Of Love, Mayhem and new Beginnings

 

Chapter 1

Telemachus Rhade was bored.
He was very bored.
And a bored Nietzschean was never a good thing. His sisters-in-law told him
that it could only end in disaster but he couldn’t help it.
He was off-duty, without another shift for at least eight hours.
Rhade had tried reading, meditating, weight training, and yet he was still
bored. Nothing seemed to work him up from his temporary lethargy.
At least he hoped it was temporary.
He had been walking Andromeda’s decks for over thirty minutes now trying to
figure out what to do with his time.
He couldn’t stare at an empty Go board like Dylan and call that
entertaining, nor could he tinker around with pieces of scrap metal trying
to make a working machine out of them like Harper could. Rhade didn’t feel
like pruning plants like Trance, he supposed there was challenge in getting
the lengths and design right but he couldn’t see how. Rommie had her other
two selves to keep her busy when not on Command or she was with Harper or
Trance, both of whom were on duty. So that left…
Beka.
Rhade stopped walking to think. They both had the same shifts this week, so
when he was off-duty…so was she…
The woman confusing. She was frustrating. She was also cute when angry.
A slow smile spread across his face.
“Andromeda, where’s Beka?”
“She is currently aboard the Maru,” said the ship.
“Thank you.”
And with that Rhade turned around and started to walk in the Maru’s hanger
direction. Why didn’t he think of it before?
His smile turned into a smirk as his mind started to plot all sorts of
things.
What a way to turn his boredom around. Beka was always fun.
And what better way to become entertained than playing his fun, new game:
Annoying Beka.
She probably wouldn’t like it but hey, an angry Beka was quite the turn on.
Rhade hummed happily to himself as his day started to look up.

Chapter 2

Beka Valentine was annoyed.
She was extremely annoyed.
And said annoyance came in the form of a 6’1” hot as hell Nietzschean that
she didn’t find attractive in the least.
She didn’t.
Really.
And now just confirmed it.
He had come on the Maru to ‘see what she was doing’ or so he said. After
that Beka had become suspicious. Since when had Rhade ever come to ‘see what
she was doing’. She had felt a tiny bit guilty for suspecting him of
something but encounters with others of his kind had taught her to be wary.
But she still felt guilty. Why? Even being Nietzschean who would have
suspected the goody-good academy pin-head?
She did.
She knew from the beginning that he wanted something and now looking back,
that something seemed to be how far he could push before she snapped at him.
When he first showed up his mere presence annoyed her, she had been in the
middle of a Dirk Sprocket novel and had to hide it. He already knew about
her mother, he didn’t need to know about Dirk.
Though upon hearing his explanation of being on the Maru she had to squash
the bubble inside that shouted at her that he was there to see *her*. There
was no one else on the Maru *but* her.
Unless he wasn’t planning on her being there so he could steal the Maru for
some sneaky, secret, Nietzschean mission, countered her inner skeptic, but
her inner romantic didn’t want to see things that way.
She was going to give him a break after all the times she snapped at him but
then the questions started.
So many questions.
He wouldn’t shut up. If he hadn’t been asking asinine questions she wouldn’t
have minded that much. He had such a nice voice that she could listen to it
all day.
She countered his questions as best she could and he relented, seemed to
pause.
And then came the bone-blades on metal.
Beka could really care less about his lame-ass excuses for doing that. It
was annoying and not a pleasant sound. With his “superior” hearing wouldn’t
it bother him too?
And then she figured it out.
He was trying to irritate her.
All hell broke loose when he found her holo-novel.
How dare he call it a trashy romantics excuse for a detective novel?
It pissed her off to no end.
And if Telemachus Rhade thought that getting hit over the head with it was
all she was going to do, he was sadly mistaken.
There were two things no one insulted in front of Rebeka B. Valentine:
The Maru and Dirk Sprocket.
Rhade had now done both.
He annoyed her, so now she’d annoy him.
Nothing short of some sweet irritating vengeance.

Chapter 3

Rhade couldn’t believe it.
Beka had managed to turn his own game against him and was now doing her best
to get even.
The worst of it being talking Andromeda into helping her get back at him.
How he had offended the warship he would never know. Though the most likely
cause, he thought, would be loyalty to the First Officer and maybe also a
woman thing.
Beka had been changing his weight settings in the gym, stealing his epic
books and replacing them with nursery rhymes, soaking his bed down with
water, and stealing his hair gel.
Damnable, beautiful woman.
Andromeda had obviously been overriding his door locks for Beka, and he also
noticed that all of his hot water had been turned off. Never again would he
step directly into the shower without first checking the temperature with
his hand. He really hadn't been in the mood for a freezing cold shower.
Andromeda was claiming innocence for all the mechanical problems he was
having. According to her she had glitches and bugs Harper needed to fix and
everything Rhade tried to access and malfunctioned had been a side effect of
some damage taken earlier in the day.
And of course, every time Beka came into Command on their shifts together,
she had nothing but a big, sweet smile waiting for him.
Dylan had commented once that he was glad to see Beka finally starting to
warm up to Telemachus.
He laughed.
If Dylan really knew what was going on, he would order Andromeda to stop
messing with Rhade’s systems and give lectures to both Beka and him on
ethics, order, and Commonwealth respect among the crew, blah, blah, blah,
etc.
Rahde would be damned before he went running to Dylan.
And he knew Beka would be too.
Dylan would, after all, ruin all the fun.

Chapter 4

Beka couldn’t believe it.
How had all of her carefully laid plans backfired on her like this? Nothing
she had done today had worked against Rhade. He had done nothing but smile
at her every time they saw each other.
And that had made her suspicious.
Always suspect a Nietzschean of doing suspicious deeds.
After some digging, she came to the conclusion that Rhade was getting help.
The only person that could suppress Andromeda’s sensors was Harper. He had
to be helping Rhade.
How could he betray her like this?
But after some Harper torture and threatening to turn him into a nano-welded
puddle of goo, his story was still the same.
He did not help Rhade get around Andromeda’s sensors. Everything was fine.
Nothing was missing, ask the war-babe herself.
After confirmation that Harper hadn’t tampered with Andromeda on Rhade’s
behalf, Beka called up security footage of Rhade avoiding her traps.
While searching for suspicious activity, Harper was informed of what was
going on. And after that, Beka regretted having told him. The engineer was
now laying on the floor laughing his ass of as Andromeda confirmed
everything the First Officer and Commander had been doing to each other for
the past few weeks.
“Ah ha!” yelled Beka suddenly.
“What?”
“There! That’s how he’s been doing it! Damn you Trance!” The security file
showed Trance pointing Rhade down a safe corridor free of Beka’s traps. The
golden goddess then had the audacity to look up at Andromeda’s security
monitor and wave at them.
“Andromeda, where’s Rhade?”
“Deck Nineteen.”
“Think your sprinklers could have a malfunction?”
“No.”
“And why not?”
“Dylan just walked up to Rhade.”
“Damn you Dylan!” Beka left the Machine Shop and headed to Rhade’s quarters.
She’d wait for him there.
They were due for a talk.
>>>
“Beka.”
“Rhade.”
Rhade had come down the corridor to see Beka sitting against the door to his
room. She stood immediately when she saw him, crossed her arms, and set him
with a steely glare.
As he looked at her, he knew that hewas right before all of this had
started...she was cute when she was mad.
And there was no time like the present…
>>>
Idiot.
He was just looking at her.
Why was he just looking at her?
Maybe she should start.
Beka continued to glare at him. How dare he look at her with those gorgeous
hazel eyes…that she could care less about. And just standing there in
that…very tight...shirt…with muscles she didn’t care to notice...no, she did
not...no...very...nice.
Blinking, Beka stepped forward and shoved a finger at his chest. She let out
a huff of annoyance as he caught her hand in his and grabbed her other one
as she went to free her trapped hand. Both her hands were now in his.
“You know you--” Her words were cut off by Rhade leaning down to kiss her.

