”Harper…time’s up. You do have to leave now.” Harper shook his head.
”No. I don’t.” Beka rolled her eyes.
”Er, yes. You do. This has been a very lovely experience, but now I’m going down for breakfast, and you’re going back to the Andromeda to get some sleep.” He sat up, groggily rubbing his eyes. He’d never been good at keeping awake.
“I’m not going anywhere. Not without you.” He’d tried to get it out of her all night. Why she refused to go back. Why she would rather stay in the brothel than go back with him. She’d only given evasive answers, not wanting to let him know the real truth. Well, he assumed there had to be a real truth behind it all. She looked at him, her expression suddenly changed. She looked pleading, almost desperate.
“Please,” she said quietly. “I’ll get in trouble if you don’t leave.” Harper sighed.
”What’s he going to do?” he asked sarcastically. ”Spank you?” He cringed. “Oh wait, maybe he would.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” she said indignantly. He gave her an uncertain look.
“Er…I guess he was lying but…he said you slept with him.” She was suddenly very interested in her fingernails and Harper felt a sudden urge to vomit. “Ok, there I have my answer I guess…never mind. So what would he do to you if I won’t leave?”
“He might throw me out.”
“Oh,” Harper said sarcastically, “that would be so terrible, wouldn’t it? Leave this lovely place?”
“It’s not like I have anywhere else to go,” she spat at him, her eyes turning dark. He took a step back with this sudden aggression. “You’ve been going on all night how horrible this is, how horrible I am.”
“I didn’t say you’re horrible,” he protested, “I just said it’s horrible that you…do…this. Have to do this.” She shook her head.
“I know what you think, all right? I know you think I’m a filthy whore, a slut.” Tears started forming in her eyes and she bit down on her lip. “I didn’t ask for this Harper! I’m not…I’m not…” She broke down in tears and Harper rushed up to her. As he tried to embrace her she slapped his hands away, leaving him helplessly watching her.
“I know you’re not,” he tried, “I know. I…respect that you had your reasons, all right? And no one else knows, and they don’t have to know.” She suddenly stopped sobbing for a second and looked up at him, her face streaked with tears.
“They don’t know?” Her voice was small, but hopeful. He shook his head and smiled with joy, finally getting somewhere.
“I didn’t tell them where you were, just that you were in trouble and I needed to go get you. We can make something up, and they’ll be never the wiser.” She looked happy for a moment, then her face clouded over again.
“No,” she said, her head falling back down on the pillows. He frowned.
“No?”
“You know.”
“Yes, but…”
“And Rommie will be able to read…how many men I’ve been with. Tyr will be able to smell it. Trance and Rev will just know. They’ll either think I’ve been a hooker or a slut. So the only one who won’t know is Dylan, unless Rommie sees it fit to inform him. Woo-Hoo.” He sighed, unwillingly having to admit she made a good point. He tried again.
“Even if they do know, they won’t judge you.”
“Why not? You have.”
“No, I haven’t!”
“You would say that.” He rolled over on his back and pouted.
“What do you want me to do Beka? If I tell you the truth, you’ll bend it to fit your screwed up image. What the hell do I do?”
“You could just leave?”
“Never.” She sighed.
“I told you…”
“You’ll get into trouble. Well, to be completely honest, I hope he throws you out! Maybe then you’ll see sense. Besides, what is so horribly bad about this drift that you have to stay here?” She looked over at him, and for a moment Harper thought she was opening up. Clear pain was in her eyes, and her lips parted slightly to speak, but as suddenly as it had opened, her face closed up again.
“Nothing,” she stated abruptly, turning from him again. He cursed under his breath.
“Well,” he decided, “if he threw you out, would you come back to the Andromeda?”
“No.”
“What would you do?” She shrugged. He suddenly cringed, remembering how he’d told Dylan and Tyr to be ready on arms. How was he going to explain it to them when he came back empty-handed? “You do realise I’ve already told them I’m going to get you. If I come back without you they won’t just leave it.”
“Tell them I’m dead. That ought to do it.”
“What? I’m not going to tell them…”
“You’re going to get thrown out soon.” He sighed.
“Like I told you. No. I won’t. Because we’re leaving. Now.” And with a strength he never knew he had, he grabbed her arm and started pulling her towards the door.
