Disclaimer – I do not own Andromeda. I own Reese. That is all.

Author's Note: AUGGHH! FLUFF ALERT! BONNIE, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! AUGGHH!!!

Through the Heartache and Pain

Trance watched joyously as Reese slowly pushed her eyes open and forced herself to sit up on the bed in the med-room. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Like I just had the crap kicked out of me," Reese replied, and put her hands to her head. "And kinda drained, too."

"The nanobots I injected into your system should take care of that in about a day," Trance smiled. "Until then, just take it easy, okay?"

"Whatever you say, Doc," she nodded, examining the spots on her arms where the wounds used to be. The nanobots had done a great job repairing the tissue damage. She went on to test her shoulder, and found that it moved without sending spurts of anguish through her body. "So, is Beka okay?"

"She'll be fine. Dylan's pretty happy to have her back, but he's not too impressed with the stunt we pulled, I think."

"So we're in big trouble, huh?"

"Maybe not as much as we could've been in. He was waiting for you to recover before he talked to us."

"No problem, we'll just say I'm still unconscious," Reese smirked as she lay back down.

"Nice try, Squirt," Beka's voice came from the doorway. "But I think you'd better put that idea on the shelf for today." Reese sat back up and grinned. "How are you?"

"You know me, cuz."

"Yeah, takes a lickin', and barely keeps tickin'."

"But does, none-the-less."

"Not without a little help, you don't," Beka reminded her. "I think you'd better set your gratitude on overdrive, kiddo, especially toward Dylan, Tyr, Rommie and Harper."

"Harper?"

"Do you even have any idea how much he tried to protect you down there?"

"I remember him getting flattened for trying to be a hero."

"And look where trying to be a hero got you."

Reese blew the strands of hair out of her face and sighed. "Yeah, I know. I pulled a me. I guess you're gonna say I'll never learn, huh?"

Beka sat down beside her on one side and Trance on the other. "Oh, sure you will. You just need to start thinking before you do things."

"And besides, since you're here now, and not smuggling anymore, maybe you could, I dunno, settle down a bit?" Trance suggested, and both cousins looked at her with raised eyebrows. "What?"

Reese shook her head and closed her eyes, rolling her shoulders back until she heard them pop. She wasn't looking forward to talking to Harper; he was acting so weird lately. Trance and Beka exchanged a silent look over her shoulder in which the purple girl revealed that she had something to tell the elder Valentine female when the younger wasn't present that would explain her statement.

The med-room door slid open and Harper entered, looking like he'd been hard at work in the machine shop since his goggles were over his eyes and his face was covered in grime. "Trance, have you-" He noticed Reese and pushed his goggles up onto his forehead. "Oh, hey, you're awake."

Beka looked between the two of them, noticed Trance trying to conceal her amusement, and mentally smacked herself upside the head. How she'd not figured this one out sooner was beyond her, but there was no need for Trance to explain now, in any case.

"I'm going to go have a chat with Sid," Beka declared. "Something tells me that he's got something to confess. Reese, you and Rafe join me after Dylan's lecture, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Reese nodded.

"Hold on, Beka, I'll walk with you," Trance offered. "I've got to head down to the Bridge, anyway."

The two girls left, and Harper turned to Reese. "Was it something I said?"

"Somehow I doubt it."

"Look, uh, Reese, there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now," Harper wiped his grubby hands on his coveralls and moved over to lean on the bed. "It's, uh, it's kinda important."

Reese furrowed her eyebrows, noticing how worried he looked all of a sudden. She leaned forward so her face was level with his, and looked into his eyes. "What's wrong, Harper?"

"Well, it's kinda weird, and, uh, hard for me to say, but-"

"It has come to my attention that you have regained consciousness, Reese," Dylan's voice broke in over the ship's comlink. "And I am very pleased to hear that. However, and since Harper is there with you, I will now ask you both to please meet me in my quarters. We need to discuss something."

"Yes, Captain," both of them replied unhappily and left the room without another word.

