I think I have a problem. I can't stop writing about them. Am I allowed to blame my toddler because he makes me watch the movie several times a day?
As usual, I enjoy hearing from you guys! I want to write so much more for these two, just need to get the ideas flowing.

Also, I'm just being lazy with the on-going story, I have the next chapter nearly finished, just hitting a block of how I want things said. I'll post it soon!

The One Who Holds the Stars

Delbert Doppler
The RLS Legacy

He shoved his arms into the sleeves of his well-worn, burgundy coat at the same instance he ascended the galley stairs to the main deck. Stomach freshly satisfied with steaming stew of beats and potatoes, but his mind still seemed discontented of muddy thoughts. He had hoped a quiet meal alone, after the lurid crew had eaten and either went below or to stand watch, would allow him some time to work through the ever-nagging complicated brainwaves…but alas, Delbert was still as confused as he had been for the course of six days.

Delbert hung his head with a quiet sigh to himself. Stopped halfway up the steps, he could hear the movement of young James in the galley, clearing his bowl of finished dinner to drop in the basin of soapy water he had been using to clean dishes while Delbert had eaten. While fixing the collar around his neck, Delbert looked back into the dimly lit kitchen. James was wiping down the wooden structure of the table he was sat at moments ago with a damp cloth. His features looked further withdrawn than they had been back on Montressor, his head buried as far into the high collar of his jacket as it could.

"Goodnight, Jim."

James tensed his shoulders before tilting his head to glance at Delbert, his eyes dulled and pained. Delbert's heart went out to the boy and the burden he carried within himself. He wished there was more he could do for the teen than only the fumbling words of reassurance, but Delbert was far out of his element when it came to James and thought it best to let him work through it instead of attempting to worsen how the boy felt already.

"Goodnight, doc." James finally spoke in a void mumble, turning back to his task of cleaning the table.

With nothing left to say, and clearly seeing the teen wasn't in the mood for conversation, Delbert made his way up the rest of the stairs to go about getting a few moments of precious stargazing before he was no longer aloud on deck. Almost as if it was predictable, Delbert found himself stumbling on the last step. Tripping over his own feet and falling headfirst onto the deck's timbers. Delbert was able to catch himself before his nose connected at the last second. His cheeks burned in embarrassment from finding himself on his hands and knees in the center of the main deck.

Damn my clumsiness and two left feet! He chided himself.

He was quick to push himself to rest on his heels, hands balled on his thighs, and cheeks burned hot when he noticed Mr. Mackriki, a slimy, lizard-like alien with a nasty temper, climbing down the rigging on the port side. His eyes, located in his throat, ran over his fallen form with amusement from witnessing Delbert's clumsy moment. His feet thunked against the deck and continued to eye him on his way towards the raised forecastle. When he finally turned his eyes away to make his way aloft once again, Delbert released his held breath. Even though he had been the one to hire the crew he felt uncomfortable when they would watch his movements as he passed them by.

He reached up to fix his kinked glasses upon his nose from his tumble then grab the fallen pen and notebook that had slipped free of the deep pocket of his coat. The pen tucked between his fingers and the leather of the book snug in his palm of one hand. He used the other to aid in his push to stand once more. Delbert brushed the dust free fabric of his shoulders then looked up and froze. His eyes slightly widening upon the sight that made both his heart skip a beat and his breath to catch in his throat. The sounds of the slight creaks the large ship emanated, the humming of the Etherium's solarwinds, and the ruffle of the sails above suddenly went deaf to his ears that shifted with his hair.

Beyond the railing of the Legacy was a rather impressive sight painted in a mouth parting panorama. An extremely dense interstellar cloud was positioned just off the starboard side. Dust particles that formed the clump of vapors cast a hue of yellowed orange pigment, shifting off to browns the more it broke apart until it was nothing. The thinner wisping particles of green and blue streaked across the background of superb stars that seemed to shine in a glow of orange. It was a sight any astronomer, like himself, could only dream of seeing beyond the lenses of a telescope. Except, even with the spectacular prospect of the vast extent of the Etherium they sailed through, Delbert wasn't observing any of it. It wasn't the mysteries of space that made his heart pump irregular beneath his ribs, not the cause in his swift difficulty breathing, no, what caught his gaze was the sole source of his confounding thoughts.

