Chapter 5

A Night Under the Stars

Ray squinted at his friend and the very ridiculous looking picnic basket hanging on his arm. He arched an eyebrow at Jim's happy expression.

"No," the boy shook his head. "You're suicidal if you want to walk through the Academy looking like that."

"It's just a basket," Jim shrugged. "What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that you look like a posy," Ray snorted, crossing his arms. Jim rolled his eyes as he reached for the door handle.

"I just need some place to store the meal. Besides, Alice and I will be stealthy," he said as they headed down the hall for dinner, or rather Ray was headed to dinner. Jim was headed to meet Alice for their date. After Jim's solar surfing trial earlier he had to admit the perfect way to end the day was a picnic with his girlfriend.

"Speaking of stealth. Where is Doug? I haven't seen him all day," Ray grumbled.

"Ah, he's probably already at dinner," Jim replied, rubbing his neck with his free hand. Ray's sharp gaze noticed Jim's sudden demeanor.

"You know where he is, don't you?" Ray demanded, jumping in front of Jim and making the boy slide to a halt.

"What? No I don't," Jim argued, crossing his arms despite the picnic basket hanging off of him.

"Yeah you do. Where is he? What's going on?" Ray demanded. Jim struggled to answer when Ray grabbed his jacket and pulled him forward. "Jim, is he avoiding me?"

"Hey, guys."

Jim and Ray looked up to see Doug standing beside them, the Aviate was smiling, his beak a rosy hue. Ray released Jim and the teenager pulled back, straightening out his uniform with an irritated expression as Ray then rounded on Doug.

"Dude, where have you been?"

"I was in the library, studying," Doug answered, his body calm and collected.

"Oh," Ray said, feeling embarrassed he had been so invasive a moment before. "That's cool. I just haven't seen you around a lot." Doug shifted his weight, his façade slipping.

"Uh, I've had a lot of homework. You know…darn arithmetic classes…" he trailed off.

"Okay," Ray hesitantly replied. "I was heading to dinner. Jim's heading out with Alice on a date," he scoffed when Jim shot him an exasperated look, sensing the rising tension between the two of them and itching to get out of there.

"Um, about dinner. I was actually going to head back to our dorm to get a head start on some of my history homework. I have a paper due in a week. If it's alright with you," Doug replied, still not looking at Raymond. Just before the short boy was about to respond, a new voice joined the party.

"Hey, boys!" Dalia waved, coming down the hall, her book bag slung over her shoulder. "You all heading to dinner?"

"I'm actually going to meet Alice in the Academy's garden," Jim cut in, sensing a quick escape.

"Yeah, that's right you two had a date," Dalia gave him an exaggerated wink and a laugh. "Well, have fun, Jim. Don't keep her waiting for that lip action!" she called after him as Jim waved and left the other three in the hallway. "So, dinner?" Dalia clapped her hands together.

"I'm going back to the dorm. Maybe tomorrow. I'll see you guys around, okay?" Doug quickly announced before turning and jogging down the hall. Ray stood there for a moment, unsure of what had just happened. Dalia whistled.

"Well, I can see why he's in a rush to get out of here."

"What?" Ray frowned, turning to look at her. Dalia snickered.

"Isn't it obvious? Anne Marie told me the same thing earlier tonight. Everything about Doug's expression just confirmed it."

"What are you talking about?" Ray grumbled, tapping his foot, not understanding where she was going with it, but somehow knowing he was trudging through dangerous waters.

"Douglass Vance is in love."

Jim ducked through the foliage, brushing leaves off his jacket and trying not to jostle the basket too much.

"Ouch," he hissed when a thorn cut into his thumb, drawing blood.

"Jim?" Jim looked up from his injury and pushed his way into the flowery clearing surrounded by towering hedges. He smiled when he noticed Alice sitting atop a blanket spread out on the ground.

"Took you long enough," she laughed, drawing her coat closer to herself to block out the evening chill. "There are some leaves in your hair by the way."

"Huh? Oh," Jim blushed as he set down the basket and untangled the vegetation from his head, letting the leaves float to the ground.

"And what did you do to your thumb?" Alice asked, noticing the blood dripping down his finger. Jim sat down beside her.

"Ah, nothing to worry about. Just some cut," he shrugged, but didn't complain when Alice cradled his hand in hers and retrieved a napkin from the basket to dab at the slice.

"If you put pressure on that, it should close up in a little bit," she told him, raising her eyes to meet his blue ones. An all too familiar half smile snaked its way onto Jim's face.

"Quite the little medical officer, aren't you?" he joked. Alice chuckled.

"Ha, I don't think so."

"I wouldn't mind you operating on me."

"You're such a tease," Alice wrinkled her nose as she pushed his shoulder. "So what did you bring for dinner?"

