Possibilities
By Deanie
September 2002

Spoiler Warning: Up to "The Things We Cannot Change"
Rating: NC-17
Archiving: Beka Valentine Fanfic Archive
Summary: Beka and Tyr explore their deepening relationship.
Feedback: It's better than chocolate! Deanie@lisacaps.com
Author's note: This takes place during "The Things We Cannot Change," both before and after the episode. It's also a sequel to my previous Andromeda stories, "Uncertainties," and "Fantasies," about the growing relationship between Beka and Tyr.
Thanks to: Many, many people for their help with this story. To Shaz, as always, for encouragement and alpha reading… Val, for beta-ing and supporting. And for Dee Dee, for her beta-ing guidance. Also thanks to Valerie Lockett, for urging me to keep to my schedule, and to all those who sent feedback and left reviews of the first two stories... Thank you.
Dedicated to the authors displaced by the fanfiction.net ruling. We will not be censored.

***

Peace. For the first time in she didn't know how long, Beka felt peace. In the officer's dining room, Beka took another gulp of her coffee as she idly glanced over Harper's latest equipment request. Even if half of his "necessities" were really luxuries only an engineer would need, they would still have to make a run for supplies soon.

She looked up at the empty room. Strange how quickly life changed. Two years ago she was trying to dodge the FTA and make enough money to cover her debts. Now, she was living on board a three hundred year old starship -- the most powerful warship in the known galaxies. First officer to a man on a quixotic quest to reunite worlds in a government that had been gone for centuries. Strangest of all, she was potentially falling in love - real love - for the first time in her life.

After their confrontation the night before, Beka had made a decision. Time to call a spade a spade, to acknowledge her feelings and call them what they were. She was falling in love with Tyr.

Wow. Love. In love with Tyr, she repeated to herself. The idea wasn't nearly as painful as she'd thought it would be. After spending nearly two years denying that it was even a possibility, she'd thought that admitting her change of heart would be torture.

Despite the lure of his perfect body and the instantaneous flash of desire that consumed her when she'd first seen him, Beka had put the idea of a relationship with Tyr out of her mind. If they'd met in a bar somewhere, she'd have been tempted to proposition him, indulge in a one night stand with a gorgeous man. Once they were crewmates together that was out. But now, here they were, on the verge of…something much more than a fling.

Tyr stood in the doorway, just watching her. Her hair shone gold in the simulated light. The look on her face was dreaming…hopeful. He nodded imperceptibly. She must be thinking of him. They had turned a corner the night before. No longer were their lives separate; soon, they would be as one.

He straightened. Time to greet his mate. His deliberate footsteps echoed on the ship's floor as he crossed the room's threshold.

Beka looked up as she heard him entering the dining room. Funny how he always seemed to show up when she was thinking about him, like he was conjured from her thoughts. She smiled; maybe she was just always thinking about him.

"Hi," she said softly, unsure of what else to say. Last night had been very intense, and though they had cleared the air, she was still a bit uncertain about how to proceed.

"Hi." He smiled, sitting down at the table across from her.

Beka couldn't help returning his smile. He was usually so stoic, never revealing his emotions. His eyes were normally guarded, surveying his environment with suspicion. When he smiled, she saw the real Tyr, the complex, intense man usually hidden behind his mask of selfish indifference. That smile took her breath away.

"How are you?" he asked.

Beka just kept grinning. She took a deep breath and basked in the feeling of contentment. "I feel good." She chuckled at his look of surprise. "I know it's strange…that I should feel good after everything that happened last night. But I do. It's as if denying what I want…who I want…was taking up all my energy, keeping me from feeling alive. But I do…" She rolled her eyes. "Okay, that was unbearably cheesy."

He reached out and grabbed her hand, lightly stroking her palm with his strong fingers. "Sentimental, perhaps. But I find myself agreeing with the sentiment."

Beka shivered, his slightest touch setting her sensitive skin aflame. Despite her vow to take their relationship slowly, she still wanted him. Wanted him more, in fact, now that she knew how warm his skin was as her fingers danced over his muscular chest and how soft his lips were as they nuzzled the spot on her neck that made her weak in the knees.

Turning back to him, Beka caught his knowing look, and knew that Tyr's enhanced Nietzschean senses had detected the faint evidence of her arousal. She leaned forward across the table, her eyes never leaving his. He moved closer, until their lips were mere inches apart.

"Beka, Tyr. Report to command. Our experiments will be beginning shortly. I'm heading to the Maru now. Dylan out."

Beka sighed, slumping back in her chair. So close. Then again, she and Tyr were supposed to be taking things slowly. Maybe Dylan's interruptions were a good thing. "We're on our way," she called.

