A/N: K so um I accidentally did S before R… SO HERE'S R REAL QUICK

R: Remember

"He seems like a nice fellow. Not someone I would necessarily spend time with, but nice."

"Amelia, this is the fourth young man you've turned down this month. You'll be 18 in a few months… You're running out of time."

17-year-old Amelia Smollet sat at the dining room table of her parents' home on Felidina. As was customary, for the past year, she had been meeting available young men willing to take her hand in marriage once she turned 18. But having already made up in her mind that she was going to join to Royal Navy and live on Montressor, every young man was respectfully turned down with a smile and a wave. Her mother, Katherine, had been trying her hardest to convince her daughter that marriage was the only reasonable option.

"I am not running out of time, Mother. I already told you what I wish to do with my life. I want to be Captain Amelia Smollet."

"Women don't do well in the Navy, Amelia. And Montressor is no place to raise a family."

Amelia turned sharply to her father, Alexander Smollet, who had joined them at the table, a steaming mug of tea in his hands.

"Who said anything about raising a family?" she snapped, crossing her arms. "Families have no place in the Navy. I wish to remain single."

Katherine's brow furrowed and she tilted her head in confusion.

"For...For how long?"

"Forever, Mother. I refuse to be worried about children and a husband when I could be sailing out among the stars…" Amelia ran a hand through her barely shoulder-length hair. "I've made my decision. Perhaps you two should accept it and stop trying to force men on me."

She didn't wait for a response before she stood and walked calmly to her bedroom, ignoring her father's request that she come back and sit down.

"We are not finished with this conversation!"

XXXXXXX

Her 18th birthday was a solemn one. Her parents, having realized they weren't going to change her mind anytime soon had thrown a very small, simple party with her 5 siblings as guests, rather than the huge one they would have thrown had she given into their wishes. She sported a large smile though, taking the handmade gifts her siblings had made for her and showering them with her many thanks. She promised to keep them in a special place in her dorm room at the Academy.

Her smile only faded when they brought out her birthday cake, which had "Happy Birthday Amelia! We'll miss you." written in frosting over the top of it, accompanied by the sloppy signatures of her family.

Katherine noticed the shakiness of her daughter's hands and came up behind her, hugging her gently.

"Are you sure this is what you want…? The Academy it…"

"We won't see you for at least 4 years, Amelia." Alexander said firmly. "That is a long time without your family."

"I…" Amelia cursed inwardly at how her voice broke.

"There's still time to back out of it, my dear. There's this nice young man, down the street….He…"

"M-Mother, no. Please, don't."

Katherine sighed, removing her arms around Amelia.

"I need a moment. Excuse me."

Amelia hurried to her bedroom, ignoring the calls of her concerned siblings as they tried to figure out of she was okay.

XXXXXX

Days later, Amelia sat in her near-empty bedroom, folding the last of her clothes and placing them into her suitcase. She let out a long sigh, chewing her lip as she mulled over her decision one final time.

She knew this was what she wanted to do. This was what she chose. This was the adventure she needed to be on… But the guilt was still there. She would miss her family, and she hoped they would miss her as well. She hoped they would come to support her someday, even if that day was in the distant future. They had decided it was best not to see her off at the Felidinan Spaceport. It would be difficult leaving them behind at home… Seeing the other cadets' families waving goodbye from the transport and knowing her family was not there... But she was strong. She would get through this, and she would be a captain in the Royal Navy, just as she planned.

She stood, taking one last look around, before she slid her suitcase off of her stripped mattress and left her bedroom.

XXXXXXX

"Amelia, love, are you alright in here?"

Delbert raised an eyebrow when he found his wife, sitting in the middle of the floor in the attic, a worn suitcase sitting open in front of her. There were old sheets of paper spilling from it, covered in crayon. He walked over to her, and when she looked up at him, his heart clenched when he realized she'd been crying. He sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders comfortingly as she leaned into him. She smiled sadly, staring at the suitcase longingly.

"I'm fine, Delbert. Just...remembering."

A/N: Another saaaaaad one! I really wanted to take a look at some of Amelia's past, and I kinda took a small idea and ran away with it lol hope you enjoyed!