Disclaimer: All characters and references to Andromeda belong to Tribune Entertainment, not me.
Author: Raven
Author’s Note: Just like a lot of other people, I love messing around with Harper’s past. This is just something that came to me one day. I hope you enjoy it. I’d love to get some feedback about how you liked it. Angi.schreiner@attglobal.net
Story Rating: PG-13
Summary: The crew gets a surprising visitor from Harper’s past.
Harper hurried down the wide corridor towards the observation deck. Dylan was going to kill him if he was late.
That morning, Dylan had convinced the Sabrians to sign the Charter of the Commonwealth and they now had seven worlds conquered. ‘Conquered’. That’s what Tyr had called it. The Sabrians had been stubborn and utterly obnoxious. It had taken all of Dylan’s negotiation skills and all of Beka’s self control to keep things quiet for the long hours it took until the Sabrian leader had agreed to sign the Charter.
But finally, the papers had been signed, Dylan had ceremoniously pinned up another star on his Commonwealth chart map, and now, it was time for the cerebrational dinner they had every time another world signed on.
Usually they just ate in the officers mess, never at an appointed time, everybody just drifting in and out when they felt hungry. It was only in these rare occasions for celebration that they all ate together. Dylan had at first insisted that they all dress nicely and formally, but after Harper had loudly protested against it, Dylan had sighed and let it go.
But one thing he never compromised on was punctuality.
Harper grumbled and started running. It had taken him forever to install those new sensors. Now, he was almost ten minutes late. He grabbed hold of a ladder and slid down it. Turning around, he ran for the obs deck door, which swished open in front of him.
Stopping for a second, he ran a hand through his hair and pulled his shirt straight. He quietly sneaked up to the table where everybody was already sitting and eating. Harper drew out his chair and sat down. Dylan briefly glanced up and gave him a look. Harper grinned back. Dylan rolled his eyes and looked away. Rev Bem, who was sitting on one side of Harper gave him a brief smile and muttered out of the side of his mouth: “I am very glad to see you have joined us, Harper. Dylan was starting to get-agitated.”
“Agitated? More like pissed off.” Harper whispered back, helping himself to a huge spoonful of soup.
Tyr and Beka were both laughing as Tyr mercilessly teased her over the way Beka had had to run out of the room where the negotiations had been after her nerves had threatened to snap from impatience after the Sabrian leader had asked Dylan to read the Charter out loud for the tenth time.
Trance was talking to Dylan over some new plant that she had acquired on Sabria. She was just explaining to him the logic of calling it by a human name. Apparently, the name was Elizabeth. Harper rolled his eyes. Trust Trance to come up with a name like that for a plant.
Harper was surprised to find Rommie sitting on his other side. Normally, she never attended the formal dinners. She didn’t need to eat, so to Harper, it seemed like a waste of time, but he guessed she liked the relaxed atmosphere of the whole dinner.
“So, Rom doll, how’re you liking your new sensors?” Harper said, chewing on a piece of chicken.
Rommie looked at him, exasperated. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you to not talk when your mouth is full?”
Harper shook his head and grinned. “Where I come from, the word ‘manners’ isn’t even part of our common vocabulary.”
Rommie shook her head and smiled. “To answer your previous question, I find the new sensors very enjoyable.”
“You should. The darn things made me late for dinner.”
Rev leaned over. “And we all know how you love formal dinners, Mr.Harper.”
Harper grinned at the Magog. “Quiet, Rev. You’re ruining my excuse for being late.”
Rev bowed, smiling. “My apologies.”
Suddenly, Rommie stood up.
“Dylan?” She asked, her eyes glancing around, scanning the space around the Andromeda.
The entire table stopped talking and looked at Rommie.
Dylan looked up at her. “Problem, Rommie?”
“Yes. I am detecting a small vessel, a glider, approaching us from the starboard side.”
“Is it hailing us?”
“Not yet, but it’s appearing to slow down. It’s PSL has decreased from 50 to just 15.”
Harper swallowed a mouthful of soup. If it was some Sabrians coming back to re-read the Charter, he’d scream. Beka would probably go insane. He grinned. Now, that would be a sight.
“Any life forms?” Dylan asked.
“Just one. A human.”
“Injured?”
“No. But he’s-” Rommie suddenly stopped, her eyes scanning around. “The ship is hailing us, Dylan.”