*

Dylan looked up as his door hissed open and Reese and Harper entered. They sat down between Trance and Rafe who looked just as downcast as they did. Dylan folded his hands on his desk.

"I can't say that I'm not a little bit angry and very disappointed with the four of you," he began, "but I'm also confused." They looked at him quizzically. "Rev Bem thinks that you may have thought I would slow down your mission, but did you really believe that I wouldn't do everything in my power to bring Beka back had you told me what you'd discovered?" They hung their heads. "Harper, you of all people should know that. Did I hesitate to go down to the Wor-"

"I know, Dylan," Harper quickly interjected before Dylan could complete his sentence, glancing nervously at Reese for a moment, but she hadn't picked up on what Dylan had begun to say. "We're really sorry about that."

"It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision," Trance frowned. "I think maybe some of us were so hungry for revenge that we weren't really thinking."

Reese nodded. "I was the one who said that we shouldn't tell you, Dylan. I feel really bad since I could have gotten all four of us killed, and I put you in a bad situation. I'm sorry."

"And I shouldn't've rewired Rommie," Harper added. "I was totally out of line."

"Yes, you were," Dylan agreed. "And I'm sure that she's already given you a piece of her mind about that."

"Oh, you better believe it," Harper nodded.

Dylan smiled, and then continued with his lecture, making himself perfectly clear that should any of them try a stunt like this again, Reese, Harper and Trance would be confined to quarters - when not on duty - for a month. Also, Rafe would be banned from coming aboard the Andromeda for half a year. As for their punishments for this time, they had cleaning duty. They didn't argue that decision.

When the briefing was over, Reese and Rafe left to join Beka in questioning Sid.

*

"So spill it, Sid," Beka demanded, folding her arms across her chest. "What's going on?"

"I'm in big trouble, Beka," Sid told her.

"When aren't you?"

"When Mako staged your death, the information in the nanobots in your hair was sent to the authorities on Sigma Gamma I. They came to Trans-Galactic looking for me, but my informants had already told me what had happened, so I went into hiding. Unfortunately, some of my employees must be Mako's spies, and he found me before long."

"But why is Mako after you?"

"Not me, Beka - my company. He wants to own the entire shipping monopoly."

"I see. Things are starting to make a little more sense, here." She looked over her shoulder as Rafe and Reese entered the room. "And somehow I'm not surprised that this whole mess was because of you."

"Because of him?" Reese stopped. "But I thought-"

"You're in the clear, Squirt," Beka shook her head, and Reese's face reflected the weight that had just been lifted from her conscience.

"Look, kids, I need your help," Sid pleaded. "I can't show my face at my company again, but I cannot let Mako get control of it, do you understand?"

"Worried about your damn company again," Reese snorted.

"I worked hard for it, Sweetpea-"

"Don't call me that. You don't get to anymore. You lost that right when you were willing to let them torture me down there in exchange for your freakin' company."

Beka and Rafe gaped at him. "You just don't get it, do you, Sid?" Beka spat, and he hung his head.

"Think we should hand him over to the authorities, sis?" Rafe glowered at Sid.

"As much as I would love to, that would put Trans-Galactic up for the highest bidder, and that would be Mako," Beka frowned. "After what he pulled, I'm not doing him any favours."

"So, what are you going to do then?" Sid sounded worried.

"Perhaps I might be able to provide a suggestion?" Tyr stated from the doorway. Beka motioned for him to continue, and Tyr told them of a planet called Midden that was inhabited mostly by fishermen and simple people of those sorts. Although it is ruled by members of the Drago-Kazov Pride, Tyr deduced that they probably wouldn't pay too much attention to another mere fisherman, considering the Dragans had other, more important matters on hand at the moment. It would be the perfect place to start a new life.

"But," Sid hesitated for a moment. "What about Trans-Galactic?"

"Record a holodisk," Beka told him. "Leave it to one of your executives."

"I would rather it be left to someone I knew I could trust," Sid shook his head. "Someone like you."

"No way," Beka rejected the offer. "Not interested."

