Sitn27
A/N: Sorry to be so long between posts. I'm sorry to say that my Andromeda Muse is STILL sulking over the crap that is passing for episodes these days. All I can get out of her is "THAT was not Tyr. That was NOT Tyr. THAT WAS NOT TYR!" Of course, none of the characters have been getting the treatment they deserve, not since the beginning of season 3, but the character assassination of our favorite Nietzschean has somewhat overshadowed the fact that the abuse is rampant. And we won't even discuss what they've done to the story arc. Ok, I'm done whining now. I suppose if I want good Andromeda stories, I should just keep my nose in the Fanfic Archives. SilverSpider, Sparky, D.L., Cherubino, Fearless, Heck, all of you guys rock. (If I named EVERYONE, you'd get pretty bored with me, and I think you've gotten the picture anyway. Heh)
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~Chapter 26~
"Hey Tyr, are you decent?" Harper called through the opening hatch of the Maru.
Seamus had one hand clasped over his eyes as he stepped into the ship, just in case. No sense getting a bigger inferiority complex than he already had if the big guy wasn't. Not to mention the slow and painful death Tyr would subject him to for seeing his wife naked. Nietzschean males were not known for sharing well with others.
"I've heard my husband called a lot of things, but decent is a new adjective." Regina chuckled at the young male.
Harper peeked between his fingers. The redheaded babe from the bar was leaning against a support beam with her arms crossed over her stomach, looking very much at home. She was also, he was disappointed to note, completely clothed in a sleeveless green jumpsuit. The de rigueur black leather weapon belt hung low on her hips, a Gauss pistol on one side, and a rather plain knife hilt showed on the other.
"Yeah well, you never heard it from me, all right? Tyr would probably consider it bad for his image." The hand Harper had been covering his eyes with dropped and he grimaced.
"Consider it forgotten then. I must uphold my husband's reputation, after all." Regina said conspiratorially.
Regina was inclined to like the scamp. Besides, she owed him for bringing Tyr to her assistance last night. Funny to think that without this cheeky boy's intervention, she would most likely be dead now.
"You're all right." Harper grinned. He'd been half afraid that the new Mrs. Anasazi would be as big a stick-in-the-mud as her husband.
"I'm glad you think so."
"Don't be. Harper approves of anything with a pulse, as long as it's female." Beka came in behind Harper, arms crossed over her chest. She was wearing all black leather this morning, and her attitude was as aggressive as her clothes.
"Captain Valentine." Regina nodded formally. Here was trouble; she could smell it over the lingering alcohol and some odd chemical that was exuding from Harper's pores.
Uncle Charlemagne's reports had also covered the formidable first officer of the Andromeda, labeling her as the ship's alpha female, much to Elsabet's disgust. There was bound to be some territory issues between the two of them, if not some outright battles.
Regina had intended to wait until she had a better lay of the land before tangling with the woman bold enough to threaten the Archduke of her Pride, but it looked like there wasn't going to be any neutral territory. While a bit of breathing space would have been nice, she liked Captain Valentine's style. Beka was being very honest about how she felt, not hiding her hostility under any false pretenses. Maybe they could be friends, once their boundaries had been established.
"Just remember that and we'll get along fine." Beka was as suspicious as Dylan about this sudden wedding, just not exactly for the same reasons.
"I understand that you are bound to have some reservations about my presence. You wouldn't do your reputation justice if you didn't. If you have any questions, ask them." Regina stayed where she was, trying to keep her body language casual. If she were to straighten from her leaning posture, it could be misconstrued as a challenge.
"And I'm supposed to believe you'll answer me truthfully, just like that?" Beka snorted. She had been born at night, but not last night.
"In a more normal universe," this was said with a bit of eye rolling, "I would have had to satisfy the Kodiak Matriarch as to my intentions and lineage before I was allowed to even express my interest in an alpha male of her Pride. You are the closest thing to a clan matriarch Tyr has had. I accept your right to demand truthful answers of me."
"I don't have the equipment to test a DNA sample here, that will have to wait until we get back to the Andromeda. Why don't we just move along to the part where you tell me just what your intentions are." Beka said coldly.
Regina was right about one thing; she was the unofficial den mother for the Andromeda Ascendant. Beka didn't want to see Tyr get hurt. He had wanted so badly to be accepted, to be chosen by a female so he could rebuild his Pride. Now this woman comes out of nowhere and they get married the same day? It smelled to high Heaven of a plot to her.
It had been Valentine who had helped pick up the pieces when Tyr had been forced to leave Freya behind, so she knew how important being a husband was to him. Anasazi was a great deal more vulnerable than he let on.
Dreamers, however handy they might be with a gun, always were. Just look at her father. Hell, just look at her. Beka glared daggers at the redheaded Jaguar, one hand resting meaningfully on the force lance at her hip. If Regina hurt Tyr, she was going to cut out her heart and feed it to the Magog.
Green eyes met ice blue. Regina knew a challenge when one was issued, and her hands, still crossed over her stomach, slid down until they were just over the hilts of her weapons. She could cross-draw the knife faster than the pistol, it's holster was not set up for off-handed drawing, but she could throw the knife if it came down to it and pull the Gauss pistol out if Captain Valentine dodged successfully.
The air became thick with tension as the two women stared at each other, waiting for the movement that would break the stand off and start the violence.