Dylan jumped up, quickly draining his wine glass.
“I’ll be up on deck in a minute. Put it through once I’m there.”
Dylan ran out of the room and Rommie followed him.
Harper put down his fork and sighed. So much for a relaxed dinner. He drained his wine glass and then reached for the bottle. Shame, wasting all that good wine. He was about to pour himself another glass, when Beka glanced at him.
“Put that bottle down, Harper. Whoever our visitor might be, if it’s somebody important and you show up drunk, Dylan is going to kill all of us.”
Harper sighed and swore under his breath, slamming the bottle back onto the table.
Just then, Dylan’s voice came through the intercom.
“Our visitor is going to land on the hangar deck in two minutes. I’d like everybody down there. Tyr and Rev, I think it would be a good idea if the two of you remain out of sight for a few minutes. Our visitor is from an old Commonwealth planet.”
Old Commonwealth planet, huh? Harper stood up and walked towards the door with Beka and Trance. Probably wanted to talk to Dylan about something. Why did everybody have to drag themselves all the way down to the hangar deck only to say hello, smile, nod and then come back up here? Such a waste of time.
Beka whacked him lightly on the back of the head. “You behave yourself, you hear?”
“Don’t worry, boss. Manner will pour out of me in buckets.”
Trance chuckled. “That’ll be the day.”
“Hey! I’ve got manners.” He snorted, defensively.
Beka and Trance just smiled and continued walking down the hall.
The small glider was already sitting on the hangar deck when they got there. Beka walked up to it and stared at it.
“Hello?” she called. “Whoever you are, you’re welcome to come out now.”
Slowly, the door of the glider slid open and a figure stepped out.
Just then, Dylan came onto the deck and walked up to the vessel. He stood beside Beka as the figure slowly walked towards them.
Trying to look over Dylan’s shoulder, Harper could see that the person was a man. He was wearing a hood to cover his face, and was very short. He hardly reached up to Dylan’s nose. Harper smiled. He was going to tell Trance of his observation, but he didn’t think that right now was a good time. Dylan would really kill him.
The man stopped in front of Dylan and lowered his hood.
“Captain Hunt, I presume?” The man asked, reaching out and shaking Dylan’s hand. Beka nearly fell over when she saw the hand shaking. Apparently, Dylan was shocked too. The only humans who still used such ancient customs were Earth humans.
Harper was gazing at the man. He’d never seen him before.
His blond hair was shortly cropped and very filthy. The long hood he was wearing was worn through with holes and was covered in dirt. His boots looked about three sizes too small for him and the front of one was so worn through that Harper could see tip of one filthy toe poking out of it. But despite his dirty appearance, his blue eyes twinkled with good humor and his smile was so infectious that Beka and Dylan found themselves smiling back at him as they shook his hand.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Captain. Heard some things about you, back home. Whispers and rumors of course. Just little tid bits. About how you run around and fix things ‘round here. Very good man, you are. Very good heart too.” He turned to Beka. “And this beautiful young lady must be your first officer.” He warmly shook her hand, before he suddenly stopped and slapped himself on the forehead. “Oh, for the love of the Empress! I’ve forgotten to introduce myself. I’m so sorry. My manners are a mite bit rusty. I’m ‘fraid that the word ‘manners’ don’t exist in our common vocabulary no more.” He chuckled.
Harper’s head snapped up at the remark. So he really was from Earth. Harper stared at him. He hadn’t seen another Earth resident in years. He shuddered involuntarily. Not like he wanted to.
“I’m so sorry about that, Captain. My name is Liam Harper. I’m just passing through here. Don’t got no specific business with you, Captain. Just wondering whether you’ve seen somebody I’ve been looking for for a long time already. I don’t reckon you have, but I might as well ask. He’s in his early twenties, a rather thin and small lad. Goes by the name of Seamus. Seamus Zelazny Harper.”
Harper thought he had heard wrong. Liam Harper? Liam Harper? No, it couldn’t be. This had to be some kind of a mistake. He really must have drunken too much wine at dinner. He stared at the man in shock, his face drained of all color. Liam Harper? No way. It couldn’t be.
