Summary: Beka and Rommie attempt escape.
Codes: Beka/Rommie, Harper/TRhade
Disclaimer: Tribune owns all rights to Andromeda. I just borrowed them for use in my twisted little tale.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: A minor hint at some crew interactions in "The Spider's Stratagem" and "Exalted Reason, Resplendent Daughter."
Feedback: Please! I love praise and constructive criticism, but flames will be used to dry the puddle in my yard.
Archive: Ask first and I'll probably say yes.
Author's Note: This is a minor muse that I came up with while struggling with some of my longer fics. For those of you that might ask why I avoided the Tyr issue… Well, it messed up the story.
Playing Dress-Up
By B.L.A. the Mouse
"Excuse me," Beka heard behind her, "I need to speak to Captain Valentine. Officially, you understand."
"Oh. Of course." The politician she was waltzing with nodded, slightly confused, and stepped away.
The voice, which she recognized as Rommie's, continued, "Come outside. Fewer people to listen."
"Sure." Beka let herself be led onto the balcony that led out of the grand ballroom they were in. As soon as they were appreciably far away from people, she asked, "What's so dire that I couldn't finish a full song's worth of getting my toes stepped on?"
"Exactly that." Rommie grinned. "You looked pained, so I thought I'd give you a hand. Shall we go out to the garden? Fewer politicians." She gestured toward the stairway that led down into the gardens, a semi-maze with paths and hedges and hidden corners.
"Sure, but we have to stay on paths. Why you insisted I wear a dress and heels is beyond me." Beka pulled the floor-length skirt up high enough to walk as they headed for the staircase.
"I apologize."
The parliament building on Heinlein 6 was built for both governing and partying, with the latest victory celebration being held in the grand ballroom, formal dining room, and the large gardens. Since it was governmental, Beka and Harper had to dress up while Dylan, Rhade, and Rommie were in dress uniforms.
"You know what?" Beka muttered as they reached the base of the staircase. She put one hand on Rommie's shoulder as she hopped from one foot to the other, pulling her shoes off. "Those were getting on my nerves."
"I can't blame you."
"So where is everyone?"
Rommie paused a moment as they started to walk. "Dylan is inside one of the conference rooms with an official."
"Female, no doubt."
"Harper and Rhade are out here. Somewhere. Wherever they are, they're together. I assume they're hiding and getting quietly drunk, or at least Harper probably is."
"Yeah, probably." Beka ignored the comment. She had a feeling that they weren't just getting drunk or doing it quietly. "So how long before we have to head back?"
"Given the rate that the sun's setting… An hour."
"Good." Her ears perked up as she heard something familiar. "Is that Harper?"
The yelp was exactly like Harper's. So was the moan. The murmur, however, was Rhade's.
"'Getting quietly drunk'?" Beka grinned at Rommie's startled expression. "Come on, let's give them some privacy."
"But- but-" she sputtered, as Beka led her down another path. "But what if something's wrong? What if Rhade's hurting him?"
"I doubt it. Harper would have him crying uncle in one minute or less." She looked over at her again. "Hey, Harper can take care of himself. Your engineer should be fairly intact. Besides, I already threatened Rhade with everything I could think of if he injures him."
"How…?"
"The point of him getting all buddy-buddy with me was to find out what Harper would find impressive. I told him beer and leather and read him the riot act. Here, this looks good." Beka ducked into a small alcove in the hedges. This one was small and square, with a pond and a pair of benches.
Rommie followed, still arguing. "I just don't want anything to happen to Harper. The water's safe to touch, just don't drink it," she added, apparently noticing Beka eyeing it.
"Trust me, if anything happens to Harper, I'll hold Rhade down and you hit him, okay?" Beka sat on a bench, eased her feet into the icy water. "Damn, that's cold!"
"All right." Rommie sat down next to her.
