SquidgeWorld Archive

Rommie watched the others dance to the swing music she reactivated for Harper and smiled.

If Rommie had heard Trance's words correctly, then she might not see them this happy again. But she bobbed her head to the music all the same for a few moments before leaving them to their celebration on Command.

From her droid she could see Dylan and Trance dancing together, Tyr and Beka in a slight embrace as Beka tried to teach Tyr how to dance, and Harper's smiling face as he twirled her droid and gave it a peck on the side of its face. Rommie concentrated her droid's sensors and reactions on dancing with him for the moment.

If her droid had lips, she'd use them to kiss back. Rommie blinked and found that thought puzzling as she walked down away from Command.

Turning a corner, she walked down one of the long corridors towards the nearest Machine Shop to check her avatar for damage. She picked up one of Harper's scanning devices and ran a diagnostic. Other than a residual tingle from the overload which should go away in a day or two, she was fine. Rommie frowned.

Did she really hear Beka correctly when Beka said Harper was hopelessly in love with her? She played back images from her memory files recorded earlier that day, Castalia, Earth, and Machen Alpha in an effort to process something that was nagging at her processors.

Rommie put her hands to her mouth as she analyzed what she was processing. How in the name of the Empress could she have been so blind? And what was she going to say to him if it turned out to be true, that Harper was in love with her? Rommie tried to think laterally. First thing she probably needed was confirmation from Beka, and then she needed advice on what to do. Which meant maybe talking to Dylan or her other selves about how she should proceed.

She put the device down and turned, about to leave the Machine Shop in search of Beka when she saw Dylan standing with his arms crossed in the doorway. "Hi."

"Hi. I thought you were with the others on Command."

Dylan smirked. "Trance wanted to check on the status of her plants in Hydroponics and I don't think Harper would have said yes if I had asked him for a spin around the Command Deck."

Rommie smiled. "Oh, I don't know. He seemed to have been getting a bit bored with my droids."

Dylan nodded and came closer. "So, Harper told me you couldn't see the Maru after we ejected the AP tanks into the Cetus."

Rommie nodded. "We... I thought you were dead."

"Yeah, I used all the fuel for that first explosion. Was it your idea to eject the slipstream drive into it?"

Rommie bit her lip. "It was Beka and Harper's, but Harper didn't want to use it. He had another option that would have gotten us out of the Cetus, but it wouldn't have saved Savion. In the end, Tyr ejected the slipstream drive from Command just as I had managed to convince Harper to do it for me."

"Tyr ejected the drive?"

"At Beka's urging."

"Will wonders never cease? Well, it was still a move I would have wanted you to make. I just wanted to say I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, sir." Rommie looked down at the floor as if unsure of something.

"Something wrong, Rommie?"

Rommie shook her head. "I... Harper thought that the reason why I wanted to eject my slipstream drive was because I didn't want to live when I thought you were dead."

"He mentioned it. Do you want to talk about that?"

Rommie looked down at the bench before sitting on it. She motioned for Dylan to join her. "We've talked about my fear of losing you before. I'd be a liar if I said that it wouldn't hurt like hell if you had died. Only now there is more to it than that. If you are all gone, or we fail to restore the Commonwealth, who will be here to give me purpose?"

Dylan smiled. "Don't worry about it, Rommie. I've spoken to Beka and Harper about what to do with you in case, Divine forbid, I die. They will inherit you in my will in the event of there being no Commonwealth and your caretakers if there is one. Rommie, it's normal to care about us. Believe me that is a good thing, and part of what it means to be alive."

Wow. Rommie fiddled with an odd part in her hands nervously. Since Dylan was here, she could ask his advice. "Dylan, did you know that... that Harper feels..."

Dylan sighed and nodded. "Yes, I think he does. I wasn't sure if you knew, so I didn't want to say anything."

Rommie blinked. "How did you... Wait a minute. That's not the response I expected from you."

"Yeah, I know. But I also remember how close you said you were to him." Dylan leaned back on his hands, looking uncharacteristically casual. Apparently she wasn't the only one to have changed in the past two years. "So, do you...?"

Rommie shook her head. "I don't know. To be honest with you, I guess I never really thought Harper was serious before today. It's funny really, with a brain my size, you'd think I'd be able to determine if my engineer means it when he says he loves me."

"He's told you this himself?"

"Only once, back during out trip to Earth. I thought he was just bragging his achievements again."

"Do you want me to go talk to him?"

"No, I should do it. I just don't know what to say to him yet."

"Rommie, I'm not going to tell you if I think this is against protocol. It's technically not. Harper isn't an officer of the Commonwealth. But I will give you this piece of advice. Don't string Harper along if you don't think you can return his feelings. You'll only lose a close friend if you do."