"I knew you wouldn't be," Sid replied. "Your loyalties lie here. But what about you?" he turned to Rafe. "Are you interested?"

"Me?" Rafe almost choked on his words.

"Well, why not? You're twenty-eight without purpose or direction in life. This could be your calling."

"Yeah, or the bounty hunters' calling to come get me."

"Change your name; it worked for me."

"Well, I, uh," Rafe stammered.

Beka put a hand on his shoulder. "Sounds good to me, bro. You could use a little direction. No offense."

"None taken," he turned back to Sid. "Yeah, okay, I'll do it."

"Excellent," Sid smiled. "I'll record your ownership on the holodisk for you to present to the company on Diphda Five."

"And I'll take you to Midden on the way in the Om Shonti," he nodded.

When everyone was satisfied with the plan, the five of them went to report the decision to Dylan, just to make sure that Sid's secret whereabouts would be safe with him. Nobody wanted to take any more chances with keeping information from their Captain.

* * *

Rafe had left after a heartfelt goodbye from his sister and cousin. He promised he would send word when things had calmed down, and gave an extra long hug to Reese, telling her that he was glad she was alright since he hadn't seen her in four and a half years.

Reese had refused to say goodbye to Sid, however. And nobody blamed her.

She, Trance and Harper had nearly finished serving their punishments. All Reese had left to do was finish cleaning the Obs Deck and she was free. As she was precariously perched on top of several chairs trying to clean the highest parts of the large window, Tyr entered.

"You are going to break your neck," he stated bluntly.

"But the window will be spotless," she replied without hesitation.

"A rather twisted bit of optimism," the Nietzschean mused. He approached her makeshift scaffold and leaned against the window.

"Hey!" she shrieked. "I just washed that! You're gonna get it all smudgy!"

He moved away from it with a look of surprise on his face. "May I speak with you for a moment?"

"What's up?" she raised an eyebrow.

"I am intrigued by what happened to you on the planet," he admitted. "You have an incredible will to survive, for a human. There are few of your kind who could have survived that kind of punishment."

"Beka could. That's why I had to be strong. I had to help her, and I couldn't exactly do that if I was dead," she said. "Thing is, if you guys hadn't shown up, I doubt I would have lasted much longer, even just sitting in the cell."

"It is still something I cannot help but respect."

"Well, thanks, I guess," she took a last swipe at the highest part of the window. "Done," she grinned and carefully climbed down to the ground. "Now I get to ask you something."

"Oh?"

"Are you really, like, the leader of the Nietzscheans?"

That caused Tyr to smirk slightly. "Not exactly. The mummified body of Drago-Museveni is the most sacred artifact to my people. It is hard to explain, but basically, whoever possesses them holds power over every Pride, for they would not dare risk putting them in danger. That is why the young mercenary knew my name."

"I get it. Kind of a 'capture the flag' deal, right?"

"You might call it that."

They stood in silence for a few moments, Reese staring out at the expanse of stars. Tyr regarded the girl thoughtfully. "Not meaning to be rude, but if you are finished your assignment, exactly why are you still in here? Shouldn't you be making the most of your time with Harper? He hasn't much left."

Reese's body stiffened and she snapped her head around to face him. "What do you mean?"

"I know that I have been telling him to stay strong, but, truth be known, he really doesn't have much longer to live without a cure."

"What? Why?"

"Due to the Magog larvae in his stomach, of course." She stared wide-eyed at him. "Those that he so childishly refers to as 'Stinky' and 'Turdbrain' and other such nonsense." She still showed no sign of understanding what he was saying. "We are trying to find a c-"

"Is this some kind of sick joke?"

Tyr frowned. "Do you mean to say that he never told you?" She shook her head. "He never once mentioned the World Ship, or the Magog Invasion of the Andromeda, or the medication he has to take to keep the larvae dormant as long as possible?" She continued to shake her head through the questions. "How terribly irresponsible of him," Tyr concluded.

"I don't believe this," she suddenly looked sick, and quickly slid down to the floor.

He crouched beside her. "I apologize for the way you had to find out," he sympathized, "but I am afraid that it is all true."

