Friends, Comforters, & Companions

Author's Note: This is the last chapter in the story. We have nothing percolating in this AU at the moment. We did enjoy playing with Freya and Medea a lot. There s a remote possblilty we might find something interesting to do with them at a later time. Thanks to all who've read and enjoyed this story. Your reviews mean so much to us. Be'Tor tries to get answers out as quickly as she can. She's the Correspondence Goddess and is great at that as she is at so many other things. Please let us know what you think of this story...and our others.
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Lursa

Companion 6: The Lady or the Nietzschean


Tyr's shoulders slump as he steps into the hallway with Medea at his side. He glances over his shoulder with a worried frown as Peck and Walter begin to clean Harper's wounds. They seem to be handling his companion with care but he still doesn't like the idea of leaving them alone with Harper. "I should stay with him."

"Let them do what they can." Medea takes Tyr's arm and tugs him down the hallway. She smiles warmly up at her husband. "Come, Tyr, Freya and I have a gift."

"What is it?" Tyr's eyes widen as he steps into the living area.

Freya is curled in her chair, cushions tucked comfortably behind her back. A tightly bound man with a bruised face and bloodied leathers is lying on the floor. She swings her foot back and forth as she watches his desperate squirms with an air of idle interest. Freya smiles warmly at Tyr as she waves her dagger at her captive. "We kept one of them alive, Husband. He's been most...coooperative."

He snarls at Freya. "Orca wench!"

Medea strolls over and kicks him. "There'll be no more of that."

Tyr kneels beside the captive, yanking the man's head back. He stares coldly down into the blue eyes. "Who ordered this?"

"I have nothing to say to you...kludge lover!"

"Tell him who ordered the attack." Freya kneels across from Tyr and trails the edge of her knife down her captive's battered face.

"I'll see the blood of you and your spawn on my blades before sunset." The captive flinches as Tyr's hand tightens and Freya trails her blade suggestively over his arched throat.

Medea places a restraining hand on Tyr's shoulder. "Husband, allow me to introduce Cieran, out of Baleria by Kyle. Brother of Josephine, my cousin."

"Josephine!" Tyr snarls. That one dares to strike at his family again? Some isolation her family held her in if she could arrange for assassins. This time he will not agree to matters being handled by them even if they were Kodiak and had blood ties to his beautiful Medea.

"My cousin will get her due, Husband." Medea promises as she pats her husband's shoulder. "But first I want you to hear it from his lips."

"Tell me." Tyr growls as he shakes Cieran roughly. "Tell me and I'll allow Freya to kill you swiftly."

"You rejected a fertile Nietzschean female to waste your genetic matrix with a kludge whore and a male! You insult our family..."

"So you do what...try to murder my wives and my unborn children? What insanity is this?" Tyr sneers.

"You must pay for this insult to my sister. Your children die, your kludge lover dies, and you will die." The blond hisses. "Josephine wants you all dead."

"A waste. You, your sister, your entire family....a waste of genetic resources." Tyr drops the bound man back on the floor. He meets his Second Wife's questioning glance with a nod. He need no more information from this idiot.

"Husband, First Wife, accept my gift." Freya smiles coldly at the bound man. His eyes widen in horror as she buries her dagger to the hilt in his chest.

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Harper chokes, gagging on the vile fluid sliding down his throat.

"Damn kludge. Drink it and stop fussing." A stern male voice orders.

Harper twists his head, coughing. Hard hands grab his head and glass clinks against his teeth. "Drink it."

He flails wildly with fist and feet and something falls with a thud and an oath. Wet and sticky liquid splatters across his bare thigh, stinging viciously and he cries out, forcing his heavy eyes open. Where? Where? He blinks frantically trying to bring things into clear focus. He's in his bedroom. How had he gotten here? Where's Tyr? And the women? Have they hurt Freya and Medea too?

"Sir, are you alright?" Walter inquires tentatively from the foot of the bed. He looks uneasily at Harper who glares back. Walter tries a tentative smile, but it fades quickly under the human's stare. Oh, my. It's a vicious looking creature now that it's awake. The human doesn't seem so small and helpless any more. "Are you sure we're doing this right? Maybe if we tried reasoning with it."

"Don't be a bigger idiot than you already are. Grab that fool of a kludge," Peck hisses as he pulls himself up. His white shirt is soaked with bright pink fluid. He scowls evilly at Harper and lunges across the bed as he keeps talking to his assistant. "Don't you know there's no use in trying to explain things to these creatures. They aren't like real people. You might as well try to explain math to your dog."

Who are these people? What do they want? He's gotta get away and get help. Harper clutches at the nearest bed post, trying to pull himself up despite the pain in his thigh. He looks from the strangers to the door, measuring the distance and his chances. If he were unhurt, he could get past these two easily enough. Neither of the strangers seem very agile, but he's not feeling any too frisky right now either. He's gotta try. For Tyr. For Medea and Freya.

"Watch out!" The man in the white shirt lunges across the bed at him. "Grab him. He's going to try to run away!"

Harper squirms toward the edge of bed just as the chubby guy grabs one ankle. If he can't get by the two strangers, maybe he can yell loudly enough that someone at Brutus' house might hear and come. He kicks out catching the guy on the chin. The guy staggers back a step, yanking on Harper's hurt leg. Harper falls back onto the bed. Okay, yelling it's gonna be. He takes a deep breath. "NO! HELP! Somebody...anybody...HELP!"

"What is going on in here?" The bedroom door slams open and Tyr glowers accusingly at the two Nietzscheans. He stalks into the room and grabs the chubby guy and shoves him into the wall with a satisfying thud. "Let go of him at once!"

"Tyr! You're alive." Harper grins, flashing his dimples in delight. Joy fills him at seeing the Nietzschean standing tall and strong in the sunlight streaming through the glass door. His grin fades as he looks at the cuts and scratches curling across Tyr's chest. His eyes darken with concern. "Tyr? Are you alright?"

