Title: And You Thought Larva Were Bad...
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: I finally wrote a Harper/Trance fiction, but with my mind...um...be prepared for the worst.
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. UTN and AAF spoilers as well.

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"I still wish you would tell me why you're leaving?" Dylan watched Trance pack from the doorway of her quarters.

"I told you Dylan. You wouldn't understand." Trance shoved a few more things in her pack before tying the ends together. "There."

"Well it might help me to understand if you actually told me something."

"It's...personal."

"Isn't it always?" Trance smiled at that. She slung the pack over her shoulder and met him at the doorway.

"It's only for a few days. You won't even know I'm gone. I promise." Dylan looked at her, and then sighed.

"A few days?" She nodded. "It's not like I'd be able to stop you anyways." He smiled. "Be safe. Keep out of trouble."

"Trouble? I thought you knew me better than that." She winked as she scooted past him towards the Maru.

"That's the problem," Dylan said to himself as he watched her go. "I hardly know you at all."

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"That should do." Trance looked at the consol, pleased with her position. It was a remote enough area of space that any passing vessels shouldn't interrupt her for many weeks, let alone the few days she needed.

Trance grabbed onto a railing as a spell of dizziness overcame her. She clutched tightly to it, waiting for the colorful dots to disappear. She took several deep breaths, and when she felt good enough to stand, she let go.

Dylan should have let me go sooner. I barely made it, she thought to herself. She then proceeded to place a virus in the Maru's systems, insuring that no one would be able to use the controls of the ship and take it from the spot she had found for it. That no one being her.

"There. Even Harper couldn't fix that," she mumbled out loud.

"I couldn't fix what?" Trance jumped and spun around.

"How did you..."

"Get here?" Harper walked over to the consol, grinning. "I snuck on board before you left."

"But how? I should have caught you." Trance shook her head. Apparently she was having more trouble focusing than she thought. But it hadn't been that bad before...

"Should have but didn't. This lil' engineer is a lot sneakier than he looks." Harper pressed a few buttons. "What the hell did you do? Beka's going to kill you, assuming that is, that she ever finds us. 'Cause with whatever you put in here, we ain't goin' after the Andromeda anytime soon."

"Why did you follow me?" Trance asked forcefully. Her voice had an edge of panic in it. Harper looked concerned.

"Well, you are always sneaking around, being evasive with your answers to any questions. And I'm tired of playing these guessing games with you, Trance. So I figured I'd follow you this time, see what I could for myself."

"You idiot!" Harper's eyes widened as Trance grabbed his arm. "Do you have any idea why I keep you and the rest of the crew out of these things? Do you have any idea whatsoever how much danger you've put yourself in. You need to leave. Now. It's not..." The dizziness hit her harder this time. She would have hit the floor had Harper not caught her.

"Whoa, my golden goddess. I'm not going anywhere. You messed up the systems really bad. And you're not lookin' so good yourself." Trance pushed herself up, warding off any help the young engineer tried to provide.

"I'm..." she stumbled. "Harper, I'm going to lock myself in a supply closet." She stopped him before he could protest. "No...no. You have to listen, and do exactly as I say. Promise?" He nodded.

"Alright Trance. What do you need me to do?"

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Harper fiddled with a few wires, trying his best to destroy the virus.

"Trance, babe, what did you do to this ship?"

He sighed, looking towards the back of the Maru where Trance was not only locked into the closet, but she had also, as requested, had the door welded from the outside by Harper himself. He had protested at first, but a promise was a promise.

"C'mon baby. Don't you wanna be good for Daddy Harper?" The young engineer was working stiffly. His skin was tingling and he had this weird feeling he was being watched.

A loud clang came from the right of him.

"Uh...hello?" Harper stood up and walked slowly towards the sound, pulling out his lance just to be safe. He walked around the corner to find...

"Nothing," he sighed and put away the lance, picking up the tool that had fallen off the table. As he did so, Harper got that feeling again, of unseen eyes tracking him.

He whipped around just in time to see something flying at him. Then his head hit the deck, and he fell into unconsciousness.