammered nervously, slapping his forehead. To his surprise, a slight smile broke on her lips at his remark.

"You may proceed then, Doctor. I believe I can trust you to do what's strictly necessary." She said softly as the wave of pain was causing her vision to blur into blackness again. Some time later, he had been checking her temperature and trying to keep her comfortable as he went about his business of tending to her. She awoke suddenly as he nervously moved a bit closer to her.

"Doctor…when this is…over…I believe I owe you…more than…just a cup of…tea" She strained through the pain as Delbert moved closer to her, directly beside her now. He trembled when he slowly start unbuttoning her jacket in order to lift her undershirt so he could inspect the damage.

"Doctor, I'm not going to break, you don't have to be afraid to touch me." Amelia thought. "unless he's nervous of something happening between us as a result." She thought to herself with a sly smile.

"What's the matter, Doctor? Never done this before?" She mused. Delbert furrowed his brows in shock.

"Well yes, - wait! no -no not exactly. Not for an exceptionally long time at least—err, Not in this context at least." He choked out with trembling breaths. He was amazed at how she could still maintain her wit even when seriously injured. He made a mental note to himself to try to stay calm & watch what he said to her to avoid any more slip-ups if possible. Amelia just let out a laugh between laps of searing pain.

"Um, Captain, I—a." Delbert choked out as he looked closer at it, clearing his throat. His cheeks were as red as her hair as he touched her soft skin. Silky smooth and a beautiful shade of ivory met his gaze as he looked at the bruise forming along her ribs and along her left arm. He couldn't help but notice her red lacy brazier she wore and her soft shapely breasts. He reminded himself just to look at the damage and not spend too much time feeling her skin against his or looking at the way her soft curves looked so beautiful to him. He could tell she was trying hard not to smile through the pain.

"yes, Doctor, how—ugh…how bad is it?" She asked cautiously. Delbert shook his head trying to rid himself of his thoughts and get back to the task at hand. He grimaced at the thought as he would have to clean the wound thoroughly, stop the bleeding, bandage it, and put her arm in a sling for the time being until the pain subsided.

"Well, with a bandage and something for the pain, I'm sure you'll be alright. I have something here that can help with that. I will need to apply a bandage though and put your arm in a sling, so it won't aggravate the wound." Amelia frowned for a moment at his words before recalling just how much his touch was warm and gentle. He looked closer at a piece of wood from the longship that was longed in her side and while having lost some blood in the process, he would have to remove said item so the wound wouldn't get infected. It would do no good to leave it be as it may burrow deeper and cause more problems in the future.

"This might hurt a bit, Captain." Delbert said as he pulled a pair of tweezers and some bandages out of the first aid kit, he found in the broken long boat plus a handkerchief out of his pocket to make a sling out of. Taking a deep breath, he brought the tweezers to the affected side to inspect what the best course of action was for removing the broken piece of he ship. He moved a bit closer, feeling the warmth of her proximity fogging his spectacles. After wiping them clean, he proceeded to get close enough to get a hold of the wooden splitter and with a quick pull towards him removed it with a howl of pain from his stubborn patient. He cleaned the wound of blood and applied an ointment to sooth the pain. He then put an herb concoction on the bandage and wrapped it around the wound and used the medial tape to keep it firmly in place. He mentally slapped himself when he realized he was spending entirely too much time enjoying the feel of her skin under his hands. He then lowered her shirt again and helped her lower her arm again.

"Do…do what you must." She said bluntly before another wave of pain overwhelmed her. He cleared his throat and finally pulled his hands away to prepare the makeshift sling for her. Delbert gently wrapped it around her neck, attempting to cause her as little pain as possible putting her arm inside. It amazed her how gentle he was with her, not only her person, but with consideration to her feelings as well. Even with Arrow gone, she had a man she could rely on to keep her safe. He challenged her to follow his commands and she liked the banter it caused very much. With a soft sigh, she spoke a bit clearer now.

"You are quite gentle, Doctor" She said aloud, catching Delbert unaware. He looked down to see her shivering slightly.

"Well, thank you, Captain. I try, but I fear you'll need to see a medical doctor for that when we make it back to port. I'm strictly familiar with some herbology and basic first aid."

