*Meanwhile . . .*
"Okay, here's the deal," Dylan said as he led me onto the bridge. "I have no idea what to do with the two of you."
"The two of us?"
"You and Cassie. She obviously has taken to you and Tyr, but she doesn't seem to know what to do about the others. I think that we could work out a schedule so that there is always someone with her in a few weeks."
"Yeah, about that. I've been thinking about things and well, I don't think that this is such a good idea," I said hesitantly.
"What is not such a good idea?"
"Keeping her here. I mean, she's got to need some kind of psychiatric care after what she's been through and, I really don't think that we have a psychologist on board. Unless you keep one in your pocket." He laughed.
"No, I don't keep one in my pocket. It's not that big a deal though, I mean Rommie's got to have some things that could help us out with that." I just chewed my bottom lip, trying to find a way to get out of saying what I felt I had to. "What, Beka?"
"I can't keep her," I said quietly.
"What? Why not? Especially after that little stunt on the station, I figured you'd want to keep her," He said as he aproached me.
"I want to keep her but I can't. It's not fair to the others to have to look after her while I go and do what ever on the Andromeda and then take missions with the Maru. Besides all that, I know nothing about parenting."
"I hate to break it to you, but no one ever has a manual on it, everyone has to learn."
"Yeah, but they usually get to start with an infant, not a five year old."
"Wo what are you going to do?"
"No clue. Suggestions?"
"Give to Tyr? No, Harper," he said with a small smile. I shot him a look. "Okay, seriously, about the only thing to do is to either keep her yourself or place her in an orphanage." I stopped in my tracks at that. "Anything else you'd like to talk about?"
"No, thanks anyways," I said as I turned to leave.
"Beka, not to rush you, but, we're about a week, maybe two from a planet that will take her. I think we'll have a couple of days of shore leave too."
"Okay," I said as I left. 7 to 14 days is not a lot of time. I thought to myself as I headed back to my quarters.
*Back at Beka's quarters.*
By the time I was just about finished, She was almost asleep. "Come on Little One, it is time for bed."
"No." she said firmly.
"Yes. It is late and you are tired," I said as I picked her up and started towards the bed room.
"NO!" she yelled as she started screaming and kicking.
"Tyr!" Beka yelled as she ran in. "What the hell are you doing?!?! I can hear her all the way down the corridor!" I placed the child on the ground and she ran to Beka, who bent to pick her up. I stood for a moment as she calmed the child from hysterical sobbing to a calmer cry.
"Beka, I .. "
"I don't want to hear it. I'll find you later," she said angrily.
"But . ."
"No Tyr," she said as she shut the bed room door in my face.
"Frak!" I said as I left. After pacing my quarters for a while, I headed to the gym.
*Still Tyr*
"What the hell did you do to her?" Beka yelled as she came into the gym. "It took me 20 minutes alone to calm her down and another 30 to get her to sleep." I knew she was com ing towards me, unfortunately, I didn't see her fist coming towards my shoulder. Hard. "Hey, Uber, listen up." I sat up and stared at her.
"She was screaming about you hurting her or killing her or something like that. Then, she wasn't going to let me leave. She's terrified of you now!" I watched as she began to pace around the room. "Well, don't you have ANYTHING to say?"
"Are you going to let me speak?" I asked calmly.
"Sure, why the hell not?" Beka said as she sat down on a bench.
"When you came in, I was trying to get her ready for bed. Most children put up resistance when they know they are the only ones being put to bed."
"You expect me to belive that?"
"What are you implying? That I WAS trying to hurt her?"
"I don't know, should I be?" she asked as she got, well, as close as her height would allow, in my face. "You seemed pretty eager to take her off of my hands."
"I was mearly doing you a favor. Besides, I won her, I could take her back any time I wanted."
"Won her??? You WON HER?? What is she, a prize? She's a person Tyr, a little girl. A frightened, abused, little girl!" she yelled. There was something else that was causing this outburst.
"Well, why do YOU care about her? You have made it clear on numerous occasions that you "don't go in for baby sitting" and that is exactly what you are doing, only in a more permanent fasion."
"How do you know I didn't agree to Dylan's offer?" she countered.
"What offer?"
"To leave Cass at an orphanage at the next planet. That would solve all of our problems wouldn't it?" I was a little taken aback by this statement. I could handle the implied references to wanting to hurt her because she was simlpy over reacting and would see that in time, but this? Abandoning some one was not Beka Valentine.
"You wouldn't do it would you?"
"I'm very seriously thinking about it. I can not raise a child, I sure as hell won't let you have her. Dylan doesn't want her, Harper and Trance are still pretty much kids themselves and Rommie can't take her and Rev . . . well, lets' just leave Rev out of this."
"Why can't you raise her?" I said as I came over to her.
"I just can't," she said trying to get away.
"Explain it to me," I said as I trapped her against a wall.
"Tyr. Let me go," she said as she tried to move away, I held fast and kept her trapped.
"Not until you tell me. You are completely capable of caring for a 5 year old," she sighed heavily and brushed the hair from her eyes.
"Because I don't know how. I wasn't raised, I was dragged up by the teeth," she said as she looked me in the eyes. "By the time I was her age, I was practically taking care of my dad and Rafe by myself. By the time I was 10, I could do anything on the ship and by the time I was 25, Dad was dead, Rafe was gone and I was left with the Maru and a pile of debts taller than I was." By the time she was done, she was glaring at me. "Can I go now?" she asked tensely. I studied her for a long moment. I could tell that she was holding something back. What it was though, I couldn't tell.
"Fine," I said as I moved away from the wall.
"It's not like it's any of his business anyways," she mumbled as she left. I decided not to make a comment and watched her leave.
