Sunlight

13: Home

High fiving Silver, Jim jumped off the solar surfer, meeting with the peanut gallery.

"Didn't I say the lad had greatness in him!"

Amelia, Nova, Silver, Doppler, B.E.N. and Morph were crowding around him, congratulating Jim on a job well done.

"Ludicrous, but effective. I would be proud to recommend you to the Interstellar Academy. They could use a man like you!" Words like that coming from hard, angry Captain Amelia brought a wide grin to Jim's face.

"Wait until your mother hears about this!" Doppler said, then paused, re-thinking his words. "Uh, but we'll leave out all the life threatening parts." Jim laughed and nodded in agreement.

B.E.N. ran up to Jim and wrapped his arms around the boy, picking him and up and throwing him around excitedly. "I know you don't like hugging, but get ready 'cause I'm gonna hug ya!" Jim not only tolerated the hug, but shocked the robot by being flung around and hugged back. "You hugged me BACK. I-I promised myself I wouldn't cry." B.E.N. wept dramatically, earning an eye-roll from everyone on board.

Everyone, that is, except John Silver.

Jim made his way into the haul, watching a sneaky Long John Silver detach a long boat from its ropes.

"You never quit, do you?"

Morph and Silver jumped at the sound of Jim's voice. "Ah, Jimbo! We were just, uh, making sure our last longboat was safe and secure!" To emphasize the lie, he loosely tied to the longboat back into place.

Jim came up and inspected the boat, untying then retying the rope more tightly. "There you have it!"

Silver chuckled. "I've taught you too well." They stared at each other before he continued. "Look, we'd like avoid being imprisoned. You see, little Morphy being in a cage…" Silver clutched Morph gently into his robotic hand. "It would break his little heart."

Jim was now the one snickering. He glanced between them and the lever, making a final decision. Pulling the lever down, the hatch slowly but surely opened up beneath them.

This relieved Silver. "What say ya ship out with us! Sail with us! Have no ties to anyone!" Morph turned into a tricorn hat and sat upon Jim's head.

"You know, when I first got onto this boat I would have taken that up in a heartbeat…" Jim took Morph off, who turned back into his original form. "But then, uh, I met this old cyborg. Who taught me… to chart my own course. And that's just what I'll do."

Silver looked sadly at the boy. "And whatta ya see, off that bow of yours?"

"A future."

They stared once again at each other, hurt and sadness lining their eyes.

"You're gonna rattle the stars, ya are." All Silver saw in front of him was a young man, once a boy, biting his lip to hold back his tears. Crawling into the longboat, he looked at Jim one last time, then looked to Morph. "Morphy, I gotta job for ya. I want you to look after this here pup." Jim looked genuinely confused, as did the pink blob. Morph chirped in protest. Choking up, Silver said, "Could you do me that f-favor?"

Morph flew to Jim's shoulder, and Jim took that as a sign to lower the boat.

"Oh, one more thing!" The pirate reached into his pocket and threw up some treasure. "This is to help your mother rebuild her inn!"

Jim caught the treasure, smiling meekly at the pirate. "Stay out of the trouble, ya old scalawag."

"Jimbo, when have I ever done otherwise!" And his boat flew off, his laughter trailing behind him.

"Jim!"

The boy had made his way to the upper deck, leaning over the railing, looking out at the stars. He turned around at the sound of the sweet soprano voice he'd gotten so used to at this point. Though what his eyes saw caught him off guard.

She'd changed clothes. Now she wore a camo green skirt that touched mid-thigh, a lime green over the shoulder long sleeved shirt and underneath that a brown tank top, still decking her black boots and waist-length black braid.

"Uh… hey, Nova. You, uh, changed."

"Yeah, girls aren't too fond of wearing clothes smelling of exploding planets." She shrugged nonchalantly, coming to stand beside him. "It's really strange."

He laughed at her mild attempt at humor. Then he looked away from her and at the stars once more.

She stared alongside him. "You know, when we first met, and I was to stay onto this boat until I had fully recovered, I would have loved nothing more than to be back out there, with the stars."

Jim glanced at her briefly. "And now?"

Her sea green eyes searched his blue hues. "My plans have definitely changed."

At first, he didn't understand. But as he kept staring at her, the meaning traced all over her face. He felt himself leaning toward her, and she mimicked his actions.

"JIM! JIM WE'RE HOME!" Doppler screeched at the boy from a floor below.

"UGH!" Jim rolled his head back and growled.

Nova laughed. "Go. Attend to your gatherers, young hero."

The RLS Legacy landed at the Space Port and Jim ran off to embrace his beautiful mother.

And so ended their adventure.

And so ends my story. At least this one. We continue onto Jim and Nova's adventures at the Interstellar Academy. Stay tuned!