"Well, doctor, you suit me well enough." She said with a smile. She shivered again.

"Is it just me or is it getting bloody cold out here." She mumbled under her breath. Delbert heard her, sitting next to her, and wrapping an arm gently around her.

"You can curl up with me if you're cold, Captain. I'm sure you haven't forgotten I'm like a furnace." He said with a soft smile. Amelia smiled briefly with a wink and curled up next to him, nuzzling into him with a sigh. She certainly hadn't soon forgot how warm he is, in more ways than one. She caught the scent of him and had to sigh to herself. Sandalwood, old books and woodsmoke. Such a delicious musky blend of masculinity. Before he knew it, she had slipped off to sleep and had begun purring.

Delbert shook off the happy memory with a yawn as he put on his robe and stepped out of his bedroom door. It had been a week and a half since she came to stay in his home while she recovered. Her wounds were mostly healed up now, but she still was under restrictions not to go sailing for another week or so, plus her ship still was under extensive repairs. With Jim at the academy, it left just Amelia, Sarah, and himself in the house. This made for some awkward moments. He knew she wouldn't be able to go anywhere soon, but he was delighted in the fact that she could depend on him to take care of her. He could remember all the quiet nights they had spent sitting on opposite sides of the large couch in his living room, quietly reading by a roaring fire. He could remember all the spats they had as he insisted on caring for her and sticking to the doctor's orders for her care. She had been a tough patient, but he had to admit that he loved caring for her. It filled a void he hadn't known was there. He had someone to be protective of and care for dearly. He had a women in his life that he would put himself in danger for to protect her from harm. His chest ached at the thought of her being able to rely on him.

These constant thoughts of Amelia would drive him insane! He looked over to her bedroom door with a longing that made him sigh with disappointment. He made his way quietly down to the kitchen to make himself some tea. He brought a tray with some lemon cakes as well up to his observatory. He sat in front of his telescope for what seemed like hours. If he ever felt lonely, he always had the stars to keep him company. He looked through the telescope, feeling his mind calm slightly. He heard footsteps coming into the library. He looked down from his perch but saw nobody. He went back to looking at the stars, enjoying the feeling of seeing them up close again. It wasn't quite the same as sailing though. "What an adventure that was!" he thought to himself. He heard a book fall off a tall stack, he shot his head back towards the noise, but saw nobody again.

"Hello?" He called out in the direction of the noise. Amelia had been quietly walking around the library, truly taking in the plethora of books there. When no response came, Delbert went back to his work. A small sound beneath him caused him to turn around again.

"Hello? Is anyone there or have I finally gone crazy?" He called out feeling rather silly for saying it. Amelia finally spoke up.

"Doctor, I…I didn't know you had such an extensive library." She said amazed. He stepped down from his telescope to peer at her.

"Captain! What are you doing up at this hour? Are you feeling okay? You're not in pain are you?!" He asked curiously. He motioned for her to sit down on the couch he got for them to sit on in front of the fireplace. She waved off his obvious concern with a hand.

"There's some tea and lemon cakes there if you'd care to join me." Amelia smiled warmly, pulling her robe closer to her for warmth. Delbert came down from the telescope to sit with her. He brought out a blanket to wrap around her.

"I would like that, doctor. I couldn't sleep and I heard you making tea. I thought-I." Delbert blushed slightly at the thought, happy to have a private moment with her.

"It's alright, I was-ahem-just thinking about you." He said, slowly.

"Oh, were you, doctor? Do tell." She said with a sly smile and a sparkle returning to her eyes. She snuggled closer to him, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders as well. He shivered slightly at her touch.

"um-yes, about something you had said when you were hurt on Treasure Planet." He said feeling the closeness of her surrounding him. He stretched slightly, wrapping his arm around her, and pulling her closer to him. Amelia sighed happily at this and nuzzled against his neck with a slight purr on her lips.

"Oh, I said many things, what was it?" She said slyly. Delbert cleared his throat, with a laugh, remembering all the things she did indeed say.

"It was about how you owed me more than just tea." He stated matter-of-factly. He smiled at her warmly and she returned the favor. He nuzzled her back and kissed the top of her head before she could even respond.