Captain Amelia.

The foundation of Delbert's recent growing regard and affection was the no-nonsense, exotically beautiful commander of the very ship he commissioned to find the infamous Treasure Planet. The lissome Captain of feline cast was stationed on the forecastle. Nestled in the corner of the banister that outlined the edge, brass cased sextant to her eye, and pen locked between her long thin fingers. Amelia was much absorbed in her task of measuring angular distances and most likely taking altitudes to notice his shameless staring. Not to say she wouldn't instantly become aware of his presence if he moved closer to her person, but at that instance her focus seemed to be elsewhere. Delbert let himself wonder if Amelia was always that concentrated in a simple task…or if she was forcing herself to be that way to keep from drifting to other troubles. Ones Delbert himself were familiar with.

It would mark a week tomorrow since the supernova phenomenon that nearly swallowed the ship into a blackhole, since Amelia left him speechless over praising his unknowingly advice of escape, and nearly a week since the unexpected loss of her first mate, Mr. Arrow. That night…that night Delbert was given a glimpse of Amelia he would have never been privileged otherwise. He had sat outside her stateroom door for nearly an hour. Arguing back and forth with what his head wanted and his heart ached to do. Even now, Delbert didn't regret knocking on the thick oak door and offering whatever he could to the Captain.

She lifted her face from the fabric of his shirt to look up at him, fresh tears filling her already swollen eyes of green, shock clearly sketched in her features. "But why? Why would you do this for me? After everything I've done to you, how terrible I've been, why? Why would you give me this?"

Delbert tightened his grip around her back, pulling her more snugly into his embrace of comfort, "Because everyone needs someone to be there, to be reassured they aren't alone, Captain. You aren't undeserving of that just because of a few insults."

Delbert watched Amelia lower her head to write whatever observations she needed in the notebook she had rested atop the banister. The pen flowed across the page rather quickly, until it paused from a pick-up in the breeze. The corners of the booklet she was writing in flapped up to try and turn but her hand prevented it. Amelia's head lifted from the leather book to survey the Etherium free of any tools. Delbert watched her tuck the pen into the spine and lowered the sextant to rest it against the railing. Her shoulders lifted with a deep breath and her lids closed. Delbert found himself transfixed by the very image of her. Her hair, free of the tricorn hat, danced around her ears from the wind lacing through the auburn color, waving and twisting with others. The long tail of her blue coat wavered behind her legs as the winds slipped over her outline. At that moment, Delbert saw a brief revisit of the woman in the cabin six nights ago.

Amelia's claws bunched the silken fabric of his waistcoat on his back as they curled. "You don't know who I am. You know so little about me, Doctor."

Delbert slipped a hand into her hair, feeling the fine, soft tresses against his fingers and held back his sigh at the sensation. "I do." He whispered softly into the ear near his mouth. "You give out pieces of yourself to people, Captain, but never let any of them see the whole picture. I've seen it. I know who you are behind the façade you put forth."

She still looked troubled. No one else on the ship would be able to tell, but Delbert wasn't just anyone on the ship anymore, he was the one left to be familiar with the complex language that was Amelia. None of the others would observe the way her brows were slightly furrowed towards her nose, telling him she was pained. How her cheekbones lifted from the tight press of her lips, biting back whatever sound threatened to escape her. Delbert, if he was certain his presence would help her, wished to pull her into another hug. Give her the reassurances that she clearly needed to be reminded of. Remind her of the hope that not everything was damned. Remind her of the strength blurred beneath the grief. A grief she had voiced as a sign of weakness.

Delbert felt her body tremble against his chest as he continued to hold her. She hasn't spoken in several minutes, but Delbert didn't mind it. He was content if this position was what brought her comfort. Her muscles were tight beneath his hand on her back. Her face was buried in his shoulder, eyes peeked to stare at the wall behind him, while his hand still cradled the back of her head. He felt a tear soak into the fabric on his shoulder, an escaped tear from her effort of holding back.

"It's okay to cry…Captain."

If it was possible, she stiffened more, her claws tightened to pinch his skin, but Delbert didn't flinch.

