Doctor Delbert Doppler pulled his faded red coat around himself tighter and looked for shelter along the docks of the spaceport. For a construction so large that it barely needed its own artificial gravity generators, it suddenly seemed to be severely limited.
"Not much of a port in a storm," Doppler muttered to himself, and hoisting his satchel higher on his shoulder. He tried to put up his small umbrella but the blast of thrust from a ship passing at low altitude, sails heavy with water, took it out of his hands and hurled it over the edge. He watched it go and wondered sourly what was going to go wrong next. Rain was pelting down around him. Montressor's star had entered its high solar phase, unleashing flares into the local area of space. When they reached the planet they were deflected by the natural magnetic fields, creating brilliant auroras at the poles. But the spaceport had deliberately been built beyond the field ranges to avoid the havoc they played with ships' compasses, and when the ionised particles hit the field created by its gravity generators they span off into intricate vortices, drawing in particles of hydrogen and oxygen from the aetherium and forging them together into water. It was rain from a cloudless sky. The bedraggled astrophysicist understood the technicalities of the phenomenon better than most, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He wouldn't even be here at all if he didn't have what he considered to be the best reason in the galaxy to be anywhere. A couple of stevedores ran past him, feet raising splashes from the puddled ground. Well, one of them was slithering, but his companion had enough feet to make up for his shortfall.
"I say! I say, excuse me! Is there anywhere I could get out of this?" Doppler called after them. One of them paused to gesture with a tentacle. Doppler squinted in that direction, sighed, and picked his way past the stacks of crates and barrels until he found an empty shipping container, one side hanging open. Gratefully, he stepped inside and, as he tended to do when soaked to the skin, shook himself.
"Och, do you mind?"
He looked around in surprise as saw the other occupant of the container, a dockyard official wearing a cocked hat many times too large.
"I'm terribly sorry," Doppler apologised. "I didn't see you there."
"Clearly." The officer wiped his forehead. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"Ah, trying to stay out of the rain?"
"I mean here, as in the spaceport. Didn't you see the stellar forecasts?"
"Young man, I write the stellar forecasts," Doppler drew himself up and tried to look as impressive as he could whilst water was still dripping from the tips of his ears.
"So you really should have known better, then." The officer blew his nose on his scarf. "You're not Doppler, are you? Delbert Doppler?"
"Doctor Delbert Doppler, to you," said Doppler. " , , . And who are you?"
"I think you need a few more vowels before that last part'll make sense," said the young man, ignoring the question. "Only reason I ask is that we got a message for you. Someone knew you'd be here."
"What? Who could that be?" Doppler's curiosity got the better of his irritation.
"Superluminal signal from an incoming ship. I've got it here somewhere..." the official rifled through his clipboard. "Ah, here we go. Priority message from RLS Legacy. Message reads: Try to keep dry. Expect me soon."
"Ah...really?"
"Sounds like your ship's coming in, Doctor."
"Oh, yes...yes, indeed. Well, not my ship, obviously, or I'd be on it. But the ship I'm waiting for."
"Well, she's due in soon. Any time now, really." The official checked his pocket watch. "Only you're in the wrong place."
"I am?"
"This is Berth 302. Legacy is due into Berth 22."
Doppler sighed. "And I imagine that'll be a very long way away from here, am I right?"
"I could tell you it's only ten minutes away...or I could tell you the truth." The officer looked at him sympathetically. "Here. You'd better take one of these."
He reached behind him and pulled out an empty sack, which he tossed to Doppler, who caught it and looked bemused. The officer gestures pulling it on over his head and nodded encouragingly. Doppler sighed again, did his best, and stepped back into the rain. He looked left and right for a moment before turned back to his companion.
"Uh, if you wouldn't mind terribly pointing me-"

The official pointed to the left. Doppler nodded and set off. The rain drummed on the sack, sounding strangely distant to his ears. The occasional large drip fell from the edge of the sack onto his nose, causing it to twitch. Painted numbers on the pavement counted down irritatingly slowly, but they eventually fell into double digits. He paused for breath under a crate which had been propped up between two others and looked up at the darkening sky. The spaceport had passed around to the night side of Montressor, giving a view into space as good as any. Shielded by the planet from the sun's wrath, the rain began slackening noticeably. Doppler wiped the lenses of his round glasses and looked into the sky. It was easy to miss, but what he saw there was enough to make his heart skip. A point of light was moving against the backdrop of stars. It could only be her. He took a deep breath and hurried on down the dockside until the painted signs underfoot read 22.
"Keep clear, please, sir."
A spaceport official stepped out of the shadows and stopped him. Doppler stared at the oversized hat until the penny dropped.
"You? Weren't you hiding in that container up near Berth 302?"
"Yep."
"How did you get here?"
"Service bus. Runs express down the second tier passageway."
Doppler glared. "And you didn't think to tell me about that, even though you knew I was coming here?"
"No, sir, you seemed determined to get here yourself."
