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Jim Hawkins; Daredevil, Juvenile delinquent, Screw up, Cabin boy, Hero, Academy graduate, most trusted protege of Captain Amelia, and a damn fine captain in his own right. And still after all these years never broke his record of coming home to the old Benbow Inn after every voyage. At least he'd gotten his mother to stop throwing a party every time it happened. He checked his chronometer. Should be just about dinner rush. Part of him wanted to wait, but he'd never made a habit of listening to sense.
He smiled, walking up to the place. Looked just like the old place before the fire, but somehow more alive. Less like it was one solar storm away from collapsing in on itself. He'd like to think the people inside had improved the same. He adjusted his bag on his shoulder and opened the door, trying to be as non-obtrusive as possible. Seems he'd gotten better at that over the years.
“I'll be with you in a second.” His mother called over the din as she made her way carefully through the tables, just hearing the doorbell and not actually looking to see who it was. He tried to convince her that she didn't need to work anymore with all the trading he did, but she liked keeping busy and took pride in this old place.
He smiled and walked up to the counter waving at the various regulars that acknowledged him. “I can come back later if you're too busy.” He tried to keep the smile out of his voice, but couldn't.
Sarah turned from where she'd been washing glasses in the sink. “Jim!” She put down the glasses and went around the counter, faster than she ever did to take orders, so she could wrap him in a hug.
“I'll take that as a no then.” He laughed and returned it, spinning them both slightly.
She pulled back. “Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?”
He shrugged, adjusting his bag. “I thought I'd surprise you.”
She snorted and put her hands on her hips. “You've given me enough surprises to last a lifetime.” She sighed. “Oh, I'm so glad your home.”
Despite how much he enjoyed the freedom of open space, he also never forgot how lucky he was to have a home to come back to. He smiled slightly softer. “Glad to be back too.” He looked at the crowd. “Looks like you might need some help. Need me to jump in the back?” He motioned to the kitchen with a glinting hand. He tried to ignore the way his mom's eyes would darken whenever she saw it. Nothing for it. They both pretended it didn't happen.
She pushed him slightly. “No, I can’t have the big captain being an order cook. Think of how the neighborhood would talk.”
Jim laughed and leaned on the counter. “Like I wasn't forced on mess duty all the time in the academy because I was the only one who knew how to cook?” He ran a hand through his hair mussing it up. “And all the times I accidently started bussing tables in the cafeteria out of habit.”
She snorted and messed his hair up herself. “My talented man.”
“Mom.” He flushed and tried to smooth it over again.
She let herself be brushed off. “But really, I’ve been able to hire some new help.”
“What about Ben?” Jim expressed fake shock, putting his hand to his chest.
Sarah tried to look to see where the robot was, before remembering he was probably in the kitchen. “Ben is a darling, but he can't cook and he can't taste. I can't manage the front and the back of the house both anymore so I hired a new cook. Little rough looking, but he cooks great.” Jim smiled, slightly sad, as he couldn’t put the thoughts of another rough cook out of his mind. “And don't worry I've already talked his ear off about you.”
Jim rubbed a hand down his face. “Mom, please.”
“I'm just proud of you.” She spoke softly, putting a hand on his arm. “Very proud.”
He tried not to feel too embarrassed and just basked in how much his mom cared. “Thanks m-”
“JIM!”
He saw a flash of reddish brown out of the corner of his eyes as he was suddenly jumped on by a deceptively light hunk of metal and diodes. He knew that shriek anywhere and it only took him a minute to steady himself and return the embrace, spinning the bot around so hard he probably loosened some bolts. “Aye, buddy!”
He set Ben back down who stood shakily, but he always seemed to be shaking. The bot couldn't stop smiling. “Oh, I'm so glad you're back. I've met so many new people and some of them even like me.” He sniffed. “But I still like you the best.”
Jim pat his shoulder. “And you're my favorite robot. Given anymore thought to shipping out with me?”
The robot tilted his head side to side more than a human could by a good margin. “Well, you see, on one hand, going from different places, meeting new people, and having new adventures terrifies me and I always have a nagging fear I'm going to be stranded somewhere alone again and abandoned, but on the other hand, I miss you when you're gone.” A small pause overcame them. “WHY WOULD SOMEONE GIVE A ROBOT ANXIETY?”
Jim calmed him with another pat. “No pressure. I just like knowing I can trust where I'm going.”
