+++++++++++ He woke slowly. Something was wrong but he didn't know what. Things felt soft but, he knew he wasn't on his bunk .and there was noise, lots of noise. He could hear the Maru's engines. Then yelling.lots of yelling. "You jerk! I don't know why I was ever in love with you!" "What do you mean 'was'!? Come on Beka! We both know you still love me." "Fat chance Buster!" "You're just angry right now. I just needed to borrow her, I was going to return the Maru when I was done." "Just what should I find endearing about this Bobby!!! I mean really! You lied to me. I told you never to come back but yet here you are. You stole my ship, my home." Her voice was slowly rising soon it would be hitting decibels only dogs could hear. "You hit me over the head," she continued "and leave me with a killer headache. Then you shoot my engineer and refuse to take him to a doctor. That's all supposed to make me swoon at your very presence!!" "Beka, honey." Bobby placated. Harper was then forced to open his eyes when the comfort, which he had been enjoying, abruptly left. His head and shoulders hit the deck. He deduced his comfy bed must have been Beka's lap. 'OW!" he rasped quietly as the world came back blearily in to focus. Everything seemed too bright. He blinked his eyes quickly. The first thing he could see clearly was that Beka was on her feet and was getting ready to charge Bobby. She looked extremely pissed. "Beka just sit down! Relax, think of it as a vacation." Bobby smiled a serpentine smile. It was the final straw. She managed to get in three good punches before Bobby was able to push her back enough to give him enough time to draw his weapon. She looked like she was going to try again anyway. "Beka?" Harper called weakly. He wanted to defuse the situation before Beka got hurt. "Harper?" Her concern for him was evident. Her argument with Bobby was instantly forgotten and she rushed to his side. "Sport, how you feeling?" "Good" he said before he really took stock. Then he winced as he shifted slightly. His shoulder twinged with pain. "Yeah," replied Beka sarcastically "I have never seen you look better." Harper clutched at her sleeve. "What about you I thought you were dead!" "I was just taking a little nap. Don't worry I'm doing a lot better then you." "Really Beka I thought you were dead. I .." "Shh, it's okay really. I'm still here." She brushed his hair back affectionately. "I asked him to take you to a doctor but he refused. The jerk. Do think you can hang in there for a while?" Harper gave a small nod and glanced over to his shoulder. "I'm okay .see I'm not even bleeding.umm a lot." Beka smiled. "Can you move? I'll take you to medical .well it's more of a second supply room now but I think there are some bandages in there from the last time you got hurt." "NO!" Bobby interjected. "I want you both where I can see you. You two are nearly as devious as I am and I'm not letting you out of my sight." "Bobby! This is serious. Whatever you're plans are I'm not going to let Harper bleed all over my deck!" "You forget Beka right now this is my deck." Beka looked back down at Harper. Their eyes met for only a second then Beka raised her eyes to a panel not six feet away from them. Harper knew that look. "Beka NO!" he whispered urgently." "It's okay Harper." "No Beka No!" Bobby looked up from where he was now entering coordinates. Beka grabbed Harper's good arm, looped it around her shoulders and unceremoniously hauled him to his feet. The world spun crazily. Maybe he had lost more blood then he thought. "Beka don't do it!" "Shush." She warned light heartedly. He tried to move away from her. He needed to stop her before she did something drastic. As he pushed away from her though his legs turned to spaghetti and he stumbled. Beka caught him before he hit the deck. "Bobby, I'm taking him to get patched up. You can either shot me or come with." "Still trying to boss me around. Just don't forget whose in charge here!" Yet, he followed them out in to the hall towards the small dingy room that served as the medical quarters. The further they got down the hall the more panicked Harper got. "Please Beka no.no,no,no,no! You promised never again." "What's he jabbering on about? Crazy Mudfooted vermin." Harper used Beka as support and swung himself towards the larger man in fury. Beka held him back. "I think he's delirious." She knew he wasn't but she didn't want Bobby to pay attention to what Harper was saying. "You're not helping by egging him on. " "Yeah, Booby!" "Watch it slime!" Beka half pushed, half-carried Harper in to the medical room. Once inside she leaned Harper against the wall as she cleared away some boxes. To Harper's surprise a medical bed appeared. "I didn't know we had that." "Well a girl has her secrets." "Beka