"Oh that! Well doctor, I still do owe you for that. You were so gentle with me. I think of it often whenever I find myself missing Arrow." She said, finally sipping at her tea. This took Delbert aback! He knew that his presence had made some difference, but he never expected he had made that much of a difference in her life.

"Well, that means a lot to me, I know how much he meant to you, Captain." He responded with a slight frown. Amelia sighed for a moment, then looked back to Delbert with a warm smile.

"it's true that he did mean a lot to me, but now so do you, doctor." She stated, putting her tea down and brushing his cheek with her hand. With a soft sigh, Delbert took her hand in his and brought it slowly to his lips. He linked his hand in hers and gazed in her eyes.

"You mean a lot to me as well, Captain." He said, feeling the tension in the room become as thick as fog. She gazed back at him, unsure where the moment might take them. Before either of them realized, they had closed the gap between them. Their lips met with a gentle wave of passion. Not fearing any interruptions this time, they each moved further into the kiss. After what seemed like days had passed, they broke apart, breathing heavily. With a single look exchanged, they closed the gap a second time, this time with more force. Delbert was knocked down on his on the couch, with Amelia over him. Amelia placed her hands on his chest, reaching into his robe to run her fingers through his chest hair. He adjusted his position slightly. His hands found themselves around her hips, a comfortable and natural feel for him. She moaned at his touch, feeling her heart skip a beat. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. It was becoming obvious to both of them that his excitement was getting the better of him again, popping up in an awkward moment. Amelia giggled aloud as it brushed against her. Finally, they broke apart again, gasping for breath. Delbert looked embarrassed at the intrusion of his own body reacting to the moment. He slapped his hand to his forehead in frustration.

"Captain, I'm sorry-I" He stammered. He shook his head at himself.

"You know doctor, I'm very flattered." She said running a single finger along the side of his face. He was shocked at this. He took hold of her hand again, kissing her palm sweetly.

"You-you are?" He asked coarsely, unsure what to say. She positioned herself with a knee on either side of his hips, leaning down slowly to meet his lips sweetly. He sighed with ecstasy as she found herself opening his robe further. Her hands trailed down lower, and he stopped her. Breathlessly he stammered out

"Did I not clearly say that the first time you had the reaction? I am very flattered, love. More than you realize." She said with a wink. Delbert tried to think, it didn't feel right to be so obvious in their affections knowing Sarah's dilemma. Plus he had other reservations. He just desperately didn't want this relationship to turn out like his last.

"Perhaps it was time to let it go, it was 20 years ago after all…" He thought to himself as he tried to think on his feet. At least he had a great teacher. He had that going for him at least.

"Captain- don't you think we're moving too-f-f-fast?" He asked cautiously. She smiled warmly, placing another sweet kiss on his lips. With a moan, he pulled himself free for a moment to prove his point.

"Doctor, we have some privacy, don't you want to explore the possibilities of, well—? I'm sure you've felt this tension between us lately." She stated, moving back into a seated position to hear him out. He slapped his forehead again, realizing what he possibly just stopped from happening.

"Oh goodness yes, of course I do, but I just don't-don't you think it would be better to take things-s-slow?" He asked patiently, knowing fully well he wanted to continue their "conversation" where it led off. Amelia placed a hand on his thigh, making him have to take long slow breaths. Amelia thought about what he had said and thought perhaps it wasn't the worst idea. With a sigh, she responded.

"Delbert, if you don't want to, you can just say no. Don't you want me?" She asked with obvious hurt in her voice.

"No! no-no, it's not that all! Of course I want you, I would love to explore that when we're both ready, but…I have my reasons." He said with an awkward pause. Amelia fumed at him

"oh I see, there's someone else isn't there? I knew there was something going on. Is it Sarah? I wondered what the nature of your relationship was, but now I suppose it's all too clear!" She exclaimed, growing angry with him as she stood, putting a hand on her hip. Delbert's eyes went wide, and he shook his head and hands frantically in front of him as he stood to face her, shocked that she would even think that about him.

"NO! Absolutely not! She's only ever been a dear friend; how could you even think that? There is nobody else in this or any galaxy that drives me as crazy and I feel as passionate about as you, I thought I made that all too clear! Amelia, I'm sorry that you question my loyalty, truly. I would give anything to take you to my bedroom right this second, but-but I need to be sure this is real before we take that step." He said, trying to explain without showing his heckles rising. Amelia blushed at his admission even if she was angry with him.

