Author's Note: Another huge Thank You to Nevermore, who's been doing an amazing job beta reading this stuff. Don't you agree?
Chapter 2
Trance refused to speak to her father when she arrived home. She went straight to her room in the western tower, slamming the door shut behind her. Her home was beautiful, and lord knows she'd missed it, but that didn't change the fact that she hadn't wanted to leave her friends. Her father could not have picked a worse time to drag her home.
Harper's eyes had held no promise when she had left. They were blank, displaying no emotion. She sighed as she sat on the ledge of her window, overlooking her father's kingdom. It was very quaint. Elegant and beautiful, but simple. The whole world was like that. Everyone had their role in life. Everyone had a special ability that decided his or her future. Trance's was healing. She was destined to be one of the world's most prominent healers. However, she was also the King's daughter, so she was destined to be Queen of a new kingdom her father would choose for her. As well as the stuffy husband he would no doubt push in her direction.
She smiled at children playing at the edge of the forest. Some were swinging through the trees. The winged ones were flying over the treetops, laughing in proud delight. She had always wanted to be a flier, but she had to be satisfied with being a climber. It was better than nothing. At least should could climb to the top most hidden part of the tallest tree, and daydream. She used to daydream about escaping to far off planets... Now she would daydream about escaping back to her home on the Andromeda, with her friends.
Dream... She suddenly smiled to herself. She was also a gifted dreamer, something she picked up from her mother. With a delighted bounce, she dropped into her bed and leaned back, closing her eyes. She hoped Harper had drifted off to sleep, otherwise this wouldn't work...
Harper grumbled in his sleep, his dreams not yet taking shape, still just swirls of color. Then the image cleared...
He found himself in Trance's quarters, but it was empty, just like his heart. He sat down on her bed, running his hand over the colorful covers. His heart started to ache, the emptiness begging to be filled. He leaned back on the bed, hoping his dream would fade and he could sleep peacefully.
"Hey you! I didn't think I'd find you here of all places."
He whirled around, onto his side to find Trance sitting perched on the other side of the bed.
"What are you doing here? Or am I dreaming you?"
She giggled. "No, you're not dreaming me. You're dreaming, but I'm really here," she said, leaning over to tap his head. "I'm, uh, dream traveling... If you will."
"Huh?"
She laughed at his expression. Then quieted, remembering the reason she was here. She sighed.
"I mean, I purposely entered your dreams from where I'm sleeping so I could talk to you."
"Oh... Why didn't you just send a message?"
"Besides the fact that you'd probably ignore it? Because I don't want my father knowing and it would take days to reach you. It's not an easy way to communicate. Remember the time Dylan was kidnapped and..." She trailed off, realizing herself that she was stalling. "Anyway, um... I... Well, that is... I,"
Now that she was here, she didn't know what to say.
"Really. That's interesting," Harper quipped with a slight grin. He couldn't help himself, it was too easy.
She stopped short, to glance up at him. Then let herself grin, seeing the smirk on his face. She took a deep breath.
"I miss you already..." She started. "How's your hand?"
"Fine, since you healed it... How did you do that Trance? And why don't you use whatever it is you have more often?"
She smiled sadly. "Well, it drains my energy and there is only so much I can really do... I'm still learning. Also it's not something I want to get around. Healers are in high demand, and people will pay any price to have them kidnapped. I would never let any of you die though, if I could help it."
"I wasn't going to die Trance."
"I know... You WERE asleep."
"Didn't think I'd notice when I woke up that my hand no longer had gashes covering it?"
She shrugged, blushing. "I guess I didn't think about that."
"Hmmm...." He watched her for a while. They both fell silent.
"Why did you do it?" he asked, suddenly.
"Do what?"
"Heal me."
"Because I care about you... I... I love you..."
She cringed, waiting for him to flip out. But he didn't, he just continued to watch her.
Then he said quietly, "Well, then... Why did you leave me?"
