Title: Christmas Cheer
Series: Andromeda
Rating: K+
Summary: The crew of Andromeda celebrates Christmas, with some surprising results. This is an answer to the Affirming Flame Awards Fanfic Challenge #1.
Disclaimer: Andromeda and its characters are the property of Tribune Entertainment Co., and they reserve all rights thereof. I am making no profit from this work of fiction.
AN: This version has a few small changes from the original. Merry Christmas everyone.
AaAaA
The cold blackness of space was all that surrounded the Andromeda as she moved through this region of space.
The ship was cruising along, not really going anywhere, just enjoying the brief respite from the now normal battling.
The crew was, at the moment, relaxing in various places around the ship. Rommie was in her quarters going through her closet, Beka was tinkering with the Maru, Tyr was working out in the gym, Trance was in Hydroponics, and Dylan was improving his "GO" game.
Harper was the only one that was a flurry of activity; he was decorating the Machine Shop for Christmas, which was only 3 day's away.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh, hey.
Harper then began humming as he moved around the Machine Shop placing various decorations a wreath on the wall, some garland over the door, and just to top it off, mistletoe in the center of the room.
He stood back and surveyed his handiwork; man was this going to be a good Christmas.
"Hey Harper," Trance said as she came in behind him, a poinsettia in her hands.
"Oh, hiya Trance. How's my purple princess today?" he asked as he moved to gather more decorations for the rest of the ship.
"I'm fine, thanks, here's that plant you wanted. She's pretty."
"Yeah she is," he replied, not talking about the plant, his comment causing Trance to blush.
"Harper, why are you decorating the ship and why do you want this plant?" she asked a little confused.
"Well, let's take those in reverse order. I need the plant to decorate the ship for Christmas, huh, I guess that answered both questions," he added with a grin as he took the plant and placed it on the table.
"What's Christmas, and why are you decorating Andromeda for it?" She asked innocently.
"That, Trance, is a difficult question to answer, but come sit over here and I'll try my best."
Harper took one of Trance's hands and led her over to the cot he kept. He sat her on the cot while he sat on the counter across from her.
"Ok, on Earth there's a holiday called Christmas. Its true meaning has been lost over the years, now it's just a commercial holiday where stores get rich and people get broke. Anyway, the origin of Christmas began many thousands of years ago. There was a person born named Jesus Christ, the Savior of man, and the Messiah. Now he only lived 33, 34 years before he was crucified by the Romans, but he was said to have been the Son of God, what Rev would call the Divine. Christmas is a celebration of Jesus' birthday. Then there's the entire Santa Claus thing, he's supposed to bring good girls and boys presents and leave them under a tree. Parents use him as a way to make their children behave through the year. I hope this helps you understand Christmas better Trance," he said when he finished.
Harper noticed that Trance had a faraway look on her face. He moved to sit next to her.
"Trance, you ok?" he asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, uh, I'm fine, thanks for explaining it to me, Harper. I've got to go, see you later. I'm not feeling well right now," she said as she got up and ran from the room.
"That was strange," he said to no one. "Oh well, I hope she feels better later. Rommie, is my tree ready yet?" he asked the AI.
"Yes Harper, you're just lucky there was a fake one in storage."
"Yeah I know, otherwise we would have had to find a planet with pine trees."
Rommie didn't even reply; she just groaned.
"Well, I think we should set up the tree, don't you?" Harper asked as he grabbed a box of decorations.
"I'll have the Maria's meet you in Obs. Deck." The hologram then blinked out, leaving Harper alone with his decorations.
AaAaA
10 minutes later, On the Obs. Deck, the Maria's were already setting the tree in a corner when Harper came in.
"Ok, let's get this thing decorated. Rommie could you please ask Trance to join me, if she's feeling better that is, I could really use her help."
"Sure thing, Harper," she said as her hologram blinked out.
AaAaA
"Trance, are you busy?" Rommie asked as she appeared in Hydroponics.
