"Rommie, can you meet me in Engineering?"
"I'll be right there, Harper."
When she walked in he stepped back from the machine.
"What are we going to do about this crazy idea of Beka's?"
"You couldn't talk her out of it?"
"Nah. You know what she's like when she gets an idea in her head."
"She and Dylan need to talk, but I am not sure how we are going to get that right, short of locking them in a room together."
"Until they behave like good little captains."
"It may yet come to that. " They both smiled at the thought. It might be fun too!
Harper turned serious suddenly.
"And Rommie ... er... " Harper took a deep breath and started again, "Rommie, how are you about all this?"
"I am fine, Harper."
"Really, because I know you .."
"I have known for a long time nothing would happen between us." With a small smile she added "And besides I have known for longer than any of you who he truly loves. Maybe even longer than him."
"Well, that's a relief! Living on a jealous warship could have been seriously hazardous to our health!"
She smiled, glad that he had lightened the mood.
"Don't worry Rommie, you'll find someone. Even if I have to build him myself!"
They stood in silence for a while, thinking their own thoughts.
She looked thoughtful, then said, "You know, when you joined the crew, I didn't trust any of you. You weren't Commonwealth, you all had your own motives, your own agendas and no loyalty to Dylan. But it was Beka I trusted least of all. She, more than Tyr was a leader to rival Dylan, and she had all of your loyalty. More than that though, she had the potential to hurt Dylan more than any of you, because on the flip side she had the power to make him happier than anyone. So I watched her. Her self interest scared me, her attitude appalled me, but then I saw that while she had the loyalty of her crew, they also had hers. She had created a family and was willing to protect them with the fierceness of a tiger protecting her cubs. Later I realised that she had now included Dylan and me in her "family", and that I could trust her with Dylan's life. His heart, I still wasn't sure of. I think I can now. Now it's just a case of getting them to see it."
"No problem for two geniuses."
"Except for the fact that we are dealing with two of the stubbornest people in the known universe!"