Chapter 5

What had started out as boredom and annoyance had turned itself into
something better than Rhade could have hoped for.
It had been 2 weeks since Beka met him at his room's entrance and what
happened after he kissed her surprised even him.
A dam seemed to break and Beka had thrown her arms around his neck, kissing
him thouroughly. Some blind walking later found them in his room, clothes
being flung in ever direction as they fell into bed.
He now lay contently in Beka's bed on the Maru, sheet pulled up to his
waist, and one arm behind his head, waiting for Beka to return with food.
He had offered to go to the kitchenette for her but she had offered him some
excuse of not wanting him to move when she came back.
Women. Such wonderful, confusing creatures.
Rhade looked up at the door when his hearing picked up her humming. He
smiled as she stopped in the doorway and leant against the frame. Plate in
one hand, impish smile, and he had to admit that his grey shirt had never
looked better than it did on Beka.
"You actually didn't move."
"You told me not to."
He watched as she slowly bit into a slice of apple.
His little seductress...and now that they were together, Rhade could think
of even *more* fun new games to play...he would never be bored again.
Beka smiled. Even after two weeks she was still getting used to him and
still getting used to admitting things to herself that she denied before:
she *did* find him attractive, she *did* think he had gorgeously noticable
eyes, and she *did* care to notice his muscles. He was better sculpted than
anyone she'd ever thought was well built before. And for the past weeks she
had got to see every little part of him.
If she was honest with herself she'd find that she was happier than she'd
been in a long time. Yet her inner cynic was still waiting for it to all
fall apart. As usual.
But her inner romantic wanted to hope that this would be different. Shunting
away her pessimistic thoughts, she fixed Rhade with a playful grin as she
wlked over to the bed and fed him the other half of her apple.

Chapter 6

"No. No. No, no, no."
"Beka? Beka it's okay."
"What? No. How? What?"
Trance looked at Beka with concern as the blonde backed away from her slowly
looking very dazed.
Beka had come to her with what she thought was the flu but it turned out to
be something very different.
"Pregnant? I-I'm pregnant?"
Beka collapsed onto the floor.
How the hell could she be pregnant?
She and Rhade had only been together for a little less than a year.
*Oh gee I don't know* said a little voice inside her head, *maybe it was all
that sex you had with Rhade? I think it must have happened when you slept
with him. A hint of Niezschean with a dash of sex is gonna make a baby. You
know, Nietzschean plus sex equals baby? It's not that hard of concept to
grasp Valentine.*
Beka closed her eyes tight hoping it would drown the voices out.
"Beka? Beka please say something..."
Opening her eyes slowly, she looked at the golden medical officer.
"Trance."
"Yes Beka?"
"Do a re-test."
Trance sighed. A re-test was not going to change the outcome. Beka was
definitely pregnant.
Trance looked worridly at Beka asshe started to rock back and forth on the
floor looking very deep in thought.
What was she supposed to do with a baby?
The last time she had taken care of anything (one of Trance's poor plants)
it had died.
What kind of mother would she be?
She didn't even know how to be a mother.
Her own had failed her miserably.
And Rhade.
What was she going to tell him?
What was he going to say?
One part of her was terrified, but the other comforted her by reminding her
that Rhade was Nietzschean after all, and that they *lived* to reproduce.
He would be happy.
...right?

Chapter 7

Rhade stretched as he walked down the hall to his room, having just gotten
off-shift and was looking forward to a nice, warm, relaxing shower.
He entered the room expecting to find Beka sound asleep but instead found
something else entirely.
She was standing in front of the full length mirror switching from being in
front of it to turning sideways, all the while pulling at her night shirt
(one of his) and running one hand along her swollen stomach.
She huffed and faced him, "Just look what you did. I'm huge."
Rhade laughed as he walked over to stand behind her, "You're beautiful."
"Suck up."
He kissed her neck, "Why aren't you sleeping?"
"Can't."
"Why not?"
"Feel." She took his hands and placed them on her stomach, "She won't stop
moving."
Rhade smiled at the soft kicks he felt against his hands.
Their child.
Beka winced at a sharper kick.
"He's going to be strong."
"She."
"I think it's a boy."
"Mother's intuition. Girl."
Rhade kissed her again. He couldn't remember a time when he had been
happier. Beka had been more than nervous when she had told him about her
pregnancy, having spent the entire day avoiding him and being miserable to
everyone around her. When he had finally cornered her on the Maru she had
let on to why she had been so irritable.
"I miss my feet."
Her off-topic comment drew him out of his thoughts and made him laugh. At
eight months pregnant she was complaining more and more about her condition:
she missed her feet, she missed bending down for things, her stomach was
huge, the baby wouldn't stop kicking, her cravings were bad, and it was all
his fault.
"You'll see them again," he reassured her, "Come on."
"Where we going?"
"Warm shower," he smirked pulling her towards the bathroom, "It'll help you
sleep."

Chapter 8

A barely audible rustle.
A small awakening wimper.
Rhade was up and lifting the child from the crib as quietly as he could. He
had been training himself to hear her waking movements.
Looking down at his infant daughter cradled in his arms he couldn't help but
feel anything but pride and sheer joy at the sight of his first child.
His little girl.
The day she was born had been one of the best days of his life.
It was amazing to think that he and Beka had created something so small and
so perfect together.
Turning his attention back to the stirring child, Rhade hoped that it was
just an attention wake up call and that she'd go back to sleep if he held
her. If she needed feeding then she'd start crying at any moment and Beka
would need to be woken up.
Cassandra Rhade, out of Rebeka by Telemachus wasn't going to make it easy on
her father as she let out a loud cry.
She was hungry.
And she was going to be fed.
Kissing her forehead, he sat back on the bed and shook Beka's shoulder
gently.
"Beka?"
"Mmmm."
Rhade winced as Cassandra's crying went up a notch.
"Mmmmm...I'm coming..."
"I think she's hungry."
Beka rolled onto her back and groaned, "Just latch her on..."
Rhade smiled, "Beka..."
"MMmmm...I'm up. I am, really."
She stretched and rubbed her eyes. Sitting up, she leaned on Rhade and took
her daughter from him.
Once they were settled, Cassandra latched happily onto her mother.
"I can't wait till she's on the bottle. You can feed her while I sleep."
"She's almost old enough."
"What's the point of men having nipples?"
"Excuse me?"
"What's the point of having them if you can't feed your young?"
Rhade quirked his eyebrows and smiled.
Only his wife...

Chapter 9

"Daddy?"
Rhade felt a small tug on his shirt as his three-year-old daughter crawled
up beside him. He set the book he was reading to the side and give her his
full attention.
He had long since learned not to put off her inquiries as the last time he
was reading, he had told her to wait as he finished a paragraph. It had been
obvious that his child had inherited Beka’s impatience and quick temper as
she had slapped the book right out of his hands and smiled up at him
victoriously as it fell to the ground and his attention was solely focused
on her.
"What is it?"
Cassandra looked suspiciously at the book lying motionless beside him, and
upon seeing that it was of no threat to her, she immediately bounced into
her father’s lap and smiled up at him.
"It’s gonna be my birthday soon."
Rhade smiled, straightforward as always.
Even at such a young age, when Cassandra wanted something she saw to it that
she got it, even if it meant bending people to her will.
Beka blamed, of course, his Nietzschean genes that got passed onto their
daughter. He in turn told her that the child possessed her fiery will and
stubbornness. Beka then countered that Cassandra had gotten both their
stubbornness and Rhade’s eyebrow raise. She was complaining about that
because the child had long since discovered that mommy did her bidding when
she mimicked daddy.
It was just too cute to resist.
Beka’s eyes, smile and laugh, Rhade’s hair, smirk, and growl.
"I thought something was coming up."
"Know what I want?"
"What would that be?"
Cassandra stood up in his lap and motioned him foreward.
Rhade smiled at what she whispered into his ear:
*I want a baby sister.*