"I had thought I had made my feelings all to clear, Delbert. I want nothing more than to fully explore this new feeling you have created within me. I want a relationship with you. I'm not going to sail away and simply forget about you. I'm an all or nothing kind of woman when it comes to matters of the heart. Also you should note that I have been trained to hide my emotions, something I'm rather good at, except around you…" Amelia said highly frustrated. She sat back down on the couch with her head in her hands, wanting to be done with this whole conversation. Delbert knelt down to gaze at her, lightly caressing her upper arm. He opened his mouth to respond but couldn't think of what to say.

"Delbert, whatever the reason, just tell me why you keep resisting me. I have to know if this is something that will come in the way of us being together. Please, just tell me what's the matter, I'm sure you'll find I can be quite understandable." She said finally, feeling rather defeated.

"Well I certainly won't let get in the way; I just think you should know that my last relationship didn't end the best way. It haunts me even today, so many years later." Delbert said with a sigh, standing to take the seat next to her again. He put his arm around her as he took a deep breath before speaking again.

"And this is somehow MY fault?" She quipped smartly. She knew he didn't deserve it, but his words and the rejection hurt her feelings. Delbert grimaced at her comment and shook his head.

"No, of course not! Its only that the pain of that situation has caused me to shelter myself from a serious relationship for such a long time that I don't want to repeat that ever again." Delbert said, rubbing soft circles into her shoulders. She purred at his touch, this frustrated her even more so.

"So what happened, Delbert. Please, just tell me. I think I have a right to know." Amelia said softly, nuzzling her head into his shoulder. Delbert shook his head in agreement. He took a deep breath.

"Well you see, I met this young woman in grad school. She was wonderful and very kind, however very early on, we ended up taking things into the bedroom. Things between us were great for a while, we courted for about 6 or 7 months. I even considered asking her to marry me! It wasn't meant to be though. As it turns out, it was not only a cruel joke, but an utter betrayal as well." Delbert sighed before continuing his story.

"Well, I had gotten out of class early one day, I was hoping to ask her that day, I had even picked out a ring for her. So that day I practically ran back to my dorm to find her in bed with none other than one of my roommates and classmates in the astrophysics major. It was then I found out that she had been dared to sleep with ALL of the men in my dorm room. They were in on it together, they planned to elope they said. I never felt so defeated as that day, I vowed never to feel that way ever again. The worst part is this was nearly 20 years ago." He said, putting his head in his hands. He let out a long sigh, jumping slightly when she reached out and stroked his back softly.

"Why Doctor Delbert Doppler, you have me beat by 5 years!" Amelia exclaimed merrily, swatting his arm playfully.

"What?! Why do I find that hard to believe. You're so beautiful…I imagine the spacers you come in contact with would be falling all over themselves to ask you on a date." Delbert said with a smile. Amelia blushed slightly before responding.

"No, I'm afraid it's true, sure there have been men who have tried…but they all have the scars to prove it." Amelia said retracting her claws, running one softly down his jaw. Delbert swallowed hard and thanked his lucky stars to have caught the attention of such a wonderful woman such as Amelia. Now to get back on topic, no matter how guilty she felt for bringing it up so brashly.

"You have nothing to fear though… but anyway, I'm so sorry that you had to go through that experience, Delbert. Truly, it's quite unfortunate. Most unforgivable. Honestly, what's the world coming to when there are women like that about. My goodness, the things I'd like to inflict upon her…" Amelia said, getting quite protective of him and running the back of her hand along his neck.

"No Amelia, she's not worth that, but…I do appreciate the thought. I suppose I should've told you sooner. I feel so foolish about it. I know you're different by the way you treat me, I just can't help but be worried. I hope you can forgive me. I do prefer to take things slow if that's not too much to ask. "

"Oh of course I forgive you, love. Also, I do suppose I can see your point, Delbert. I don't like to be kept waiting long though." She said, playfully flicking his ear. He laughed slightly at the comment. He laid down and as she laid down next to him, he ran a hand gently down her side, finding that comfortable place again. He smiled warmly at her.

