"Beka!" Cassi called out as she ran as fast as her little, legs would take
her to the figure imerging out of the Maru. "Hey! You're not Beka, you're
Harper!" she said as she stopped short in front of him.
"Ah, right again short stuff, but never fear, she's here." he said as he smiled down at her and went to great the others. "So, tell me the truth, did ya miss me?" he asked the group and was greated with many sarcastic answers.
"Ah, I knew you guys loved me!"
"Harper, are you sure she's in there?" Cassie called out.
"Yea, I'm sure. See, there she is." he said as he pointed at the figure comming out of the Maru.
"Beka!" she cried as she launched herself at her.
"Hey Kiddo!" she said with a smile as she scooped her up. "How are you?"
"Good. I missed you." she said as she wrapped her arms around Beka's neck.
"I missed you too."
"What about me?" Dylan asked after the others had said their hello's and then left.
"Don't worry, I missed you too." she said as she kissed him.
"Oh good. Did you get everything?" he asked as he wrapped an arm around her waist and they left the docking bay.
"Yes I did, and a few extras too."
"Like?"
"P-R-E-S-E-N-T-S," she spelled, "For her, you and everybody for Christmas. Harper picked up some nice stuff to. He acctually has pretty good taste when he has money." she said with a smile. "So what have to two of you been up to?"
"Nothing but work for me. Even when there are only two of you gone, it makes a lot more work."
"Poor you." she said sarcastically.
"Yeah, poor me. You didn't happen to bring back something I can open early did you?" he asked suggestively.
"Were you a good boy?"
"A very good boy." he said with a smile.
"Then maybe I have something you can open tonight." he just chuckled a little. "And what about you, what did you do?" there was silence. "Cass?" she asked again, getting a little worried. Dylan leaned over and looked at Cass.
"Looks like it finally caught up with her."
"What did?"
"The excitement, you being away, everything. She was having problems falling asleep and she'd get up early and wouldn't take a nap. I guess now that you're home, she's gonna start catching up."
"It's nice to know that I'm needed for something." she said with a sarcastic smile as they entered their quarters, which happened to be Dylans. Beka went and put Cass in her bed and tucked her in. "I hope she sleeps for a while. I don't want a cranky kid." she said as she walked back out into the larger room. Beka sauntered over to where he was sitting and just looked at him. He stared back.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothin'." she said with a little smile as she continued to stare at him.
"WHAT?" he asked a little louder, he started to look around him and at his uniform to see if anything was out of place.
"Nothin'. I've just missed playing with your mind." she said as she started to laugh and sat beside him. The look he shot her just made her laugh even harder.
"Playing with my mind hun? Well, I guess I'll just have to get my revenge." he said as she pounced on her and pinned her to the couch and made up for some of the 'together' time they had missed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Christmas was fast aproaching and everyone was excited, expecially Cassidie. This was her first real Christmas and the more people told her, the more excited she got.
"Beka!" she called as she came barreling down the hallway.
"Cassie!" she called back as she put down what she was carrying.
"Know what?"
"What?"
"Santa has 9 Reigndeer and one of them even has a red nose! His name is Rudolph and the others are Dancer, and Prancer and Commet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen and Dasher and Vixen and they all pull his sleigh and they fly so that he can give presents to everyone!" Beka laughed at her enthusiasim and picked the things back up. "Where are you going?"
"Hydroponics. Wanna come?"
"Yeah!" she said as she jumped up and hung on to Beka's gun belt. "Beka?"
"Yeah?"
"Santa only gives presents to the good kids right?"
"Yup."
"Is Santa gonna come this year?"
"He comes every year."
"He's never come to me before." she said softly. Beka sighed and stopped. She put down the parts she was carrying and pulled Cassidie towards her.
"Well, he's comming for sure this year."
"How do you know? I always tried to be good before and he never came." she said softly, tears stinging at her eyes.
"It wasn't your fault he didn't come. He was just saving up all your presents to give you a big one."
"How big?" she asked.
"Well, I think your big present was us finding you. I also think it was one of the best presents we ever could have gotten."
"Really?"
"Really." she said as she wipped away the stray tears. "Come on, no crying this close to Christmas. Let's go put this stuff away and then we'll help decorate the tree."
"The tree? Trance is letting us have a tree?"
"Well, she's letting us borrow it. As long as we don't hurt it and we're not going to." Beka said as they continued on their way.
"Oh good. I don't want Trance to be sad either." Beka watched as she skipped into hydroponics, telling everyone but Harper her new piece of information. He was the one that was telling her all of this. She smiled as she felt a pair of warm arms circle her from behind.
"Hey you." she said softly.
"Hey. Did she tell you all about Rudolph yet?" she smiled.
"Oh yeah and the other 8. I also had to calm fears that Santa was comming."
"Why?"
"She's never had Christmas before. If she tells you anything about a giant present, I'll explain later."
"Giant present?" he asked.
"Don't worry, she already got it." she felt him rest his forehead against her shoulder. She cuckled. "I'll explain later if she doesn't."
"Oh good, 'cause I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Don't worry, it will all become clear." she said cryptically. "Maybe we should head over."
"First things first." he said as he spun her around.
"What?" he pointed to the ceiling. She looked up. Mistletoe. "Good ol' Harper." she mumbled as they followed through with tradition.
"Hey, there's a minor in the room!" Harper called.
"Ah, she's not looking." Beka said as she took Dylans hand and the two of them made their way over to the tree. Tyr came in later and Rev headed up to the bridge. Rommie came into hydroponics and observed all that was going on. The finishing touch was the star placed on the tree by Cassie who ended up standing on Tyrs shoulders to do it. Beka was not pleased with the means of this, but she enjoyed the end when Cassie was back in her arms.