Chapter 10

"Mommy?"
Beka screamed and turned to face her placid young daughter standing behind
the Maru's pilot chair.
"Cass honey, you do not sneak up on people like that!"
"Daddy says you do."
Beka rolled her eyes and muttered about Nietzscheans. She should have known
that Rhade would be teaching Cassandra to move as quietly as she possibly
could.
"Watcha doin'?"
"Reading a very scary story."
Cassandra narrowed her eyes as she glared at the holo-novel, "A book," she
stated.
Beka snorted, remembering what happened to Rhade.
"And how can a book be scary? They's don't bite and make things go ouch."
She crossed he arms and waited for Beka's explanation.
"Well you know when you hear a story you can imagine it?"
Cassandra nodded her head.
"Well this one makes me imagine scary things.
"Why would you want to?"
"People sometimes do it for fun."
A raised eyebrow.
"You'll understand when you're older..."
"Books are bo-oring."
"No they're not, here how about I read you a fun, action-packed story then?”
said Beka hoisting Cassandra on her lap and grabbing 'Dirk Sprocket, Drift
Detective' from its hiding place. Rhade just didn’t understand the book, so
she might as well get Cassandra on her side.

Chapter 11

"Give it back!"
"I can’t believe you’re reading this to her."
"I said give it back!" Rhade continued to hold the holo-novel out of Beka’s
reach.
"There’s nothing wrong with it!"
"Explain it to me."
"How about you explain it to me? What’s your problem with Dirk?"
"I have heard nothing but complaints about this book from my brothers."
"You’re going on their words?"
"Their wives ignore them."
Beka rolled her eyes. According to Rhade’s brothers, their wives ignoring
them was a sure sign of the apocalypse. And ignoring them in favour of a
book, well that was a sure sign of possession by the Abyss.
Nietzscheans.
They were hopeless.
"I curl up with my daughter and a good book, I don’t ignore you!"
Rhade cleared his throat.
"I curl up with *our* daughter," corrected Beka, "You think I ignore you?"
"No, but you know what they say about early prevention."
"If I did then Cassandra wouldn’t be here. You didn’t replace my birth
control that one time did you?"
Rhade ignored her question and waved the novel in front of her face, "All
the women in my family read this."
"So what’s one more? I’ve been reading them since I was thirteen."
"And you’re starting Cassandra on them at three?"
"She likes them."
"Until she falls asleep."
"...As you said she’s three. But it’s understandable! In a comfortable place
like the Maru, on my lap, as I read to her."
"Security, comfort, the sound of your voice and heartbeat," Rhade nodded.
"Kinda like us when you tried reading me your boring books."
"Would you have prefer nursery rhymes?"
"Hey! At least I gave you your books back!"
"But Beka…nursery rhymes?"
"It was four years ago Telemachus, let it go. At least Dirk’s not boring!
He’s interesting! And there’s detective work."
"And a new woman ever book...reminds me of Dylan..."
Beka hit his shoulder, "Don’t ruin it for me! And he does *not* have a new
woman every book! He’s all about the...detecting."
"Detecting women’s..."
"Dammit if you just read it!"
He smirked as she made another attempt to grab her novel. "You know this
isn’t fair, right? Nietzschean male vs. human female"
"Nietzscheans don’t believe in fair play."
"I thought you told me Tarazed Nietzscheans were different?"
"Only in certain aspects, during a friendly game we’ll play fair if we feel
like it, though winning is still preferable by any means; but in a battle
situation, one should use every advantage they have against the enemy."
"And this is a ‘battle situation’ how?"
"You want your book, I don’t want you to have it so I’m going to use every
advantage I have against you."
Beka sighed and looked at the ceiling, "Now he tells me...fine, but if
you’re going to keep it you might as well read it, but just to let you know,
your daughter is going to be very disappointed."

Chapter 12

This wasn’t good.
Rhade scanned down another page of Beka’s 'Dirk Sprocket' holo-novel and was surprised that it wasn't like he thought it was.
Trashy? Kind of.
Romance? A little.
Action and adventure? Oh yes, a lot of it.
It was quite entertaining.
And it was by admitting that that led Rhade to conclude something he hadn't before realized.
A few years ago his eldest brother had stopped complaining about the Sprocket novels, leaving just Telemachus and his other two brothers to whine about them.
The only conclusion therefore was that either Ozymandias Rhade had finally decided to read the book or his wife had finally beaten the hell out of him for making fun of it too many times. The first being more plausible than the second; for while Jenna could sure pack a punch when she wanted to, she was human and a bit smaller than Rommie.
Rhade flipped another page. This really wasn’t good. The book was, but his admittance of that fact, wasn’t.
For it meant that Beka was right.
He heard the door slide open and quickly shoved the holo-novel under his pillow and picked up his copy of ‘The Odyssey’ that lay open on his lap.
“Uhhhhhh...I am so sore...” complained Beka once she saw that he was awake.
Rhade smiled sympathetically.
His shift had been before hers and he done nothing but slip-piloting, she had taken over from where he had gotten the Andromeda to. She threw herself in bed beside him and leaned against his shoulder.
"You should take a hot shower, it’ll relax your muscles." He kissed her head.
"Is there a backrub offer in there somewhere?"
"After your shower."
"Are you gonna be joining me?"
"I'll rub your back when you get out."
"How about you rub my back when I get in?"
"You're tired and sore, I'm trying to relax you, and what you're thinking of isn't relaxing."
"I'm limp as a rag doll afterwards," said Beka, "How is that not relaxing?"
Rhade snorted, "Go."
"You know, on second thought I'm not that tired..." she trailed a finger down his chest.
"Beka?"
"Yes?"
"Go shower."
"Do I smell?"
"What happened to complaining about how sore you are after slip-streaming all that time?"
"I got distracted."
"Go shower. Nice and hot."
She shrugged, "Fine, whatever turns you on."

>>>

Beka sighed happily as her husband kneaded the skin on her back. His strong hands moved over her tired flesh. It was very relaxing, so what if he was right?
She smiled with glee when he started placing kisses up her shoulder and along her neck, even more-so when he rolled her over and pressed his mouth to hers.
One of her hands trailed the elastic of his boxer-briefs, while the other stretched above her head and under a pillow.
She paused.
Her hand had hit something cool and hard.
She pulled it out as Rhade was moving down her body and let out a triumphant yell.
"You're reading it!"
Rhade's head snapped up and he watched in horror as Beka flashed the Dirk Sprocket holo-novel in front of his face.
"I can't believe you're actually reading it."
"Uh...no, I uh, uh..."
Beka couldn't help but giggle at his speachlessness. He was staring at the novel like it was two mating magogs.
The look on his face was priceless.
"Mr. Those-novels-are-trashy-romaces is actually reading one."
"Hey! You were the one who said..."
"So is it any good Mr. I-only-read-epic-books-with-too-deep-of-meanings-that-Beka-can't-understand?"
"Would you just..."
"I told you it was good."
"I didn't say..."
"You like Dirk Sprocket," she sang.
He growled and rolled off of her and the bed, "I’m sleeping on the couch."
Beka's smile disappeared, "What? Telemachus don’t, oh come on..."
He ignored her.
She watched him walk over to the couch and fall onto it, she could hear him slam a pillow over his head.
And now she felt bad.
She might have over done it just a little, maybe gloating over the fact that he was reading her holo-novel had dented his pride.
Men.
She wrapped a sheet around her. There was a knot in her stomach and it didn't feel good. He was supposed to be here, in bed, with her.
She chewed on her bottom lip while she thought.