She looked up at him, and her eyes already had a glossy sheen. Tyr felt his stomach lurch in a moment of helpless desperation as he silently prayed that Beka or Trance or even Rommie would walk in and rescue him from becoming the girl's inevitable shoulder to cry on.

"How could this happen?" she was struggling to keep her emotions under control.

"Perhaps that is a question you should be asking him?" His urgency to escape the situation was vaguely evident through its mask of sincerity.

"How can I ask him? This isn't exactly a conversation you have around the breakfast table, y'know? Why wouldn't he tell me about this? Am I really that hard to talk to? I don't understand, how could he do this to me?"

The barrage of self-pitying questions ate at Tyr like a ravenous predator, and his sympathy for her turned instantly to anger and disgust. He hadn't had the patience to put up with that act from Harper, and he certainly wasn't going to stomach it now. He stood up, looming over her, resisting the temptation to just up and yell at her about how she and Harper were perfect for each other - both being incessantly whiney. He held his tongue, turned, and stomped out the door.

Reese watched him go, and dropped her head into her hands.

*

"You did what?"

Tyr scowled. When he had begun to tell Beka, Trance and Rommie about Reese's reaction to Harper's condition, he had half-expected them to agree that she was being foolish. Instead, they seemed more concerned with the actual fact that he had told her in the first place.

"It was a slip on my part," Tyr admitted. "But I had assumed that the boy would have already told her about such an important detail."

"He was going to, but I think he was waiting for the right time," Trance explained.

"Oh, this is bad," Beka shook her head.

"I don't understand why it is so hard for them to just speak to each other," Tyr replied.

"Harper procrastinates and Reese hates talking about feelings," Beka shrugged. "It all works out to be one big mess that's difficult to fix."

"It's all very silly," the Nietzschean scoffed.

"To a Nietzschean, it would be," Rommie stated matter-of-factly. "But this has become a very sensitive situation. We'll have to handle this very carefully."

"All we have to do is get Reese to confront Harper herself," Trance suggested.

"What's all this 'we' business?" Beka raised an eyebrow and turned to Tyr. "You screwed this up, therefore you can go and fix it."

"Perhaps she will fix it herself," Tyr said.

"Doubtful, but we can see. If she hasn't gone to talk to him by tomorrow, it's your job to make sure that she does. Got it?"

Tyr narrowed his eyes at Beka, but he didn't feel inclined to argue. "I may have an idea."

*

Dylan, Rev and Reese were the only ones on the Bridge, and each was doing their own thing. Reese was absently studying a map of slip jumps to Diphda Five, realizing how far away Rafe was. Really, it was just something to take her mind off what was really troubling her.

Beka and Trance entered and went over to Reese.

"Hey, Squirt, wanna learn how to fly this baby?" Beka smiled.

"Huh?" Reese looked up at her. "Oh, uh, no. Not right now. Thanks anyway, Beka."

Beka's stomach dropped. Oh, this is definitely bad, she thought to herself. She and Trance walked over to Dylan and motioned for Rev to join them. He complied, and the girls proceeded to explain the situation in hushed voices to their Captain and crewmate.

"Poor kids," Dylan sympathized, glancing at Reese, who was still off in her own little world. "That must have been one hell of a shock for her."

"You're not kidding," Beka nodded.

"Knowing you, Beka, I expect you already have some sort of plan to remedy this?" Rev Bem asked.

"Well, Tyr's got an idea that could piss her off just enough to make her take action, that is, if she doesn't do it by herself by tomorrow," Beka nodded. "Which she probably won't, so, hopefully it works."

"Gonna tell me what this plan is?" Dylan asked.

"You'll find out tomorrow as it happens," Beka winked. "There's nothing more fun than playing matchmaker for your little cousin unless you can do it with the entire ship listening in."

"Ah, touché," Dylan agreed.