Dylan and Beka stared a the man, both of them too shocked to say anything. Beka recovered first. “Yeah, uhm, we’ve-yeah, we’ve seen somebody with that name. He’s-uhm-, he’s on this ship, to be more precise.” She stammered, still staring at the man. Who was this guy? Must be a relative of Harper’s. But why was he looking for him?
Dylan finally regained his voice. “Yes, he’s-uhm, my ship’s engineer.”
The man’s face broke into an enormous smile. “You being serious with me, matey?”
Dylan nodded.
Harper’s hands were clammy and he found he was shaking. Stop shaking. Goddammit, stop shaking! It had to be some mistake. He must be dreaming this. Yes, he was dreaming. Then why wasn’t he awake yet? Oh, my God. It couldn’t be. No, no, no.
Dylan turned and motioned for Harper to come forward. Dylan frowned when he saw Harper’s clenched fists and his sweaty face. This couldn’t be good news.
Shaking his head slightly, he put his hands on Harper’s shoulders. He could feel the slight tremors going through him. What in the world was the matter with him? Dylan propelled him forward, as Harper continued to stare at the man.
The man’s eyes widened as he looked at Harper. “My good Lord! It can’t be.” He whispered. “Seamus?”
Dylan could feel Harper shaking even more. The young man didn’t respond, just continued staring at the man.
The two of them continued staring at each other, not saying a word. Liam was still smiling broadly and Harper’s face was blank. The only reason Beka knew something was wrong was by the small tremors she could see going through him. That, and the sweat which had gathered on his forehead. What was the matter with him? If this was some long lost relative of his, shouldn’t Harper be happy to see him?
Suddenly, Beka could see Harper starting to calm down, still staring at the man. Apparently, the shock had worn off. His shaking stopped.
Dylan could feel Harper calming down and gently removed his hands from his shoulders.
Beka glanced at Harper’s face again, waiting for some sign of reaction. Happiness, surprise, disbelief, anything except for this blank expression.
But as she looked into his eyes, she was shocked by what she saw within them. What had before been nothing but blank shock was now replaced by hate.
Harper was glaring at the man, staring at him with such hate in his eyes that Beka nearly back up. What the hell was the matter with him?
The silence which had enveloped all of them was suddenly shattered as Harper quietly opened his mouth.
“Hello, dad.”
Beka’s eyebrows shot up. Dad? This was Harper’s dad?
Dylan looked shocked too. This was Harper’s father? It couldn’t be. But as Dylan glanced back and forth between the two, he could see the similarities. The same hair color, the same eye color, the same determined set of their jaws. The same height. And that twinkle in Liam’s eyes, that was Harper’s twinkle. My God, this really was Harper’s father. But what in the world was he doing here? Dylan quickly thought back. Had Harper ever mentioned his father? No. Come to think of it, Dylan had never heard him mention his father before.
Liam smiled and opened his arms, waiting for his son to embrace him. But Harper didn’t. Harper continued to stand there, glaring at him.
Liam’s smile faltered. “Seamus, aren’t you glad to see me?”
“No.” Came the bitter, hate filled response.
Liam looked at him. “Ah, come, come, Seamus. I haven’t run around this entire solar system looking for my son for years, only to find him and for him to hate me. Come on, Seamus. A little hug never killed anyone.”
When Harper still didn’t move, Liam glanced at the ground. “I know we haven’t seen each other in years, son, but can’t we just forget about those missed 10 years and act like you left only yesterday-?”
“It’s been 11 years, dad, and you left, not me.” Harper spat back.
Liam dropped his arms and stared at the ground.
“Why are you here?” Harper asked.
Liam looked confused. “I came to find you, Seamus. No other reason.”
“Right, and I’m the Divine. Whatever the hell you want, money, a scapegoat, a place to hide out, well, sorry, but you’re barking up the wrong tree, daddy dear, cause you find any of those things here.-”
“Seamus, please, I only came here to-”
“So you can just get back into your ship and get back to where ever the hell you came from.”
When Liam didn’t move but just stared at his son, his eyes pleading, Harper turned around.
“Fine, then I’ll go.” He spat over his shoulder.
“Harper!” Beka called after him. When he didn’t stop and walked through the door and turned around the corner, Beka ran after him.
Harper managed to stay relatively calm as he walked out of the hangar deck, but once he was out of everyone else’s sight, he started running. He didn’t know where he was going, but he knew he had to go somewhere. Engineering! That’s where he’ll go. Nobody would bother to go all the way down there to look for him.
