When Amelia emerged from the washroom several minutes later, Delbert was pleased to see a broad smile illuminate her features. Usually, when she returned from a mission, she was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to eat a hot meal before retiring to the couch for the remainder of the evening. But, she seemed practically effervescent this evening. When she breezed through the doorway and passed him, Delbert instantly noted she was covered in a fine layer of something… green. He reached over and plucked a small leaf off the lapel of her jacket.
"Amelia, what happened to you?" he questioned, lifting the specimen for a closer inspection. "You appear to be covered in tiny leaves."
She waved a hand dismissively. "Some silly freighter captain failed to properly secure his load of Marmillan Nepeta cataria. Wouldn't you know it, as we were trying to unload it from the cargo hold, the blasted thing fell and broke open all over the deck? With the breeze that was blowing today, it ended up covering me and half the crew."
Turning on her heel, she bounded across the room and reached for a tumbler and bottle of scotch. As she poured herself a large glass, she called back to Delbert, "Would you care for a drink, darling?"
Delbert coughed in amazement. "Amelia, don't you think it's a bit early for that?" He wasn't usually one to step in and say something, but he had never seen Amelia indulge this early in the day. In fact, as he contemplated her, he realized her entire demeanor was far from normal. She was acting quite odd. A nagging suspicion kept tugging at the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite place it. As he pondered this, Amelia sauntered back to where he stood and draped her arms around his neck, pressing herself close to him.
Delbert gazed at Amelia in concern. "Amelia, are you certain you're feeling well?"
"Of course I am, Delbert. I simply missed you. You've been gone for so long." She pressed closer to him and began nuzzling his neck.
Delbert was taken aback by this brazen display of affection. Although he and Amelia had shared several heated embraces during the months they'd spent in each other's company, she had never displayed such avidity toward him or shown a surprising lack of restraint, and was she rubbing against him now?
He looked down to confirm that, indeed, she was. Suddenly confused by the irrational dictates his body was advocating, but at the same time valiantly trying to get a hold of the churning emotions that had begun racing through him, Delbert found himself in the middle of a moral dilemma.
With great reluctance, he gently pried her arms away from his neck. "Amelia, darling, I'm… flattered by this display, but I must I'm surprised," he confessed.
Amelia pulled back and looked at him with questioning eyes. "Delbert, we haven't seen each other in more than a month. I've missed you, our conversations, feeling your arms around me." She deposited a gentle kiss on the top of his nose and smiled. "I've missed your bumbling."
Delbert's expression softened. "I've missed you, too, darling. You have no idea."
"It seems to me that if we've missed each other this much, perhaps we should do something about it," Amelia murmured in a suggestive tone, pressing against him once more.
"Amelia!" Delbert exclaimed startled. Even though he was not opposed to what she was advocating, he believed it sudden and a bit premature. Yes, they had been seeing one another for a few months now, but as eager as he was to explore certain areas, he truly felt this was something that shouldn't be rushed. When they finally consummated their relationship, he wanted it to be for the right reasons and not merely to slake a physical lust. He was now truly concerned, because the Amelia he knew would never suggest such a matter so flippantly.
"Amelia, darling, I think there's something wrong. I'm not quite certain what, but this is not your usual behavior."
Amelia pulled away from him. "Delbert, you're absolutely no fun," she observed with a pouting expression.
"No fun?" Delbert responded incredulously. "Fun? This coming from the stoic Captain Amelia?" He ran a hand through his hair. "Now, I know something isn't right!"
Suddenly, the thought that had been dancing at the back of his mind came to the forefront. Nepeta cataria – catnip! Amelia had been doused in a potent layer of catnip!
"Dear gods!" he exclaimed. That explained *everything*. His Amelia was a passionate woman, but somewhat reserved when it concerned matters of the heart, and never one to hop from bed to bed. But if she had been exposed to catnip, those inhibitions would have been significantly lowered and would explain her quite amorous behavior.
Delbert ran a weary hand over his brow as he pondered the situation. On one hand, he had a very beautiful and willing woman requesting his presence in her bed. On the other hand, he was a gentleman and knew that, although Amelia might truly want this, she was not in the proper frame of mind to advocate such a thing at this time.
