E: Easing

The letter itself wasn't anything special. It didn't catch anyone's eye when it slid into the "outgoing" bin at the post office. It didn't call any attention to itself as it was dumped into its proper mailbag. It slid into its intended mailbox amidst the regular bills and propaganda, it's "urgent" stamp not raising any alarm in the mailman. It sat in its mailbox for hours, until the wee hours of the night, when the couple who dwelled in the house that the mailbox was for decided to grab the mail on their way in for the night. It wasn't even noticed as the couple tossed the mail on the dining room table and ran off laughing to the observatory, one of them yelling about the other 'getting what was coming to them'. It was ignored even more when the couple came down the next morning, chatting about breakfast. It was only when the female sat down and finally tore her attention from her husband that the letter was noticed.

"Delbert?"

"Yes, love?" the answer came from the kitchen, the comforting smell of pancakes wafting out.

"You...You might want to see this."

Delbert walked out, wiping his wet hands on a dry dish towel. He walked behind Amelia and kissed her cheek, before taking the letter.

"What's this about? Hm...It's got the Royal Navy seal on it. That could only mean…" he frowned, setting the letter back on the table firmly. "Amelia, no."

Amelia rolled her eyes and followed him as he walked back into the kitchen.

"Delbert…"

"I said no, woman." he growled, his back to her as he flipped their pancakes.

"Honestly, Delbert… Don't be so melodramatic."

"I'm not being melodramatic. I'm being protective."

Amelia walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling him softly.

"Protective of what, dear?"

He relaxed a little when he felt her against him, but he couldn't keep the frustrating out of his voice.

"What do you think, Amelia? What else would I want to protect?"

"Oh...I don't know. Your home, your reputation…"

Delbert rolled his eyes and turned around, wrapping his arms around Amelia's waist.

"You, honey. It's you."

"I'm flattered." Amelia deadpanned. She sighed, reaching up to play with his ear. "Why are you so worried, love? It's just another easy voyage… It will just be me and my very respectable, capable crew. I'll see to it that there are no dangerous surprises."

Delbert kissed her once, letting her go as he nudged her back towards the table. She went to sit, and a moment later he brought their breakfast over and set it on the table.

"But it won't just be you and your crew, Amelia, you know that."

Amelia rolled her eyes, fighting a smile as he placed a kiss on the top of her head before sitting at the table next to her.

"It's only been a month, Delbert."

"But anything traumatic could stunt their growth or affect it negatively."

Amelia sighed and crossed her arms.

"So, I'm not allowed to go because our children might end up disfigured?"

Delbert nodded, raising an eyebrow at her before pouring a decent amount of syrup on his pancakes.

"Stress isn't good for babies," he said nonchalantly.

"You mean these sacks of cells floating around in my stomach?" she muttered bitterly, her gaze dropping to the food in front of her.

Delbert stared at his wife for a moment.

"Yes. Those."

Amelia hissed softly and stared off into the middle distance. After a few moments of her silence and the soft chewing sounds of Delbert enjoying his pancakes, Amelia spoke.

"So what do you want me to tell the Navy? That I can't go on the voyage because my husband said no? That would destroy my reputation as an upstanding captain."

Delbert rolled his eyes and pushed her pancakes closer to her.

"Amelia, eat."

Amelia reluctantly ate, mumbling obscenities. Delbert simply smirked, turning his attention to the morning paper. When she finished, she stood.

"I'm going to take a shower." she paused, then looked at Delbert, who looked pretty amused with her behavior. "Not because you think I should, because I know that's what you're thinking. I'm taking one because I want to."

"Okay, dear," Delbert said with a chuckle, grabbing their dirty dishes and walking back to the kitchen.

Amelia trudged up the stairs, pouting the whole way. What was happening to her? She was losing her touch. The old Amelia would have argued mercilessly with him, until he gave into her razor-sharp tongue and she got her way. It frustrated her to realize just how easily she'd transitioned into the semi-submissive role of his wife.

Amelia sighed. She had to remind herself that she wasn't Captain Amelia Smollet anymore. She had attachments now, and a responsibility to the man she loved more than life itself. Now she was Captain Amelia Doppler. And to Delbert, she was his stubborn, yet lovable, wife. He knew the ins and outs of her, and had the liberty to let her know when she was being ridiculous.

Amelia felt her cheeks burn when she realized that she did tend to act like a frustrated child when he didn't let her have her way. She knew she'd have to relinquish some of her authoritative power when they got married, seeing as this was a 'mutual love and respect' situation, but neither she nor Delbert had expected her to grow into the role of the loving wife and (almost) mother so quickly.

"Amelia? Are you alright in here?"

Amelia looked up from the bed, her towel in hand. Delbert stood in the doorway, a puzzled look on his face. He walked to her and sat down on the bed next to her, gently putting his arm around her shoulders when she slumped against his shoulder.

"You've been up here for 15 minutes and haven't showered yet? Are you alright, love? Are the children alright?"

Amelia felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. How he managed to be so concerned about their barely-formed children was beyond her.

"I'm fine. The children are fine. Everything is...Fine."

"That's what you say when nothing is fine." he deadpanned.

Amelia sighed and chewed her lip. After a few moments, she sat up and pulled the letter from the Navy out of her robe. Delbert let her go and stared at it.

"Why do you-"

"Delbert, love, I know you're worried."

Delbert snorted indignantly. Amelia took a breath as he let her continue.