you're acting weird. Are you sure you're okay?" Asked Bobby suspiciously. "No! She isn't!! She's.mppfh" Beka placed her hand over Harper's mouth as she helped him on to the bed. Bobby eyed Beka ."What are you up to Valentine?" Beka turned on him angrily. "What am I doing!!!???" You hijack my ship then have the nerve to ask me what I'm doing!!!???" Bobby sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Things were never easy with you. That's why I broke up with you." "Beka." Harper tried to interject. He had to stop her from doing what he thought she was planning. "Shut up Harper." She started to root through a near by drawer. She found some bandages and held them to Harper's wound. The pain from his shoulder coursed down his side and He groaned. The fighting was giving him a headache. He needed to stop Beka but all he wanted to do was sleep. Everything was becoming blurry again. Beka shook her head. "You broke up with me? Bobby, you never cease to amaze me." Bobby sidled over to her. "You're not so bad your self baby." Harper was going to be sick. Beka smiled at Bobby. "Honey, as you know. This is my ship and my home. I grew up here." The stood inches from each other. Beka's hand slid back smoothly and unnoticed to the drawer where she got the bandages. "This ship means everything to me." Bobby ran his hand down her arm. "I know, I know." Beka grasped both of Bobby's elbows as if in a caress. In her hand she held a small object but Bobby didn't notice. His eyes were locked with her's. Beka took a small step backwards with her right foot. "Then you should realize blockhead that if I can't have her no one will!" She brought her right knee up sharply hitting Bobby in the groin hard. With a yell Bobby fell to his knees. Harper screamed. "Beka, NO!" She gave a small smile to Harper. "Trust me." Then she raced from the room. Bobby growled and staggered after her cursing her name. Harper sank back on his pallet for a moment. Closing his eyes and summing what strength he could. He pushed him self up and slowly off the bed with his good arm. And like Bobby he followed Beka down the corridor.

He knew where Beka was going. She was heading for that panel in command. His head felt like it was on a bad bender. The end of the hallway kept looming closer. then farther away. then closer again. After what felt like forever he entered the cockpit area. Beka stood by the panel, Bobby not ten feet away. "You don't have the nerve." He glared. "You said yourself this ship means everything to you." "She does and that's why I won't let her be defiled by the likes of you." Beka pushed a button on the panel there was a loud grinding noise. All the Eureka Maru's systems went dead instantly and they were cast in to near darkness. Only the emergency lights stayed on. Both Bobby and Harper gasped in horror. Debris started floating past the window. "That my boy's was the engines. I've killed her. And as you know a good captain always goes down with her ship so.now it's my turn." The object Beka had filched from the drawer earlier was an injector and now she held it to her breast. She gave a sad towards Harper. "It will be all right." Harper staggered forward but he didn't have time. "No, Beka you don't have to." Bobby dove at her but she activated the injector long before he reached her. Beka's eyes rolled back in her head and she fell to the floor. Bobby turned back towards Harper. "What happened? What did she do!?" Harper felt numb the only thing he could feel was the tears running down his face. "That was an Anaphylactic poison. it stopped her heart. She's dead." Bobby fell to his knees. "No! Not my Beka." He sobbed. Out of nowhere rage hit Harper like a tidal wave. This was wrong this wasn't fair. "You didn't seem to care before when you hit her on the head. This is your fault! You forced her to do this. YOU MURDERED HER!!!" Bobby clutched Beka's lifeless body to his. "I loved her." He wailed. "You didn't love her .you just wanted to own her. Nobody owns Beka Valentine!" Harper really wanted to pound the other man to a pulp.but what would be the point. He just wanted to sleep. He just felt so very weary. "You're an idiot..Gaaah, I'm an idiot! I knew she was going to do it." He sighed as he sunk to floor. "With the engines gone. we'll soon get what we both deserve." Bobby looked up questionably. His face still smeared with tears. "The Maru doesn't have a separate life support system like most other ships. It was directly connected to the engines. It'll be as cold as hell in here in a few hours.that is if we don't suffocate first." They both sat in silence for a few moments. Bobby sat with the deceased captain on his lap. Harper swore "I can't believe I'm going to die and the last face I'm going to see is yours." +++++++++++++++