"Oh, I remember, Captain. Once I can ensure we can have complete privacy, I suggest we keep on our breast-BEST behavior." He said as smoothly as he could. Amelia simply giggled, resting her head on his chest.

"I'll do my best, doctor. I can't promise you anything though." She said slyly as she nuzzled further into him and found herself starting to drift off to sleep. He adjusted the blanket to cover them both and pulled her gently against him before laying back down. This was going to be hard, but he thought he could manage to keep himself from letting things move to quickly with this beautiful woman before him. As he was drifting off to sleep, he could hear Amelia purring, loudly. He kissed the top of her head sweetly and let himself fall asleep.

The following morning, Sarah found them fast asleep in the library. She smiled to herself warmly at the sight. She had to chuckle at how Delbert had his foot out of the blanket and an arm off to the side, hanging off the couch. It brought back a pang of pain as she recalled memories of her husband.

"I'll leave them be for now while I go and make breakfast." She thought to herself as she quietly walked downstairs to the kitchen. An hour or so later, Delbert was awoken to the smell of breakfast in the air. Squinting, he groped for his glasses which had fallen on the floor during the previous night's "activities" as he remembered. Feeling the same comfortable weight against him, he realized Amelia was still asleep in his lap. He smiled warmly at her sleeping form, knowing all too well it would be next to impossible to stay well behaved around her. Amelia stirred slightly, noticing his excitement popping up again. She laughed to herself as she stretched and let out a yawn. Upon opening her eyes, she saw Delbert there under her head. With a contented sigh, Amelia greeted her bumbling prospective lover.

"Good morning, Doctor." She stated with a glint in her eyes. Delbert smiled back at her.

"Good morning, Captain. You were sleeping so soundly; I didn't have the heart to wake you." He said, softly brushing an errand strand of her hair back behind her ear. She nuzzled into his touch, trying to control the urge to continue where they left off the night before. A long moment of silence filled the space between them. Delbert spoke first.

"It smells like Sarah is making breakfast downstairs if you're hungry." He said sweetly. Amelia smiled sweetly in return. They sat up, brushing themselves off to face the rest of the household. They both stood up, ready to head to the kitchen, Delbert offered his arm to her, which she took. Soon she found herself linking her hand with his, which he placed a kiss on when they walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Sarah. Something smells wonderful." Delbert said pleasantly. Sarah laughed to herself knowingly but said nothing about what she had witnessed hours before. Sarah motioned to the table, a fresh newspaper and tea ready while she served up a hot breakfast. They ate their breakfast in near silence that morning. Amelia passed part of the newspaper to Delbert while they ate. Sarah kept noticing that they were eying each other over the top of the newspaper when they thought the other wasn't looking.

"Oh, and Amelia, this came for you this morning. It looks like a letter from the Interstellar Navy." Sarah said, handing the captain a formal looking letter. Amelia opened it, knowing well what was happening.

"Oh, bloody hell!" she muttered under her breath. "My ship will be under repair for 4 months for the damages and they still require me to do a training mission for the weekend?" Amelia said with a huff.

"Well, it looks like I will have to pack for a long trip. The admiral intends to meet me at the dock in his own ship under the circumstances. I leave tomorrow. They sure do love to do things last minute, don't they?" Delbert and Sarah exchanged frowns at this news. Delbert, especially. 3 days without his lady love. That would be harder than keeping himself behaved around her!

"Well-know that you'll be missed here. Just come home safe, captain" He said, placing his hand over hers. She smiled that warm smile she reserved just for him, longing to stay with him longer.

"I will, doctor. I will miss you." She said, realizing, Sarah was still in the room.

"…both of you, I've grown so fond of this place. I haven't had a place to call home in a long time, doctor."

"How many times have I told you, to call me Delbert?" He said forcefully, his hand still over hers.

"As many as I've told you to call me, Amelia" She replied. Sarah smiled at both of them.

"You two make such a cute couple." She said aloud. This startled the two of them, locked in a gaze.

"w-what?" Delbert exclaimed trying to cover his obvious nervous excitement about having it finally said aloud.

"She said, doctor…. That we make a cute couple. There's no need denying—this time." Amelia said, smiling at him with an eyebrow raised. He sighed, knowing she was right.

"I suppose we do, don't we?" He finally admitted out loud.