So, since it's taken me bloody forever to update properly, here's a chapter that's twice as long as the others!

Enjoy.

-DE

The next morning Dia woke to her sore body. Her legs especially were in bad shape from the previous day's flying. She almost fell after standing. She reached a hand up to scratch her head when she felt something sticky in her hair. She brought her hand back in front of her face and saw a clear liquid on her finger tips. With a sniff she found it to be soap and recalled that night's events.

While Jim and herself had been washing dishes they had somehow turned it into a splash war while doing their work. Dia couldn't remember the last time she had enjoyed the company of someone her own age.

With a small chuckle at the memory she sighed and grabbed a change of clothing and walked into her bathroom. It had been decorated to match the colors of the bedroom and she found her shower quite relaxing. She massaged the weak and sore muscles of her legs until the pain was bearable and finished washing up.

She was soon downstairs and by the lighting in the room it was near midday. She ran a hand through her drying brown hair. She slumped down at a table and waited for Sarah to get to her after making her rounds with the other customers. Sarah soon spotted her and smiled while making her way.

"Ah! Dia, thank you so much for your help last night in the kitchens. Too bad you already have a job, or else I'd definitely hire you!" Both Sarah and Dia laughed, though the latter regretted the movement. Even her abdomen was hurting from yesterday's exercise. "Oh, and I won't be charging you that extra night. After all your help in the kitchen I couldn't possibly accept your money." Dia shrugged, she knew better than to try and push money matters. "So what can I get you for lunch?"

Dia smiled at Sarah. She was so caring and motherly that Arcadia wished she had grown up with such a mother figure when she was on the streets. "I'll just have some water and some Terranian Stew if you would."

Sarah gave her a smile and nodded while heading to the kitchens. After a few minutes of almost falling asleep some footsteps were heard from the stairs. Dia looked up to find Jim stumbling his way down, his hair a mess, and clothes looking as though he'd just thrown them on. He caught her gaze and gave a smile that looked embarrassed as he made gestures that he was going to the kitchens as he fumbled over to the doors.

Dia let out a hearty laugh at the boy's actions. He was avoiding her and for some reason it made her laugh.

"Here you are Dia!" Sarah's voice held traces of a laugh as well as she placed the steaming bowl of stew in front of her with a refill on her water. "Jim's usually a mess in the mornings."

Dia knew she had been caught watching the other teenager and gave Sarah a sheepish smile, "As am I ma'am. I could barely get out of my bed this morning without falling over and sleeping again."

Soon enough Dia had finished her meal and laid her head on the table, looking to the stairs forlornly. Her stomach was full and she was taking full advantage of this vacation, not daring to move unless she wanted to.

"Uh...you okay there?" a familiar voice asked from behind her.

She grumbled a response back to Jim. "I want to go nap...but unfortunately my legs are unwilling to comply seeing as I wore them out completely when we went surfing. So I am completely willing to just bask here in the sunlight." She stretched herself out on the table even more than before.

Jim raised an eyebrow at her, "You aren't even in the sunlight."

"You ruin everything." She stood and opened her eyes to see Jim standing there with a bemused smirk on his face and hands in his pockets. "Oh just laugh it up why don't you."

She went to walk passed him to the stairs, but her legs betrayed her and she collapsed after her knee gave out on her.

"Meep!" She cried out, but never felt the floor. Instead she felt two strong arms around her middle and a toned chest pressed against her side.

"Whoa there..." Jim said before his legs also gave out, "Geh!" He only got that sound out before both of them laying on the floor and tangled together.

"Jim! I thought I heard—" Sarah stopped herself as she spotted the two teens. Both Jim and Dia began to blush as Sarah continued to stare at them.

"Uh, Miss Hawkins, this really isn't what it looks like..." Dia started off weakly.

"Mom, I was just trying..." Jim started, but trailed off, not knowing how to continue from there.

Sarah snapped out of her dreaming state and looked down at them with an amused look, "Well, sorry to interrupt your fun, but Jim you're needed in the kitchens." With that said she walked back to the customers.

Jim and Dia looked at each other awkwardly before helping each other stand. When they were both finally on their feet they looked in the other's eyes before diverting their gazes away. They awkwardly began to walk away, Jim to the kitchen and Dia to the stairs. Before either left the room they looked back and met the other's gaze before smirking and going their separate ways.

When Dia managed to make it up the stairs to her room she immediately flung the door open, flopped onto her bed, and fell asleep within seconds. Completely forgetting the door that was still wide open.

It was the dream again. The same one that came to her when she slept deep enough.

She was back on Proteus Three, in her younger body that was thin, lanky, and covered in dirt and grime. Her hair was matted, her clothes were torn. Worst of all she was always in a fight. People came at her from all sides, constantly. They groped, punched, slapped, scratched, and some of them held weapons.

Arcadia fought her hardest to rid herself of their presence but nothing she did made a difference. For every one she downed two more would take their place. Curses flew off her tongue left and right as she fought for her life.

"Dia!"

A faint voice called, new to the vivid dream.

"Dia! Wake up!"

Wake up? How could she wake from reality?

"DIA!"

With a jerk she was back in her grown body and bolting up right. Her purple eyes were wide open as she twisted around, fighting the hands she found on her upper arms.

