As he lay there in Trance's comforting arms, his mind wandered back to various times within the last few months, times when Trance let on how much she cared about him. As his mind wandered he realized that there were many events in which Trance had shown how much she cared, but he had been too busy to realize that until now.
Various times in the past
"Who is it?" He asked, not wanting anyone to start discussing the photo with him. That was a moment he'd rather forget.
"Harper, it's me. Can we talk?" Came the reply from Trance.
"Sure, come on in." He told her as he opened the door to her.
As she came in he looked down the corridor in both directions, looking for the rest of the crew trying to get another picture. He found no one.
"Hey Trance, what can I do for you?" He asked as he returned to his bed and picked up the empty box and flexi.
"Well, you can tell me why Beka and Dylan made such a big deal out of our kiss." She told him sitting down on his bed.
"Well, they like to play jokes on people, well, Beka does, Dylan is just evil." He grinned as he told her this.
"I already knew that. What I want to know is why is it such a big deal? Why can't we be a couple without them interfering?" She asked.
"I don't think they are trying to interfere, I just think they're bored. They need something to do, so they latch onto the first interesting thing that comes their way. That happened to be us, unfortunately." He told her.
"I don't think it's unfortunate."
"Really? Why is that Trance?"
"Well, the image they used of us is so cute. The look on your face is precious, and if you didn't notice, I'm blushing. I think that's cute." She explained.
"Really? Well, at least someone besides Beka, Dylan, and Rommie find it funny. I sure don't, it was embarrassing to me. Oh well nothing I can do about it now. By the way, try was right." He said.
She was confused, trying to remember what Tyr had said.
"What did Tyr say?" She asked.
"Tyr said, and I quote: 'If you are ever going to appear on screen after a romantic interlude, it would be best for all if you removed any evidence from your face.'"
Trance giggled as Harper tried to mimic the big Nietzschean.
"If Tyr heard that he wouldn't be happy."
"What do I care if Tyr wouldn't be happy? Is he ever happy? Is he even here? No. So I really don't care what Tyr would think." He told her. "Besides, I'm more interested in what you think."
"Well, I think that Tyr is right. Next time you should check for any lip gloss before you go out in public." She said with a smile.
"Oh? Is there going to be a next time?" He asked her with a grin of his own.
"Well there could be." She replied with a glint in her eye as she looked at him.
"Well, when that happens I'll be sure to check for any incriminating evidence." He told her with a smirk as he leaned in to give her a kiss.
She pulled away from him before he could kiss her.
Harper smiled to him self at the memory of Trance sitting on his bed, the day after that unfortunate photo was taken, and telling him that there could be 'another' time. His mind wandered on, not leaving much time for reflection.
"Well, 47 down, on to 48. C'mon Trance lets get going, we only have a 24 hour day here." Harper said as he offered Trance his hands to get up. After several hours of work, she took the offered help and stood, falling against Harper when the lack of circulation made her legs weak.
"Whoa, easy there Trance, you've been sitting there for hours." Harper said, catching her as she fell.
They stood there together in each other's arms for several minutes. They stood looking into each other's eyes, when Harper reached up and with a gentle hand, pushed an arrant lock of hair off of Trance's face. She just watched him, stunned.
Harper was first to pull away and break the embrace. He moved to gather his toolbox. He looked back to where Trance was still standing, an expression of embarrassment on his face.
"We … uh … we should get moving. C'mon Trance, we still have a lot to do." He said hesitantly, more embarrassed that his expression could every say.
Harper's mind had wandered back to the incident that started this whole event, his unconscious act of brushing her hair out of her face. His mind wandered on once again.
"Well Trance, we make a good team." He told her as they sat down with their trays.
"Yeah, I know." She replied. "Harper?" He looked up from his meal. "Back in the conduit, when you helped me up, why did you brush away the hair in my eyes?" She asked, as Harper grew pale and almost choked on his food.
"Well, uh … because you're my best friend Trance. Uh … yeah, that's why." He managed to stammer out with out too much embarrassment showing.
"Really? I'm your best friend?" She asked happily.
"Yeah sure. I thought you knew that." He stopped in mid-thought, "I told the old you, the purple you, that." He said, realizing how she might react to his 'purple you' comment, he grimaced.
"I remember you telling me that now, it's just I've seen so much that I'd forgotten. I remember how happy I was when you told me that, I'd never had a best friend before." She got a sad, faraway look on her face as though remembering something from many years ago.
It broke Harper's heart to see that look on her once purple, now golden, still beautiful face.
"Ah Trance, why are you so sad? Don't be sad, you're making me sad. I can't stand to see that look on your face, please stop." He told her.
"I'm sorry Seamus, I was just remembering something that happened, yet thankfully didn't happen." She told him.
"What didn't happen that did happen, that makes you sad?" He asked, wondering if the question made any sense, not noticing that she called him 'Seamus'.
"I can't tell you now, but I will tell you, later." She answered as she realized what time it was and mentioned that fact to Harper. "We should go get some sleep. We have a lot more work to do."
Harper's mind stopped on this conversation, what had Trance told him? He tried to remember their later conversation when Trance told him what did, but now wouldn't happen.
"Trance, I want you to tell me the truth." When he looked over at her his eyes were both pleading and angry. "Truthfully, why did you save me?" He asked, holding eye contact, staring into her soul, trying to find the Trance he knew and loved.
The look sent shivers of pleasure down her spine, all of his looks did that.
"The truth?" She asked, recovering from his look. "The truth is when you died it was as if I died right along with you. You were my best friend, your death is what started my growth into what you see now. I realized that I couldn't live without you, and neither could Andromeda."
She paused, the memories of his death bringing tears to her eyes. She was a lot like him, they both had tough exteriors designed to keep people from getting close, for if anyone got close they would die or leave them.
"Tyr took no pleasure in killing you, I want you to know. He felt like he was killing his own family." She told him finally. "He was saddened by the fact that we couldn't save you."
"Tyr? Saddened by killing anything, especially having to kill me? I find that hard to believe." Harper said scornfully, looking up at Trance.
"I know you may feel that, but I lived through it. I saw you die at Tyr's hands, and I wished he would have killed me too. But I didn't die, thousands of times I wish I had. I saw Tyr die as Beka and I searched for the Engine of Creation, Dylan died freeing the Andromeda from the Cetus. The future Beka and I were the only ones to survive, and we were forced to adapt to the most hostile beings in the universe, just to survive. That is why I changed places with my younger self, that is why I saved you and not Hohne."
"Trance, is that what you couldn't tell me earlier?" When she nodded, he was silent while he thought about what she'd said.
"Harper, now we each know something about the other that no one else knows. We must keep these to ourselves, if we don't bad things could happen." He nodded in understanding, she went on. "Harper, when I was changing and growing I kept thinking of two things. First, how could I go back and fix what had happened. Second, when I did fix it, could we, you and I, ever be more than just best friends?"
He laughed silently at how much more than friends he and Trance had become. They had started with a friendship, became best friends, and then built a relationship of trust and love as friends, upon that basis. Finally they had transcended into the final highest realm of true friendship, the level of true love, love as not just friends but lovers. This was where their relationship was when they were married, but it had continued to grow to where a separation for long periods of time hurt them both, physically and mentally.
At this final thought, Harper fell back into a peaceful sleep, free of bad dreams, and full of Trance.
To Be Continued …