"Well, I hope you had your fun." Doppler took off the sack and shook himself unapologetically. The official demurely shielded his face with a clipboard and turned to a crowd of dockhands, barking orders that scattered them around the berth, where they began doing industrious things with ropes. Doppler gritted his teeth and looked up. It amazed even him how quickly what he saw made him relax.
"There she is..." he breathed.
A clipper was coming in under full solar sail, the white spreads glowing in the last of the sun and the light of the ship's navigation lamps. Her ivory hull seemed to shine with its own luminescence and the gold trimming of her railings and ornamentation shone a deeper copper in the sunset. Even though he was no spacer, Doppler was impressed at the way the ship handled. As she made the last turn in towards the spaceport, tiny figures sprang to life across her upper masts, furling the sails efficiently and tying them down. Pulses of light flared from the ship's stern as she rode her thrusters in on the final approach. Her Imperial Majesty's Royal Light-Ship Legacy was a sight to move even the least poetic of landlubbers.
"Steady now!" shouted the dock officer. "Stand by to receive lines!"
The ship was close enough now to read the name Legacy, proudly emblazoned on her sweeping bows. The last of the sails was brought in as she began coasting, decelerating slowly. A final burst of fire from her thrusters brought her to a halt directly above Berth 22. Orders could be heard being shouted on her deck and crewmen appeared at the railings, dropping mooring lines over the side to the dockhands. Doppler watched with genuine admiration on his face, all the greater for knowing the skill behind that impeccable ship-handling.
"Tie her up properly, now!" called the officer. "Make her steady! Haul in those after lines properly there!"
The ship was now descending slowly, but her back end was slightly higher than her bow. The dockhands gripped the lines dropped from the stern and began heaving together until the trip was corrected.
"Hold her there! Tie her off and prepare to receive the gangway!"
A section of Legacy's rail was hinged back and a group of crewmen began lowering a wooden walkway towards the ground. Dockhands took hold of the trailing ropes and guided it into place. The official turned to Doppler.
"You can approach now, sir. Just stand clear as we offload her. You'll be on board in a jiffy."
"On board?" Doppler watched the gangway being secured.
"Captain's invited you on board. It was in the message. Didn't I tell you?"
Doppler bit back a reply and decided to just count his blessings, which suddenly seemed very close. The ship was right above them, tilting gently in the low stellar breeze and making the ropes creak where they ran down to the dock. The official straightened his massive hat and extracted a pen from behind his ear.
"Come on, then. Follow me."
Montressan regulations prevented anyone leaving a newly-arrived ship before inspection could take place- an inconvenient holdover from the First Procyon War half-heartedly retained as a guard against piracy. Doppler had never understood why any determined pirates would remain aboard their ship just because they were told to, and he fancied that he had more experience with pirates than whoever had written the regulation. He followed the official up the gangway, gazing along the sleek white hull of the ship so intently that he almost ran into the man's back when he stopped at the top of the gangway. The official touched the tip of his hat, an exercise which involved stretching his arm out almost completely.
"Commissioner Mott, Spaceport Control. Request permission to come aboard ship, Captain?"
"Permission granted, Mr. Mott. Welcome aboard."
Doppler's heart skipped a few beats at the new voice. It was clipped and efficient, and impeccably pronounced every syllable of every word. He'd missed that voice so much and he couldn't help the whisper that passed his lips.
Amelia...
It was a whisper of relief as much as anticipation. Doppler's faith in her spacing abilities was total, but he knew all too well that there were hazards in the void that even she could not overcome and it was always a dark thought at the back of his mind when she was away that she might encounter one. He'd never admitted it to her, but every time she went away, after about two weeks, he would suffer a recurring nightmare of seeing the Legacy come into port without her aboard. Always the same nightmare. He pictured himself waiting on the dockside, watching one sailor after another disembark, until there was nobody left, and then boarding the ship by himself and wandering the empty passageways looking for her and knowing she wasn't there to be found...
He shook himself and smiled. Such thoughts as that could now be put aside. She was here. He followed Mott onto the desk, daring to glance up at Legacy's bridge. His heart skipped even faster at the sight of the slender figure standing there, clad in blue and gold. Mott tipped his hat to her.
"Welcome to Montressor, Captain Amelia."
"Thank you, Mr. Mott. It's a pleasure to be here." Amelia glanced up, caught Doppler's eye and gave him a brief but genuine smile that left his heart doing laps of his chest. She turned and walked down to the deck, producing a rolled document from behind her back.
"Our letter of trade, Mr. Mott. All cargo present and accounted for. Five tons of dried Tarhelian starsquids, four crates of Chalcid porcelain, three holds of astrajute, two of solar crystals and a partridge in a pear tree."
"Er, I don't have that last item on the inventory, Captain..." Mott rummaged on his clipboard hurriedly. Amelia rolled her eyes.
"Oh, not to worry. Is the rest there?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Good. Consider it all arrived."
