TriGemini: Beka and Tyr? Smoothly? Never:-p

Ilexx: That's the way Beka does everything...kicking and screaming!

She looked up at him, a little embarrassed that she'd been caught swearing at him, but determined to seem unfazed. His gaze fell appreciatively down her frame and up again, where he met her stubborn expression with a smirk.

"Nice choice of clothing," he commented. With the tone of voice he'd donned, she couldn't be too sure whether he was sarcastic or not. He had however been the one to provide her with all the clothing she now had, so he couldn't dislike it that much…Then she got annoyed with herself for even caring what he might have meant.

"I thought you'd have been happier with me wearing one of your more…let's say, Nietzschean outfits." Damn! Why had she said that? Now he was going to think she dressed like that just to annoy him, which insinuated that she cared what he thought. Which was strictly true, but he wasn't supposed to know that.

"Not particularly," he replied, stepping up to her. His look had changed from the superior smirk to a rather soft, sweet gaze as he lifted her hands to his lips and kissed her fingers softly. "I prefer you to be you. The rest is there for common gatherings, social events." She wasn't sure what to make of this sudden turn. There was something so…innocent about him. No, innocent was the wrong word, there was never anything innocent about Tyr. But he didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with what he had done to her.

What he had done to her. She couldn't seem to get it out of her head, but she couldn't seem to get it into her head either. She should have been angrier, more upset. She should be killing him by now. Yet it seemed her feelings were quite dulled. Had he done something to her?

Or…she remembered vaguely when her mother had left her. Her dad had come in, his eyes full of remorse, to tell her that she had gone. That Beka wasn't going to see her again.

She'd given him a blank stare, and continued playing with her doll. The day had commenced as normal, and while the question of why had been entertained in her mind, she hadn't thought much about it until a few days later, when she'd suddenly cried, and screamed, kicking all her toys about. She'd felt like her heart was being broken in half then, as if she was never going to be all right again.

Maybe that was what was happening now. It hadn't clicked yet. It was simply too surreal still, and her mind hadn't quite accepted it. She wondered if Tyr was expecting the click to come. Maybe he, with his superior senses, would be able to anticipate it.

Or no. His senses weren't superior now, were they? She sighed. This was all too confusing.

"Beka?" His voice pulled her out of her ponderings. "Shall we go?" She shook her head and pulled back.

"No," she said. Even if the full impact hadn't clicked, she wasn't a child anymore. She knew this was all wrong, and she wasn't about to let him entertain any thoughts, however remote, that she was fine with it. "I don't really want to go anywhere with you," she clarified. He frowned.

"You had no quarrels earlier," he objected.

"You didn't give me any time. You know," she pointed a finger in his face, "if you think you can get away with this…"

"I knew there'd be consequences," he cut her off. "I knew you'd be angry with me, but I also know that you'll see the good side of it."

"Oh really?" she snarled, while starting to walk away from him. He grabbed her back, and pulled her closer to him. She refused to look up at his face, but looking forwards gave her a good view of his neck, until he peered down, and his chin got in the way. She tried to pull free, but it wasn't working, and after considering and discarding the idea of stabbing him with her newly found boneblades, she gave up and looked at him.

"You want me," he whispered. "You've always wanted me. Why are you fighting it?"

"So," she was quickly debating whether to show this weakness or not, "you want me now. Now that you 'fixed' me. Well, Tyr, I didn't need fixing. And if you couldn't see that, then…" She swallowed the lump in her throat as she lost the context of what she wanted to say. He sighed and pulled her closer, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I understand you must feel bad Beka, but…"

"No! No, you don't! Don't you get how hurtful it is? I mean, apart from my whole existence being altered because of your whims, how can I want to be with you if you couldn't even accept me for who I am? Do you have any idea how much it hurts to know that the only way you would have me is if you changed me first?"

"No," he whispered, his mouth buried in her hair, "but really, it is no difference from courtship of all ages." She pulled her head away and gave him a sharp look.

"Really?" she said sceptically. He sighed.

"It might not seem as drastic as a change of DNA," he started, "but really, that is what humans do. You marry a person, and then you try to change them. After a while, you decide you don't like the way they dress, how much they drink, their friends, their habits, and you will try to change them. Holodramas and romance stories will always preach the 'love you just the way you are' but it isn't true. You won't find anybody perfect. When you do choose your partner, it isn't the perfect partner, but simply the closest. There will always be things you want to change about someone. What I have done, is, in a way, no different than a woman telling her husband she doesn't want him to go to the bar and drink anymore, but stay home with her and cook dinner together." She pulled away.

"Oh, yes it is!" she argued. "What you have done would be the same thing if she had killed the bar-owner, blown up the bar and chained him to the stove." He let her go, and his arms fell to his sides as she sat down on the bed, and stared at him vengefully.

"Yes, mine is more drastic," he said, "but my point remains." She sighed. She had to admit, he had made a good point. He stretched his arm out.

"So, are we going?" She didn't want to go, but she was very hungry. She gave him her best puppy-eyed look.

"I'm really tired. Can I just have something here?" He smiled at her and nodded as he went out. Seemed like he was doing anything to appease her now. She wasn't going to make it easy, though…what if he really only had done this because he believed it was the best for both of them?

Only time would tell.