"I figured that…" Jim trailed off and reached into the basket, pulling out a large bowl and two forks. "Some noodles might set the mood." Whipping off the cover, Alice observed the contents.

"What mood is that?" she pressed, taking her fork.

"A desirable one." Alice shot him a look, trying to understand where their flirtations were going.

"What do I desire?" she played along. Jim's face became solemn as he pointed to the noodles with his fork.

"Well, noodles. I thought you were hungry?" Alice laughed as Jim joined in.

"Jeez, Jim, you could lead any lady on and still make it seem like you're having a normal conversation," she giggled, as they set the bowl on the blanket and began to eat.

"I'm that good, huh?" Jim smirked. Alice arched an eyebrow, her lips turned upward at the corners.

"Don't flatter yourself."

"I don't have to, you do it for me."

"Jim!" Alice laughed, swallowing another bite. Jim chuckled and held up his hands in surrender.

"Alright, I'm done kidding around."

"Good."

Halfway through their meal, Jim perked up and hurried to swallow his bite as he reached back into the basket.

"Alright, I didn't know what to bring for drinks, and all I could scrounge up was a thermostat. So I figured, hey, it'll be chilly tonight, why not drink hot chocolate?" Jim rubbed his neck, pulling out the thermostat and two mugs.

"Hot chocolate and noodles?" Alice shook her head as she took her cup and allowed Jim to fill it up. "You are full of surprises, Jim," she laughed, taking a sip before setting it aside and taking a bite of her noodles right as Jim took a bite of his, trying not to smile while he chewed. Alice looked down at the bowl as she began to slurp up a particularly long noodle, not noticing that Jim was doing the same. As the noodle lifted out of the bowl, Alice and Jim looked up to see that they were slurping up the same noodle. Alice bit hers off and laughed after swallowing her bite. Jim also swallowed.

"Aw, come on, you could have finished that," he complained, growing a mischievous smile as he leaned toward her. Alice tried to catch her breath as his lips found hers, slowly pressing forward to find more of her sweet mouth. Jim cocked his head a bit to the side when he felt Alice kissing him back. His hand came up to cup her cheek and bring her closer making Alice shiver at the contact.

"Jim, your lips taste like buttered noodles," she muttered.

"I thought you liked buttered noodles."

"I do, they taste good." Jim smiled into the kiss as he shook his head but kept his eyes closed, their mouths converging in a tender attempt to please each other. When they finally broke apart both of them were breathless.

"Wow," Jim whispered, wiping away some spit from the corner of her mouth. Alice blushed. "We should eat noodles more often."

Alice couldn't contain her chuckle as she pecked his cheek and pulled back, helping him stash their dishes back in the basket. The setting sun had finally sunk below the horizon, leaving the couple beneath the growing starry night sky. Alice scooted over to Jim's side as they lay on their backs on the blanket, staring up, past the canopy of shrubs to the stars.

"There's Orion," Jim whispered, pointing out the constellation before his hands folded across his stomach once more.

"I see him," Alice sighed. "How do you remember all these from Astronomy class?" she asked, propping up on her elbow to look down at him. Jim shrugged, reaching up to tuck some of her hair behind her ear.

"I just like constellations. Anything that has to do with the sky amazes me," he whispered.

"You were born to be a captain, Jim. It's in your blood," Alice smiled, curling back up beside him. Jim hummed, trying to sneak his arm around her shoulders. Alice shifted when she felt his hand rubbing her opposite arm, drawing her into his warmth.

"We'll both make it there some day. Someday we'll have our own ship Alice," he announced, grinning down at her. Alice tilted her head so her eyes could meet his.

"You mean, your ship? I'll just be a rigger…assuming I even get that far," she muttered, looking away. Jim squeezed her shoulder.

"Hey," he lowered his voice. "Of course you'll get there, Alice. And as for it being our ship, I wouldn't have it any other way," he assured her. Alice's face screwed up with worry.

"Do you think we'll last?" she whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, as a couple. How can we have our own ship if we're –"

"Shhhh," Jim ordered her. "That's not going to happen. Nothing's going to happen to us, Alice. I know that young relationships often end in separation. Heck, it happened to my parents," Jim let out a humorless laugh as he sat up and Alice sat up beside him. "But that's not going to happen to us," he assured her, his brow smoothing out as he caught her gaze. "After everything we've gone through, Alice, I can't imagine life on a ship without you."

Alice smiled as she leaned in to find his lips once more. Jim was taken by surprise as he wrapped his arms around her waist and they tipped back onto the blanket, their lips finally parting as both of them laughed – a merry sound in the darkness. Alice leaned down, brushing her lips against his own to tease him.

"You know what?" she whispered. Jim swallowed hard.

"What?"

"I think someday we're going to be captains of the sky."