"Very good, captain." Mott took her papers and compared them to the copies on his clipboard. He seemed to be taking a long time about it. Not that Doppler minded. From where he was standing, off to one side near the port laser carronade, he had a rather good profile view of Amelia. It was always a pleasing profile, but never more so than when she was still in what Doppler liked to think of as her official guise. There was something about the way she held her head high, shoulders back, and her tricorn hat covering the best of that auburn hair. He became aware of the small smile on his face, which only broadened when Amelia looked sideways and caught his gaze. Mott must have noticed because he coughed and waved a hand in the direction of Doppler, who had opened his satchel and was rummaging through the contents as if taking inventory, making a series of small clanking noises as he did so.
"Oh, right, yes. I passed your message on, Captain. This is-"
"I think I can guess, Mr. Mott, thank you. I only requested the presence of one astrophysicist and I highly doubt that there are more than that around this port." Amelia nodded curtly and looked over to Doppler, giving absolutely no indication that she recognised him from a bar of soap. "Doctor Doppler, I presume?"
Doppler couldn't hide the smile at the memories of their first meeting. Amelia had a better poker face, and only someone who knew her well could have seen the laughter in her green eyes.
"The one and only," he replied. "It's an honour to meet you, Captain Amelia."
"Yes. It is, isn't it." she said. Those green eyes were almost singing. "I'm pleased to have you aboard, Doctor. I'll be with you directly."
"Of course, Captain." Doppler was impressed. If you didn't know, you'd swear she had never seen him before in her life. Amelia turned back to Mott.
"Are we done here, Commissioner? I don't like my crew being left to idle when there's a cargo to be unloaded."
Mott scribbled something on his papers and nodded.
"All done, Captain. Thank you."
"Yes." Amelia turned to the bridge. "You heard the Commissioner, Mr. Pike! Empty the holds!"
The first officer saluted. "Aye aye, Captain! Quartermaster, get your hands moving! Sharply now!"
"Aye, sir!"
Doppler stood back again and tried not to get in the way as spacers ran back and forth. Even Mott suffered the indignity of his hat being knocked sideways, and eventually off completely. It was trampled underfoot before he was able to retrieve it, leaving it so badly out of shape that Doppler saw him grimace and stick it under his arm instead. A shadow passed overhead, causing Doppler to duck instinctively, as a crate was swung outboard and lowered to the dockside. Amid all the chaos, only Amelia seemed unperturbed. It wasn't that she was avoiding the hustle and the obstacles, it was just that she conspired to never be in the same place as them and so proceeded as if they weren't there.
"Doctor?" she called. "Perhaps you'd be more comfortable on the bridge? Mr. Mott, I take it you're all right here."
Mott rammed his misshapen hat back on his head. "Er, actually, with all due respect, captain...I think I should return to the docks to oversee my men there."
"Suit yourself," said Amelia. "Doctor, would you care to follow me?"
It was certainly quieter on the bridge. Doppler followed Amelia at a suitably respectful distance.
"Sorry for all the bother," she said. "Rather goes with the territory, I'm afraid. Allow me to introduce my first officer, Doctor. This is Mr. Pike. Mr. Pike, this is Dr. Doppler."
Pike was a young man in a freshly-starched Midshipman's uniform who greeted Doppler with enthusiasm, sweeping off his hat and bowing, revealing a mass of dirty blonde hair tied back in a regulation queue. Doppler offered his hand, which was shaken eagerly enough to threaten to dislodge his glasses.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Doctor. I read your last work on supernovic collapsars in the Academy, especially the section on the frequency of early formative pulses in the accretion disc. I can't imagine how you got close enough to one to write about the surface fluctuations in such detail!"
"Oh, er, well, I had some help, of course." Doppler grinned at Amelia and tried to massage some life back into his hand. Pike didn't notice.
"Well, in my opinion that paper should be mandatory reading for astronavigators," said Pike. "I wrote my final examination on the subject of astrophysical fundamentals to stellar navigation. I think I read everything you've ever written!"
"Oh, er...really?" Doppler was somewhat wrong-footed. He had met other academics before, of course, and more students than he really cared to remember. But this was the first time he had ever met anyone who could be described as a fan.
"In fact, sir, have you thought of submitting any work directly to the Academy? Because I had one or two thoughts about-"
"Yes, thank you, Mr. Pike," said Amelia, cutting him off. "That was an introduction, not an invitation."
Pike looked suitably chastised and lowered his head, a thumb and forefinger nervously rubbing one of his white collar tabs. "Yes, ma'am."
"I think the Quartermaster could do with another pair of eyes in the forward hold, Mr. Pike. Even if he has got three already. That cargo of porcelains. I don't want any breakages."
"Yes, ma'am. Right away." Pike saluted and darted off the bridge.
"He's keen," said Doppler, after he had gone.
"That's one word for it," said Amelia.
"Well, I hope he at least lasts longer than the last couple of first officers you've had. It seems like every trip you've had a new one."
