Title: No Angel III - 'I'm No Angel'
Author: Margaret Brown, aka Andromeda Valentine
Fandom: Andromeda
Pairing: Beka/Rommie
Rating: PG-13 as posted here. (NC-17 in its entirety on my site and elsewhere...)
Status: New (02/25/03); complete
Archive: Yes to list archives, anyone else please ask first.
Feedback: Yes, please!!
E-mail address for feedback: andromeda_valentine@hotmail.com
Series/Sequel: No Angel
Other Websites: Crimson Redd -
Disclaimers: Not mine, never will be - Beka and Rommie belong to Tribune, and the lyrics belong to Dido Armstrong...
Summary: Rommie has a breakdown and Beka helps her put the pieces back together. This part: Rommie makes her move...
Notes: See Chapter One for notes, etc.
Warnings: Femmeslash (duh) and a not-so-nice take on Dylan...
********************
Chapter Three- 'I'm No Angel'
********************
I fall back onto the bed with a sigh, half-dozing already as I kick my shoes off and listen to the steady noise of the shower running. It went without saying that trying to give Rommie a taste of what it meant to live for herself would be exhausting, especially with only a week to do it in, but I hadn't anticipated the overwhelming enthusiasm Rommie seemed to have suddenly found for the project.
If you gave me just a coin for every time we say goodbye...
Well, I'd be rich beyond my dreams -
I'm sorry for my weary life...
I smile to myself as I cross my arms over my eyes and relax even further into the bed. Rommie had come into her own over the last few days in a way I never would have predicted - not without momentary stops and starts, of course, but enough so that I could finally be content she'd make it through everything with Dylan in one piece.
I know I'm not perfect, but I can smile,
and I hope that you see this heart
behind my tired eyes...
And, of course, there was the fact that she and I had only grown closer through all of this, though I've been steadily holding back the part of me that wanted to see exactly *how* far the relationship could go. Still, it was far from the torture I'd expected to see her finally reach a realization of her own attractiveness, and I actually felt an unexpected sense of pride at the number of heads that turned whenever we walked into a room.
If you tell me that I can't, I will, I will, I'll try all night.
And if I say I'm coming home,
I'll probably be out all night.
The shower cuts off suddenly, and I sit up - she'd insisted that she run her errands this morning unaccompanied, and all I had been able to ferret out was that they had included a trip to a clothing store and a beauty salon. Needless to say, I was both pleased *and* dying of curiosity...
I know I can be afraid, but I'm alive,
and I hope that you trust this heart
behind my tired eyes...
Several moments later, she steps out of the bathroom, and my heart nearly stops as my breath catches. She's dressed in a red and black silk halter top and black leather pants, both clinging to her in a way her simple uniforms never had and revealing a trim, lithe figure I'd only partly guessed at.
But that isn't even the biggest change...
'Cause I'm no angel,
but please don't think that I won't try and try.
I'm no angel,
but does that mean that I can't live my life?
"Your hair!" I finally manage to say, eyes glued to the headful of waist-length braids she now sported. She'd even ditched the electric blue streaking she'd had for weeks, and her hair was now jet black with streaks of red in various shades, all bound into those braids in such a way that the color seemed to shift in the light with each little movement.
I'm no angel,
but please don't think that I can't cry.
Oh oh, I'm no angel,
but does that mean that I won't fly?
Rommie just smiles at me, the clothes and hair lending her features a newfound exoticness that's simply breathtaking. "I *thought* you might like it. No offense, but I got tired of the blue." she adds, crinkling her nose to indicate she's teasing.
I just chuckle as I walk over to her. "It's okay - I like red, too." Something in her smile at that makes my heart skip just the tiniest beat, and I rush on to cover my sudden nervousness. "See, I told you you should wear your hair long - it looks great!"
I reach out without thinking as I speak, leading to an intensely uncomfortable moment where we're standing entirely too close, with my hand on her hair and her looking up at me with a glint in her eyes I can't quite place.
"You know, Beka," she says suddenly, "sometimes you talk too much." With that, she stands on tiptoe and kisses me, hard.
I know I'm not around each night,
and I know I always think I'm right.
And I can believe that you might look around...
The shock of the kiss overrides my senses momentarily before I break off and backpedal a step. "Rommie - what...?"
She just casts her eyes down, suddenly fragile again. "You don't want me either..."
I smile wryly. "Honey, you have no idea how wrong you are. But I don't want you to do this because you somehow think you owe me - you don't, not at all."
'Cause I'm no angel,
but please don't think that I won't try and try.
I'm no angel,
but does that mean that I can't live my life?
She shakes her head, eyes wide. "Oh, no - I've wanted this for a while. I just didn't realize it before..."
I can't help but kiss her again as she stands looking up at me like that. I'm not sure if this a good idea or not, but something tells me it'll work out just fine...
I'm no angel,
but please don't think that I can't cry.
Oh oh, I'm no angel,
but does that mean that I won't fly?