Disclaimer: No, I still don't own Andromeda or its characters so it still won't do any good the sue me.

A/N: Thanks to all who have posted reviews. Please continue to read and revue.

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Chapter 9

Beka gathered up her courage and followed Harper out to the tunnel. "Harper, wait up."

Harper kept turned to face the blonde. "Why Beka? Whatever you have to say I don't want to hear it."

One of Alfie's men started to go after Beka, but Alfie grabbed the man by the arm. "Let 'em be George. They can work it out by themselves," Alfie instructed.

"Aw, why didn't we bring the Uber? At least we could have some fun questioning him right now," George complained as he kicked an empty tin can across the room.

Beka limped up to the engineer and grabbed his arm tightly. "You're going to listen to me Seamus Harper. It's not often that Beka Valentine apologizes so you are going to listen."

Harper shrugged his shoulder, "Okay, I'm waiting."

Beka searched for the right words. It wasn't easy for her to apologize, but she was willing to put her pride aside. She didn't want to lose Harper's friendship. "I apologize Harper, I should have trusted you."

"You won't get an argument from me on that count," Harper retorted succinctly.

Beka sighed. The mudfoot wasn't making this easy. She deserved it though, for bringing the disk back from Mantu and for failing getting the engineer captured. "I did tell you why I came here to Earth because I didn't want you to hate me. I don't blame you if you never forgive me, but I want to apologize now, before I explain why all this happened."

Harper looked into Beka's blue eyes and saw her anguish. His anger quickly melted. "I couldn't hate you Beka. Maybe I'd be ticked off for awhile, but I could never hate you no matter what you did."

Beka mustered up her courage and began her explanation. "You may not say that once I tell you why I was such a coward, unable to tell you my reason for coming to Earth and why I lied to Dylan and the others."

"Boss, you're not a coward. Trust me,' Harper countered, still confused.

"Don't argue with me Harper," Beka ordered, attempting to get the mudfoot's attention. "You don't remember what I brought back from Mantu do you?"

Harper scrunched his face, causing his forehead to wrinkle. He still didn't know where Beka was going with her explanation. "The broken vase right?"

Beka placed her hands on Harper's shoulders, holding onto the engineer in an effort to brace him for what she was about to say. "That was just one of things brought back from Mantu. I also found a disk. One that you repaired."

Harper raised an eyebrow upon hearing the information. He told himself that he should have remembered repairing a disk. "Are you sure I repaired a disk? I don't remember doing that and I think I would have remembered."

Beka bit her lip as she summoned up her courage. "You don't remember the disk because when you watched it you went into a catatonic state."

The engineer's expression became thoughtful and serious. He was trying to figure out why the disk would upset him so, but came up empty. "I did? Well that would explain how come I don't remember anything about a disk, but it doesn't explained why I freaked out watching the disk. I'm guessing you know the answer."

Beka was ashamed to admit that she did know why the Earther had freaked. "Yes I do. The disk showed the Nietzscheans killing your parents." There, she finally said it. Now Beka braced herself for her friend's reaction.

Harper stared at Beka, his face full of shame. That certainly wasn't the reaction the pilot had expected. Beka had expected Harper to be angry, or at least disappointed, but not ashamed. "I'm guessing you also viewed the disk. I'm sorry you saw that. I didn't want any of my friend to have to see what the Nietzscheans did Beka. I also didn't want anybody to see what a coward I was then."

"Now you listen to me Seamus Harper. You were not a coward. You were just a kid and there was no way you could have kept that Nietzschean Alpha Burko from killing your parents," Beka reasoned.

"Maybe not, but I could have tried. I should have tried," Harper replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

Beka looked up to the ceiling, trying to find guidance from above. She was about to break down crying herself. "You would have only gotten yourself killed."

Harper pulled back from Beka's grasp. "Maybe I shoulda. Maybe it would have been better if I had died with my parents."

"Don't you dare say that Harper! Your parents died to keep you alive and out the hands of the Ubers," Beka reminded the engineer.

Harper pounded his right fist against the concrete wall. He pulled it back, leaving a bloody splotch on the grimy wall. The engineer turned to face Beka, leaned against the wall, and let himself slide down with to the floor. Harper broke down crying in uncontrollable sobs.

