I was thinking how much confusion you could get from a simple word especially how confused Dylan would get with one word in particular.


The Seefran air was clear, the Seefran sky was a dusty yellow and the Seefran people were nothing other than depressed. That included Dylan's 'crew'.

"Alright gang." No one answered, turned round or even acknowledged Dylan's presence when he called them a gang. Where's the team spirit? He thought sarcastically to himself.

"Hello?" None of them looked around. They were all there all apart from Beka; she had been acting funny lately, ever since they had... well ever since Dylan had well and truly ruined their already strenuous relationship for good. Where Beka was, was anybody's guess.

Dylan let out a breathe and sat down next to Trance, who was smiling at a pack of cards. He carelessly flung his jacket over the back of the metal stool. He glanced up to see Harper and Rhade arguing at the bar about something. Dylan noticed with some amusement that Doyle was flicking broken glass at the drunken Nietzschean and he hadn't even noticed.

"Hello Dylan." Trance sang, a wide smile on her golden face, but still she didn't look up from her cards. Dylan smiled back, glad that Seefra had not changed at least one of his friends. He conveniently forgot she couldn't remember her life, her friends or the answer to any of her own riddles.

"What are you up to?" Dylan watched as Trance shuffled and reshuffled the cards, placed them down, smiled and started it all over again.

"Watching the future."

"Oh. Anything good happen?"

"Yes. Bad stuff too though." She returned her attention fully to the cards before her.

She gasped as she placed a card with two upside down nines on the table.

"Something go wrong?" Dylan watched in wonder at Trance's reaction to a pack of tatty, old cards, which only the day before had caused him to lose to Rhade. A drunken, cocky Rhade at that.

Trance's eyes were wide as she gazed up at Dylan, a look of pure shock on her face. The shock soon gave way to an even bigger smile; her whole face seemed to shine. She was about to speak when she noticed Beka walking into the bar.

"Beka." Trance smiled and waved at her the blonde woman, Beka gave a small smile back, she wasn't feeling well and was hardly in the mood for the perky, sun princess. Beka avoided the empty seat next to Dylan and sat down at the other end of the small table, groaned and rested her head in her hands.

"Beka? Are you alright?" Dylan asked.

Beka snapped back something that made Trance gasp again and was quiet.

Dylan's blue eyes shot back to Trance and he asked her again what had made her gasp.

Trance chewed her pink lip, wondering whether the information she had seen would screw things up if she told Dylan, especially if she told Dylan now.

"I, um. Dylan you have a sun coming."

Beka looked up, a frown forming on her face. Her hair hung limp on the sides of her face as she looked feverishly from Dylan to Trance. They didn't notice.

"No, Trance your sun is coming. Remember?"

"So is yours." She smiled, leant forward and patted a confused looking Dylan on the shoulder.

"What?"

"You'll understand sooner or later." The enigma that was Trance Gemini was back.

Dylan frowned and looked across at Beka; she only shrugged, trying to make sure that Dylan didn't see the tears forming in her eyes. Come on Valentine, just leave- don't let the man see you cry. In fact, don't cry.

Harper sauntered over clutching a glass of rum he had stolen off Rhade.

"What's up with you Beka? You look upset"

"Mr Harper, with Beka something is always 'up'." Dylan replied wearily, avoiding the look of anger her received from Beka. Who no doubt would now charge him double for whatever cargo she hauled for him next.

"Harper I am not an avatar of a sun am I? Was there a memo I didn't get?"

"No? Why?"

"Apparently I have a sun approaching."

"Hah! Good luck with that."

Trance smiled at Harper and then at Dylan and shrugged her shoulders, she wasn't saying anymore than that. She was beginning to wonder whether she should have said what she said in the first place.

"Anyone else got any ideas? Beka?"

Refusing to look Dylan in the eye, she made her excuses and left. Fast.

"She is in a seriously bad mood lately." Commented Harper. "Sheesh, she seems to be mad at everyone, mostly Dylan. So Dylan, what did you do to piss the usually overly Beka Valentine off this time?"

Dylan groaned and folded his arms. "Drop it Harper."

"You must have done something."