"I am fine." Tyr eases the human further away from the edge of the bed. He will not have his companion jarred by a fall. His wives are right, Tyr thinks as he cups the human's chin in his hand. The vivid blue eyes are guarded now and the pale face closed and wary, but for a second...that moment when he first walked into the room, the human had glittered with joy like a diamond in the sun. He had felt the same way when Harper had taken that first weak breath after he'd pulled his companion out of the sea. Tyr leans down and presses a kiss to the human's forehead. "How are you?"

"I'm good." Harper's eyes widen as Medea and Freya walk into room. He can feel a blush spreading over his face and throat as he struggles to sit, grabbing awkwardly for the pink splattered sheets. His blush deepens as a strong arm curls around his waist, steadying him. He glances uneasily at the wives. They know what he's here for since they hired him, but does Tyr have to touch him so affectionately front of them? It seems wrong somehow. He doesn't want to hurt the two women's feelings in any way.

"Here, let me help you." Tyr pulls the wine colored coverlet loose and carefully tucks the soft folds around the human's bare hips and legs. He plumps up the pillows and eases Harper back against them. He strokes back the damp blond hair and brushes another kiss over the human's brow. "There."

Medea glowers at Peck for a moment before turning toward Walter. She turns her cold eyes toward the chubby man who is slowly pulling himself to his feet. "How...dare...you!"

"Ah...ah...just following orders. That's all I was doing. Just following orders." Walter backs slowly away as Medea advances on him. He throws a desperate looks at Peck. "Please, madame, I was just following orders. Nothing more. Just doing what I was told."

Tyr moves away from Harper. He pauses to close his hands over Medea's slim shoulders and kiss her cheek. "Do you need any help, my First?"

"With this?" Medea turns her head and kisses Tyr's chin and then his lips as she leans against him. "I think not."

Harper glances with concern at Freya, but she seems completely indifferent to the way that Tyr and Medea are nuzzling and cuddling in front of her. Freya is standing in front of the doorway, glowering at Peck and fingering a dagger. He glances back to see Tyr kiss Medea's cheek and step away. His eyes widen as Tyr walks straight from Medea to Freya and strokes a hand down Freya's back. Freya smiles and leans back against Tyr, tilting her head back and offering her mouth.

"And you, my Second?" Tyr bends his head and kisses Freya lightly on the mouth, cheek and chin. "Do you need anything?"

Harper glances at Medea who is herding the plump man back toward the doorway. She pauses to pat Tyr's flank and kiss his bicep. As he watches, Tyr reaches back and curls an arm around her, bringing Medea up against his side. Freya presses against the Neitszchean's other side. Harper blinks as he studies the small group. Both woman seem perfectly comfortable and content with the way that Tyr is dividing his attention between them. Harper tucks his coverlet more firmly around himself. The only one in the room who seems uncomfortable is him. Maybe he's missing something here. Maybe he's been missing something all long in his relationship with Tyr and the babes because he's been filtering their behavior through the wrong set of expectations. He'd never heard about the whole companion/comforter thing until he landed here. What other aspects of Nietzschean culture might he be missing or misunderstanding?

Medea growls. "You dare call yourself a healer, Peck!"

"I am a healer." Peck straightens his pink stained shirt. He glances disdainfully at Harper. "I'm not a veternarian!"

"VETERNARIAN!" Tyr steps away from his wives and shoves the healer back into the wall. He looms over Peck, growling menacingly. "Harper is my companion. You will respect him."

"It's a kludge, not even a real person. I can't possibly know what to do with it." Peck glares back. He doesn't care how much prestige comes with attending the Second Alpha. He's not going to lower himself to continue to treat a kludge just to win favor. Let Virginia curry favor that way if she needs it so badly. He has more dignity that this.

"What?" Freya snarls at pinned healer. Her hand tightens around her dagger. "How dare you! We don't allow that sort of vile talk in our home."

Harper wiggles into a comfortable position on his pile of pillows as he glowers at the pink-splattered man. A small glow of satisfaction warms him at the sight of Peck wiggling haplessly in Tyr's clutches. Tyr must care about him to get so angry about a little name calling. Maybe he means more to Tyr than he thought. Harper glances at the women, noting the ripped and bloodied robes. What happened to the women while he and Tyr were fighting the divers. Are they alright? And the babies? Harper swallows, grimacing at the ache in his throat. He whispers hoarsely, "Freya."

Freya walks over and sits next to him. She pats his hand. "Yes, Harper?"

"Are you okay? Is Medea okay?" Harper asks hoarsely as he glances from one woman to the other. He can't see any obvious wounds although it's clear that both women have been fighting.

Medea carefully lowers herself to sit at the foot of the bed. She smiles and pats Harper's foot. "We're fine."

Tyr drops Peck and walks over to the bed. He tilts the human's face back and softly kisses his companion's lips. "You are the one that we are concerned about. You gave us all quite a fright."

"I thought...I was so worried." Harper glances hastily at the wives, a blush heating his face. He sees nothing but concern in Medea and Freya's eyes. The two wives watch with apparent approval as strong arms curl carefully around him, easing him back to nestle against Tyr's chest. Harper turns his head and tentatively brushes a kiss over the velvety skin. He glances sidelong at the wives. Still no reaction to his touching Tyr in front of them.

"We..." Freya smiles at him and smoothes her hand over the curve of her stomach. "We are all fine."

Harper glances at the healer who is muttering about ungrateful kludges and cramming things back in a small bag. He doesn't want this Peck guy to touch him again. He wants the woman who came last time. He can't remember her name. So much was going on when she was there, but she's the one that he wants. He points a shaky finger at Peck. "I don't want him."

A growl rumbles in Tyr's chest. "Then he will go."

Peck looks up with a glower and throws his bag to his chubby assistant. He stalks past the other man. "Come, Walter. Virginia is welcome to treat all the kludges that she wants to. I have better things to do."

Harper snuggles back into the warm cradle of Tyr's arms. He strokes a hand down the sinewy length of Tyr's forearm. He meets Freya's gaze with a puzzled frown. She doesn't seem any more concerned about him being cuddled up with Tyr than she had about sharing Tyr with Medea earlier. Harper's eyes widen with sudden speculation and hope. Could this mean that she and Medea see him as a member of the family? Has he been wrong all this time in thinking of himself as some sort of kept man and assuming that the family sees him that way? "Ah, Freya?"

