Beka woke late the next morning ill rested and with a crink in her
neck that would not quit no matter what she did. She had spent so long in
the shower hoping the pounding heat of the water would soothe her aching
neck that she almost jumped out of her skin when she heard Rommie's voice
coming from inside her quarters.
"Beka? Are you almost ready to go? Everyone is waiting."
Quickly exiting the shower Beka wrapped a towel around herself and stuck her head out the door.
"God, I'm sorry Rommie, I overslept. Could you pick something out for me to wear while I finish up in here?"
"Of course, hurry though." Andromeda just smiled as Beka's head disappeared back into the bathroom and she began to hear sounds of rummaging through drawers. She quickly went to Beka's closet and pushing aside all the leather pants and black shirts found, pushed all the way into the corner, Beka's dresses.
Brushing on shimmering eye shadow, Beka heard Rommie call, "What colour?"
"It doesn't matter," she called back, "you pick." Damn you Tyr, she thought. It was entirely his fault that she had slept in. She had not been able to get him off of her mind last evening. Pain about his feelings on interspecies relationships had kept her from sleeping for hours. Then when she had finally fallen asleep, she had woken late and was exhausted.
"O.k." said Rommie from the doorway, and handed Beka a dress. Swiftly, Beka pulled it over her head and walked out into her bedroom.
"Here." She said handing Beka a pair of shoes, "put them on."
Slipping them on to her feet, Beka straightened and looked into the mirror. "I've always loved this dress." She said running her hands over the heavy fabric. It was a rich ruby colour. Looking up the refection however, she saw that she looked terrible. She made a face and sighed looking down at herself.
"What's wrong?" Asked Rommie.
"My hair," Beka responded, "blondes were never meant to wear this colour.
"Then why did you buy it? Never mind. We have to go, you don't have time to change. You look fine." With that, she walked into Beka's bathroom and grabbed a tube of red lipstick. Pulling Beka with one hand and carrying the lipstick in the other Rommie walked out the door and in the direction of the Maru where the others were waiting. "Wait." Beka said as Rommie was quickly guiding her down the hall. She took the lipstick from Andromeda and looking into a slightly reflective panel on the wall put it on.
"And," she said looking at her reflection thoughtfully, "I bought this dress when I was wearing my hair brown. It looked much better on me then." With a smile, a slight look of concentration, and a small shake of her head, Beka turned back to Rommie. Carefully flipping the long, now chestnut, strands back over her shoulders she smiled again.
"There's no point in having hair altering nanobots if you don't have fun with them." Glancing back once more at herself in the reflection she started to walk, "Now lets go. Dylan and the others are waiting." Not waiting for an answer she quickly started down the corridor again. Andromeda sighed, then smiled and swiftly moved to catch up with Beka.
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Tyr had not slept that night. He had not even tried. All night he had sat on the couch in his quarters thinking about Beka. His thoughts had jumped from one memory of her to another all night long. There was a comfort in that, the images of her, but a pain too. A frustration that she would always be his friend. Never would she claim him as her husband. Never would he be the father of her children. She would always just be his friend. A strange calm had come upon him then, as he remembered a tale his mother had told him long ago. He remembered his father laughing when hearing Tyr tell him what his mother had said. 'My son,' he had answered, 'you lineage and DNA are wondrous. You will never need to know anything about that.' Tyr closed his eyes briefly at the memories of his parents, but when he opened them again they were filled with resolve. His calm grew as he quickly made his decision. He knew what he had to do to appease the pains and desires of his heart. The only problem was that he did not know how to carry out his plan without Beka finding out.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"Where are they?" Dylan demanded, "If they don't get here right now we're going to be late."
"Patience Dylan." Rev Bem said, "They are here now." Dylan, Rev, and Harper turned as Andromeda and Beka walked through the door.
"Finally! Lets go." Dylan started, then he saw Beka's hair, "Beka wha-"
"Nice hair boss." Harper interrupted, "I always did like you with brown hair."
"Thanks Harper, where are Trance and Tyr?"
"Tall, dark, and nasty as well as my purple princess are already on the Maru."
"Where we all should be." Dylan interjected, "lets not keep the Soku waiting." At Dylan's gesture, Andromeda, Harper, and Beka all climbed the ramp to the Maru. "We should be back by tonight." Dylan said turning back to Rev, "This is just a welcome, the negotiations wont start until tomorrow."
"Very well. The Divine be with you all." They all passed through the Maru's entrance and Beka closed the airlock behind them.