He started running faster and ducked underneath some hanging wires as he finally arrived in front of the Engineering door. The door quietly opened and he ran through. He stopped and bend over, gasping.
He went and stood next to his work table, still gasping. He grabbed a screw from the mess on the table and started fidgeting with it, but after a while, his legs gave out on him and he slid down until he was sitting on the floor, leaning against the table.
He ran a hand through his hair.
Why, why, why was he here? His father had left years ago, he had cut them all out of his life, Harper had even forgotten about him all together. So why did he have to show up now? Now? After eleven years? He didn’t want him here. He’d made a life for himself. Now, the bastard was here to destroy it all. Harper gritted his teeth.
He heard the door open and groaned, closing his eyes. Why couldn’t everyone just leave him alone?
He didn’t open his eyes when he heard Beka walking down the ramp and not even when he heard her stop in front of him. When she kneeled down in front of him and quietly looked at him, he slowly opened his eyes.
“Hey, boss. Lovely day, ain’t it?”
Beka didn’t smile. “What the hell was that up there?”
Harper shrugged. “I don’t like the guy.”
“He’s your father, Harper! The poor guy’s been running all around this solar system for years, trying to find you, and the only reaction you give him is telling him to get the hell out of here? Harper, he’s your father, for crying out loud! He loves you.”
Harper laughed. “Good one, Beka. Yeah, he loves me. Very good one.” He continued to chuckled bitterly, staring at Beka.
Finally, his laughter faded off and he toyed around with the screw he held in his hands.
Beka didn’t say anything, waiting for Harper to finally say what in the world was the matter with him.
“He left when I was 12. Oh, he was going to leave sooner, but my mom would always beg and plead with him until he agreed to stay another day. I really don’t see why she wanted him to stay so badly. He never wanted to stay. Because of me. He never liked or wanted me. Nobody ever said anything about it, but I knew. When I was eight I overheard my uncle Peter and my dad having an argument. About me. My uncle was saying how my dad never spent anytime with me and never took care of me. My dad asked him why he should, seeing as how he didn’t want me anyway. Called me a thorn in his side.” Harper laughed. “Yeah, a thorn in his side.” He fiddled around with the screw before throwing it across the room angrily. “I was a mistake. That’s what he said anyway. A mistake. Whenever he got drunk and wasn’t aware of what the hell was coming out of his mouth, he’d say those things. About how he never wanted me, about how I was a mistake. How I make everybody’s life so damn difficult.” Harper stopped and stared after the screw. It had hit one of the old sensors which lay on the ground and was just rolling pathetically around on the floor. “When I got older he was around less and less. He’d take off for days or weeks at a time. Always off gambling or stealing, doing one dirty deal after another. Then he’d come home, not to give us money, but to take whatever tiny money we had scraped together, eat all the food we had and drink anything we had in the house. I never complained, I was always too scared. But then when I got older, I used to try and tell him to leave us be and not take our stuff. Then he’d start hitting me. Beating me until I couldn’t stand anymore. God, I hated him so much.” Harper glared into space, his eyes filled with such hate that Beka hardly recognized him. “Then one day he just left. We thought he’d be back after a few days as usual. Mom would always hide a little money and food in a bag she buried outside when she thought he’d be back. But then he didn’t come back. We all thought he’d gotten killed. Caught stealing or killing somebody by some Nietzschean guards. We thought he was dead. I never missed him. Through the entire funeral I never cried once. Mom got upset, saying I had no respect for him, but when I told her that I didn’t even consider him my father, she just started crying. I felt so bad for hurting her, but what could I do? I couldn’t just start bawling my eyes out over a guy I hated my entire life long.”
When Harper stopped talking, silence enveloped them.
Beka bit her lip. She knew that his life had never been easy, but she’d never known this about his dad. She had just assumed, by the way he never mentioned his name, that his father had left or died when Harper was just a little child. She had never imagined this world of hidden pain to be lying underneath it all.
