When You Kiss Me LIke That, an andromeda fanfic

Title: When You Kiss Me Like That
Series: Andromeda
Pairing: Harper/Trance
Rating: PG-13
Summary: There is a change in Harper and Trance's relationship. Trance is still purple.

Disclaimer: All characters in the Andromeda universe are the property of Tribune Entertainment Co., Inc, and the reserve all rights thereof. I make no claim to these characters whatsoever. I only own Alacar and it's people. Thanks to Skutter24 for beta reading this story.

A/N: This story was inspired by the Toby Keith song, "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This," and the title is a variation of the songs. All other songs are by Queen. The lyrics used are to those songs, once again I apologize for the romance, but I am a romantic at heart.

AaAaA

Dylan was throwing another one of his "Welcome To The Commonwealth" parties for the crew. They had signed another planet to the Commonwealth. The planet was called Alacar by its people, the Alcarnians. They were a relatively peaceful people, who would rather study science and literature and other such pursuits, than make war. However they can, and have, defended themselves forcefully from attack by both the Nietzscheans and the Magog. The Alcarnians are a scientifically advanced race. They are particularly advanced in ship design, construction, and the relevant systems to make ships work. When Dylan and Rommie first met with them, they were very impressed by Rommie's AI and her capabilities, and wished to study its structure in depth and possibly improve upon it. Rommie thought it was a wonderful idea.

The people themselves were much like the Perseids, scholars, however that's where the similarity ends. The Alcarnians are a humanoid race with white-silver hair and light, almost translucent blue skin. Their eyes were either the color of pure green emeralds or deep blue sapphires. They, like humans, have two eyes, two ears, a nose, and a mouth, and give birth to live young.

There had been a formal celebration by the Alcarnians on the planet. The party that Dylan was throwing was held onboard Andromeda on the Observation Deck.

AaAaA

Everyone was at Dylan's party and enjoying himself or herself, even Tyr.

Harper was talking to Beka about possible upgrades to the Maru, when Trance entered the room, talking with Rev Bem.

As they entered, Harper's eyes wandered over to the new arrivals. His gaze rested on Trance for longer than necessary. This didn't go unnoticed by Beka, who decided not to say a thing, yet.

"So that is why it is called root beer," Rev said as the doors closed behind them.

"Really? I still find that hard to believe, are you kidding me?" Trance asked.

"No, truly, that is why it is called root beer," Rev said with a laugh.

As Rev and Trance looked around at the others, they spotted Harper and Beka. They decided to join them.

"Hello Beka, Master Harper. How are you tonight?" Rev asked as he and Trance joined the other two.

"I'm good Rev, what was that conversation you two were having?" Beka asked.

"Trance was wondering how certain beverages got their names," Rev replied. Harper still had his gaze locked on Trance.

"Hi, Harper," She said when she noticed his eyes upon her.

"Uh, hi Trance, how ya doing?" He stammered out, embarrassed to be caught staring, a slight blush crept across his face.

"I'm fine, thanks. What were you and Beka talking about?" She asked, genuinely curious.

"Possible upgrades to the Maru," Beka answered when Harper didn't make a move.

"Harper? Are you ok?" Trance asked, noticing a faraway look on his face when he looked at her, like he was now.

"Huh? What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine, I was just thinking about something, that's all," He replied as he regained his composure, or tried to anyway.

"Oh? It that all, you're just thinking about something?" Beka teased him, trying to hide her grin.

"Yeah, I was just thinking, that's all," He replied somewhat defensively, glaring at Beka.

There was a moment of tension between the two before Trance interrupted it.

"Harper, come with me to get some punch. Beka, Rev, do you guys want any?" Trance asked them.

"I would like some, thank you," Rev said.

"I'm fine, thanks Trance," Beka said.

"Ok, come on Harper," She said as she dragged him away from the group towards the punch bowl, placing her arm through his.

"Harper?" She asked as she walked arm in arm with the young man. "Are you sure you're ok? You haven't been acting yourself lately, do you want to go to Medical for a quick scan?"

"No, that won't be necessary, I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind that's all," He said as they arrived at the punch bowl and helped themselves to two cups.

"Trance, can I ask you a question?" Harper asked as he filled his cup.

"Sure Harper, you can ask me anything!" She replied with a smile, looking at her friend.

"Trance, would you dance with me later on tonight? Dylan had said that there would be dance music and I, uh, was wondering if you'd dance with me," He asked shyly, trying not to blush, and failing.

"Sure Harper, I'd love to," She said, grinning as he blushed a light red.

"Good, that's very good," He replied with a smile of his own, the blush starting to fade.

AaAaA

"Rev, have noticed that Harper has been acting weird lately?"

"Beka, if we are talking about Harper, you need to be more specific than 'weird'," The Wayist said.

"Good point. Have you noticed that he's been acting, differently, towards Trance?"

"How do you mean?" He asked.

"When you guys walked in, he couldn't take his eyes off Trance. The same thing happened shortly before they went to get punch."

"Now that you mention it, she has been acting a little strange herself."

"Really? How so?"

"When we were talking about drinks, she asked me a lot of questions about Harper. She tried to hide them as part of the conversation about beverages, but it didn't work," He told her.

"What sort of questions?"

"Oh, questions like 'why do you think Harper likes Sparky Colas', and 'do you think that I might like Sparky colas?' She also asked me what I thought of she and Harper. I replied that I noticed that they are best friends and seem to enjoy each other's company very much. She then asked me if I thought there would be dancing, I replied that Dylan said there would be."

"She asked about dancing? That's strange, Harper asked me the same question before you guys got here," She told him.

"Really? That is strange, perhaps there is more to their relationship than just friends."

"Maybe, but I hope not. Trance is too innocent, and Harper, well, he's Harper. I just hope they don't get too involved," Beka said with a sigh as the two in question returned with their punch.

AaAaA

Later that evening, there was, as Dylan promised, dancing. There were several slow dances and several fast, energetic dances.

Beka noticed that Harper and Trance were inseparable on the dance floor. They danced every slow dance together, except when Rommie cut in to dance with Harper and Dylan with Trance. They were also dancing near each other for all the energetic dances too. Beka was starting to worry about them, but decided to leave it till the morning.

As the night was wearing down, there was only one slow dance remaining. Harper was bound and determined to only dance with Trance.

As the song began the two young crewmen made their way to the dance floor.

I've got a funny feeling
The moment that your lips touched mine
Something shot right through me
My heart skipped a beat in time

There's a different feel about you tonight
It's got me thinkin' lots of crazy things
I even think I saw a flash of light
It felt like electricity

Harper and Trance were dancing close, holding each other as close as they could. They were hardly paying any attention to the song, so swept up in the proximity of the other.

You shouldn't kiss me like this
Unless you mean it like that
Cause I'll just close my eyes
And I won't know where I'm at
We'll get lost on this dance floor
Spinnin' around
And around
And around
And around

They were cheek to cheek, slowly turning in circles to the rhythm. Wrapped in the emotions that the song conveyed, not once thinking how accurate the words were to them.

"You look very nice tonight Trance," Harper complimented her softly, whispering in her ear.

Trance was wearing a violet body suit with a dark purple belt. The colors accentuating her natural skin color, causing her to glow in the dim light.

"Thank you, Harper," She said as they continued to dance, "I dressed like this for you," She said under her breath, hoping he wouldn't hear, but he did.

"How come you never wore that before?" He asked as they completed another circle.

