See part one for warnings and acknowledgements.

Rationalising - Part 2

She hadn't hit him hard, not enough swing, but it got his attention. "Tyr stop! You're hurting me!" she pushed at him again. He raised his head to look at her, frowning slightly. It was then she noticed that his eyes were all black, pupils fixed and dilated. If anyone knew how drugs made a person look it was Beka. Tyr didn't know what he was doing and she had to calm him down."Tyr, I can't breathe, you're crushing me...."

She was silenced by a gentle touch to the lips, but his weight shifted onto one arm. He plucked the dented welder from her fingers and slid it out of reach, then lay there, braids falling onto her, touching her face with his fingertips, fascinated. She didn't dare move, just lay there. She had to hold still, let him calm down.

Time seemed to stand still, then his head lowered until his lips brushed hers, eyes closing, then touching his lips to her cheek, then the bruise on her neck, his beard grazing her collarbone. He gently ran a hand over one exposed breast, the thumb tracing around the nipple, then across her belly and down. Tyr looked into her eyes again, seeming more coherent. He growled faintly,and his hand tugged at her waistband again, the fastener breaking. His eyes never moved from hers. Beka just held still, muscles turned to water, the nipple he had touched rock hard, her body turning traitor and all strength abandoning her. The deepest part of her didn't want him to stop, she could feel the pressure building up inside, responding to his touch. Not a thing of concious will, just long repressed need taking over. Her hips lifted slightly, and he dragged the remaining fabric away from her skin, leaving her naked from the waist down. A knee parted her legs, opening her body to him.

A few moments passed while he freed himself, then a thick rod of warm flesh touched her. Beka shrank away for a moment, beginning to tremble. Tyr held her still, then began to growl gently as he entered her, slowly working his way into her moist flesh. She gasped at the fullness, her body quaking from the sweet friction as he pushed himself deeper, then she began to move in response, crying out at each little thrust.

Her breathless cries seemed to make something in him snap. His teeth sank into her shoulder, then he rammed into her, filling her completely . He pulled back, then slammed into her again, making her body shudder uncontrollably. Beka curled around his body, her nails clawing into his back, screaming as he drove into her body over and over. Nothing that intense could last long, and as the orgasm shook her to pieces, he released his hot seed into her, crying out her name.

How long Beka had been lying on the cold floor she couldn't tell, but her senses began to ebb back. Tyr was a warm weight, half crushing her. She put a hand onto his heaving chest, feeling the burning skin, the sweat dripping from the tightly curled hairs. He slid out of her body, then slumped next to her, eyes closed. Beka was left cold and empty, naked except for the torn gilette and vest. Reality closed in, she had to move fast. Beka dragged herself to her feet and into the shower, and let the water wash away the sweat and the smell of him, but most importantly trying to flush every last trace of him out of her body. If only she'd kept something on board... But she'd never thought she would need emergency measures, she was always so careful. She dried off, then put on her spare vest and pants. Beka paused at the door and took a deep breath. Best not to put it off, deal with the awkward aftermath and move on. No big thing, just hormones gone mad, the poison whatever affecting you.

Tyr had gone from the floor. She found him crashed out face down on his bunk, the gouges on his back glaring at her. She should get this over with.

"Tyr." No response. Beka sat on the bunk, and felt his neck. The skin was cooler this time, whatever poison he had eaten wearing off. She brushed the hair from his face, but he didn't react. "Guess it can wait."

She stayed next to him, admiring the sculpted muscle and touching his bone spurs, something he'd never let her do if he was awake. It was just sex, didn't mean anything. The dead end relationship of all time. Would never work. Wouldn't even have looked at her if he wasn't stoned to hell....

"... please respond. Repeat . Eureka Maru, this is the Andromeda Ascendant, please respond. Beka, Tyr, are you there?"

Beka leapt to the flight deck. "Rommie!" Pure relief flooded through her. "It took you long enough. Where the hell have you been? "

"It's a long story." Dylan appeared on screen. "Are you both alright?"

Ah. "Yes. Tyr's sleeping." She smiled a little too brightly, turning quickly to the side and pulling up her collar to hide the bitemark. He couldn't have seen it in the dim light. "But the Maru's systems are totalled. You'd better send Harper down in a fighter with his tool kit and every spare part you've got." And a body bag for his sorry ass.

"Hey Boss!" Harper stuck his head into view, armpit height to Dylan. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you all about it when you get here. How long will you be?"

"An hour or so." Rommie interrupted. "Tell me what you need for take off only, this area is in Drago-Katzoff space, and I'm in no condition for a fight."

