The Vow au bc I love this plot twist and Aqua/Jim are adorable

[done_in_3]

Three years, nearly four, of wedded bliss. Jim was calmer, more focused and honestly a better captain. He had his wife, his beloved Aqua to thank for that, she was his light, his heart, his whole world. She kept him grounded and morally upright and he honestly took fewer stupid risks with his life thanks to her. The crew ran better, the Enterprise had better records, life was good.

Jim had bought them a house for when he was on Shore Leave on Earth, it barely got used but when Enterprise was docked, well they needed to crash somewhere. It was a nice place in San Francisco, in the heart of downtown and worth every penny of the millions it was worth.The property values were sky high but Jim was a veteran captain and got paid accordingly. He used his money on very little else besides charity so he was happy to spoil his wife with a comfortable home. Besides, if and when they had kids... well if their house just happened to be in an ideal school district he wouldn't call it an accident.

Everything was perfect, which begged for it all to come crashing down soon enough. Jim wouldn't remember the crash or the drunk kids in a truck behind him and Aqua on the road, he wouldn't remember that he shouldn't be alive, his wayfinder had saved him....but he doesn't know what this anymore. All he knows is he's laying in bed, he feels numb.. and he's waking up in what sounds and smells like a hospital.

"Mmm... mm." he was so tired and yet his mind was racing with questions. 'Where am I? What happened? Where's my ship?'

Comments

[watersacrificed]

"Hm? Oh, I know I am, but I don't think about it too much. You on the other hand, loved to point it out whenever you could..." she trailed on, remembering how many times in one day Jim made her blush. It was embarrassing, but fun nonetheless. Especially when she got to hear him laugh and see him smile.

"And, in case you're wondering. My hair is natural. It's all natural." Because he had the same thoughts when she first met him. Might as well satisfy his curiosity now.

"Oh, I had a feeling you could cook. The question was if you could clean up after yourself. I grew up with two boys--friends, but I treated them like brothers and being the only girl, I got to nag them to cleaning their rooms." And doing the dishes...and laundry...and everything else.

The idea to continue on with their vacation was met with a shake of her head. no, they couldn't really go out now. Not with Jim only having half of his memories. He needed to relax and let his body heal. Granted, she could try to heal on her own, but she didn't want to freak him like that. Later tonight, when he's asleep she could comb through her old spell books to see if she could find anything useful.

"No, it's alright. We haven't had the chance to enjoy our home in a very long time. I think it's best if we stay here and enjoy what we have. Unless you'd like to go out?"

Right, I'm gonna be up early... that totally happened >>

[done_in_3]

"I'm not surprised. I'd tell a woman like you every day." he's being honest. Normally he'd be coy or facetious right now but he's honest because she is his wife and he's not sure if he did anything wrong before that she's recently forgiven... being a jerk or forgetting some chore... and he blushed bright red when she spoke again. How did she... oh god she knew what he was thinking. She's good.

"Oh? Right... guess I asked that before." but since she's his wife, he supposes he learned for himself too... wait, how long had they been married? So may awkward questions...

"Yeah? Do you still see them? What were they like?" he wants to get to know her but he is also a bit aware how cutting his ignorance must be to her. He doesn't know anything about Ven or Terra, not that he knew them that intimately before. "Uhm, did you want to go see them? It might bake you feel better. I promise I won't die here on my own." certainly she had to have her own people outside Enterprise. And if she lived with him then she didn't get to see them often, she should jump on this opportunity.

"Eh? Enjoy what we have? Heh....I gave you a really bad scare, huh? I...." he looked and sounded sincere "I'm sorry. That I'm gone."

hahah its okay, I don't blame you

[watersacrificed]

"I'm not able to see them as often and they're busy these days." Which would mean that no, she wouldn't go see them while they were on shore leave. Aqua would never leave her husband when he wasn't in the best of shape.

"Ven is the youngest, goofy and always curious and always wants to make friends. Then there's Terra, the serious one out of the two of us. He has a kind heart though and always willing to help out." Though at ties Terra was a bit dense, but no need to bring that up.

She reached out to Jim, placing her hand on top of his, not daring to try and hold it or thread her fingers with his. She didn't want to push boundaries and make him feel more awkward than he probably was. She already did that with the question about her hair.

"It's not your fault. I'm not upset. I'm happy that you're alive, that's what matters most to me."