Rommie nodded, wondering if this was what Dylan had been thinking when he realized she loved him, but he couldn't return the favor. Dylan put an arm around Rommie's waist.

Rommie settled her gaze, without blinking, on her Captain and leaned forward, planting a kiss on his left cheek. Dylan didn't move a muscle. A year ago, she would have expected him to flinch. "Thank you."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Dylan smiled at her.

Rommie hopped off the table, the part still in her hand, and left Dylan in the shop. She had some thinking to do.

---------

"Okay Trance, put those parts down over there." Harper dropped his box of parts and arched his back. Trance followed suit. "Thanks, Goldie. I owe you one."

"Harper, couldn't this wait until tomorrow? I mean, it's been a long day." Trance tilted her head.

"I'm just gonna start the assembly process for the new drive. It won't take long." Harper started to sort through the parts, putting them in order across the floor of the engine room.

"You're sure you don't need me for anything?"

"No, I got it." Harper started to place the parts down in front of him. "So was Dylan really going to eject the Maru's slipcore to save us?"

"Yes," said Trance. "Luckily for us, you were able to get the Andromeda out before we did."

Harper smirked. "You know, I didn't want her to do eject that drive. Injecting antiprotons would have done the job. But she begged me to help her eject the slipcore. Doesn't matter though, in the end Tyr did it for the both of us."

Trance nodded. "So you wouldn't have ejected the slipcore for her?"

"That's just it, Trance. I would have, but only for her." Harper looked down at the area where the core used to be. He held out his arm in front of Trance. "Look at these goose bumps. I can't believe I get the chance to build a new slipstream drive for Rommie, Trance. I think I'm in heaven."

Trance shook her head. "You would find a ship without a slipstream drive to be heaven, wouldn't you?"

"You better believe it. Well, I got my six pack of Sparky, munchies, and plenty of music. I'm all set for some assembly time. Thanks again, Trance." Harper went on with his work.

"Don't stay up." She walked out.

Harper sighed and got to work, laying out all the parts he had in stock for the new slipcore assembly. He needed a few additional pieces but he could at least get started on it until Beka went out with the Maru for supplies. When he heard a noise behind him a few minutes later, Harper assumed it was Trance. "I said I'm set, Trance. You can go to bed now."

"I don't sleep, Harper. It's not in my programming," Rommie said.

Harper turned, looking a bit startled. "Oh. Hi, Rommie."

"Hi. Need some help?" Rommie came closer and sat down. She still wore her sailor outfit from earlier in the day. She watched him closely.

"No thanks, I got it. You know, if that outfit were green, I'd ask you to take me to Neverland in search of the Lost Boys," Harper said, rummaging in one of the boxes of parts. "Where did I put that replacement lens?"

Rommie held out the part she was fiddling with earlier. "Neverland?"

Harper took the part and Rommie sat down. "Thanks. Look, I wanted to say thank you for putting the swing music back on earlier. I mean, after we got out of the Cetus and everything."

Rommie started to assemble a few pieces. "It was the least I could do for having you protect me from Tyr."

"You were aware when that happened?"

Rommie nodded. "I couldn't respond, but I heard everything you said, I think."

Harper looked down and blushed. "Everything?"

"Even the words 'She needs me' before Beka convinced you to go retrieve manual control." Rommie put a hand on his shoulder. It was shaking slightly. "I just wanted to thank you before I forget."

Harper smirked. "But you never forget anything. Not unless you erase it on purpose."

"Well no, but I don't thank you as often as I should either."

"Well I told you I wasn't going to let the Cetus hurt you. Same goes for Tyr, baby."

Rommie smiled briefly before she thought of Harper trying to take Tyr in a fight and shuddered. "He'd probably do you some serious damage, Seamus. I wouldn't want you to get hurt over me like that."

"Don't worry about it, Rommie, I'm annoying but Tyr wouldn't have hurt me. I'm his personal weeble wobble." Harper noticed Rommie was shaking. "Are you alright?"

"I'm still feeling a bit tingly from the effects the Cetus had on me."

"You want me to take a look at it?"

Rommie faked a deep breath. "You're busy. It can wait."

"No, it's okay Rommie. Come on." Harper stood and helped Rommie stand up before heading to the nearest Machine Shop.

-------------------

Once they got to the Machine shop, Rommie sat down on the spare cot while Harper started to run a diagnostic on her. Rommie stayed still as he worked, trying to collect her thoughts from earlier in the day. She wasn't sure what she was going to say, but she needed to know if what Beka said was true. What she was going to do or say next hinged on his reply.

"Well, there's nothing wrong physically other than some trouble with your avatar regulating internal temperature control. Your processors are still a bit overloaded, but that's to compensate for the radiation. You need some repair work, but hey, what else is new?"

