Pretty Things
by Jessie
Part 4
Disclaimer, etc. in Part 1.
***
It took Trance a moment to realize what she was seeing. Her face fluctuated from surprised, to caring, to upset in the course of a few seconds, and Harper frowned a bit at the fact that that last emotion was the one that was remaining.
"Harper!" She finally spoke, her voice a mixture of shock and hostility. At least, she thought to herself, she was still able to keep up the act.
"Trance!" Harper mocked her with a smirk, but then frowned again at the cold stare she was giving him. "Uh . . . hi." He gave her a sheepish half-smile and jumped out of the hole in the wall, landing on his feet.
Trance just kept staring, her lips pursed together, not knowing what to do, but knowing it wouldn't be pleasant.
"Okay, enough with the evil eye- you're kinda supposed to be happy to see me." Harper was as cocky as ever, but an underlying hesitancy- almost a fear- was apparent in his voice and in his expression. It was definitely an emotion that she rarely saw in him, and it made something inside of her ache to see it now and to know that she was the cause of it.
"Harper . . ." Her tone was warning, but cracked at the end, and his eyebrows shot up in curiosity and hope.
She glared at him awhile longer, still unable to think of what to do. Should she continue the act? Should she explain herself to him and hope everything worked out for the best?
Her gaze softened slightly- she couldn't help it. She loved that he had come after her. Under normal circumstances she'd have had a smile so big plastered on her face that not even Tyr would have been able to remove it.
But she was conflicted over what to do next. However sweet she found his actions to be, she knew that this couldn't end well.
Keep up the act. Just keep up the act. She told herself silently. She wasn't sure what she hoped to accomplish by this, but at least she now had something to do.
It was better than standing there and wondering- worrying- about what she should say and do that would make everything turn out all right.
She only wished . . . but wishing wouldn't do any good. Just keep up the act, she told herself again, grasping at the idea of it as a sort of anchor to hold her down amidst all of the problems she now faced.
*
"Dylan, we are approaching the space station." The human form of Rommie spoke from her position at a console to Captain Hunt's right. He nodded an acknowledgement and continued to stare at the view screen in front of him.
How had he let this happen? The question had been hounding him since they first left the space port, but only when Beka had announced an added disappearance did he fully realize the extent of his own worry and self-doubt.
Surely Trance leaving must have been through some fault of his own. He was responsible for this crew and their well being, so the only one on which blame could rest was him.
Trance was gone. And now so was Harper. How had he let this happen?
He realized only now what his biggest mistake had been, and that was allowing Trance to leave. He should have forced her to stay aboard in order to work things out- should have at least given her a stern talking-to in the hopes that she would explain her odd behavior and reconsider her decision to leave.
Dylan sighed inwardly and glanced back at Beka and Tyr, who were both at their stations.
He understood why Harper had left- and he wanted to simultaneously beat the kid senseless and give him a pat on the back for doing something both so admirable and so stupid. It was obvious that the engineer had only left so that he could bring Trance back.
Trance, however, Dylan couldn't fathom a reason for leaving. And he didn't understand what had changed in her directly before she had left either. It was such a puzzle to him that he felt as though he were under attack- forced to form a battle plan when there were no options.
He would understand everything soon though- he was sure of it. With enough time, he would figure out that battle plan. He would find his two missing crewmen, bring them back to the ship if he had to drag them kicking and screaming, and he'd sort out the mess that he still blamed on himself.
Soon enough things would be right again. They were coming upon the space station that moment, and- with any luck- Trance and Harper would be right there waiting for them. Whether the two knew it or not.
TBC
by Jessie
Part 4
Disclaimer, etc. in Part 1.
***
It took Trance a moment to realize what she was seeing. Her face fluctuated from surprised, to caring, to upset in the course of a few seconds, and Harper frowned a bit at the fact that that last emotion was the one that was remaining.
"Harper!" She finally spoke, her voice a mixture of shock and hostility. At least, she thought to herself, she was still able to keep up the act.
"Trance!" Harper mocked her with a smirk, but then frowned again at the cold stare she was giving him. "Uh . . . hi." He gave her a sheepish half-smile and jumped out of the hole in the wall, landing on his feet.
Trance just kept staring, her lips pursed together, not knowing what to do, but knowing it wouldn't be pleasant.
"Okay, enough with the evil eye- you're kinda supposed to be happy to see me." Harper was as cocky as ever, but an underlying hesitancy- almost a fear- was apparent in his voice and in his expression. It was definitely an emotion that she rarely saw in him, and it made something inside of her ache to see it now and to know that she was the cause of it.
"Harper . . ." Her tone was warning, but cracked at the end, and his eyebrows shot up in curiosity and hope.
She glared at him awhile longer, still unable to think of what to do. Should she continue the act? Should she explain herself to him and hope everything worked out for the best?
Her gaze softened slightly- she couldn't help it. She loved that he had come after her. Under normal circumstances she'd have had a smile so big plastered on her face that not even Tyr would have been able to remove it.
But she was conflicted over what to do next. However sweet she found his actions to be, she knew that this couldn't end well.
Keep up the act. Just keep up the act. She told herself silently. She wasn't sure what she hoped to accomplish by this, but at least she now had something to do.
It was better than standing there and wondering- worrying- about what she should say and do that would make everything turn out all right.
She only wished . . . but wishing wouldn't do any good. Just keep up the act, she told herself again, grasping at the idea of it as a sort of anchor to hold her down amidst all of the problems she now faced.
*
"Dylan, we are approaching the space station." The human form of Rommie spoke from her position at a console to Captain Hunt's right. He nodded an acknowledgement and continued to stare at the view screen in front of him.
How had he let this happen? The question had been hounding him since they first left the space port, but only when Beka had announced an added disappearance did he fully realize the extent of his own worry and self-doubt.
Surely Trance leaving must have been through some fault of his own. He was responsible for this crew and their well being, so the only one on which blame could rest was him.
Trance was gone. And now so was Harper. How had he let this happen?
He realized only now what his biggest mistake had been, and that was allowing Trance to leave. He should have forced her to stay aboard in order to work things out- should have at least given her a stern talking-to in the hopes that she would explain her odd behavior and reconsider her decision to leave.
Dylan sighed inwardly and glanced back at Beka and Tyr, who were both at their stations.
He understood why Harper had left- and he wanted to simultaneously beat the kid senseless and give him a pat on the back for doing something both so admirable and so stupid. It was obvious that the engineer had only left so that he could bring Trance back.
Trance, however, Dylan couldn't fathom a reason for leaving. And he didn't understand what had changed in her directly before she had left either. It was such a puzzle to him that he felt as though he were under attack- forced to form a battle plan when there were no options.
He would understand everything soon though- he was sure of it. With enough time, he would figure out that battle plan. He would find his two missing crewmen, bring them back to the ship if he had to drag them kicking and screaming, and he'd sort out the mess that he still blamed on himself.
Soon enough things would be right again. They were coming upon the space station that moment, and- with any luck- Trance and Harper would be right there waiting for them. Whether the two knew it or not.
TBC