>>>

Upon hearing the silence that filled the room, Rhade moved the pillow off his head and tossed it to the floor.
He hated the couch.
And in the last four years he only slept on it three times. All of which occured during Beka's pregnancy, she had been complaining about every little thing, blaming him for it, and kicked him out of bed; it always ended the same though, she called for him to come back, close to tears because of the hormones, and cuddled him the entire night.
But this time though, that was not going to be the case.
She just had to find the holo-novel didn't she?
And she just had to rub it in.
That's why he hid it in the first place.
Because he knew exactly what she'd do.
Women.
She just couldn't have cut him a break and ignored it now could she?
Rhade sighed, and then raised a startled eyebrow as he felt a weight settle on top of him.
"Beka...what are you doing?"
"Sleeping on the couch."
"No...Beka, I’m on the couch...you’re on my back."
"Only because there’s no room beside you."
Rhade buried his face in the couch cusion and laughed before getting up and going back to the bed, carrying Beka piggy-back style.
Annoying, crazy, bewildering, confusing, funny, sexy, amazing woman.
By the Divine how he loved her.

Chapter 13

Beka was going to kill him.
How dare Telemachus do this to her?
And she just had to find out about it today didn't she? Today of all days.
Their anniversary.
It was supposed to be their day.
The rest of the crew were keeping Cassandra entertained while her parents spent some quality time together.
But not now.
She couldn't think of anything other than the torrent of thoughts and old emotions from years earlier.
Was this just another freak occurance or would he do it again?
Beka had to congratulate herself though, she was dealing with this better than the last time...at least part of it.
Storming into the room she shared with Rhade she pinned the Nietzschean with a death glare.
"I can't believe you did this to me!"
"Wha?"
"And don't give me that I'm-so-innocent-and-confused-look, you knew what you were doing didn't you? Didn't you?"
"Beka what's..."
"And don't you ask me what's wrong! You know what's wrong don't you? How long have you known for huh?"
"What? Beka you're not making sense."
"I can't believe this..."
"Believe what?"
"You know what!" she snapped.
Rhade groaned. What in the universe could he have possibly done to upset her like this? And on their anniversary too. He was completely lost and was starting to wonder if she had finally lost her mind.
"For the Divine's sake Beka what's your problem?"
"I'm pregnant!" she yelled, "...AGAIN"
Rhade stared at Beka and blinked.
She huffed, turned on her heel and left the room as Rhade slowly come out of his trace.
Pregnant?
A smug self-congratulatory smirk formed on his face.
Pregnant?
No wonder she was mad.

Chapter 14

“Do you have to do that?”
“Do what?”
“Watch me all the time?”
“Of course.”
“Telemachus.”
“Sweetie?”
Beka turned from the mirror and set him with a glare. “Really. Stop it.”
“I’m only watching you.”
“Exactly. And I don’t want you watching me. On second thought make that I don't want you staring at me.”
“You’re beautiful you know that.”
“I’m a house. Again. All thanks to you.”
“You're not that big yet and go me.”
Beka rolled her eyes as his smirk widened and he stretched lazily out on the bed.
“You know you always get weird like this in my sixth month?”
“I find you incredibly sexy too.”
“With the come on's and the back rubs and the cuddling, the romantic dinners, the bubble baths. I thought it was just something you did to show me loved me the last time, but now, again, you really can’t help it can you?”
“I love you.”
“You can’t possibly find me attractive like this.”
“You’re carrying my second child, how could I not?”
“This is definitely a Nietzschean thing.”
Rhade motioned her to come to him with a finger.
“Oh no, uh uh, I’m not going anywhere near you until you explain this to me. If I walk over there you’re going to, oh so gently, flip me onto the bed.”
Rhade sighed and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "Come here."
"No."
"Beka."
"Nuh uh."
"No attacking. I promise."
She folded her arms. "I still don't trust you."
"I swear on the lives of our children and the Maru that your back won't hit the bed unless you want it to."
Still looking skeptical, Beka walked towards Rhade until she was standing between his legs. One of his arms went around her waist as the other settled over the growing bump on her abdomen.
Everytime he looked at her, he couldn't help but feel the complete elation that over took him at the thought of being a father again. After Cassandra he had wanted more children, and the Nietzschean in him agreed. He'd prefer four or five, but doubted that Beka would ever go for that. Cassandra would have been enough for her.
Their daughter was all attitude, pure Beka. Though he assumed Harper and Dylan had added to that attitude as they were constantly giving in to the little girl's demands. Though it was mainly Harper in recent years as Dylan now had a child of his own.
Rhade kissed Beka's stomach and inhaled deeply. She smelled so good.
He was jolted out of this thoughts as Beka poked him sharply in the head. "So?"
"So...what?"
"Why are you weird? You said you'd tell me."
"I didn't say that."
"I'll put you on the couch."
Rhade groaned. The dreaded couch away from his wife. During the past six months of her pregnancy, he had not yet been forced out of bed by her complaints or hormones. Their anniversary night when she had found out, Beka had decided to sleep on the Maru after walking out on him only to come back an hour later, telling him that she'd pretend to find out the next day that they was having another baby. So she ignored it for the rest of their anniversary and Rhade woke up the next day to her yelling at him as he laid there and smiled.
"Telemachus." Beka poked him in the head again.
"Sorry. It's just that your hormones tend to peak at this time." He breathed in again.
"Your scent is completely arousing.”
"Pregnancy hormones? That's what's got you wired?"
"Mmmhhmmmm."
"Never will I understand you Mr. Rhade."
"You don't have to Mrs. Rhade, just come here that's all I ask."
Beka smiled as he manoeuvered her onto his lap. Trust a Nietzschean to find his wife the most attractive when she was with child.
Beka's smile widened as Rhade nipped at her neck, “You’re honestly turned on by this aren’t you?" she asked him.
"Uh huh." He gently bit her neck as moved up the side of her face until he could press his lips to hers.
"I worship you."
Beka kissed him harder and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Love you."

Chapter 15

“Mama’s fat. She’s having a baby.”
“Wish my mom had a new baby.”
Cassandra sat on the Obs. Deck with her dolls and blocks. The two children were building bridges and homes before the dolls stomped through and destroyed it all.
“Think you’ll ever have a sister?”
“Don’t know.”
The newly turned sparkly three year old boy stacked another block on top of the makeshift skyscraper with his tail. His precognition was slowly starting to develop and he didn’t see his mom giving him any siblings in the near future. He was all his parents needed. Their little carbon star.
“She’s kicking too, mama let me feel.”
“Strong?”
“All Niechans are strong,” said Cassandra smirking, “my daddy’s the strongest though.”
“My dad too.”
“But he’s not Niechan. Your dad just knows a lot. How come?”
Solaris shrugged, “He’s a Captain.”
“My mommy’s a Captain too.”
“My dad still knows a lot.”
“He knows ev-ery-thing.”
“Uh huh, mommy too.”
“Are we gonna know everything when we’re big?”
“Well I will, you’re gonna fight a lot.”
Cassandra smiled, “So I can protect you.”
“I’m a boy though, I should protect you.”
“I’m Neichan, Neitzen, Neit-zsch-ean. Nietzschean! That’s how daddy says it! I’m Niet-zsch-ean so I protect humans, like daddy protects mommy.”
“You’re still a girl…but, mom’s saved dad sometimes so, I guess it’s okay.”
“Damn straight.”
“Where’d you hear that?”
“Mommy when she doesn’t think I’m listening. I don’t think she knows that I have daddy’s hearing.”
“I’m not all human though.”
“Yeah humans don’t have tails. Why do you have a tail? None of your family has tails. I have boneblades cuz my daddy does.”
Cassandra held up her arm to showcase her boneblades. It was a new thing of hers to flash them at everyone they met or to remind the crew she had them. They made her special and more like her daddy.
Solaris smiled, “My mom used to have a tail but not no more.”
“Oh. Well that sucks.” Glancing at her arms to make sure the boneblades were still attached, Cassandra added another block to a house. “I think it’s done.”
“Yup.”
The children picked up their respective dolls and proceeded to decimate what they had just built.