"Sky sailors," Jim agreed in a hushed tone as he closed off the remaining distance between them. Needless to say, their night under the stars was more magical than either of them could've hoped for.

Doug fidgeted with the feathers on his wings as he walked purposefully across the grounds of the Interstellar Academy. He kept glancing over his shoulder to make sure nobody was following him as he walked around behind a section of the building. Smiling with relief that his contraption was still there, he gripped the tarp and pulled it off with a whoosh of air to reveal the longboat hovering a foot off the ground.

Running his wing over the wooden design, Doug's smile widened when he heard a familiar voice approach him.

"Doug? Is that you?" He turned around to see Anne Marie also turning the corner of the building.

"Over here, Anne Marie," he waved to her as she rushed to his side.

"Oh good, I thought I had gotten lost or you were someone else or –"

"Hey, relax. If any of those things had happened I would have come to find you," Doug assured her. Anne Marie's beak turned pink (despite its normal violet color) and when she noticed it flushed an even darker red. Doug smiled as he cleared his throat, pretending not to see as he turned to the longboat he had uncovered.

"So, I thought, tonight we could take a spin around the grounds. I asked my flying professor if I could borrow it this evening. I know that it's not standard protocol, but I think he likes me most in the class," Doug announced, gesturing to the boat.

"Teacher's pet, eh?" Anne Marie teased and it was now Doug's turn to blush.

"No! I just think it's important to pay attention in class, unlike some of my friends," Doug retorted.

"I'm joking, Douglass. I feel the same way. I really want to succeed at this school you know? Especially since my parents are putting in so much money to send me here. I miss them," she sighed, looking down. Doug reached out and grabbed her wing.

"This year will go faster than you think, you'll learn a lot here, it'll be fun. Trust me," Doug assured her. Anne Marie shot him a wobbly smile.

"Thanks. I'm glad you're with me. But speaking of your friends, why do you think Ray hates me so much?" Her eyes were shining with curiosity.

"He doesn't hate you," Doug answered. "He can just be…rash sometimes."

"Did he treat the others like that when he first met them?"

"Well, no."

"I knew it," Anne Marie muttered, covering her eyes. "I knew he hated me."

"Anne Marie, you're being ridiculous. Once Ray gets to know you better he'll start warming up to you. Just ignore him," Doug said, his voice firm. He made a mental note to have a private talk with his best friend later about his behavior. "Um, but we were going to take a ride, weren't we? That is, if you're still up for it," he cleared his throat, nodding to the longboat with a shy expression. Anne Marie swallowed back her anxiety and sucked in a deep breath.

"Yeah, sorry." Doug helped her up into the boat before taking a seat beside her and beginning to power up the small craft. "So are you real good at flying?"

"I'm alright. Not as good as Jim, though. You should see him fly," Doug praised.

"I heard he's pretty good at solar surfing. I read it in the papers, he saved them all from Treasure Planet by building one on the spot," Anne Marie added as the longboat rose into the night air.

"Jim likes to pilot things, but his way of flying is usually fast and furious. Alice is pretty afraid of heights, so I feel sorry for her when Jim tries to tow her along on some new spacing contraption."

Anne Marie giggled at that.

"You're not going to fly this crazily, are you?"

"No, I don't like pulling crazy stunts, I thought we could just circle the grounds. Jacksonport and the Academy are really pretty lit up at night," Doug told her as he grabbed ahold of the directional stick which controlled the tiller and they took off into the sky, beneath the stars. As they flew, Anne Marie gasped and laughed, gazing down upon the ground so far below them.

"Doug this is beautiful," she sighed, stretching out her wing. "I feel like I can actually fly." Doug chuckled.

"That's why I love spacing."

Anne Marie turned back to face him and Doug couldn't help but admire the way her feathers ruffled in the cool night air, or the way her eyes glowed in the soft lighting from the town and the academy. The girl turned to face him just in time to see him staring at her with a dreamy expression on his face. She snickered as Doug snapped out of it and turned away, very nearly losing control of the longboat.

"Watch out!" Anne Marie shrieked as they dodged the Academy's astronomy tower at the last minute, startling some fifth year cadets who laughed and hooted much to the disapproval of their professor.

"Oh jeez, I'm so sorry," Doug apologized, straightening out the longboat, terrified that he had scared the girl beside. To his surprise, Anne Marie was laughing.

"Doug," she gasped for breath. "You almost hit an astronomy tower staring at me?"

"I wasn't staring," Doug mumbled, trying to maintain some of his dignity. Anne Marie composed herself at last and snuggled into his side.

"You're too cute," she whispered. Doug's eyes widened at their sudden close proximity, but he settled in without a moment to spare. He was sure Anne Marie could hear his heart pounding beneath his rib cage, but if she did hear it she said nothing to embarrass him further. When Doug decided it was getting late and the curfew would begin soon, he brought the longboat back down to their original landing site and powered off the engine. Anne Marie detached herself from his side and hopped out, helping Doug pull the tarp over the skiff once more.