"Yes, Harper?"

"Can I have the other healer? The woman who patched up my chest? I liked her."

"We've summoned her but she was going to be delayed. We had to use Peck." Freya pats his hand as she smiles at him. "We wanted to get you out of danger as quickly as possible."

"I'm okay." Harper stirs weakly against the heat of Tyr's chest. He is feeling awfully tired now that all the excitement is over. He just wants to sleep and rest. He touches his sticky thigh. The stuff in the liquid still stings unpleasantly. He wants to wash it off and Harper frowns at the pink splattered sheets. Fresh bedding would be nice too. It all seems like too much effort. He sighs and turns his face into Tyr's chest. His eyes close.

Freya leans forward, touching Harper's cheek. "You're still not well."

"I'd really like to get clean," Harper admits, opening his eyes.

Medea fingers the pink stained sheets. "We need to change the bed too."

Harper clutches his wine coverlet closer as he stirs amid the sheets, sleepiness fleeing at the awareness that there is nothing but him under the coverlet. No way are the wives wrestling the coverlet out of his clutches. "It's fine. Really."

"And it looks like Harper needs to be bathed as well," Freya trades a meaningful look with Tyr over the human's head.

Harper pulls his coverlet higher. "I can clean myself."

"No, you're still weak and a bit shaky. I think you need help, Harper." Freya shakes her head. She glances at Medea and the two women look at Tyr as they get off the bed. "Why don't you take care of that, husband, while Medea and I call Virgina to see how soon she'll be here."

"It's okay, Tyr. I don't need your help. Really. I can bathe myself." Harper tries to push away from Tyr's chest as the wives leave the room. "I don't want to bother you.

"It's no bother." Tyr gathers the human firmly into his arms and stands. He carries Harper into the bathroom as servants scurry into the room with piles of fresh bedding. Tyr walks into the shower and braces his companion against his body as he turns the water on. A warm mist of water sprays over them as Tyr washes the saltwater out of the human's short hair. Tyr murmurs against the pale column of Harper's throat. "I thought I'd lost you."

"What?" Harper dabs as his chest with a washcloth. The pink skin of his healed cuts still feels tender. If he heals as fast from this attack as he did the last one, he should be well enough to limp over to meet Beka at the Bayside Cafe. He doesn't want to miss that meeting. It feels like forever since he's seen her and the rest of the crew. Well, as far as Bobby is concerned, forever wouldn't be nearly long enough. But it'll be good to see Trance and Rev and hear about what everyone's been doing.

"I don't know what I would do if you...if you hadn't taken that first breath. I was so..." Tyr affectionately nuzzles Harper's throat as he gently hugs the human closer, rejoicing in the cool solidness of his companion's small frame. His hands spread over the human's ribs and across the soft skin of Harper's stomach.

Those hands had better not drift any further down, contract or no contract. He is so not doing his duty tonight. He'd gotten enough of that last night. Harper huffs and edges away. Yeah. Bet Tyr'd thought his free nookie was gone bye bye. The Divine knew the Nietzschean couldn't seem to go a single day without it. Even now he can feel the Nietzschean's cock stirring against his hips. At least Tyr had kept the swimtrunks on, but those were probably gonna hit the deck any second now. Harper scowls.

"Let me help you." Tyr reaches for the washcloth.

"I can do it," Harper insists. Sheeesh. It's not the first time he's gotten banged up. He'd taken care of himself all those times too. Still, it is nice to have Tyr's powerful frame to lean against. To have those strong hands firm on his waist. He gingerly cleans the sticky pink stuff from his thigh. How deep had that Uber bastard's bone blades gone in him? He can move his leg. Surely a good sign, but he can't put his full weight on it. Will that green goo stuff heal his thigh as fast as it had his chest? He'll have to ask...what was the woman's name...oh, Virginia.

"I thought you were dying." Tyr nuzzles the human's nape.

Harper leans back, looking into his lover's face. He can see worry and concern clouding the amber eyes. He shivers as he remembers the awful moment when he saw Tyr jerked under the water and his desperate attempts to save the Nietzschean. He glances around the white-tiled shower and his mouth thins with anger and resentment as he thinks of the night before. He's had enough of being in here. He reaches out turns the water off. "I thought they were going to kill you."

"So you tried to save me?" Tyr asks as he helps the human out of the shower, ignoring Harper's attempts to push him away. He sets Harper down on a thick wine rug.

"I can do it myself." Harper scowls and snatches a white and wine stripped towel from the rack. Damn pushy Nietzschean. His shoulders tense as he glances at the shower, remembering Tyr coaxing three reluctant climaxes from him last night. Harper briskly towels his hair dry, using the activity as an excuse to conceal his expression. He tenses as Tyr's arm curls around his waist, steadying him.

"Why would you place yourself in danger?"

"Of course, I tried to save you, Tyr. I lo..." Harper cuts off the words sharply, appalled at what he'd almost confessed. This isn't something that Tyr needs to know. Probably isn't even something that Tyr wants to know. Talk about too much information. He no long doubts that Tyr cares for him on some level, but simple concern is a long way apart from how he feels for Tyr.

"What?" Tyr plucks the obscuring towel away from Harper. He drapes it back on the rack and cups a hand under the human's chin, tilting his companion's head back. Is the human about to admit to having feelings for him? He asks hopefully, "You what?"

Harper lowers his gaze, refusing to look at Tyr. "Nothing. Never mind."

"Is there something you want to tell me, Harper?" Tyr asks as he helps the human into a soft, red robe.

"Nah. Not really." Harper glances over his shoulder and he tightens the terrycloth belt around his waist. He hesitates, watching Tyr strip off the black swimtrunks and dry off quickly. "Just that, you know, my contract..."

Tyr shrugs on a white robe and belts it loosely. He frowns. Does the human still plan to break the contract and leave? He will not permit it. He can and will put any number of obstacles in the way of any ship that tries to leave with his companion on board. "What about the contract?"