After a minute of silence, Beka pulled her feet out of the water, flexing her toes to make sure they weren't as frozen as they felt. "You know, we have an hour to kill, and they gave me ideas." She looked significantly at Rommie.
"Not here."
"Why not? No one's come this way since we have; most of them are probably still inside with the alcohol." She grinned, pulling the clips out of her hair that Trance had insisted on putting in.
"There are laws against indecent exposure on this planet."
"Only if they catch us. Besides, when's the last time we had complete solitude, a setting sun, a seat, and very few layers of clothing?"
Rommie relented. Some. "No nudity."
"Now that I can deal with." Beka kissed her, sliding a hand up behind her head to hold her there.
Slowly it got more intense, with Beka trailing kisses down Rommie's jaw until she pushed her away. Instead, Rommie got to her knees on the bench and slid the strap of Beka's dress down, kissing the space where it had been. When she grazed the skin with her teeth, Beka groaned and reached up, scrabbling for the zipper of the uniform top. She started to pull it down, just barely revealing the curves underneath, when Rommie pulled away.
"Beka…"
"I'm sorry." She pushed the strap back up. "Though in all fairness you started it."
"I know, but I wasn't trying to unfasten it, just work around it."
"True." Beka reached over and re-zipped the vest. She caught her hand and pulled her back next to her as she continued, "How about you meet me on the Maru when we head back? Then you won't have to worry about public nudity and I won't have to worry about too much skirt."
"All right." Glancing over, Rommie smiled, then carefully leaned forward and precisely kissed her lips. "I didn't say that you had to stop…"
"You…" Words failed her, so Beka decided to just let actions speak for her.
"A-hem."
They pulled apart guiltily and looked up. Dylan was standing just inside the gap that formed the entrance to the alcove. "What are you two doing?"
"Kissing, sir, why?" Rommie looked completely poised as she said that; Beka had to admire it, as she was frantically trying to remember where she'd dropped her shoes and hair clips.
"Kissing. The two of you left the ballroom, under the pretext of official business, so you could come out here and neck?"
"That wasn't actually why we came out here-" Beka started.
"No, you know what? Get back together and let's go. I expect this from Harper, but from you two and Rhade?"
Startled, Beka looked past him to see Harper and Rhade, looking disheveled but happy. She grinned and winked, getting a thumb's-up from Harper.
Dylan caught the exchange and looked disgusted. "I will be up with the officials. I expect to see all four of you there in five minutes." He turned, pushing past Rhade in his hurry.
Beka stood, pulling Rommie with her. "Rhade, you have the superior eyesight. Can you see my other shoe?" One was sitting innocently at the edge of the pond, but she had no idea where the other one was.
He cleared his throat. "I believe you may have knocked it in."
Beka checked, looking in to see it sitting at the bottom. "In that case…" She pitched in the other shoe and watched it settle next to the first. "I'll look a lot less silly with no shoes than one."
Harper was laughing, but Rhade and Rommie looked shocked. The latter managed, "Beka, those were on the Commonwealth tab."
"So they can take it out of my paycheck." She shrugged. "Hey, Harper, can I talk to you a minute?"
He came over and started helping her pick up hair clips. "Yeah, boss?"
"So you and Rhade…?"
"Yup."
"Do I have to hit him?"
"Nope."
"You're all right then?"
"Yup."
"Good." She counted the clips. "…Nine, ten, eleven. That's all of them. Let's move. Oh, and Harper?"
"What?"
"You might want to close your fly."
She laughed at the stream of obscene vocabulary as he looked down. Rommie glanced over at her. "Beka, we'd better go. Dylan only gave us three more minutes."
"Dylan can wait." Still, Beka joined her and started to walk out onto the path. Rhade and Harper followed. "You heard Harper. We don't have to make Nietzschean burger."
"That's good. Oh…" Rommie stopped them, apparently ignoring the risk of collision with the other two. Gently, almost sweetly, she leaned over to kiss Beka. "I have to remember to meet you later on the Maru."
The End