"I never had a reason to before tonight," She replied, resting her head on his shoulder, hoping he wouldn't ask any more questions; he didn't.

"Oh," was all he said as he placed his head against hers.

They're all watchin' us now
They think we're falling in love
They'd never believe we're just friends
When you kiss me like this
I think you mean it like that
If you do maybe kiss me again

Everybody swears we make the perfect pair
But dancing is as far as it goes
Girl you've never moved me quite
The way you moved me tonight
I just wanted you to know
I just wanted you to know

As they continued to dance, Trance pulled away and looked at Harper. Their eyes remained locked on one another. Trance slowly leaned towards Harper's ear.

The kiss sent a shock through Harper's entire body. He'd never experienced anything like it before, it was like the energy from a thousand suns running through his body. He just smiled at Trance and gave her a kiss on the cheek in return.

"Your welcome, my purple sparkly princess. I was glad that you accepted," He whispered back, pulling Trance closer as they continued dancing.

They're all watchin' us now
They think we're falling in love
They'd never believe we're just friends
When you kiss me like this
I think you mean it like that
If you do baby kiss me again
Kiss me again.

As the final song ended, Harper and Trance realized that they were the only ones left on the Observation Deck, the others having left during their dance. The droids were starting to clean up the mess left by the party-goers. Harper and Trance smiled at each other as they pulled apart.

"Come on, I'll walk you back to your quarters," Harper told her.

As they left, Rommie's hologram appeared behind them and just nodded, a smile on her face before she blinked out.

AaAaA

On the way to Trance's quarters, Harper put his arm around Trance's waist. It was an unconscious act, but the moment he realized what he did, he almost pulled his arm away from her. Trance didn't seem to notice. She had put her own arm around Harper's waist, and her head was leaning against his shoulder. So, realizing that Trance wasn't offended, he kept his arm around her as they walked.

They walked like that all the way back to her quarters, each lost in their own thoughts about the other.

"Well, here we are Trance," Harper said as he removed his arm from her waist, saddened by having to release her.

"Yeah, here we are," She said, suddenly missing the warmth and feel of his arm around her waist.

"Good night, Trance, I'll see you in the morning," He said as he took hold of her shoulders and gently kissed her cheek.

When he kissed her, Trance leaned into the kiss, trying to make it last longer, hoping it could go on forever, but it didn't, and couldn't.

When Harper pulled away, he looked into Trance's eyes before finally turning and walking back towards his own quarters.

Trance was confused by the emotions caused by the kiss. She didn't know what to do, so she called out to him.

"Harper?" She called. He turned around at the corner.

"Good night," She said. He just smiled and continued on towards his quarters.

AaAaA

When she entered her quarters, she threw herself on her bed and grabbed a pillow, hugging it to her. Her quarters were decorated in a lavender motif all the colors were some shade of purple. She had a few plants from Hydroponics scattered about the room, adding color to the otherwise purple room.

'Harper sure is sweet,' She thought to herself, 'and he dances divinely, too.'

She sighed.

'But he's just my best friend, that's all, nothing more.' She sighed again in resignation of this fact.

'I wish we could be more than just friends, but I don't know if Harper feels the same way. How do I feel about Harper?' Her mind asked. It took her a moment to answer herself.

'How do I feel? Do I love him? I enjoy his company, I'm sad when we're apart, I'm happy when we're together. I can sit and listen to him talk for hours, I enjoy being with him. Yes, I do, I do love him.' She sighed again. 'But does he love me, or am I just reading more into his friendship? But what about his touches, his flirting? What about the way he looks at me? Or how my heart skips when he looks at me like that?'

"AAAAAARRRRGGGGG," She said out loud as she threw the pillow across the room in frustration.

"Well, I guess the only way to find out is to ask him, tomorrow. Yeah, I'll ask him tomorrow." She yawned, and placing her head on her pillow, was instantly asleep.

AaAaA

Harper had a much easier time. He wasn't debating with himself that badly.

'Trance sure did look cute tonight,' He thought, as he entered his quarters.

His quarters were, as usual, scattered with parts of half finished projects. His room was a junkman's dream; discarded bits lay all over the place. The only clear spaces were his bed, the small kitchen, and the bathroom.

"Cute?" He said out loud as he pulled off his shirt.

'Cute?' His mind repeated, 'Man, I've been spending too much time with her. Not that that's a bad thing. Hey, wait a minute, nothing about Trance is bad, she's … perfect,' His mind told him.

'Oh, I wish I knew where we stood. I mean, I know that we're best friends, but I wish we could be more than that. I just don't know if she's ready for a relationship, or even if she feels the same way.'

'How do I feel about her?' His mind asked. 'Well, I enjoy her company; I could listen to her beautiful voice forever. I could watch her beautiful face till the end of time. Uh oh, I know what this means, it means I'm in love with Trance. But I can't be, she's my purple sparkly princess, MY BEST FRIEND for crying out loud.' He sighed, moving towards the bed and getting ready to go to sleep.

'There is no way I can deny it, I love Trance. Now the only thing that remains is what am I going to do about it? Well, I could tell her how I feel, get it over with, and find out if we're still friends. I hope we can still be friends. But what if she doesn't love me? I don't think I could stand the rejection. But still, I have to tell her the truth. Yeah that's what I'll do, tomorrow, I'll tell her tomorrow.' He yawned.

He placed his head on his pillow and was instantly asleep, but that's when the nightmare started.

AaAaA

The first thing that Seamus Harper noticed was that he was on a catwalk, working on some part of Andromeda's engine; Trance was helping him.

"So Harper, what are we fixing?" She asked him, standing so close he could feel her body heat.

"Ah, um, we're fixing…" he looked around the catwalk for some ideas as to what they were fixing, "the slipstream core, Trance," He told her as he looked for his tools. "Have you seen my tools?"

"I think I saw them over by the edge of the catwalk, I'll go get them," She replied with a smile.

"Ok, but be careful," He told her as she skipped away.

As Trance neared the edge of the catwalk, she saw that the tools were on the very edge. She walked over and bent down to pick them up.

All of a sudden the ship gave a huge shudder, causing Trance to lose her balance and start to fall off the catwalk, into the slipstream.

"Harper!" She yelled as she started to fall.

"Trance? TRANCE!" He screamed as he saw her falling, he rushed to the edge to try and stop her fall, but he was too late.

As Trance continued to fall, Harper looked on in horror as the girl he loved fell to her death. He was unable to move. When he was finally able to move some minutes later, he pulled back from the edge and crawled to the wall, where he curled into a ball and cried.

That was how Beka found him, several hours later still crying, still unable to do anything else.

"Harper? Where's Trance?" She asked him.

"Beka, she's … she's dead. She fell, I couldn't save her." He said through the tears. Telling this to Beka caused the tears to well up anew, leaving him sobbing and shaking, unable to speak.

Beka moved to comfort him, putting her arm around his shoulders.

"Oh, Harper. Oh my Harper, my poor, poor Harper. I'm so sorry Harper. I know how much she meant to you, she meant a lot to all of us. I'm sure you tried to do everything you could to save her," She told him as he continued to cry; her own eyes were moist. "Do you need anything Harper?" She asked as she moved to get up. She had to go report this to Dylan.

"Yeah, I need to be left alone for awhile," He said, looking up from where he still lay, curled into a tight ball.

"Ok, I'll be back in a few hours," She said as she left.

Once she had left, Harper curled into an even tighter ball and continued to cry for the woman that he loved, who now was dead.

AaAaA

Harper awoke in a cold sweat, tears in his eyes, the dream lingering in his mind.