A/N: Sorry to be so long between posts. I'm sorry to say that my Andromeda Muse is STILL sulking over the crap that is passing for episodes these days. All I can get out of her is "THAT was not Tyr. That was NOT Tyr. THAT WAS NOT TYR!" Of course, none of the characters have been getting the treatment they deserve, not since the beginning of season 3, but the character assassination of our favorite Nietzschean has somewhat overshadowed the fact that the abuse is rampant. And we won't even discuss what they've done to the story arc. Ok, I'm done whining now. I suppose if I want good Andromeda stories, I should just keep my nose in the Fanfic Archives. SilverSpider, Sparky, D.L., Cherubino, Fearless, Heck, all of you guys rock. (If I named EVERYONE, you'd get pretty bored with me, and I think you've gotten the picture anyway. Heh)
~
~Chapter 26~
"Hey Tyr, are you decent?" Harper called through the opening hatch of the Maru.
Seamus had one hand clasped over his eyes as he stepped into the ship, just in case. No sense getting a bigger inferiority complex than he already had if the big guy wasn't. Not to mention the slow and painful death Tyr would subject him to for seeing his wife naked. Nietzschean males were not known for sharing well with others.
"I've heard my husband called a lot of things, but decent is a new adjective." Regina chuckled at the young male.
Harper peeked between his fingers. The redheaded babe from the bar was leaning against a support beam with her arms crossed over her stomach, looking very much at home. She was also, he was disappointed to note, completely clothed in a sleeveless green jumpsuit. The de rigueur black leather weapon belt hung low on her hips, a Gauss pistol on one side, and a rather plain knife hilt showed on the other.
"Yeah well, you never heard it from me, all right? Tyr would probably consider it bad for his image." The hand Harper had been covering his eyes with dropped and he grimaced.
"Consider it forgotten then. I must uphold my husband's reputation, after all." Regina said conspiratorially.
Regina was inclined to like the scamp. Besides, she owed him for bringing Tyr to her assistance last night. Funny to think that without this cheeky boy's intervention, she would most likely be dead now.
"You're all right." Harper grinned. He'd been half afraid that the new Mrs. Anasazi would be as big a stick-in-the-mud as her husband.
"I'm glad you think so."
"Don't be. Harper approves of anything with a pulse, as long as it's female." Beka came in behind Harper, arms crossed over her chest. She was wearing all black leather this morning, and her attitude was as aggressive as her clothes.
"Captain Valentine." Regina nodded formally. Here was trouble; she could smell it over the lingering alcohol and some odd chemical that was exuding from Harper's pores.
Uncle Charlemagne's reports had also covered the formidable first officer of the Andromeda, labeling her as the ship's alpha female, much to Elsabet's disgust. There was bound to be some territory issues between the two of them, if not some outright battles.
Regina had intended to wait until she had a better lay of the land before tangling with the woman bold enough to threaten the Archduke of her Pride, but it looked like there wasn't going to be any neutral territory. While a bit of breathing space would have been nice, she liked Captain Valentine's style. Beka was being very honest about how she felt, not hiding her hostility under any false pretenses. Maybe they could be friends, once their boundaries had been established.
"Just remember that and we'll get along fine." Beka was as suspicious as Dylan about this sudden wedding, just not exactly for the same reasons.
"I understand that you are bound to have some reservations about my presence. You wouldn't do your reputation justice if you didn't. If you have any questions, ask them." Regina stayed where she was, trying to keep her body language casual. If she were to straighten from her leaning posture, it could be misconstrued as a challenge.
"And I'm supposed to believe you'll answer me truthfully, just like that?" Beka snorted. She had been born at night, but not last night.
"In a more normal universe," this was said with a bit of eye rolling, "I would have had to satisfy the Kodiak Matriarch as to my intentions and lineage before I was allowed to even express my interest in an alpha male of her Pride. You are the closest thing to a clan matriarch Tyr has had. I accept your right to demand truthful answers of me."
"I don't have the equipment to test a DNA sample here, that will have to wait until we get back to the Andromeda. Why don't we just move along to the part where you tell me just what your intentions are." Beka said coldly.
Regina was right about one thing; she was the unofficial den mother for the Andromeda Ascendant. Beka didn't want to see Tyr get hurt. He had wanted so badly to be accepted, to be chosen by a female so he could rebuild his Pride. Now this woman comes out of nowhere and they get married the same day? It smelled to high Heaven of a plot to her.
It had been Valentine who had helped pick up the pieces when Tyr had been forced to leave Freya behind, so she knew how important being a husband was to him. Anasazi was a great deal more vulnerable than he let on.
Dreamers, however handy they might be with a gun, always were. Just look at her father. Hell, just look at her. Beka glared daggers at the redheaded Jaguar, one hand resting meaningfully on the force lance at her hip. If Regina hurt Tyr, she was going to cut out her heart and feed it to the Magog.
Green eyes met ice blue. Regina knew a challenge when one was issued, and her hands, still crossed over her stomach, slid down until they were just over the hilts of her weapons. She could cross-draw the knife faster than the pistol, it's holster was not set up for off-handed drawing, but she could throw the knife if it came down to it and pull the Gauss pistol out if Captain Valentine dodged successfully.
The air became thick with tension as the two women stared at each other, waiting for the movement that would break the stand off and start the violence.
