See Prologue for Ratings and Disclaimer.

Meant to get this out earlier, but I had a series of events over the weekend (both good and bad) that made life a little hectic, and so here it is - hope you enjoy it!

PART TWENTY-TWO - Objects in Motion…

At a brisk pace, Rhade had managed to travel several corridors before the ship's AI could catch him on a nearby screen. She called out for him to stop.

He did so, and looked at the personification of Andromeda questioningly.

"There is no situation in Command. Lieutenant Varos is in complete control."

The Nietzschean looked down and sighed in exasperation, muttering, "I suspected as much." The AI remained on screen, her face as impassive as ever. He looked back up. "You were monitoring me," he accused defensively.

She didn't refute the statement, but only said, "You were becoming agitated."

He glared back. "I suppose my presence is no longer required in the negotiations?"

Unfazed, Andromeda's only reply was an informative "No."

Rhade shook his head and looked away, far from happy with the day's events. "Leave me be."

"Very well."

The screen blanked, and Rhade was left alone in the quiet corridor. He slowly leaned his back against the bulkhead, sighing deeply as he did so. He tried his best to get his autonomic responses under control - he hated the feeling of being helpless to the whims of the unconscious portions of his body. It wasn't him. The last time he could remember being such a slave to his own body, to his mind, had been more than three years ago, and those had been extenuating circumstances, way beyond his control, and vastly different from what he faced now.

He didn't understand. The situation was over, done, dealt with - why couldn't he forget and move on? If he was truthful with himself, he could acknowledge that he was in fact slowly getting over his imprisonment…but not nearly fast enough.

But then again, what was "fast enough" for a proud Nietzschean?

He thoughts were broken by a familiar voice.

"Hey." He looked up to see Beka approaching. She looked slightly concerned. "Andromeda filled me in."

Great, he thought. Just what I need.

Beka moved closer, and it was clear by her body language that she wasn't sure what to do. "You…uh…you wanna talk, or something?"

He looked at her with an expression of annoyance. But it was then that he truly saw her through his self-doubting eyes, and that he realized she only wanted to help. There was no pity there. It was also in that moment that he realized just having a friend there calmed him. Perhaps he should take her up on her offer - if nothing else, he could use the time to work at getting back control of his internal responses.

His expression of annoyance slowly melted into on of genuine, in not disillusioned, appreciation. "Okay."

-o-

They eventually arrived at Rhade's quarters. Along the way he had begun to open up, to tell her what was truly wrong. Much of it was similar to what he had been speaking to Trance about, but he was mildly surprised to find additional relief in speaking to Beka.

He found it rather odd, to say the least. But, he had to remind himself, there were two faces to his human friend - the tough, cocky, independent pilot she showed to everyone, and the more compassionate, understanding woman she only let show to her closest friends. In the back of his mind he felt honoured to have been included in that second group, now that he recognized that elite membership as he currently witnessed this second face.

Beka followed him across the threshold and deeper into the room. Rhade absently sat down on the side edge of his precisely made bed, and Beka moved to sit beside him. She turned to face him, curling one leg close and letting the other dangle to the floor. Rhade himself continued to stare ahead at the wall.

"What happened in there today?" Beka asked gently. For all his talking, it was something that hadn't been mentioned yet, not directly. She figured now was as good a time as any to broach the subject.

Rhade didn't flinch - he'd been expecting that question for some time now. He just shook his head. "I don't know. Something the Makaei said triggered a memory, and I just lost myself." He hung his head. "I don't know why this is happening. I'm always in control, I've always been able to govern my reactions and responses. My people need to know we can count on our own selves to listen and do as we command."

She gave him a small grin. "Hey, you Nietzscheans aren't the only ones who hate feeling out of control. I can tell you from personal experience that humans can't stand it, either. You probably couldn't find anyone who could…except maybe the Magog."

That last comment earned her a sharp chortle. "My point is," she continued, "It happens to the best of us. But we all get through it, and so will you - it might just take a little longer, Nietzschean stubbornness and all that."

He laughed quietly in amusement, glad for her lightness in tone. He needed a respite from the sombre direction of the conversation right about now. He turned his head in her direction, just barely able to see her out of his peripheral vision. "You have a way of making things appear easier than they are."

She grinned and placed a hand on the shoulder nearest to her, patting it gently. "Yeah, well, take it while you can. Most of the time I prefer to be the opposite."

He allowed a small upturn of his lips at her comment. "So I've noticed."

She flashed him a mock-shocked expression and raised her hand from his shoulder, intending to give him a playful smack. The Nietzschean reacted quickly, however, and grabbed her wrist, firmly but gently, in mid-air. It was then he finally looked at her directly, his smile matching her own.

