Title: Break

Author: MouseBebe

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Rommie's afraid of something.

Spoilers: References to early second season.

Pairing: Harper/Rommie

Setting: No particular setting.

Disclaimer: Tribune owns all rights to Andromeda.

Archive: Do not archive without express permission.

Feedback: Constructive criticism welcome.

Author's Note: Short, little, old bit of speculation.

Harper was nowhere near an expert on everything Rommie or everything female— though he was closer with the former— but he could still tell when he lost her. He'd just gotten the zipper to the bottom of her vest when something about her felt off. He stopped. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." But she caught the edges of the vest and kept them from falling farther apart anyway. "Why?"

"Rommie. What's wrong?" It killed him to stop like this when a gorgeous woman was shedding her clothes with or without his help, but an uncertain gorgeous woman was… Well, it still killed him to stop, but an uncertain gorgeous woman was an entirely different thing.

"I…" She actually looked embarrassed now. "I'm afraid I'll break you."

"You're afraid— Really? I've been through refugee camps, angry mobs, multiple jail cells, and a Magog infestation, and you're worried about a roll in the hay doing me in?" He wouldn't have thought she assumed he was that fragile after all this time, but then to an android probably all Humans seemed fragile.

"It does sound a little strange," she admitted. "But I'm an android, and stronger than you, and I don't know…"

"I do. You're not going to break me. C'mon, it'll be fine." He leaned forward to kiss her and felt everything click back into place.

"I really am sorry about this."

Harper winced, though at this point he wasn't sure if it was over the pain or the repeated apology. "It's fine, I'll live, it happens, I'm the one who moved wrong anyway."

"But—"

He was pretty sure that if Trance didn't get there soon to set the wrist that he was pretty sure was broken, he was going to scream, for no other reason to distract Rommie from apologizing yet again.

The End