"Rommie, lights," He called as Rommie raised the lights to where he could see.

"Are you ok Harper?" The hologram asked as she appeared, a worried look on her face.

"Yeah, I'm ok, I just had a nightmare that's all," He said, rubbing his face.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, concern evident in her voice.

"No, I'll be fine. Rommie, where's Trance right now?" He asked her, hoping that it was all just a dream, praying to the Divine that it was, that his love hadn't died.

"Trance is in her quarters," The hologram replied. Harper let out the breath he was holding.

"Ok, thanks Rommie," He said as he moved to get up and leave his quarters.

"Harper?" She said as he approached the door.

"Yeah?' He said, turning to face her.

"Maybe you should put some pants on," She said, noticing that Harper was only wearing a t-shirt and boxers, smiley faced ones at that. She had to grin.

Looking down, Harper realized why she said that.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," He said with a small grin.

"Of course I am, I'm always right, I'm Rommie!" She said with a smile as she faded out.

Harper just grinned as he put on a pair of pants.

AaAaA

Trance was awakened from a dream about flowers and Harper by the door chiming.

"I'm coming," She mumbled as she crawled out of bed and walked to the door.

"Who is it?" She asked as the chime rang again.

"Trance, its Harper. Can I come in?" Came the voice of the engineer.

"Sure, come on in," She said as she opened the door to him.

"Hi Trance, I need to talk to you," He said as he entered her quarters. He paused when he looked at her, a blush creeping across his face. "But maybe you should put some clothes on first," He said, looking anywhere but at her.

At his last comment she looked down and suddenly realized that she was only wearing her underwear, a bra and panties, a shade darker than her skin. She blushed, briefly matching her underwear, as she moved towards her bathroom for a robe.

"Um, you stay there Harper, I'll be right back," She said as she disappeared and returned a moment later with a lilac robe.

"That's much better Trance," he said as she put the robe on, "Not that I don't want to see you in your underwear, but I really need to talk to you," He said as he collapsed on the end of her bed. She sat down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"So, what's up?" She asked as he turned his head to look at her, he then sat up and looked at Trance again.

"I had a nightmare, about you, and I need to talk to you about it," He said as he moved a few inches closer to Trance, so that their shoulders were touching. He felt strangely comforted by the contact.

Harper proceeded to tell Trance about his nightmare. When he finished the retelling, he sagged against her shoulder for support and reassurance. The tears had returned.

Trance put her arms around her friend's shoulder, lending him her strength and love.

"I'm sorry to burden you with this Trance, but I needed to talk to someone about it," He said as the tears subsided, Trance's arms were still wrapped around him.

'I could really get used to her arms around me,' He thought, but then quickly pushed it down and away.

Trance was thinking much the same thing. 'It's so nice having Harper in my arms, I could stay like this forever.' She sighed mentally.

They slowly broke apart, the tears no longer overwhelming Harper.

"Thanks for hearing me out, Trance," He said as he slipped fully out of her arms, the lack of his warmth making her sad.

Harper was moving towards the door when Trance gently called his name.

"Harper," She said, the tenderness and love showing in her voice.

"Yeah?" He asked as he stopped, and slowly turned towards the purple girl.

"You don't need to go Harper, you can stay here tonight," She said, longing to hold him in her arms again. "I don't want you to be alone after a dream like that," She continued as she gestured him back.

"Trance, I don't think you know what you're asking," He said as he stood there.

"Yes I do. I'm asking you, from one friend to another, to stay and sleep here. If you sleep here and have a nightmare, then I'll be here for you, you won't have to come and find me again. I want you to have a good night's sleep, Harper. You work yourself into the ground, sleep poorly, and then you get up and do it all over again. I don't want you to get sick again. I'm your friend, I care about you, and I … I love you," She said as he considered staying, knowing that he should leave.

He couldn't leave. The look in her eyes was all for him; he saw her desire to make him happy and to keep him safe.

"Ok," he said in a soft voice, his resolve to leave gone, "I'll stay tonight. I'll get a blanket and sleep on the couch."

"No you won't, you're sleeping in the bed with me. That way I can keep my eye on you."

When Harper heard this he was shocked Trance was begging him to sleep in the same bed as her.

'Am I still dreaming?' He wondered, 'No, I can't be, this is too real,' His mind said. To prove to himself that he was awake, he pinched his arm; it hurt. 'Yup, I'm awake.'

"Where will you sleep?" He asked out loud, rubbing his arm.

"Right here." She said patting the right side of the bed.

"Then where am I sleeping?" He asked, confusion growing inside him.

"Here." She said patting the left side.

"Uh, Trance, we can't sleep in the same bed together," He said, trying to figure out Trance's strange behavior.

"Sure we can, I'll give you another blanket and you can sleep on top of the covers, and I'll sleep under the covers. It'll work ok, don't worry," She told him with a smile.

As much as Harper wanted to sleep in the same bed with this woman, he knew that he shouldn't. He tried to tell her so.

"Trance, I really don't think you and me sleeping in the same bed is a good idea." He continued to protest. Trance was getting impatient.

Trance got up from her position on the bed and walked over to where Harper stood.

Harper was staring into the big, beautiful brown eyes that belonged to Trance. She was mere inches from him, and he could feel the heat from her body, which soothed him for some reason, further melting any resistance he had left. Resistance, truly was futile.

Trance abruptly grabbed Harper's head and kissed him full on the lips. Harper was taken by complete surprise, but that faded as he wrapped his arms around Trance and kissed her back.

After several moments of this, Trance broke the kiss and looked at Harper.

"Yes, you will sleep in that bed with me! I'll go get the blanket," She said from the circle of Harper's arms.

Harper couldn't form the words his mind wanted to speak, so he said the only word he could. "Ok."

When he released her, she went and got him the blanket and prepared a space for him on the bed.

Harper stood there doing nothing, Trance had to take his hand and lead him to the place she had made for him. She gently pushed him onto the bed and covered him up with the blanket. Walking around to the other side, Trance crawled into bed beside Harper.

"Trance, why are you doing this?" He asked as he looked over at her, slowly sitting up and hanging his legs off the bed.

"I'm doing it because you're my friend, and I don't want you to be alone tonight after that nightmare you had," She said as she slid under the covers and removed her robe. She placed the robe carefully beside the bed and put her head on her pillow.

"Oh, thank you Trance," He said after a few minutes of silence.

"For what?" She asked, looking over at him.

"For being my friend and caring about me," He said as he looked over at her. When their eyes met, there was a moment when neither could look away, not that either wanted to.

"You're welcome," She said as she continued to look at him.

Harper, seeing an opportunity that wouldn't present itself again, leaned over and gently kissed Trance. Her eyes widened slightly, but then she leaned into the short kiss.

"That was for always being there for me and loving me," He said when he broke the kiss.

Trance just smiled and put her head back on the pillow.

Harper stood up briefly and removed his pants. He never could sleep well fully dressed. Throwing them on the floor, he returned to the bed, covering up again and placing his head on his pillow, smiling.

They fell asleep that way, Harper on his side and Trance on hers. Only Andromeda knew what transpired between the two and she wasn't going to tell.

AaAaA

After a night of pleasant dreams, Harper woke up to feel an arm draped over him, and a warm body behind him. He was a little disoriented at first, realizing that he wasn't in his quarters. When realization dawned on him, he knew that the arm belonged to Trance. This proceeded to fully wake him up and make him pay attention to his surroundings.

