(Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet; just Maryam and the other OC's that are mentioned in this FF.)

(Authors Note: Hello again dear readers and fellow writers! I hope you've been enjoying the story so far because I've certainly enjoyed writing it and have plenty of inspiration for further content.)

"English/Common"

"Sarcasm or Emphasis"

**Dreams**

Chapter 5

Shortly after Maryam's arms were stitched and bandaged up, she and Flint stepped over to the dining area and sat down just as B.E.N appeared with a large tray containing several plates and bowls of food, as well as two bottles of rum and a flagon of crude oil, which was obviously his dinner. "Hi Mary, how are you feeling?"

"Much better; thanks for asking," she smiled as he set the tray down on the dining table, to which he then served the Captain his meal before setting a bowl of lumpy, green soup in front of the young hybrid, along with a plate of what she assumed was a type of meat and vegetable dish, and one of the bottles.

Seeing her stare at the food, B.E.N explained, "It's stewed fungal kelp soup and roasted bonzabeast with steamed starch roots."

"Oh_I've never had these sorts of cuisine before," she explained while Flint snorted and rolled his eyes:

"It won't kill ya, lass." He casually stabbed a piece of meat with his fork and ate it, to which she picked up her spoon and took an inquisitive taste of the soup.

"Mmm, B.E.N, this soup tastes amazing!"

"Really," he asked with a smile, to which she nodded and took another bite.

"Of course!" Deciding to try the meat and vegetable dish, Maryam cut off a small piece and tasted it, noting how juicy and flavorful it was. "Oh wow, this is delicious! Who taught you to cook?"

He bashfully rubbed the back of his metal head at her question, "Oh, it's just something I picked up over the years."

"Well, I find your skills quite impressive."

"Thanks, Mary. By the way, I hope you don't mind having rum with your dinner_we were out of wine."

"No, I don't mind, but if I'm being honest, I've never actually had rum before," she admitted, to which Flint's brow arched in both surprise and amusement. Taking the bottle in hand, she sniffed it and shrugged before taking a rather large sip.

At the expression she made, Flint couldn't help but chuckle, "A bit strong for ya, lass?"

"Just a bit," she admitted.

*tsk* "Lightweight," he muttered under his breath before taking a swig of his own drink; however, Maryam's advanced hearing picked up on his comment, to which her sapphire eyes narrowed in slight irritation.

XXXXX

After dinner, Maryam was given one of Flint's shirts to change into for bed and was informed that she would be sleeping with him. In his bed. Beside him. Of course, she had suggested sleeping on the floor, but he rejected that proposal, stating that she'd be more comfortable in the bed and to refrain from arguing about it further.

So here she was, in the lavatory, changing out of her dress and jewels (except her Mother's necklace). Because of the stitches in her arms, it was difficult to unlace the back of her gown; however, she somehow managed. Upon removing the dress, she untied and removed her garters before setting to work removing the corset and bustle, while mentally groaning at how annoying they were.

Once said garments were off, she glanced at herself in the mirror and frowned upon seeing the deep marks along her skin from where the corset had dug into her flesh for the last several hours. Shaking her head, she slipped on Flint's shirt and noted how much larger it was on her smaller frame: it came all the way down to her knees and the sleeves looked just as ridiculous. In truth, she felt like a child wearing one of her Father's shirts.

Aside from the size, the shirt itself was rather comfortable and had a faint, masculine scent that was quite enjoyable. Shaking her head, the young hybrid gathered her garments (and jewelry) and stepped back into the stateroom where she spotted the Captain sitting behind his desk and writing some notes in a journal.

"I see the shirt fits ya," he quipped with a faint (almost non-visible) smirk, to which she rolled her eyes and set her things on one of the dining chairs.

"Indeed. I couldn't help but notice how it reminds me of when I used to dress up in my Father's clothes and run around the house," she noted with a smile as she met his gaze. "_Regardless, thank you for letting me borrow your shirt."

"Mhm," he grunted before focusing back on his work while she approached the bookshelf and glanced through the various novels and tomes.

"Do you read much, Captain?"

"Do I look like a scholar, lass," he neutrally replied as he dipped his quill into the ink and continued with his writing.

"Not necessarily, but that doesn't mean you aren't versed in literature. Why else would you have all these books?"

"They belonged to my predecessor."

"Hm," she tilted her head and slightly perked her ears at that while continuing to glance through the books until she found a few that piqued her interest. "May I read them?"

Not bothering to look up from his writing, Flint gave her a slight nod, "Aye. Just keep all that readin' in yer head. I don't want to hear ya prattling all night."

A small smile graced her face as she took several books in hand and sat down at the dining table where she opened the first one up and began to read by candlelight. As she quietly immersed herself in the scripted pages, she failed to notice Flint's piercing gaze: His six golden eyes studied her with careful scrutiny, yet there was a speck of curiosity within them. Mentally shaking his head, he focused back on his writing; however, he now found the task a bit less dull as her presence seemed to lighten his mood.

