"Kitty" Year-Round
Part IV: Holy Palmer's Kiss
By Mia LeighArc
Amelia stepped off the gangplank from what seemed like the longest day of her life. She had stopped to pick up dinner in port after a long day of overseeing the repairs to her ship. With a sigh, she remembered her time in the Royal Navy. Her previous voyages always held joy to be so close to the stars, how anyone there to really share it with at times got lonely for her. She used to have Arrow and that would be all she needed to get through a voyage, but without him, she longed to go home. Home to her bumbling Doctor, Delbert. As Amelia arrived at the front door, she was greeted by Sarah, who took the grocery bag she was carrying right out of her hand and set it by the door. A her and placed her coat on a hook by the door.
"Sarah, so good to see a familiar face, I trust things went well for you when I was in port today?" Amelia asked kindly. Sarah nodded and handed Amelia a cut of tea as the moment.
"Oh yes, things are fine, however I have been rather worried about Delbert lately. He doesn't seem to be acting like himself I'm afraid." This caused Amelia to raise and pique her curiosity.
"Acting strangely, you say? Any stranger than his usual behavior?" Amelia asked curiously. Sarah merely supported a weak smile.
"Well, he was fine the first few days, but the past 2 ½ weeks, he's always in his observatory it seems, he doesn't appear to eat or sleep and when he does speak, you seem to be the only thing he talks about…" Amelia blushes slightly but hoped that Sarah didn't notice. Before Sarah could continue, Amelia stealthily made her way upstairs without Sarah seeming to notice.
"He seems to still be beating himself up for not being able to make it that night a few weeks ago. I've never seen him mope around this much…" Sarah said, now alone and talking to herself. The memory of that night came back to Amelia as Sarah spoke.
"Er, Captain? That is, I mean to say-well, Amelia," Delbert said, snapping her from the fond memory.
"Yes," she answered, inclining her head to show her curiosity in what he was going to say.
"Well, I was just wondering, umm well-I mean, you don't need to answer me right away, in fact you-you don't need to answer me at all, if you don't want to, I just ask, and if you wanted to, well-"
"Delbert," she interrupted him. "What did you want to ask me?"
"Did-did you, umm...want to go…um out with me…tonight. You see I have lectures all day and-?" He mumbled under his breath. His voice cut off when he realized he was starting to ramble.
"What? Sorry, I don't think I caught that," she said, desperately trying to smother a smile.
"Well yes, sorry, umm, did you-want to go out with me tonight after my lectures?" He glanced up at her quickly, only to see her nod slowly and lean into him, closing her eyes and press her lips firmly to his. He jumped, but soon felt the need to wrap his arms around her waist, moving the chairs toward each other and closing the remaining distance between them
"Eight o'clock then," she asked as she pulled away, slightly breathless. Doppler blushed and nodded as he stood to leave.
"I'll be here," he assured her calmly.
"I'll see you tonight then."
"Alright."
"Bye," Amelia mused, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth that, this time, she didn't try to hide.
"Bye," he said, and closed the door.
But as eight o'clock came, Doppler didn't, and although Amelia found herself sitting at the desk in her stateroom, waiting for him an hour and a half later. She felt concerned and slightly hurt that he hadn't come and hadn't even called to cancel or explain himself.
"Maybe he had something he couldn't get out of, or forgot about, and didn't have time to call me in the middle of his busy schedule," she mused to herself as she imagined him going about his day.
"That's it! He simply had something to do that was more important than me." She thought to herself knowing far better than to let those thoughts enter her mind, but this time she struggled to erase them her mind... She was truly angry with him and hurt as well.
"How could he forget? What an imbecile. Or maybe I'm the imbecile to think that he was…the one." It was now almost eleven and Amelia found herself in her room, she couldn't sleep; all she could think about was how Delbert was at that moment. Plus, she was getting worried now, on top of it all. She had to get to the bottom of this if she wanted any peace of mind whatsoever tonight. Giving up for the time being, she gave up and went back to her stateroom for a bit.
Half an hour later Amelia sat at her desk and took a sip of her cooling tea, remembering the scene at the mansion earlier that day before Delbert had left. It was one moment of her life, and she had to admit he was really was a kisser.
"What? Since when he had become so... so bleeding wonderful," she thought to herself in a mix of dreamy and furious emotion. She cared for him very much, even if she wouldn't admit it yet. It had come naturally to her, almost like a daily routine. She could easily find herself falling in love with this man.
Hours later, she woke to a kind knock on the door, a knock that was vaguely familiar. She stood, wrenching at her neck as she stepped into next room, throwing the door open, expecting to find Delbert standing on the other side. Instead, she was met with flowers and a small package, soaking in the rain. The storm came upon the spaceport so suddenly, echoing her stormy mood.