“Oh, Seamus.” She sighed, looking down at the floor. Finally, she cleared her throat and looked up at him. “Look. I know that you hate him, and you have good reasons to, but still, it wouldn’t hurt to go and talk to him.” She held up a hand when Harper opened his mouth to angrily reply. “Hold that temper of yours, Seamus. Let me finish. I’m not saying you have to love him, or even like him, but if he’s been running around this entire solar system trying to find you, the least you can do is give him the time of day and find out what the hell he wants. I doubt very much he wants money or anything else in that train of thought. Do you really think he couldn’t have gotten those things from somewhere else? I really think that he’s here because he wants to make up for past wrongs.”
Harper snorted. “Right. Make up for past wrongs. What’s that old Earth expression? Oh yeah. A leopard never changes his stripes, Beka.”
“That’s spots, smarty.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Point is, whatever my dad came here for, I’ll bet it ain’t to tell me how much he loves me.”
“Harper, please, just go talk to him. I’m telling you, I have this gut feeling that he isn’t here because he wants something from you, but he’s here because he wants to make up for everything. Not necessarily give you back 11 years of your life, but to set things straight maybe.”
Harper glanced at her. “You really think so?” he asked, his voice doubtful.
“Yeah, I do think so. Just talk to him, Harper. I’ll go with you if you want and if he tries anything, I’ll put a bullet through his head for you. Sounds good?”
Harper smiled. “Sure. Okay, lets go tackle some leopards.” He said, getting up and offering Beka a hand. Pulling her up, they both walked out of Engineering.
“Gun loaded?” Harper asked over his shoulder.
Beka smiled and whacked him lightly on the back of the head. “You be nice.”
Dylan was rounding the corner with Liam and Trance in tow. After Harper had run off, Dylan had made the best out of the very tense situation and offered to tour Liam around the ship. Dylan had been amazed by the amount of interest and knowledge the man possessed over all the technical parts of the ship.
Like father, like son. Despite what Harper might feel or say about his father, Dylan liked him. He was exactly like Harper, the same easy going, sarcastic nature. Dylan could tell the man had had a life filled with hardships. From the way his clothes looked, from his somewhat lack of manners, and mostly by the slangy common he used. It was nearly as bad as Harper’s was sometimes. But Dylan still liked him. The world had been tough on him, and Liam had just done whatever it took to survive.
“So, is that the end of the grand tour?” Liam asked, looking around the hallway before the observation deck.
“I’m afraid so. But you’re welcome to go and have a seat on the observation deck. Some spectacular sights to see.”
“Really? And I thought the most spectacular sight was having so many lovely young ladies around me.” Liam joked, looking at Trance.
Trance smiled at him. That was exactly something Harper would say.
Suddenly, Harper and Beka rounded the corner and stopped in front of the observation deck door.
Liam’s smile disappeared.
Harper glared at him.
Liam cleared his throat. “Son, if you really don’t want me here, I’ll leave. Just tell me to go, and I’ll go.”
Harper still stared at him, but his glare slightly softened. He cocked his head to the side. “So you really don’t want anything except to talk? No money, drugs, booze, nothing?”
Liam shook his head. “No, son. I didn’t come here wanting any favors. I could get those anywhere else. All I want is to talk to you for a minute. That’s all I’m asking for, Shay. Just to talk. Like the old times.”
The glare was back in Harper’s eyes.
“We never talked in the old times.”
Liam looked at the ground. “I know. But I was thinking maybe we could start now.”
Harper sighed. “Alright, fine. We’ll go talk and then you’ll get back into your ship and disappear. Alright?”
Liam nodded, a spark of hope in his eyes.
“And I mean disappear forever.”
Liam nodded again, the spark slightly fading. “Forever, son. I promise.”
“Good.” Harper turned and walked onto the observation deck. Liam silently followed. Beka slowly walked in too.
Dylan and Trance just looked at each other before continuing to walk down the hallway. They weren’t itching to listen in on this conversation.
Dylan suddenly skidded to a halt. “Oh, yeah, before I forget. Andromeda?”
“Yes, Dylan?” The ship’s voice filtered into the hallway.
“I doubt Mr.Harper will remember, but please engage in privacy mode in the observation deck until they have finished their conversation.”
“Done, captain.”
“Thanks.” Dylan turned and continued down the hall with Trance, neither of them saying anything.
Liam glanced up at the tall blond first officer who had followed them into the room as he sat down in a chair opposite of the one Harper was slouching in. He noticed that she didn’t sit down but remained standing, her arms crossed.
Obviously she felt very protective over Harper. Like an older sister perhaps. Liam silently shook his head. He really had missed a few years of his son’s life.