* * *

Tyr stomped his way down the halls of the Andromeda toward the mess hall. It was the next morning, and, as Beka had predicted, Reese had yet to speak to Harper. The Nietzschean was not pleased about having to carry out this plan, but deep down he knew that it was partly his fault for how she was reacting in the first place. Therefore, as reluctant as he was, Tyr would do as he had promised. He had purposely avoided the girl the entire day before after their talk on the Obs Deck for this upcoming moment to be more believable. Not that he had had any desire to be around her in that mood anyway.

He entered the mess hall, and his top lip curled when he saw Reese sitting at the table, mulling over her breakfast. It wasn't hard to act angry with her, and he allowed his face to twist into a disgusted grimace. He waited until he knew she had seen him, then quickly slipped back out into the hallway.

"Tyr!" she followed him out. He didn't answer and kept walking, so she quickened her pace to catch up to him. "Hey! What's your malfunction? You avoided me all yesterday and what the hell was that face for back there? I mean, not that I care or anything, but-"

"You'd best not bait me, child, I am liable to do something I may regret later," he cut her off.

"What? Why? What did I do?"

"The question is 'what didn't you do?'" Tyr stopped and turned on her. "Do you honestly believe that your immature behavior is getting you anywhere?" he snapped. "The longer you sulk, the less time Harper has left, so exactly what do you hope to accomplish?"

*

"Oh, he's good," Beka commented from where she, Dylan, Rev, Trance, and Rommie were listening on the Bridge, where the conversation was being transmitted. There was a collective round of nods, and they eagerly waited to hear more.

*

Reese was taken aback. "I-w-I wasn't sulking! I just needed time to think!"

"Oh, well, now I understand what was taking so long," Tyr shot at her.

Reese's mouth formed a tight scowl and she glared icicles at the Nietzschean. Tyr watched her expectantly, hoping that his words had done their job and had inspired her to actually do something. He was not disappointed in the matter.

The girl clenched her fists and stormed down the corridors of the warship in the direction of the machine shop.

"Mission accomplished," Tyr smirked, and headed to the Bridge.

*

Harper was sitting on the floor of the machine shop, goggles securely over his eyes as he tried to spark a blowtorch to life. He noticed Reese enter and put down the tools as he stood up to greet her.

"Hey, Reese, what's-"

She pushed him angrily, and he stumbled backwards a few steps before being stopped by a metal shelving unit stocked with spare mechanical parts.

"Seamus Zelazny Harper, you are such a jerk!" she exploded.

"Whoa, what?" he was genuinely confused.

"How could you not tell me about the Magog and what they did to you? How could you?"

His face fell. "Oh..."

"Oh? That's all you can say? Oh?" she was close to the breaking point. "Harper, what, did you think I wouldn't talk to you again or something? Dammit, you're my best friend! I would never do that to you! You're a great guy and you're funny and you're so smart and that's why I love you so much! And that doesn't change just because you're sick and if you don't get that, then..." she took a deep breath, "then you're just a big dumbass."

Harper, who had averted his eyes during most of her speech, snapped his head up. "What did you just say?"

"You're just a big dumbass."

"No, before that." She didn't answer, and Harper gaped at her. She looked away, wrapping her arms around herself, suddenly feeling very exposed. Harper realized that he probably should do something rather than stare at her, and he quickly walked over to her. "Hey, come here," he offered, touching her arm.

"No, Harper, just don't touch me right now, okay?" she pulled away. "I can't do this right now." Without another word, she left a stunned Harper all alone in the machine shop.

*

"She said it," Trance was in awe. "She actually said it."

"But, why did she...what the hell just happened there?" Beka was confused. "I should go talk to her." She started to the door.

"Hold it," Dylan commanded.

"Dylan, she's upset, and-"

"And it's Harper's job to find out why. You wanted this to work, Beka. Now you've got to step back and let it."

"Yeah, Beka, you're not the only one who wants this to work, y'know," Trance agreed, and the others raised an eyebrow at her. "Hey, I've got a hundred and twenty thrones bet on them."

Tyr rolled his eyes. While choosing a mate was indeed a gamble in life, it was not something to be bet upon like a recreational activity.