She smiled at the thought and pulled them inside, they were undoubtedly from the doctor. Suddenly, she wasn't as angry with him anymore, as he had dropped them off or someone drop them off, the most beautiful roses she had ever seen; fire-and-ice, in fact. She set the package down and ran to get something for the flowers, when discovered a note nestled into the top of the blossoms.
"Amelia," it read. "I had something really urgent to attend to tonight and words cannot express how sorry I am for not being able to get a hold of you to let you know I couldn't be there. I look forward to seeing you again soon, and I hope you can forgive me. I'll be in touch.
All my love, Delbert."
She moved back into her state room, placing herself in front of the window to watch the rain. With a blanket wrapped around her. she opened the package and, gasped at what she saw. Inside laid a golden, heart-shaped locket, with a simple note lying next to it:
"Something to remember me by. Happy Birthday."
"Well," she declared mischievously to herself. "I have things to do before bed, and this evening isn't slowing down." She thought about Delbert and what he must be doing right now as she closed the door behind her.
Dr. Delbert Doppler stood gazing in the fireplace when Amelia came up behind him. He seemed silent, as if he were a statue. Amelia made a motion to speak, hesitated and half bit her bottom lip under the veil of a worried look. When in uniform, she found that she often still addressed him by his formal title. Following her lead in most conversations, he returned the favor in kind.
"Doctor, I want to thank you again... for the gift," said a familiar female voice from behind him. He smiled but did not move. Amelia focused her attention on him continued.
"Oh that, it's nothing special really…" He said with a twinge of sadness. Little did he know that it was a much more thoughtful gift than he anticipated. It was nearly an identical locket to the one her mother had. That in and of itself held significant value to her.
"It was lovely, truly. A new keepsake I suppose... Doctor?" Amelia said nonchalantly. Delbert leaned in thought against the mantel piece. He wanted to say something comforting and meaningful but stopped cold; forcing himself to turn around and finally face her.
"I'm sorry, Captain... I. suppose I'm just not myself today." Her concerned eyes met his and he smiled slightly, looking back into the dancing flames. Amelia, not knowing how to get him to listen, came up and stood gazing into the fire
"And here I thought you were the man I am growing rather fond of?" Amelia said with a bit of mischief in her voice.
"Why is she doing this? I should be on my hands and knees begging for her forgiveness. Wait, what did she say?" He thought to himself as he screwed up his courage to face her... Delbert turned around to face her finally, looking deeply into her eyes. He was thinking about what she had asked him. He had to say something, anything but another awkward silence
"Well...I'm a...a..." Delbert tried to say.
"Never mind." Amelia said plainly waving away the thought. She didn't seem convinced that he was in fact alright. He noticed she was fidgeting with something, small and heart shaped.
"Oh, that's right" he thought to himself, "her locket!" He mentally smacked himself before she looked in his direction again. Was it just him or was there a little bit more of tension between them lately?
"Maybe it was just the night we..." He thought to himself trying to sound convincing.
"Yes, it definitely must've been that night." Delbert, continued to himself, more forcefully now. Honestly, he wasn't sure, but he could tell by the way Amelia was looking at him, that she could feel it too. The silence was making him nervous; and if that wasn't enough to make him really flustered, what happened next would've been enough to make a man's heart stop right in his chest.
"Here, let me help you with that." Delbert said nervously indicating her necklace.
"There's really no need, doctor..."Amelia said. She didn't want to burden him any more than she already had.
"Nonsense, I just want to help." He said as he took the locket out of her hand and placed it in front of her neck, taking time to take in her features. He gently pulled he could clasp the back of the necklace.
"There's really no need, Delbert, you've done enough." But by the time she had said it Delbert had already taken it from her and was in the process of slipping it around. She shivered slightly when his hands touched her; he lingered for perhaps a little longer than expected after the locket hung securely around her neck. After a few moments, he pulled his hands away slowly.
"Not long enough…" Amelia thought as he pulled his hands away. She was suddenly finding herself fantasizing about him letting his hands wander all over her body that caused her to blush and goose bumps ran all along her skin. With a slight shiver, Amelia tried to contain herself. Then thoughts of their first act of intimacy popped into her head like flashes before her eyes. The tension between them was getting stronger by the moment.
At the same magical moment, they both looked up at each other so quickly and now their noses were touching. Amelia was slightly startled but after a few moments blushed and moved away quickly. Amelia simply smiled slyly.
"You know Doctor, if there was something else you wanted to give me, you could've just asked."
"Well...I... Umm." Was all Delbert could manage to say. Embarrassed, he looked deeply into the fireplace, then quickly back at her. He noticed this time that Amelia' green eyes where dilated and her hand had reached his cheek, showing that her focus was standing uncomfortably in front of her. There was something drawing him to her every second.