"I was, ah, thinking that maybe, um, in light of everything that's, um, happened..." Harper stops as Tyr scoops him up and carries him into the bedroom.

"Yes?" Tyr prompts as he slips Harper between the fresh champagne sheets. He sits next to Harper, closely watching the human's troubled face.

"I mean." Harper meets the amber gaze briefly before looking away. He fixes his gaze on the white robe covering Tyr's wide shoulders. He doesn't want to leave, but he's gone so far over the line. What he feels for Tyr has to be way beyond what a companion is supposed to feel. He doesn't want to be some pathetic creature meekly following Tyr around, grateful for whatever crumbs of affection the Nietzschean tosses his way. He has more pride in himself than that. "I thought I should, you know, move on."

Tyr trails his fingertips over the edge of Harper's jaw, gently urging the human to look into his face. Is Harper finally going to tell him what truely troubles his companion? Whatever it is, he will make it right. He will not lose Harper. Not after he has been given reason to suspect that his wives are right, and that the human's feelings are as deep as his own. "You are not happy here?"

"No! No that's not it at all. It's just..."

"Have either of my wives said, or done something to offend you?" Tyr searches Harper's face.

Harper shakes his head firmly. "No. They've been great. I'll miss them."

"Then I suppose the blame lies with me." Tyr sighs and looks down, allowing his shoulders to slump. He glances hopefully through his braids at the human. Now will Harper say the words that he is longing to hear?

"You can't help how you feel, Tyr." Harper reaches out, stroking back the long braids. He frowns as the Nietzschean's dark face turns away from him. Harper eyes the lines of Tyr's profile with concern. Has he hurt Tyr? His gaze falls to the lushly provocative fullness of Tyr's mouth. Does he have the strength to walk away from this? "I mean. You had me sprung on you like a bad surprise. You've been a good sport about it all...but I know you're ready to throw me back and...and get someone who can keep their objectivity."

Tyr turns with a scowl. Anger glitters in his amber eyes. "What makes you say this?"

"I can't stay here any longer." Harper blinks. Of all the possible reactions he'd expected, anger and outrage were the last. He'd expected a few polite protests, but not that Tyr would be offended. Maybe it's the contract thing. Maybe Nietzscheans have strong feelings about contracts. Take 'em personal or something. He really shouldn't be nursing the tiny flicker of hope that is growing in his heart. No. He will just destroy himself if he hangs around, waiting and hoping that one day...no, he's gotta get out of here. "I can't bear being so close to something I can't have."

"Why would you feel this way?" Tyr frames the human's head between his palms as he stares down into the blue eyes. He will allow no more evasions. "There is nothing here that is off limits to you, Harper."

"Yes there is." Harper's eyes slide away from Tyr's intense amber gaze.

"What?"

Harper closes his eyes. He might as well say it. It won't matter, but oh, what if it does? "You."

"Harper..." Tyr leans closer, greedily breathing in his companion's scent. He will yield. He no longer has the will to hold back. "There's something you don't know."

"Wait. Wait, before you say anything, I've got to tell you something. I need to do it before I lose my nerve...."

"I love you, Harper."

"I mean, I know this means that you'll have to do a minor bit of manuevering to get the repairs done and you'll have to hire a new comforter. But that shouldn't be a big problem." Harper stops suddenly and opens his eyes. He glances quickly at Tyr. "What did you just say?" Had he heard that right? Is it possible?

"I love you, Harper." Tyr touches his lips to the human's, keeping the caress light and gentle. "Do you have similar feelings?"

"I...uh...um...yeah," Harper stammers. His hands tangle in the long braids as he stares into the unguarded honey-colored eyes, seeing Tyr's emotions gleaming clearly in the depths.

"I'm not sure I understand." Tyr teases.

"I...um, love you." Harper grins, flashing his dimples in delight as he pulls Tyr down for a kiss. He presses close, sinking into the heat of the Nietzschean's mouth and reveling in velvet hotness. He'd thought he would never taste Tyr again. Never have this again. He slides his arms around the Nietzschean's throat, trying to curl around Tyr despite the ache in his thigh.

Tyr growls, sliding his arms around his companion. It's difficult to restrain himself with Harper tempting him this way. He reluctantly lifts his head. "Harper. You're hurt. We shouldn't..."

"Oh yeah, we should." Harper leans upwards, reclaiming the heat of the Nietzschean's mouth. He tenses as someone taps on the door and steps inside. One of the servants. Well, let 'em change out towels or whatever. He doesn't care if they see him kissing Tyr. He curls his tongue seductively around Tyr's, luring the Nietzschean into a passionate duel. Harper stiffens at the sound of a throat being cleared. The sound is rather feminine. He slowly pulls back and peeks over Tyr's shoulder to see Medea, Freya and Virginia all watching him with interest. What can he say to the two women who just watched him kissing their husband with considerable enthusiasm? Hmmm. They don't seem to be upset. Just curious and pleased. Later he will have to ask Tyr exactly how he fits into the overall scheme of things. He resists the urge to hide his hot face against Tyr's shoulder and smiles at the women. "Hi."

"Virginia, is here to see you, Harper." Freya smiles at him.

"I hear you've been hurt again, young man." Virginia walks toward the bed, carrying her bag. "Let's have a look at you."

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Harper cuddles against Tyr, his head cradled on one wide shoulder. His hurt thigh rests against the soothing heat of the Neitzschean's stomach. He snuggles closer, listening to the slow beat of Tyr's heart. "Tyr?"

"Hmmm?" Tyr rubs his chin lazily over his companion's head, enjoying the soft tickle of blond spikes. His lips quirk into a satisfied smile.

"I've been wondering about something." Harper tilts his head back, glancing up at Tyr's face. He trails a finger over the smile curving the Nietzschean's lips. Unable to resist such temptation, Harper kisses the rich curve of Tyr's lower lip.

"Um hmm?" Tyr hums blissfully against the human's mouth.

"A couple of somethings actually."

