Fade to Black
"Mmm!" Trance Gemini swallowed something, and looked at Harper. He looked at her expectantly as he swallowed something himself. He waited for a moment, then spoke up. "Good, aren't they?" "Yeah! What did you call them again?" "Marshmallows. One of the greatest contributions of the Earth to Commonwealth dining, in my considered opinion." "So what are they made of?" "Sugar, and lots of it. That's one reason I don't eat them too often - Beka'd kill me if she thought I was going to get any more hyper than usual." Trance leaned over and kissed Harper on the cheek, much to his surprise. "Thanks for sharing with me. I've got to get back to work." "Uhm, yeah, uhm, me too. See you later, Trance." He stood up and started out of Med Bay as Trance started working on the experiment she'd been working on before. "See you, Harper." The door closed behind Harper, and he leaned against the wall next to it. He hit his head against the adjoining wall, berating himself quietly. "Aw, come on, Harper, the least you could have done would be to kiss her back!" He started walking down towards his quarters - he wasn't on duty at the moment, so maybe a quick nap would help him focus again. He'd been thinking about Trance for weeks now - heck, the only reason he'd come down here in the first place today was because he had a semi-excuse to see her. Now, he was more distracted than ever. He felt the spot on his cheek where she'd kissed him - she'd just meant it as a friendly gesture, but he found himself wishing more and more that he'd turned his head in time to make it his lips instead of his cheek..
Later, Trance and Harper were together in the storage closet, making love for the first time. Trance's clothes were scattered with Harper's across a dozen different tools and hooks. She was leaning back against the wall of the closet as Harper lifted her up and down, driving himself deeper into her - when the door to the Hydroponics Bay opened, and the two lovers half-heard Dylan's voice. "Trance? Have you seen Harper? I found his force-lance on the bridge, and I can't find him anywhere to return it to him. Trance?" The two looked at each other in panic - if he opened the closet - suddenly, the door slid open, and Dylan looked in. "Holy -"
"- shit!" Harper launched to a sitting position in his bed and finished the sentence at the same time. He couldn't even get away in his sleep anymore. Harper dragged himself out of bed and got dressed. Maybe if he talked to somebody.but who?
"Hey, Boss?" Harper stuck his head inside the door to the Maru's engine room, where Beka was working on keeping the ship in working order. "Harper? Hey, good to see you down here - help me out with this, okay? I'm trying to get the power system upgraded with some of the Andromeda's gimmicks." Harper grabbed a few tools and jumped down to join her. He started working on one of the parts Beka was trying to integrate, and talked to her as he did so. "Hey, Boss - maybe you can help me out here. You're a woman." Beka laughed. "Brilliant observation, Seamus," she stated dryly. "And Dylan and Tyr are guys, like you, Rev's a magog, and Trance has a tail." Harper looked over at her and sneered. "Ha ha. Very funny. Look, Boss, I'm serious here." "Okay - pass me that spanner and tell me about it." Harper passed her the requested tool, and thought about how to word his question. "Could you give me a few pointers on how to make the first move?" "Harper, you've made passes at half the women in every place we've visited." "And I've been slapped by most of them, a few I haven't met before, and more than one angry boyfriend." "Noted. But now you're asking me for help? What's the occasion?" "I've met a girl who's different from them." "Look, if you're so desperate you fell for another AI, don't come to me for help. I prefer to date inside my own species." "That doesn't help much - I don't even know what her species is!" Harper tried to bite back the last part of that statement, but it was too late. Beka put down the spanner and looked at him. "It's Trance, isn't it?" Harper faked a laugh. "Trance? No, that's ridiculous." He stopped for a moment as he realized she wasn't buying it. "That obvious?" Beka smirked at him. "No, but since the last place we went through was a Than planet, it doesn't seem likely you're looking for dating tips for anybody else. So, how's she different - besides the skin and tail, obviously." "I don't know - there's just something about her.." "You've got it bad, Seamus. You're serious about her, aren't you?" "Yeah, I guess I am. I've been having these dreams, and when she kissed me earlier.." "She kissed you?" "Yeah - on the cheek. Friendly-like." "Ah - so that's what brought this on." "Kind of. So, any suggestions?" "Yeah - just tell her how you feel. Simple as that." Harper rolled his eyes. "Simple - right. I've been trying to figure out how for weeks!" "Just tell her. Go up to her, and say, 'Trance, I love you!' How hard is that?"
"I think I'd rather take Tyr on in an arm-wrestling contest - loser has to short-sheet Dylan's bed." "Look, Harper, it's up to you. That's all the advice I can give you." "Do you really think it'll work?" Beka smiled. "Trust in the Beka - the Beka is good." Harper gave her another of his looks that plainly said 'very funny,' and walked off, leaving her to finish the changes on her own. Harper was walking down the hall, thinking about Beka's advice. Well - what was the worst that could happen? She laughed at him? He stopped at a computer terminal. "Andromeda?" The familiar face came up on the console. "Yes, Harper?" "Uhm, could you tell me where Trance is?" "One moment." Andromeda thought for a second, and then answered. "She just went to the Hydroponics Bay. Would you like me to call her for you?" "No! Uhm - no, I'll go meet her there myself." Harper walked off, and Andromeda smiled slyly behind him.