"Okay, here's the deal," Dylan said as he led me onto the bridge. "I have no idea what to do with the two of you."
"The two of us?"
"You and Cassie. She obviously has taken to you and Tyr, but she doesn't seem to know what to do about the others. I think that we could work out a schedule so that there is always someone with her in a few weeks."
"Yeah, about that. I've been thinking about things and well, I don't think that this is such a good idea," I said hesitantly.
"What is not such a good idea?"
"Keeping her here. I mean, she's got to need some kind of psychiatric care after what she's been through and, I really don't think that we have a psychologist on board. Unless you keep one in your pocket." He laughed.
"No, I don't keep one in my pocket. It's not that big a deal though, I mean Rommie's got to have some things that could help us out with that." I just chewed my bottom lip, trying to find a way to get out of saying what I felt I had to. "What, Beka?"
"I can't keep her," I said quietly.
"What? Why not? Especially after that little stunt on the station, I figured you'd want to keep her," He said as he aproached me.
"I want to keep her but I can't. It's not fair to the others to have to look after her while I go and do what ever on the Andromeda and then take missions with the Maru. Besides all that, I know nothing about parenting."
"I hate to break it to you, but no one ever has a manual on it, everyone has to learn."
"Yeah, but they usually get to start with an infant, not a five year old."
"Wo what are you going to do?"
"No clue. Suggestions?"
"Give to Tyr? No, Harper," he said with a small smile. I shot him a look. "Okay, seriously, about the only thing to do is to either keep her yourself or place her in an orphanage." I stopped in my tracks at that. "Anything else you'd like to talk about?"
"No, thanks anyways," I said as I turned to leave.
"Beka, not to rush you, but, we're about a week, maybe two from a planet that will take her. I think we'll have a couple of days of shore leave too."
"Okay," I said as I left. 7 to 14 days is not a lot of time. I thought to myself as I headed back to my quarters.
*Back at Beka's quarters.*
By the time I was just about finished, She was almost asleep. "Come on Little One, it is time for bed."
"No." she said firmly.
"Yes. It is late and you are tired," I said as I picked her up and started towards the bed room.
"NO!" she yelled as she started screaming and kicking.
"Tyr!" Beka yelled as she ran in. "What the hell are you doing?!?! I can hear her all the way down the corridor!" I placed the child on the ground and she ran to Beka, who bent to pick her up. I stood for a moment as she calmed the child from hysterical sobbing to a calmer cry.
"Beka, I .. "
"I don't want to hear it. I'll find you later," she said angrily.
"But . ."
"No Tyr," she said as she shut the bed room door in my face.
"Frak!" I said as I left. After pacing my quarters for a while, I headed to the gym.
*Still Tyr*
"What the hell did you do to her?" Beka yelled as she came into the gym. "It took me 20 minutes alone to calm her down and another 30 to get her to sleep." I knew she was com ing towards me, unfortunately, I didn't see her fist coming towards my shoulder. Hard. "Hey, Uber, listen up." I sat up and stared at her.
"She was screaming about you hurting her or killing her or something like that. Then, she wasn't going to let me leave. She's terrified of you now!" I watched as she began to pace around the room. "Well, don't you have ANYTHING to say?"
"Are you going to let me speak?" I asked calmly.
"Sure, why the hell not?" Beka said as she sat down on a bench.
"When you came in, I was trying to get her ready for bed. Most children put up resistance when they know they are the only ones being put to bed."
"You expect me to belive that?"
"What are you implying? That I WAS trying to hurt her?"
"I don't know, should I be?" she asked as she got, well, as close as her height would allow, in my face. "You seemed pretty eager to take her off of my hands."
"I was mearly doing you a favor. Besides, I won her, I could take her back any time I wanted."
"Won her??? You WON HER?? What is she, a prize? She's a person Tyr, a little girl. A frightened, abused, little girl!" she yelled. There was something else that was causing this outburst.
"Well, why do YOU care about her? You have made it clear on numerous occasions that you "don't go in for baby sitting" and that is exactly what you are doing, only in a more permanent fasion."
"How do you know I didn't agree to Dylan's offer?" she countered.
"What offer?"
"To leave Cass at an orphanage at the next planet. That would solve all of our problems wouldn't it?" I was a little taken aback by this statement. I could handle the implied references to wanting to hurt her because she was simlpy over reacting and would see that in time, but this? Abandoning some one was not Beka Valentine.
"You wouldn't do it would you?"
"I'm very seriously thinking about it. I can not raise a child, I sure as hell won't let you have her. Dylan doesn't want her, Harper and Trance are still pretty much kids themselves and Rommie can't take her and Rev . . . well, lets' just leave Rev out of this."
"Why can't you raise her?" I said as I came over to her.
"I just can't," she said trying to get away.
"Explain it to me," I said as I trapped her against a wall.
"Tyr. Let me go," she said as she tried to move away, I held fast and kept her trapped.
"Not until you tell me. You are completely capable of caring for a 5 year old," she sighed heavily and brushed the hair from her eyes.
"Because I don't know how. I wasn't raised, I was dragged up by the teeth," she said as she looked me in the eyes. "By the time I was her age, I was practically taking care of my dad and Rafe by myself. By the time I was 10, I could do anything on the ship and by the time I was 25, Dad was dead, Rafe was gone and I was left with the Maru and a pile of debts taller than I was." By the time she was done, she was glaring at me. "Can I go now?" she asked tensely. I studied her for a long moment. I could tell that she was holding something back. What it was though, I couldn't tell.
"Fine," I said as I moved away from the wall.
"It's not like it's any of his business anyways," she mumbled as she left. I decided not to make a comment and watched her leave.
