CHARTING A NEW COURSE

Just a note: Shara did hear about Ommin's death. She was greatly saddened by his passing because other than Melaana he was the one person at the Rash Estate who was truly kind to her, asking nothing in return. She put a great deal of thought into how she might pay her condolences or honor the man she knew but she also had other matters on her mind. ~ DK

…

Shara felt like she had done as much charting as Jamos this past year. A good sailor, he told her, could make his way even without the aid of a nav computer. He was teaching her how to read the stars and the currents and how he went about planning the voyages for not only the Polaris but all of the ships in their fleet. And it was their fleet, the Blackwell fleet. She was a Blackwell, had been for almost an entire year now. That sense of belonging and purpose still thrilled her.

Shara's charting however was of a more personal nature and she didn't get a holiday from it even when they were here at the Hold for salt and light and the freeze to follow. Niamh had taught her how to count the days of her cycle, to take her temperature, and what signs to watch for to judge when she was ovulating. It should be a reliable method to follow when she and Jamos decided they were ready to try for a baby of their own. For now however, enjoying their niece and nephew, and their new life together as husband and wife was enough. And trying not to get pregnant had become a more creative and enjoyable pursuit than she could have ever imagined.

The crew teased them good naturedly about how the couple were always in physical contact. Either they were holding hands, or his arm circled around her shoulders or her waist. She might be rubbing his back or resting a hand on his knee. It was true that since their wedding night and then their final acceptance of a shared cabin aboard the ship, they seldom wanted to be apart.

It was neither a surprise nor unwanted when he slipped quietly up behind her while she sat at the desk filling in her most recent temp readings and observations and wrapped her in his embrace.

"Still in the clear, Love?" He asked and commenced nibbling on her ear.

"Mmhm," she nodded.

He pulled her up to stand. "Then come back to bed." Jamos grinned seductively and began to lead her in that direction.

Shara smiled but slowly the expression fell.

He knew that look. Sitting on the edge of the mattress he drew her on to his lap. "Shar, what's wrong?"

"We're safe this week," she answered with a sigh. "But next week…"

"Ah." Her husband stroked her hair. "Next week when we're celebrating our anniversary."

"Aye." She snuggled against him. "I had hoped we wouldn't have to… be careful that night of all nights."

"Well…"

Shara didn't have to be looking into his face to hear the smile in his voice.

"First of all we make the most of while we're safe this week." With a growl he rolled her over on the bed, making her giggle. Then he gazed down at her with a more inquisitive expression. "Then maybe just this once we don't have to be quite so careful?" The grin returned. "Throw our sheets to the wind and take whatever the salt gods will."

"That sounds good,"she agreed happily.

"You know what sounds even better?" He chuckled, nuzzling against her. "The way you call out my name when I…"

There was no need for articulate words after that and Shara was thankful for the early salt and light gift that Lana had surprised them with when they had arrived back home after their journeys. The Hold had been remodeled giving Shara and Jamos a wing of their own. Dalla and little Thias each had their own room near their parents. Most importantly soundproofing had been added so that the two families might not disturb each other and locks added to avoid embarrassing interruptions.

…

Three weeks later Shara wasn't feeling so good about the decision to leave things up to the salt gods. She sat on the edge of the bed with the plastoid stick in her hand wrestling with her emotions.

Jamos entered, smiling but as soon as he saw the look on her face his own flushed with worry. "Shara, what's wrong."

She held up the negative test and tried to merely shrug but when she attempted to speak tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. "It wasn't really… The test, I… I thought maybe… but I started right on schedule. I should have known I'm not…" A sob drowned out the rest of what she was trying to say.

He was by her side like a shot and wrapped his arms around her. "I am so sorry." He held her and let her cry. "If I thought it was going to… I never would have suggested that we not take some kind of precaution. I know you don't want to get the hypo but there's something I can take, isn't there? I'll ask Niamh… I'll…"

"Or…" she said softly, completely halting his tirade. She pushed away from him slightly so she could look into his eyes. "We could really, actually start trying?"