They focussed on each other for several long moments, expressions dissolving into unreadable masks. Without realizing it, Rhade had slid his grip down from her wrist ever so slightly so that her hand was enveloped in his. As if coming to a decision (one that his conscious mind really had no say in at all), he finally leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.

The kiss was both intense and chaste, passionate yet gentle, lasting for what seemed like an eternity. When he pulled away from her, however, he noted her confused, slightly apprehensive demeanour.

Rhade put a few more inches between them and looked down. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't…." He trailed off as he felt Beka grab a firm hold of the front of his shirt. He looked back up for only a moment before he was pulled back to her warm, inviting lips.

Beka's hand moved from its spot on his chest and wound under his arm and back up to grab at his shoulder, effectively pinning him to her, as she kissed his lips in a deliberate, unhurried manner. Her other arm fell back behind her on the bed, acting as a support as she leaned back and pulled him with her, gradually diminishing the distance between her back and the covers.

Rhade allowed her to set the pace, giving in to his Nietzschean instincts and to his desire to prolong the moment for as long as he could. When she sought entrance to his mouth he granted it, and returned in kind, all the while realizing that they were becoming increasingly horizontal. He placed a supporting hand under her back to hold her against him, at the same time using his other as a prop on the mattress beside her. Sensing she no longer needed to provide the support herself, Beka took her hand from behind herself and ran her fingers through his short, dark hair.

They made the transition to the bed without parting their lips. Beka was on her back, while Rhade was at an odd angle above her, slightly to his side. The hand he'd been using to support them, now free, came up to grasp the hand she had on his shoulder, fingers entwining beside her. He was content to carry out at this pace for eternity, but did not object when her kisses increased in intensity. But still, neither felt a need to rush.

Beka's free hand had moved to his shoulder and solid bicep, and slowly had worked its way down. Then it reached his forearm. She stopped suddenly as her hand encountered the first bone blade, realization about what she was doing and who she was doing it with came crashing down on her. She pulled her lips away and turned her head, not saying a thing.

He hadn't noticed her momentary look of panic, and mistook her increased heart rate for anticipation - it had, after all, been increasing steadily as they began this interaction, just as his had. Thinking she wanted his attentions elsewhere, he resumed his kisses on her now-exposed neck and the top of her shoulder.

Meanwhile, Beka was fighting an internal battle, one part of her mind versus the other.

You vowed to stay away from all things Nietzschean from now on.

A little late for that.

All he cares about is himself, it's what they all care about.

You know that's a lie, he's not like that.

You barely know him.

You know a hell of a lot more about him than others from your past. And above all, you know you want him.

She couldn't argue with the rational part of her brain. Only now did she realize it, but this was something she wanted. That, along with the increasing pleasure his caresses were bringing to her, won over her hesitation and she returned to the present. She squeezed the hand she held and ran her other fingers lightly over the bone blade of his forearm once more, reassuring herself that this was the right thing. Then she turned back into his kisses, meeting his lips with hers once more.

They continued on like that for some time, content to enjoy the pleasures their lips bestowed upon one another. They had parted their entwined fingers and Beka was now running her palm along his back, while his thumb lightly massaged her hip as he rested his hand against her side.

Rhade had lost almost all coherent thought when she began kissing him. He had felt the growing attraction, had realized he cared, as they spent more and more time together over the past several weeks. But he hadn't realized the depths of the feelings he had for her; he cared more for her than any other woman he had ever known.

Before his mind even had a chance to register what was going on, his lips had spoken words he didn't even know were there, whispering against her own. "I love you."

His words managed to penetrate her foggy brain, and suddenly the alarm bells were back, blaring even louder than before throughout her head. Her eyes snapped open and she quickly broke the kiss, this time her abrupt actions leaving no room for his misinterpretation. She pushed against his chest and sat up, quickly moving off the bed.

Rhade maintained his position stretched out, leaning on his elbows, and watched her from the periphery of his line of sight. He didn't move, didn't say anything, realizing he'd just screwed up royally.

Beka had headed for the door as soon as she stood up, but about halfway there she paused and took a few steps back toward him. She stopped again, looked to the door, then back, clearly unsure of what to do.

"I…uh…" she could tell he was watching her, waiting for her decision, even though he was facing away. "I'm sorry," the words rushed from her mouth. "I…." Deciding against saying any more, she shook her head quickly, clearing her mind, and moved briskly to the door without looking back.

Upon hearing the door shut behind her, Telemachus let the arm he'd been leaning on collapse underneath him, dropping him fully to the bed. He sighed in defeat. It had been a stupid move, quite possibly the worst he'd ever made. But of which move "it" was, that he wasn't so sure of.

He rolled over onto his back and stared at the deck plating above him. As the feeling of her lips on his worked its way into the deepest recesses of his memory, he could only hope that they could work past this incident, and that he hadn't just screwed up one of the best friendships he'd had in years.

To Be Continued...