"They come and go." Amelia sighed. "Not because of me, I'm glad to say. But the powers that be in the Admiralty think that this is the best way of getting the newcomers some experience. All the small ships like mine operating in the Fleet Reserve have been stuck with a revolving door of Midshipmen. As if it wasn't bad enough that we're on cargo runs more often than patrols these days."
"Government-chartered runs, though," said Doppler. "It's the only way to break the shipping cartels. You remember what it was like even a couple of years ago, the mark-ups on everything were tantamount to piracy."
"Still...it's not exactly why I joined the Navy. And to have Academy pups serving as first officers...it's not like the old days."
"No...no, I imagine it wouldn't be." Doppler still felt on shaky ground around the topic of first officers.
"They're pushing them out the door so fast these days. Half-trained, inexperienced neophytes, sending them to postings on any ship with a vacancy just to fast-track them." Amelia shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder if I was right to recommend young Mr. Hawkins to the Academy."
"I think Jim can handle anything," said Doppler. "It must be the border business with Procyon. And since the stories about Treasure Planet got out, every pirate in the galaxy is combing the Empire for it. Even if it was blown to subatomic particles. Everyone seems to have overlooked that part, really."
"They do seem rather optimistic, don't they? Personally I don't mind what they do, so long as they keep away from our ships. Which they don't, of course. Spacescum that they are." Amelia's lip curled contemptuously.
"There's the explanation, then." Doppler watched Pike disappear through a hatchway and found himself feeling sorry for the young man. "The Navy must need as many officers as it can get."
"It's still not right," said Amelia. "My Second Officer spent most of the voyage bedridden with spacesickness. He's still down there even now. And the whole point of a First Officer is that the Captain should be able to trust them with the ship so they don't have to do it all themselves."
Doppler looked at her and was suddenly struck by how tired she was. You had to be up close and you had to be searching for it and you had to know her, but it was there, around the eyes and in her bearing. A certain sensation that behind the formidable wall of authority with which she surrounded herself, there was something being stretched so far that it was imperceptibly fraying around the edges. Doppler wondered just how much strength she had...and how good she was at putting those walls and facades between herself and the world.
"Are..." he dropped his voice, knowing that Amelia wouldn't want a question like this asked in public at all, even with his good intentions, "Are you all right?"
"Of course." She raised her chin. "We got here eventually. And on schedule."
"Yes...you certainly did." Doppler checked his pocket watch. "To the minute, practically."
"Ah? Perhaps I should do better next time."
"Oh, no, I didn't mean that." His eyes widened as he searched his sentences for any more of his verbal slip-ups.
"I know, Doctor. I know." Amelia gave him a small smile. "Permit me a small exercise of my sense of humour. The opportunities in the last few weeks have been rather limited. At least, without having had to draw a picture afterwards to explain it."
"I wouldn't have thought you'd ever be short of an excuse to use that wit of yours," Doppler permitted himself a grin. "And it's always been crystal clear to me."
"Oh, you know. One does what one can." Amelia moved the edge of the bridge and motioned Doppler to join her. Below the railing, out of sight of the crew on the deck, their hands found each other. Doppler sighed happily and he even felt some of the tension go out of Amelia's stance.
"It's so good to see you again, Delbert," she murmured.
"And to see you," he said softly. "I've missed you."
She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I'm here now." There was a pause. "And you're...soaking wet."
"Yes, I...I'm sorry about that. There was a solar storm just before you arrived, and I managed to lose my umbrella." Doppler smiled apologetically.
"Ah, well. Not to worry." Amelia patted his hand. "Didn't I tell you to stay dry?"
"Yes, I got your message." Doppler sighed ruefully. "A fraction of an hour too late, but I promise you that it's an order I'd have taken great pleasure in following."
"Now that I come to mention it, you have an interesting scent about you, too..."
"Yes, I'm afraid I lost my umbrella, so I was wearing a sack..."
"That sounds rather compromising."
"Well, it wasn't the only thing I was wearing!"
She tutted softly. "Forgive my sense of humour again, Doctor..." Amelia looked sideways for e moment. "As well as my imagination."
Doppler coughed. "Whatever you're imagining, I hope it doesn't necessitate quite so much precipitation."
"My poor Doctor." Amelia gave him a sympathetic look. "Perhaps we'll have to find a way to dry- watch those shrouds, you bat-blind sub-moron!"
Doppler was impressed. Even while they had been talking quietly she hadn't lost her grip on everything that was happening on her ship. The unfortunate crewman that had been the target for her wrath blanched.
"Don't forget - any damage to the cargo comes off our commission, which means your wages! Do you hear me?"
"Yes, Captain!"
Amelia turned back to Doppler and softened her tone again. "I'm sorry about that...I wish I could do more for us right now, but..."
"I understand." It was Doppler's turn to squeeze her hand comfortingly. "I'll be here. I'm not going to give up on four weeks of waiting just in the last half-hour. You're still the Captain."
Amelia smiled. "Thank you...I'll try to make this as efficient as possible."
Doppler smiled back. "You always do."