He stared at her and for a moment he was lost for words. "Is… is that what you really want? Are you sure? I didn't want to bring it up if you weren't ready."

Shara nodded, biting her lip. The hope in his eyes was enough to turn her tears to those of joy.

"We can really start trying… to have a baby?" Jamos jumped up, to excited to sit still.

"Aye." She laughed.

Then he frowned, all concern. "But not right now. You said you started. Are you hurting? Do you need me to get you something?"

"I took a pain stym a little while ago. It's starting to work."

Jamos gave her a naughty little by grin. "I knew you were getting close to that time of month so I… er…" He pulled something from the deep pocket of his tunic and tossed it to her.

She caught the object and looked at it laughing. It was a package of her favorite fudge mint cookies. She always craved them when she was feeling moody and hormonal. "You know me too well."

"Not too well I think." He bent to kiss her. "I do know you'd probably like to stay in bed all day and binge some holodrama."

"Aye." She laughed again.

"But I think you're going to want to get up."

"What for?"

His grin widened. "Marl's trying to get Thias to take his first steps. He's getting pretty close. Lana's got the holocam but I thought you'd rather witness it in person."

"Would I ever!" Shara was up and racing him down the hallway in a heartbeat. They arrived just in time to see their little nephew shuffle a few shaky steps across the livingroom floor toward the outstretched hands of his father and then plop giggling on his well-padded behind and scoot the rest of the way.

Marlon scooped up the baby, tossed him into the air and caught him gently. He noticed the others. "Did you see my boy?" He looked over at Lana. "Did you get the Holo?"

She was still recording with a huge smile on her face as well. "I got it."

Jamos bent and reached out for his nephew. "Will you walk to me, champ?"

Marlon set Thias back down on his feet so that he was facing Jamos to see what the little boy would do. Grinning, knowing now what was expected and that he really could do it, Thias began his toddle across the floor. They all cheered him on. Then at the last moment he looked as if he might plop back down but instead he changed direction toward Shara and following his forward momentum and top heaviness practically ran into her arms.

"Good catch!" Jamos whistled joining them and ruffled the feathery brown hair on his nephew's head.

"I'd better be." Shara said grinning at him over Thias.

"Doesn't hurt to practice." Jamos grinned back.

Marlon walked over to them and retrieved his son. "Is there something you two would like to tell us?"

"Well, er… aye," Jamos cleared his throat mock seriously. "Is that thing still recording?"

Shara shoved him playfully.

"Shara and I would like to announce that we are going to officially start trying."

Marlon gave him a pat on the back and Lana did sort of a victory dance jostling the cam as she did so.

"Try what?" Dalla asked innocently.

"Catching fish." Shara laughed.

The little girl scoffed. "Everybody knows you can't catch fish in the middle of a freeze."

"We can try." Jamos looked into his wife's eyes, tilted up her chin, and kissed her.

"Well please, not here in the middle of the living room." Lana teased.

. . .

They were all hope and excitement and certain of a positive outcome. That is, until a month later when Jamos paced outside the 'fresher door waiting for her to emerge with the test she had just taken. He didn't have to ask. He could see by her downcast expression that the result was once again negative.

Tears filled her eyes and he wiped them away. "It's alright." He hugged her. "It'll happen when the time is right. Just means we get to keep on trying, aye?"

They did both enjoy the trying part. And Niamh suggested that they keep it fun and exciting so as not to get discouraged. So they visited the hot springs together, praying to the salt gods (or maybe just calling out for their help in the matter). They spent a night or two in the inn at the pub just for a change of scenery. And they managed to fog up the greenhouse transparisteel a few times as well. They were in this together and they did enjoy being together.

After another month Jamos realized that the freeze would soon be over. He would have to get back to work arranging the schedule of voyages for the next fishing season. He sat at his desk pouring over charts and calendars.