"No….it isn't." Her voice was forced, like she would break if she didn't control every single thing about her body in that moment. "It's weakness. Showing weakness is,"

Delbert pulled her head away from his shoulder to look into the red, glossy depths of her eyes. "What? This?" He brought his thumb to her cheek to sweep across the trail the salty water left on her ivory film. "This tear? They are not a weakness, Amelia. They show how strong you are and how strong you've been. And when you're done sheading your pain, look back at this darkest night and know that you were strong enough to overcome what you once thought to be impossible."

It was then that Delbert was reminded of the situation that caused his mind to be unclear. What made him unsure of the emotions he felt whenever he thought of, caught a foretaste of, or even heard her voice. Even as he observed her now, he found his mind fogged. It all came about from the next action taken in her cabin.

Amelia looked to him with surprise at what he had said to her. Her head tilted just a bit, so her cheek rested against the palm of his hand that cradled it. His thumb absentmindedly stroking the flushed skin, fingers curled around the nape of her neck, auburn hair laced through the digits. Delbert watched her eyes switch from surprise to confusion to warmth. The hand around her back moved to hug between her shoulder blades. Amelia took a step closer.

"You called me Amelia, instead of Captain." She whispered. A fresh tear slipped free of her sticky lashes.

Delbert paled. "Had I?" He watched her head nod in slow, barely movements. "I – I apologize, Captain, I hadn't meant to offe-"

She cut his words off with a gloved hand she brought from behind him to press against his mouth. "I find it pleasing…Delbert." She whispered. Her fingers slipped down his chin to rest against his chest. "Do you…did you truly mean that? What you said?"

Delbert nodded with absolute certainty. "Every word, Cap–Amelia. Every word."

Amelia allowed herself to give the tiniest smirk. "I guess, Arrow was right in the end." Delbert looked at her with confusion. Her palm raised to touch his cheek. "That I have nothing to fear."

It was then that Amelia lifted her body by her toes and gently pressed her mouth, lips of the brightest red, against his own, utterly surprising Delbert. The painted skin of her mouth was wholly soft and tasted of a wine she must have drank earlier. He could feel how nervous she was by the way her lips started to move against his with unsure and hesitation. His head was dizzy, his thoughts confused, but Delbert held her in a firm embrace and mimicked what her lips wanted to do. Feeling the flutter of his heart from the disbelief of him actually kissing Amelia.

It was that damn kiss that left him with a tingling spine and unsure judgements about Captain Amelia. They didn't say anything after the kiss finally came to an end from the unexpected knock on her door. The cook, Mr. Silver, was the body on the other side with her usual cup of tea on the small tray. She had taken it with a grateful nod and didn't return her gaze to Delbert until Mr. Silver was back below in the galley. Neither positive of what move to make, Delbert had rubbed the back of his neck and Amelia looked to her tea with flushed cheeks. Delbert was the one to break the awkward tension between them and bid her a goodnight after making sure she was okay. Once he made it back to his cabin, he smacked himself on the forehead. Since that night, they had hardly spoken to one another. Amelia would give him a formal greeting when they crossed paths, but she gave off no hints of what happened between them in her stateroom that night or if her mind was as troubled over the complicated emotions as his was.

You are the biggest dunce in the galaxy, you know that? You had a willing, lovely, actual breathing woman in your arms, who kissed you, and you walked away. Are you really surprised she's hardly talked to you since then?

Delbert watched Amelia's torso reduce from the exhale of breath through her parted lips. Her eyes reopened and he was genuinely surprised to see them clearing from deep in reflection, but what reflection, he couldn't be sure. It could be about Mr. Arrow. Might be the concerns she voiced about continuing the voyage alone. He dared to think she had been remembering the kiss she gave to him, but Delbert wasn't that daft to think she would willingly remember that. Around day three he chalked it up to her kissing him because she was grieving, not in the right mindset to make clear judgements, and the fact she had had a drink before he came along.

So, if he had reached that conclusion, why did he still feel this confused whenever she came to mind? As she continued to gaze out into the Etherium, seeming to forget about the task she'd been doing, Delbert let his mind work itself out with the opportunity to just watch her.

It's like when she spoke a single word and my life rapidly began. She was the one to set in motion time and space around me. Letting me know she was coming and was calling me by name.