Tyr had heard the airlock close and turned as the group walked on the command deck. Dylan and the ship were wearing their dress uniforms and with surprise Tyr noted that Harper had actually put on some decent clothing. As usual however, it was Beka who made his heart beat faster. Trance came running from behind him then, and was saying something to Beka and fussing over her but he ignored it. She was stunning. The dress she was wearing had long sleeves and fell to her ankles. The red colour beautifully complimented her dark hair. It was glorious, he wanted to reach over and run his fingers through it. Tyr stopped himself. Dark hair? He must have been staring because Beka looked over at him with uncertainty.
"Don't you like my hair?" she asked. Tyr's mouth was dry.
All he could think to say was, "It is different."
He could clearly see her body tense. Damn, he thought, I've hurt her feelings. "Pleasantly different." He said in a soft voice for her ears alone. Beka fought the thrill that ran through her body at hearing his quiet, husky voice.
"Alright people," Dylan said, "lets get going."
"Eureka Maru, you are clear to exit bay 4." Rev's voice said from the deck of the Andromeda.
"O.k." Harper said, "time to get this field trip underway." He deftly guided the Maru out of Andromeda's hanger and started her down to Soku. Beka sat down in her seat as Harper flew them towards the planet. Her hand began to massager her neck absently. Tyr looked over at her.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I just slept on my neck the wrong way, that's all. Nothing to worry about."
"Here, let me." He offered, sitting across from her and reaching over to replace his large hands with hers. Beka smiled as, at his ministrations, the tension began to fade from her neck. Sighing softly, her eyes fell closed. If felt to good to just let Tyr take care of her. "That feels perfect." She heard his soft grunt of acknowledgment and sighed again. Tyr did not trust himself to talk as he watched Beka. Her eyes were closed, and her lips parted slightly as she relaxed under his hands. A strand of her now dark hair fell over her face and gently he replaced it behind her ear, enjoying the softness against his fingers. Dylan, Trance, Rommie, and Harper were talking about something but Tyr was ignoring them, focusing of Beka. She was a strong woman, and he knew that she could handle herself but he liked, just for on moment, being able to take care of her.
As Harper brought the Maru through Soku's atmosphere, Tyr reveled in the smooth skin of Beka's neck, Beka basked in the warmth of his strong hands, and they both wondered why things could not be like this always.
"Beka? Are you almost ready to go? Everyone is waiting."
Quickly exiting the shower Beka wrapped a towel around herself and stuck her head out the door.
"God, I'm sorry Rommie, I overslept. Could you pick something out for me to wear while I finish up in here?"
"Of course, hurry though." Andromeda just smiled as Beka's head disappeared back into the bathroom and she began to hear sounds of rummaging through drawers. She quickly went to Beka's closet and pushing aside all the leather pants and black shirts found, pushed all the way into the corner, Beka's dresses.
Brushing on shimmering eye shadow, Beka heard Rommie call, "What colour?"
"It doesn't matter," she called back, "you pick." Damn you Tyr, she thought. It was entirely his fault that she had slept in. She had not been able to get him off of her mind last evening. Pain about his feelings on interspecies relationships had kept her from sleeping for hours. Then when she had finally fallen asleep, she had woken late and was exhausted.
"O.k." said Rommie from the doorway, and handed Beka a dress. Swiftly, Beka pulled it over her head and walked out into her bedroom.
"Here." She said handing Beka a pair of shoes, "put them on."
Slipping them on to her feet, Beka straightened and looked into the mirror. "I've always loved this dress." She said running her hands over the heavy fabric. It was a rich ruby colour. Looking up the refection however, she saw that she looked terrible. She made a face and sighed looking down at herself.
"What's wrong?" Asked Rommie.
"My hair," Beka responded, "blondes were never meant to wear this colour.
"Then why did you buy it? Never mind. We have to go, you don't have time to change. You look fine." With that, she walked into Beka's bathroom and grabbed a tube of red lipstick. Pulling Beka with one hand and carrying the lipstick in the other Rommie walked out the door and in the direction of the Maru where the others were waiting. "Wait." Beka said as Rommie was quickly guiding her down the hall. She took the lipstick from Andromeda and looking into a slightly reflective panel on the wall put it on.
"And," she said looking at her reflection thoughtfully, "I bought this dress when I was wearing my hair brown. It looked much better on me then." With a smile, a slight look of concentration, and a small shake of her head, Beka turned back to Rommie. Carefully flipping the long, now chestnut, strands back over her shoulders she smiled again.