"We will continue this later." His whispered voice sent shivers up and down her spine. The anticipation had been building for weeks, but the last few days it was becoming nearly unbearable. Soon, mere kisses and caresses wouldn't be enough to satisfy either of them.

Beka closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had to get herself under control.

The first sight that greeted her was his smirk. He knew just how he affected her. Beka smiled; she knew how she affected him, too.

Nonchalantly, she headed for the door. "Coming?"

He shrugged, but walked over to where she was standing. Abruptly, they were back to being simply friends, if only for a little while.

"What exactly are we doing with this black hole, anyway?" Beka asked as they headed down the hall together. ****
After the rescue
****

Beka hummed to herself as she climbed out of the shower. All the hot water she could stand was one advantage of being in her Andromeda quarters, even if it wasn't really home like the Maru. But once again, her poor little ship was desperately in need of repairs. Its tangle with the black hole had left it without water, period - never mind the temperature. She grabbed a towel from the counter nearby. Wrapping it around her damp body, she exited the bathroom.

"Aah!" Beka jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned, glaring at Tyr's smirk. How like him to be waiting in her quarters when she least expected it.

"Tyr." Brushing him away, she walked over to the storage bin and picked up her comb. "What is it with you people walking in on me when I'm only wearing a towel?"

Tyr stifled a groan as Beka began to comb her hair. She lifted her arms above her head, the motion pressing her breasts outward against the flimsy towel. He saw the knowing gleam in her eye as she walked back into the bathroom.

Then his eyes narrowed as he realized what she said, in addition to the enticing picture she'd made as she said it. "Who else has seen you in a towel?"

"Tyr…"

"Who?" he asked menacingly. "Dylan?"

"It was unintentional," she explained. "And he didn't really see anything."

"He saw you in a towel?"

Beka tried to suppress a smile at his look of outrage. His possessiveness was strangely appealing. "Jealous?"

"Of Dylan?" he scoffed. "Please."

Beka sauntered over to Tyr until she was inches away from his glowering face. Gently, she stroked his cheek. "You're the one I care about. You're the one I want." She brushed a gentle kiss over his lips before retreating to the bathroom.

Tyr groaned, mesmerized by the way her hips swayed with each step. She was driving him to madness. She intended for their relationship to progress slowly, yet her actions seemed to contradict her words. When they had been on the Maru rescuing Dylan, she had kissed him, albeit through the helmet of his EVA suit. Tonight, she was before him wearing nothing but a towel. While he had interrupted her after her shower, she seemed to be in no hurry to change into less revealing clothing.

Tyr knew she was conflicted, her desire for him warring with the fear shaped by her past. Already riding a knife-edge of control, he didn't know how much longer he could resist her. If Beka had known what she was doing that day… but she had no way of knowing how her actions would be interpreted in Nietzschean culture. Tyr smiled. Perhaps it was time to enlighten her.

In the mirror, Beka saw Tyr approaching. He smiled, as if he had plans she knew nothing about. Stealth and secrets, that was Tyr. Startled, she realized he had seen her eyeing him, and quickly looked away, returning to combing her hair while looking in the mirror.

Tyr's smile widened as he realized how he was disconcerting her. He stopped inches away from her damp body, so close that he could feel the moisture in the air as the water droplets evaporated from her skin. He gently grasped her hand, taking the brush and setting it down on the counter.

Beka trembled at his nearness. The warmth of his body was so close to her nearly naked one goose bumps rose on her sensitive flesh.

Tyr's strong hands caressed her upper arms as he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "You can't pretend this doesn't affect you. Your body gives you away."

Beka stepped back, as if to escape their shared reflection, but that merely brought her into closer contact with his body. Her eyes met his in the clarity of the mirror. She felt his growing erection straining at the confines of his leather pants, separated from her by his pants and her flimsy towel. "I'm not the only one."

In response, Tyr merely smiled, before leaning down and taking her earlobe in his mouth. Lightly he traced the delicate ridges with his tongue before nipping at the lobe with his teeth.

Beka moaned, tilting her head to allow him better access as his tongue slowly traveled down the dewy softness of her neck. Heat rose in her core, sweeping through her body with overwhelming passion. She needed to be strong, to pull away, to stick to her vow to take things slowly. But his mouth…oh, and his hands…

Inches away from the temptation her luscious mouth provided, breathing in the soft scent of her clean skin, Tyr couldn't resist. He whirled her around until she faced him. Hungrily, he devoured her mouth, simultaneously pulling her tight against his body.

Beka captured his hair in her hands, angling his head to allow her better access to his hot mouth. Her tongue thrust against his, fighting for control. His fingers skimmed her legs before stroking up her thighs to cup her naked buttocks under the towel.