"You have questions?" Tyr opens his eyes at the hesitant note in his companion's voice. His hand spreads possessively over the curve of the human's flank. The silken coolness of his companion's skin feels so good against his palm.

"Yeah. I'm not sure how to say this." Harper frowns. He stirs uneasily under the warmth of Tyr's caressing hand. How to put his questions into words? He doesn't want to sound like he's accusing Tyr of anything, but he needs to know what was going on last night. He's beginning to feel like there's something that he's missing. "Last night..."

"Yes?"

"What happened last night...you know, between us?"

"What would you like to know?" Tyr searches Harper's face with a puzzled frown. He can feel Harper tensing against him as he idly draws patterns over the soft skin of the human's flank and thigh. Maybe now he'll find out why his Harper was looking so lost and sad that night.

"I mean. There's a lot to our whole...to us, that I'm not sure I'm getting, you know?" Harper shifts nervously under the intent gaze of those dark eyes. He glances away.

"Just ask."

"You seemed...I don't know...so intent on making love last night. I didn't get what was so urgent."

Tyr frowns in bewilderment. "You didn't 'get'..."

"I didn't understand."

"Ahhh. I see." Tyr kisses the human's forehead. His companion fits so seamlessly into his household that he tends to forget that Harper was born under a distant star and doesn't understand the customs that seem so natural to him. "I was offering comfort to you, because of your battle. I was trying to show you how valuable you are to me."

Harper smoothes his hand over the hard contours of Tyr's chest. Okay, he still doesn't get the connection...exactly. He gets that for Nietzscheans, sex equals comfort, but why had Tyr been so insistent on it that night? He would have been more comforted by a night of cuddling and pampering than bout after bout of sex. "Why? I mean, why was sex so important last night?"

"Sex is always important, Harper." Tyr chuckles softly.

Harper presses cool lips to the warm shoulder cradling his head. He smiles against the velvet skin. "I know that. It's just that the timing seemed...odd."

"Was that why you didn't respond to my attentions?"

What?! Harper narrows his eyes. He'd been tired, hurt and dispirited that night, but he'd done what he had to do, and if it hadn't been good enough for a certain Nietzschean...Harper scowls. "I responded."

"Not with your usual vigor. Not with your usual sense of playfulness."

Harper smiles slowly, relaxing again. So, Tyr had noticed the difference in his response, even though the Nietzschean had apparently taken it as a sign to keep trying in an attempt to reclaim the level of responsiveness that Tyr had become accustomed to from him, rather than a signal to back off. That's promising. "I was so confused and angry."

Tyr shifts so that he can look at Harper's face. He strokes back the silken spikes.
"I'm not sure I can explain, Harper."

"Try." Harper's voice is quiet.

"Well...When there is a...a...trama in a Nietzschean's life. Something that might mar the physical appearance or beauty of an individual...it is important for the spouse or lover of that individual to let him or her know that they are still beautiful...still desirable."

Harper's eyes widen with understanding as he remembers the way that he'd seen Tyr touching Freya and Medea earlier. So, his speculations earlier were on the right track. He is a spouse of sorts if he gets the same treatment and recognition. "Ohhhh. So, you did the same with the ladies...the wives."

"Yes. Of course. I offered both my attentions and the opportunity to lie with me for comfort. As Nietzschean women they understood what I was doing and accepted it for what it was."

"Now it makes sense." Harper cuddles closer. He trails his fingers through the braids spread across Tyr's chest. "Last night, I thought you didn't care that I had been hurt. I thought you only wanted to get your rocks off."

Tyr frowns, puzzled. "I do not understand this phrase "get my rocks off". What does it mean?" There are so many things that he does not know about Human culture. So many nuances and phrases that hold meanings heretofore unknown to him. Tyr stares into the crystal of his companion's eyes. Tyr blinks. Those eyes are so like the ocean just outside the doorway. But...he wants a lifetime to find out all he can.

"It means I thought you only wanted to have sex and didn't care that I was hurt."

"Ahhhhh. Nothing could have been further from the truth." Tyr cups his hand over the human's nape as he looks down into the blue eyes. He spreads his fingers through the short silken hair, massaging lightly. "I could feel your distance, and your unhappiness, and I was unsure how to fix it, so I did the only thing I knew."

"You worked me over pretty good." Harper chuckles. The memories have lost their sting now that he knows what Tyr was trying to do. Now that he knows how much Tyr values him.

"Yet there was no joy in our coupling." Tyr sighs.

Harper strokes his hand down Tyr's muscled forearm, feeling the bone blades stir under his touch. Perhaps it's merely the moonlight, but Tyr looks a bit sad and lost tonight. And he's not the only one who was in a fight today and got banged up. Maybe...Maybe Tyr could use a little comforting, Nietzschean style, tonight. Harper deliberately, sensually rubs his thigh over his lover's hip. He kisses Tyr and murmurs plaintively, "I've got these nasty scars on my thigh and my chest is still tender."

"You are still beautiful and flawless in my eyes," Tyr assures his companion. Tyr tilts his head to one side and blinks. Is Harper solicting comfort from him? Desire is warming the human's scent. He looks more closely at Harper's face and a slow, sensual smile quirks his lips as he sees his companion's expression.

Harper playfully pouts as he meets Tyr's gaze. "Yeah, but I'm gonna have these huge scars on my leg."

Tyr gently eases the human back against the pillows. He carefully eases down to kiss the length of each healing scar stretching across his companion's smooth chest. The human is ready to receive and offer comfort. A giddy joy sweeps through him as he nuzzles his way down the human's stomach. "These are the wounds of battle. You got them fighting to save me. Each one is dear."

"So do I get a kiss where it hurts or what?" Harper laughs as he runs his fingers through the long braids sliding deliciously across his skin.

"Your leg..." Tyr settles carefully between his companion's thighs. He drops light kisses on the pale skin showing at the edges of the bandage, working his way upward to scatter more kisses over the heavy curves of his companion's balls and the rising length of the human's cock. His hands curl over the swells of Harper's flanks, holding the human still as he slowly licks the swelling cock into full arousal. Tyr draws back slightly, licking his lips as he savors the taste of the human's desire.

