By Erin_Cale
Disclaimer: See first part.
Dylan sat watching Beka eat. She didn�t seem to have much of an appetite but that was normal, considering the worries on her mind. Of course, that didn�t mean that he was going to let her get out of eating this much-needed meal. Even as he sipped his coffee, he kept remembering all that Harper had done for not only him, but for Andromeda, for Beka, and for the rest of the crew. Even though the young engineer could get somewhat annoying at times, Dylan didn�t want to see him die.
�I don�t want Harper to die, Dylan.�
He looked up to see Beka looking at him sadly, her fork laying on her plate forgotten. For a split second, he wondered how she had read his mind.
�He�s the closest thing I have to family. I�ve known him for a long time.�
�I know.�
�There were so many times that I wanted to throw him off of the ship when he first came onboard. Even now, there are occasionally times when he just gets to be too much.�
Dylan permitted himself a small grin. �Yes, I know.�
Beka shook her head. �I need to start thinking about something else. Any ideas?�
�Hmm.� Dylan thought about it for a moment before coming up with something. �I�ve heard that you are naturally a redhead.�
�Yes. Let me guess, you want to see my hair in its natural color.�
Dylan grinned sheepishly. �Yeah.�
�Okay.� Beka closed her eyes and ran her hands over her hair for effect. By the time that her hands had reached the back of her head, her hair was a rich shade of red.
�Wow. Why don�t you ever, uh, why don�t you keep your hair like that?�
�Bad memories. My hair was red when my father died and when Bobby left. It seems like my natural color brings nothing but bad luck when I actually try it for a day or longer.� There was a pause. Neither really knew what to say next, but Beka finally came up with something. �I don�t like this Dylan. I feel so helpless. It�s not a feeling I�m used to.�
�Not one I�m used to either, but there�s nothing we can do.�
Beka rubbed her temple with one hand, then let a smile flicker briefly over her face. �Here I am talking about Harper and I just finished saying that I needed to talk about something else.� She looked at him as if suddenly getting an idea. �Tell me what life was like, Dylan, before all of this. Tell me about where you lived, your family, your best friend, what first attracted you to the High Guard- I don�t care, as long as you tell me about something.�
Dylan took a deep breath. �Well, I lived on Tarn Vedra, as you know. I knew that I wanted to be in the High Guard when I first saw the Empress in a parade as a little boy. She was surrounded by High Guard bodyguards and they each had force lances that had just been shined and the sun hit one of them just right.... Well, it caught my eye and I decided then and there that I wanted to be part of the High Guard, if for nothing else than the shiny guns.�
Beka smiled, letting her mind wander to the image of a little kid sitting on his dad�s shoulders, watching as the parade passed him by. �I bet you were cute as a kid.�
Dylan chuckled just a little. �And I�m not cute now?�
Beka blushed. �That�s not what I-�
�I know what you meant.�
�Good. I mean, not to say that you aren�t cute now, just that you must have been- I�m gonna shut up.� Beka blushed an even brighter shade of red. Dylan�s smile widened in response.
�Let�s see. Okay, you want embarrassing? Well, there�s the fact that I almost failed my final test to get into the High Guard. Passed by one point and only because one of my instructors took pity on me.�
�You?� Beka asked, more than a little relieved to be away from a subject that would make her blush. �The Almighty Dylan Hunt, Fighter for the Wrongly Accused, Defender of Justice, and Overall Doer of Good Deeds almost failed to have the actual right to do so?�
�Yup.�
�Does Rommie know about this?�
�Not until now, since I didn�t engage privacy mode.�
�Darn. I wanted to be the one to tell her.�
All of a sudden, Andromeda�s hologram shimmered into being in front of them. Beka took one look at her and her temporary smile disappeared while her hair (almost unconsciously on her part) returned to its usual blond shade.
�Andromeda?� Dylan asked. �What is it?�
�Harper, he�s�� The hologram looked down, causing Beka to open her mouth in shock.
�No, he can�t be dead.�
�He�s not dead yet, but he�s taken a turn for the worse. I�m sorry, Beka.�
�No.� Together she and Dylan ran out of the Mess, leaving their food sitting cold on the table.
***