I was so tired DX plus I got to bed late

[done_in_3]

"Oh. Okay then... they sound nice." he smiled softly. "How did you end up growing up with them? Did they take you in or the other way around? Do you have family?" he's eager to learn more though, he never thought he'd have a wife, a stable family... he likely went through a lot to snag this woman. He didn't want to fuck it up. As much as he liked to say he was a cavalier and couldn't be tied down, he desperately wanted to be.

"I'll get it... soon enough at least." he looked at their hands and smiled gently. She's really nice... his wife was a good woman. "You seem better than someone I deserve... that's just a first impression." she's patient and kind and she seems honest and loyal.

Oh that was me last night xD

[watersacrificed]

While he's eager to learn more about her, she didn't want to give him all the details to confuse him or make him feel bad for asking the question. She had parents before Master Eraqus, but she couldn't remember them. In some ways she a orphan, but best not to tell him that right away. She wasn't lying to him, only feeding him little bits of information at a time.

"When I was younger I came to live with a man who treated me like his daughter. His name was Eraqus and he adopted myself and Terra at a young age, so we grew up together then when were in our teenaged years, Ven came along. The three of us were together ever since then."

She gave him a puzzled look, trying to piece together what he meant only to shake her head.

"We deserve each other. We made a promise to come back each other and though I told you to not wait for me...you still did. We went through a lot of things, Jim, but we always stuck it out--together."

Yes I saw your timestamp and thought "When you said 'morning' you meant business!"

[done_in_3]

He listened and tried to fill in the gaps on his own but to no avail. He didn't know if she was an orphan or not, he assumed so. And this Eraqus... seemed nice? He can tell when he's being deliberately kept in the dark. It's probably not a story she feels like getting into, he has those himself. He can back off. For now.

"That's good. I'm glad you have them." he smiled and well she just flattered him honestly. He can imagine how her story worked. She had her line of duty, he had his, they were starcrossed lovers and she didn't think it'd work but he was smitten and wouldn't have another. He felt nothing for her at the moment but he could see where at one time he did. In respect for his past self he'll honor her.

"We'll stick this out too then." the oven went off then and he hopped up, getting dinner out of the oven. He made up a quick salad and served it all.

"How much did all that kitchen gadgetry cost? Looks like a fortune."

xD Oh no, that time skip was before I went to bed. We're in different time zones. xD

[watersacrificed]

"So am I.." Ven an Terra were her family. They always would be and she'd do anything for them. Even if it meant laying down her life for them again. But, she wasn't about to tell Jim that. She knew he hated being kept in the dark, but why burden him with that? In time she could tell him, but not now.

"Uhh, you never told me the exact numbers, but..a lot?" As he was serving her the food she made the drinks. Two glasses of water and placed a bottle of whine and whiskey on the kitchen counter top. Just in case he wanted something else to wash his food down with.

"Honestly, I think the kitchen and bar were the two things you went full out on. I don't blame you, makes it more fun when he have guests over." A full equipped bar with different types of alcohol. Everything he'd need for a time out right at home.

"You kept wanting my input and one day I finally told you that I didn't care about tiles, wall colors or anything. If we lived in a cardboard box that would be perfect." And he did end up bringing a cardboard box up to her just to make her laugh.

I figured. What zone are you? I am eastern standard

[done_in_3]

"No? Then it cost an obscene amount." he looked at the kitchen then shrugged "Worth it." his eyes lit up at her next words. "We have a bar?" he likes this house more and more...

"I bet we have the crew over all the time. They're my only family really. You already know this I bet... my brother ran away when I was younger, I'm not close to my mom and my dad's dead." he's not even going to mention his abusive stepfather. Frank can just go rot in obscurity as far as he cares.

"A box huh? You're....easy to please. Did I bring you a box? Please tell me I brought you a box and said that's yours, the house is mine." he chuckled. He did take some of the whiskey and inhaled his food. He was so famished... after that he'd load the dishwasher himself. He could clean up after himself just fine. Plus that kitchen was stunning, might as well keep it looking like that.

I'm pacific time zone. You're in the future!

[watersacrificed]

The way Jim kept going on, it was endearing, charming and made her chuckle. Yes, they spent a lot of time with the bar, making sure it was perfect to a 't'. Aqua wasn't sure what was more stressful, when they built the bar or when they went liquor shopping. Jim was just as methodical as she was when it came to certain things.