Chapter 16

Beka held the small bundle gently as she brushed a small lock of red hair that lay on top of her newborn son's head.
Red hair.
She guessed it was time that everyone found out her natural hair colour anyway. Harper would be in disbelief that her hair was actually normal when they had first met, Dylan would be wowed and Rhade...Beka smiled as she remembered exactly *how* he had found out her natural colour.
Her smile widened as her child let out a yawn and snuggled deeper into his blankets, one tiny arm reaching out of the blanket to clutch at air. Beka tucked his arm back in and ran her fingers over the small bumps on his forearms that would eventually develop into boneblades.
Tiny little bumps.
Who knew the wicked looking blades started out so cute and innocent? She was quite glad they did as she really didn't want to imagine giving birth to something with fully developed arm spikes. The word 'ouch' came to mind but was then amended by the fact that the delivering mother probably wouldn't even notice due to the already intense pain and sheer agony of giving birth.
What was it that Vanzetti had told her all those years ago? Nietzschean women spend rarely fifteen minutes in labour?
Damn Nietzscheans.
Less then a quarter of an hour while she spent a couple hours screaming her head off and threatening Telemachus with the dreaded "V-word" along with insulting his entire lineage and cursing the day he put his mother through the pain of birthing him just so he could end up doing the same thing to her. But hey, now she and Rhade had their son.
A boy and a girl was all they needed. No need for any more. She'd have to kill him if he did.
Beka ran her fingers down her son's pink cheek and smiled bittersweetly.
*Look at me now.*
She never thought she'd be a mother. Let alone twice. Or ever be married and to a Nietzschean of all people!
What would her father have said? What would any of her remaining family have said? It was times like these where she wished her dad were still around. He never saw her married, he never saw his grandchildren, and he never would.
Neither would her mother. But after thirty years what would Thalia care anyway?
And Rafe? Beka didn't even know where he was.
Telemachus's family on the other hand...
If they had their way all forty plus of them would have been in the delivery room with her. Or if not, Octavia "Mama Rhade" would have kicked them all out and delivered her grandson by herself.
Beka was glad they were all back on Tarazed.
After Cassandra was born and they went to visit the family, it was...Beka couldn't even describe the welcome they had received. It was overwhelming. Telemachus's family was huge, five siblings with thirty-two children between them, and four grandchildren from the two eldest of the thirty-two.
Beka heard the medical doors swish open as it interrupted her reverie. She looked up to see Telemachus walk in carrying Cassandra in his arms.
Her little family.
They were perfect.
"Baby?" asked Cassandra peering anxiously at the bundle in her mothers arms. If only daddy would move closer...
Rhade complied with his daughters unspoken wishes as he sat down gently beside Beka with Cassandra sitting comfortably in his lap.
"See honey? This is your new brother," said Beka.
Cassandra's brow furrowed as she took in the news.
*Brother?*
Crossing her arms, she looked at the bundle dejectedly.
"Sweetie what's wrong?"
Cassandra glared up at her father and huffed, "I told you I wanted a *sister*."

Chapter 17

“Come on, walk to Uncle Seamus, come on you can do it.”
Cassandra rolled her eyes as she watched from her perch.
Harper had been trying unsuccessfully to get her baby brother to walk to him. She watched as he tried again, by putting Caden on his feet and coaching him to walk forward. The boy stood successfully on his own before sitting down hard on the floor and staring up at Harper with innocent wide blue eyes.
“He won’t do it,” said Cassandra firmly.
“And why not? He’s almost a year old and he isn’t walking yet? I don’t think that’s normal.”
“That’s what she’s trying to tell you Harper,” said Rhade shifting to look at the engineer and his small son directly. Cassandra let out an annoyed huff as her “perch” moved. Rearranging herself on top of her father she continued to watch Harper fail.
“He won’t do it,” she repeated, “he only walks for mama.”
Caden sat down again as Harper looked at the other two Rhades. “He only walks for Beka?”
“Yes,” said Cassandra exasperatedly. She stood up in Rhade’s lap and latched around his neck so he’d hold her. “Only mom, he’s weird.”
“Your brother isn’t weird,” said Rhade.
“I don’t like him.”
“What’s not to like?” asked Harper finally giving up on getting the child to walk and instead gave him a ball which he happily attempted to chew on.
“He’s boring.”
“Just let him grow up a bit.”
“But then he’ll be annoying.”
“You know your aunts and uncles had me to put up with?” said Rhade.
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“Because you’re daddy.”
Rhade smiled as Harper shook his head and attempted to get Caden to walk again. He tried to take the ball and was met by a small growl. Giving up yet again, Harper let the boy go back to sucking on the plastic sphere.
“Only Beka?”
“Only Beka.”
“Mommy!”
The men looked behind them to see the door open and Beka walking towards them.
“Andromeda told me you guys would be here...”
“Your kid won’t walk.”
“Funny Harper, he can walk.”
“I’ve been trying to get him to for...”
Harper was interrupted by a high pitched chirp as Caden dropped the ball and pushed himself into a standing position. He stood wobbling before breaking into a disjointed run towards Beka as the engineer watched in disbelief.
“That’s not…that is so not fair.”
Cassandra snorted when her mother lifted Caden into her arms.
“Momma’s boy,” she said snuggling close to her father.

Chapter 18

“Grandma!”
Octavia Rhade smiled as one of her newest granddaughters broke off from her parents and came running towards her.
She remembered fondly the day she had gotten the mail from her youngest son stating that Rebeka was indeed pregnant. It had been one of the happiest days of her life.
Her baby finally had a baby.
Truth be told, Telemachus had really begun to scare her. Octavia thought that he should have been married at nineteen or at least twenty-one like the rest of his siblings before him.
But no, not Telemachus.
He had too much drive to do well in the Academy and the military, which finally led him to become one of the youngest Admirals Tarazed had ever seen. And sure there were many women interested in him, but they were never right. Not for her son. She could always find something wrong with them.
“Grandma!”
Smiling widely, Octavia bent down to lift up the four-year-old and hug her close.
She was such a beautiful girl.
Thick, dark curls like her father would have if his hair ever grew beyond military regulation. If Cassandra’s eyes were brown instead of blue, she would look almost exactly like Telemachus’s sister Cressida at that age.
Octavia sighed happily. She had finally gotten grandchildren out of her baby boy. It had taken more than twenty years of complaining, encouraging, and slaps upside the head, but he finally, *finally* got it right.
Looking up at the proud parents who were still walking up the path, she caught sight of her new grandson nestled in his mother’s arms.
She smiled at his red hair. The Rhade family was predominantly shades of brown, ranging from dark to medium light thanks to Jenna and her children’s genes, and just recently Dione, the first red-haired Rhade married to Octavia’s son Hector, had given birth to a set of redhaired twins.
Six children and over thirty grandchildren, what more could a Nietzschean mother want? Well all right maybe hundreds of grandchildren but she was content with knowing that she’d have at least a hundred great-grandchildren.
Her eldest son's two oldest children were now starting families of their own. Which was a point of heckling towards Telemachus by his brothers before Cassandra had been born; that his nieces and nephews would have children before him. As the two eldest were only eleven and ten years younger than Telemachus it was indeed possible.
When Octavia was first introduced to Beka she had been ready to hate her, given her son’s taste in women he would need his hand held to pick out a wife. But she was pleasantly surprised. She liked Rebeka.
Telemachus had actually gotten it right for once.
And he always did have that thing for blondes...