"I know you don't want me to go. But... I can handle myself, you know that. As much as I love you, and love our life on Montressor… I'm a spacer. I always have been, and always will be. I cannot be landlocked forever. You, of all people, should understand. I do apologize for the way I behaved this morning...I'm not quite used to running my decisions by someone else before doing what I want."

"Is being my wife too much equality?" he said bitterly, avoiding her eyes.

"Delbert… That's not what I'm saying at all."

"Then what are you saying?"

It took everything in her body not to throw up her hands, yell 'nevermind', and storm off. Taking a deep breath, she gently touched his arm.

"I'm saying that I need to go on this voyage, and...I'm hoping I'll have your support..." she trailed off, leaning over to try and gauge his reaction.

He was silent for a moment, and when their eyes finally met, her heart ached at the dullness in his eyes.

"There's nothing I can do to stop you?"

Amelia hesitated, then slid closer to him.

"No, but…" she paused, her face lighting up as something dawned on her. "I believe I have an idea that will please us both."

Delbert raised an eyebrow, skeptical.

"I'm listening…"

3 Weeks Later…

"Commence launch!"

Ignoring the shrill sound of her overly-excited crewmembers' voices, Amelia couldn't help but smile as the Legacy lifted off from the Spaceport and slid out into the Etherium.

She had missed this.

She had missed feeling the wind in her hair, the gentle tug of her (now white due to a promotion) navy coat as it blew behind her, the confidence her long sleek boots gave her… It was unlike any other feeling in the world.

The Legacy was new and improved. New additions, such as a bigger kitchen, more sleeping quarters, and entertainment center for when the crew needed to blow off steam or video chat with family back home, were made to prevent future mutinies and had been lovingly suggested by one overprotective Canid.

"Speaking of which…"

"Launch commenced beautifully, Captain. The Legacy is handling conditions well for its first launch since testing, we have sufficient fuel, and the oxygen shield is at 100% performance."

"Good, very good. Thank you, First Mate."

"You're welcome, Captain."

Amelia smirked, making sure the crew couldn't hear as she whispered her next sentence.

"And may I say… That uniform looks fantastic on you."

Delbert smirked slightly, already well aware of this.

"Well, thank you Captain. Yours looks wonderful on you as well."

Amelia smiled and bit her lip, trying her darnedest to avoid staring at her husband.. He really did look good.

He wore the basic Navy uniform: white jacket, white pants, gold buttons, black undershirt, white shoes… But he also had a few medals stating his credentials. Instead of just plain white, his jacket had gold trim, to match the gold trim on Amelia's uniform. His hair was still in its usual ponytail (since he refused to cut it), but instead of a red ribbon to hold it back, he had a white ribbon.

The transition had been somewhat easy. It had taken only a little persuading, but eventually, Amelia and Delbert had convinced the Navy to allow Delbert to be the Legacy's First Mate. There had been the issues of whether or not he was qualified, if he would pose a distraction, if the rest of the crew would listen to him…

But in the end, the Navy council agreed that Delbert was right for the job. It did help that Amelia threatened to quit doing voyages for them if they denied. So there he was, ruling the Legacy with Amelia, while also taking advantage of the extra time they had on their hands.

Everyone on the ship knew of their situation, but no one dared to bring it up. Amelia had seen to it that she had a permanent crew now, one that she could count on. Both she and Delbert had personally checked every crew member's background, family members, etc… So there was a very minute chance of a mutiny occurring.

"Captain?" she looked down from the Bridge. Mr. Slurpeshi stood saluting from below, a brilliant smile on his face.

"Yes, Mr. Slurpeshi?"

"The crew would like permission to take a break."

Amelia laughed inwardly. This crew seemed to love taking breaks, and while usually she would have said no… This voyage was simply a routine cargo drop. They could afford some down time.

"Of course. Permission granted."

Slurpeshi grinned and saluted again.

"Thank you, Ma'am."

Soon, most of the crew had either disappeared below decks or gone to their cabins. Suddenly, Amelia felt Delbert wraps his arms around her from behind.

"D-Delbert...What are you…?"

Delbert pouted.

"What? I can't just hold you?"

Amelia rolled her eyes.

"Not out here you can't," she said with a smile, sliding out of his arms. "Come with me."

Delbert followed her to their quarters, where they inadvertently remained for the rest of the afternoon.

"Amelia?"

"Mm?" she responded sleepily.

They lay in the dark in bed, Amelia on her side facing the door while Delbert's head was propped up by his hand, while he lay behind her. He gently ran his fingers through Amelia's hair, knowing it would put her to sleep.

"How are you feeling?"

Amelia opened one eye and rolled onto her back, her face inches from his. Her eyebrow was raised, a tiny smile on her lips.

"Are you asking about the children… Again?" she said quietly.

"Does that surprise you?" he said with a chuckle. "Why wouldn't I be concerned?"

Amelia just smiled and blinked slowly, obviously seconds from sleep.

"The children… are fine. Now, go to sleep."

Delbert smiled and kissed her lips softly, watching her finally fall asleep. He ran his fingers through her hair one more time before settling down next to her, pulling her against him, his hand on her stomach.

It still amazed him how easy it was to love her. Even when they disagreed, he couldn't help the warm feeling in the pit of his stomach at how adorable she was when upset. He was also surprised at how easy it was for them to settle into their roles as husband and wife.

But they were still two very different people with very different points of view on a lot of different things. So no, their relationship wasn't always easy.

But nothing worth having ever is.