Amelia touched his hand again and turned away, striding down from the bridge, every inch the captain again.
"Keep those lines straight! Can't you see where they're twisting? You there, I'll not stand for idling! If you've nothing to do, something can be arranged! Gun captain, I want both carronades stowed and muzzled! They're your responsibility, you know. And hammer the tampions in properly this time, or I'll hammer them in somewhere else of yours, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Painfully so," murmured Doppler. He watched her from the bridge, moving with absolute certainty around the deck, ordering, encouraging, castigating. No detail was too small to escape her notice. There was no hint of tiredness in her now. Doppler watched her go, and wrung out the heavy cuffs of his coat over the bridge railing. A splash of water caught a crewman on the head and he looked up in irritation to see Doppler whistling innocently, both hands behind his back. The Doctor looked down and pretended to notice him.
"Strange, uh...strange weather we're having, isn't it?"
The spacer grunted and bustled off. Doppler breathed out and returned his gaze to the blue-clad figure now moving near the bows. Even though his heart and mind were racing, and he meant what he said about not giving up on the last half-hour of their long wait, he knew that the last half-hour was always the longest.

"All crew present and correct, Mr. Pike?"
Amelia expected an immediate answer. When she didn't get one she looked sideways and had to contain a look of disgust at the sight of Pike obviously counting the crew one by one as they stood to attention in ranks in front of the bridge, duffel bags on the deck beside them. If it had been anything but the end of a long day, she would have followed that up with a cutting remark like, today, if you please, Mr. Pike, or don't tell me you've managed to lose one of them, Mr. Pike. But it was the end of many long days and she couldn't be bothered.
"All present and correct, Captain," Pike replied, eventually.
"Very good, Mr. Pike. Mr. Lockwright, do you concur?"
The Second Officer, still looking green around the face, nodded carefully, as if afraid that his head would fall off.
"Very well, then." She turned back to the crew and raised her head. "That concludes our business today, gentlemen. You are dismissed."
There was a cheer. Finally released from the discipline of the voyage, the crew celebrated and scrambled to be the first down the gangway onto the docks. Amelia watched them go and then turned to her two junior officers.
"You can leave as well, Mr. Pike. And you, Mr. Lockwright."
"Yes, Captain." Pike saluted. "Thank you, Captain. And may I say, it's been a pleasure to sail under your command."
"You may, Mr. Pike." Amelia nodded and turned back to look up to Doppler, who had been watching from one of the bridge wings. "Thank you for your patience, Doctor. I'll be with you momentarily."
"Take your time," said Doppler.
Amelia smiled and turned back. "Mr. Pike, you're still here. I have to stay behind to write my report, but if I'm not mistaken you are now at liberty."
"Yes, Captain, I...I was just wondering...your report on my conduct..."
"Will contain only the facts, Mr. Pike. Have you done anything wrong during this voyage?"
"No, Captain! At least, I hope not."
"You think I wouldn't have made it abundantly clear if you had? You have nothing to fear from my report, Mr. Pike."
"Thank you, Captain." Pike saluted.
"Make the most of your shore leave, Mr. Pike."
"Yes, Captain." He heaved his bag over his shoulder and followed Lockwright down the side of the ship. Amelia watched them until they were out of sight, and then sighed. She took off her tricorn hat and Doppler watched her shake out her hair before putting it back on. He made his way down to the deck. Amelia was already moving to her stateroom.
"Do step this way, Doctor," she smiled. He smiled back and followed her, heart pounding until she closed the polished walnut door behind her. They stood facing one another for a long moment before their patience ended and they fell into each other's arms. They spoke in hurried whispers, delivered into each other's shoulder, neck and hair.
"I've missed you so much, Amelia, my love."
"Oh, Delbert...I've missed you, too. More than I can put into words."
"And knowing your vocabulary, that must mean it was quite a lot." He smiled.
Amelia chuckled and stroked his cheek with a white-gloved hand. "A positively indescribable plenitude."
Doppler took her hand in his and ran his fingers over the soft fabric. He met her eyes, which were still tired but now had a new shine to them. She took his free hand in hers and they unconsciously moved a step closer to each other by mutual agreement. Their noses touched. Despite the anticipation written on both their faces, there was a hesitancy, a desire not to spoil a moment long-awaited and much-desired by doing anything inappropriate. Amelia saw the concern in Doppler's eyes. He saw the care in hers. Their lips brushed, a light touch that was nowhere near a kiss. But that boundary crossed, they met again and again, building into something heartfelt and passionate that resulted in Amelia's hat falling unnoticed to the floor. Doppler closed his eyes and lost himself in the kiss, feeling the warm softness of her lips, and the gentle caresses of her fingers through his hair. Amelia felt his hands on her back, holding her close. Their breathing seemed to fill the silence as the cabin walls felt like they closed in to protect them.
"Oh, Amelia..." Doppler sighed.
"Delbert..." Amelia rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him.