He was still on his side of the bed wrapped in his blanket. He had to assume that sometime during the night Trance had rolled over and cuddled up to him. The thought made him smile. This was a position he had always wanted to be in with her.

That made him stop and think about what he promised himself before he went to bed that he'd tell Trance he loved her in the morning. Strange how things had turned out.

He rolled over onto his other side so that he was looking at Trance. Asleep she looked like an Angel. She still had one arm draped over Harper, which he did his best not to disturb. Her face had a smile on it, from what he couldn't be sure, but he hoped he was the reason. Her hair was slightly mussed, with a few strands of purple and pink hanging over her eyes. She looked absolutely beautiful.

Harper looked down at her shoulder and realized that she was only wearing her purple underwear. This made Harper smile. She was so precious to him that he could never take advantage of her, he hoped she knew that. He knew that the rest of the crew, minus Rev and Rommie, thought he was a player and would hurt Trance if they became a couple. That wasn't true, he just liked to get a feel for the type of woman that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. From all the women that he'd known, both as friends and more, he had learned that his perfect woman was sleeping here next to him. His best friend. Trance was his perfect woman, the one with whom he could happily spend the rest of his life.

Now the only thing he had to do was tell her this; that was the hard part.

He sighed, trying to figure out how he'd tell Trance how he felt.

Trance stirred, his sigh waking her. Her eyes fluttered open and looked straight into his, she smiled as she removed her arm from over his side and stretched.

"Good morning Harper," She said happily.

"Morning Trance," He said with a smile of his own.

"How'd you sleep? Any nightmares?"

"No, thankfully. But if I did, you would've been the first to know," He said, teasing her.

"Well, nice that you can joke at this time of the morning," Rommie said as she appeared.

"Why do you say that Rommie?" Harper asked as he leaned back on his elbow and looked at the hologram.

"Because Dylan knows where you are and is on his way to 'talk' to you."

"WHAT?" Trance and Harper said in unison, sitting up at the same time.

"Dylan is on his way here to 'talk' to Harper about his spending the night in your quarters," Rommie repeated.

"Where is he right now?" Harper asked, panic setting in and ruining the peaceful mood. He quickly got up and started getting dressed.

Harper was busy running around Trance's quarters looking for his pants. He had taken them off before he went to bed and couldn't remember where they were.

"He's just passing the Mess Hall, so if you're going to escape, do it now," Rommie suggested.

"Have either of you seen my pants?" Harper asked as he entered the kitchen to look for his missing pants.

"They're over here with my robe," Trance replied, holding them up.

"Thanks," Harper said and gave Trance a small kiss on her cheek.

As fully dressed as he could be, Harper looked over at Trance who was still only in her underwear.

"Um, Trance, you may want to get some clothes on, I don't think you want Dylan to see you like that."

"You're right!" She said, the panic setting in. She scurried to her closet and grabbed the first thing she saw, which happened to be the same outfit she wore to the party.

"Bye, gotta go. Rommie, please try to distract Dylan. I don't want him to find me here, he'd kill me," Harper said as he approached the door.

"I'll try, but hurry, Dylan is just about to the corridor, so go now!" She said as she phased out.

Harper quickly opened Trance's door and looked out, there was no one in the hall, yet.

Seeing that this was his chance, Harper left Trance's quarters and ran to the corner, where he ran straight into Dylan Hunt.

"Morning Dylan. Just out for a jog. Gotta go, need to change," Harper said as he tried to get past the High Guard Captain.

"Nice try, but I don't think so," Dylan said with a mirthless laugh as he grabbed Harper by the shoulder. "Come with me to the Mess Hall, I want to have a little talk with you."

"Uh, sure thing Dylan, whatever you say," Harper said realizing that there was no way he could escape the bigger man.

AaAaA

In the Mess Hall, Dylan helped himself to a glass of water and gave Harper a glass, not a can, of Sparky Cola.

"So, Mr. Harper, would you care to explain why a routine sensor sweep showed you to be in Trance's quarters? And why upon my arrival did I find you hurrying away from her quarters? Half dressed, I might add," Dylan asked as he guided Harper to a table and sat down.

"Would you believe that I was asking her about getting a plant?" Harper asked plaintively.

"I think you're going to have to do better than that. How long were you in her quarters? I couldn't sleep, so I ran a sweep at 0500 and you were there. I thought it unusual, but I let it pass and went back to bed. Then I wake up an hour ago and run the sweep again, and guess what, you're still there. Beka told me I was being foolish, but I thought I'd ask you. Now I want the truth, and I want it now!" Dylan said, losing his patience with the man in front of him.

Harper sighed, knowing that he'd have to tell Dylan, or else, and that wasn't a pleasant concept.

"I was there all night long. I had a nightmare about Trance, and I decided to go talk to her about it so that I could see that she was ok."

Dylan nodded.

"Then you slept on the couch? Or did she take the couch?" Dylan asked, knowing that Trance wouldn't let Harper go to bed alone after a nightmare, especially one about her.

"Neither, we both slept in the bed," Harper was going to continue but was cut off by Dylan's violent outburst.

"You slept in the same bed!" Dylan grated out, standing up and slamming both hands down on the table to curb his desire to slam them into Harper.

"Now, I have heard of some things in my time, but using a nightmare as an excuse to sleep with someone? But worse than that, it … was … TRANCE!" He said separating the last three words, his anger finally escaping on the last word.

"I thought you were her best friend Harper. How could you take advantage of her innocence like that?" Dylan said, still furious, the veins showing in his neck.

"What?" Harper said, standing up as well. "You think I took advantage of her? You think I slept with her? You think I'd ruin our friendship by sleeping with her?" Harper began, only to be cut off once again by Dylan.

"Oh, give it up, Harper!" Dylan said, his face mere inches from Harper's. "I know you Harper, you'll sleep with anything female that even bats its eyes at you. I've seen you flirt with Trance, but I can't believe that you'd do that to her. How could you hurt her like that? What kind of a man are you?" The last part he said with his voice filled with hatred for the younger man.

Harper clenched his fists at his side, trying to control the urge to hit Dylan. Instead he decided to yell at his 'Captain'.

"I … would … never … hurt … TRANCE!" Harper said stressing each word. His voice rose as he said each one, until he was almost spitting on Dylan. Channeling his rising fury, Harper took his glass from the table and threw it across the room to shatter on the wall, splattering Sparky all over.

Dylan was shocked by the fury he saw in the young man. Perhaps he had misjudged him.

"I don't know where you get off saying or even THINKING, that I would take advantage of Trance. I could never hurt her in any way. As for the sleep with anything female, well let me tell you something Captain Hunt! The only reason I was even near any of those women was so that I could figure out what my perfect woman was like, and then I didn't even sleep with them all, only a few. And guess what, I finally figured it out, I know who my perfect woman is. Trance is my perfect woman, I love her! I would die for her and I would kill to protect her. So don't you EVER, say that I'd take advantage of her again," Harper said, the unbridled fury evident in his voice and posture.

Harper had finished his speech and turned to leave the Mess Hall before he hit Dylan.

Dylan just stood in shock as Harper left the Mess Hall, completely blown away by the transformation of his engineer before his eyes.

"Rommie," Dylan called as he regained his composure, "Call Beka, we need to talk."

AaAaA

Beka found Dylan in the Mess Hall directing a droid that was cleaning up broken glass.

"What happened here? It looks like a storm hit it," She said as she walked over to Dylan.

"One did, it was called Harper. Word of advice, never get him angry," He replied.