"Nope, what can I do for you Rommie?" Trance asked as she pruned her plants.
"Harper asked me to ask you if you'd like to help him decorate the tree in Obs. Deck. He mentioned that since you're so good at making things beautiful," Rommie began, playing matchmaker for the pair, "you could do wonders on the tree. Well that and he'd like your company. He also asked if you were feeling better."
"Really? He said all that, he said I make things pretty?" she asked with unmasked joy.
"Yes he did," Rommie said with a nod and a twinkle in her eye. "So, can I tell him you're coming?"
"Yes, tell him I'll be right there, and tell him I'm feeling much better."
AaAaA
"She'll be here in a few minutes," Rommie told Harper when she reappeared.
"Thanks Rom-doll, you're the best," he said with a grin.
"I know," she said disappearing once again, intentionally not telling him that Trance was feeling better. She thought he should ask her himself.
Harper just laughed as he set about separating the decorations, placing a wrapped parcel in his pocket.
As he was organizing his decorations, Tyr walked in.
"What are you doing, boy?" he asked when he saw the decorations and the tree.
"Hey Tyr, I'm getting ready for Christmas, wanna help?"
"Christmas, Bah Humbug, Christmas is a waste of time, you should be concentrating on your survival and finding a mate." Tyr then turned and walked out before Harper could say another word.
"Did he actually say 'bah humbug'?" the confused engineer queried the holographic representation of the ship's AI.
"Yes, yes he did," she replied with a small smirk on her face at Harper's reaction.
"Today keeps getting weirder and weirder," he said with a shake of his head as he waited for Trance.
A few minutes later Trance arrived, looking a little flushed.
"Hey Trance, thanks for coming, I really appreciate the help and your company," he said with a shy grin.
"You're welcome, it sounded like fun. Thank you for thinking of me," she said as a flush rose to her cheeks.
"Of course, I'm always thinking about you Trance. Are you feeling any better?" he asked as she appeared beside him at the decorations.
"Better?" she asked, confused for a moment by his proximity.
"Yeah, earlier you said you weren't feeling well and ran out of the Machine Shop."
"Oh, I'm feeling much better, thank you, my stomach felt weird that's all. So, how do we decorate it?"
"Simple, choose a decoration and place it where it looks good, like this," he said as he placed a red ball on the tree.
"I can do that," she said excitedly as she and Harper began decorating the tree.
AaAaA
Half an hour later Trance and Harper had decorated the entire tree and Obs. Deck as well.
"Well Trance, there's only one thing left to do," Harper said as he removed the wrapped parcel from his pocket.
"What's that?"
"This is an ornament that was given to me by my parents the Christmas before they were killed. In my family, it's tradition to give everyone you love an ornament that represents something significant in their life at that time. When they gave this to me I was so happy, I couldn't stop smiling." Harper had to stop to keep the tears from coming. "That was also the last time I was happy."
"What is it?"
"You know what's funny Trance? In the camps there was never enough to eat, but this year we had gotten a chicken, a small scrawny bird that the Ubers didn't want and let free. I found the bird and brought it back home, my parents were so happy. That night we cooked it and ate the entire thing. The next day was Christmas, my parents had made this ornament for me, it was the wishbone from the chicken; it was meant to bring me luck and happiness. At least that's what it was supposed to do. A year to that day, my parents were killed by the Dragans, and I was never happy again."
Harper then unwrapped the small metal ornament with a Y shaped bone in the middle. He then carefully hung it on the tree and stepped back beside Trance. She took his hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, signifying that she'd be there for him if he needed it.
"Don't worry Harper, you'll be happy like that again someday," Trance said as she gave his hand another a squeeze and placed a tender kiss on his cheek. He just smiled sadly.
They stood hand in hand for another few minutes, looking at that ornament before leaving to their various duties. Rommie just looked on from the shadows.