A few minutes later, in Hydroponics, Harper walked in behind Trance as she worked on some of her plants. "Trance?" She turned around, surprised. "Oh, hi Harper!" She smiled, a little shyly he thought. "Uhm - I'd like to talk to you for a minute." "Okay. What is it?" Harper looked behind himself quickly to make sure the door was shut - it was. "Trance - have you ever had somebody you really liked a lot?" "Well, there's Dylan, and Tyr, and Rommie, and Beka, and you, of course." Harper swore at himself mentally for opening up the way he did. "I mean different than that - like, a boyfriend back home or anything like that?" "No - nobody important. Why?" "Oh well," he though, "might as well bite the bullet." "Because I love you, Trance - and I wanted to know if I had a chance with - umph!" He was cut off as Trance lunged forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him fiercely. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and returned the kiss. When they broke, they both looked a little surprised. Trance was the first one to recover. "Does that answer your question, Harper?" It took a minute for her question to sink in. "Yeah - but I think you need to explain a bit further. I think we should find somewhere a bit more private to finish, though." Trance smiled seductively, and curled her tail behind his back. "I've been waiting for you to try something like this. I know just the place." She motioned with her head toward the storage closet, and started towards it. Harper followed, but suddenly remembered something. "Hang on a sec - I want to be sure we aren't interrupted." He walked out of hydroponics, and up to another console. "Andromeda? Would you call Dylan for me?" "One moment, Harper." A moment later, Dylan appeared on the monitor. "Hey, Dylan? Have you seen my force lance?" "Yeah, I just found it here - where are you? I'll bring it down." "No - no need. Just wondering. If you could drop it off at the weapons locker, I'd appreciate it. Otherwise, I'll pick it up there when I get around to it." "Okay - just don't go leaving it lying around like this too often." "No problem. Oh - if you're not busy, Beka might appreciate a little help with an upgrade to the Maru. If you go down there, tell her thanks for me - she'll know what I'm talking about." Dylan laughed and shrugged. "Sure thing, Harper. See you up here when you're on duty next, okay?" "Sure thing. Harper out." He signed off, walked back into Hydroponics, and followed Trance into the storage closet, grinning as he started to unbutton his shirt.
Discreetly fade to black.
"Mmm!" Trance Gemini swallowed something, and looked at Harper. He looked at her expectantly as he swallowed something himself. He waited for a moment, then spoke up. "Good, aren't they?" "Yeah! What did you call them again?" "Marshmallows. One of the greatest contributions of the Earth to Commonwealth dining, in my considered opinion." "So what are they made of?" "Sugar, and lots of it. That's one reason I don't eat them too often - Beka'd kill me if she thought I was going to get any more hyper than usual." Trance leaned over and kissed Harper on the cheek, much to his surprise. "Thanks for sharing with me. I've got to get back to work." "Uhm, yeah, uhm, me too. See you later, Trance." He stood up and started out of Med Bay as Trance started working on the experiment she'd been working on before. "See you, Harper." The door closed behind Harper, and he leaned against the wall next to it. He hit his head against the adjoining wall, berating himself quietly. "Aw, come on, Harper, the least you could have done would be to kiss her back!" He started walking down towards his quarters - he wasn't on duty at the moment, so maybe a quick nap would help him focus again. He'd been thinking about Trance for weeks now - heck, the only reason he'd come down here in the first place today was because he had a semi-excuse to see her. Now, he was more distracted than ever. He felt the spot on his cheek where she'd kissed him - she'd just meant it as a friendly gesture, but he found himself wishing more and more that he'd turned his head in time to make it his lips instead of his cheek..
Later, Trance and Harper were together in the storage closet, making love for the first time. Trance's clothes were scattered with Harper's across a dozen different tools and hooks. She was leaning back against the wall of the closet as Harper lifted her up and down, driving himself deeper into her - when the door to the Hydroponics Bay opened, and the two lovers half-heard Dylan's voice. "Trance? Have you seen Harper? I found his force-lance on the bridge, and I can't find him anywhere to return it to him. Trance?" The two looked at each other in panic - if he opened the closet - suddenly, the door slid open, and Dylan looked in. "Holy -"
"- shit!" Harper launched to a sitting position in his bed and finished the sentence at the same time. He couldn't even get away in his sleep anymore. Harper dragged himself out of bed and got dressed. Maybe if he talked to somebody.but who?