"I know. I've been fixed with spare parts so many times I'm beginning to feel like Frankenstein's Monster."

"Don't say that Rommie. You were gorgeous when I met you, and you're gorgeous now. You know what they say about fine wine. It matures with age."

"It's little wonder then why I'm not boarded by scavengers and Nietzcheans wanting to take me away from you more often." Rommie looked up at Harper and noticed the circles under his eyes. "You look tired."

"Yeah, a bit. But I don't have to go to sleep yet." Harper concentrated on his scans. Rommie looked down on the floor. She though she may as well come out with it.

"Harper, I need to ask you something."

"Sure doll. Ask me anything."

"Beka said... Beka said on Command, while I was still trying to shut down my core AI, that you were in love with me." Rommie settled her gaze on Harper. "Is that true?"

Harper put down the scanner slowly and sat on the cot next to Rommie. His face was red, and she could tell his respiration and breathing rate were suddenly rising. He wasn't looking at her, however. "Rommie, I... Look, I know what you're about to say. You really care about me but I'm like a brother to you, right?'

"Harper..."

"That's okay, really. It's cool." He laughed nervously. "It's not like it isn't painfully obvious that you have this thing for Captain Terrific, I mean, if I were a girl he'd turn my head too..."

"Harper..." Rommie was smiling at him.

"So there is no way that you'd even consider looking at me as more than your Engineer."

Rommie shook her head. It was time to take action before he ran out of the Machine Shop. "Privacy lock on Machine Shop 25, Access Code Andromeda One Four Break Seven Five."

Harper got up and started walking towards the door. "Who was I kidding anyway? A drop dead gorgeous warship like you would never look at me like you look at Dylan..." he punched a few keys before he realized he was locked in." Did you just put a privacy lock on the Machine Shop?"

"I was wondering when you'd notice." Rommie crossed her arms, trying to look serious. Harper turned around and leaned against the doorway, looking at Rommie. His face turned redder. Rommie stepped close to him and sighed. "Harper, just answer my question."

Harper looked down on the floor and nodded.

"Let's get one thing straight about Captain Terrific. Dylan's my captain, the one thing I have left from my life before the black hole, and probably the only captain to serve on me who has ever treated me like an officer first and his ship second." Rommie stared at the floor. "He usually has me play Go with him at three in the morning when he couldn't sleep. Before you even met him, he used to have this annoying habit of jumping off ladders to see if I could catch him with the anti gravity harness. It drove me nuts. His nose leans three millimeters too far to his left and his right eye is one and half millimeters too high to be as ascetically pleasing to me as you seem to think. He snores in his sleep, and throws his socks on the floor just like you do. In short, Harper, Dylan is the closest thing I have to family, and while I do love him I'm not in love with him. Any feeling I had in that direction ended with Gabriel." Rommie reached out and touched Harper's cheek gently, then stepped forward and leaned in so her forehead was touching his.

She felt Harper's hands come to rest on her hips, as if on instinct. But he still wasn't looking at her.

"When you were infested with the larvae, I told Dylan that I was closer to you than any engineer I ever had, closer than any other officer that's ever served on me. When I said that, I included Dylan. I meant it when you were dying, and I mean it now." Rommie leaned up against Harper, pressing him against the doorway.

Harper moved his head, and Rommie rested her own head on his shoulder. She felt his body shudder. Harper whispered, "But you don't love me, do you?"

"You're wrong, Harper. I do. It's just not the same way it is with Dylan, or with Gabriel. And it is not the way I'd feel for a brother."

"It's not?"

"No, it isn't. It's... just different." Rommie felt Harper's grip tighten around her waist. She noted his breathing rate increase slightly, smiled and lifted her head.

Harper just stared back at her.

Finally she said, "You're not going to do it, are you?"

"Do what?"

"This," Rommie said before she kissed him. Harper stayed still for a moment, and then began to kiss back. His hand trailed up her spine as the kiss deepened.

Harper's lips were a bit softer than she assumed they would be, but he could have put Gabriel's kisses to shame. There was a hint of carbonated water and synthetic corn syrup in the way Harper tasted... Rommie felt a tingling sensation in the pit of her abdomen and along the skin where Harper's hand was moving. She wondered why it had taken her so long to notice how he felt.

Rommie's hologram materialized behind them and made a sound like she was clearing her throat. When Harper and Rommie ignored her, she did it a second time. Rommie broke the kiss and turned to look at her.

"Dylan's looking for you. He can't sleep again."

"Uh...you can partition a part of us into a maintenance droid and have it play Go with him. Tell him I'm..." Rommie looked at Harper and smiled. "I'm in the process of being repaired."

The hologram rolled her eyes. "You know I hate playing Go with Dylan when he can't sleep. It's boring."

"Please."