"Ah, right again short stuff, but never fear, she's here." he said as he smiled down at her and went to great the others. "So, tell me the truth, did ya miss me?" he asked the group and was greated with many sarcastic answers.
"Ah, I knew you guys loved me!"
"Harper, are you sure she's in there?" Cassie called out.
"Yea, I'm sure. See, there she is." he said as he pointed at the figure comming out of the Maru.
"Beka!" she cried as she launched herself at her.
"Hey Kiddo!" she said with a smile as she scooped her up. "How are you?"
"Good. I missed you." she said as she wrapped her arms around Beka's neck.
"I missed you too."
"What about me?" Dylan asked after the others had said their hello's and then left.
"Don't worry, I missed you too." she said as she kissed him.
"Oh good. Did you get everything?" he asked as he wrapped an arm around her waist and they left the docking bay.
"Yes I did, and a few extras too."
"Like?"
"P-R-E-S-E-N-T-S," she spelled, "For her, you and everybody for Christmas. Harper picked up some nice stuff to. He acctually has pretty good taste when he has money." she said with a smile. "So what have to two of you been up to?"
"Nothing but work for me. Even when there are only two of you gone, it makes a lot more work."
"Poor you." she said sarcastically.
"Yeah, poor me. You didn't happen to bring back something I can open early did you?" he asked suggestively.
"Were you a good boy?"
"A very good boy." he said with a smile.
"Then maybe I have something you can open tonight." he just chuckled a little. "And what about you, what did you do?" there was silence. "Cass?" she asked again, getting a little worried. Dylan leaned over and looked at Cass.
"Looks like it finally caught up with her."
"What did?"
"The excitement, you being away, everything. She was having problems falling asleep and she'd get up early and wouldn't take a nap. I guess now that you're home, she's gonna start catching up."
"It's nice to know that I'm needed for something." she said with a sarcastic smile as they entered their quarters, which happened to be Dylans. Beka went and put Cass in her bed and tucked her in. "I hope she sleeps for a while. I don't want a cranky kid." she said as she walked back out into the larger room. Beka sauntered over to where he was sitting and just looked at him. He stared back.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothin'." she said with a little smile as she continued to stare at him.
"WHAT?" he asked a little louder, he started to look around him and at his uniform to see if anything was out of place.
"Nothin'. I've just missed playing with your mind." she said as she started to laugh and sat beside him. The look he shot her just made her laugh even harder.
"Playing with my mind hun? Well, I guess I'll just have to get my revenge." he said as she pounced on her and pinned her to the couch and made up for some of the 'together' time they had missed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Christmas was fast aproaching and everyone was excited, expecially Cassidie. This was her first real Christmas and the more people told her, the more excited she got.
"Beka!" she called as she came barreling down the hallway.
"Cassie!" she called back as she put down what she was carrying.
"Know what?"
"What?"
"Santa has 9 Reigndeer and one of them even has a red nose! His name is Rudolph and the others are Dancer, and Prancer and Commet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen and Dasher and Vixen and they all pull his sleigh and they fly so that he can give presents to everyone!" Beka laughed at her enthusiasim and picked the things back up. "Where are you going?"
"Hydroponics. Wanna come?"
"Yeah!" she said as she jumped up and hung on to Beka's gun belt. "Beka?"
"Yeah?"
"Santa only gives presents to the good kids right?"
"Yup."
"Is Santa gonna come this year?"
"He comes every year."
"He's never come to me before." she said softly. Beka sighed and stopped. She put down the parts she was carrying and pulled Cassidie towards her.
"Well, he's comming for sure this year."
"How do you know? I always tried to be good before and he never came." she said softly, tears stinging at her eyes.
"It wasn't your fault he didn't come. He was just saving up all your presents to give you a big one."
"How big?" she asked.
"Well, I think your big present was us finding you. I also think it was one of the best presents we ever could have gotten."
"Really?"
"Really." she said as she wipped away the stray tears. "Come on, no crying this close to Christmas. Let's go put this stuff away and then we'll help decorate the tree."
"The tree? Trance is letting us have a tree?"
"Well, she's letting us borrow it. As long as we don't hurt it and we're not going to." Beka said as they continued on their way.
"Oh good. I don't want Trance to be sad either." Beka watched as she skipped into hydroponics, telling everyone but Harper her new piece of information. He was the one that was telling her all of this. She smiled as she felt a pair of warm arms circle her from behind.
"Hey you." she said softly.
"Hey. Did she tell you all about Rudolph yet?" she smiled.
"Oh yeah and the other 8. I also had to calm fears that Santa was comming."
"Why?"
"She's never had Christmas before. If she tells you anything about a giant present, I'll explain later."
"Giant present?" he asked.
"Don't worry, she already got it." she felt him rest his forehead against her shoulder. She cuckled. "I'll explain later if she doesn't."
"Oh good, 'cause I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Don't worry, it will all become clear." she said cryptically. "Maybe we should head over."
"First things first." he said as he spun her around.
"What?" he pointed to the ceiling. She looked up. Mistletoe. "Good ol' Harper." she mumbled as they followed through with tradition.
"Hey, there's a minor in the room!" Harper called.
"Ah, she's not looking." Beka said as she took Dylans hand and the two of them made their way over to the tree. Tyr came in later and Rev headed up to the bridge. Rommie came into hydroponics and observed all that was going on. The finishing touch was the star placed on the tree by Cassie who ended up standing on Tyrs shoulders to do it. Beka was not pleased with the means of this, but she enjoyed the end when Cassie was back in her arms.