"I, however, believe I have something to give you." Amelia said playfully pulling Delbert's arms around her waist before wrapping her own around his neck.
"Umm, I…err…ah…"Delbert said in surprise as Amelia got closer.
"Oh, shut up you imbecilic man." Amelia muttered as she instinctively bridged the gap between them, feeling the heat between them rising and their gaze to become on each other. When he tried to object, she laid a single finger on his lips and made a hushing noise. Pulling him as close to her as possible, Amelia wrapped her hands firmly of either side of Delbert's face kissing him fiercely. Her breathing got heavier when she discovered Delbert's ultimate reaction to the situation. She let out a slight giggle and brush up against it when she could manage. Delbert yelped as she raked her nails over his back. She kissed seductively down his neck, sending shivers down his spine.
"Is this really happening? Is this truly my life?" He asked himself, unsure if he spoke those words aloud or not. Her touch had him feeling his heart want to beat out of his chest.
The next few minutes were a bit of blur to him. He remembered everything until their lips finally met again. Every touch, each lustful gaze, the way the firelight lit her face & feel of her skin on his…Anything after that moment and his mind drew a blank. It was as if the whole outside world had ceased to exist, and the only thing left was the two of them... A silhouette of two people attracted to the energies the other put off. Their worlds had just been turned upside down by the other's presence and both were very much enjoying the feeling. After several minutes of their lips being inseparable, they broke apart and took a deep breath simultaneously while staring at each other in disbelief.
"Well...I..." Delbert said attempting to break the silence, using the fireplace to provide some support while he tried to catch his breath.
"Well..."Amelia said at a loss for words.
"Goodnight, Doctor." She finally said between after a beat, straightening out her jacket.
"How many times must I ask you to call me Delbert." He corrected.
"Right." She replied.
"I...umm Goodnight...Captain." Delbert said flustered as he finally stood up.
"Touché, However how many times have I told you to call me Amelia." she corrected him, taking his hands in hers once last time and touching her lips lightly to his. She brushed a piece of hair from her face as she slowly turned gradually letting her hands slip through his and walked towards the hallway that led to her bedroom. With his hands out of reach now, Amelia left Delbert to his thoughts.
"What on earth just happened?" He said to himself aloud. There was no clear answer but as he stood confused and overwhelmed, Sarah had come in from the kitchen and tried to attention failing miserably.
"Oh, hi Delbert...Delbert? Delbert?" Sarah waved her hand in front of his face, finally getting his attention: well, sort of.
"Huh?" He said casually looking up from the warm fireplace to see the biggest smirk on Sarah's face.
"What?" he said to her, but she didn't respond. She smiled and tried to keep from erupting in laughter like an active volcano.
"Oh, Nothing." She retired but knew she was lying. He couldn't fully comprehend how he knew at that moment though. He hadn't told her about the intimate nature of his growing relationship with Amelia out of respect for Sarah. He didn't want her to be upset that he was in a good relationship when he husband had so wrongfully left her to raise her child alone. He would never forgive Logan Hawkins for that. It was just so unforgivable to him.
"What?" Delbert said again, still feeling like he was under the lens of a microscope.
"It's nothing, really." Sarah said trying to contain herself. Delbert attempted to lean against a nearby wall, he slipped, almost falling over and then quickly corrected and leaned against the corridor wall.
"Would you just tell me what's the matter with you?!" Delbert exclaimed, but Sarah couldn't help it; laughter was in her voice.
"Delbert, it's nothing, now go to bed!" he said matter of factly and so he opened the door to his room, totally confused by the night's events. Muffled laughter could be heard from Sarah's room echoed down the dark hallways. Suddenly Amelia, (clothed in a snug black lacey knee length night gown) opened the door to the hallway from her bedroom. She motioning for him to come to her bedroom door. Delbert now looked even more confused. He looked quickly in both directions to see if he'd suffer anymore unexpected interruptions.
"C-Amelia, what is it?" He asked quietly so he wouldn't wake Sarah. Amelia grabbed his arm and pulled him into her room and closed the door.
"Wh-wha-what's the meaning of this-?" he asked this time with a slight fear in his voice. Amelia merely sat him down on the edge of her bed, setting a leg on either side of Delbert's breathing starting to quicken once more and suddenly he was starting to sweat. Amelia rested her forearms on Delbert's shoulders as she stared him directly in the eye. She met his gaze for several minutes and then pulled off his glasses placing them on the nightstand. Shivers shot through her every time she touched him. She guided his hands up her legs to the edge of her nightgown and then continued guiding his hands up her legs gathering the fabric Delbert then got more of a "feel" for the moment and let his hands continue until his hands were nestled at Amelia's hips. Amelia then went in for the kill, kissing him with all the gusto she could manage. He then pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist. She moaned in response, not quite expecting that. Amelia leaned closer to whisper into his ear.