AaAaA
Harper was continuing to decorate Andromeda for Christmas; presently he was on Command Deck putting garland on the consoles and railings. Dylan, Rommie and Beka were discussing where they were going to head next, and Tyr was elsewhere doing Tyr stuff. Several places around Command he had placed pieces of Mistletoe on the ceiling, the same thing he'd done in all the previous rooms. Trance was gonna kill him if she ever found out about the mistletoe plant he almost killed.
As he was decorating he was singing songs from a children's movie, with a few little word changes.
"You're a mean one, Mr. Tyr. Your heart's an empty spot…" Harper was stopped in mid-verse by Tyr's fist connecting with his face, followed by blackness.
AaAaA
Harper awoke half an hour later in Medical. Trance was waiting for him.
"How are you feeling?" she asked as she scanned him.
"Like Rommie played my head as a drum."
"Well, that's not far from the truth, only it was Tyr. What did you do that made him so angry?"
"I don't know. I was singing while I decorated command, the next thing I know I'm here looking at your beautiful face," he said with a grin.
"Oh Harper, what am I going to do with you?" she asked with a giggle at his statement.
"I have a few ideas but…" he trailed off when she gave him that look. The look that all women have, and only a few use. The one that says, 'Someday I'm actually going to take you up on your innuendo, and you'd better make good, and today may be that day.' Needless to say, Harper shut up.
"Ah, so am I going to be ok Trance?" he asked a little worried.
"Yes, aside from a black-eye, you'll be fine, just try not to get Tyr mad at you," she implored.
"I'll try," he said as sincerely as he could. "See you later Trance."
"Harper," she called as he was almost out the door, "what were you singing?"
"A bad rendition of a song from a movie called How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I'll tell you more about it later," he said as he slowly backed out the door.
"Maybe we could watch it together sometime after dinner, just the two of us?" she asked shyly.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I'll talk to you later, see ya."
"Yeah, see ya," she said as he exited. She then busied herself with cleaning up.
AaAaA
Harper was strolling down the corridor back to Command, humming Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer, when the realization of what just happened hit him.
He'd just agreed to a date with Trance, at her urging, too!
'Wow, today can't get any weirder,' Harper thought as he continued to Command.
"Hey Harper," Beka said as she almost literally ran into him, "you'll never guess who's going to spend Christmas with us."
"Please don't say Gerentex, please tell me it's anyone but Gerentex," Harper pleaded.
"Relax, Rafe is going to join us for Christmas," she said excitedly.
"Rafe? You're brother, the one that stole your entire CD collection, that Rafe?"
"Yup, the one and the same, see ya later Harper," she replied with a stupid grin as she continued down the hall.
"I spoke too soon, today can get weirder," he said with a sigh as he reached Command.
As Harper entered, he was faced with an upset Nietzschean.
"Uh, hi Tyr, how you doing?"
"Better than you it would appear. The Captain has informed me that you plan to cook the meal, is that correct?"
"Uh, yeah, that's right. I'm gonna cook dinner for us, why?" he asked carefully.
"I wanted to be the one to tell you that since I have no desire to die of food poisoning, I will be cooking the meal. Is that understood?"
"Perfectly, hey, with you cooking we know no one will die, from the food that is," Harper said with a tremor in his voice. Tyr mad was not a pleasant thing to see.
"Good, I shall go see what you will need to get for me."
With that Tyr left Command, headed for the Mess Hall.
"Well, today has to be the weirdest day I've ever had," Harper said as he picked up the decorations scattered on the floor.
Dylan only laughed as he began to finish decorating.
AaAaA
Later that night, after Harper had finished decorating Command, Medical, and his Machine Shop, he stopped by Hydroponics to see Trance.
"Hiya Trance!" Harper said as he appeared from nowhere, startling her and making her jump.
"Harper, that wasn't very nice," she scolded, but the scold was nullified by the smile on her face.
"Sorry, babe, I couldn't help it," he replied with a grin.
"That's ok," she said as she reached over and gave his hand a squeeze, "are you done for today?"