Amelia ran a hand through her hair, willing it back into control, but it was a failed endeavor. The wind immediately went back to allowing strands to tease around her ears. Delbert had a sudden longing to run his fingers through the auburn mane.

She is confusing. Utterly impossible. Frustrating. There is so much about her that I don't know, yet all I find myself wanting to do is spend the rest of my life solving the puzzle that is Amelia.

Delbert's eyes went a slight bit bigger and he drew in a loud gasp of air. A sound that caught the attention of the feline. Her head turned in his general direction, eyes searching for the source until the green of her own fell into the brown of his. Delbert froze. He had been caught staring at her, but he was unsure of which thought frightened him more. The fact Amelia discovered him or…that he realized himself falling in love with the finicky feline.

Love. Delbert's heartbeat increased from the truth in that simple word. He can't lie any longer and it frightened him to see all he needed was her in his life. He would give up everything, even his precious stars, if it meant a sliver of a chance with her. He looked up to watch Amelia arch a brow and lift the corner of her mouth.

Delbert gripped his notebook tighter when he saw Amelia gather her things from the banister and made her way towards him. He felt the nervous sweat begin to form on his palms when she stood just before him. Her eyes had a shining to them and there was still a smile on her lips, even as small as it was, she was still smiling…at him.

"Doctor." She greeted with a nod.

"Ca–Captain, uh, funny running into you here." His voice squeaked. Lame. She saw you staring at her, remember?

Her arms folded behind her. She slightly rocked on her heels and coughed before she finally spoke. "Yes, well, I was just taking some measurements."

"Of course, of course. I trust we are still on the correct path?" He wondered.

"You can rest assured, Doctor, our navigation is in good hands." Amelia brought her hand forth with the book and sextant to wave as a reassurance.

Delbert shook his hand hurriedly and stuttered his words nervously. "Oh, I wasn't – I wouldn't think – I have no reason to doubt your ability, Captain." His ears brushed against his neck from the quick jerks.

"I'm thankful to have your confidence." Her head tilted from his bumbling. "But, um," she cleared her throat before continuing, "I have found myself with a few questions, and I was hoping to run into you and ask if you would be up to helping me answer them."

"Me?" Delbert raised his brows towards his hairline.

Amelia smirked teasingly. "Yes, Doctor. You."

"I mean, uh, I would be happy to lend any assistance I can, Captain." His fingers pulled against the cuff of his sleeve. His lip caught between his teeth at the thought of being alone with her again.

"Glad to hear it. My stateroom, tomorrow night around, say, 1830?"

Delbert looked confused. "That would be…?"

Amelia relaxed her features and gave a simple smile. "6:30, Doctor."

Delbert returned her smile. "6:30. I will be there, Captain."

Amelia nodded and she sighed in relief. "Excellent, I shall inform Mr. Hawkins to prepare dinner tomorrow for two then."

Delbert felt his mouth drop open but try as he might to get his voice to work, it failed him. He could only watch her smile turn into a grin at the perplexity that must be clearly formed in his features at the invitation to dine with her.

"Well, I'm afraid I must bid you goodnight, Doctor." She still had her grin even when she started to walk past him. She had only gotten a few steps before she spoke again. "Oh, and Doctor?"

Delbert twisted his torso to look at her. He was able to close his jaw and found her gaze to be teasing again. "Yes?"

"Do take care to limit the amount of time you stare at me in public. Wouldn't want to give the crew the wrong impression that something is between us." She chuckled at the widening of his eyes. "And don't be late." She gave him a wink before she sauntered off across the deck towards the bridge.

Delbert stood there and watched her with both amazement and more confusion. His feet somehow moved him to lean against the railing of the ship and he tried to concentrate. He looked out at the stars that seemed to flicker in the distance, but as he watched, he found they no longer held the same appeal as they had before he met Amelia. His head fell into his arms.

What is happening? Is this really what love feels like? Delbert started to chew his lip. I feel like I'm lost, forgetting my way, and she is the only thing guiding me through the deepest depths of space.

He lifted his head free to get one last glance at Amelia and even surprised himself with the next thoughts that came into his head.

If you are the one who now holds the appeal to the stars…then you can hold my heart the same, Amelia. I'm ready to take that risk and lift my heart to you, the one who now holds the stars in my life.