(Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet; just Maryam and my other OC's.)

(Authors Note: Hello dear readers and fellow writers! I sincerely hope you've been enjoying this story so far because I'm absolutely loving it and enjoy adding onto it. If you'd like to leave a review/comment I'd appreciate it. Regardless, thank you for taking the time to read this story and until next time, keep it classy and make good choices :).)

"English/Common"

"Sarcasm or Emphasis"

'Mental thoughts'

**Dreams**

"Shouting/Yelling"

Chapter 9

-Later-

While several of the men stayed behind to continue drinking, fraternize with wenches and gamble, Maryam headed back to the ship with B.E.N and Captain Flint as she had started showing signs of intoxication shortly after finishing her second pint of grog. While she had wanted to stay, Nathaniel was against it as he knew this port was full of shady people who would not hesitate to take advantage of her if given the chance. No. He would not allow that to happen. As far as he was concerned, Miss Weller was his charge until her parley was complete; so until then, it was his responsibility to ensure her safety.

As they boarded the Walrus, Flint glanced down at B.E.N and stated, "I'm going to take Miss Weller into the cabin. Holler if ya spot any trouble."

"Aye aye, Captain," the android cheerfully answered as he headed off to patrol the deck and keep watch for returning crew members or potential stowaways.

Leading the young hybrid into his stateroom, Flint closed the door behind them and asked, "How're ya feelin', lass?"

"Hmm? Oh, I feel fine. I just wish it wasn't so hard to walk a straight line."

"I told ya not to drink that second pint," he noted with a huff as he led her over to the bed.

"And I told you *hic* that I didn't wanna be forever known as a lightweight," she pouted and attempted to kick off her slippers, but ended up accidentally throwing herself backwards towards the bed; however, before she hit the mattress, Flint caught her.

Yes, he caught her just as she was about to fall back onto a completely safe and soft surface. Why? Who knows. The two just stared at one another, frozen in place until she reached up and gently cupped the side of his face.

Unwilling to pry her hand away, Flint leaned into her touch as he lowered her onto the bed. Before he could say or do anything else, she closed the gap between them and kissed him! While he knew this wasn't the right time to be initiating/encouraging this sort of behavior, he just couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. It had been far too long since he felt the gentle touch of a woman; however, none of his previous partners had ever made him feel loved or wanted. They were always terrified of him and couldn't even bring themselves to look him in the eyes. But Maryam? She willingly kissed him without hesitation. Yes, she was (somewhat) intoxicated, but not to the point where she wouldn't know where she was, who she was with or what she was doing.

Allowing himself this small indulgence, Flint tenderly held her in his strong/protective arms and kissed her back (to the best of his abilities) while noting how soft her lips felt.

In response to him kissing her, Maryam slightly parted her lips, signaling that she was permitting him to enter her mouth: Which he did. Giving into their desires, the two of them stayed interlocked for the next few minutes until they had to stop for air, to which the young hybrid caressed his cheek and smiled when he placed his large hand atop hers, "_Nathaniel, has anyone ever told you that you have pretty eyes?"

"No; yer the first," he casually replied before kissing her palm, bringing a lovely dusting of pink to her cheeks.

Although he wanted to remain by her side, he didn't want to lie in his bed while wearing his gear. With that, he reluctantly removed himself from her presence, to which he then proceeded to remove his hat, overcoat, weapons and boots before removing her slippers from her feet and rejoining her in the bed.

Lying on his back, Flint couldn't help the smirk that crossed his maw as he felt her shift and snuggle against his frame, to which she then rested her head against his chest and softly began to purr, causing him to emit an amused chuckle.

A smile lined Maryam's face upon hearing his soft rumble of amusement. She loved it when he was content and found him rather handsome when he smiled. Feeling his hand lightly stroking her soft, golden locks, the young hybrid began to purr a bit louder in a form of approval. As much as she wanted to stay awake and enjoy this tender moment with the notorious Captain Nathaniel Flint, her body had other plans as she started feeling drowsy. Sure, the alcohol was partially to blame, but the large, warm body beside her certainly wasn't making it any easier to stay awake.

He was just so damn cozy.

Closing her sapphire eyes, she listened to the strong beating of his heart and the relaxed intake of his breath, which soothed her to the point where she finally drifted off to sleep.

XXXXX

Early the next morning, Flint awoke to find Maryam still asleep and partially lying on top of him in a peaceful manner. While he didn't want to wake her, he needed to get up and make his rounds. As slowly and carefully as he could, he somehow managed to slip out from underneath the young hybrid, to which he then set her head atop his pillow, so that she'd be comfortable. Noting the slight chill in the air, he pulled the blankets over her slender frame before lightly rubbing her cheek with the back of his fingers, "Sleep well, lass."

With that, Nathaniel grabbed and donned his hat, weapons, overcoat and boots before silently exiting his stateroom and closing the door behind him, leaving Maryam to rest. Although he didn't want to leave her side, he had responsibilities to attend to and a crew to captain.

XXXXX

As the outside world became audible, Maryam opened her sapphire eyes and found that Nathaniel was no longer beside her in the bed, nor was he anywhere in the room. 'Of course he wouldn't still be here: he's got responsibilities to oversee,' she reasoned with herself as she rolled onto her back and noted the blankets that now covered her body. A warm smile tugged at the corners of her mouth at the thought of Flint covering her up and making sure she was warm in his absence. 'How considerate.'

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she sat up and immediately regretted doing so as her head started to spin. Sure, she only had two pints of grog last night, but she was indeed a lightweight when it came to alcohol. That, and she hadn't eaten anything since dinner. Stepping out of the bed and over to the lavatory, Maryam made use of the amenities before lightly adjusting her hair and freshening herself up for the day.

Once she deemed herself presentable, she exited the cabin and headed down to the galley to find something to eat. While there, she was greeted by the cook, Mr. Brackus:

"Oi there, lass. Fancy seein' yer pretty face down 'ere. Thought ye'd be takin' a stroll down the docks an' explorin' the port."

A smile graced her lips as she addressed the portly (human) man, "I'm afraid not. Captain Flint doesn't want me leaving the ship unaccompanied and I can't really say that I blame him."

"Aye, 'tis a fair point. By the way, the Captain, B.E.N, an' Mr. Bones left 'bout a quarter an hour ago. They should be back 'ere soon."

"Oh? Where did they go?"

"My guess is they went off to pay ol' Tom a visit an' 'ear the latest news 'round the docks. He knows everythin' there's ta know 'bout everybody's business on account o' the loose lips and wagging tongues spacers tend to 'ave when drink is involved," he noted with a slight chuckle as he dished her up a steaming bowl of broad bean soup and handed her a hardtack cracker to pair with it.

With a polite bow of her head, Maryam took her breakfast back to the stateroom and sat down at the dining table to eat. Snapping off a piece of her cracker, she submerged it in the soup so that it would (hopefully) soften enough for her to consume it. The last thing she wanted was to chip a tooth. Absolutely not!

Taking a bite of her soup, the young hybrid emitted a sigh as she glanced across the table and focused on the empty chairs. It was strange to be dining alone after having shared all of her previous meals with Nathaniel and B.E.N. With a sigh, she slowly continued to eat her soup while wondering what today had in store for her.