He raised his eyebrows at the group, Doyle had skipped over curious by the discussion, Rhade however had fallen asleep.

"Dylan you must have done something." Doyle echoed Harper's words but still Dylan was silent. He had no wish to share that night with them, the night he and Beka had finally, after years of jumping around the subject, and they had "done the deed". Her words- not his.

It had been good. Sweet. And he had woken up the next morning to find Beka gone. Five weeks later and she was still attempting to avoid him. He missed Beka. The old Beka. The one he could talk about anything with. Now she was different and Dylan had a strong feeling it was too much his fault. He really had loved the woman, in which way he had never been quite sure. She was just Beka.

"Dylan?"

He was flung back to the present. Forget her body on yours Hunt and move on. It was the last thing he wanted to do.

"I have to go."

He stood up, grabbing his faded, beige jacket as he rushed out of the bar. The riddle of his sun, not Trance's spinning round his head.

"I need a shower." He muttered to himself, homeward bound for the Andromeda. This, by not much of a coincidence, was where Beka had decided to head an hour after Dylan had taken that wanted shower.

Walking through the quiet corridors of the once magnificent ship Beka tried bravely to knock on Dylan's door and speak to him. It was important.

She continued walking aimlessly having not yet found the courage.

"Damn it." She moaned to herself. Her head hurt, she felt slightly sick and wanted desperately to sleep. She also still felt like crying. Dylan was going to hate once she told him what she had to say. Life sucked.

"Beka- hi."

Beka's eyes flew open as she turned around to see Dylan. Dylan, who at that moment was walking towards her. Do I have time to run?

He drew closer, smiling slightly but ultimately looking confused.

"What are you doing here?"

"I uh, I was looking for you?"

"Are we finally going to talk about... about us? Is there an us?"

"It was one time Dylan."

One great time.

"So that is a no then?"

"Not completely. Dylan. There is something I have to tell you. Or ask you, or I don't know. " She trailed off and her blue eyes flitted up to Dylan. His eyes had gone all misty. Beka wondered why.

"Beka."

"Shut up. Let me speak first. Please?" Her voice had gone quiet; Beka could feel her heart beating ferverently in her chest. "Have you figured out what Trance was on about yet?"

Way to go Valentine, you chickened out.

"No, and to be honest, I don't know if I want to know. I have enough going on without Trance saying I have a sun as well as her."

Just tell him.

"What if it isn't a bright, shiny, sun in the sky kind of sun?" Beka asked, he voice barely more than a whisper, she watched as Dylan began to understand what she meant.

"I don't like black hole suns either. Why do you think she means my black hole is coming? 'Cause I really don't want to go through all that again."

Beka shook her head. She bit her lip as she stared straight ahead.

"No, Dylan I mean not a sun, but a baby. Your son."

Beka's words hit Dylan like a ton of space rock. He looked down at Beka, to see her shaking hand resting lightly on her stomach.

"You're um... you're?" He tried to speak. He ran his hand through his hair as he tried to comprehend what she had said.

"That's great." He said sarcastically, immediately regretting it. Beka stood there trying desperately not to cry. Praying Dylan would step up.

"Please don't make me do this alone Dylan." In that moment she looked like a child herself, scared stiff of the unknown, of where regretted actions had led her. But was it regretted? Dylan was a good guy. She wondered whether something good could come of this. A baby less than a centimetre across could hardly be scary?

Dylan took a deep breath and moved closer to Beka. He put his hands gently on her arms as he tried to think of something to say.

"Is it mine?" Of course, it is mine. She would not be standing here if it wasn't.

Beka nodded, slightly offended- but there would be time for that later. "Yes. He is yours."

"It's a boy. That explains the sun thing then. Son, sun. I see it now. Damn it."

Beka attempted a smile- it did not come. Stepping back from Dylan she looked at the floor.

"I'm sorry Dylan."

"It's not your fault. We both had a part in it."

I am being very calm about this, Beka's pregnant. I should be panicking, smiling, and feeling something, anything.

Then suddenly the full weight of the situation hit him and realised he was going to be a dad. A father. To a baby son.

"I think I need to sit down."


Should I continue or just leave it as a oneshot?