"I know, you should have seen him on Boca Drift, he almost threw some guy through a wall for trying to hurt Trance." At Dylan's look she said, "This was before we freed you and Andromeda. We were all in a bar, getting a drink after a hard run. Harper had a beer of some sort and Trance was having a juice. She had gone to the bar to get another, when a drunk grabbed her and propositioned her for sex. She told him to go away, but he refused. When he grabbed Trance and started pulling her towards the door she called out to Harper. He looked up and realized what was happening, he ran over and knocked the guy away from her. He got up and took a swing at Harper, who had moved back. This was when Harper grabbed the guy and picking him up off his feet, he threw him into the wall. When the guy hit, we all heard the sound of the metal bending, the guy fell to the floor and didn't get up. He was out cold."

Beka gave a laugh and continued.

"If you said anything about him hurting Trance or the possibility of you hurting her, you're lucky to still be standing. I mean this guy was the size of Tyr," She said with another laugh.

"Thank you for the warning," He said as the Droid finished cleaning up and left, Dylan and Beka followed it out.

"Hey, no problem. So what did you and Harper talk about?" She asked as they walked back to Command.

"I asked him why he was in Trance's quarters since 0500, he told me that he was there all night, and that they had slept in the same bed."

"They slept together? I'll kill him!" Beka said as the thought burned in her mind.

"No, no, no." Dylan said, holding up his hands to stop her. "He made it very clear to me that they didn't have sex. They just slept in the same bed, like family sometimes does."

"Yeah, but this family is an innocent purple girl who's head over heels in love with him." She sighed as she calmed down, "not that he's any better."

"I realize that now." They had entered Command and were walking towards the Slipstream console.

"Beka, I want you to go talk to Trance. See what she has to say, I'll go talk to Harper and apologize."

"You got it!" She said as she left to find Trance.

AaAaA

"Rommie, where is Trance?" Beka asked as she entered the corridor.

"She's still in her quarters," The AI replied.

"Thanks," Beka said as she sprinted towards Trance's quarters.

AaAaA

Trance was getting ready for the day ahead when her door chimed.

'I hope it isn't Dylan,' She thought as she went to answer her door.

"Who is it?" She asked, afraid of the answer.

"It's Beka" came the reply.

"Hi Beka, what can I do for you?" Trance asked as she opened the door to the First Officer.

"I'm here to talk to you about last night, Dylan asked me too," She replied somewhat sheepishly.

"Ok, but why?" Trance asked as Beka entered her quarters, the door closing behind her.

"Um, he kind of accused Harper of hurting you," Beka replied as she rubbed her neck.

"HE DID WHAT?" Trance asked in horror. "Is Dylan alright, do I need to go to Medical?"

"No, no. It's ok Trance, Harper didn't hurt him, just scared him a bit." At Trance's look she changed that, "ok a lot."

"Well, I'm glad that Dylan's ok, I'd hate it if Harper hurt him," She said as she sank to her bed.

"Well, that's why I'm here Trance. To hear from you what happened last night," The older woman said as she sat beside Trance. "Dylan doesn't completely believe Harper."

"Well, Harper had a nightmare about me dying. He came here to make sure I was ok. I saw that he was upset so I told him he could stay the night with me. At first he wanted to sleep on the couch, but after a little persuasion he slept in the bed with me, see," She said as she gestured to the two separate sleeping areas.

"Harper slept on the left, in the blankets, and I slept on the right, under the covers. So you see, nothing happened. Nothing could happen, he's my best friend after all," Trance said, trying to convince herself she was right, deliberately hiding some of the details, like their kisses.

"Ok, that's all I needed to know. I'll go tell Dylan. Then maybe we can get back to normal around here," Beka said as she got up and moved towards the door.

"I'll see you later Trance, have a good day," Beka said as she left the room.

"Ok" was all Trance said as she returned to getting ready for the day.

AaAaA

Harper had gone to the Machine Shop to 'vent'. When he had finished 'venting' the Machine Shop was in ruins.

Sighing, Harper collapsed on the cot he kept there.

"Andromeda, play music file Queen 1."

"Acknowledged, file playing," came the disembodied voice of the AI.

Harper tried to relax as the music started to play, but he was still wound up after his encounter with Dylan.

Love of my life - you hurt me,
You broken my heart and now you leave me.
Love of my life can't you see,
Bring it back, bring it back,
Don't take it away from me, because you don't know, what it means to me.

Love of my life don't leave me,
You've stolen my love, you now desert me,
Love of my life can't you see,
Bring it back, bring it back,
Don't take it away from me because you don't know - what it means to me.

Harper's mind wandered to more pleasant thoughts of Trance and how she looked when she was sleeping. This helped to relax him a little, but not much.

You won't remember -
When this is blown over
And everything's all by the way -
When I get older
I will be there by your side to remind you how I still love you - still love you.

Back - hurry back,
Don't take it away from me,
because you don't know what it means to me - Love of my life
Love of my life...

As the song ended, Harper got up from the cot and started to clean up the remains of the Machine Shop.

As the next song started, Harper had picked up the majority of the bigger pieces, considering there weren't that many. He'd have the Droids clean up the smaller stuff later. He started trying to salvage what he could from the wreckage.

It started off so well
They said we made a perfect pair
I clothed myself in your glory and your love
How I loved you,
How I cried...
The years of care and loyalty
Were nothing but a sham it seems
The years belie we lived a lie
"I'll love you 'til I die"

'Boy can Freddie Mercury sing,' Harper thought as he continued to pick through the rubble. 'That May sure can write a good song, too,' His mind told him.

"I know that, you don't need to tell me," He said out loud.

"Are you ok Harper?" Rommie asked as she shimmered into view.

"Yeah, just telling myself to shut up, that's all," He said as he continued to work.

"Ok, have fun," Rommie said as she disappeared.

Save me Save me Save me
I can't face this life alone
Save me Save me Oh...
I'm naked and I'm far from home

The slate will soon be clean
I'll erase the memories,
To start again with somebody new
Was it all wasted
All that love?...
I hang my head and I advertise
A soul for sale or rent
I have no heart, I'm cold inside
I have no real intent

Save me Save me Save me
I can't face this life alone
Save me Save me Oh...
I'm naked and I'm far from home

Each night I cry, I still believe the lie
I'll love you 'til I die

"Andromeda, stop music. Rommie!" He called as the music stopped.

"Yes Harper?" She asked, appearing once again.

"Could you please play a more cheerful song from the list? I don't need anything depressing right now. As I'm sure you saw, I had a little conversation with Dylan," He said, setting down the junk and looking at Rommie.

"I know, Dylan called me after you left the Mess Hall, I told him what really happened between you and Trance, he didn't believe me, so he sent Beka to talk to her. He seemed to calm down when Beka said that Trance confirmed your story, he said something about making it up to you and asked where you were. But that was during your 'venting' so I told him to ask later," Rommie said with a small smile.

"Thanks Rommie, you're a true friend," He said, smiling in return.

"Well, that and I didn't want Dylan to end up like the Machine Shop. Playing a happier song now," She said as she disappeared.

"Thanks Rommie," Harper said to thin air as the 'happier' song started to play.

Empty spaces - what are we living for
Abandoned places - I guess we know the score
On and on, does anybody know what we are looking for...
Another hero, another mindless crime
Behind the curtain, in the pantomime
Hold the line, does anybody want to take it anymore

The show must go on,
The show must go on
Inside my heart is breaking
My make-up may be flaking
But my smile still stays on.