"Oh, man!" Harper groans, tangling his hands in his lover's long hair. Oh, yeah. He could get into this whole comfort thing. He fists his hands urgently in Tyr's braids as the wet, velvet hotness of the Nietzschean's mouth closes over him. Oh. Yeah. His hips arch up into the strong pull of Tyr's mouth. He'd thought he lost his case of the luckies but, oh boy, are they back with a vengence. "Oh, man!"

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Beka looks up as the Nietzschean waitress finally deigns to plunk a glass down on her table. How long has it been since she ordered it? She holds up the glass, suspiciously eyeing the watery liquid and half-melted ice cubes. She sighs and turns her head. If she angles her back just so and squints, she can make out a corner of the bay from her chair. She has a better view of the hallway leading to the bathrooms than she does of the bay. She can see several empty tables with prime views, but the waitress had insisted that those were all reserved. Why had Harper wanted to meet at the Bayside Cafe again instead of someplace where there was a remote chance of actually getting decent service? Beka shakes her head. If it's for the view, he's going to be disappointed. She can't wait to get off this rock and back into space. If she hadn't promised to check on him and didn't desperately need more crew, especially an engineer...Beka sighs. The last bunch had been less than satisfactory since Bobby kept scaring off the ones who were actually worth a damn. Sometimes Bobby just doesn't seem to get it. She glances at the bar where Bobby sits, alternately sulking at being banished there with stern instructions not to piss off Harper, and attempting to flirt with the snarly waitress working the bar area. If he wasn't so good in bed as well as being handy in a fight, she'd have dumped him long ago. If he keeps scaring off her crew, she's going to have to dump him any way. At least, she can count on Harper being completely unintimidated by Bobby.


She takes a sip of her watery drink and chokes as the door and a very small Nietzschean walks in. She's never seen one that small. Where had he...Beka's eyes widen. That's not a Nietzschean, it's Harper. Sort of. She stares at the plum silk shirt smoldering richly under the black leather jacket. The jacket and matching pants fit with the kind of perfection that only came from a professional tailor. The boots look like custom jobs as well. Where had Harper gotten the money for this? Where are the familiar cargo pants and loud shirts? Is Harper running a scam of some sort? Why is everybody watching him? Every Nietzschean in the place is whispering and watching like he's some sort of celebrity or something. And there are two really bad-assed looking Nietzscheans, trailing along in his wake and watching everyone with same cold hard gaze. What the hell has Harper been up to? Can't leave him alone for a minute.

"Harper! Over here." Beka waves her hand. She watches with open interest as Harper walks into the bar area. Is he limping? And why does he have body guards?

"Beka! What's going on?" Harper grins and hugs her warmly. "It's good to see you."

Beka returns the hug with a wary glance over Harper's head at the two big Nietzschean's who are watching her so closely. "What's up Seamus? What's with Thing one and Thing Two?"

Harper glances over his shoulder as he releases Beka. Oh. He does have some explaining to do. He's gotten so used to his two guards that he hardly notices them amymore. "Oh, Cassius and Maximus are my body guards."

"Since when do you rate body guards?" Beka narrows her eyes as she drops back into her chair. "What have you done? Are you in prison?"

Harper laughs as he pulls out a chair and sits down. "I haven't done anything."

The Nietzschean waitress hurries over and stops at their table with a wide smile. "Mr. Harper! I'm so glad you could stop by. I had no idea this woman was meeting you, or I'd have placed her at a better table. Would you like to move to something with a better view of the ocean?"

"No, this is fine." Harper hides a smile at the dark look that Beka turns on the waitress. He'd bet that Beka had tried for a better table and been refused. Better not make an issue out of table location. Besides, he's here to see Beka. He can see the bay any time. "I'd just like something to drink. Do you have..."

"Neu Bayren Weissbrau?" The waitress finishes with a bright smile. She lowers her tray and removes a yellow napkin and neatly places it in front of Harper and gently sets an icy bottle of brew down. "With our complements, sir."

"Thanks." Harper picks up the bottle and takes a sip. Oh, yeah. He could get used to this kind of thing.

"Will there be anything else?"

"We're fine." Harper glances inquiringly at Beka. "Unless you'd like something more?"

"Let me freshen your drink." The waitress hastily snatches up Beka's glass and hurries back to the bar.

Beka stares from the waitress to Harper. "What the hell happened while I was gone?!"

"Not much." Harper sips his beer and looks around. He can see Bobby skulking about at the bar and glowering at him. Great. He'd been hoping that Beka had gotten rid of that loser. Harper won't miss not crewing with that waste of genetic resources. Damn, he's even thinking in Niet-speak, now. Harper sweeps another glance around the room. No sign of Rev or Trance. Maybe they'd gotten sidetracked by the gardens or the colorful sailboats floating around in the bay. Harper discreetly checks the time. As much as he wants to see Beka and the gang, he needs to meet Tyr and the babes over at the Central Government office in a little under an hour to finalize his new comforter contract. He and Tyr had talked about it and the new contract is going to be long term as in open-ended, as in indefinite. Harper grins happily at the thought of his new family. "I was hoping to see Trance and Rev. Are they shopping?"

"No." Beka shrugs. "A lot has happened to us since we left you."

"Are they okay?"

"Yeah. They're fine." Beka glances up as the waitress sets a fresh drink in front of her and then returns to the bar. She takes a tentative sip of the drink. Damn! Being with Harper means she rates the good stuff? What has little Seamus been into since she left? Her gaze follows the waitress' path past Bobby who leers and makes a comment that has the waitress shooting him a disdainful look.

Harper follows the glance. Bobby. Of course, that explains everything. What had the rodent done to finally run off Trance and Rev? He sighs with resignation. "What did he do?"

"Who?" Beka frowns blankly then notices the direction of Harper's cool stare. "Oh, Bobby? He didn't do anything. It was that damned fossil."

"Fossil?"

"Yeah, Captain Dylan Hunt." Beka rolls her eyes.