“So, Seamus. How are you?”
Harper simply glared at him and refused to answer until he noticed Beka raise an eyebrow. He sighed.
“Life was actually going pretty good until you showed up on our doorstep.”
Liam whinced slightly but pretended not to have heard that last comment. He gave his son a small, shy smile.
“I’m glad to hear it. Now, as I was prancing around this lovely piece of machinery, I couldn’t help but ask myself how in the world you found it. How did you get from Earth to this old High Guard wonder ship?”
Harper smiled bitterly. “It wasn’t easy. I left Earth when I was twenty. Stowed away on a cargo ship until I reached Galatia. Then I hooked up with Beka. She is-was-a salvage operator/private cargo carrier. Whatever was needed for the moment. So she found me and took me along with her. On one of our salvage missions we came across the Andromeda. She was stuck in a black hole, had been for 300 freakin’ years with Dylan inside. We pulled her out and then we were going to turn her over to Gerentex, our employer, but then Dylan offered to let us stay here in exchange for not handing her over, and we agreed. I mean, have you seen the crew quarters on this thing?”
Liam smiled. “I have and I wouldn’t have turned down the offer either. It’s a wonderful ship. Keeping you busy?”
“Yeah. Always something that needs fixing.”
“You always were good at taking apart anything mechanical and rebuilding it. Was one of your best talents.”
“One which you were convinced was a waste of time and tried to beat out of me many times.”
Liam’s smile faded. “Son, please. It was going so well. Why can’t we just talk about the present?”
“Because I have a hard time getting over the past. The one with you in it.”
Liam sighed. “Alright, lets talk about the past then.” He glanced up at him. “How’s your mother?”
Harper blinked, sadness clouding his eyes. But his face was still bitter. “She’s dead.” He said, his voice raw and hard.
Liam’s eyes widened. “Good lord! When?”
Harper smiled. He knew he was hurting his father, but right now, it felt good. Revenge. What a sweet word. Right away, in the back of his mind, he remembered what Rev had said some time ago. Something about revenge never solving anything since it just ended up continuing a vicious cycle of hate and anger. Harper pushed that thought away. Right now, revenge was tasting too sweet for him to push it aside. Cycle or no cycle.
“Two years after you left. I was 14. Magog raid. Thousands of the bastards massacred everyone in the camp. Out of the 5000 people who were there before, barely 60 of us survived. Mom tried but she couldn’t run fast enough. They got her real fast.” He smiled. “They chewed her to pieces.” He added in.
Liam squeezed his eyes shut. “Oh God, no. My Megan. My darling, darling, Megan.” Silence enveloped the room as Liam quietly started to sob.
Harper looked at his father, suddenly the smile fading from his face. He hadn’t expected this. He had expected him to shrug it off, to act like it didn’t matter. But this-this, pain. Harper hadn’t expected it. He had never thought his father actually cared about his mother. Never mind loved her enough to cause this much pain.
Suddenly, he felt horrible about what he had said. A knot had formed in his stomach, right in his gut and was churning around until he felt he would scream. Rev had always said your gut was your physical conscience. Harper hated his conscience. Especially now. Oh, damn Rev and his cycle.
He quietly looked at his father who was still sobbing. “You really loved her didn’t you?” he asked quietly, partly to himself.
His father looked up at him, tears filling his eyes. “Yes, I did, Shay. Yes I did. I still do. I know it didn’t seem that way in the past, but I really did. She was so special, your mother.” He drew in a shaky breath.
“So I take it that Peter and your aunt Nina didn’t make it either?”
“Nina didn’t. Peter nearly did. They just ripped off his arm. But then three days later it got infected so badly that he got a fever and that’s what killed him.”
“Your cousins?”
“Infected. We killed them the day after the raid. We had to.” Harper said, his voice now quieter.
Beka frowned as she looked at Harper. Some of the anger had faded from his eyes. Just as she had expected, he had hurt his father viciously, but now he felt horrible about it. That was just the way Seamus was. He had a conscience and a good heart. Nobody could ever destroy those.
Liam was looking at the ground, slowly shaking his head. “My God. And all this time I though they had made it.”
Harper shook his head. “Nope.” He glanced up at him. Liam was tearing out the frays in his worn through shirt as he stared at the ground.
