Watching the movie as much as I have been the last several weeks, I've had this thought in my head: "What would have happened if Jim was discovered in that barrel and they weren't able to escape the Legacyimmediately?" I actually looked through and couldn't really find something like this, I've seen maybe two sorta do this, but the Captain and Doctor were still able to get away and Jim left with the pirates...this is not that.

Now, I have a general outline of how this will go, won't be long since the timeline is 24hrs, but I'm not sure how dark you would like me to take this. I can go dark but limited, or I can go dark.
Maybe I just have a twisted mind and would like to see more interaction between Amelia and Silver, that does not mean they are paired together, absolutely not, but it could be fun to have the pirate and female captain in situations.

As always, I enjoy hearing from you guys, and if you have a scenario you'd like to see happen, tell me, I will see what I can work around with it. :)

Chapter One
Mutiny

Captain Amelia
The RLS Legacy - 0737

Amelia let the pen flow in her cursive script along the rectangular page of the Legacy's logbook. Glancing back to the supplementary sheet she made earlier before settling down at her desk to record the official entry. Over the past thirty minutes Amelia had entered their latest navigational heading, the reasoning for course alteration, the meteorological and weather conditions, their speed, and at the moment she was documenting the latest stores and freshwater inventory levels. Amelia pressed her knuckles into her temple to keep her head upright, elbow propped on the solid wood, and took a deep breath. Her cabin strangely smelled similar to warm toast and honey. Quickly running her hand through her hair to push fallen strands back, Amelia finished the last sentence of her summary before gladly dropping the pen into the spine of the book. She intertwined her long, thin fingers together and stretched her arms over her head, twisting her wrists so her palms faced the ceiling while her back arched against the red fabric of her chair. A soft, feline chirrup vibrated her dry throat from the satisfying feel of her stiff muscles elongating, but it also brought awareness to the ache in the back of her neck. Once she lowered her arms, one hand went to start rubbing the sore muscles.

Her lips and the tip of her nose began to feel the heat and dampness of steam. Her eyes opened to a welcoming sight of hot Breakfast Tea in a golden rimmed, white teacup placed in front of her. A hand retreated from the small matching saucer and Amelia followed it to find its owner. The financier and astrophysicist, Doctor Delbert Doppler stood just to her right, a ghost of a smile on his nervous features and wiped his hands on a cloth he held. Amelia gave him a small thankful smile to help ease his tension. Her fingers wrapped along the porcelain surface, enjoying the heat her palms absorbed, and anchored around the handle; her thumbs slowly gliding over the lip.

"Milk and a bit of sugar, correct?" His shoulders relaxed.

"Yes," Amelia nodded as she spoke quietly, "thank you, Doctor."

"Not to worry, was my pleasure to prepare it while you finished," he motioned to the opened book on her desk, "whatever it was you were doing."

Amelia smirked at his unknowledgeable workings of maintaining a ship. "Updating the ship's log, Doctor."

"Yes, that."

He gave a cough to clear his throat before making his way around her desk to begin cleaning up the items he had used to make the tea. Mainly to stow the milk back into the small icebox built into the cupboard lining the wall to her left. Amelia studied him closely, part of her waiting for him to drop something and then listen to him fumble an apology, but she was pleasantly surprised when everything was stashed away except the pot without incident. Amelia lowered her brows when she noticed there was no other cup in sight.

"You did make yourself a cup as well, yes? Not just me."

"Hm?" His head turned back to face her direction, his ears wavered in the movement. "Oh, no, Captain. Not much of a tea drinker in the mornings. I prefer coffee."

"I see." She spoke, more muttered, over the rim of her cup as she took her first drink of the bold, full-bodied and strong floral flavor. "I'm sure coffee will be provided with breakfast. Mr. Hawkins should be by with it soon."

Doppler made his way back to the chair pulled up to the front of her desk but made no move to sit down. When Amelia lowered the cup from her lips, a red stain left on the white surface, she caught him looking at her.

"Something the matter? You're staring, Doctor."

To try and hide his embarrassed blush, Doppler grabbed hold of the back of the spare chair and pulled his glasses off his nose to rub the corner of his eye. There was a long moment of silence between them. Amelia used the pads of her bare fingers to slowly twist the cup on the saucer, watching Doppler, working her mind to find why he had been staring. She wondered if it was because she wasn't wearing her coat or her gloves. Both items of her uniform were draped over the back of her chair at the moment. Though he had seen her without them before. Nearly two weeks ago, after the supernova and the loss of her…

Don't go there, Amelia. She warned herself, knowing she hadn't the strength to deal with the ache that came with the thought of him.

The sound of Doppler's voice broke the silent space of her cabin and brought her eyes back to him instead of the lamp on her desk. "Are you getting enough sleep, Captain?"

Amelia felt her eyebrows raise and her eyes go wide at his sudden and unpredicted question. "Pardon?"

Doppler was adjusting his glasses on his nose and anxiously tightened then loosened his grip against the back of the chair repeatedly. He was watching her green eyes carefully before he spoke again. "Well, ah, what I meant…when was the last time you slept, Captain? Actually slept. You look tired."

