Disclaimer - Elf owns Reese and that be all, says I.
A/N - thank you so much for all the reviews on the first part, I hope this chapter is just as funny!
Harper for a Day - Chapter 2
Beka drummed her fingers impatiently on the metal walls of the hallway, waiting for Reese to happen by. She crossed her arms, tapped her foot on the floor, huffed, uncrossed her arms again and resumed drumming her fingers.
"Beka," Rommie appeared, a twinkle in her eyes. "Settle down."
"I can't," Beka protested. "You wouldn't understand, Rommie: this is important. I have to see her reaction."
"You're right. I don't understand," Rommie prepared to leave.
"It's just, Reese always has it under control; always acting so cool," Beka explained. "I just have to see her in a situation where her boyfriend and best friend have swapped personalities. She'll freak out, and it'll be great!" Rommie raised an eyebrow. "It's a sibling-rivalry thing."
"You aren't siblings," Rommie reminded her.
"Close enough," Beka shrugged. "Besides, we've done this since as long as I can remember. Me, her, and Rafe are always trying to catch the other two lose their cool, and no one's ever won. I might become reigning Valentine on this one."
"I see."
Beka grinned. "So, where is she?"
Rommie paused for a moment. "Still in the Mess Hall." Beka frowned. "Wait," Rommie spoke again. "She's leaving. And headed this way."
"Excellent."
"What are you going to do? Follow her?"
"Yes."
"Oh." Rommie rolled her eyes. "Enjoy yourself, then. I'm leaving."
"Oh, I will," Beka grinned and Rommie's image faded out.
*
After scanning the Mess Hall for some much needed caffeine, Reese had debated over having a cup of coffee. That option had been scrapped when she found one of Harper's Sparky Colas in the fridge. That was a million times better, with about a million times more sugar.
Humming a nonsensical tune to herself, she trotted out the door and into the hallway. She turned the corner without watching where she was going and slammed into Beka, falling backwards hard onto her rear end and spilling the soda all over herself.
"Slick," Beka commented.
"Oh, for the love of...I JUST WASHED THIS SHIRT!" Reese snarled, tugging at her cola-soaked skin-tight green top.
"I'm sure you'll live," Beka grinned, extending her hand to pull her cousin back to her feet.
"How do you know?" she accepted the aid.
"Because I have faith in your ability to soldier on even with the peril of wearing a sticky shirt."
"You're weird."
"But you knew that already."
"Absitively posilutely," Reese nodded with her cheesy grin, then turned to continue down the hall. "Catch ya later, Cousin." She walked a few metres, raised an eyebrow at the sound of following footsteps, and turned. "Uh, Beka?"
"Yes?"
"What are you doing?"
"Who, me? Nothing. Why?"
"Right...I'm going this way, now." She walked a little ways more, then whirled around as Beka continued to follow her. "Ok, Cuz, you're officially scaring me."
"What? What am I doing?" Beka tried to fake innocence.
Reese eyed her cousin in utter befuddlement, until she decided that Beka was bored and just trying to psyche her out. With that she replied, "Whatever boosts your jet engines, Cuz," and continued on her way, with Beka following closely and grinning.
*
Trance stood in the most disgusting place in existence, in her opinion: the Engine room. She held a rag in one hand, and a wrench between her thumb and index finger of the other hand, with her arm extended as far in front of her as possible. She tried desperately to wipe the caked-on grease the tool had accumulated without the vile substance contacting her delicate skin. She missed with one swipe, and her wrist was instantly smeared in guck.
"EW!" she shrieked, and dropped the tool with a clatter to the metal catwalk. She frantically wiped her wrist on the coveralls, but succeeded only in adding to the smudge with the grime from the clothes. "Harper, you are so filthy," she muttered, pouting at the muck.
"Harper?" she heard Reese's voice call from outside the room. "You in there?"
"N-" she stopped herself short, and walked outside. "Er, hey, Doll, where ya been all day? Been thinkin' 'bout ya."
"Trance?" the word got caught in Reese's throat. "Are you okay?"
"Now that you're here," the girl winked.
"Come again?"
"Gladly."
Reese's jaw dropped involuntarily, and it was several seconds before she could consciously close her mouth again. Beka, standing several metres back, clasped her hand over her mouth and tried to remain silent. Trance squirmed a tiny bit, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with messing with Reese's mind like that. But she was not, repeat: NOT going to lose this bet. She would show Harper for saying that all she ever did was water her plants. Even if it meant flirting with his girlfriend.
"Trance," Reese spoke very slowly. "What's going on?"
"I dunno, Baby, but I sure know what I'd like to see coming off."
"What?" Reese sounded exasperated, and Beka could barely hold in her hysterics.
"Aw, c'mon, Doll! You're too uptight. You can relax around me, Sugar."
Reese's mouth moved, but no words came out. Beka's vision was blurring with tears, and her body was shaking with laughter. Trance's eyes twinkled as she noticed something at the end of the hallway to her left: Harper was watching. She wasn't sure if he had simply stumbled onto the scene, or if someone had alerted him to the situation, but now she had an audience to play it up for.
Trance was now aware that she was enjoying this just a little too much, but she had also realized that when Reese found out what was going on, it was upon Harper that her wrath would be concentrated. Therefore, anything she did was technically Harper's fault for making the bet in the first place. And with that thought in mind, she could pull this off without worry.
"Listen, Sweet Thing, unfortunately I've got some work to do, but I will definitely expect to see you tonight, if you know what I mean," she winked. Then, before she decided against it, she leaned forward and planted a quick smooch square on Reese's Sparky-Cola-sweet lips.
Harper's chin nearly hit the floor, Beka had to use the wall for vertical support, and Reese stumbled backward a couple steps in a mixture of shock and horror as Trance Harper-strutted back into the Engine Room. Reese's eyes darted about the hall until she spotted Harper down a-ways.
"YOU!" she bellowed. "You've got some EXPLAINING to do, Bub!"
"Uh…" Harper's breakfast tossed in his gut. "Gotta go!" And he took off, with Reese stomping after him.
To Be Continued...!