She looked up, startled. Then she sighed, again. She wished this would all go away, that she was safely back on the Andromeda, curled up on the couch with Harper, in person, reading a book, or watching a movie... Even a horror sounded good right now. She got up, walked toward the viewport in her bedroom and gazed out at all the twinkling stars and planets.
"Because I had too..."
Harper continued to watch her, his anger slipping away as she began to speak. Her voice was soft and sad. Her tail drooped. She had come back, even if only in his dream...she had come back. And he had never been so glad in his life. He could not help it anymore. He just could not stop the way he felt about her. He knew he was taking a risk, but he figured Trance was worth it. She was worth all the pain and heartache of the universe... That was a hell of a lot. He listened to her as she nervously rambled on.
"I wish to god, things were different. That this had never happened... But it did. And now I have to fix it because I don't wanna stay on my home world. I wanna be with you on the Andromeda, but I need your help. I can't-"
She was cut off, as Harper unexpectedly appeared before her and kissed her, drawing his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Tears of relief rolled down her cheeks.
"How did you do that?" She asked, of his sudden appearance in front of her as he pulled away for a moment.
Then he leaned in, saying in a husky whisper. "This is MY dream babe. I can do anything. Cool, huh? But I guess you already know about that kinda stuff."
She smiled sadly, wiping her eyes. "Nah, I'm not too good at the whole transporting thing."
"Guess not, or you'd be here in person, eh?"
She nodded. "Yeah, except they would come pounding on Andromeda's hangar door demanding I come home."
They both laughed, but their hearts were not in it.
Then Harper asked curiously, "Who's they? And are they the same they I should be afraid of?"
She paused. Then decided she had to take a chance that he would understand, or at least accept.
"Yeah, my father... He's very powerful Harper, and he didn't want me, and still doesn't want me being involved with you... Or any human for that matter. He said if I didn't end our relationship, that he'd kill you. And he could, and still can... And the others. I couldn't risk it. Well, now he wants me to come home, because he thinks 'humans are having an ill effect on me'." She mimicked in a hushed mocking tone. Her eyes burned once again with anger. With a deep breath she continued. "My old friend Normaf was the one that took me home. I was able to convince him to help me if you could at least prove to HIM... How much... How much..."
"I love you." He whispered in her ear.
Tears pricked her eyes as she buried her face in his chest, fighting back a sob. Why couldn't her father just let her be? Why couldn't humans and fairies unite again?
"What do I have to do?"
At these words she clutched him closer, imagining the clean smell of his after-shave that she knew he wore. What did she ever do to deserve him?
"Just... Find me. It sounds impossible, no one ever has found... our world, but you can. I know you can, you just have to believe." She paused. "You don't have to do this Harper. I can't predict the outcome of this one. My abilities are nothing compared to my father's. But I can tell you he respects bravery, honesty and sincerity."
"Do the others..."
"Yeah, they know I'm gone, I said goodbye... Sort of... Harper, I can't stop you from telling them, if you feel they would help you. But Dylan may not want to take time out of his mission for me..."
Harper held her face in his hands. "Do you really not have any idea how much you mean to this entire crew? For someone with obvious telepathic abilities..."
She smiled, "I've never read your minds. I don't believe in doing that unless absolutely necessary."
"Well, you can read my mind anytime baby. You wanna know what I'm thinking right now?"
"I don't need to be a mind reader to figure that out. I'm not as naive as you think."
"Oh really? So this whole time you've known about everything I've been 'teaching' you?"
"Well...yeah. Do you really think I was that naive? That I didn't know?"
"Well, you seemed... Why did you pretend?"
She laughed. "Because I was falling in love with you, and I wasn't sure how else to approach it. I figured your hormones would get the best of you. You'd have to kiss me eventually, and maybe then you would consider me more than just a friend..."
"You did that whole act because you wanted me to kiss you and fall in love with you and you didn't think I would any other way?"
"Well, yeah... That and it was fun, the way you were so sweet, and the way you..."