"I really have missed you." Doppler nuzzled her, enjoying the scent of her hair. How she kept it so fresh in space he never knew. She luxuriated in his touch and clutched his coat in her hands, ignoring the dampness. Despite the soaking, he still smelled like he always did- a mix of old-fashioned cologne, dust, papers and the smoke from the fireplace in his library. It was a homely, comforting smell, unlike anything she had ever encountered in space.
"Just like I've missed you. Every blasted, distant day I've missed you."
Doppler sighed. "Yet strangely...even though so many days felt like they would never end...right now, it's as if they didn't matter."
He held her closer. "If anything is worth the wait, Amelia, it's you."
"Oh...I might have some competition." Amelia flicked one of his floppy ears fondly. His glasses had been knocked askew at some point in their embrace and she delicately set them right. Doppler smiled.
"I beg to differ, Captain. With all due respect."
Amelia kissed him lightly and stepped back to pick up her hat, which she hung on the wall. "I'm not the Captain, now," she said. Doppler watched her undo the brass buttons fastening her blue coat, and then stretch gratefully, rising onto her toes, her back curving as she yawned. Her expressive ears flicked once or twice as she turned around. "And I'm rather glad of the fact."
"I don't think I can ever stop thinking of you as the Captain so long as you're on board this ship."
"I'll have to cure you of that delusion, Doctor," Amelia grinned, raising a perfect eyebrow. "Is it the uniform that's causing it? Because I can remove that easily enough..."
Doppler coughed and blushed. She was so often seen in her coat that seeing her without it felt rather daring already, even if she was still perfectly well-dressed in a long shirt, fastened up past her neck, and a pristine white waistcoat with small silver buttons. "Yes, well, I'm sure you could..."
Amelia winked and hung her long blue coat next to her hat. She opened the collar of her shirt and the top button of her waistcoat and moved behind her desk. Doppler had hung his red jacket on a hook behind the door. Turning to the middle of the room he approached and put his satchel down on the edge of the desk. There was a telltale clink, and Amelia looked up.
"Was that...crockery I just heard?"
"Hmm. Maybe a little." Doppler drew a couple of gold leaf-edged plates from the bag, as well as some paper-wrapped packages. Amelia laughed.
"Is this dinner, Doctor? How considerate!"
"Dinner, and drinks, thank you," Doppler waved a small foil-topped bottle and a pair of fluted glasses. Amelia sat forward, resting her chin on her hands, smiling as she watched.
"You really are very considerate, Delbert," she said.
"Well, I was hungry." Doppler pulled up a spare chair. "And it'll make a nice change for me not be eating alone..."
There was a pause as the realisation of a significant truth set in.
"Yes...yes, it will be for me, too," Amelia murmured. "A very nice change."
Doppler was surprised. "I'm sorry...I just assumed...I mean, you're on a ship with so many others..."
"Yes, but I'm the Captain." Amelia took the glass that Doppler offered her. "There are protocols...the Captain can't eat with the common crew. But the officers take their meals in the wardroom, and the Captain can only enter the wardroom by invitation. I used to do that...before...but when the only company would have been Pike and Lockwright? No...even if they had invited me I don't know that I would have gone."
Doppler watched her eyes, which suddenly looked very tired again.
"I see a lot of people every day, of course. And talk to a lot of people...well...I give orders to a lot of people. But that's not the same thing. Even with the officers, even with the best of officers, it's hard to forget about rank and position."
"I imagine officers would set great store by that sort of thing." Doppler spoke softly as he spread out the food he had brought. Some of it had been slightly squashed, and some of it was slightly damp, but Amelia wasn't really looking at anything right now.
"We do, don't we," she said quietly, before shaking her head as if suddenly awaking. Her ears, which had started sinking back, perked up with interest. "Anyway, Doctor, what do we have here?"
"Tea, cakes, the whole shebang," Doppler grinned. "Well, tea, anyway. And a little champagne from my cellar. And that actually used to be a cake, but it appears to be more of a pancake right now...I think the chicken was resting on it."
"Not to worry. I'm sure it'll taste just fine." Amelia took a piece of cold chicken and put it on her plate with some salad Doppler produced from a terracotta pot. "Did you prepare it yourself?"
Doppler looked down. "Well...some of it. Although I had to ask Mrs. Hawkins to prepare some instructions for me."
Amelia laughed. "My dear Delbert...how do you survive?"
"Not as well as I used to..." Doppler murmured. He coughed. "Anyway...I hope this is a satisfactory conclusion to your voyage."
He picked up his glass and offered a toast. Amelia smiled and took it.
"Most satisfactory."
Amelia cut off a piece of chicken and tasted it. "And rather delicious, too. I must commend Mrs. Hawkins for her good counsel. You should seek it more often. Perhaps she'll domesticate you yet, Delbert."
"Not if someone else manages it first." He smiled. "With the right person I do feel I could be open to practising a little bit of domination. Abomination. Domestication."