“Places that frequently aren't mapped and aren't in my database so I’d be useless?” Ben’s eyes became question marks.
Jim brushed past him with a laugh and knocked his shoulder. “I missed you too, buddy.”
The robot sniffed again. “I can't cry, I won't be able to see where I'm going.” He talked to himself, despite not being able to cry.
Jim set his bag down behind the counter. “I'll just do some dishes. I wouldn't know what to do with myself otherwise, anyway.” He would just grab an apron already back there.
Jim shouldered open the door and froze at the humming he heard. The familiar humming. A sure form moved over pots and pans easily, well versed in what he was doing. “Tell ‘em up front were out of eggs. Less they wanna lay ‘em themselves.” A glowing eye glanced behind him before visibly starting, but not dropping anything. He smiled at Jim in that sure way he always had, but there was something in his eyes that showed he was waiting for Jim to make a move.
The former cabin boy just stared for a moment before he rushed forward and put his arms around the cyborg.
“Aye Jimbo, didn't I teach you anything about not running nexta hot pans?” Silver laughed happily and loudly, setting down the pan and returning the hug.
Jim pulled back. “What are you doing here?”
The man put a robotic hand on his chest. “Is that any way to treat your old pal Silver? Not gonna ask how I've been? Where are your manners Jim?” He mocked.
“How have you-?”
But before Jim could finish, a chirping squeak rang out and Silver’s eyes lit up as one of the pockets in Jim's coat suddenly opened to reveal a pink shapeshifter whirring around him and nuzzling into the pirates face. “Ah see now, Morph missed me, didn't ya morph?” He petted the blob gently.
Jim punched his shoulder. “Of course I missed you, yah scallywag.” He tried not to cry. Now he knew how Ben felt. “I just thought you'd be on the run for…” He pushed a nervous hand through his hair. “Forever.”
John's eye caught the flash of Jim’s hand and his brows furrowed. Much higher quality prosthetic than his old thing. More solidly a hand, but still clearly artificial. “How’d that happen?” He mumbled, almost without thought.
Jim looked at it as if he'd forgotten. His mouth thinned a moment before smiling. “Would you believe it was a cooking accident?”
The pirate stilled for a moment before slapping him on the back and laughing loudly. “Cooking accident? Oh that’s not true, I didn’t teach ya that bad.”
They both grinned stupidly at each other, not sure what to say next.
Ben came in in a clatter of limbs and plates. “Oh yeah Jim, I forgot to tell you- your old buddy started working here. Isn't that great?” He said with no hint of sarcasm. Apparently he’d forgiven all the peril and near death.
Miss Hawkins stepped in, raising an eyebrow. “I didn't know you all knew each other.”
Jim and Silver looked in opposite directions trying very hard to look innocent while Ben just nodded. “Oh yeah, it's a really funny story actually, so-”
“I think maybe it's-” John tried to lie somehow.
“Ben, now, that's not really-” Jim tried to stop this trainwreck in motion.
They both stopped talking as they were fixed with the stare of Misses Hawkins and her semi amused smile. “We’ll talk about this after the dinner rush.”
They both nodded, quickly getting to work without any more talking while Ben just shrugged and did the same.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Several hours later, Jim and Silver were sitting down trying to somehow work out, simply by looking at each other, what their story was going to be. Ben was whistling, sounding like a rusty teapot as he cleaned tables around them. He liked the routine.
Jim shook his head trying to convey they would not be able to spin this anyway with his mom. Even in his short amount of time working there, Silver had to agree. She never had seemed to buy his friendly cook act. At least not completely.
Mrs Hawkins came out, her apron off as she seemed free of stress as she sat down next to Jim. “So. Which adventure did you ‘forget’ to tell me about involving Mister Silver here? Was it the one where you talked your way out of the middle of a warzone? Or maybe that time you got stranded on that hostile planet for a month?”
Ben popped his head up. “Which time?” He tilted his head to the side. “Because there was the time with the giant hexa-pumas and then-” Jim viciously made ‘shut up’ motions behind his moms back. “Or uh the one that...didn't happen…WOW, I SUDDENLY NEED NEW SOAP.” He said before excusing himself.
Sarah turned to Jim before motioned to Ben's fleeting form as if to say ‘I rest my case’.