"You know, it's not nice to lead people on like that."
His face was serious, but his eyes were twinkling with mischief.
She was silent for a moment, realizing that what she had done was in a sense wrong.
"I guess..."
Harper laughed, shaking his head. He pulled her close, burying his face in her hair.
"I'm just teasing you, babe..." Then he pulled away, grinning at her. "But don't do it to anyone else, they may not be as understanding as me."
She smiled, "It doesn't matter, I'm not in love with anyone else."
They smiled at each other, before Trance started at something Harper could not see or hear. She turned her gaze back to him, with a sad smile.
"I have to go now."
Realization hit Harper, and his joking mood vanished. He looked at her longingly. Then with a sigh, he tilted her face to his, and kissed her.
Her heart ached as he deepened the kiss... She never wanted to stop, she never wanted to let go. But she had too. He groaned as she pulled away, but then she turned to rest her head on his shoulder. He held her close, burying his face in her hair as he whispered.
"I'll find you babe, and I'll bring you home. I promise."
With a silent nod, she whispered back, "I know..."
With that she pulled away and turned to leave.
He called after her, "Trance... What are you? Why does your father hate humans so much?"
"I can't tell you... Not yet."
He smiled cockily, "But when I find you and am deemed worthy enough, you'll tell me everything?"
"I will... I promise."
He looked at her seriously, "I love you, Trance."
She smiled tearfully, "I love you too."
Then she stepped out of her quarters and out of his dreams.
Harper woke with a start. He looked around, finding himself sprawled out on his bed, in his quarters. He wondered briefly if what had happened in the dream was real. He felt a faint tingle run through him, and he knew it had been.
He lay back down, a million thoughts racing through his head, as he began to slowly and painstakingly piece together what he had so far. All he knew for sure right now was that he loved her, and no matter what, he would find her. They had been through hell the past few days, but things were starting to fit together. He was slowly understanding what was happening... What she had been thinking.. And his love for her was only growing stronger.
R&R. Chapter 3 coming....uh...soon. Sure, that's it.
Jaimi Copyright@2001
Chapter 2
Trance refused to speak to her father when she arrived home. She went straight to her room in the western tower, slamming the door shut behind her. Her home was beautiful, and lord knows she'd missed it, but that didn't change the fact that she hadn't wanted to leave her friends. Her father could not have picked a worse time to drag her home.
Harper's eyes had held no promise when she had left. They were blank, displaying no emotion. She sighed as she sat on the ledge of her window, overlooking her father's kingdom. It was very quaint. Elegant and beautiful, but simple. The whole world was like that. Everyone had their role in life. Everyone had a special ability that decided his or her future. Trance's was healing. She was destined to be one of the world's most prominent healers. However, she was also the King's daughter, so she was destined to be Queen of a new kingdom her father would choose for her. As well as the stuffy husband he would no doubt push in her direction.
She smiled at children playing at the edge of the forest. Some were swinging through the trees. The winged ones were flying over the treetops, laughing in proud delight. She had always wanted to be a flier, but she had to be satisfied with being a climber. It was better than nothing. At least should could climb to the top most hidden part of the tallest tree, and daydream. She used to daydream about escaping to far off planets... Now she would daydream about escaping back to her home on the Andromeda, with her friends.
Dream... She suddenly smiled to herself. She was also a gifted dreamer, something she picked up from her mother. With a delighted bounce, she dropped into her bed and leaned back, closing her eyes. She hoped Harper had drifted off to sleep, otherwise this wouldn't work...
Harper grumbled in his sleep, his dreams not yet taking shape, still just swirls of color. Then the image cleared...
He found himself in Trance's quarters, but it was empty, just like his heart. He sat down on her bed, running his hand over the colorful covers. His heart started to ache, the emptiness begging to be filled. He leaned back on the bed, hoping his dream would fade and he could sleep peacefully.
"Hey you! I didn't think I'd find you here of all places."
He whirled around, onto his side to find Trance sitting perched on the other side of the bed.
