summary: Five things that are happening to Beka Valentine right now (in some universe or another.
notes: for claripup as part of Starry Night: the Andromeda Secret Santa project. this is not what it started out as. I hope you can forgive me that.
dream
Another flash and they're on the Maru again, only that can't be, cause the Maru exploded over Infinity Atoll six months ago. She still has scars on her lungs from trying to breathe in the vacuum of space.
Except it is the Maru, full and solid under her feet, and much cleaner than the last time she saw it. Cleaner than she remembers ever seeing it in her adult life. The air smells like home cooked food and happiness. It feels like a ghost against her skin.
Somewhere, a bell rings, small and distant through the ship's corridors. A shudder runs up her spine and out the metal of her hand. She wonders if she could blend into the shadows, press herself against the wall and become the ship.
The air shifts, moving with the footsteps of a memory. In front of her Trance turns and smiles.
She doesn't move.
score
It's been a long time since things have gone well for them, since they've had something to be happy about. So it's hard to believe that they've actually pulled off a scam, not even a very good one at that, and gotten away with both their lives and their loot.
But they have. Which is definitely something worth celebrating. So celebrate they do. Sparky Colas all around and one of Beka's mudfooter CDs blasting through the Maru's comm. system. They smile and laugh and let themselves live for a while.
It's been so long and it feels so good that Beka needs to share it with someone. To make some kind of contact and make sure it really is real.
She can feel Harper standing next to her, bouncing on his toes and grinning wide as hell. She reaches out and grabs his arm, tugs him onto her lap with one quick motion. Maybe it's the excitement of it all or maybe he just gets what she's thinking, either way, he doesn't protest, just keeps smiling as she kisses him.
He tastes like sugar and engine grease. Beka drinks him in.
She's vaguely aware of Rev Bem's quiet exit, that they should maybe move this to someplace a little less public. But Harper's tongue is rough against the roof of her mouth, his hands gentle on her neck, and she could care less about everything else.
Harper's straddling her lap, his knees digging into her thighs and pushing her deeper into the slip chair. It's kind of awkward, only not because his skin is hot and soft and hard under his clothes, under her hands, and that's all that matters.
Harper moans and Beka leans back in her chair and smiles. Yep, things are definitely looking up for them.
love
The self-sacrificing hero bit has never really been Beka's style. It's just always seemed a bit too selfless with a capital Stupid for her taste. There's nothing really to be gained from it – except maybe death, doom and many other bad things that tend to keep a body from enjoying the finer things in life, like say, living it – which kind of goes against everything she believes in.
She figures the whole knight in shinning armor thing is something best left to people like Dylan Hunt, with their codes of honor and moral absolutes, and not to space pirates like her.
Only it looks like Dylan, with his talk of higher callings and grander goods, has rubbed off on her.
Damn him.
Cause what she's doing right now? Certainly feels like something a self-sacrificing hero type would do. It's sure as hell not something she would've thought up on her own - at least not while in her right mind.
And that's just it isn't it? She hasn't exactly been in her right mind for a while now. Certainly not since she signed on to tour the universe with the Andromeda. And probably not since long before that.
Cause dodging missiles from all sides while mapping out a slip route into a sun is not the plan of a sane person.
Once upon a time she'd been smart and rational. She'd thought only of herself, of finding a way to survive in this big, bad universe. It had been nice.
Then Dylan had sauntered out of the past with his talk and his walk and his boyish arrogance, and showed her that there where more important things to life than just getting by. Like friends who are really family. Like love.
And she'd listened. Now she's paying for it.
learn
Beka has always believed that getting in, getting off and getting out as fast as she can is the best course of action when it comes to tricky things like theft and romance.
This philosophy has saved her lots of time and heartache over the years. And it's not like anyone's ever complained, at least not the ones she's screwed. The ones she's screwed over are another story.
She fully expects to keep this practice up as she pushes Rommie against the warm metal wall of the Maru's engine room. The other woman certainly seems receptive to the short, fast strokes of her tongue against the roof of her mouth. Beka figures it'll only be a couple minutes till she has Rommie on her back and screaming.
Beka smiles into the kiss and lets her fingers slide around to the hidden zipper at Rommie's shoulder. She lets her teeth scrape against Rommie's bottom lip and tugs downward, waiting for fabric to fall away and reveal warm skin to her seeking hands. Except that doesn't happen.
Instead, Beka finds herself shifted whiplash fast and pressed between the wall and Rommie. Rommie's fingers are twined with hers, pressing her arms back against the wall. Her mouth is still on hers, tongue and teeth and lips moving with a slow kind of fierceness that makes Beka groan with frustration and want.
Rommie moves down, her wet tongue tracing the line of Beka's jaw. Beka draws in a shaky breath and opens her mouth to speak, only to let out a low moan as Rommie's teeth graze her pulse point.
Minutes and hours later she decides that maybe fast isn't all it's cracked up to be as slender fingers press into her in counterpoint to the deliberate strokes of Rommie's tongue.
Yeah, slow is definitely a good thing.
believe
Beka is stalking the Maru's corridors, hunting for her brother and her missing doll, when the air crackles with electricity and light. She turns a corner and almost runs into a golden woman. Her beauty is bright and blinding.
"Are you an angel?" Beka asks quietly, mouth wide with wonder.
The woman smiles and shakes her head. There's a sadness in her eyes that makes Beka want to hug her.
Over the angel's shoulder the shadows move, pulling apart and taking on a life of their own. A figure steps forward, tall and monstrous in the half light.
Beka opens her mouth to scream, but the angel's hand lands soft and safe against her shoulder and she stays quiet. She watches the monster move warily, tracing the line of marred metal from a clenched cheek down to tightly curled fingers.
"It's okay." the angel says and smiles. Beka believes her.
fin