“Look, that time with the hexa-puma I wasn't even really stranded. I had tons of supplies I just sat in one place the whole time it's really nothing to-”
His mom just stared at him as he continued before he decided to just cut his losses. She sighed. “We’ve talked about this Jim. I'm not made of glass, I'd rather know about the dangerous things you do from you than find out about them from the papers or patrons or what my imagination comes up with.”
Morph took this as an opportunity to turn into a miniature hexa-puma and rawr violently. Silver quickly distracted him with pets. “You know, hexa-pumas are really very docile creatures.” Silver tried to help before he got glared at by Mrs Hawkins and he shut his jaw with a snap. He’d known hardened criminals that weren’t as intimidating.
She sighed again. “Just- I like to know what's happening in your life Jim. Such as how you know a former pirate.” Jim looked at Silver confused and a little panicked. Why had he told her? Silver looked equally as confused and shook his head. Miss Hawkins shook her head. “You hear a lot of conversations working in an inn. Local rumours. Not to mention when I was stuck in Doppler’s library of a house, he had mountains of books on that kind of thing. But I kept an eye on him and he never did anything out of line so I never said anything.” She smiled gently with a hint of steel. “Sometimes people need second chances.”
Jim rubbed the back of his neck and Silver looked uncharacteristically thankful. Jim cleared his throat and started talking. “Well, remember when we went to try and find Treasure Planet?” As if any of them could forget.
“In theory. Even when you first came back I knew you weren’t telling me everything. I managed to get most of it out of Amelia, but apparently she was unconscious for the last bit of it.”
He nodded. “Well, ya know that cook? That I kept talking about, that I worked for, that saved me, and gave me the money for the Inn? And that pirate that took over the ship?” He tapped his metal and flesh fingers together. “They were actually both him.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Huh.” She looked at Silver who gave the least innocent smile despite his attempts. “You always manage to make such interesting friends Jim.” The young man blew air out his mouth as he tried not to laugh. Silver did the same but slightly more nervous. “We will have to continue this conversation later after I've had dinner, but until then. Ground rules. Jim. I’m so happy you're back. Your rooms still set up, but you might have to move some stuff off your bed. And please know you can tell me any weird adventures you've gone on before I hear about it from the neighborhood gossip.” She turned to Silver. “And you. I am still keeping my eye on you and no pirates in the restaurant. I Learned from the last time when it got burnt down.” She laughed bitterly before moving to the backroom.
Jim and Silver looked at each other silently before her steps disappeared upstairs. Jim shook his head. Silver clicked his metal fingers together. “You know Jim I am...sorry about what happened with...the inn.”
Jim put his hand out, nearly cutting him off. “We can never tell her.” He spoke quietly through his teeth.
Silver nodded. “Aye.”
Jim shook his head, suppressing a shiver at the thought of his mom ever finding out. “But...how did you get here? Why now? I have been trying to find you. Under the radar.”
Silver laughed. “What? Can't have the respected captain cavorting with washed up pirates.”
“Cant have people who come after you coming after me. I got a business to run.” Jim hit the man's arm, good naturedly.
The laughter died down and Silver sighed, letting his hands drift over to Morph to fiddle with him, falling into an old comfortable routine. “After finding Treasure Planet, things went back ta usual for me. Goin’ from place to place. Getting by how I always would. Had ups and downs same as always. But it wasn’ as fun anymore. Didn’ have a dream to keep me going anymore. Took me longer than it should have, but old dogs get stuck in their ways. Figured enough time had passed I could come back to this part of the galaxy and find out whatever did happen to that upstart cabin boy.” He shrugged with a fond smile. “Wasn't sayin’ I was planning on getting a job and settling down here, but I go where the wind takes me.” Morph chirped and dissolved into a content pile in his hand. “I’ll get outta your way if ya want me to. Never could help my own curiosity.” He grinned snaggletoothed.
Jim shook his head. “Oh no, you're not getting away that easy. Like I said, I've been looking for you.” He huffed out his nose. “I missed you, ya old cyborg.”
Silver laughed. “Sure, sure…missed ya to, boy.” The man shifted in his chair and cleared his throat. “But c'mon tell me some of your old stories. Never actually seen a hexa-puma myself.”
Jim leaned back putting his boots on a nearby chair, still used to being yelled at for putting it on the tables. “Surprisingly fond of eating hands.” He flashed his prosthetic with a grin.
Silver blinked before bursting out laughing. “Oh really? Tell me more.”
They talked long into the night about dreams and stories. You give up things chasing the dream. But if it’s the right one, it can be worth it.