"What are you doing here? Or am I dreaming you?"
She giggled. "No, you're not dreaming me. You're dreaming, but I'm really here," she said, leaning over to tap his head. "I'm, uh, dream traveling... If you will."
"Huh?"
She laughed at his expression. Then quieted, remembering the reason she was here. She sighed.
"I mean, I purposely entered your dreams from where I'm sleeping so I could talk to you."
"Oh... Why didn't you just send a message?"
"Besides the fact that you'd probably ignore it? Because I don't want my father knowing and it would take days to reach you. It's not an easy way to communicate. Remember the time Dylan was kidnapped and..." She trailed off, realizing herself that she was stalling. "Anyway, um... I... Well, that is... I,"
Now that she was here, she didn't know what to say.
"Really. That's interesting," Harper quipped with a slight grin. He couldn't help himself, it was too easy.
She stopped short, to glance up at him. Then let herself grin, seeing the smirk on his face. She took a deep breath.
"I miss you already..." She started. "How's your hand?"
"Fine, since you healed it... How did you do that Trance? And why don't you use whatever it is you have more often?"
She smiled sadly. "Well, it drains my energy and there is only so much I can really do... I'm still learning. Also it's not something I want to get around. Healers are in high demand, and people will pay any price to have them kidnapped. I would never let any of you die though, if I could help it."
"I wasn't going to die Trance."
"I know... You WERE asleep."
"Didn't think I'd notice when I woke up that my hand no longer had gashes covering it?"
She shrugged, blushing. "I guess I didn't think about that."
"Hmmm...." He watched her for a while. They both fell silent.
"Why did you do it?" he asked, suddenly.
"Do what?"
"Heal me."
"Because I care about you... I... I love you..."
She cringed, waiting for him to flip out. But he didn't, he just continued to watch her.
Then he said quietly, "Well, then... Why did you leave me?"
She looked up, startled. Then she sighed, again. She wished this would all go away, that she was safely back on the Andromeda, curled up on the couch with Harper, in person, reading a book, or watching a movie... Even a horror sounded good right now. She got up, walked toward the viewport in her bedroom and gazed out at all the twinkling stars and planets.
"Because I had too..."
Harper continued to watch her, his anger slipping away as she began to speak. Her voice was soft and sad. Her tail drooped. She had come back, even if only in his dream...she had come back. And he had never been so glad in his life. He could not help it anymore. He just could not stop the way he felt about her. He knew he was taking a risk, but he figured Trance was worth it. She was worth all the pain and heartache of the universe... That was a hell of a lot. He listened to her as she nervously rambled on.
"I wish to god, things were different. That this had never happened... But it did. And now I have to fix it because I don't wanna stay on my home world. I wanna be with you on the Andromeda, but I need your help. I can't-"
She was cut off, as Harper unexpectedly appeared before her and kissed her, drawing his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Tears of relief rolled down her cheeks.
"How did you do that?" She asked, of his sudden appearance in front of her as he pulled away for a moment.
Then he leaned in, saying in a husky whisper. "This is MY dream babe. I can do anything. Cool, huh? But I guess you already know about that kinda stuff."
She smiled sadly, wiping her eyes. "Nah, I'm not too good at the whole transporting thing."
"Guess not, or you'd be here in person, eh?"
She nodded. "Yeah, except they would come pounding on Andromeda's hangar door demanding I come home."
They both laughed, but their hearts were not in it.
Then Harper asked curiously, "Who's they? And are they the same they I should be afraid of?"
She paused. Then decided she had to take a chance that he would understand, or at least accept.
"Yeah, my father... He's very powerful Harper, and he didn't want me, and still doesn't want me being involved with you... Or any human for that matter. He said if I didn't end our relationship, that he'd kill you. And he could, and still can... And the others. I couldn't risk it. Well, now he wants me to come home, because he thinks 'humans are having an ill effect on me'." She mimicked in a hushed mocking tone. Her eyes burned once again with anger. With a deep breath she continued. "My old friend Normaf was the one that took me home. I was able to convince him to help me if you could at least prove to HIM... How much... How much..."
