"So my favorite little half Neitzchean, what's up?" Harper asked as he walked over to where she was stationed.

"Well, lets see, there's the ceiling, some stars, the upper decks, conduits, the...."

"I get it." He cut her off.

"So, rumor has it that you've got yourself a new girlfriend." Lauren said with a slight hint of jealousy.

"Yes I do." He replied smiling and not noticing her tone.

"And here I thought that you were saving yourself for me." She said with a sarcastic gasp and a hurt tone.

"Well, I'd have to talk to Isa, but, personally, a threesome doesn't sound half bad." Harper said with a faraway look in his eyes. Lauren hit him sharply in the back of the head.

"You're nauseating." She said smiling and turning back to her work.

"Ouch! And thank you. But all jokes aside. It's good to have you home." He said giving her a friendly hug.

"It's good to be home." She said giving into his hug.

"You were gone." Tyr asked insultingly.

"Melissa, Jessica, Maggie, Chelsey, Krista, Leslie, and Lauren were all one for like, a week." Harper said not believing that the Kodiak hadn't noticed.

"Harp, give up, he hates me. Anyway, you owe me dinner." Lauren told him smiling.

"What?" He asked, not knowing what she was talking about.

"You said that when I got back from my trip, you would take me to dinner and I could tell you all about it." She explained with only a small hint of amusement.

"Oh, that's right. Uh, well, Dylan says, or rather rumor has it, that we will be docking at Florn drift day after tomorrow. How about then?" He suggested.

"Sounds good to me. You wanna meet me be the airlock at around 8 then?"

"Sure. Did you have fun?" He asked.

"Yeah." She replied, "I missed you though." She added sarcastically, or so he thought.

"You should have seen what we did to one of our counselors." Maggie told him.

"What did you do?" Harper asked curiously.

"Well, he was a wayist nightsighter, and we, uh, dyed him pink." Chelsey told him with a small smile. As Harper's mind processed the information, he began to laugh at the thought of a fuzzy pink nightsighter.

"Get back to work." Tyr ordered them.

"Fine." They all said in unison.

"Harper?" Rommie asked walking into the room.

"Yeah?" He asked turning to her.

"My internal sensors seem to be malfunctioning. Would you mind repairing them?" She asked while talking her station.

"Sure. I'll go right now." He said and then left.

"I hate her already!" Lauren said loudly after the doors closed behind Harper.

"Who?" Chelsey asked. She had a good idea who, but she wanted to be sure.

"Chelsey, you know who." Lauren said glaring at the Jaguar.

"But I don't. So, who is it?" Maggie asked.

"Isa." Rommie replied for Lauren and Chelsey, who seemed to be having a glaring contest.

"Who?" Maggie asked, still confused.

"Harper's girlfriend." Rommie told her.

"Oh." Maggie said knowingly.

"Mutt, why would you hate her?" Tyr asked, breaking up Lauren and Chelsey's contest.

"What did you call me?" Lauren hissed.

"A mutt. You are disgrace to the name Kodiak." Tyr told her angrily.

"You're the only other Kodiak I know of." Lauren told him, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"Exactly. You despise me." He said anger evident in his voice.

"The feeling's mutual, now take it back." Lauren said through gritted teeth.

"No." Tyr shot.

"Take it back Tyr!" Lauren spat.

"Make me." Try was trying to push Lauren to the breaking point.....and he did. Lauren lunged at him, but he sidestepped her. He stood behind her and had her arms painfully pinned across her chest so she couldn't escape. Despite her valiant attempts.

"Now, answer my question." He demanded.

"No!" She yelled back, again trying to break out of his grasp. Tyr pulled back on her arms causing her to scream in pain. "Okay, okay."

"Well?" He asked after a few moments of silence. Lauren mumbled something that even Tyr's enhanced hearing couldn't pick up. "Speak up!"

"I have feelings for him, okay!!!!!" Lauren exclaimed, again trying to wiggle free.