"Hey, Boss?" Harper stuck his head inside the door to the Maru's engine room, where Beka was working on keeping the ship in working order. "Harper? Hey, good to see you down here - help me out with this, okay? I'm trying to get the power system upgraded with some of the Andromeda's gimmicks." Harper grabbed a few tools and jumped down to join her. He started working on one of the parts Beka was trying to integrate, and talked to her as he did so. "Hey, Boss - maybe you can help me out here. You're a woman." Beka laughed. "Brilliant observation, Seamus," she stated dryly. "And Dylan and Tyr are guys, like you, Rev's a magog, and Trance has a tail." Harper looked over at her and sneered. "Ha ha. Very funny. Look, Boss, I'm serious here." "Okay - pass me that spanner and tell me about it." Harper passed her the requested tool, and thought about how to word his question. "Could you give me a few pointers on how to make the first move?" "Harper, you've made passes at half the women in every place we've visited." "And I've been slapped by most of them, a few I haven't met before, and more than one angry boyfriend." "Noted. But now you're asking me for help? What's the occasion?" "I've met a girl who's different from them." "Look, if you're so desperate you fell for another AI, don't come to me for help. I prefer to date inside my own species." "That doesn't help much - I don't even know what her species is!" Harper tried to bite back the last part of that statement, but it was too late. Beka put down the spanner and looked at him. "It's Trance, isn't it?" Harper faked a laugh. "Trance? No, that's ridiculous." He stopped for a moment as he realized she wasn't buying it. "That obvious?" Beka smirked at him. "No, but since the last place we went through was a Than planet, it doesn't seem likely you're looking for dating tips for anybody else. So, how's she different - besides the skin and tail, obviously." "I don't know - there's just something about her.." "You've got it bad, Seamus. You're serious about her, aren't you?" "Yeah, I guess I am. I've been having these dreams, and when she kissed me earlier.." "She kissed you?" "Yeah - on the cheek. Friendly-like." "Ah - so that's what brought this on." "Kind of. So, any suggestions?" "Yeah - just tell her how you feel. Simple as that." Harper rolled his eyes. "Simple - right. I've been trying to figure out how for weeks!" "Just tell her. Go up to her, and say, 'Trance, I love you!' How hard is that?"
"I think I'd rather take Tyr on in an arm-wrestling contest - loser has to short-sheet Dylan's bed." "Look, Harper, it's up to you. That's all the advice I can give you." "Do you really think it'll work?" Beka smiled. "Trust in the Beka - the Beka is good." Harper gave her another of his looks that plainly said 'very funny,' and walked off, leaving her to finish the changes on her own. Harper was walking down the hall, thinking about Beka's advice. Well - what was the worst that could happen? She laughed at him? He stopped at a computer terminal. "Andromeda?" The familiar face came up on the console. "Yes, Harper?" "Uhm, could you tell me where Trance is?" "One moment." Andromeda thought for a second, and then answered. "She just went to the Hydroponics Bay. Would you like me to call her for you?" "No! Uhm - no, I'll go meet her there myself." Harper walked off, and Andromeda smiled slyly behind him.
A few minutes later, in Hydroponics, Harper walked in behind Trance as she worked on some of her plants. "Trance?" She turned around, surprised. "Oh, hi Harper!" She smiled, a little shyly he thought. "Uhm - I'd like to talk to you for a minute." "Okay. What is it?" Harper looked behind himself quickly to make sure the door was shut - it was. "Trance - have you ever had somebody you really liked a lot?" "Well, there's Dylan, and Tyr, and Rommie, and Beka, and you, of course." Harper swore at himself mentally for opening up the way he did. "I mean different than that - like, a boyfriend back home or anything like that?" "No - nobody important. Why?" "Oh well," he though, "might as well bite the bullet." "Because I love you, Trance - and I wanted to know if I had a chance with - umph!" He was cut off as Trance lunged forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him fiercely. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and returned the kiss. When they broke, they both looked a little surprised. Trance was the first one to recover. "Does that answer your question, Harper?" It took a minute for her question to sink in. "Yeah - but I think you need to explain a bit further. I think we should find somewhere a bit more private to finish, though." Trance smiled seductively, and curled her tail behind his back. "I've been waiting for you to try something like this. I know just the place." She motioned with her head toward the storage closet, and started towards it. Harper followed, but suddenly remembered something. "Hang on a sec - I want to be sure we aren't interrupted." He walked out of hydroponics, and up to another console. "Andromeda? Would you call Dylan for me?" "One moment, Harper." A moment later, Dylan appeared on the monitor. "Hey, Dylan? Have you seen my force lance?" "Yeah, I just found it here - where are you? I'll bring it down." "No - no need. Just wondering. If you could drop it off at the weapons locker, I'd appreciate it. Otherwise, I'll pick it up there when I get around to it." "Okay - just don't go leaving it lying around like this too often." "No problem. Oh - if you're not busy, Beka might appreciate a little help with an upgrade to the Maru. If you go down there, tell her thanks for me - she'll know what I'm talking about." Dylan laughed and shrugged. "Sure thing, Harper. See you up here when you're on duty next, okay?" "Sure thing. Harper out." He signed off, walked back into Hydroponics, and followed Trance into the storage closet, grinning as he started to unbutton his shirt.
Discreetly fade to black.