Chapter 19

Beka fidgeted with the blankets nervously as she willed the weather to go back to normal. This was why she hated planets, as nice as Tarazed was and as constant as its weather usually was, it had its storms.
Beka’s heart pounded in her chest as another clap of thunder broke over the house and the raindrops kept their pounding fury. She could hear the wind against the window and the tree’s branches outside whip harshly against the glass. Turning on her side towards her husband she moved closer to him. As another flash of lightning and the deep boom of thunder rolled through the room she couldn’t take it anymore.
*How the hell could he sleep through this?*
“Telemachus?” Beka whispered as she poked his shoulder.
No movement.
“Telemachus? Tel-EM-achus!” she alternated between poking and slapping before she finally punched him in the shoulder, which earned her a groan and light movement. Beka waited a minute for him to say something but then found him to be once more fast asleep. Shaking him harder, Beka dug her nails into his shoulder and punched him again.
“Telemachus wake up!” she hissed.
“Hmmmm?” He slowly rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes. “What?”
“Were you sleeping?”
He groaned, “I was until you woke me up.”
“Oh.”
Rhade yawned as he felt Beka move up to nestle into him. She was very close. He lifted his head and looked over at the clock which told him that it was 2:30 in the morning. Sighing, his head fell back onto the pillow.
“Why are you up?”
“It’s raining.”
“I can hear that.”
He felt Beka jump as it thundered. “I don’t like thunder.”
Rhade pulled her closer into his arms and breathed deeply. “Go to sleep.”
“It’s too loud.”
“I’m right here.”
“That thunder’s loud enough to wake the dead.” It was after saying that that he felt her tense and start to roll over to the edge of the bed, taking him with her. Rhade found himself lying on his side with Beka’s back close against his chest. “How can he sleep through this?”
It took him a minute to realize that she was talking about their son. Caden was set up in a bassinette beside their bed and Beka had rolled over to check on him.
“He can sleep through it because I could have slept through it had you not woken me up.”
“He’s only a baby…what if-“
“He’s fine Beka, I can hear him breathing.”
“Over this weather?”
“Yes, I can hear him. He’s sleeping, as we should be.” Rhade rolled onto his back and closed his eyes. He felt Beka snuggle back into him and then moan pitifully as the thunder once more rattled the windows.
“Why is there a storm out there?”
“Go to sleep.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes you can.”
After that there was no sound but from the storm outside. Beka’s heart rate was still erratic but it was calming some. Letting himself relax, he found himself drifting back into blissful sleep-
“How often does Tarazed have storms?”
until Beka asked him another question.
“Honey it’s two in the morning,” he whined.
“If I can’t sleep then you can’t either.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not fair.”
“Beka-“
Rhade cut his comment short as he thought he heard the room’s door creep open and the patter of tiny feet across the carpet. His daughter’s presence was confirmed as he felt a small shift on the bed as Cassandra lifted the covers and crawled in next to Beka.
“Cass?”
“Hi mommy.”
“Did the storm wake you up honey?”
“Yes.”
“The scary thunder?”
“No, it’s pretty and I was gonna go to sleep but didn’t.”
Beka blanched. *Pretty?* Her daughter thought the thunder was…*pretty?*
“Then why’d you stay awake sweetie?” asked Rhade straightening one of Cassandra's curls only to have it wave back into place.
“Uncle Harper said mommy didn’t like weather and dat it scared her.”
“He did?” asked Beka. “When?”
“ ’Fore we came here. So I’m seeing if you’re okay.”
Beka’s heart melted. Her four-year-old baby had crawled out of her own warm bed and came down the dark hall to their room just to check on her.
“I’m fine baby.”
“Kay, but now I stay and protect you like daddy does.”
Beka felt her husband shake with silent laughter as he smiled into her hair and kiss her forehead.
She smiled into the darkness and held Cassandra tight. She had her daughter on one side and Telemachus on the other, the both of them were so alike where she was concerned.
With her arms around Cassandra and Rhade’s around them both, Beka felt that she could finally sleep, ignoring all else in favour of her family.
Her husband, her daughter… and her son who hadn’t woken up once.

Chapter 20

"He's going to fall."
"He's not going to fall."
"Yes he is."
Rhade grabbed Beka as she attempted to get up and pulled her back against his chest on the deck chair he was lying on.
"Caden's fine Beka. He's not going to drown."
Looking out at the pool they could see the kids playing in the water with one of their cousins; Cassandra was swimming around a little pool boat which they were pulling Caden around on.
"Telemachus-"
"Beka we're right here. Two of my brothers are on the other side of the pool with one of my sisters-in-law, our children are in the pool with Deidre. She's sixteen Beka and an excellent swimmer. And also I highly doubt that he's going to drown if he accidentally falls off of it either. Not with the life jacket and arm floaty things you put on him. And if they magically pop once they hit the water there are seven people around to save him."
"Something could still happen, he's only a baby."
"If he didn't drown in the bathtub-"
"Children can drown in three inches of water you know! And that water isn't three inches it's-"
"Three feet."
"What? Tel, it's deeper than that, it's up to Deidre's waist."
"She's sitting down."
"Isn't the deep end..."
"That way." Rhade pushed the finger Beka was pointing at the kids to the opposite side of the pool.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"So that's the..."
"Mmmhmmm."
"Oh."
"They're fine."
He felt Beka exhale in relief and finally relax against his chest. It was a beautiful day, they were going to have a pool side lunch, and maybe get in a game of water volleyball or something once the kids went inside. Or he'd just lie there with Beka, in that pretty little swimsuit of hers, which he was more than content with. She just needed to stop worrying so much. As a Nietzschean, his children's safety was his first priority; around his family all the children were the first priority. Rarely did anyone not know where they were all clustered.
Rhade smiled. They were on Tarazed, everyone was safe and having a good time. Smiling some more Rhade started moving his hand from Beka's hip to her thigh.
All mine...
He closed his eyes and relaxed in the warm sun but then ended up glancing up and wincing as his teenage nephews came running and yelling down the strip before cannonballing into the pool's deep end.
Rhade groaned as he felt Beka tense again as she watched the boys start a water fight. The last thing he wanted to do with his bikini-clad wife, who was practically in his lap, was to discuss the width and depth of the entire pool and the exact distance between the shallow and deeps ends.
"What if they rough house too close...?"
"Bekaaaaaaaaaa..."

Chapter 21

“Harper, are you sure about this?”

“What’s there not to be sure of?”

“Well for one thing, this isn’t a machine you’re dealing with it’s a baby.”

Rhade watched as Harper gave him a weird look and moved back slightly with the child in his arms. The Andromeda had come across a ship dead in space the only life was from a baby no more than a year old. There was no other life signs on board, no weapons damage, no engine damage, the ship was in fine condition; there was just nobody there.
Once on Med. Deck, Trance had given the baby girl a clean bill of health and Harper had taken to smuggling her to the machine shop. The original plan was to send her to Tarazed for adoption but then the engineer seemed to become attached to her.

“Harper…”

“Oh come on, I take care of Caden, Cass, and Sol all the time. They’re always shipped off to engineering.”

“Baby-sitting and parenting are different things. Along with the fact that she’s not entirely human; Andromeda doesn’t even know what she is.”

“Andromeda also, as brilliant as she is, didn’t know what Trance was either.”

Rhade crossed his arms and looked at the child, whom Harper had named ‘Mara’, as she wrapped her thin tail around Harper’s arm. Her large, catlike ears moving every time the men spoke to each other.

“And besides, she gets to Tarazed and then what? I know you guys have a lot of species intermixed there but she isn’t exactly something you see everyday, pretty as she is.”
“So you want to raise her as your own?”

“Well, yeah, sure, why not? Did they send you down here to talk me out of it?”

"Seeing as you've only voiced your desire to adopt her to me then no, I wasn't sent to talk you out of it."

"Good, cuz it's not happening."

"Life long commitment."

"I know."

"Temper tantrums, bed time stories, pleading and baragining..."

"Oh come on, if Beka can do it..."

Rhade tried to cover a light smile with a half-assed growl.