"I know...but we do have the crew over from time to time. You do realize how hard it is to pry you off the Enterprise, right?" Though for her it didn't take much. She could ask and maybe pout a little and that usually got him to take a vacation. But, she hardly used those techniques. Only when she had to, like emergency situations.

"Mhmm, you gave me a box. It even had a 'for sale' sign on it. At first I thought you were being serious, but we ended up laughing about it for hours." She ate a little bit herself, finding herself not that hungry. They both kept the kitchen clean and once it was, she lead him to the bar. Might as well introduce it to him now.

"What do you think?"

And the future is awesome. We have flying cars and teleporters here Too bad they all break in 90 min

[done_in_3]

"What can I say, I love my ship. She's like my baby, she's my daughter kind of." he really did mean that, Enterprise was his little darling. And she was a she, don't question him. "I can stay on her forever, I mean you have to get comfy, you stay on it for years at a time. She's home-- I sersiouly gave you a for sale sign? Awww..." he chuckled, imagining it and wondering how she took it at first. She seemed to be able to handle his humor with grace which was a trait any wife of his needed. For her own sake at least.

"Sounds like we had fun with it." he wandered after her, admiring the house some more before his jaw dropped at the bar. "Are you kidding me? This is mine?" he walked around it, looking at the shelves and the bottles. He's silent which says more than any exclamation could. He's sorely impressed.

Yay--d'awww...why must they brake down?

[watersacrificed]

"Mmhmm, a lot of fun. Alot of fighting, alot of making up. Well, not fighting, more like bickering because we finally became that 'old married couple' everyone likes to talk about." She got teased for it sometimes, but she knew it was all in good fun. She was treated like one of the guys and if any of them crossed a line, it wasn't Jim they had to worry about. It was her. She was a clever thing who knew magic.

Aqua wandered over to a bar stool, taking a seat on it as he looked over and examined every piece of his bar. It was a work of art, one that Bones didn't mind coming to every now and again.

"Yeah, all yours." there was a faint smile on her face as she watched him.

"I know how much your ship means to you. She's important to me too. It's where we met...where you stole my first kiss and where you proposed."

Cos, only for the future /drops shades

[done_in_3]

"Old married couple? How long... how long have we been married?" he wondered... he only lost five years, how many of them had been with her? He was already kind of buzzed from the whiskey so he didn't take another shot but he promised himself he'd sample some from his bar tomorrow. Damn, this stock cost a fortune.

"I stole it huh? Guess I couldn't help myself. And I guess you forgave me in the end right?" he smiled. How had he proposed? Was is dorky? Sentimental?

"Ah... well obviously you said yes but how did I propose exactly? Here, let me see." he held his hand out towards her left one. He wanted to see that ring.

/stares at in awe

[watersacrificed]

"We've been married for about three years. I've known you for five, but the way we acted around each other, teasing, bantering and doing things together...we kindda got called an old married couple."

The bar, plus the other amenities made their entire house a fortune. While they did buy it off the market, Jim had it renovated to suit their tastes. It only added value to the house if they ever wanted to put it back on the market. But, Aqua knew this would be their home for a very long time. She couldn't think of living anywhere else.

"Well...I was confused. I wasn't sure if you had kissed me or not since you sortta tripped and your lips landed on mine. I was really oblivious to the idea that you liked me so when you kissed me, I wasn't sure what to think." Recalling their first kiss still made her heart pound and brought a smile to her face. Memories that she wished, he remembered.

She gave him her hand, showing him the ring he gave her. Aqua hadn't taken it off since he proposed.

"It was after I came back. We didn't know when we'd see each other again, but after a few months I came back and...you asked me if I liked living on the Enterprise and...took it from there."

/basks in the glory

[done_in_3]

"I thought old married couples just bickered... hm. We sound like newlyweds but I'll take the crew's word for it too." he admired her ring between two fingers. It was.... well it cost a fat credit too wherever he got it. Where did he get that anyway? He couldn't find rings like this anywhere. Unless they'd somehow managed to come into style in the last five years which he doubted.

"An accident? I can guarantee you it wasn't." knowing himself, but he wonders why he didn't just ask her upfront.

"...that sounds really sweet. Do you know where this came from?" he was getting a bit tired of asking about everything, she's probably tired of answering questions about their life too. "Where did I find this ring?"

/bows

[watersacrificed]

"An old married couple can be a lot of things, but bickering is one of them. Then again people can't tell the difference between bickering and bantering." Which was the truth. Sometimes they bantered for the hell of it and people thought they were truly arguing.