Amelia stuck another piece of chicken in her mouth to hide her chuckle. Doppler blushed and concentrated on his own meal, finishing it in a self-conscious silence. Amelia smiled and joined him, pushing her plate away happily at the end.
"Most enjoyable," she said. "Perhaps I should commission you as ship's cook for my next voyage."
"Do you know when that'll be?" Doppler asked.
Amelia sighed. "Probably no more than a few weeks. We'll get another commission...another cargo...probably another two wet-behind-the-ears Johnny-come-latelys knowing my luck." She toyed with her fork for a moment. "You know...I was only half-joking there...crew selection is my prerogative, and I have the right to appoint my own private steward..."
Doppler looked up. "Are you...are you serious? You'd...I mean, us..."
Amelia sighed again, more deeply. "If only...I know it's only a dream. You have your work to do...and I can't arrange my voyages around the university calendar. And then there's the other side of it...I mean, as Captain..."
"I understand." Doppler took her hand gently. "It's all about that rank and position thing, right?"
"Something like that." Amelia held his hand. "Especially in my position...females are rare enough in the Fleet, let alone female commanders. I'd like to say that different standards aren't applied, but if I invite a male aboard my ship and treat him differently from the rest of the crew..."
"I understand that, too." Doppler patted her hand. She looked crestfallen, shadows under her eyes and her ears folded down in defeat. "It won't be forever...we'll find a way. A way to be together for more than your shore leave."
Amelia looked up. "I hope so, Delbert...I really do."
"I know so." He tried to look reassuring. "I believe in it. I don't know how I'd manage if I didn't believe in it."
"Can you stay with me tonight?"
Her voice was so quiet that Doppler had to re-examine his memory to be sure that he had heard it.
"Tonight? Here?"
Amelia tried to smile. "Well, perhaps not here...my desk isn't as comfortable as some of the other items of furniture...but if you have to get back..."
"No, no! Not at all." Doppler felt his heart lift. "I'd like to stay...I'd like that very much. And, um...perhaps after tonight...well, I was hoping to invite you to stay with me. Just while you're here, to save you the cost of accommodation. And because I miss you."
The frankness of the last sentence caught Amelia by surprise, but her smile was now broad and genuine. "Thank you, Doctor...I'd like that very much, too."
Doppler smiled back, his ears lifting as he fought an urge to start skipping around the room. "You'd be most welcome."
Amelia smiled happily and squeezed his hand. "I'll be very lucky, too." She stood up. Doppler watched her cross the room to a set of white-painted doors in the wall which he had always assumed to be a row of cupboards. Slatted louvered windows gave no clue of what was behind them. To his surprise, they opened in a concertina fold, revealing a room on the other side. Compared to the grandeur of the stateroom, it was small, but even from his seat at the desk Doppler could see that it was comfortable. A bed, hanging on straps from the wall, occupied most of the space, but still had room underneath it for stowage. Amelia flicked on a ceiling lamp and looked back at him.
"Don't look so shocked," she said, amused. "You didn't think I slept at my desk, did you?"
"Well, no, I suppose not, I just never expected to see..."
"My private cabin?" Amelia smiled. "Most don't. Most spacers go their whole career without ever seeing a Captain's personal quarters. Now are you going to come over here, or are you going to try sleeping on that desk?"
Doppler nodded and collected himself. He stood up and followed her. She had stepped inside her room and was undoing the silver buttons on her waistcoat. She peeled it off easily and casually hung it from a hook. Not an inch of space in the small room was wasted, and a pair of doors identical to the ones from the stateroom comprised one of the three remaining walls. Small as the room was, Doppler was acutely aware of crossing the threshold, entering an inner sanctum of Amelia's.
"It's um, very nice," he said, looking at a small candleholder set on a fold-down tray near the head of the bed. "Very cosy. Homely."
"It's kind of you to say so," Amelia said, placing a small silver-edged rectangle down on the small shelf. "Practical, yes, cosy, mostly, homely...not any more. Not since I learned there was something better."
The inflection in her tone was clear and Doppler's breath caught.
"Mind you, I've never tried this cabin for two occupants." Amelia took his hand and kissed him on the cheek. "It may prove very homely indeed now."
Doppler coughed again and kissed her back. Amelia tousled his hair playfully and stepped back, opening the two doors in the end wall.
"The bathroom is through here, by the way. I'll just be a minute."
She shut the door behind her. Doppler tried breathing again and found it rather agreeable. He sat on the edge of the bed gingerly and unbuttoned his vest. He looked around and stowed it under the bed along with his shoes before untying his dark green cravat. He was hesitantly undoing the top buttons of his shirt when the doors opened again. Instinctively, Doppler looked up, and wished he hadn't. Amelia was still wearing her long white shirt, but not much else. The tan breeches and black boots were gone. Doppler didn't trust himself to see whenever anything had replaced them but it took a considerable effort of will to keep his gaze above her waist.
"Don't look so surprised," Amelia has a faintly amused look as she closed to the doors to the larger stateroom, sealing them into the intimacy of her private cabin. "Unless you sleep fully clothed?"