"Yeah, I ran all the normal maintenance tasks this morning, and now I'm done decorating for the day. You wanna go get some dinner?" he asked with a slight twinkle in his eye.
"Sure, give me a minute to finish up."
"No problemo, my purple princess," he said as he leaned against a nearby tree to wait.
Three minutes later, Trance went over to Harper's tree and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Harper, are you awake?" she asked, a laugh in her voice.
"Yeah, just resting my eyes that's all, shall we go?" he asked with a bow towards the door.
"Yes, let's," she replied.
AaAaA
As they walked down the corridor towards the Mess Hall, Trance slipped her hand into Harper's. His only reaction was to turn his head and smile at her, giving her hand a small squeeze.
When they arrived they were the only two dining, the others having already eaten. So Harper and Trance had the entire Mess Hall to themselves. They put the solitude to good use. After getting their meals, they continued to discuss what Christmas was and what the symbols meant.
"That was fun, Trance, we should do it again," Harper said as he walked her to her quarters.
"Yeah, let's do it again tomorrow," she urged. Harper just laughed.
"That would be great, Trance."
They had arrived at Trance's quarters and Harper could tell she wanted to ask him something.
"Harper, um, would you like to watch that Grinch movie with me tonight?" she asked in her shy way.
"That sounds like fun Trance, I'd be glad to."
And so Harper entered her quarters to watch a movie with her.
Her quarters were just like those assigned to Harper, not that he used them regularly, except she had decorated hers in shades of purple, yellow and pink, the same colors that were in her hair.
She had what appeared to be violet silk wall hangings the same shade as her skin, with pillows on a couch the color of her favorite purple outfit. There were yellow flowers in vases decorating the room, scattered among pink objects that Harper couldn't identify. It was to the couch that Trance led him.
"Ok, so sit down, let's watch the movie," she said excitedly.
"Ok, ok, I'm sitting, see?" Harper asked as he sat beside her.
"Rommie, would you please play How the Grinch Stole Christmas for us, and engage privacy mode too, please?" Trance asked sweetly.
"Of course Trance, Privacy Mode Engaged, playing movie," the hologram then disappeared from view, a smile on her face.
As the movie started, Trance snuggled closer to Harper, who put his arm around her. For some reason, he felt more relaxed than he'd ever felt in his entire life. He assumed it was the proximity to Trance, but he'd figure it out later; the movie was starting.
AaAaA
The next day, as Harper was checking various systems and subsystems in Engineering, Dylan came in with a rather concerned look on his face.
"Mr. Harper, can I talk to you?"
"Sure Boss, just let me start this diagnostic," Harper told him as he began the hour long diagnostic, "what's up?"
"I've just been made aware that you stayed the night in Trance's quarters, with Privacy Mode engaged. Would you care to explain yourself?"
"Yeah, sure, no problem," Harper replied with a grin, knowing that wasn't the answer he expected.
"Well?" Dylan prompted.
"Last night Trance and I spent the night in her quarters watching Christmas movies; we just forgot to turn off Privacy Mode when they were over."
"That's it, you watched movies all night?" Dylan couldn't believe what he was hearing. It just didn't seem possible.
"Yeah, that's all. We watched 2 movies, and then Trance fell asleep in my arms. I tucked her into bed and crashed on the couch. I know you're dying to know, we watched How The Grinch Stole Christmas, the cartoon, and then we watched Jim Carrey in The Grinch. That's all that happened, I swear on Rommie's Avatar's logic board."
"I believe you, Mr. Harper. Rommie mentioned that there was some obscure movie files accessed last night. What I want to know is, do you know what you're doing?" he asked as he sat on the railing beside Harper.
"What do you mean?" Harper asked, confused.
"Do you know what you're doing, with Trance," he clarified.
"It's not like that Dylan," Harper began.
"Oh, it's not, and why is that?"
