Summary: A short snippet in Beka's quarters.

Codes: Beka/ Rommie. In other words, slash. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Disclaimer: Tribune owns all rights to Andromeda. All I did was borrow it for use in my twisted little tale.

Rating: PG, for very very minor innuendo.

Spoilers: Um, none. No, seriously! Well, maybe a teensy little blink-and-you-miss-it one for MOADD.

Setting: Somewhere around the end of the second season and the beginning of the third.

Feedback: Please! I love praise and constructive criticism, but flames will be used in a campfire.

Archive: Ask first and I'll probably say yes.

Author's Note: I know, I know, I should be working on my chaptered stories. I just couldn't resist a snippet.

Of an Evening

By B.L.A. the Mouse

Rommie couldn't fault her circumstances at the moment. The quarters were nice, typically Beka- a vase of flowers on a table and a forcelance pitched on the bed, with an overlooked piece of underwear hanging halfway out of a drawer. The sofa she was lying on was nice, soft and firm in the right combination. The lap her head was pillowed on was very nice. She only had one small quibble with the situation.

"Why can't we watch a vid?" she asked, wriggling around till she faced up.

Beka didn't even look down. "We watched one last time, remember? It's my turn to pick, and I chose news."

"I remember," she said, mildly insulted. It was common knowledge that she remembered everything, after all. "It's just that that same piece of news went by half an hour ago." She lifted an eyebrow and waited for her girlfriend's reaction.

"Oh." She blinked. "Maybe we could choose a vid, then."

Rommie propped herself up to study the other woman's face more intently. "What happened? You're not usually this distracted."

A small smile made its way to Beka's lips. "Nothing," she decided, after a second of thought. "Just Dylan deciding to give me another lecture on distracting the AI."

"Poor you," She offered in mock sympathy. She swung her legs off the sofa and sat up, shifting closer till they could feel each other's body heat. "Did you remind him that I can partition off this avatar at will? The ship me isn't distracted at all."

"I tried." She frowned. "I don't think he really wanted to listen at that point. He kept saying about the inappropriateness of the ship and the pilot slash first officer having a relationship."

"I think it's entirely appropriate." She managed to keep a straight face- barely- as she finished, "After all, when you're piloting you're manipulating my controls. And when you're with me-"

She was cut off by Beka bursting into laughter. She broke into a grin, enjoying the anticipated reaction. "See? It's a reasonable argument."

"I'd like to see you try telling him that," she gasped, when she regained enough breath to speak. "I think his face would turn about four shades of purple, but that would help make a dull shift less dull."

Rommie shook her head. "At least six. When you told him you had an arousing dream, he turned three."

That set off another laugh. "Maybe we'll stick with the usual explanation."

"We're encouraging interspecies interaction by engaging in organic-android relations," Beka tagged on.

They smiled at each other. They'd been over this ground often, sometimes with an audience. Of course, Dylan never bought it no matter what, but it was fun to come up with explanations that would convince him to stop hounding them about being together.

"He could always be jealous," the organic side of the pair mused. "He lusted after you for about two years before you finally broke his heart with me."

Rommie quirked an eyebrow again. "Fascinating as this debate may be, I'd rather be discussing a vid choice."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You choose."

She named her pick. "You get it. Please?"

Beka rolled her eyes, but got up and took care of it. Flopping back on the sofa, she asked, "There, happy now?"

"Very, thank you." Rommie leaned over, half-sprawling over most of the sofa, and propped her head on Beka's shoulder.

Her girlfriend, in return, slid an arm around her shoulders and leaned over just enough to kiss her without dislodging her. "Good. I like it when you're happy."

The End