"There's no point in having hair altering nanobots if you don't have fun with them." Glancing back once more at herself in the reflection she started to walk, "Now lets go. Dylan and the others are waiting." Not waiting for an answer she quickly started down the corridor again. Andromeda sighed, then smiled and swiftly moved to catch up with Beka.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Tyr had not slept that night. He had not even tried. All night he had sat on the couch in his quarters thinking about Beka. His thoughts had jumped from one memory of her to another all night long. There was a comfort in that, the images of her, but a pain too. A frustration that she would always be his friend. Never would she claim him as her husband. Never would he be the father of her children. She would always just be his friend. A strange calm had come upon him then, as he remembered a tale his mother had told him long ago. He remembered his father laughing when hearing Tyr tell him what his mother had said. 'My son,' he had answered, 'you lineage and DNA are wondrous. You will never need to know anything about that.' Tyr closed his eyes briefly at the memories of his parents, but when he opened them again they were filled with resolve. His calm grew as he quickly made his decision. He knew what he had to do to appease the pains and desires of his heart. The only problem was that he did not know how to carry out his plan without Beka finding out.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"Where are they?" Dylan demanded, "If they don't get here right now we're going to be late."
"Patience Dylan." Rev Bem said, "They are here now." Dylan, Rev, and Harper turned as Andromeda and Beka walked through the door.
"Finally! Lets go." Dylan started, then he saw Beka's hair, "Beka wha-"
"Nice hair boss." Harper interrupted, "I always did like you with brown hair."
"Thanks Harper, where are Trance and Tyr?"
"Tall, dark, and nasty as well as my purple princess are already on the Maru."
"Where we all should be." Dylan interjected, "lets not keep the Soku waiting." At Dylan's gesture, Andromeda, Harper, and Beka all climbed the ramp to the Maru. "We should be back by tonight." Dylan said turning back to Rev, "This is just a welcome, the negotiations wont start until tomorrow."
"Very well. The Divine be with you all." They all passed through the Maru's entrance and Beka closed the airlock behind them.
Tyr had heard the airlock close and turned as the group walked on the command deck. Dylan and the ship were wearing their dress uniforms and with surprise Tyr noted that Harper had actually put on some decent clothing. As usual however, it was Beka who made his heart beat faster. Trance came running from behind him then, and was saying something to Beka and fussing over her but he ignored it. She was stunning. The dress she was wearing had long sleeves and fell to her ankles. The red colour beautifully complimented her dark hair. It was glorious, he wanted to reach over and run his fingers through it. Tyr stopped himself. Dark hair? He must have been staring because Beka looked over at him with uncertainty.
"Don't you like my hair?" she asked. Tyr's mouth was dry.
All he could think to say was, "It is different."
He could clearly see her body tense. Damn, he thought, I've hurt her feelings. "Pleasantly different." He said in a soft voice for her ears alone. Beka fought the thrill that ran through her body at hearing his quiet, husky voice.
"Alright people," Dylan said, "lets get going."
"Eureka Maru, you are clear to exit bay 4." Rev's voice said from the deck of the Andromeda.
"O.k." Harper said, "time to get this field trip underway." He deftly guided the Maru out of Andromeda's hanger and started her down to Soku. Beka sat down in her seat as Harper flew them towards the planet. Her hand began to massager her neck absently. Tyr looked over at her.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I just slept on my neck the wrong way, that's all. Nothing to worry about."
"Here, let me." He offered, sitting across from her and reaching over to replace his large hands with hers. Beka smiled as, at his ministrations, the tension began to fade from her neck. Sighing softly, her eyes fell closed. If felt to good to just let Tyr take care of her. "That feels perfect." She heard his soft grunt of acknowledgment and sighed again. Tyr did not trust himself to talk as he watched Beka. Her eyes were closed, and her lips parted slightly as she relaxed under his hands. A strand of her now dark hair fell over her face and gently he replaced it behind her ear, enjoying the softness against his fingers. Dylan, Trance, Rommie, and Harper were talking about something but Tyr was ignoring them, focusing of Beka. She was a strong woman, and he knew that she could handle herself but he liked, just for on moment, being able to take care of her.
As Harper brought the Maru through Soku's atmosphere, Tyr reveled in the smooth skin of Beka's neck, Beka basked in the warmth of his strong hands, and they both wondered why things could not be like this always.