He began to wonder what they would do about continuing to try for a baby as the season progressed. If it took much longer could they continue their efforts aboard the Polaris? The crew were used to the couple running off to the Captain's cabin to be alone by now but even with locks and soundproofing everyone knew what they were doing. It didn't offer much in the way of privacy. Would it be too much stress and lessen their chances of conceiving?

What if they did conceive while they were off on a voyage and Shara was terribly sick or there were complications? Maybe he should stay home, let someone else captain his ship for a while until they knew one way or the other. But he knew Shara wouldn't want him give up sailing and she would want to be with him as long as it was possible for her to be so.

She was humming and he smiled but he didn't look up from his work. "Good morning, Love. I was just getting a start on the scheduling for the voyages."

Shara took a breath from the tune she was humming long enough to say "Mmhm." came up behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Thought I might put the Wave Sabre on the first northern run. Have the Polaris stay closer to home, sound alright?"

She nodded and added the words to the tune she had been humming,

Aye, she said when he asked of the crew, then,

Aye, she said she will carry them true, then,

Aye, she said and deliver them through, then,

All for the Captian's Lady.

Jamos knew what the words meant and his eyes widened. "Carry them… You're not? We're not?"

Again she nodded and grinned and held up the plastoid stick that confirmed her condition. "We're gonna have a baby!"

He jumped up from his seat, picked her up and spun her around, whooping with glee. Then he set her back on her feet carefully. "Oh, salt gods, I probably shouldn't. We'll have to be more careful. Are you feeling okay? Do you need to sit, put your feet up? Can I get you anything?" He steered her back to the seat where he had been sitting at the desk.

"I'm fine." She assured him, laughing. "Niamh has been telling me that I shouldn't really have to change any of my activities. I've been eating healthy and getting exercise already…"

"But you can't…" He looked at the schedule he'd just been working on and ran one hand over his beard while with the other hand he picked up a stylus and started to make a change on the datapad.

"Jamos, I can still go sailing, maybe not the actual beast mastering, but I could direct someone else from the deck…"

He gazed at her and then knelt down in front of the chair. "We'll figure it out." Then with a hesitant look on his face as if asking her permission, even though his hands were almost always on her in some way shape or form, he reached out and placed a hand on her abdomen. "We're gonna have a baby," He said quietly as if he might wake up the infant.

"We're gonna have a baby." She repeated.

…

It was midday before Jamos and Shara had finished their own private celebration and made their way out to the kitchen to get some lunch. Conveniently the rest of the family were congregated there for the same purpose. Dalla was seated at the table coloring and Thias in his highchair beating with a spoon on the tray while their parents fixed a meal for each of them.

"They're all in there." Shara whispered to her husband in the hallway before they entered.

He grinned back at her. "How do you want to tell them?"

"I've got an idea." She instantly dropped her expression into a scowl of displeasure and as she turned away from him she called back over her shoulder as if continuing an ongoing argument. "Melaana Hadassa Blackwell is a fine name."

He caught on quickly and followed her into the room complaining, "but didn't you always shorten your friend's name to 'Mel'. I mean 'Mel Blackwell', Grandmother will have a fit."

Her eyes shone with merriment but she didn't let on a bit in her tone of voice. "We could call her Laana for short."

Jamos burst into his signature grin. He couldn't help it. He gestured toward his sister in law. "Well, that's just gonna be confusing and besides it might not even be a girl. What if it's a boy? Jamos Jr. has a nice ring to it."

Lana looked back and forth between their now both beaming faces. "You're not… You Are!"

"Congratulations!" Marlon thumped his little brother on the back and hugs were given all around.

Jamos then knelt before his niece and addressed her directly. "You're gonna have a little baby cousin, Chirn Bait."

She nodded happily. "'Cause you finally caught the right fish!"

…

And so a new member of the Blackwell clan is on the way! And lots more action adventure and fun! I finally got around to adding a new chapter to my story Some Say I got Devil it's a flash way back to the history of Onderon so I guess it sort of affects these lovely characters as well. So give that a read if you get a chance and as always thanks for reading and for your lovely comments! Keep 'em coming!