Chapter One: Homecoming

/\/\/\

"Oh Delbert, It's beautiful!" Sarah cried as she looked at the simple but sterling, white gold diamond ring with a shine of blue topaz' accenting the perfectly sized diamond in the middle of the ring.

"Really?" Delbert said a wide smile growing on his face. "You think she'll like it?"

"Delbert she is going to love it." Sarah said as she put the engagement ring back into its small box and handed it to Delbert, who placed it safely in his coat pocket.

"I hope so. Sarah I've never felt about anyone the way I do Amelia. I mean there's just something about her; well there are actually many things about her but I – "

"I know. I felt the same with Leland once upon a time." Sarah said with a strange smile on her face.

"I've just never felt about anyone the way I do Amelia."

"You said that Delbert… you're in love."

Delbert sat in silence smiling. At the moment his life seemed to be going perfect.

"I really don't know what I'd do without her." He said thoughtfully.

"You've said that before." Sarah said kindly. "But this time I think you're right. You two are perfect for each other. Complete opposites, but ideal for one other."

"Thank you." Delbert said, and upon realizing what time it was bid farewell to Sarah and left for his home.

His thoughts on his was home were nothing but happy, with the slight tinge of uncertainty, as anyone would have when readying to as someone to marry them. When Delbert finally arrived home it was to the smiling face of Amelia.

"Goodness!" Delbert exclaimed as he entered his study only to find Amelia sitting in a large armchair, who looked up at him, smiling at his arrival. Delbert walked quickly over and hugged her. Amelia held him close to her as well. "I wasn't expecting you back for another two weeks."

"Well, we were able to pass through Uralian space without any sort of confrontation so that cut off a week of useless arguments and time biding. So… I thought it'd be nice if I came back a little early."

"Well, I'm glad you did." Delbert said kissing her deeply. He really had missed her very much while she was gone off on some expedition to the Anteries System. She had been gone for almost three months. In two years this was the longest time they had been apart. On voyages this long Delbert had normally accompanied Amelia, but this time there were things at home that he had to attend to; Work, research, picking out an engagement ring, things of that nature.

"So where were you? I got back here thinking you'd have been home from the university already." Amelia said as she sat next to Delbert on the couch in front of the fire she had set.

"You expected that I would be sitting here waiting hopelessly for your return?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Amelia said with a devilish smile.

"Hush darling." Delbert said passing another kiss to his love and taking a seat on the couch, motioning for her to join him. "I was down at the inn visiting Sarah. Like I said I wasn't expecting you home yet, even with your voyage ending early I'd thought you would have all sorts of – "

"Darling you make it sound as if my coming home early is a bit unwelcome." Amelia said taking off her naval overcoat, laying it over the edge of the couch and snuggled into Delbert's chest.

"No I – Well, what I meant to say was – I actually – "

"Has anyone ever told you that you speak far too much?" Amelia said slyly.

"You tell me at least once a month." Delbert said smiling, gently running his finger through her hair. "But I really have missed you Amelia."

"I've missed you too darling." Amelia said looking him deep in the eyes, something different showing through. A longing that hadn't seemed to be there before. Amelia moved up and kissed him deeply.

/\/\/\

Antics from the previous night had led up to the bedroom, where Amelia lay nestled in Delbert's shoulder. Delbert looked at the clock on the wall opposite him and saw that it read seven o'clock. He gently moved his arm out from under Amelia, who shifted into a different comfortable position under the covers. He kissed her softly on the forehead and admired her sleeping form for a few moments before getting out of bed himself.

Delbert put his robe on walked down to the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee. He would let Amelia sleep until whenever she woke up. She was like this whenever she came back from a long voyage. Overcome with stress and exhaustion, she always slept the next day until about noon, when she would awake, stunned at how late she had slept. Delbert found it an endearing feature in her.

Before Amelia, he would never be awake as early as nine unless he needed to be. His waking hours consisted of the afternoon, ending in the very early hours of the morning. Now he would still be working on who knows what, from god knows where, into the very early hours of the morning, but not sleeping into the late hours of the day. He smiled at the thought that most spacers caught up on so much missed sleep in one day after so much work.

Delbert sat alone in the kitchen drinking his coffee, watching the change in weather. The day before it had been somewhat annoyingly bright and sunny out. Not that a sunny day wasn't a good thing, but this weather was so calming to him during the day. A Calming wind blew outside, dark and light storm clouds rolling in from all directions. It wasn't raining yet, but the clouds threatened to as thunder sounded in the far distance. True, at night this weather didn't aid at all in the work of an astrophysicist, but during the day it was peaceful.

After a while Delbert made his way back to the bedroom where he supposed Amelia still lay sleeping. His suspicions not betraying him, he closed the door behind him, attempting to not let in any of the daylight in from the rest of the house, as to not wake Amelia.

"You'd have done a better job not waking me by just staying in bed, love." Amelia said softly from the bed.

"I'm sorry I woke you." He said walking to the edge of the bed and sat down, taking Amelia's hand in his.

"You can apologize by getting back into bed with me." She said smiling sleepily at him. Delbert only obliged by sliding back under the covers next to her, taking her in his arms. Amelia's from formed to his own, reveling in the warmth of his body.

"Mmm… I could stay like this all day." Amelia sighed.

"You don't have work to do?" Delbert said, a drop of hope hanging in his voice.

"I do. But it will just have to wait." She said somberly.

"Such a thing you wouldn't normally hear escape from the mouth of the infamous Captain Amelia."

The thunder of the storm off in the distance had seemed to blow even closer. A soft rain could be heard outside as well as the howl of the wind becoming stronger.

"Don't leave again." Amelia said quietly. "Stay here with me."

A flash of lightning illuminated the sky through the shade of the drapes covering the window.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Delbert said and placed a soft kiss on her lips before they both drifted off into a somber rest. Not necessarily sleep but just lying quietly with one another listening to the growing storm outside.