"Who the hell is that?" Harper sits forward in his chair. His eyes narrow. "And what did he do to my friends?"

"Wait, let me explain." Beka begins, holding up her hand. "We got a salvage job with a Nightsider when we left you here. It was gonna pay big."

"What was it doing?"

Beka pauses to sip her drink. "We had to pull an old abandoned High Guard ship out of a black hole."

"Run that by me again." Harper stares in disbelief at her. What had Beka been thinking? He knows that Beka loves that ship. It's been her home for most of her life, after all, but the ship barely has enough thrust to pull itself through slipstream let alone something as delicate as what she's describing. The Maru could have been sucked into that hole never to be seen again. At least not in this universe. Had she been crazy enough to take on the job without hiring a decent engineer first? Or had she chosen to ignore any advice that she'd been given?

"You heard me."

"So what happened? Did ole Bobby boy do something to piss off the Nightsider?"

Bobby bristles at the bar. He sets his drink down with a thunk and turns to face Harper and Beka. "What did that little maggot say about me?"

Cassius turns a slow, measuring stare on Bobby as a sudden silence falls over the bar area. In a deep, resonant voice that seems to come from his toes Cassius growls. "Watch your tone, human."

Bobby stands. "I ain't scared of you, Niet."

Harper takes a happy sip of his beer. Oh boy, a visit with Beka and he gets to see Bobby smashed by a big Nietzschean. Simple pleasures really are the best. How far should he let this go? A warm glow fills him at the knowledge that he could tell Cassius and Maximus to do anything...anything at all to Bobby and get away with it. He could order Bobby beaten up. Oh, wait. He could order Bobby beaten up and dumped into the bay. Or...hadn't there been some nautical punishment with ships that people did along time ago...what was it...keelhauling?

Cassius glances at Harper. "Shall I dispose of this vermin, Mr. Harper?"

Harper looks Bobby up and down. He sighs regretfully. As much as he'd like to have the bastard's neck broken, as long as Bobby is Beka's bed buddy, he won't do anything...much to him. Nothing that Bobby doesn't ask for. Harper shakes his head. "No. Just keep him away from me."

"I'll break your neck, shrimp!" Bobby snarls.

Harper takes a meditative drink of his beer as he stares coldly at Bobby. He glances over his shoulder at his two guards. "If he doesn't shut up you can break his neck."

"Very good, sir." Cassius grins with obvious anticipation.

"Harper!" Beka gasps.

"I'm kidding...kinda. Tell me what happened to Rev and Trance."

Beka takes a sip of her drink and leans her elbows on the table. "We got the ship out of the hole and were looking it over. It turns out it wasn't abandoned. The captain, Dylan, had been frozen in time for over 300 years. He was very much alive and well, and he didn't want to give up his ship."

"Yeah...and?"

"And, we sort of listened to his spiel about restarting the Systems Commonwealth."

"What?!" Harper plunks his bottle on the table. He raises his eyebrows in astonishment. "Why the hell would he want to do that. It's been over 300 years. No one's gonna want to go back to that."

"That's what I said." Beka nods. "He offered to take us on as his crew. I turned him down...Bobby did too."

Big surprise there, Harper smirks. Bobby boy isn't going to go anywhere without Beka and the oaf is just barely bright enough to know it. "What about Trance and Rev?"

"Trance bought the whole thing. In fact she was looking up at Dylan like he was some sort of God or something. Like he was that character from that ancient Earth vid...Neo." Beka rolls her eyes. "Rev. Rev saw it as a chance to spread The Way."

"So, they're okay?"

"Yeah. But I got no crew and I need an engineer triple bad. So how long will it take you to pack and be ready to ship off this rock?"

Harper looks away and toys with his beer bottle. "Beka..."

"You're not staying. Tell me you're not staying." Beka sits back in her chair and stares at him in bewilderment.

"I'm staying." Harper nods. A happy, dimple flashing grin escapes him.

"Give me a reason. Give me one good reason why you want to stay here and not come with me."

"Sir." Maximus leans down to whisper in Harper's ear. "The Second Alpha has arrived." Harper nods once in response.

"I just decided to stay here." Harper turns in his chair to see Tyr walking toward him. His grin widens as his gaze glides possessively over his lover's powerful frame and handsome face. Ummm. Tyr has those long braids swept over one shoulder of his black leather duster. Last night, he'd mentioned to Tyr how hot he thought the Neitzschean looked that way. Looks like someone had taken note. His gaze moves hungrily over the maroon leathers molding his lover's body. Oh, man. And this is all his. He brushes his fingers over the long braids as Tyr leans down to kiss his forehead.

"How's your visit going?" Tyr asks as he straightens. His hand lingers on the human's shoulder as he studies the tall woman sitting across from his companion.

"Good. Tyr Anasazi, this is my friend, Beka Valentine. Beka, this is Tyr."

Beka looks Tyr over and raises her eyebrows at Harper. "So this is like your friend?"

"My lover..." Harper looks up into Tyr's warm gaze. "...and more."

"We're due at the Contractual Obligations office in a few minutes. We don't want to be late." Tyr squeezes his companion's shoulder lightly.

"Yeah. Right." Harper pushes back his chair and bends to quickly hug Beka. "Look me up the next time you're in the system."

"You're really staying?" Beka asks, giving him a concerned look.

Harper glances over his shoulder at his lover. "Yeah...yeah...I am."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harper fidgets as he looks around the room. It doesn't look like much. Plain white walls. Plain gray floor. Stiff white chairs and an equally hard looking gray sofa. And it's the finest place that he's ever seen because he's becoming an offical member of the Tyr Anasazi household in this place. No longer a contracted companion, but a full fledged family member. Harper glances nervously at the doors that Tyr had disappeared through after escorting him here. What is going in that room? Tyr and Medea have been in there for awhile with Officiant Webster. Is there some problem? Harper bites his lip and looks away from the door. Immediately a new set of nervous concerns rise in his mind. What's he supposed to do once he finally gets called in there? Medea had indicated that there would be some sort of ceremony, but neither of the wives had said much about what would happen. Harper glances at Freya. "So what am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to say?"