"Oh, alright. But you're handling environmental controls tomorrow." The hologram winked out. Harper and Rommie broke into a fit of giggles.

"I don't think I've ever seen that part of you so upset before," he whispered.

"She... we really can't stand Go. And since that part of me has never had to deal with physical and emotional reactions, she doesn't always know how to tell Dylan no. I feel bad for her sometimes but she teases me more than my core AI."

"You tease yourself. You know how freaky that sounds?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Is your hologram going to tease you about kissing me?"

"Not necessarily."

"How about if I did it like this then?" Harper cupped her face with his hands and kissed her again, as if he was putting all his concentration into it. Rommie took two steps backwards, and Harper followed, not breaking the kiss.

Rommie thanked her lucky stars she didn't need to breathe or she would have forgotten how. This time that feeling in her stomach traveled to her knees. She broke the kiss.

"That might warrant a comment," she said.

"Just one comment?" Harper moved his lips down her neck. Rommie backed up and tripped backwards onto the cot, taking Harper with her. She looked down at where the two of them landed relative to each other.

"Harper, if you're going to end up face down on my chest like that, couldn't we at least both get comfortable on the cot first. Kneeling like that has got to be hard on the knees."

Harper sat back on his heels on the floor, grinning up at Rommie. "Well, if I'm going to have my head against your chest, as you put it ..."

Rommie rolled her eyes at Harper. "Please tell me you've never used a line like that on your dates."

Harper blushed. "Well... Okay, I did."

Rommie smirked as she watched Harper stand up. "And you wondered why they seemed so confused?"

Harper faked a laugh. "Nah, they were just in awe of my charms." Harper sat down on the cot and leaned over to kiss Rommie before lying down beside her. Rommie ran her hand under his shirt and rubbed his stomach gently. "So, now what?"

Physical comfort wasn't an issue to Rommie. She pressed her body back against the wall to allow him room. "Now, we just take things as slow or as fast as we're comfortable with."

"In that case..." Harper sat back up and pulled his shirt over his head before helping Rommie with her clothes.

---------------

Dylan was in the process of setting up the Go board while he waited for Rommie to arrive. When the doors to his quarters swished open, he didn't turn around. "Thanks for coming on such short notice. This should help me get to sleep in no time. I'll be ready with the board in a minute."

"My avatar isn't coming, sir."

Dylan turned around and looked. It was a maintenance droid. "Why?

Her hologram materialized next to the android. "My avatar is being repaired due to some of the effects on her systems from the Cetus. While she is functioning within safety margins, she is having trouble controlling her internal temperature settings. I took
the liberty of partitioning a piece of myself into a maintenance droid for this game instead."

"Oh. Yeah, I could play with the droid." Dylan smiled. "How long will it take for Harper to complete the repairs on Rommie?"

"Most of the night. He needs to inspect most of my avatar's circuitry once he's done to make sure there are no more problems with her systems."

"Uh uh... So, has she had her talk with Harper?"

"She's having it as we speak, Dylan. Harper is nearly at good as multi-tasking as I am." The maintenance droid sat down to play. "So, would you like to go first?"

Dylan sat down. The hologram switched into miniature mode and positioned itself right on the board. "No, you can go first." Dylan studied the hologram's face as she had the droid move a piece. "You don't seem too happy about this."

"I am happy, sir."

Dylan tilted his head. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Dylan, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"Can we... can we play something other than Go? I'd like a change of pace."

"You don't want to play Go?"

"Not tonight. I don't feel up to it."

Dylan shrugged. "Okay. You pick a game."

------------

Rommie ran her fingers through Harper's hair as he slept, cradling his head against her chest. She smiled as she watched him snuggle closely to her in his sleep. She knew she had to wake him up soon for the morning shift. She didn't want to leave yet, and they still had time.

She'd never realized how young Harper could look while he was sleeping. But as she traced her fingers lightly over the scars on his back and shoulders, she knew better.

At least in terms of battle damage, Harper had been though as much as she had, if not more so.

Her internal clock told her it was time to wake him. "Harper?"

"Hmmm?"

"It's time to wake up."

Harper opened his eyes and gave her a look. "What time is it?"

"Zero seven hundred. We both have a shift in another hour or so."

Harper closed his eyes. "Do we have to get up?"

"Well, I could run a maintenance droid to do my tasks from here, but you can't."

"If you give me my jack that won't be true. Then I can get one of your bots to do my job for me too."

Rommie kissed Harper's forehead. "Do you want Dylan overriding the command lock?"

"No." Harper started planting kisses along Rommie's neckline. "But since we do have another hour..." Rommie felt Harper push her down into the cot. As he kissed her deeply, she heard her hologram materialize behind him.

Rommie looked, and saw her hologram roll her eyes before winking out.