Whatever happens, I'll leave it all to chance
Another heartache, another failed romance
On and on, does anybody know what we are living for?
I guess I'm learning, I must be warmer now
I'll soon be turning, round the corner now
Outside the dawn is breaking
But inside in the dark I'm aching to be free

The show must go on
The show must go on
Inside my heart is breaking
My make-up may be flaking
But my smile still stays on

My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies
Fairytales of yesterday will grow but never die
I can fly - my friends

The show must go on
The show must go on
I'll face it with a grin
I'm never giving in
On - with the show -

I'll top the bill, I'll overkill
I have to find the will to carry on
On with the -
On with the show -
The show must go on...

The song finished just as Harper made up his mind to go find Trance and tell her everything.

"Andromeda, end playback and close file," He commanded.

"Confirmed," came the reply.

Harper was out the door before the reply finished echoing off the walls.

AaAaA

"Where is Trance right now?" Harper asked as he began walking the corridors of Andromeda.

"Trance is in Hydroponics," Andromeda replied.

"Thanks," Harper said as he changed direction for Hydroponics.

AaAaA

Trance was pruning her plants when she heard the doors open behind her. She stiffened, thinking that it might be Dylan coming to have a 'talk' with her about this morning. The conversation with Beka had only served to heighten her fear of a 'talk' with Dylan.

Slowly she turned around at the sound of the approaching footsteps. Instead of Dylan, there was a blonde engineer, lost in thought, walking towards her.

"Harper," She said, the joy showing clearly in her voice.

"Hi Trance, how ya doing?" He asked as he came to a stop in front of her.

Having him within arms reach, wasn't easy for Trance. Since last night, all she could think about was seeing Harper again and touching him in some way. At this moment she was restraining herself from throwing her arms around his neck and giving him a big kiss. Little did she know that he was doing the same thing.

"I'm fine. How was your talk with Dylan?" She asked, but instantly regretted it when she saw Harper wince.

"Well, it didn't go like Dylan thought it would," He started.

"Really? What happened?" She asked as he walked over to her workbench and sat on the top. She leaned against the bench beside him. Beka didn't tell her what happened, and she was afraid that Harper had done something rash.

"Well, to put it mildly, I let him have it."

"With both barrels and all tubes firing," Rommie added as she appeared.

"Thank you Rommie, but I was getting there," Harper told her with a smile, which she returned.

"Wow, that sounds bad. What did you say to him?" Trance asked.

"Before or after he threatened Dylan?" Rommie asked her.

"You threatened Dylan? Why?" Trance asked shocked.

"You know, you are soooo not helping me Rom-doll," Harper said. "Yes, I threatened Dylan, but I had good reason to," Harper said a bit defensively.

"And that was?" Trance prompted, seeing that Rommie wasn't going to tell her. She thought she had an idea based on her conversation with Beka.

"Well, he accused me of something and I called him on it."

"Ok, Harper, you can stop with the avoidance now," Rommie said with a sigh, turning to Trance, she explained what happened. "Dylan accused Harper of using you, taking advantage of you is a better phrase. Harper and Dylan were face to face when Harper threw his glass across the room, and told Dylan that he would die for you and that he would kill to protect you. He then told Dylan that he had better never again say that Harper was taking advantage of, or hurting you."

"Nice break down Rommie," Harper said as Trance absorbed the news. "But you forgot the part where I told Dylan that I would never hurt Trance and that she was my perfect woman, the one that I've been searching for my entire life. You also forgot the part where I told Dylan that I love her," Harper said as he kept his head down.

"Well, I thought that you might like to tell her that yourself, now if you'll excuse me," She said as she faded away.

"I really hate when she does that," Harper said to break the silence that remained after Rommie left.

"Harper, did you mean what you said, about loving me?" Trance finally asked.

Harper jumped down from where he sat.

"Yeah Trance, I did. When Gerentex shot you, I wanted to kill that rat with my bare hands. I can't stand to see you sad. I love you Trance, more than life itself," He told her as he gently stroked her face. "The only problem is, I don't know how you feel. If you don't love me, I don't know what I'd do. I mean, would we still be best friends, or would my admission of love ruin that? I haven't had anyone that I cared about so deeply since my parents died. The only thing I need to know is, how do you Trance Gemini, feel about me."

When he finished, he just stood there, waiting for her response. It was true. He had no idea what he'd do if she didn't love him. He didn't know if he could stand the pain of seeing her everyday and knowing that his love was not returned. The thought of losing his best friend was not one that he wanted to dwell on, so it was vital that Trance give him an answer, before his self destructive thoughts started and he thought about ending the pain of her lost friendship.

"Harper, I'm overwhelmed by all that. I never in all of my wildest dreams, thought that you would be standing here, telling me that you love me. Not only that, but saying that you threatened Dylan because he accused you of hurting me. When you say that you love me more than life itself, I can't help but feel the same about you. I ache to hold you, and make you better, and take away all your pain when you're sick. When I see you I want to hug you and never let you go. I want to protect you from the cruel universe, even though I can't, I'd like to try. Harper, I do love you. I love you with all my heart and soul and my entire being. I never want to be away from you, and I never want to think about being away from you either," She told him, tears forming in her eyes.

"Trance, what did I do to deserve someone as perfect as you?" Harper asked, not really wanting an answer.

"I don't know, but I know what you can do," She replied, an evil grin on her face.

"Really, and what's that?" He asked, confused by her sudden change.

"Kiss me."

"My pleasure," He said as he kissed Trance gently on the lips.

The kiss started gently at first, but then their passion took over and made it more than just a kiss. It had turned into a bonding of their souls, a union of all that they loved about the other, a hint of things to come.

They were interrupted by the sound of a throat being cleared. Pulling away from each other, they looked over and saw Dylan.

"Hi," was all he said.

"Hi Dylan, what can we do for you?" Harper asked as he and Trance stood side by side, still wrapped in each other's arms, both of them smiling.

"I wanted to apologize to both of you, for what happened earlier. Rommie told me that you told Trance what happened. I'm sorry for accusing you of taking advantage of her. I now know that you would never do that, I know that you would never hurt her. Trance, you are lucky to have someone who cares about you so much that he would go head to head with a stubborn fool and win. I wish you both the best of luck," Dylan said. He then turned and left Hydroponics.

"That was sweet of him," Trance said, a sappy grin on her face.

"Yeah it was, too bad Rommie and Beka made him do it," Harper replied with an equally sappy grin.

"Trance, I have something I want to ask you. This is a follow up question, I was only going to ask it if you said you loved me. But, here goes. Trance, my purple sparkly princess, my grape goddess, will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the universe?" He asked as he got down on one knee and presented her with a small diamond set into a platinum band.

"Of course Harper," She said as she grabbed him in a hug that robbed him of breath, but left him smiling.

AaAaA

Three months later they held a small wedding. The only attendees were the rest of the crew. Dylan, as Captain, would perform the ceremony.

The ceremony was to be held in Hydroponics, amid the trees and flowers. They had decided on a simple ceremony onboard the ship they called home.

Trance was dressed in a simply cut, yet elegant, white dress, her tail poking through a small hole cut just for it. She was wearing a small silver pendant around her neck. Harper had given it to her to wear at the wedding, and it looked to be quite old. The pendant was a small disk, about the size of a quarter with a Celtic design surrounding the center, inscribed with the words "Saeculorum Prosapia," family for all eternity. Nobody knew where Harper had gotten the pendant, and nobody really thought to ask at the time. A few days earlier, Trance finally had to ask him where he had gotten the pendant.