Doppler thought about all the nights he had fallen asleep alone in his high-backed armchair, some book or another open on his lap and swallowed. 'Well...no, I'd prefer not to..."
"You'd prefer not to sleep clothed?"
"Yes. I mean, no! I mean, yes, no, well, not, that is..." he stammered into silence and sighed.
"Dear, easily-flustered Delbert." Amelia bent down to kiss his forehead. Her eyes closed, which is why she was surprised to feel against her lips not his fur or hair, but his own lips kissing her back. Not that this was an unwelcome development. A gentle hand stroked the side of her head, keeping back the fall of her hair. The kiss ended and they looked into each others' eyes.
"You really are beautiful," Doppler whispered. "And I do love you, Amelia."
"Oh, Delbert..." her green eyes wavered with emotion. "And I love you, too. And I know I don't say that enough."
"Often enough," Doppler kissed her again. "And I still believe in that future, somehow. We'll have all the opportunities we could want."
"A future." Amelia smiled. "It was hard to look forward to the future before I met you...now there are times I can't think of anything else."
"Oh, my darling." Doppler smiled back. "I believe I know the feeling."
She kissed his forehead and slid onto the bed behind him, drawing the covers back and over herself. Doppler finished unbuttoning his shirt and tucked it under the bed. As Amelia lit the bedside candle he peeled off his leggings and, still somewhat self-consciously, turned towards her. She smiled at sight of him shirtless and drew back the covers for him.
"I apologise for the squeeze...this bed was never designed for two."
Doppler settled down next to her. "Hm. No kidding. But that doesn't mean I don't like it," he added hastily. He removed his round glasses and put them carefully aside. Amelia smiled, enjoying the reflection of the candle flame in his dark eyes.
"I find it rather pleasant as well," she said.
Doppler looked up at her, for his part enjoying the highlights the candlelight produced around the edges of her hair. She reached out a languid hand and stroked his hair, a lazy finger running down the length of his sideburns. A faint smile played around her lips.
"Thank you for tonight, Delbert," she said softly. "I couldn't have imagined a more perfect welcome."
His hand caressed her face. "I'm glad I could provide it. You don't deserve anything less."
Amelia shivered in delight as his hand glided under her jaw and rubbed her chin, a special spot that only Doppler got to know about. She flattened her ears back as she raised her head and made a happy sound.
"Mmm...oh, Delbert..."
"My darling." He smiled adoringly. She opened her eyes to gaze at him, and settled down next to him, blowing out the candle on the way. She slid neatly into the crook of his arm, her head resting on his shoulder, their chests together. Doppler could feel her purr start inside her, a fraction of a second before he heard it in her breathing. It was a warm sound, all the more beautiful to him for how seldom it was heard. And it was even more beautiful because he knew that, out of the entire population of the multiverse, he was only one trusted to hear it. The only one Amelia ever allowed to get this close. Her fingers stroked his bare chest idly.
"If your fur is always this soft after a soaking, perhaps you should stand in the rain more often," she commented.
Doppler blushed in the darkness. "Ah, well, perhaps I...perhaps I should. Or perhaps I should just shower more often. Not that I don't shower as often as necessary now, of course, I just meant that I should more often when I'm with you. Not with you in the shower, I mean, unless..."
"Delbert?" Amelia's voice was getting sleepy and the purring was becoming softer and deeper.
"Y- yes?"
"Stop giving me ideas."
The blush was so deep now that he was amazed it wasn't glowing somehow.
"Um...all right."
"At least...for now." She found his cheek and kissed it in the dark. "It was a long voyage...too long..."
"I know you're tired, my dear." Doppler patted the hand on his chest. "It's all right. You can sleep."
She yawned. "Thank you for understanding..."
"There's nothing to thank me for, Amelia...it goes with loving you."
The note of the purring changed for just a moment as she signed contentedly.
"I know, Delbert. And I love you, too."
"Good night, my dear. Sweet dreams."
"I'm sure they will be." She squeezed his hand and kissed him one last time. "And good night to you, my sweet doctor."
Doppler smiled in the night, one hand stroking hers, running down the length of those slender fingers. Within a few minutes her sounds had slowed as she drifted into well-earned sleep. Doppler turned his head and kissed her forehead tenderly before he lay back to sleep himself. He closed his eyes and gave a happy sigh of his own, happy to be with her again, in her world. The silence of the ship closed around them, keeping them safe and private, a wooden world for their peace and companionship. He was happier than he had been in weeks, and he felt himself drifting off to sleep far easier than he usually managed, even though his bed at home was much larger and, in technical terms, much more comfortable. But it was also empty, and an ever-present reminder even as he slept of what he spent every waking hour missing. Not here, though. And, he smiled as he remembered her acceptance of his offer, perhaps not for a few blessed, happy weeks to come. He closed his eyes and nestled down into her bed, enjoying the feeling of her warm body against his. All the riches of Treasure Planet couldn't have persuaded him to move an inch.