"It felt like it at the time, since it came out of nowhere. But, you wanted to ask my permission first, but you decided to put action first. Something I'm very happy about." If he had asked her then she would've squirmish and would've retreated right then and there. If she had, she whould've lost her husband.

"You didn't find it. You..made it for me." Her voice became softer then, recalling vividly just how he proposed to her. What they did, what they said and Jim had nothing. His mind was blank. There was some pain in telling him their marriage, but she clung to the hope he'd remember sooner or later.

"The idea of marrying anyone...of being a wife, never came into my mind until I met you. I was more than happy to continue to do my job and let others find happiness. I never thought about my own, until we found each other.

/sits in a throne... maybe runs for mayor of the future

[done_in_3]

Well he liked a good banter, and a good argument too. Kept him young.

"I tend to put action first... you never would have said yes would you? I'm just going on instinct here. Maybe I wasn't stupid about that, if I had to break the ice somehow..." he can understand his past self a bit more.

"I made this?? wow..." he believed he could, just not that he could come up with a design this pretty. It looked like an antique. "It's beautiful, it's... different. Actually that's why I like it." probably what he was going for when he made it. It was very impressive but it was a piece of himself. He was getting in more subtle ways just how much he must have loved this woman. He built her a castle, he made her a priceless gem, he photographed her every chance he could which meant he was likely thinking about her all the time.

"...I... was probably really glad I changed your mind."

/just don't put your head in a jar and be robo-president.

[watersacrificed]

"You always run on instinct, Jim." It was true. His instincts were always right on the money.

"Mhmm, you did it without knowing if I liked you back or not. Really brave of you too."

Aqua bowed her head slightly for a moment but soon looked back up to him. She could feel tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, wishing the man she saw before recognized her. He meant the world to her, but to him...he was learning bits. He was trying to figure out a puzzle with only half the pieces. She couldn't let her hope fade away.

"I'm really glad I changed my mind too." she squeezed his hand and then pulled it back.

"I'm guessing you're not tired yet, but do you want me to show you the bedroom? I can sleep in the guest room if you're uncomfortable--and no, you're not to the guest bedroom."

Hey Nixon was awesome with the tentacles

[done_in_3]

"Sounds like me. Guess I got lucky." he smiled cordially at her and released her hand. He was kind of frustrated with it all too but what could he do? He was only just released, it would take time. Unfortunately Jim was never known for his outstanding patience.

He looked at her and his eyes widened, then he was reaching forward, taking her by the shoulders. "Hey....don't cry. It'll be ok." he looked sad for her, guilty, and mostly just unsure what to do. He tugged her closer and gave her a loose hug.

"I'll remember, just... just give me time. It'll be okay." he felt horrible, more horrible than he'd ever felt for hurting a girl in his life which was strange given that this was the first time that it wasn't even remotely his fault.

"I can sleep anywhere, you should stay in your own bed. You keep the room, I can stay with you or wherever makes you feel comfortable."

this is true, but now its time for work /weeps

[watersacrificed]

"When are you not lucky?" Aqua teased, still trying to hold back her tears. She wasn't sad, just..frustrated with the entire situation. It was as though she had lost her best friend. He was right there in front of her, but she couldn't reach him.

"I know it'll be okay. You always say so.." she murmured, returning the hug, not daring to tighten it or cry on his shoulder. She took a deep breath, forcing her tears to stay at bay.

"No, I said you're staying there, Jim. It's your bed too. I don't want it to be awkward to sleep in the same bed as me." She had a tone of finality in her voice. She was being stubborn about the issue, but could he blame her? She wanted him to be comfortable in his own place. She wasn't thinking about herself, just him.

[ooc: Would you like to do a time skip? Or have them continue to be cute and awkward in their bed?]

Awww I can see you tomorrow before I go to work ;A;

[done_in_3]

"I do say so. It'll be fine." he will remember. He WILL. He demands it of himself. He lets her go from the hug and looks her over.

"You're telling me what to do? I'm kind of the boss where I come from, Aqua. But you've probably got balls of steel to contend with me..." she must have serious moxy too in order to handle him. Still her audacity to be final with him... he kinda liked it.