"Won't you be raising her on your own?" Rhade watched Mara start squirming to be let down. Once Harper set her on the floor she tried to stand only to push off and hop, which led her to landing on the ground. Picking herself up she contued to hop and fall as she learned.

"She's like a kangaroo."

"A what?"

Harper waved a hand at him, "An earth animal."

"Where's she going."

"She's exploring, can't you tell?"

Rhade looked back at Harper.

"You really want to do this?"

"Yes I really want to do this."

"All right then, I'm sure Dylan will clear it," said Rhade offering Harper a smile, "Congratulations on becoming a father."

"Oh man, I guess I am a dad now. Heh 'dad' that'll take some getting used to."

"Just don't lose her."

"I won't."

"You always have to watch her."

"I know."

"She'll need food and baths and..."

"Yeah, yeah, I've seen you all being parents a thousand times. Besides this way Caden will have someone to play with."

"He will won't he?"

"Mama!" Rhade and Harper's heads snapped around to Mara as she proclaimed her first word.

"Mum!" Mara cooed as she continued to cuddle Andromeda's bulkhead and looped her tail through a floor grate.

 

Chapter 22

"And how is motherhood treating you?" asked Beka as she walked onto Obs. Deck with Caden on her hip.

Rommie looked up from bounching Mara on her knee and pondered her answer.

It had been six months since Harper had adopted the child and he was more than thrilled when Mara had grappled onto Andromeda as her mother.

Daddy an engineer, Mommy's a warship. What a family.

And family was something Rommie once thought that she could never have with Harper. After being together for three years and seeing everyone else around them having children, the reality really sunk in. Well, unless Harper built their children and new AI's were created but it still wouldn't be the same. It would still be all her and nothing of him. But then Harper had taken in Mara, it had surprised her but as soon as the child got a hold of her bulkhead everything about it just seemed right.

The warship, the AI, and the avatar had a daughter with their chief engineer.

"Considering how I wasn't designed to have children, it's going very well."

The children were set on the ground to play as their mothers sat and watched them.

Caden made a grab for the strange girl's tail, which kept flicking just out of his reach.

"I never thought I'd be having children either until Cassie happened."

"Well Rhade *is* a Nietzschean and their conception rate is above 90% accuracy..."

"Stop. No more. We're not having anymore. I'm taking strong stuff and no matter where he tries to look for my birth control he's never going to find it."

"You keep moving it don't you."

"Stop spying on me and don't you dare tell him."

"I don't spy, I monitor. And I wouldn't tell him. If the two of you want more children you'll discuss it like sane people."

"Pfft. Yeah, tell him that. And tell his mother that too. Dis you she's sent me three messages already asking when I think I'm going to be pregnant again?"

"Octavia Rhade did have six children."

"I'm not having six children."

"No one says you have to."

"Rhade wants to. Actually I think he mentioned something about twelve.." Beka trailed off with a slightly worried look on her face.

"I'm sure you'll survive."

"What kind of reassurance is that?"

"I thought this conversation started with you asking me how I was handling motherhood and now you're worrying about children you may never have?"

"Paranoid is more like it. You don't know how sneaky my cleverly darling husband can be."

"Beka?"

"So how's Mara?"

"You've changed the subject once, I'm not letting you change it again."

"We should invite Trance into our conversation. She's a mom too."

"We all are now."

"Trance and Dylan."

"Yes, Trance and Dylan."

"Why am I the only one on this ship with more than one baby?"

"You married a Nietzschean."

"...oh yeah."

And besides they're cute when they're little." Rommie smiled.

"Just wait till she gets sick."

"I have been thinking about that and I will know the instant she needs me."

"Can't hide when momma's everywhere."

"Exactly."

"She can also just call you and *poof* you appear."

Rommie puffed with pride. "Whenever my daughter needs me."

Both the women turned to look at their children just as Caden let out a surprised chirp as Mara jumped and landed on him.

Chapter 23

"Ah ha!"

Telmachus Rhade grinned in victory as he held up his prize. Laughing in glee he tossed the bottle into the air and deftly caught it in his hand as gravity took effect.

After a long time searching, he had finally found them. No matter where they went or how many times their location was switched, his patience had finally paid off. It may have taken four and a half years but he finally held them in his hand.

Whistling casually, Rhade strolled out of the Deck 19 bathroom and started a langourously set pace as he swelled in the pride of having one upped his wife.

"Rhade."

"Hello Dylan."

"What are you doing?" asked the Captain joining Rhade from a branching corridor and matched his pace beside the Lt. Commander.

"I can't whistle?"

"You look happy."

"Yes."

"*Too* happy."

Rhade giggled insanely.

"Now I'm worried," said Dylan eyeing him suspiciously.

Rhade continued to throw the bottle into the air and catch it.

"What is that?"

"Bottle."

"Of what?"

"Beka's birth control pills."

Dylan groaned and hung his head. "Rhaaade..."

"I found them."

"Well, obviously."

"Yes, I found them."

"What are you doing with them?"

"Haven't decided yet. Once my mood deflates a bit I'll think it over more clearly."

"Please do., because Beka *will* murder you."

"Probably."

"How about you go put them back?"

"Nope."

"Your funeral..."

And with that they came to part ways. Dylan continuing on his way to Hydroponics for a picnic with Trance and their son as Rhade went left and up a few decks to the quarters he shared with Beka.

Humming as he entered the room, he did a quick can for his blonde firecracker before relaxing onto the couch and staring at the prescription bottle in his hand.

"Gotcha."

Chapter 24

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

A loud high pitched scream shook the corridors of Deck 19 as frightened crew members ran to their quarters and barricaded themselves inside as a furiously confused and panicked First Officer ripped the bathroom apart.

"Where are they? Where they hell are they?"

Continuing to search frantically, all that there was to conclude in the end was that they were gone.

But how could the be gone?

She had hid them away so well that no officer going about business would even dare to look.

So where were they?

She had to calm down. She had to think.

Okay. If she were a bottle of birth control pills where would she hide?

Running up the decks she checked in every place she could have hidden them or had hidden them before. Maybe she moved them and forgot? No, no she wouldn't do that. She-

Beka's eyes narrowed as she slowed her pace until she was standing still.

Telemachus.

Her eye twitched.

This was exactly something her beautiful, wonderful husband would do.

He'd be the only one looking.

Fingering her gauss gun lightly, Beka started a quick march to her and her dearly beloved's room on the Andromeda. An interrogation was to be had.

>>>

He was guilty.

He was definitely guilty.

That she was sure of as the Nietzschean was off-duty and nowhere to be found. Having decided to kill him later, Beka set about tossing the room to look for her missing contraception.

Pillows were thrown across the room as she stripped the bed; blankets and sheets tossed as the matress was lifted as far as she could to see underneath it. Books were shoved off the cabinets, drawers were ransacked, and every cupboard and open box in the kitchenette was searched.

Yelling in frustration Beka headed to the bathroom.

Nothing under the sink, nothing in the bathtub, the shower, the shampoo bottles...

Beka looked around frantically. What if he hid them in plain sight? Knowing she'd go through everything and lose them in the mess?

No, no, Nietzscheans weren't that smart.

At least she hoped they weren't.

She'd searched the flower vases right? Fruit bowls? So where...

Her eyes fell to the mirror. Moving towards it she opened it to reveal the medicine cabinet and started ransacking the vitamin bottles Trance stocked in every room.

A HA!

Her pills! Oh glorious, glorious pills! Hugging them to her chest, Beka started to attempt to get the child proof top off to check them for tampering.

After much glowering and swearing at the bottle, she finally managed to get the top off. Inside were her little white pills.

And a note...

Scrunching ehr forehead, she unfolded it and read:

Beka,

I didn't replace them.

They're not sugar pills.

Or placebos.

Or fertility drugs.

Trance can confirm.

Stop hiding them.

I won't touch them...again.