"Don't worry, Harper." Freya smiles reassuringly at him. "The ceremony is simple enough."

"I just don't want to mess it up...you know...embarass anyone."

"You will embarass no one."

"Tyr is pacing back and forth like a caged panther." Medea sweeps back in, lavender robes fluttering around her. She sweeps an admiring look over Harper. He looks so handsome in the purple shirt that she'd bought him to replace the one that Josephine had ruined. She'd tried to talk him into a nice mauve when they visited the tailor, but the human had insisted on the darkest shade of purple that the shop had. Still he did look very nice in it. She glances over her shoulder through the half-closed door and laughs. "He is eager to claim you as his spouse."

"He is?" Harper blinks in surprise.

"Yes." Medea nods. "When we dissolved the contract a few minutes ago, he became fearful that you would change your mind."

"What? Fat chance." Harper smiles fondly. Where had Tyr come up that nonsense? Now that he has a home, a family...and Tyr. Nothing is gonna pry him away from this opportunity of a life time. "I want to be with him. I want to be a part of this family."

"And we want you. You are dear to all of us, Seamus Harper." Freya strokes his shoulder.

"So when we're done. I'm like a wife, or what?" Harper asks as he shoots an eager look into the other room. He shivers at the sexy rumble of Tyr's voice.

Medea chuckles. "Yes...and no. You will be more than companion now. You will be a co-spouse."

"What does that mean...exactly? I mean since we won't have a contract or anything." Harper glances uncertainly at the two wives. He edges closer to the door, hoping for a glimpse of Tyr.

"There won't be a contract like we had with you earlier, but there will be formal papers signed attesting to your status as consort and spouse to Tyr. All that has to be a matter of record within the Pride." Freya strokes the long braid lying over the shoulder of her teal tunic.

"It means that we, Freya and I, agree that you are an equal spouse with us. We decide when, or if, Tyr will take other wives. Now you will share that decision with us." Medea glances at Freya. "My second and I have also discussed, and agreed, that you will remain as a permanent fixture in our husband's bed, except for those times when he will visit either of us for pleasure or procreation."

"Okay..." Harper nods slowly. He had wondered if he was going to be exiled to a room of his own like the wives. If that was part of the status change. He's more than happy to sleep in Tyr's bedroom and know that at some point, Tyr will be in that bed with him. Oh, man. The idea of having Tyr in his bed almost all the time. He grins.

"So you are our Third." Medea glances over her shoulder into the room. "This is an important position."

Freya runs a finger over the lid of the polished wooden box that she holds. "You will wear something similar to the helix that Medea and I wear.

"I will. What?" Harper looks at the box. He gets some sort of official thing to wear too? Just like the wives?

Freya opens the box to reveal the Kodiak armlet resting on the brown satin lining. "This. This armlet will signify to all that you are a valued member of our household and consort to the Second Alpha."

"It is time," Medea announces as she steps back into the room, pushing the door completely open. She gestures for Harper to enter first.

Tyr smiles warmly as Harper walks toward him. His two wives flank the human. Such a handsome family he has. It will be a pleasure to display his spouses and know that all will envy him such a talented and attractive set of partners. He steps forward and kisses Medea and then Freya. He turns to Harper and tilts the human's face up for a passionate kiss. "I feared you had changed your mind."

Harper smiles, flashing his dimples as he fondles the long fall of braids sweeping over Tyr's shoulder. "Not a chance big guy."

Officiant Webster clears his throat as Harper and Tyr continue to stare into each other's eyes. "Second Alpha, if you're ready..."

Tyr looks over his shoulder at the dignified man with short cropped graying hair. He nods to Webster. The sooner the ceremony is over, the sooner he can take all his spouses out for a celebratory dinner and the sooner he will have Harper back in his bed. This time not as his companion, but as his consort. "Yes, of course."

"Who bears the armlet?" Webster asks.

"I, Freya Anasazi, Second of Tyr Anasazi, bear the armlet." Freya opens the box.

Webster nods. "Who approves this joining?"

"I, Medea Anasazi, First of Tyr Anasazi, and along with Second, Freya do approve this joining."

"Excellent." Webster looks at Tyr. "Tyr Anasazi, Second Alpha of Pride Kodiak, First Husband to Medea Anasazi and Freya Anasazi, do you claim this human Seamus Zelazney Harper as your Consort and Third?"

Tyr leans down and tenderly kisses the human's forehead. "Yes. I do."

"Do you, Seamus Zelazney Harper accept Tyr Anasazi as your Consort and Spouse?"

Harper stares up into Tyr's amber gaze, entranced by the love and desire smoldering there. "Yes. I do."

"Second Alpha, place the armlet on your spouse."

"Now, we are one." Tyr takes the armlet from the box and snaps the circle of gold in place around Harper's bicep. He slides his hand around the human's nape and pulls Harper in for a hungry kiss. Medea and Freya look at each other and smile.

"As official representative of Pride Kodiak, I declare that you are wed."

Tyr slowly pulls away from the sweetness of his human's mouth. He looks sharply at Webster. "You will sign and file these papers with the proper authorities right away, yes?"

Webster nods. "Of course. You will also receive copies of the forms before you leave. May I be the first to offer my congratulations, Second Alpha?"

Medea clears her throat delicately. She beams at her husband and co-spouse. "I have a gift for this occasion."

Tyr slides his arm over Harper's shoulders and cradles the human close. He wraps his other arm around Freya. He can feel her shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Harper sighs and presses his face into the long braids, murmuring, "Oh, shit."

Webster hastily backs out of his office, clutching flexis. "I must get these forms completed."

"I have composed a poem for Harper to welcome him into our family." Medea announces proudly as she withdraws a flexi from her sleeve. "I know you will all love it."

Harper leans back against the warmth of Tyr's body, listening as Medea begins her poem. He slides his hand over the muscular arm curling around his waist and down to caress Tyr's dark hand. He steals a happy glance at the armlet glowing gold around his bicep. That's worth a hundred thousand poems by Medea. Nothing can spoil this day.


~~The End~~