"She's my best friend, my 'purple sparkly babe,' my 'purple princess,' my…oh no," Harper said as he stopped naming pet names.
"'Oh no'? What do you mean by oh no?" Dylan asked, confused now.
"I just realized something; I'm in love with Trance. What am I gonna do?" he asked as he sank to the floor.
"Just think of it like this Harper: it's a chance to do something important, something meaningful, and it's more than that. It's an adventure. Maybe the greatest adventure anyone has ever seen." Dylan said, kneeling beside him.
"Yeah, I guess you're right, but what should I do about it?" Harper pleaded with him.
"Go, talk to her, and tell her how you feel."
"Yeah, I'll do that, thanks Dylan," Harper said as he got up and moved toward the doors. As the doors closed behind Harper, Dylan let out a giant sigh.
"Well, that worked well," he said.
"I agree, you did very well," Rommie said as her Avatar entered.
"I'm just glad this new holo-program Harper wrote works so well," Dylan replied.
"Who would have thought he could make holograms that were solid and not mere projections," Rommie said with a laugh as Dylan dissolved into her holographic persona.
"Imagine what we could do with this. So should we try this matchmaking on Beka and Tyr?"
"We'll see what we can do with it later," Andromeda said, as she appeared on the view screen, wearing a Santa hat.
"You know in that hat, you remind me of a television show we have in the archives called Red Dwarf. There was a computer that always wore funny hats, it think it was called Holly," Rommie told the view screen.
"Well, that's all well and good, but right now Harper is entering Hydroponics."
What followed was silence as the three monitored Harper as he ran to Hydroponics.
AaAaA
In Hydroponics, Harper found Trance pruning and watering her plants.
"Hey Trance, can I talk to you?" he asked as he slowly approached her, trying to regain his breath.
"Sure," she replied with a cryptic smile.
What's the smile for? He wondered as he closed the distance.
"Um, I wanted to talk to you about last night."
"I had so much fun last night Harper. Thank you for watching the movies with me," she said as her smile grew even bigger.
"It was my pleasure Trance, but that's not why I'm here. I'm here to talk to you about something I discovered today, about you."
"What did you discover about me?" she asked in mild terror.
"Well, there's no easy way to say this, so here goes. Trance, we've been friends for a few years now, and while I have kept asking you about your past, and you've never told me a thing. Now this morning I've discovered something about you." Here he paused to take a strengthening breath, which didn't help much. "Trance, I've discovered that I … I love you."
Harper looked as though he were about to collapse as he said the last part, and Trance was certain that he would. Moving to his side, she helped to support him in case he did collapse.
"What are you doing Trance?" he asked, his mind swimming both with what he just said and her close proximity.
"Helping you to stand up, silly. It looks like you're going to fall down," she replied with a giggle.
"Thanks, Trance."
As Trance helped Harper to a nearby bench, she reflected on what he told her.
He loved her. She knew that one day he'd realize his feelings for her; she was kind of glad it was now.
I know the perfect Christmas gift to give him now, she thought as he sat down.
Kneeling in front of him she looked him straight in the eyes, loosing herself momentarily in their depths.
"Harper, I am both shocked and overwhelmed by what you said. I've never thought that you would say that to me," she lied. "Now there is something I need to tell you as well," she paused dramatically, a smile on her face.
"Trance," he interrupted, "if you are going to tell me that you don't love me or something like that, then please take my gun and shoot me now. I know that I won't be able to see you everyday knowing that my love is only one way, so please either don't tell me or end the pain now."
During his little speech, Trance had gently taken his hand in hers and was stroking it lovingly. He of course, didn't notice.
"Either way, if you don't love me just do me the favor and …" he broke off when he realized where she was and what she was doing to his hand.
"Are you done yet Harper?" she asked as he just stared at his hand in hers.
She didn't even wait for an answer, just continued speaking.
