Bekka was waiting outside the docking bay when Meaghan came out, fighting a losing battle against the tide of tears.

"Remember what I said about a shoulder to cry on?" Bekka said gently, and opened her arms.

Meaghan stumbled into Bekka, and just held on to her friend sobbing. Eventually, the flow of tears waned, and Meaghan choked out through the aftermath of sniffles, "Why does doing the right thing hurt so much?"

"I don't know why, Mom." Bekka stroked her hair soothingly. "But it usually does. They do say though, that no one ever died of a broken heart."

"And that's supposed to be a good thing?"

&&&&&&&

Meaghan retired to her room for the rest of the day, and the entire crew left her strictly alone. What she didn't know was that the AI stood watch over her door and warned off anyone who wanted to see her.

&&&&&&&

The next day Meaghan emerged from her room, but moved like an automaton, just going through the motions, but not really there. She wandered about listlessly, and wound up in hydroponics as Trance was tending her plants.

"Hello Trance." Meaghan sounded like a recorded message, but without as much feeling.

Trance sighed. She really didn't want to intrude on Meaghan's grief, but she did have responsibilities of her own. "Mom, I hate to bother you, but you really need to go with me to medical, remember?"

To Trance's surprise, Meaghan didn't even argue at all. "All right. " Was all she said.

Standard operating procedure required a full medical check-up before administering the half dozen or so vaccinations and immunizations. Trance did so, and checked the results, then checked them again.

"Mom," she said softly. "There's something I have to tell you."

"I'm not sick, am I?" Meaghan inquired, showing the first infinitesimal sign of life she had all day.

"No," Trance replied slowly, "you're not sick. You're pregnant."

Meaghan's head jerked up, and she lost the lackadaisical slouch. "I'm pregnant?"

Trance's heart wasn't really in it, but she had to ask. "If you want, I can abort it for you."

"No!" The fire had come back into Meaghan's eyes. There was a long pause, then, sounding much more like herself, she said, "If I killed everyone who inconvenienced me, Mr. Harper would have long since been a memory."

Trance started carrying on with the immunizations, the one for birth-control remaining conspicuously on the table. "You're going to have to tell Dylan, you know."

"I know," Meaghan admitted. "Trance, you're not like the others, are you?"

"Obviously not." Trance looked at her puzzled. "But you're not talking outward appearances, are you?"

"No, I'm not," Meaghan answered. "And if there is one thing that everyone is agreed on, it's that Trance can keep a secret. I have one, and it's killing me not having anyone to share it with."

Trance just stood there a moment, then she held out her hands to Meaghan, who took them in her own. They just stood there for several minutes, holding each other's hands and looking into each other's eyes, yet in some way there seemed to be a profound exchange of information.

Trance's eyes widened. "That's why you couldn't go." She sounded a little awestruck.

"But now I'm going to have to," Meaghan said. "And I don't know how I'm going to do what I have to do."

"You'll find a way," Trance assured her. "You've come this far, you can't stop now."

"I don't really have any choice, do I?" Meaghan asked. "And now, I think I'd better go talk to Dylan."

&&&&&&&&

Once Meaghan stepped outside medical, she said, "Andromeda?"

The AI appeared immediately. "He's waiting for you."

&&&&&&&

Meaghan was mostly herself again, remembering why she was here helped that much, anyway. Still, she entered Dylan's office with a bit of trepidation. She wasn't entirely sure how he was going to take the news.

"Hello, Mom." Dylan bent down to hug her, it wasn't anything he had planned, she just looked like she could use a hug. "Andromeda said you needed to talk to me."

"I do," she replied, "I'm just not sure where to start."

"Sit down and take your time." He settled her into a chair, then took one himself. "I'm not going anywhere."

"But I am," Meaghan told him. "Dylan I need you to drop me off somewhere, I'm not sure where, someplace where I can earn my keep."

Dylan couldn't have been more surprised if she had hit him. "You want to leave the Andromeda, why?"

