The Navigator

2. Glass of Amber

Addy had barely recovered herself by the time she had gotten back home. She had managed to convince herself that the man across the street hadn't been Jax. Jax would have pounced on her right then and there and also it just wasn't possible for it to be him.

She tried not to check on the progress of the Actaeon as it made its slow journey towards another goldilocks system, looking for another possible colony planet. She tried not to look, he had left. Making a choice for her that she couldn't have possibly made for herself. But on the long nights when she couldn't sleep, when the old ache in her heart could no longer be ignored she would open the ship's personal website. She would stare for much too long at the staff photo of the Actaeon's handsome navigator before checking how far he was from her. He was years away, just over 2 years actually. Even if the ship had turned back, it would take them just as long to get back, and so it was impossible that the man she saw today was Jax.

He must have just looked similar enough to send her into a panic attack, something that wasn't that unusual since he had left. She loved Gemma, but being a new parent had definitely done nothing to ease her anxiety.

She set Gemma down on the floor of the living room, letting her dig into her chest of toys at one side of the room while Addy ran to the bathroom to run some cool water over her flushing face.

As she patted dry, the water having the desired effect and cooling not only her skin but her whirling mind. She stared at her reflection for a moment, her brown eyes speckled with gold and her favorite feature stared back at her. They matched her golden brown hair perfectly, hair that hung in waves around her shoulders. Hair that had grown back from the short bob she had cut it to when Gemma was born for easier maintenance.

Addy took the opportunity to tie back her locks before going back to the living room to relax a bit before she had to start getting ready.

****

Addy shouldn't have been so surprised by the ringing doorbell, she was always running chronically behind and the fact that Brooke was here to pick her and Darren up really should have been predictable.

"Oh Damn!" She swore to herself, her hair still a mess.

She heard Darren open the door, bless him, and welcome her friend into the house. Ally stuck her head out of the bathroom door and waved at the new arrival.

"Come here and help me, I'm worthless at this!"

Brooke chuckled, setting down her purse and kicked off her heels, before sauntering into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. They exchanged their usual greeting of a kiss on the cheek before she insisted Addy sit on the little vanity stool to let her work.

"You ready to party, girl?! I mean besides that you have made a real mess of your hair, how did you get this into such a tangle? Babe I swear!"

Brooke went to work detangling Addy's best effort at an updo muttering for several minutes, making Addy smile. Once she was back to normal and Brooke could make her own attempt her friend stopped complaining and used her best friend super powers. Detecting the last of Addy's distress.

"Are you nervous for the Foundation Day party? Or just not looking forward to facing the festival tomorrow with a hangover?" She snickered, giving Addy's head a little tug.

Addy smiled up at her friend, trying to shake the last of her hallucination from earlier. She loved Brooke, but she didn't want to admit to her what she thought she saw earlier. Brooke would make it into a bigger deal then it was, and Addy just wanted to move on.

"Nah, I'm not going to drink that much, I'm a momma now. All grown up and everything. I don't have time for a hangover."

She winked at Brooke, who rolled her eyes knowing full well it was a flat out lie. Addy may not drink often, but if she had a sitter and a ride she got down to the business of letting go like a well tuned machine.