Neither of them said anything for a while. Liam sighed and slowly shook his head. “Shay, it ain’t easy for me being here.” He sighed again and wiped away some of the tears which were still on his cheeks. “Over all these years, all these long 11 years, I’ve hardly thought about you. Truth be told, I didn’t want to. I was too much of a coward to sit down and think. To face things. You know, your mother was right, Seamus. I had nobody to blame except for myself.”
Harper frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?” Liam looked up at him with sad eyes.
“There’s things that I never told you, Seamus. Things I’ve kept hidden all these years. I ran away because I didn’t want to have to face them. I was such a coward. Such a damn coward.”
Harper was starting to get agitated. “Would you shut it with the god damn self pity and tell me what’s going on?”
Liam ran a nervous hand through his hair and took a deep breath. He glanced up at him, but then quickly looked away. “Seamus, this really isn’t the time to tell you, but hell, it’s been 23 years. You’ve got a right to know.” He glanced up at Harper who was looking at him curiously. Liam took a deep breath. “I’ve been meaning to tell you, but there was never time to. Then, after a few years, it didn’t seem to matter anymore. I mean, even your mother forgot after a while. I just decided to let it go. But now-I mean, you deserve to know, Seamus.” Liam licked his dry lips nervously. “It’s about your parentage, Shay.” He took a deep breath and refused to meet his son’s eyes. “I’m your father, but your mother,-she ain’t your mother.” He admitted quietly.
A shocked silence spread throughout the room.
Harper’s face drained of all color and his eyes widened. He opened his mouth to try and say something, but he couldn’t get a word out. What? His mother wasn’t his mother? What the hell was the guy talking about?
Beka nearly fell over. What? She looked back and forth between Harper and Liam. Why was the idiot telling Harper about this now? Now, of all times?
Liam refused to meet his son’s eyes as he plunged into a story which Harper had never heard before in his life and the only five people who knew about it were his father, his mother, his real mother and his aunt and uncle.
“It happened years ago. It was a stupid mistake. I was drunk and the waitress at the bar was young and stupid at the time. I left the next morning, not thinking anything about it. Then suddenly, nine months later, the girl shows up on our doorstep holding you in her arms. You must have only been a few days old at the time. Without saying a word, she handed you to me and turned around and left. That’s the last time I ever saw your mother again. Don’t even know her name. Only problem in the whole mess was the fact that I was already married to your mother. When she found out, she didn’t say a word. But she never forgave me. Never trusted me ever again. She never loved me the same way again. But she refused to throw you out. I wanted to. I’ll be painfully honest with you, Shay. No more lying. I really wanted to get rid of you.”
“So why didn’t you?” Harper asked, his face still pale.
“Your mother refused to punish you for my stupid mistake. So she kept you and raised you as if you were her own son. She loved you as if you were her own. But she never forgave me or trusted me ever again. That’s why I left so often and that’s why I hated you. I was convinced that you were the reason your mother and I had drifted so far apart. The life I led throughout this time and after I left, you can’t blame me for that. The stealing, the lying, the cheating, the gambling, the drinking, the killing, you did it all too, son. We had to. Otherwise we wouldn’t be here right now. But after the years went by I found myself at the bottom of the heap without a single throne to my name and not one person by my side. Then I sat down and thought long and hard over how I’d ended up like that. That’s when I realized all the bad that I’d done over the years. All the people I’d hurt over the years. I’d hurt them just so I could get somewhere. What I’d never realized is what your mother used to always say. You don’t get anywhere without love, she’d say. I’d just laugh and ignore it. But it’s true. I’d pushed everyone away, convinced I didn’t need them. But now I knew I did. So I decided to go and make up for everything. I can’t say what came over me but I suddenly wanted to make everything better. It wasn’t easy, but I did it. I goes back to all them people who I’ve cheated over the years and I worked my arse off until I’ve repaid them everything. And then, I suddenly realized what your mother meant when she said I had nobody to blame for that stupid mistake years ago but myself, especially you. So I went all around this solar system hoping to find you. I knew you had made it. I mean, you’re my son. Us Harper’s can be mity strong and stubborn when it comes to fighting off death. And now I’ve found you, Shay. The only reason I’m here is to apologize. To apologize for the years of hurt and pain I’ve caused you just because I refused to blame myself for what I did. I’ve always found it easier to use a scapegoat than use myself. I’m sorry. I really am. I’m sorry.”