"I don't want to," she admitted slowly. "But I think I kind of have to."

"You're not making any sense, Mom," Dylan remarked. "Just why do you have to leave?"

"Because, I think that you'll agree with me that a the Andromeda isn't the right place to have a baby," she explained slowly.

If Hunt had been surprised before, now he was actually shocked. "You're pregnant?"

"Yes." For a small moment, all her cares dropped away from her and she seemed to glow. Almost of their own volition, her hands protectively cradled her stomach.

"Charlemagne?" It didn't seem right to Dylan, but he hadn't seen his morale officer with anyone else.

"Also yes." Meaghan smiled at him.

"You have to tell him, Meaghan," Dylan said gently. "It's Charlemagne's child too, he has a right to know."

"I can't tell him." Meaghan mentally cringed at the thought. "I don't want him to feel in any way obligated..,"

Hunt interrupted her. "He is obligated. You didn't make that baby all by yourself. Besides, whatever else you can say about Nietzscheans, they love their children."

"But what about his wife?" she asked, "or his political situation? A child by a woman who is not a Nietzschean could cause him a lot of problems."

"And they'd be his problems to deal with," Dylan pointed out. "But I'm not suggesting that you tell the world, just Charlemagne. Andromeda can set you up a secure channel, no one will be able to listen in on what the two of you say." He looked at her troubled features for a long moment then made the supreme sacrifice. "If you really want me to, Meaghan, I'll tell him for you."

Meaghan smiled at him, a little sadly. "Dylan, you are one of the dearest people I know, and I thank you for your offer, but I think I have to tell him myself."

"I think you're right." He was relieved at having been spared the awkwardness. He got to his feet, and when she stood too, he pulled her into his arms for another hug, and kissed the top of her head. "Meaghan, remember that whatever you and Charlemagne decide to do, you have friends here that will stand beside you, no matter what."

Meaghan pushed herself away from him and said shakily. "Stop being so nice and understanding, or I'll start crying again."

Hunt smiled at her. "I'll leave now, and Andromeda will connect you to Charlemagne."

&&&&&&&&&

Charlemagne was alone in his private office, catching up on some paperwork, when the call from the Andromeda arrived. Since he had ordered that he not be disturbed, the fact that the hail came from that particular source was the only thing that kept him from giving someone a severe tongue-lashing. He switched on his viewer, and was more than a little surprised to see Meaghan.

"Missing me already?" he asked her, just sitting there and drinking in the sight of her, and not even wondering why she would be calling him on a secure channel.

She smiled, but it never reached her eyes. "I wanted to tell you that I'm leaving the Andromeda."

Charlemagne grinned from ear to ear. "You decided to take me up on my offer, have you Meg?" He was positively delighted.

"No." She surprised him again. "I have to leave, but I don't think it would be a good idea for me to.., to..," She was at a complete loss for words, but Charlemagne got the point.

"Why not?" he asked a little tersely. "What do you mean, have to leave? Why?"

"Because Captain Hunt agrees with me that a warship isn't the best place for a baby," she blurted out.

Charlemagne just sat there stunned for a moment. "A baby," he repeated. "Is it mine?"

"I haven't been with anyone else," she confessed. "I wasn't even going to tell you, but Dylan insisted."

Suddenly, he was angry. "You're going to have my child and you weren't even going to tell me?" Then just as quickly his anger faded to be replaced with an idiot grin. "You're going to have my child."

"Which is why I can't go there," she replied. "Suppose that he looks like you. Nietzscheans cut their teeth on genetics, there will be no way to keep it secret."

"Right now I'd like to shout it from the rooftops," he enthused. Then he sobered again. "But make no mistake, Meg, you are coming here. If you go anywhere else, I will track you down and drag you back with me if needs be. You are not going to keep me from our child."

"But..," Meaghan started.

"No buts, Meg," he said sternly. "Tell Captain Hunt to bring you here as soon as possible."

Meaghan started to open her mouth to protest again, then saw the utter futility of it and gave in to the inevitable.