Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet

Old Memories

For Shining Petals

After throwing some water on her head Helen refused to talk to Cassandra for the whole day. Then again she felt like a complete hypocrite when she was feeling rather offended by this since she couldn't imagine herself being happy with the person who threw a bucket of water over her head while in deep slumber. She would probably be in a mood with them for a week whereas she could imagine Helen being more tolerant than her over such things. Besides she had the capabilities of holding a grudge for far longer than Helen was willing to. She was a stubborn girl unsure which parent to blame that on. But it annoyed her more that she had the ability to drag herself out of bed and that Helen wasn't willing to at least emerge after a few minutes of her rising out of solidarity. She was almost afraid that Helen was failing to uphold her feminist beliefs which she shared with Cass. (Yes, Ben was correct. Cassandra was a feminist). Instead of an apology she heard a 'wakey, wakey'. Something else she didn't appreciate about the whole incident so Cass decided to spend the day with Morph and Ben. She wanted to get to know them better anyway. Ben came across as an intelligent concoction but due to his hyperactive tendencies he probably went off on one way too often.

She eventually found them talking to her father who was stroking Morph and shaking Ben's hand. A strange sight for her to see but then again her father was never put off by someone upon the account of them being a little bit flamboyant. He disapproved but never criticised. They were obviously talking about their adventures at Treasure Planet. When Ben mentioned it she finally realised that Mr Hawkins was that James Hawkins. The one who found the lost map when it was believed to have been lost forever. The one who didn't bring back the legendary treasure but mysterious on his return instantly got his mother out of all the financial problems he was having along with entering into the Interstellar Academy. She walked up to them with a smirk on her face, knowing that later she would try to grab a chance to interrogate him. However this smile soon vanished when Ben caught site of her he threw his arms up in the air and wrapped them around her. Obviously this was another chance at him 'getting to know her'. His efforts were in vain as this earned him a venomous glare which made him smile uncertainly and back away slowly hiding behind Mr Hawkins whose shoulders were shaking with amusement. The day had passed like the past few weeks a miraculous blur of blue skies and and fresh air. She couldn't wait to go on her first real voyage.

"So." Ben began. "What do you do during the day?"

Cassandra shrugged her shoulders. "I just watch the crew work. Look out at the horizon. Catch up on my studies. 'Hang out' with Father while he works. Stuff like that."

Ben gave her a very bored look. "So not much then?"

"Well. There isn't much more to do when you're not working on the ship."

"So why did you come?"

"I wanted to go on a voyage with my Father since I was three. I always loved the stories he told me and I knew that there was more to them so here I am."

"Still, couldn't a pretty lady such as yourself be working on her social etiquette and snatch up a husband. I mean you're attractive enough and everything."

Cassandra was deciding whether she should take this comment as a compliment or begin to figure out how she was going to dismantle him. Most girls her age would take this as a compliment but she was very different to girls her age. The way you would take this comment would be determined by your ideals and views upon the role of women in society and in her cause it therefore led her to take this as an insult but one which was not purposefully made. She never received these sorts of 'compliments' from her brothers because they knew they were likely to find something unpleasant in their beds the next morning when they woke up. She had not been around men often enough to be complimented either but she could tell when she was being under-mined and when someone was making a thoughtless comment. This was how much the sexist views of women annoyed her. Not just because they went against her own ideals but also because women were given more choices and options in comparison to when her mother was her age. She wasn't confined to only being able to being someone's wife. Thank Heavens. But the fact this expectation for women was still continuing was just insulting. There were finishing schools still running for goodness sake. The thought the concept of giving women equal rights to a man included removing all things or established the contrary.

Cassandra raised her eyebrow acting as a signal for Ben to take cover. "Oh God. The Feminist is ready to attack again!" He cried ducking behind a barrel.

She sighed and shook her head at Morph who perched himself on her shoulder. "I don't know how you put up with him."

"I don't know." Jim said. "I think its his own will power which allows him to hold on to maintaining some connection with me. I think him working for my mother doesn't really help."

"No. I can't imagine it does. Wait, how does your mother put up with him?"

"Oh, he's friendly and enthusiastic and she runs an inn." He answered.

"Ah." She understood. That was perfect material for an employee at an inn. "So, tell me about Treasure Planet."

He groaned. "Please. I know you're not doing anything right now so you have no excuse."

He gave her a puppy dog and after realising it wasn't working he sat down. "Well, some old Salamander crashed near our inn and basically handed it to me. He must have been from the crew who had it because the next thing we knew pirates were raiding the inn and burnt it down."

"Oh my goodness that's awful thank goodness your mother found the money to rebuild it."

He nodded. "Anyway, we stayed with a friend and customer and we unlocked it and suddenly the map came out like a hologram and took us through the universe all the way to the planet. Doppler organised a crew and we were set up. Now, there was something particularly funny about this crew as this Salamander warned me about a cyborg who happened to be the cook on the same crew."