Really. I won't. Seriously.

Besides, you were taking them both times I got you pregnant before;)

I love you.

-Telemachus

(p.s: I hear everyone's having three kids these days.)

(p.p.s: We'll talk later.)

(p.p.p.s: Where's the faith? Would I get you pregnant without your permission?)

(p.p.p.p.s: And don't say Cassie or Caden, I was just as surprised as you were.)

(p.p.p.p.p.s: I mean it. I really was.)

(p.p.p.p.p.p.s: Trust me I'm Nietzschean.)

(p.p.p.p.p.p.p.s: Ignore that last p.s)

(p.p.p.p.p.p.p.p.s: Have I told you I loved you? Cause I do. I love you Beka.)

(p.p.p.p.p.p.p.p.p.s: Please don't kick me out of bed)

(p.p.p.p.p.p.p.p.p.p.s: And please don't lock yourself in the Maru and refuse to talk to me again.)

(p.p.p.p.p.p.p.p.p.p.s.s: Dinner on the Obs. Deck at 8.)

(p.p.p.p.p.p.p.p.p.p.s.s.s: Preferably no weapons.)

(p.p.p.p.p.p.p.p.p.p.s.s.s.s: Definitely. No. Weapons.)

-T

Beka gave the note another once over before looked at the bottle in her hand and doing the same.

Looking back at the note, Beka decided to let Rhade clean up the mess she made in their quarters. It was his fault anyway.

Chapter 25

"Surprise."

Beka raised an eyebrow at Telemachus's nervous smile as he indicated the beautifully made up table.

Good, he was nervous. She tried to curb an evil smirk that threatened to envelop her neutral face. Her 'darling husband' deserved to sweat and fear what she was going to do.

Though the picture she presented might have been a bit more imposing if she still had her gauss gun on her.

Why did she change again?

Idiot man. That was his fault too. She knew it was. Somehow anyway.

Shaking her head and arranging a tight smile, Beka placed her hands on her hips and stalked towards Rhade.

"Someone found my birth control."

She noticed he had the decency to look sheepish as he stepped back away from her.

"There's nothing wrong with them," he said. "You can check them with Trance or get new ones even."

Beka's arms crossed in front of her chest. "And she's been working for you for how long? How do I know you two aren't in this together?"

He smiled. "Trust me."

"Do you know what I'm going to get you for your birthday?" asked Beka.

Telemachus winced and prepared himself for the V-word.

"A t-shirt that says 'Trust me, I'm Nietzschean'."

Rhade let out a short laugh in relief and hoped she didn't change her mind or surprise him with the real potential present. Or maybe not. No matter what the cause their tiffs never lasted very long anyway as they tended to forget it all and fall into each other.

"I can't believe you-"

"Beka, you can stop hiding them. I won't touch them again, I promise... and besides they don't work anyway."

Beka punched him lightly in the chest. "They do so!"

"You were taking them when Cassandra and Caden-"

"That's probably because you found them and replaced them!"

"I did not!"

"I bet you did!"

"I wouldn't do that to you."

"So...what if I never wanted children then?"

"You didn't want children."

"Oh...right. I love them though."

"I know."

"And you too. Even if you are difficult at times."

"Me? I'm difficult? Really Miss I don't-trust-my-husband-to-not-get-me-pregnant-so-I-hide-the-birth-control?"

"I'm not difficult," she pouted as Telemachus pulled her into his arms. He resisted a bit before her arms wrapped around his strong back.

"Beka I'm not going to push you into having more children if you don't want any. I'm happy with the two we have."

"Me too."

Beka sighed and relaxed into his embrace. Maybe she was being a bit too paranoid.

"Unless you want three more."

Or not.

Chapter 26

Out of all the things that Rafe Valentine had expected, this was not it.

He had only left his sister alone for eight years and look what happened.

Married.

Two children.

And if that little bump on her stomach was anythig to go by, it was going to become three.

And if he thought that was odd then the icing on the cake had to be that his niece and nephew's father was a Nietzschean.

Rocket had settled down with a *Nietzschean* of all people.

A Nietzschean!

His head was still spinning from the shock. Rafe had been fully convinced that Beka would have ended up dying a childless spinster than actually stopping to consider starting a family. With anyone. Her husband would definitely take some getting used to. Hell, the man was his brother-in-law.

Rebeka Bea Valentine getting married wasn't something one heard of everyday so as a gesture of good will, he gave her back the CD's he stole from her the last time they met as a wedding gift. It was the least he could do after all. What were big brothers for?

But damn.

He still couldn't stop staring at the boneblades that decorated his niece's forearms.

His nephew had bumps.

Rafe never thought that he would actually get to see a baby Nietzschean in his lifetime.

Even if the kid was technically only half.

His sister was mother to a two and five year old. He had become an uncle without ever realizing it.

And okay, sure, maybe he should have called or wrote but well, he was a grifter and Beka was the First Officer of a monster of a ship for the New Commonwealth. Even dad would have been proud.

The sound of the Obs. Deck doors sliding open brought him out of his thoughts.

Speaking of Nietzscheans.

Brother-in-law. Damn did that sound weird.

Rafe nodded as Tel, Tele, Telemekkktiisss...Te...what was with Nietzscheans and weird names? What was his last name again? Rayday...Rafe was bad at this. And he knew it.

Roo...

"Rhade right?" That was the name. Yes, he was sure. As he came to stand beside him at the viewing window.

Rhade graced him with a nod of his own. He was still alvie so the name must have been the right one. that was another thing Beka had told him about. How all the ubers on Tarazed weren't like the others of their species. but were actually...civilized and...non-hurty. Good for Beka. He'd hate to have to try and kick someone's ass when said person could most literally pull his head off.

A few minutes of silence. Rafe had always hated silence.

"Is this awkward?" he asked, "This feels kinda awkward."

"It's as awkward as you make it," offered Rhade.

"That's a lot of help."

"Your welcome."

Yep, definitely weird. He'd heard some of the things that little Harp-guy quipped to the Nietzschean. A lot of it he'd get killed for instantly. It was like the twilight zone.

"So...married to my sister. How's that working for you?"

Rhade smiled. "She is quite Nietzschean."

Rafe snorted. "Somehow I can believe that. She's vicious enough, no offense or anything." He said hurriedly. rhade prompted him to continue. "The whole kid thing though? Childless spinster I foresaw her. Imagine my shock."

"She was shocked she heard from you. The two of you don't keep in touch?"

"Well big universe..and uh, separate lives...what's she told you?"

Nietzscheans were big on family. Rafe knew that and left alone with his new found brother-in-law (still weird) he should hgave known it'd come up eventually.

"She looks up to you, you protected her when you were young, you stole her CD collection, and the whole con-artist thing. Have you ever considered something legal?"

"If you're hedging to New Commonwealth officer propaganda spare me, our esteemed Captain Hunt has already tried and I'm not 'yes sir, no sir' material. 'Sides it's only legal when caught."

"So I've heard."

"About the last time I was here?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, well I ah, just thought I'd pop over and see how Rocket was doing. I should probably be going in a few anyway."

Rhade nodded. "You should stop by more often than eight years, the children should know their uncle."

"Heard they've got a lot on your side anyway."

"You should come with us to Tarazed. They'd be happy to meet you, thought just a warning my mother may try and find you a wife."

Rafe laughed. "That's just what I need."

"You really should. We'd love to welcome you to the family. Or even if you're in the area, they'd love to have you in."

"Maybe one day."

Telemachus held out his hand, Rafe took it and they shook.

As far as Nietzscheans went, his brother-in-law wasn't half bad. Maybe he really would have to stop by Tatazed and see what everything was like. Beka had gotten herself a new family, Rafe had been the only one for so long that he'd gotten used to it. But now, a husband, children, and Rhade's entire side.

And Rafe was being openly welcomed into it.

The End.

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