Beka sat down on the floor beside her friend and put an arm around his shoulder. "I'm so sorry for making you go through this again Harper. This is why I had to get away. I couldn't look at you knowing what I had done to you."

Harper looked over at the blonde pilot and forced a smile. "Beka, you didn't do anything to me. Finding that disk is no big deal. I freaked out some, but that's just me. I freak easily."

The engineer's attempted joke fell flat with Beka. She was in shock from Harper letting her off the hook. The blonde was convinced that Harper wasn't angry with her. "Harper, did you hear me? I said ."

Harper interrupted as he wiped his eyes dry with what was left of his shirt. "I heard what you said Boss. I can't believe you'd get yourself all worked up over finding that stupid disk. I'm not mad at you, believe me."

"Harper, I know I hurt you bad. I just want you to know I am sorry and will try to make it up to you," Beka promised as she brushed a few stray strand of hair from in front of her eye.

Harper put hand on Beka's shoulder and flashed a gentle smile. "You don't need no make it up to me. You didn't know what was on that disk. I know if you did know what was on that disk you would have told me. You would have let me decide whether I wanted to see it. You've always been a good friend Beka. I know you wouldn't do anything to deliberately hurt me. You've always tried to protect me."

"I know, but this time I failed, and for that I'm sorry," Beka countered.

Harper rolled his eyes at the blonde. "Beka will you quite apologizing? And you don't have to protect me all the time. I'm not your responsibility. I can take care of myself, so stop beating yourself up every time I get hurt."

"I can't help it Harper. You're part of my crew and I always take care of my crew," Beka told the engineer, not that he needed the reminder. Beka had told her crew that she would take care of them so many times they couldn't help but remember. That was the whole point behind telling her crew on the Maru so often.

The engineer knew it was futile to ask Beka not to worry about her crew or to take care of them. Harper still had to lodge the protest to let Beka know that he wasn't just a helpless little mudfoot. Sometime the Earther wondered Beka would ever realize that about him. "I know you care about your crew Beka, but I'm not just some lost little puppy you have to care for. Give me some credit."

"Alright, I'll try not to worry so much, but I'm not gonna stop worrying about you and the rest of my crew," Beka replied, standing up to stretch out her legs.

Harper accepted Beka's extended hand as she helped the engineer stand up. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Uhm, Boss?"

Beka had started to walk away, but stopped and turned around. "Yeah Kiddo?"

"I can understand you feeling guilty and taking off like this, but why come here to Earth?" Harper asked.

Beka was afraid Harper was going to ask that question. "I'll answer your question with one of my own. Did you ever consider getting revenge on Burko?"

The engineer considered answering with a sarcastic remark, but changed his mind. Beka deserved a serious, truthful answer. "Sure I did. Every night of my life I've plotted revenge in my mind; one that involves a slow painful death for the Uber."

"Did you ever go after the slimeball?" Beka asked.

"Nah, I came up with a couple good plans that woulda worked, but I just never got around to it. I was too busy trying to stay alive down here in the sewers. Besides, killing Burko wouldn't have brought my folks back. I know that sounds cliché, but it's true. I learned that when I killed all those Nietzscheans with the nova bomb. That didn't take the pain away. It didn't make a difference. If I would have killed Burko, some other Uber would have taken his place. You knock off one and another is right there to replace him. That's the problem Beka; there's always more than enough Ubers to go around. So, are you going back to Andromeda with me?"

Harper had just gotten through to Beka in a way that Dylan and the rest hadn't. Beka had not lost her desire for revenge; she just no longer planned to act on it. The blonde limped over to Harper and put an arm around his left shoulder. "So, you gonna change that shirt before we leave?"

Harper looked down at his chest then back up at Beka. The mudfoot suddenly noticed the scars that decorated his back and chest were visible through the gaping holes in his shirt. "Yeah, I really don't feel like letting the gang see me like this."

"Okay then, lets get back to Alfie and his men and wait til it's time to go home," Beka announced as Harper helped her walk back to the storeroom.

The End.

A/N: Okay, technically it's only the end of this story as I have a sequel planned. The
sequel won't be up for awhile so please be patient.