AaAaA

"Harper, can I ask you something?" Trance asked her fiancé as she entered the Machine Shop.

"Sure thing my love," Harper said as he pulled her into a hug.

"Where did you get the pendant?" She asked, feeling him tense when he heard the question.

"I was hoping that no one would ask, but if anyone did, I'm glad it was you," He said as he sighed and sat on his workbench, as Trance sat on the floor below him.

"Well, back when I was growing up on Earth, my mother used to sing me to sleep every night. My father would sit in the middle of the small hut that we lived in, repairing junk to sell. Sometimes he would join her, they sounded so nice together." Harper sighed in remembrance, a sad smile on his face.

"Anyway, when she would tuck me in, I would always notice a small shiny object around her neck. One night, when I was about 15, I asked her what it was. She pulled a small silver pendant from around her neck and handed it to me. 'It belonged to your Grandmother, Seamus, and her mother before her. It's been handed down through my side for the past 100 years. I got it from my mother, and someday I'll give it to you,' she said as she took the pendant and placed it back around her neck. She then kissed me goodnight and I went to sleep. A month later, my mother came to me and told me it was time for me to have her pendant. She told me that I was old enough to take care of it. She took it off and placed it around my neck, she then kissed my forehead and left the room. I went to bed a little confused, but proud. I was proud to be old enough to take care of my family's pendant. The next day both my parents were killed as I watched, hidden. They were killed by a party of Nietzschean slavers. My parents refused to give in to them. The Ubers wanted to take away any children and sell them. My parents had received word the night before and had shoved me into a nearby crate moments before the slavers arrived. I watched as the leader slit their throats one at a time. I finally understood why she had given me the pendant the night before, she knew that she and my father would both be dead the next day," Harper said, holding back the tears that threatened to escape.

"My uncle and cousins took me in after their deaths, a few years later my cousins started to die from various reasons. Some were killed by the Dragans, others by the Magog, some were killed by some of the plagues that swept through the camps at various times. Eventually, only my cousin Brendan and I were left alive. A few years after that I met Beka and Bobby and left Earth," He smiled, remembering how he had escaped from hell.

"You know, I think you would have liked Brendan. He had a great sense of humor, and was the kindest person that ever lived, a rarity on Earth." Harper stopped in thought and wrinkled his brow. "Come to think of it, you probably would have fallen in love with him instead of me."

"I'm sure he was very nice Harper, but there is no way that I could have fallen in love with him. I've known since I was a little girl that I would marry you, only I didn't know it was you until we met on the Maru. Thank you for telling me about the pendant, I know how much it means to you. I know how much I mean to you for you to give me the only thing you have left from your parents." She said, getting up from the floor and walking over to Harper. She could see that he was upset by his story, so she hugged him. Harper returned the hug as he buried his head on her shoulder and cried for his family.

AaAaA

Trance had to wipe a tear away from her eye as she remembered her conversation with Harper. Deep down inside that tough, hard, exterior that he showed the world was a man who had emotions. Deep inside, Harper was a man that needed to share his grief, before it overwhelmed him. When Harper had cried on her shoulder two days ago, she could sense that he had let go of some of the grief. Sadly, she knew that he held a lot more inside.

Turning her thoughts towards her wedding, Trance concentrated on getting her hair perfect. After all, you only have one wedding.

Harper had been persuaded to wear a tuxedo. The argument that apparently won was that this was his wedding day and he should look as good as his bride. The real reason was that Rommie had threatened to turn the heat off to the Machine Shop if he didn't wear the tux. In lieu of having a freezing workshop, Harper wore the tuxedo, amid much grumbling about a monkey suit.

The tuxedo was a traditional design that Rommie had found in her archives. The pattern had originated on Earth sometime before humanity could travel between stars. Harper had taken an instant liking to the simple design. He liked the way the tux was cut; it was perfectly tailored to fit his frame, not an easy thing to do.

As the time of the wedding grew near, Harper was getting more and more nervous. He knew that he was supposed to have 'cold-feet,' but he never thought it would be this bad.

Harper was waiting at the altar for Trance. They were all waiting for Trance. Harper was growing more agitated as the final minutes ticked down. Dylan placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Harper looked towards him and smiled.

Dylan was wearing a full dress High Guard uniform; he looked very intimidating. Harper glanced over at Rommie, who was wearing a similar uniform. On her it looked fantastic. With the colors setting off her complexion, Harper was truly awed by how beautiful her avatar looked.

'I am good,' He thought with a final look at Rommie, admiring his handiwork.

His eyes moved over to Tyr, who was sitting next to Beka. Tyr was wearing a closed leather vest and matching black leather pants. He had pulled Harper aside before the wedding to talk to him.

AaAaA

"Boy, I need a word with you," Tyr said at Harper's elbow, his sudden appearance startling the young man.

"Sure Tyr, what can I do for you?" Harper said as the Droid finished tying his bow tie.

"I wished to tell you something before you marry the purple one. You know that I do not particularly like you." At Harper's smirk and nod, he continued, "However, as a wedding present to you and Trance I wish to tell you something." Tyr paused, trying to find the words he wanted.

"Boy, at times you are insufferable, egotistical, and almost get us killed on a regular basis. However, there are also rare moments when you manage to, somehow save the ship and us along with it. Now, here is your wedding present." Tyr took a ceremonial dagger from a pocket and gave it Harper. When Harper saw Tyr pull a knife he was afraid for his life, then he saw it was sheathed.

"This blade has both of your names engraved on it. It is Kodiak tradition to use a wedding blade such as this to draw a little blood from the man and woman. The blood mixes on the blade and acts as a symbol of their unity. Use it or not, the choice is yours."

"Thank you Tyr. I'll ask Trance about performing the ritual," Harper told the other man as he took the blade.

Tyr only grunted and left, leaving Harper to continue dressing.

AaAaA

Harper hadn't had a chance to ask Trance himself, so he sent Rommie to do it. When Rommie explained the tradition, Trance agreed to perform the ritual if Harper was willing.

Harper wasn't too sure he liked the idea, but Tyr had given it to them, and they needed to do this for Tyr. He needed a family, and if this was his tradition, then they will hold to it.

'Tyr is family,' Harper thought as he stood, waiting for Trance, keeping the blade safely tucked away in his coat pocket.

AaAaA

A few minutes later, after Harper had sufficient time to sweat, Rommie entered Hydroponics, sprinkling rose pedals on the ground in front of her. Trance slowly entered behind her.

Trance had a veil over her face as she was led down the aisle by Rev. Trance had asked the Wayist to give her away. He was the closest thing to a father that she had and agreed on the spot.

As they slowly made their way towards Harper, he had time to wonder how he'd been lucky enough to capture this remarkable woman. When Trance approached Harper, she could see how nervous he was not that she wasn't nervous herself, she was just hiding it better.

When Trance arrived in front of Dylan, Rev left her side and took a seat beside Rommie.

Taking Harper's hand and smiling at him, she and Harper turned towards Dylan.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here this day to join together these two individuals. These two gathered before me, have both lived remarkable lives. Even though much of those lives are hidden from us. Even with the hidden parts of their lives, we know that they have both seen things that no one should be made to witness. It is a wonder that after finally escaping from Earth, Harper would find true happiness. As is the same for Trance, who came to us from we know not where. They have written their vows and will now recite them. Harper, Trance," Dylan said gesturing to the couple.