"Oh Delbert…" Amelia whispered. Delbert let out a slight groan in response. He was breathlessly taking in all the sensations we were just flooded with. Delbert was convinced that even if he could formulate words at that moment, they would come out in even more of a jumble than usual. She slowly stood up, helping him up off the bed. He looked confused at first but found himself absentmindedly running a hand along her side as he struggled to stand.
"…Delbert, are you alright? Sorry, but I couldn't help but tease you one last time." She asked finally bringing Delbert back into reality.
"We could do for some privacy from time to time." She stated with a soft smile.
He nodded in agreement as he blushed and looked away so she couldn't see the frustrated look on his face. He turned hesitantly towards the door, lightheaded and unsure what to say. Amelia lightly touched his arm as she handed his glasses back to him as he walked slowly towards the door.
"Well, good night, Delbert." Amelia said simply. Delbert nodded and walked out of the room. In the hallway, he seemed to sway. He had a hard time walking due to into his obvious excitement. He walked into his room, closing the door behind him tightly. He laid against the back of the door for what felt like centuries before he ever once moved. Finally, he hung up his robe on a hook by the door. He thought some rest was in order after that awkward daydream he just had…er should he say night…dream. An hour later, he still couldn't get to sleep. His mind was running rampant about none other than the intoxicating Captain Amelia. What was he to do? He couldn't bear to let her leave, he would never let himself forget about her, and it wasn't like he had just been in bed with someone he didn't love…but he had to do something, or he'd be driven mad!
"If she's going to tease me, two can play at that game!" He thought to himself. Delbert sat up at the side of his bed, returned his spectacles to their proper place on his nose and walked towards the door, putting on his robe on the way out. He quietly walked into the hallway, making sure to close the door slowly behind him. He breathed deeply as he tip-toed through the darkness toward Amelia's room. He was confident that he would make it when his foot caught on one of the rugs running the length of the hallway and feel in a heap on the floor.
"So much for being smooth…" Delbert thought aloud as Sarah and Amelia, awoken from the noise, opened their bedroom doors to find Delbert kneeling on the floor, rubbing the back of his neck. Sarah turned on the light in the hallway
"Delbert, what are you doing out here so late at night?" Sarah said, running over to him to help him to his feet.
"I-I…ummm, I was getting a cup of hottie—Ahem, Coffee. I couldn't sleep and I guess I couldn't see in the dark very well either." Delbert said as he dusted himself off. Amelia simply smirked knowing too well what he must've been doing in the hallway, she kept quiet so as not to embarrass the poor fellow more than he had by himself.
"Well let me go get something for your head." Sarah said kindly, already moving in the direction of the stairs. Delbert put up a hand to object. "There's really no need Sarah, you can go ahead and go back to bed. I'll be fine." Delbert said.
"Are you sure Delbert, it's no trouble?" Sarah said, poised above the top stair.
"I feel fine Sarah, but I thank you for your concern." Sarah shrugged and walked back down the hallway towards her bedroom. "Well good night all, I hope you feel better Delbert. Let me know if you need anything, okay?" Sarah told him sweetly as she closed her bedroom door behind her.
"Thanks Sarah, goodnight." He said noticing Amelia was still standing there. Suddenly a feeling of de ja vu came to his mind as she motioned him towards her room followed her direction, Amelia closing the door quietly behind them.
"So, what actually were you doing out there, Doctor?" Amelia asked putting extra emphasis on his title with a sly smile and raised eyebrow.
"I know you weren't walking in the direction of my bedroom if you were going to make yourself a cup of coffee." Amelia continued as Delbert opened his mouth to no words coming out. He slapped his forehead with his hand and sighed.
"How did she know?" He thought to himself.
"Was it that obvious?" he said being defeated by the Captain's wit yet again. Amelia simply nodded and let out a chuckle. Delbert frowned at himself for being so transparent.
"As much as I'd love to venture further, I'm afraid it's getting late, and I have an early appointment in port tomorrow morning. We should both be trying to get back to bed." Amelia said as give him a soft kiss on the forehead and walked him to the door. "Good night, Delbert." Amelia said with a soft smile from behind the partially open door as he stepped back into the hallway.
"Good night, 5Amelia." He said with a slight frown. He walked back to his room, feeling like a fool for embarrassing himself in front of the captain again. Amelia could tell she should feel bad for teasing him so much, but she did warn him she couldn't promise to be on her best behavior after-all.
"That feline, that vixen!" He screamed inwardly as he walked back to his room. Instead of trying to return to sleep he wouldn't be able to achieve, walked into the bathroom instead deciding he would take a cold shower before attempting sleep again.