XXXXX

**Running down the darkened corridor, Maryam could hear the familiar scurry of Edmund's spider legs as he swiftly closed in on her. Turning down the corner, she saw a bright light at the end of the hall and a tall figure standing within it. While said figure was an unknown entity, she couldn't bring herself to care; all that mattered was getting away from her fiance.**

Flint awoke to a soft whimpering sound and noticed that Miss Weller was crying in her sleep while her body trembled. Although he wasn't the sentimental sort, the sight of her in distress awoke something within him as he now had a sudden urge to protect her. Fulfilling said urge, he quietly rolled over and gently wrapped one of his arms around her small frame before sliding her over to where she was now pressed against his chest. As he did this, he felt her breathing ease into a soft, peaceful rhythm while her body went lax against his own. Emitting a content sigh, he closed all six of his eyes and allowed sleep to claim him once more.

XXXXX

-The Next Morning-

The scent of rum and musk filled Maryam's nose as she tiredly snuggled against the warm mass beside her; however, upon opening her eyes, she realized that said mass was none other than Captain Flint! Seeing his eyes were closed and his breathing was steady, she figured that he was still asleep. Now wanting to wake him, she slowly tried to remove herself from his embrace:

"Sleep well?"

Startled, Maryam's felinid ears perked up, to which she looked over to see three of his six eyes were partially open and staring at her, while an amused smirk lined his sharp face. Feeling her cheeks heat up, she gave him a nod and sat upright, "I did. Thank you for asking."

"Hm. I'll have B.E.N find ya some more clothes to wear after breakfast."

"Thanks," she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear while he stepped out of the bed and headed over to the lavatory. As he walked, Maryam couldn't help but stare at his shirtless body, noting how toned his back was, to which she shook her head and emitted a soft groan. 'Stop it, Maryam! That's not an appropriate thought for a lady,' she mentally chastised herself while stepping out from underneath the covers and stretching out her limbs. Afterwards, she made up the bed and walked over to the dining table where she sat down to read.

Minutes later, Flint emerged from the lavatory and began to dress himself for the day, while Maryam tried her best not to stare at his well-sculpted back, arms and chest. 'Holy fuck,' she felt her face heat up as she tried to hide her blush behind the book she was reading.

*knock, knock*

'Oh thank the stars,' she mentally praised before the stateroom door opened to reveal a familiar android:

"Good morning Captain. And good morning to you too, Mary. Did you sleep well?"

She kept the book in front of her face, but offered him a nod in response. "Mhmm."

"Oh wonderful," he set the platter atop the table and served breakfast to her and Flint (who took his seat after dressing).

"B.E.N, before we head over to the trove and deposit our haul, I need ya to find Miss Weller some suitable attire."

"Yes, Sir. Shouldn't be too much trouble to find something that'll fit her. If nothing else, she can always make alterations, seeing as how she's a seamstress," he noted with a smile.

"Is that so," Flint asked the young hybrid with a quirk of his brow while he casually cut into his breakfast.

Maryam nodded as she spooned up some porridge, "Yes. My Father and I are the residing tailor and seamstress in our town. Aside from altering clothes, I was sometimes commissioned by the local Captains to come aboard their ships and mend the sails, but only if their crew weren't skilled enough for the job."

"Hmm, then I may have a few tasks for ya later," he noted with a small smirk lining his sharp face.

XXXXX

Shortly after breakfast, B.E.N headed off to find Maryam some clothes while Flint left to inspect the spoils of yesterday's raid. Having the stateroom to herself, the young hybrid took advantage of the lavatory before returning to her reading.

As she was about to start a new chapter, the door opened to reveal the Captain and Billy Bones carrying a large chest, to which they set it upon the floor in front of her. "Found these in our inventory. Damn louts must've grabbed every chest, barrel an' crate without properly inspecting 'em first," Bones exclaimed with a grunt. "Regardless, Nathaniel here thought ye could use 'em," he added, to which the young hybrid quirked a brow:

"Nathaniel?"

The Captain gave her a faint smirk, "That's my name, lass."

"Oh. Well_thank you for this," she replied with a soft dusting of pink along her cheeks.

Giving her a slight nod, he and Billy exited the stateroom, leaving her alone once more. Upon opening the chest, Maryam let out a gasp at what she saw: inside were a bunch of women's clothing, shoes and accessories. While some were fairly average in appearance, most were rather fancy compared to her regular attire back home. In fact, there were at least three gowns that were just as elegant and regal-looking as the one Edmund gifted her.

Mentally shaking her head, she began the tedious task of removing each item and laying it out so she could then try them on and determine if any alterations or repairs were needed. Upon pulling out a rather fancy pair of slippers, the stateroom door opened to reveal B.E.N holding a set of men's clothes and boots:

"Hey Mary, I found you some clo_Ah, where'd you get all those fancy dresses?"

"Nathaniel gave them to me," she replied with a soft blush as she looked upon the chest of items. "However, I don't think most of these outfits will be suitable for working on the ship_so I'm glad you were successful in finding something else I can wear."

"Sure thing," he smiled and presented her with a couple of shirts, pants, and a pair of boots. "These were the smallest boots I could find. Also, you should probably wash the clothes before wearing them_unless you don't mind the smell and some blood."

"Oh no, I'll be washing them. Um, where exactly can I do that?"

"Down below. I'll show you later, but right now I need to report back to the Captain."

"Alright then, I'll see you around."

"Likewise."