Delbert knew what he should do, but when Amelia's leg came up and firmly wrapped around his hip, his decision became extremely difficult. Closing his eyes, he bit in lower lip in barely restrained frustration. This truly was unfair. He wasn't sure what deity he had annoyed, but he was certain this was payment for whatever trespasses he'd committed. Deciding it would be easier to acquiesce to her wishes rather than continue to resist, and knowing the effects of the catnip were an initial stage of excitement and arousal before tapering off to a very mellow and sedate disposition, he leaned down and swept Amelia up into his arms, surprising her with his bold actions.
"Delbert!" she exclaimed in a voice laced with passion. "I had no idea you could be so forceful."
Delbert groaned and shook his head. "You have no idea," he muttered.
Bringing her to the couch, he gently laid her against the pillows. As he straightened, he gazed down upon her and was once again reminded how truly lovely she was. The desire in her eyes only heightened that beauty. Delbert took a small amount of comfort in knowing that even though it was enhanced by the medicinal effects of the plant, the underlying emotions were sincere. Lowering himself to lay next to her, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her snugly against him. At her soft sigh of approval, he dipped his head to her neck and placed soft kisses alongside it. He could feel her fingers softly dig into the fabric of sleeves as she pressed back against him.
Praying that the effects would wear off soon, Delbert stroked his hand along the length of her body, being careful to observe the unspoken limits they had agreed upon and going no further than they had when Amelia was in full control of her faculties. Her contented sighs and soft gasps of pleasure, normally music to his ears held less appeal tonight than in the past, but when she lovingly whispered his name and curled an arm around his neck, a smile crept, unbidden, across his features.
As he felt the tension slowly leave her body, he realized the amorous side effects were finally beginning to wane; a sense of relief washed over him. Drawing his hands up along her waist, he trailed his fingers across the length of her fitted jacket, before sliding one hand inside the open lapel, tenderly caressing her. After a few moments, he felt her shudder softly and then heard, in a voice free of any outside influence, the words that he had been dreaming of ever since he had left her so many weeks ago. It was an admission that sent his pulse racing.
"I love you, Delbert Doppler. How I've missed you."
Delbert felt his heart flip flop in amazement at her honest words. That had been Amelia speaking – not the influence of an amorous aphrodisiac. It was the soft heartfelt tone she used with him when they were truly alone. A few moments later, he felt her breathing taper into a gentle rhythm as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
Quietly rising from the couch, Delbert slowly lifted Amelia into his arms. As he crossed the room and made his way down the hallway to her bedroom, he recalled another instance she had been ensconced in his arms – the time he had been required to carry her to BEN's cave when they were stranded on Treasure Planet. Back then, he had been surprised at how light she was, even though he easily discerned the solid muscle beneath her uniform. Now, months later, he was once again reminded that although his stalwart captain maintained an outward façade of strength and rigidity, she was still very much a woman endowed with all the wonderful curves and softness that entailed. When he was given the rare occasion to witness this, he relished the opportunity. He didn't know if he could ever find the words to tell Amelia how grateful he was for the occasional moments when he was allowed to provide and care for her. The sense of masculine pride that rushed through him was immensely gratifying.
As he carried her into the bedroom, he allowed himself a minute to drink in the fragrance that was wholly Amelia. The thick, maroon carpet was as vibrant as he recalled from their subspace conversation. Framed artwork depicting ancient maps decorated the soft hues of her bedroom walls. The cherry dresser sat in the far corner of the room near her bed, and he could see the thin slip of the ivory gown that had haunted his dreams hanging from a peg on the closet door. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He loved that gown. The idea of helping his beloved into it briefly crossed his mind. Shaking his head, he quickly dismissed it as wholly inappropriate, even though he knew –beyond a doubt – the thought would later visit him in his dreams.
Pulling the covers back with one hand, he gently deposited Amelia in her bed. With exquisite tenderness, he reached down and removed her boots, taking care to place them just inside the closet door. When he turned back, he found Amelia curled on her side, a hand snaked beneath the pillow. He smiled and gazed at her, before brushing a wayward tendril of hair from her face and depositing a loving kiss against her lips. He was delighted when a soft sigh escaped her, and he felt an indescribable sensation course through him. Realizing it was probably best for him to leave lest he do something he regret, he quietly retreated to the doorway. With a final gaze at his beloved, he dimmed the lights and softly shut the door, leaving Amelia to her dreams.