Thanks for the reveiws :)

Chapter 1

I awoke to terrible shrieks and for a second I was back in that stinking pit but then my mind snapped awake and I rushed over to Beka's bed. She lay there obviously asleep but in the throes of some awful nightmare. I gently shushed her and stroked the hair away from her face. Eventually she calmed down without waking and drifted back into a dreamless sleep.

This routine had been going on for a week now and still she hadn't spoken a word to anyone, she wouldn't eat or drink and when awake lay there silently despite all my efforts. I sat with her and talked and was even sleeping near her on the med deck. Her body seemed to be healing fine but the emotional wounds did not look like they were getting better.

"She will talk when she is ready."

I looked up startled, as I hadn't seen Andromeda's hologram appear.

"You worrying yourself near to death wont help. There was nothing else you could have done."

"I know but it doesn't make it any easier."

"Just carry on doing what you have been. Eventually she'll open up. I promise."

"Thanks." I replied giving her a weak smile but not feeling any more comforted she disappeared again and after one final check I went back over to bed.

"Well the AP valves are working perfectly now I was a bit worried for a while but they're fine and the slipstream controls are in perfect condition after that recalibration I did. Trance's plant Gavin is doing fine as she's watering him more and…"

I stopped in the middle of my monologue on the ship as Dylan walked into the room and walked over to the bed. I knew that none of this was his fault. She had asked to go of on shore leave by herself and he had just given her permission but I still felt that he should have gone after her with the Andromeda when she was late although I knew she had said three weeks was an approximate date but… who was I kidding I just wanted, needed to blame somebody for this and as Captain he was the nearest target.

"How's she doing?"

"Same as before." I replied not rising from my position holding her hand gently as if she might break.

"Mind if I sit here for a while?" Dylan asked, and I realised he felt as guilty as hell too. I smiled at him and nodded

"Sure."

We sat for what seemed like ages both of us lost in our own thoughts and occasionally talking to Beka before fading off again. We felt helpless, we knew she needed to talk about what had happened, needed to unburden herself from all the pain and suffering but I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear.

"We're thinking of visiting Infinity for a bit of crew downtime, you need to be up and about for that don't you? Remember that was the first planet you took me to and I didn't know how to behave at all, you had to keep telling me off for things I thought of as completely normal. Then I came back completely drunk and you said I would never…"

I broke off in the middle of reminiscence I was sure, just for a second I had felt a gentle pressure on my hand trying to quell the hope inside me I carried on eagerly looking for any response.

"You said I would never be allowed out on another planet again and you wouldn't let me leave the ship on the next two until we reached Peggelor and I sneaked out. Dou you remember what happened then!"

This time I was sure of it, a faint but deliberate pressure and perhaps a tiny curve in her lips, I looked up at Dylan and knew that he had seen a change too. With renewed vigour I continued my conversation until Beka drifted off to sleep.

Perhaps there was hope after all.