"I love you." He whispered in her ear.
Tears pricked her eyes as she buried her face in his chest, fighting back a sob. Why couldn't her father just let her be? Why couldn't humans and fairies unite again?
"What do I have to do?"
At these words she clutched him closer, imagining the clean smell of his after-shave that she knew he wore. What did she ever do to deserve him?
"Just... Find me. It sounds impossible, no one ever has found... our world, but you can. I know you can, you just have to believe." She paused. "You don't have to do this Harper. I can't predict the outcome of this one. My abilities are nothing compared to my father's. But I can tell you he respects bravery, honesty and sincerity."
"Do the others..."
"Yeah, they know I'm gone, I said goodbye... Sort of... Harper, I can't stop you from telling them, if you feel they would help you. But Dylan may not want to take time out of his mission for me..."
Harper held her face in his hands. "Do you really not have any idea how much you mean to this entire crew? For someone with obvious telepathic abilities..."
She smiled, "I've never read your minds. I don't believe in doing that unless absolutely necessary."
"Well, you can read my mind anytime baby. You wanna know what I'm thinking right now?"
"I don't need to be a mind reader to figure that out. I'm not as naive as you think."
"Oh really? So this whole time you've known about everything I've been 'teaching' you?"
"Well...yeah. Do you really think I was that naive? That I didn't know?"
"Well, you seemed... Why did you pretend?"
She laughed. "Because I was falling in love with you, and I wasn't sure how else to approach it. I figured your hormones would get the best of you. You'd have to kiss me eventually, and maybe then you would consider me more than just a friend..."
"You did that whole act because you wanted me to kiss you and fall in love with you and you didn't think I would any other way?"
"Well, yeah... That and it was fun, the way you were so sweet, and the way you..."
"You know, it's not nice to lead people on like that."
His face was serious, but his eyes were twinkling with mischief.
She was silent for a moment, realizing that what she had done was in a sense wrong.
"I guess..."
Harper laughed, shaking his head. He pulled her close, burying his face in her hair.
"I'm just teasing you, babe..." Then he pulled away, grinning at her. "But don't do it to anyone else, they may not be as understanding as me."
She smiled, "It doesn't matter, I'm not in love with anyone else."
They smiled at each other, before Trance started at something Harper could not see or hear. She turned her gaze back to him, with a sad smile.
"I have to go now."
Realization hit Harper, and his joking mood vanished. He looked at her longingly. Then with a sigh, he tilted her face to his, and kissed her.
Her heart ached as he deepened the kiss... She never wanted to stop, she never wanted to let go. But she had too. He groaned as she pulled away, but then she turned to rest her head on his shoulder. He held her close, burying his face in her hair as he whispered.
"I'll find you babe, and I'll bring you home. I promise."
With a silent nod, she whispered back, "I know..."
With that she pulled away and turned to leave.
He called after her, "Trance... What are you? Why does your father hate humans so much?"
"I can't tell you... Not yet."
He smiled cockily, "But when I find you and am deemed worthy enough, you'll tell me everything?"
"I will... I promise."
He looked at her seriously, "I love you, Trance."
She smiled tearfully, "I love you too."
Then she stepped out of her quarters and out of his dreams.
Harper woke with a start. He looked around, finding himself sprawled out on his bed, in his quarters. He wondered briefly if what had happened in the dream was real. He felt a faint tingle run through him, and he knew it had been.
He lay back down, a million thoughts racing through his head, as he began to slowly and painstakingly piece together what he had so far. All he knew for sure right now was that he loved her, and no matter what, he would find her. They had been through hell the past few days, but things were starting to fit together. He was slowly understanding what was happening... What she had been thinking.. And his love for her was only growing stronger.
R&R. Chapter 3 coming....uh...soon. Sure, that's it.
Jaimi Copyright@2001