Beka listed the essentials then ended the conversation, saying that she should get on with some work while she waited. When the link was gone, Tyr spoke from behind her.

"How long will they be?"

"Harper will be here in an hour. Don't kill him until he's fixed the ship." She kept facing forward, unable to look at him. "Are you feeling better?"

"Mostly." There was a long pause. "Beka...," his voice faltered. "Did I hurt you?"

"Well you could have kissed me first." She snapped. "Or asked if I minded." She immediately regretted saying it, and turned to speak to him, but he had gone.

Beka found him sat on his bunk, face in his hands, shoulders shaking. If she didn't know better she would have thought he was crying. She felt at a bit of a loss, and leaned against the wall while she hunted for the right words. How do you say, "Okay, you forced me into it but I didn't really mind," without sounding disturbed. And there was that whole racial purity crap that meant so much to him. He'd well and truly broken that taboo. She wanted to put her arms around him, but figured it may do more harm than good.

"Well, your performance wasn't that bad. A bit brief maybe." Sarcasm to the rescue.

He looked up, stunned.

"Beka," he drew in a ragged breath," I have no clear memory of what happened. I need you to tell me. I can remember you screaming..." His face sunk into his hands again.

Beka picked her next words with more care than she'd ever used in her life." I was screaming with you, not at you. At least, I was at the end. Tyr, I know that you'd never 'consider a human female,' and I could see that you were sick, so I tried to stop you." Close enough to the truth. "But have you ever looked at yourself in a mirror? I'm not dead. If you ever wanted to fuck me, you only had to say. It gets very dull on the Andromeda." Probably best for both of them if she acted like this was meaningless.

He looked up, a mix of relief and surprise in his eyes. Then they clouded over again. "Beka, I remember you screaming at me to stop. You hit me with the nano- welder. You were frightened."

"I was surprised, there's a difference. If you had raped me, would I do this?"

It had to be something physical or he would never believe her. As he looked up at her, she put her hands on his shoulders, then straddled him on the bunk, a knee either side, looking down slightly. He was unsure for a moment, then rested his head on her breasts and put his arms round her.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked quietly.

"Yes! You bite like a Magog." Beka rubbed her neck ruefully.

"And you scratch like one." Tyr started to shift uncomfortably, the feel of her body making him stiff again. He held her tighter. Once wasn't enough, bloodline be damned. If it was wrong, Museveni would have made it impossible. But would she..?

Tyr tentatively lifted her vest, half expecting her to hit him. Instead, her slender body arched back in his arms, and reassured, he very gently kissed the skin between her breasts. He stopped, and then taking her advice, lifted his head and kissed her. She pulled away at his kiss, and looked him in the eyes, seeming a little suprised. Then she stood up, and after a frantic few seconds of stripping was back astride him, both of them now naked. She kissed him, sliding her tongue into his mouth, and impaled herself on him, wrapping her legs around his waist to force him deep into her. She cried out his name. Tyr held her and let her ride him, breaking the kiss to bite her gently all over her breasts.

Eventually his self control broke, and he pushed her down hard, making her gasp, then threw her onto her back and drove in deep again, this time making her scream. Unable to hold himself back he buried himself to the hilt in her, then shuddered and came. Beka shook beneath him. Again, it hadn't lasted long, but it hadn't needed too. They lay together, bodies still locked, the tension gone. Beka seemed drained, and when Tyr finally pulled out of her she couldn't move. He shifted her so she was resting in his arms, then watched as she drifted into an exhausted sleep.

And then woke with a start. "Harper's gonna be here any minute!" She sat bolt upright, and looked around for her clothes.

"You were only asleep for a few moments, we have plenty of time." he pulled her back into his arms. "Rest for a while." he wrapped around her, trapping her. There was no arguing with muscle like that, so she stayed. As they lay there, he stroked her forearm absently. No spurs. Humans tended to expect monogamous relationships too. Well, for now it wouldn't matter, he was hardly overwhelmed with females of his own kind. When he finally was, she would have to accept her status as one of several wives. But what kind of effect would half human siblings have on his son? No hybrid could be a true Kodiak. He would have to keep them secret, or at least separate. That could be an issue fairly soon. Beka was fertile, he could smell it, and although she didn't realise it had probably conceived already. Not that he was going to tell her that. The longer he kept her lying there, the more chance there was of his second child. So many things to consider. He wrapped his arms around her, instinct taking over again. Reproduce first, think later.