"Ge' off a'me! Ya piece of dung! I'll scratch yer eyes off wi'me bare 'ands I will!" She had reverted back to her lower class cant that Amelia had tried so hard to rid her of.

"Dia! Calm down, it's me, Jim!" Jim's voice managed to penetrate her mind, but she still couldn't find her way out of the dream.

"I said let go ye bumbling fool!" With her shout Dia twisted Jim's arms away from her and immediately followed with a strong right swing at his face. She felt the blow hit him as he stumbled back.

It was only when Sarah screamed that Dia snapped out of her reverie.

"JIM!" She shouted as he stumbled back and Dia's eyes came back into focus. She looked down at her fist, shocked before leaping off of the bed and rushing over to the boy who was leaning against the wall.

"Jim! I'm so sorry!" She yelled and wrapped her arms around him.

"Ung." Was the only sound he made as he removed his hand from his cheekbone where a large welt was beginning to form. He only looked down at Dia with a wince, "Uh, ouch?"

"Dia! What was wrong with you? You were screaming in your sleep! And your door was open so we came in and—" Sarah's confused barrage of questions kept going as Dia released Jim and looked at the floor.

"It was...just a dream of the past." Her walls were back up as she sidled away from both of them.

"What was happening?" Jim asked out of curiosity.

Dia's eyes darkened as she looked at Jim with a glare. "It was nothing." She picked up her discarded pajamas and stormed her way to the bathroom. "I'd appreciate it if you both would leave now."

"But Dia—"

"Of course Miss Williams." Sarah said with a silencing look at Jim. Jim glared at her, then to the bathroom door, before he brusquely walked out followed by his mother.

On the other side of the bathroom door Dia couldn't hold in the tears as they slid down her face as she slipped down the door to sit on the floor. She never wanted anyone to see her during those fits. Of course Amelia and Mr. Arrow were aware of them, but any crew they sailed with was blissfully unaware of Arcadia's dark and dangerous side.

Soon enough they were all sitting down at the last meal of the day, the sun far below the horizon. They sat in an awkward silence, the rest of the customers had already gone by the time Dia had come down to face the music.

She prodded at the small serving of left over stew from the day as Jim and Sarah both did the same.

'How can I tell them...? What can I tell them?!' Dia groaned mentally and put her spoon down.

"Okay. I can't take it anymore." Dia said as she looked up at Sarah's shocked face and Jim's confused and bruised one. "I grew up on Proteus Three without parents and on the streets, okay?" Dia looked down at the table top, not willing to look up at their expressions. "It was kill or be killed on that planet. And I survived. It was the rule of the streets, survival of the fittest."

"Oh, Dia..." Sarah started. Dia looked up and saw the pity in the woman's eyes and anger grew within her.

She stood up suddenly and began heading for the door, "I don't need your damn pity."

She stormed outside of the house and stomped around in the dirt. She kicked rocks as she paced back and forth as she growled at herself.

"I shouldn't have been so harsh..." She muttered. 'They were the ones who offered me a place to stay. I should apologize. Especially to Sarah...well, and Jim for that nice bruise I gave him...' She let out one big sigh as she fell back onto the dirt, landing on her back and gazing up at the sky, 'Maybe I should just go back to Arrow and Amelia...'

"Yeah, you shouldn't have." Jim's voice startled her as she turned her head sharply to see him. He was standing with his hands in his pockets, giving Dia a harsh look.

"I...I'm sorry Jim..." Dia managed to force out of herself.

"You should be apologizing to my mom. She's the one in there going on a cleaning frenzy." He said as he took a seat a few feet away from her.

She gave him a dry look, "I meant about the bruise, smartass."

Jim glared back at her, but his eyes didn't show anger, just amusement.

She stuck her tongue out at him and sat up from the dirt, brushing off her back as she did so. "Well, I'm off to go apologize. You have fun out here in the cold, cold night."

"Cold?" Jim asked incredulously, "If you want cold weather, you're on the wrong planet."

Dia just let out a short laugh before she walked through the door.

True to Jim's word, Sarah was cleaning up a storm. Arcadia never realized that one could both mop and dry dishes at the same time. She couldn't help the small smile that came onto her face at the sight of the busy mother. Sarah turned around to mop a new spot when she saw Dia in the doorway.

"Oh! Arcadia, I'm so sorry about before—" Sarah began, but halted her efforts when Dia held a hand up.

"Sarah," Dia began, looking Sarah in the eye, "It's not you who should be sorry, but me. I tend to over react about small things and my Captain likes to constantly remind me of it too."

Sarah gave the girl a warm smile and before Dia realized it, Sarah's arms were wrapped around her, holding her tight in a hug.

"I'm so sorry you had to live like that though!" Sarah said. "I mean, I know Jim had it rough with growing up without a father, but with no parents at all?!" Just the raw emotions in the older woman's voice brought tears to Dia's eyes. Dia hugged the woman back with as much enthusiasm as she was receiving.

"Good god, what happened in the span of three seconds?" Jim's voice called out from the reopened doorway.

Both teary eyed women separated to look at him. With a shared glance they both reached over and pulled him into their teary hug.

"Wha!?" Jim got out before he gave in and hugged them both. A look of confusion was written across his face.

After awkwardly breaking out of the teary hug, Arcadia once again found herself exhausted, this time mentally. She excused herself to bed and crawled under her covers without even changing into her pajamas.