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"What did you just say?" Beka demanded, furious.
"Nothing. I said nothing," Tyr insisted, wishing he could run and hide even though that was not a very Nietzschean thing to do. He also wanted to curse himself in several different languages as often as he could. He knew he should have refused her offer. He knew it!
"Oh, yes you did, mister. Explain yourself," Beka said, shaking her finger at him. She knew exactly how much she sounded like her father at that moment-don't think about him, don't go there-okay, Dylan, but she really wanted an answer. And Tyr was going to give her one whether he liked it or not.
"I was merely thinking out loud. I would never do that," Tyr explained.
"Oh, why, because I'm 'inferior' to you?" Beka exclaimed. Great, now you want him to look at you? Get a grip.
"No, that's not why-um, I mean, you're not inferior, I mean..." Tyr stuttered and trailed off. He did not think he had ever felt so humiliated in his entire life.
Beka decided to have a little fun, or maybe she was just too tired to think rationally. She walked around the side of the table. "So...just what do you mean, Tyr Anasazi?" She was rewarded with what she thought might be a blush.
"I...um..." he stuttered again, mentally cursing himself again and including Beka just for good measure. Running away was beginning to sound more and more like a viable option.
Beka sidled over and sat down next to him, although warning bells were beginning to sound in her head. Stop now, you're only setting yourself up to be hurt, he's going to betray you and leave you just like all the other guys in your life and you're going to want to cry all over again don't think about that keep playing the game. "What is it, Tyr? Cat got your tongue? Or is it...something else?" She moved closer to him, and to his credit, he didn't move away.
Desperately, he searched for a way out of the situation. He finally came up with something that sounded incredibly stupid, but it was the only thing he could think of that might actually work.
Luckily, he didn't have to.
"Beka? What are you two doing?"
Beka jumped away from Tyr so fast that she tripped over another chair and ended up sprawled on the floor. Unfortunately for her, she ended up taking Tyr's coffee along with her.
"Ow! Hot! Dammit!" she offered up a few more of the colorful curses that she had learned over the years of cargo running.
"Beka? Are you okay? I'm really, really sorry for startling you," Trance apologized as Tyr decided that this was the perfect opportunity to slip away unnoticed.
"No, I'm not okay, Trance! That coffee was hot as hell!" Beka yelled in frustration. Tyr almost stopped then, but shook his head and continued on. She would be okay. It was just coffee. But then again, it was just coffee that got you into this mess.
***************************************************************
"How's your hand?" Dylan asked.
"Um...it hurts like hell, it feels hot, it hurts like hell, it's very painful, did I mention that it hurts like hell?" Beka complained, waving her bandaged hand in front of his face.
"Yeah, I think you mentioned that. Trance said it should be fully healed in about two days," Dylan tried to reassure her.
"Two days! Two days!" she shouted. "I can't pilot for two days!"
"Calm down, Beka," Dylan said calmly.
"Don't you patronize me!" Beka told him angrily as Tyr walked into the room. He took one look at the occupants of the room, and turned right around.
"Oh, no you don't," Dylan muttered to himself, then spoke loudly in Tyr's general direction. "Tyr, would you mind keeping Beka company just in case we need to get out of here quickly? I have to go check on Harper and make sure he's completing the repairs rather than one of his projects."
Damn Dylan! Tyr knew that he couldn't refuse without a good reason. "Of course, Captain Hunt."
Beka watched Dylan's retreating form with a barely disguised look of malice. "Sometimes I really do hate him."
"Myself as well," Tyr agreed.
"Well, feel free to stare at me all ya want, Tyr, we've got nothing better to do. In fact, why don't I stand up? Give you a better view?" Beka hated how she was feeling. It's just like last night! Well, I don't feel like feeling sorry for myself. I don't. Nope, I don't. Beka was having a really hard time convincing herself that she didn't want to cry. Because she didn't cry.
Something must have showed in her face, because Tyr walked over to her, looking concerned. "Are you alright, Beka?"
No, no I'm not. Why should you care? "I'm fine."
"I understand what you're feeling."
"How can you, Tyr?" What gives you the right to say that?! Your father didn't betray you! Your brother didn't betray you! Your so-called uncle didn't betray you!
"You feel useless. Your best skill has been taken away from you. Without your piloting abilities, you feel like you are nothing," Tyr explained. "I would feel the same way if I was unable to fight."
Oh, so that's what you meant. "Maybe. Sorta."
"You're wrong."
This is better. Good direction. "Oh? Do explain."
"You are not your piloting skills," Tyr replied.
"So what am I, Tyr?" Please tell me.
"You are someone who has risen above your environment. You are resourceful, you are strong despite what the universe has thrown at you. You should be proud of yourself."
No no no no no no no no stop Tyr this is not a good place to go. "Um...thank you. I think. Listen, I need to...go somewhere else...yes, I do. Someone...Trance, yeah, said she needed to check on my burn...if it hurt a lot. And it hurts..." Beka continued as she walked backwards out of Command. "Really bad. Maybe its...infected...or something..." Beka felt her emotions spiraling out of control as Tyr looked at her with a worried expression on his face.
"I can take a look at it, if you'd like. I do have some medical experience," he offered, still looking concerned.
Beka backed into something hard. Door is three steps to your left, Beka you idiot! "Did you get that being a mercenary, Tyr?" She tried for a laugh but it came out more like a tremor.
"Beka? Are you alright?" Her face was pale and flushed at the cheeks, and her eyes were bright.
"No...I mean, yeah, of course I am. I'll just go find Trance now," Beka assured him shakily. With that completely unconvincing statement, she turned and ran, not from Tyr, but from herself. Her feet instinctively took her to the Maru. She gave the code to lock the door, stumbled into the pilot's chair, put her head down on her arms.
And the first time in her life, Beka Valentine cried.