Rommie cut into the silence. "Reese has entered the Observations Deck. I'm patching all audio feed from that area to here."

*

Reese stood staring out the enormous window into the depths of space, trying to sort out the muddle of thoughts in her head. Why had she said it? Because you mean it, moron. But now everything was going to change. Everything already has changed. Now it's time to finally be honest. It's how it should be. You know it's right. Is it? Yes. No. I don't know!

"Reese?" Harper poked his head in the doorway. "Can we talk?" She didn't answer, leaning her head against the window. "Reese, just listen for a second, okay?" he pleaded, moving closer to her until he stood behind her, just not touching her. "I didn't tell you, I should have and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry about that I didn't mean for you to find out from someone else. It's just, well, I really don't know what to think about it, myself, and sometimes it really hurts, and I didn't want to put you through the same thing. B-because," he put his hand gently on her shoulder, "you aren't supposed to hurt someone you love."

She didn't look at him, but heaved a wavering sigh. "Then that's why you should have told me," her voice quivered, and Harper realized just how much she was hurting by not knowing all this time. "I would have felt a lot better hearing it from you...instead of Tyr."

Harper made a face - leave it to Mr. Sensitivity himself to spill the beans. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Yeah, well, you should be."

He moved to stand beside her, leaning up against the window to look at her, and saw the tears running down her cheeks. This is the second time you've made her cry, he pointed out to himself, wiping away a tear from her cheek with his thumb. He found himself telling her everything - the entire story of the invasion, and how scary the World Ship was, and what Magog larvae feel like inside your stomach, and the medicine that keeps them dormant, and the suicidal tendencies he'd had before she had returned. He said everything that he'd told Trance just before landing on Aakresia - about how when he saw her, he knew everything would be alright. By the time he'd finished, he was standing behind her again, now holding her tightly around the waist. They stood in silence, just feeling the other's body against their own.

"Harper?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about how I reacted before," Reese apologized. "In the machine shop, I mean. It's just, well, there's something I have to tell you. When I said what I said to you, my stomach did a complete backflip. I got scared."

"I scare you?"

"No! No, Harper, it's not you, not at all," Reese shook her head. "L-love scares me."

"Love? Why?"

Reese sighed deeply. "To most people, love means happiness, fulfillment, relationships, devotion, being completely smitten with someone and sex - all those wonderful things, right?"

Harper couldn't help the grin that crept across his face. "Well, yeah."

"Not to me. From what I've learned in life, love is convenient, and sex means money."

"I don't get it."

"Harper," she hesitated, catching her breath in an attempt to keep her emotions under control. "When you're a fifteen-year-old Flash addict, a girl, and broke, there aren't a whole lot of ways to raise the fundage to get a fix, y'know? There are things I had to do to get..." she let the sentence trail off.

"Reese," Harper realized what she was talking about. "I-I'm sorry. I never knew. Is there anything I can do?"

"Not really," she turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But this works."

"You sure?"

She looked at him. "How long have you known me, Harper?"

He thought for a moment. "Four years now, I think."

"In that time, have I ever backed down from a challenge?"

"Tch, yeah that would be the day."

"Exactly. And this could very well be my - hell, it's our biggest challenge yet, and I sure as hell ain't gonna start backing down from things now. I wanna stick around and see where this one takes us."

"Same here, Doll. This is a good thing. Trust me."

She leaned her head against him, and he just held her. It felt right.

* * *

"Did Rafe leave a forwarding number?" Trance wondered aloud, searching through the database for any records of such a thing, imagining how she could have been one hundred and twenty thrones richer had he not left so quickly.

Tyr frowned at her. "Do you really think that is appropriate?"

Trance looked up, her innocent pout in full effect. "What do you mean?"

"To gamble on chance of procreation, it is barbaric."

"It's not procreation, it's love. And that is a gamble anyway, so why not make a little money off it?"

"This whole situation seems absurd to me," Tyr rolled his eyes. "I am at a loss when trying to understand the logic in their pairing. You may consider them to be 'cute', or other such nonsense, but from a Nietzschean standpoint, they are unsuitable mates. Harper, for one, has a stomach full of Magog larvae, which severely hinders his chances for survival. Reese has a history of addiction - of dependency. And they are certainly both lacking in the luck department."