"But this turned out to be a coincidence?"

"No. It was the same one, but he turned out to be alright in the end. In fact he's the old friend who found Morph here. I worked at the cabin boy and was the guy giving me all my agonising jobs moping the deck, skinning potatoes. Stuff like that and taught me a lot of life lessons. He became a sort of father to me."

Cassandra rubbed her arm self-consciously. 'Yes. Of course your father walked out on you.'

She could see that she was touching upon a sensitive subject with Mr Hawkins and knew soon that it would be best to move onto another topic. She may not attend balls or afternoon tea but she was still able to tell when was the best time to change the subject in a social situation. She wasn't completely devoid from social etiquette. Cassandra couldn't imagine the pain of losing her father but she could imagine that it would be a thousand times more painful if her father abandoned them. She didn't care to imagine it either. After loosing her mother, her father was all she had left. Yes, she had her brothers and sisters but...Loosing your mother and father was something else. She lost her mother too soon. She knew that now. It would be too much for her to lose her father as well. It was one thing to lose your father through death but it was another to be abandoned by one. She would feel so unwanted. Undesired. She would feel like she was worth less than the ground that she walked on. It would be like being left stranded on a deserted planet with no one to comfort you. No one to care about you. She'd know then that she wasn't worth a place in the universe. At least she had a caring father. Her father would never do anything like that to his children she was sure of it.

"Yeah. I think I kind of lost sight of things until he came along. Then everything kind of fell into place. One day something terrible happened. We came across a supernova and I was in charge of life lines were alright and someone cut the first mates line and I was blamed. For weeks I thought it was my fault but I found out the truth." His voice seemed to drift off for a moment and without thinking Cassandra reached out to touch his hand.

"Mr Hawkins?"

He looked up and saw that she had leaned forward a little closer which was already too close. He could almost feel the gentle touch of her breath stroking his face. His heart began to beat a little quicker but he shook his head.

"I- It's something I don't like to think about a lot."

"But it must have seemed so exciting."

"Oh. I didn't mean the voyage. I mean the death of Mr Arrow, the first mate. It's something I...I still feel responsible."

"But it's like you said. It was one of those pirates who cut his life line. It wasn't your fault, James.

Mr Hawkins." She quickly corrected herself.

He looked up and frowned with a slight frown on his face. "You know you just sounded like my

mother just then."

"Really? Well I'm sure she's a very independent and firm woman who knows how to hold a man in place." She replied curtly to hide her embarrassment.

He shrugged his shoulders, he didn't have to take long to consider this. "She put up with me. I'm sure that's a good sign of it I suppose."

He chuckled nervously for a moment and then cast his eyes to the ground as if he were embarrassed. She blinked with uncertainty with theories buzzing about in her mind as to why he was suddenly behaving this way. She tried to reclaim his gaze again but he seemed instant that he wasn't good enough to look at her. It was beginning to make her feel nervous. Almost as nervous as if he were intently gazing her without breaking the long stare. She had never felt someone's eyes upon her, as if they were burning into her and see their thoughts, emotions, desires. Everything you didn't want another person to know about you. Those darkest secrets you kept hidden within the depths of your soul so that no one could find them. She didn't know whether it was out of disdain or the conversation that they were having. She was certainly hoping that it was the latter. She didn't want him to disdain her for any reason. She couldn't understand this compelling reason for him to like her. She would even give up any habits or sacrifice any ideals in order for him to like her. But the one thing she didn't want was for him to hate her. Just as long as he didn't hate her she couldn't care less if he didn't like her.

She turned back to him and tilted her head. "You don't have to tell me everything instantly. I'm sure there's much more to tell. I can also see that this is something which..." Her voice had trailed off by then.

"Miss Richardson?"

"Yes?"

He looked down and hesitated. "I know this isn't really my place but have you really got over the death of your mother. I mean...When I mentioned my mother and the death of Arrow you seemed...disturbed."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I've gotten over blaming my sister." She finally answered. "But I don't think anyone could get over something like that."

"A lot of people can come to terms with death." He offered. "Even if it is the death of a loved one."

"I was there." She interjected. "When she was in child-labour. Nobody realised I was there until my sister was out of her body. There was so much blood, so much screaming. Before she died she looked at me with such a horrified look. She must've been horrified that I was there at the moment she was going to die and that I had seen such a traumatic part of life."

"Childbirth is traumatic?"

"Believe me it's not pleasant. I mean, I have nothing against it. I certainly wouldn't object to having children if I marry but not for a long time."

"Oh."

She raised her eyebrow. "Oh? What do you mean by 'oh'?" She teased.

"Nothing." He jumped off the barrel and went off to do his duties. She blinked after him with a

look of amazement on her face.

"You can't just walk off and say something like that." She called after him. He spun round with a grin plastered on his face.

"Maybe we'll have another again?"