Amelia opened her mouth to tell him it wasn't his place to question her ability, but she stopped herself when she realized that wasn't why he voiced his question. She noted the genuine concern in the deep pools of russet orbs behind the lenses. They both gazed at one another, watching his eyes roam over her features, taking data of every proof to her exhaustion. Her fingertips gripped the polished surface a bit tighter while trying to keep herself as composed as she could.

"I'm sorry if I've stepped to-"

"No, it's quite alright, Doctor." Amelia sighed, allowing her shoulders to drop and relax. "I can't fault you for asking, I'm sure I look a bit worse for wear."

"Oh dear, no, Captain, you look stunning – Er, stunningly beautiful – um, stunningly composed as always." Doppler blushed at his familiar slip. Amelia felt her heart give a slight flutter at the thought of him finding her stunning.

"One does what one can, Doctor." Amelia lifted her cup to her lips once more. "But to answer your question, it's been a few days since I was able to sleep longer than two hours."

Doppler had a brow arched and his head tilted just a bit. "How long is a few days, Captain? You look as if you haven't slept in months."

Amelia steepled her digits against the cup, her teeth chewing the inside of her lip. "I must admit, Doctor, that I don't entirely know."

His face twisted into puzzlement at her response. "You can't recall the last time you actually slept?"

She sighed. "Don't be daft, of course I can."

"Alright, when was it?" He waved a hand, motioning her to enlighten him.

She lowered her brows in slight irritation at being judged by the Canid, but she also knew it wasn't judgement, it was concern over her well-being. A task he had clearly, quite possibly without notice, taken up since that evening in that very cabin. Where they had spent many hours talking, enjoying cups of tea, and Doppler holding her as she finally cried her grief over the loss of her dear friend. She took a deep breath before focusing on him again.

"The night before the blackhole escape." She muttered, but she knew Doppler heard her by the lift in his ear and the confusion sketched into his face.

"You mean to tell me you haven't gotten rest in nearly two weeks?!" He spoke in disbelieve and looked to be wondering how she was still functioning. Amelia simply shook her head twice. "At all?!"

"Only an hour most nights, but not to worry, Doctor, I have scheduled a nap for a week once we return to Crescentia." She gave a wryly smirk over the rim of her cup. When she lowered it, Amelia saw Doppler was not sharing her same amusement on the joke. "I apologize if it seems I'm blowing off your disquiet, but truly, I'll be just fine, Doctor."

The Doctors face relaxed and he looked at her with sympathy. Amelia looked down at her desk quickly, looking at the reflection off the gold of the saucer to hide her face. Shielding her burning cheeks from his view. Amelia wasn't at all sure when the Doctor had moved from standing behind the chair to hover beside her. From the corner of her eye Amelia watched him hesitantly reach his hand out, retreating twice until he finally placed it on her shoulder. The poplin fabric of her white uniform blouse went warm under the heat of his palm. She allowed herself to breathe in.

"Everything will be okay, Captain. It's not going to feel this way forever." His finger hooked under her chin and turned her eyes in his direction. "You'll see."

Amelia smiled, a purely genuine smile, at Doppler while she reached up to place her hand over his. Her eyes wavered for a brief moment when she caught the anticipation in the brown irises. "Thank you, Doctor, not only for this, but also for that night."

Doppler nodded. "You seemed to need a…friend that night."

Amelia twisted her chair to face more in his direction, his fingers spreading to allow hers to fall between them, and he was holding her hand, sort of. Her heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat. "Oh, Doctor,"

Her words were interrupted by several hard thunks against the wooden door and her attention was brought away from the Doctor.

"That must be Mr. Hawkins with our breakfast," Amelia glanced at the chronometer mounted on the wall, ticking in rhythm, "a good couple minutes late, I see."

Amelia pushed herself to her feet, gave Doppler a gentle smile and slipped her hand free of his hold. She didn't miss the slight tightening of his muscles just before it disappeared from both her hand and shoulder. Amelia made her way around her desk and across the room to grab the metal handle of the door. Not locked, Amelia simply pulled the door towards herself.

"I assume you have an excuse for your-" Once again, her words were interrupted.

Standing on the other side of the oak door was indeed Mr. Hawkins, but the young teen was crushed into the side of a larger body, mouth covered by the pawlike hand, fingers desperately trying to pull it away, and looking at her with wide blue eyes of terror. Mr. Silver, the Legacy's cook for the voyage, was standing tall before the doorway. A sneer on his bear-like face, teeth showing as he stared down at her, not fazed by the struggling teen in his grasp. Behind them both was the rest of the crew, giving her almost the same looks of triumph, holding the weapons that had been locked in the armory. Amelia felt her blood run cold at the very sight, her heart skipping a beat for an entirely different reason, and the only evidence of slight fear given was the widening of her eyes.

"Jim!" Doppler gasped from across the room behind her.

The hunk of hardware that replaced Silver's right arm lifted from his side and transformed into a laser flintlock in the span of a second. The barrel of the weapon pointed at the tip of her nose, and she heard the click of the safety being released. Her ears tucked into the side of her head, hair falling over the tips, and didn't dare to remove her eyes from Silver's.

"I be afraid that grub is goin' t' be a bit late, ma'am." The cyborg eye of his shifted from its usual gold to a bloody red as he and the crew snickered.