"True on both accounts," Trance agreed with a slight shrug. "But survival is the most important thing to a Nietzschean, right?"

"That is correct."

"And who knows more about surviving against heavy odds than Reese or Harper?"

Tyr allowed a smile. "Alright, I can accept that. But, to further my argument, even if they were to survive long enough for procreation, both have their demons. They could be discouraged by them."

"It's cute that you're so concerned that they reproduce," Trance winked at him, and Tyr winced at the sudden thought of one or more little Harpers running around. "But as for their demons," Trance continued, "I think that they can overcome them together. Personally, I'm more worried about Beka."

"Why is that?" Tyr raised an eyebrow.

"Well, by the look on her face, I think that was the first time she ever truly found out about Reese's past - about selling her body for Flash, I mean. The worst part is, Beka can't even talk to Reese about it, because we weren't supposed to be listening."

"I see what you mean."

*

Harper was smiling - a real smile. It wasn't one of those fake smiles he'd gotten so good at plastering across his face so people wouldn't constantly ask him how he was, or rather, how they were. No, this smile was genuine, and one that reflected how he was truly feeling at the moment. It was that same feeling he'd had when Reese had walked onto the Bridge of the Andromeda that fateful morning. Everything was going to be alright, because things were as they were meant to be.

He spotted Beka leaning against the wall in one of the hallways, deep in thought. "Hey, Boss," he greeted her cheerfully. She didn't respond, and he stopped. "Beka? You okay?"

She snapped back into reality. "Huh? Yeah, Harper, I'm fine."

He'd heard that response all-too-often. "You sure nothing's wrong?"

She smiled, and shook her head. "Nothing important, anyway. Not compared to what's been going on around here," she winked at him. "Congrats on finally getting through to her."

"Yeah, well, it was only a matter of time before the old Harper charm won her over," he grinned.

Beka laughed, and slung her arm around his shoulders. "You, mister, had better take extra good care of her, or I'm coming after you. Got it?"

"Aye, aye, Captain," he saluted. "You got my word, Boss. Only the best for my gal."

"Good." They walked together to the Bridge. Beka's thoughts were still troubled about Reese's past, but she felt better knowing that Harper was there to help mend her cousin's emotional scars.

*

"Ah, so here you are."

Reese turned around to see Dylan standing in the doorway of the Hydroponics Garden. "Yeah," she smiled. "It seemed like a good place to think."

"It is that," Dylan nodded. "May I ask about what?"

"Well, I was noticing how many different kinds of plants there are here," she looked around. "Now, I'm no Trance, but I know that most of these normally wouldn't be found growing in the same place. It's kinda neat how they're all together."

"I know what you mean. It's comforting to know that so many different species from different environments can be gathered in one place, and still have a sense of belonging, isn't it?"

The girl closed her eyes and nodded, thankful that he understood completely how she felt. "Dylan, I wanna apologize to you. I've only been here, like, two weeks now, and I've already caused you so much trouble."

"As much as I appreciate the apology, there's really no need," Dylan assured her. "This entire mission to restore the Commonwealth has been a great learning experience. It's based on building foundations of trust, and that is something that takes time, but is possible through honesty. It is up to those who sign up to decide how much time it will take for the trust to appear." He bent over and picked up his basketball from the floor. "Do you know how to play?"

Reese eyed the ball, then shook her head. "Sorry."

"Do you want to learn?"

The grin returned to her face. "Sure."

Dylan tossed her the ball.

The End.

Author's Note – There, are everyone's teeth rotting now? GOOD! HA! Lmao. Well, I hope you liked it cuz I'll be back with more Reese/Harper fics because heck, now that I've STARTED writing fluff, I just can't help it! I have to write more! Haha, if you liked it, I hope you'll check them out when I post them. Until then, this has been your friendly neighborhood Fuzzy Elf, signing off. Adios.