"Good, now you listen to me, Seamus Zelazny Harper. I will not be shooting you today, nor will you or anyone else be doing it. I want to tell you that sometimes you are so blind to things. I've been giving you out in the open signs that I care for you all week, and don't get me started on the subtle ones, those go back months! Harper," she took his head in her other hand and forced him to look her in the eyes, "I do love you, more than I could ever express."
As her words finally soaked into his foggy mind, a smile began to spread across his face. This wasn't the usual 'nothing can hurt me, everything is fine' smile that he constantly wore; this was a real from his heart smile.
"Do you really mean that or are you just saying it so I won't shoot myself?" he asked with his last bit of skepticism, which was quickly fading.
"I really mean it, from the bottom of my heart," she said as she gently kissed his forehead. "Now get up off the floor and talk to me like a person."
As she helped him from the bench, she placed her arm around his shoulders. They began walking around Hydroponics, just talking, sometimes about meaningful stuff, other times not.
Rommie just nodded as her hologram faded away, unnoticed by the new couple.
AaAaA
Later that night, Trance and Harper sat quietly in the Machine Shop, talking about the day's revelations.
"So, how does this change our relationship?" Harper asked as he idly played with a screwdriver lying on the table.
"We will always be friends," Trance began, taking the screwdriver before he hurt himself. In its place she put her hand.
"Best friends, Trance, forever and always," he said with a smile, which she returned.
"Since things between us have most definitely changed, where do we stand, as a couple?" Harper asked as he idly, absently, began to run his thumb over Trance's hand.
"I'd say that we're a couple now, and I'd guess that I'd call you my boyfriend."
"That means that you're my girlfriend. Whoa, it'll take time to get used to that," he said as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"We'll you'll both have plenty of time to get used to it, maybe make something more of it. Right now, I need to talk with you both," Rommie said as her avatar entered the Machine Shop.
"Rommie, have you been listening to us?" Harper asked her.
"Yes, I wanted to make sure I didn't have to take any other steps."
"Steps? What steps did you take?" Harper asked, suddenly suspicious of the android.
"Let's just say," she paused, as her hologram appeared as the Dylan that Harper had talked to, "that I gave you a push in the right direction."
"That was you, but how?" Harper asked as he and Trance stared at the android in shock.
"The new hologram projection program you've been working on, coupled with the new emitters."
"But that doesn't work yet," Harper protested.
"You were working too slowly, so I finished it for you. Apparently it worked quite well," she said with a smirk.
"Apparently it did. One question: why?" Trance asked from beside the unusually quiet Harper.
"Think of it as my Christmas present to you both. You've had feelings for each other since you came aboard, and longer I'd wager. I figured that it was about time you gave into fate."
"Well, thanks for the present," Harper said with a sincere smile. "So, what can we do for you?"
"Well, I need your help for the Christmas party Dylan is letting you throw."
"What about it?" Harper asked as Rommie moved to the table they were standing at.
"I need you're help to modify a few items; I have a few more gifts to give."
"Oh, really, do tell," Harper said as Rommie smiled evilly.
"I'm glad you asked, Harper. Trance, I'll need you to get a few things for Harper. Here's the plan."
They formed a tight circle as Andromeda engaged the Privacy Mode.
AaAaA
The next night, after countless hours of preparation, Harper, Trance, and Rommie were ready for the party.
"Do you think it'll work?" Trance asked with a giggle.
"I have no doubt that it will work I tested it myself," Harper said with a laugh.
"How much did you test Harper?" Rommie asked, taking in the engineer's current condition.
"Only a little bit."
"Whatever you say Harper."
Rommie turned back to the food she was placing on the table.
Dylan had given them permission to have a party the night before Christmas. They were presently placing food and eggnog on the tables set out in Obs. Deck.
"Harper! Don't spill the eggnog," Trance admonished her boyfriend.
"Yes Ma'am," he replied with a weak salute, almost spilling the eggnog on the table he set it on.
Trance rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek.
"I can so get used to that," he said with a sigh.
"Good," was all Trance said.