Beka began to wriggle, she *really* had to get into the shower. She knew that Nietzschean males were a lot more fertile than your standard human, no dead or deformed swimmers, sperm count usually ten times higher. The only other alternative was in medical, and the thought of that made her a little sick. Problem was, he was being all clingy and romantic.

"Uh, Tyr, I hate to spoil the mood but I really have to go."

"The little mechanic won't be here for at least half an hour. Do you tire of me so quickly, Captain Valentine?" He looked at her, beautiful dark eyes seeming hurt and insecure.Voice like velvet.

She kissed him. She had meant it to be brief but reassuring. He made it linger and ran a hand gently down her back, sending a shiver down her spine.

"We don't have time for that. I have to shower and stuff." She pried herself out of his embrace and grabbed her clothes. "Look, Tyr, you were great, but..." How could she say this best."I'm not sure we should let everyone know. And I'm not good at serious. Maybe we should cool off for a while. Think. I mean, it could get very difficult." She started backing towards the bathroom.

"You are finished with me already?" Tyr wore an expression of hurt disbelief. "Beka, why? Did I do something wrong? You didn't enjoy me? Did I hurt you?"

A wave of guilt washed over her. "No Tyr, nothing like that. It's cultural. You're Nietzschean, I'm human, it's just not a good idea." He looked really hurt. Say something nice. "The sex was great, I've wanted to do that for months. But humans do sex for recreation. If you want to have fun I'm more than happy, but I can't see how anything else could work. I'm not the commitment kind."

He didn't look happy. Being rejected by an "inferior" was probably putting a real dent in his uber-ego and nothing she could say was going to make a difference. Better leave him to get over it. She walked into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She felt like a total bitch, but it was for the best. Mixed species relationships were an all round bad idea.

Tyr could hear the sound of running water, and smiled bleakly. That was unlikely to help her, she had been asleep for a good twenty minutes in his arms, time enough. But what if once she was aboard the Andromeda, she did something unnatural? Took something from medical to flush their child away. It was possible, perhaps more than possible. He had to do something, he could not allow a moment of panic to destroy his child. And then there was the matter of Beka's own safety. She would never abandon Hunt and his mad dream, and every minute she was on the Andromeda his insanity endangered her. The only thing that would possibly make her seek safety was motherhood, and she was doing her best to avoid that, trying to wash away what might be her only chance to reproduce.

But he couldn't talk to her now, she wouldn't be in the mood to listen, and he couldn't be calm. It would only make things worse. He needed time to think about what he should say, which strategy would work. And if by some miracle she hadn't conceived he would have to charm his way into her bed, and work on her to act in her own best interest. What was best for Tyr was best for Beka: her hidden on some safe world with his child in her belly. It was somewhat ironic, this day had begun with him avoiding her, and now he was planning their family. Maybe the sanctimonious Magog had been right, the universe did have a sense of humour.

Harper arrived just after Tyr had showered and dressed. Their scratches and bites now hidden under sterile dressings from the first aid kit. Tyr was very restrained, and even polite, but it was obvious that he was in a dangerous mood. Beka was relieved when he threw himself into the fighter and headed back to the Andromeda before them. He hadn't even hit Harper once.

"Hey, what was all that about?" Even the normally insensitive Harper had picked up on the atmosphere.

Beka hit him on the back of the head. "I've been cooped up in this ship with him for two whole weeks you little wiener. And its all your fault, you lazy... Aargh!" She hit him again. "My ship is a wreck!" But her heart wasn't in it. Had she actually hurt Tyr's feelings? She sighed. "Just fix it, Seamus."

Harper was smart enough to know that now was not the time for a wiseass reply, and ducked out of sight. What had happened? He had a few wild ideas, but no, they hadn't been stuck here that long. He got busy with the circuits, mind only half on the job. Then he spotted something pink in a corner. Ever curious, he picked it up. It had been a while since he'd seen anything like it, and it was shredded, but Harper was sure. It was torn underwear, and unless the big guy had turned really kinky it was Beka's. And it had been lounging on top of a pile of relay casings, so... it had to have got there after the crash. Oh! Way to go! This could provide months of entertainment, blackmail opportunities and more. He stuffed the lacy remains into a pocket for later. Waste not want not. He risked a peek at Beka, and the pad stuck to her neck. Must have been one wild ride. He was going to watch those two very closely. Rommie's internal sensors were a peeping tom's dream, and there was the very cool possibility that the 'Maru's new security sensors had recorded the whole thing for the home audience.

Seamus Zelazny Harper was going to have some fun. And maybe some popcorn.

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