"Tyr," she gasped as his mouth left hers, once more trailing sizzling kisses down the sides of her neck. Beka shivered with pleasure as his tongue danced on her heated flesh, laving her skin with its wet roughness. Through the haze of passion she tried to talk. "Slow," she panted as she felt herself growing wet in response to his potent stimuli. "We were going to take things slow."

"Slow?" He ground his pelvis into hers. "We can take things as slow as you like."

Beka moaned at his double entendre. She could imagine 'slow' all too well. Slow with him deep inside of her, his hands stroking the sensitive skin of her breasts, his mouth open as he consumed hers.

Forget slow, just for a minute. She'd be sensible later; for now, she was going to enjoy the moment. Forcefully, she pulled his mouth up to hers, desperate for the heady taste of his lips. "I want you." She ripped at the buttons on his vest and ran her hands over the newly exposed skin.

In one swift motion he had her towel off and her naked body pressed against his partially clothed one. Beka rubbed her breasts against his bare chest, loving the sensation of his chest hair lightly abrading her taut nipples.

Tyr groaned. He knew their passion was progressing much more rapidly than Beka had intended. They were supposed to be taking things slowly - a very un-Nietzschean concept. "If you were a Nietzschean, you'd already be mine…my wife," he whispered.

His words cut through the foggy haze of passion that enveloped Beka's brain. She wanted him, might even admit to herself that she loved him… but marry him? Be his wife? She looked up, startled.

"By Nietzschean custom, this should be our wedding night," he whispered sensuously.

Beka was having a difficult time thinking, held this close to his potent masculinity. Every breath she took drew his heady scent into her lungs. "Wedding night?"

"I displayed my finest qualities for your approval. You indicated you were 'impressed' by my strengths and accomplishments. You initiated mating…"

"Initiated mating?" Suddenly uncomfortable, Beka took a step back. Suddenly her nudity felt very exposing. Extricating herself from Tyr's arms, she grabbed a silky black robe from its hook and quickly pulled it on her body. "When, exactly, did I 'initiate mating?'"

"You kissed me." When she remained puzzled, he elaborated. "On the Maru, when I was going to save Dylan…"

"Sure, I kissed you," she said, eyes wide. "Through your EVA suit!"

"A kiss is a kiss." He smiled, moving slowly towards her.

"I'm not your wife, Tyr."

"But you could be," he whispered. Before she could protest, Tyr pulled Beka to him, holding her firmly against his body. His mouth swooped down to capture hers, his tongue probing the honeyed recesses of her mouth.

Once more, rational thought flew out of Beka's head. All that mattered was the here and now, being held in Tyr's strong arms and being devoured by his kiss. Nothing else mattered but this moment in time and the way he was making her feel.

Beka rose up on her toes, trying to get closer. She pressed her silk-clad body against his, feeling the warmth of his half-naked flesh through the thin material of her robe. How was anyone supposed to resist the temptation of his sexy body and heated kisses? "Tyr," she groaned, knowing she needed to push away from him but unable to bring her body to do so.

"Do you want me to stop?" he whispered, his breath hot on her ear as he nuzzled her lobe with his tongue.

"We should," she sighed. But it was so hard to think when his hands were…

Tyr heard her gasp as his hands slid down to stroke her buttocks under her robe. "We should," he nodded as his tongue traced the smooth lines of her neck. "But do you want me to?"

Beka hesitated…should she be sensible for once in her life, or chance that yet another risk would pay off?

Her decision was interrupted by Harper's voice over the ship's intercom. "Hey, Beka! Where are you? The Maru's your ship, remember? I'm not cleaning it up all by myself."

"Sorry…" her voice came out as a croak. She cleared her throat before responding. "Sorry Harper. I was just taking a shower. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"A few minutes?" Tyr whispered. "I thought you wanted to take things slowly?"

"Tyr…" Beka withdrew from his embrace. "I want you. I can't deny that. But I've been reckless in every other relationship in my life, and they all ended badly. I don't want us to screw this up."

"I understand." Regretfully, he stepped back. Their relationship was progressing, regardless of whether or not it was consummated that night. If he pushed her too hard, she would run. Better to make a strategic retreat and live to seduce another day. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before heading for the door. "Sooner or later…" his voice trailed off as he walked out of her quarters. Now all he needed was a long, hard workout in the gym to relieve his frustrations…

Beka sighed, sagging back against the door. Was she making a mistake? Should she give in to the fiery attraction between them, or try to stick to her plan? And, dammit, why didn't her heart ever listen to her head?

Taking a deep breath, Beka pushed away from the wall and headed back to the bathroom. She needed another shower - a cold one, this time - before meeting Harper on the Maru.