"If you two are finished I'll have the others join us now," Rommie scolded them. They, like the young couple they were, blushed.
"That's what I thought," she said in mock seriousness.
Her face then took on a faraway look as she individually contacted the other crew.
"The others will be here shortly."
"Ok, let's see. Punch, food, presents, Trance? Yup, all here."
"Harper," Trance said with a small laugh.
"Sorry, Trance. Hey Rom-doll, will those gifts be ok on the table?" Harper asked as he double-checked the seven gifts.
"Yes, they'll be fine. Dylan, Beka, Rev and Tyr are just outside the door."
The doors then unlocked and allowed the others to enter the vastly changed Obs. Deck.
"Mr. Harper, you, Trance and Rommie have done a fabulous job."
"Yeah, the place looks great," Beka complimented.
"I still feel that this is a waste of time. However, it is good for morale and that helps my chance of survival."
Harper and Trance just grinned, knowing that that was the closest thing to a compliment that they would get from Tyr.
"Well, do you guys want some eggnog?" Harper asked, pulling Trance towards the table.
When they got there, Harper continued to hold her hand, using the other to offer a glass of eggnog.
"Harper, is there something you're not telling us?" Beka asked with a look at their entwined hands, taking the eggnog from Harper.
"What?"
Beka just pointed to Trance's hand happily inserted in Harper's.
"Um, nothing Boss, what could I possibly be hiding…" he broke off as Trance interrupted.
"Harper, there's no sense in hiding it, or not as it were," she said, squeezing his hand, "Beka, Harper and I are a couple now."
"Will it interfere with the running of the ship?" Tyr asked, as he took a glass of eggnog.
"No, it won't," Harper replied.
"Good, than I see no problem with it then, it is their life, let them live it."
"Tyr, I personally have no problem with it, in fact I'm quite happy for them," Dylan said as he too took eggnog.
Seeing that all three had taken the eggnog, Harper exchanged a conspiratorial glance with Trance and Rommie.
"Aren't you going to have any eggnog, Rev?" Harper asked when the Wayist made no move.
"No, thank you, I will help myself to the food and then go meditate. I will return in an hour to help clean up and exchange gifts." Rev then moved to the table and took a plate full of food.
"This is a time for Wayist meditation, asking for blessings in the New Year. They're not allowed to have anything that may contain alcohol, that's why he's not having any eggnog, he doesn't trust us." Trance explained to Harper as Rev left with his food.
"Well, that doesn't mean we can't have fun," Harper said as he guided Trance to the table and gave her a cup of eggnog, with a wink.
An hour later Rev, as he promised, returned to help clean up the mess left by the food.
As they were cleaning up, Trance went over to Harper.
"Harper, how long till the eggnog starts working?"
"I'd say about 45 minutes, so we'd better give the presents now," he told her with another wink.
"I'll tell Rommie," she said as she moved off after giving him a kiss.
Harper continued to help Rev clear all the dishes to one table, then he moved to find Trance and Rommie.
"Time for gifts," was all he said as he moved to the front of the room to make an announcement.
"Ok you guys, time to give you your gifts, so come on up here."
The others slowly began moving to where the presents were on the table, Harper standing in front of them, Rommie beside him.
"Ok, now these are just a Christmas Eve gift, you'll get another one tomorrow. Beka, this is yours, this one goes to Tyr, and Rev," he said as he handed out the presents.
"Here ya go Dylan, Rom-Doll you get this, and finally Trance, this is yours," he said pointing to a gift sitting on the floor, the top of which was level with the table.
The gifts were, in order; a collector's set of the greatest songs of the 20th Century for Beka. Tyr got a manual on an ancient Earth Martial Arts called Northern/Southern Shaolin Kung Fu Wu Shu, the 7 Circles System. Rev received a book of Wayist meditations and prayers. Dylan got a basketball with a hand pump and needles needed to refill it. Rommie got a small program that would allow her hologram to be projected as being solid, able to touch objects, when she wanted to. Harper had been up all last night working on the finishing touches of the modified version Rommie finished.