"Well, Trance. What can I say about you? I am not a man who shows his feelings, having never allowed my emotions to surface for fear of someone getting close. But you, you broke past the barriers that I had in place and made a home in my heart. I'll never forget the first time I saw you, I couldn't take my eyes off of you. You had looked at me, and somehow, I knew that we'd be best friends, forever. You are the one to take care of me when I'm sick, but with these vows, I swear that I'll take care of you. I'll protect you from all that appears to harm you, I'll love you when you need comfort. I'll cherish you until I draw my dying breath, nobody will ever be held higher than you, and you're beyond compare. When you touch me it's indescribable. I could go on and on, but I'll only say one more thing. The love that you give will forever be passed on by those you influence. I thank you for loving me, I am a better person for knowing you," Harper said as he finished his vows to Trance.

Trance was looking up at him with absolute joy in her eyes. She then began to speak.

"Harper, you are the love of my life. You are the missing piece of my heart that I have been searching for. When I first met you, I knew that you were different from the other humans I'd met. For one, you were the first that had a data port. But it was more than that, when I looked at you I sensed your kindness and love. I also sensed a deep longing to be loved by someone who wouldn't leave you. You didn't see me until I signed onto the Maru, but I saw you before that. I watched you when you first stepped off the Maru into the docking bay, I knew right away that I had to serve on that ship. I followed you until I learned that Beka was in charge and looking for an ES officer. I told her I could do that and she hired me and introduced me to you. Harper, you are the reason that I joined the Maru, you are the reason that I stayed. I've had a dream since I was a child. In that dream, I saw the person that I would spend the rest of my life with. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a small metal disk on his neck, only later would I know it was a data port. When I saw you disembark, I knew that you were the man in my dreams and I had to do anything to be with you. You are my best friend and my greatest source of joy. I thank you for caring enough about me to protect me in anyway that you can. When you spoke of our being instant friends, you speak of two souls that have been looking for each other and never knew it. I've been looking for you for all my life, and you've been looking for me." Trance paused to look at Harper. She smiled and continued.

"You spoke of protecting me from all that tries to hurt me, I will protect you from all your demons, now and forever. I will keep you safe and healthy, so that you may live a long time. Harper. I promise that I'll make you feel happy and loved until we both draw our last breaths," Trance said. As she finished, tears flowed unnoticed down her cheeks.

Harper, however, did notice the tears, and he reached his hand up and gently wiped them away.

Dylan, wiping a tear from his own eye, stepped forward and performed the final part of the wedding.

"Seamus Z. Harper, you have stated here, before those assembled, your love for this woman, is this the truth?"

"It is," Harper replied.

"Trance Gemini, you have stated your love for this man, is this the truth?" Dylan repeated.

"It is," Trance said.

"Then by the powers vested in me by the Commonwealth, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Before you kiss the bride, you have something you would like to do," Dylan said as he stepped down from the altar.

Harper removed the knife from his pocket and handed it to Trance.

"It is a tradition of the Kodiak pride that the man and woman, on their wedding day, perform a ritual that bonds them together forever. The ritual of the dagger," Harper said as he pulled the blade from the sheath.

"With this blade I symbolize my undying love for you," He said as he cut a slice into his palm, and handed the dagger to Trance.

"And I too perform this act, symbolizing my undying love for you," She cut her palm as well and placed the bloody blade back into the sheath. Rommie came forward and quickly bandaged the cuts.

"The joining of our blood on this dagger symbolizes the joining of our hearts, our souls, our bodies, our blood as one, now and forever," Harper said as he gave Trance a kiss, ending the wedding.

The kiss was short but passionate, a mere offering to each other of what lay ahead of them.

As Harper kissed Trance, Beka let out a sigh. When they broke the kiss, Trance turned around and threw the bouquet into the hands of Beka, completely surprising her.

"That means you're next," Harper told her, with a look at Tyr, as he and Trance passed by the shocked Captain.

As one, Harper and Trance walked down the aisle and led to others to the Observation Deck and the reception waiting there.

AaAaA

At the reception, there was music and food. The Obs. Deck had been transformed into a party palace. All the food you can eat and a dance floor, who could ask for more? Trance and Harper were inseparable, as they should be. The wedding dagger was once again in Harper's pocket.

"Did you see Tyr's face when you removed the dagger?" Trance asked her husband.

"Yeah, he seemed almost, proud. I'm glad that we could give him some of his tradition back. After all, he's like family," Harper said as he and Trance sat, watching the others talk.

Dylan then came over to where they sat, wrapped in each other's arms.

"Hey you two, it's time to cut the cake. Then you guys are going to have the first dance," He said, getting them up and moving towards the table with the cake.

Harper and Trance eyed the 2-tier cake. Rommie had spent several hours making it from scratch.

Harper and Trance took hold of the knife and cut into the cake, together. They then placed the first piece of cake on a plate, once again, together. After that, Dylan took over, cutting enough cake for all to have a piece. When there were enough pieces for all, Harper and Trance fed a piece to each other.

Harper gently fed the marbled cake to his wife, trying not to choke her with it. Trance did the same, not wanting to have to save Harper's life on their wedding night. Then she accidentally pushed the cake into Harper's face. When she did, the hand holding the cake to her mouth jerked and smushed the cake into her face as well. They both started laughing. Every one else was then given a piece of cake, and Harper and Trance were given a towel. They continued laughing the whole time.

When it came time for the traditional first dance, the song that started it all, their last dance at Dylan's party, began to play. As Harper and Trance walked towards the dance floor for their slow dance, they reflected on how accurate the words had turned out to be.

I've got a funny feeling
The moment that your lips touched mine
Something shot right through me
My heart skipped a beat in time

There's a different feel about you tonight
It's got me thinkin' lots of crazy things
I even think I saw a flash of light
It felt like electricity

They're all watchin' us now
They think we're falling in love
They'd never believe we're just friends
When you kiss me like this
I think you mean it like that
If you do maybe kiss me again

"I'm so happy that we're finally married," Harper breathed into Trance's ear.

"Why is that?" She breathed back, noticing that he missed a spot of icing. Smiling slightly, she anticipated removing it when they were alone.

"Because now I can sleep in the same bed as you and Dylan can't say a thing," He said, teasing the High Guard Captain. Trance laughed softly, not wanting to take away from the dance.

"Trance, do you think the words to this song are accurate?" Harper asked as they slowly danced in circles.

"Yeah I do," She said.

"Good, then you won't mind if I tell you something. 'I think you mean it like that. If you do baby kiss me again,'" As he repeated the lines from the song, she was happy to oblige him.

They kissed, a tender loving kiss that lasted only a few seconds, but spoke volumes of the love they shared.

Everybody swears we make the perfect pair
But dancing is as far as it goes
Girl you've never moved me quite
The way you moved me tonight
I just wanted you to know
I just wanted you to know

When the song ended, Harper and Trance made their goodnights and retired to their quarters to start their life together. The presents would wait till morning.

AaAaA

As they walked down the corridor towards their quarters, Harper put his arm around her waist, and she put her arm around his. When they reached their quarters, Harper picked Trance up and carried her through the doorway, her tail inches above the floor.

"Harper?" She asked as he stepped through the door, allowing it to close behind him.

"Yeah?" He replied as he slowly walked over to the bed and gently placed Trance on it.

"Promise me you'll never leave me?" She asked, looking up at him with shining eyes.

"I promise love, I'll never leave you as long as I live and longer," He promised.

"Good," She said as she pulled him on to the bed and kissed him, happy to live each day with him until the end of time.

AaAaA

Fin