"I had a lot of fun tonight, Doug," she told him once they had finished and stood inches apart.

"I did too. We should hang out again. Maybe tomorrow after dinner as well," Doug said, the words coming out in a rush.

"I think the others will start to suspect something's up between us," Anne Marie sighed, playing with her feathers – a nervous quirk.

"Forget the others. I just want to see you again," Doug pressed, taking her wings in his own. Anne Marie smiled at him.

"Then let's do this tomorrow, after dinner," she assured him, her feathers so soft within his grasp.

"Alright," Doug grinned, swallowing hard as he leaned in, his beak nuzzling her own. Anne Marie's eyes slipped closed, also pressing her beak closer to his. Doug was just about to lean in further to steal a chaste kiss from her when their private moment was interrupted by the bushes rattling nearby. Anne Marie and Doug pulled back to look at the quivering foliage.

"Doug," Anne Marie gasped as Doug pushed himself in front of her and began to creep toward the shrubbery. "Doug, be careful," she pleaded behind him as Doug came as close to the bush as he dared before leaping forward and pounding the person inside the leaves.

"Oof!" the person grunted as Doug grabbed the fabric of a shirt and yanked the person out of their hiding spot, throwing them to the ground. It was only when Doug was about to attack the imposter did he realize who it was. "Ah! Don't hit me!" Ray pleaded, throwing up his arms as Doug's curled wing faltered in delivering a blow.

"Ray?" he gasped, pulling back as Ray lowered his arms.

"Hey, Doug," Ray gave him a sheepish smile, spitting out some leaves. Doug pulled back at once, his gaze hardening.

"A little late to be trimming the bushes," he scowled, crossing his wings. Ray sat up and brushed some of the foliage off his clothing.

"Well, it's always good to get a head start. Never know when someone might want to enjoy the scenery," he shrugged.

"Ray!" Doug shouted over him making the boy jump. "What in Terebellum's name were you doing in the hedges?"

"I told you, trimming the bushes," Ray answered, wearing a cocky smirk.

"Oh, so you just accidentally ended up in the same spot Anne Marie and I were storing a long boat for our time together?" Doug glowered, staring his friend down.

"Gee, I think a little thanks is in order. I helped put a stop to a very perturbing event about to happen moments ago. I think you should be happy I did, because obviously this woman is enchanting you with some sort of weird sorcery," Ray accused, pointing to Anne Marie.

"Leave her out of this. Ever since I introduced her to you on Crescentia, you've been nothing but rude. You're acting like an uncivilized child, Raymond," Doug snapped. Ray spluttered, before his eyebrows knit together in his own frown.

"Well, maybe I wouldn't have to act like such a nimrod if you weren't abandoning your best friend to frolic off with this – this –"

"What, Ray? This what?" Doug growled, his voice more menacing than Ray had ever heard before. "How dare you treat her like that? Go on and call her a name if you are truly bent on severing our friendship!"

Ray was at a loss for words. He scowled up at Doug, knowing he had lost the argument. The Aviate sneered at him.

"Yeah, I didn't think so." Ray watched, his blood still boiling, as Doug spun on his heel and put a wing to Anne Marie's back, leading her away from the fuming boy behind them. It was only when Raymond was left alone that he began to regret everything he had done.

A/N: Well, I finished this a couple days ago, but school and work are evil and have thus limited me from sharing this awesomeness with all of you! So Here it is, the next chapter for The Battle at Procyon. More on the romantic side, this one. Also, I apologize in advance for any mistakes, I didn't feel like proof-reading this, which is terrible of me, but I'm just so tired lately and yeah…

So, let's see, I decided to add some more Jim/Alice cheesy romance and ugh, guys, have I ever mentioned I can't capture Jim's character? More than once, for sure. Also, Doug and Anne Marie have a tender 'date' sort of thing as well! Which is then interrupted by Ray and they fight! D: *le gasp* Not cool guys! What does this mean for their friendship!?

Also, the part about Jim and Alice calling themselves Sky Sailors and Captains of the Sky that's the name of this fan-fiction series: The Sky Sailor Saga ^^ It's also based on a song called Captains of the Sky by Sky Sailing, or Adam Young (the lead singer of Owl City) before he became Owl City! I love that song! Look it up if you can!

Did anyone notice the Lady and the Tramp reference? Or the Lord of the Rings reference from when Sam is sneaking around outside Bag-End and Gandalf catches him: "A little late for trimming the verge, don't you think?"

Anyway, I really appreciate all the reviews, I'm just too tired to do the individual thanking thing right now, so a hearty thanks to all you lovely readers! You guys rock me socks! :D