To Trance he gave a plant; not just any plant, but one of the rarest in the known Galaxies, and Alcarnian Rose.
After the gifts were given, they were talked about by those who had received them. Harper was sitting off to the side; Trance snuggled in his arms when Dylan came over to him.
"Mr. Harper, I'd like to thank you, for both myself and the others, for the gifts. But where is your gift?" Dylan asked when he noticed that everyone had received a gift except Harper.
Harper just smiled as he looked down at Trance in his arms and the others talking about their gifts. His eyes returned to Dylan as he answered.
"This, Dylan," he said as he pointed to the happy faces, Tyr excluded, around him, "this is my gift. Seeing you guys happy is one of the best gifts I could receive, I enjoy making my friends happy."
"I understand, thank you Harper." Dylan said with a yawn, causing Harper and Trance to smile.
"I'm tired all of a sudden," he said as he tried to stop another yawn.
"Hey Rommie," Harper called. When the Avatar appeared next to him he continued, "Could you help Dylan get to his quarters? All this excitement has worn him out."
"Sure, I'd be glad to. Come along Dylan; let's get you tucked into bed." Rommie said as she dragged the tired Captain towards the doors and eventually his quarters.
"It's working perfectly Trance," he whispered to her as he waved goodnight to Rev. "All we gotta do now is get Beka and Tyr to leave together."
"That shouldn't be hard," she whispered back, "they're already all over each other, and they call that dancing."
Harper got up from Trance and made his way to the "dancing" couple. He leaned up and whispered in Tyr's ear. He nodded and proceeded to lead Beka from the room, explaining that he would put her to bed in the Maru. As the doors closed behind them, Harper turned to Trance and walked to where she sat.
"The plan worked perfectly," he said as he helped her from the floor.
"Tell me again how the eggnog works," she asked as she leaned her head on his shoulder. They then proceeded from the room, destination, Hydroponics.
"Well, the mixture works kind of like alcohol, it releases your inhibitions and let's you express your true feelings. It's completely odor-lees, colorless, and taste-less, it also doesn't have the hangover that alcohol does. All in all, it's a good design, Rommie was a genius."
After that there was silence as they walked hand in hand to Hydroponics.
AaAaA
When the young couple reached Hydroponics, they moved towards a large tree that offered shade and a comfortable place to sit.
They sat under the tree and just listened to the other breathe for what seemed hours.
"Harper, you said that the happiness of the other's was your gift, is that true?" She asked, looking into his eyes.
"Partially, yes seeing them happy was a good gift, but I received an even better one, you. Trance, you are a gift sent by the Divine himself, and I thank him for you," Harper said as he placed a kiss on her forehead.
"Well, I have another gift for you," she began as she leaned in and kissed him on the lips, making it seem as though time was standing still. The kiss lasted a good ten seconds, Harper having responding by wrapping his arms around Trance and pulling her to him.
When the broke apart Trance softly whispered, "I hope you liked it," causing Harper to smile and pull her closer. They fell asleep under the tree, wrapped in each other's arms, as did Rommie and Dylan, and Beka and Tyr.
As the quickly dispatched Maria placed the blanket over the sleeping Harper and Trance, Andromeda reflected on the night's events.
"Well," the hologram said to her view-screen counterpart as they stood watch in Command, "it appears like we all got something we wanted. Harper and Trance finally admitted their feelings, as did Beka and Tyr. And our Avatar and Dylan finally admitted that they could be lovers and still have a chain of command."
"Yes, surprising how it worked out. What an amazing Christmas eve this was, I wonder what will happen tomorrow," the screen queried her sister.
"You never know. But I do know one thing, tomorrow is Christmas. With this crew we'd better expect the unexpected." After these words, both versions of Andromeda just nodded sagely, holding the watch until such time as Dylan awoke the next morning.
AaAaA
Fin