"It's not going to be awkward. You have any idea how uncomfortable it is to slip into bed with a gorgeous woman? Not at all. Besides, isn't familiarity supposed to win me back?" he kind of liked bickering with her, it was getting a rise out of him. But they could wrap that up now, he was sleeping with her in their bed and that was it. He wandered the house and got lost in their wedding album until he had a hard time keeping his eyes open. Then came time to crawl into bed. This was strange, he didn't know her and he wondered about how he should dress for bed. She'd seen it all but... it was strange to be the man and be shy about his body.

_{[ooc: Awkward bedtime please.]}

aww, I thought you had wednesdays off.

[watersacrificed]

Aqua only raised her eyebrow at her husband. Yes, she knew who he was. Yes, she knew what he was capable of, but that didn't meant much to her right now. His health and comfort were at the top of her list. She could be just as, possibly even more stubborn than him.

"Yes, I tell you what to do from time to time. And where I come from? I'm the boss too." She was still a keyblade Master after all.

"But, I wouldn't know. I try to not make it a tendency to sleep with gorgeous women, or men. I only put up with you." More teasing and bantering.

She let him wander on his own back to their room. From there she went about her usual bed time routine; brushing her teeth, combing her hair and braiding it, and changing into her pajamas. When she came out of the bathroom he was there on the bed, going through their photo album. Part of her wanted to suggest to watch the video they had of it, but he was tired already.

"Your clothes are in the closet and you're lucky I did laundry this week." Otherwise they wouldn't have anything to wear. As it were, her pajamas were just an old shirt (his) and blue stripped pants.

No, I had yesterday off. I can maybe tag after I get off work, it'll only be 7 or 8 for you

[done_in_3]

He was surprised at her gusto in bossing him, even her shamelessness about it. He respected that. He was interested in pushing her buttons a bit more so he could see that again.

"Are you now? And that's a shame. You have no reference level for how gorgeous this is." he gestured to his body then froze. That was a habitual retort he had to her, one he said all the time. It flew out his mouth without question and left him standing confused and surprised in their room. He didn't mean to say that it just came out.

"Ah... right, thanks..." he shuffled through his closet for a moment and darted into the bathroom to do the same thing she had, brush teeth, comb hair, change clothes, flop into bed.

"Ah... sorry about that." that was weird. "And thanks." he eyed her clothes. The shirt was way too big for her, actually it looked like... well if she wears his clothes it doesn't surprise him. They seemed to be a really tight couple.

Okay, sorry I wasn't on I had a dental appt.

[watersacrificed]

Aqua stared at Jim as his usual retort flew out of his mouth. She nearly gave him her usual reply, but hearing those words from him when he had no frame or reference was...amazing. It was a little glimmer of hope that his memory was coming back to him. She let him go to change in the bathroom, fluffing their pillows and turning down their comforter as she waited.

"Welcome and it's okay. It's what you normally say and then I tease you and we..." End up getting naked and doing the dance with no pants. Her cheeks turned a light pink as she cleared her throat, trying to get away from that train of thought.

"We just go to bed." she shrugged her shoulders a little, moving to her usual spot. Part of her wanted to curl up against him, listen to his beating heart and fall asleep. She came close to losing him, but she didn't want to put him in an awkward position. Instead she rolled over, letting him face her back in the hopes it would keep her from reaching out to him.

It's ok, I got caught up too

[done_in_3]

He blinked at her once he returned and she said... well that. He smiled faintly. It sounded like they had a fun life together.

"You can say it, we have sex. We're married... that's what you get married for right? That and to get tax write offs and to have medical authority..." and all that boring crap. "You're not going to scare me. I assumed that when you said you're my wife and didn't add that we're divorcing."

In bed he watched her roll over and felt kind of lonely. He rolled over too... hesitantly reaching to touch her shoulder.

"...Are you avoiding looking at me? Come on, I'm not ugly."

/hugs hugs and more hugs

[watersacrificed]

"Uh...no. That's not one of the reasons we got married." Aqua tried to not take too much offense to it. Yes, they had sex before their nuptials but that wasn't the point. They got married because they wanted to. they were two crazy kids in love...and in a lot of ways, they were still crazy about each other.

The idea that she would divorce him made her roll her eyes.

"That's not an option for either of us, we're both too stubborn for it."

When he touched her shoulder she nearly turned around. Was he seeking out affection from her? Or did he want to talk to her face to face? She breathed out a sigh and rolled onto her side, letting her braid fall over her shoulder.

"No, you're not ugly and I'm not avoiding you. I...don't want to pressure you into anything. I mean, I don't want to overwhelm you and make you feel...awkward or anything."