Harper stared at him. Too many things were happening at once. His mind was still reeling from the admission that his mother wasn’t his mother (how could she not be? She had loved him and cared for him for all those years and at the end, she had even sacrificed herself for him. How could she not be his mother? How could she have loved him so much, knowing that he wasn’t her child?). He was hardly listening to the other stuff his father was droning on about.
He suddenly got up and walked over to the window.
Liam looked up at him. Harper didn’t look back. “Just give me a few minutes to think. Everything’s going to fast. I can’t get it all through my head. Just give me a minute.”
Liam nodded and stared at the floor, not saying a word.
Harper closed his eyes and leaned against the railing. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a deep breath.
So the one thing in the entire world which had helped him survive all this time wasn’t really his after all. His mother wasn’t his mother. His mother was some young stupid waitress who was probably dead already. He smiled bitterly. Just when he thought he had gotten dealt a good hand, it turned out that all the cards were crap. The only thing real in the entire world was his father. Ah, what irony. His father. The man he hardly knew. The man he had hated all this time. He was the only thing left which he could call his real family. Ironic. That’s what the whole mess was. Ironic.
Harper opened his eyes and stared out of the window. At the endless black universe, sprinkled with thousands of bright stars. His father had traveled through miles of that. Endlessly searching.
For him. Harper gripped the railing against which he was leaning. His father really had changed. He had fought so long against the world which had relentlessly tried to beat him down, but at the end, the world had still won. He had lost everything. Harper only knew too well what that felt like. The world had threatened to beat him down too, but then Beka had saved him.
His father needed saving too. Harper knew deep down inside that his father was changed now. That he did regret the past. Harper knew that he felt ready to forgive him. Besides, if he didn’t, he’d just be continuing that endless cycle that Rev had talked about. What would be the point? His father would die soon anyway, and then he would never be able to tell him he forgave him. Harboring old scars never did anything except inflict more pain.
He sighed. He knew that his father really was truly sorry for everything. And that he was also truly ready to forgive him. Whatever the hell happened in the past, he was still his father.
His father coughed uncomfortably. “If you ain’t ready to forgive me, that’s alright. I’ll understand. I mean, your mother never forgave me until her dying day. She-”
“I forgive you, dad.” Harper said quietly, still looking out the window. Silence from behind him.
“What?” Liam asked, staring at his son.
Harper turned away from the window and faced him. “I said I forgive you. For everything. Everybody makes stupid mistakes from time to time. I know I did. And from time to time, people have to forgive each other too. Otherwise, the universe would completely fall apart.”
Liam was staring at him. Suddenly, his face broke into a large grin. Harper smiled. That was his grin. Tears were coming down his face as he looked at his son. Slowly, he opened his arms.
Harper didn’t say a word but silently stepped into his fathers arms.
Beka silently watched them, tears brimming her own eyes. Without a word, she turned around and walked out of the obs deck, the doors quietly closing behind her.
She nearly walked right into Dylan. He looked at her, taking in the gun, her tears and the smile on her face.
“I’m taking it that things went well?”
She nodded. “Oh yeah. Learned real interesting stuff that I didn’t even know about Harper. But now they’re good.”
Dylan nodded and the two of them started walking down the corridor, Dylan’s arm casually lying across her shoulders.
“That means that my engineer will be back to normal by tomorrow morning, right?”
“Normal? Hunt, we’re talking about Harper here.”
“Right. Sorry.”
Liam fiddled around with the new shirt he was wearing. Dylan had given him a whole set of new clothes, even new shoes to wear. Trance had given him a bunch of her plants for him to keep as reminders of the Andromeda, and Beka had brought him down into the officers mess and given him so much food that Liam begged her stop, thinking he’d burst if he ate one more thing. Now, carrying the plants, a month supply of food and dressed in his new clothes, he looked like a different man. He was just saying good bye to the crew, vigorously shaking hands all around.
Harper emerged from his fathers glider and walked towards him.
“All done, dad. The ship should stay in one piece for quite some time now. And I put in a new security system for you too. The alarm should wake up the Than in their homeworld if it goes off.”
Liam smiled at him. “Thank you, son.”
The two of them looked at each other. Liam put a hand on his shoulder. “You sure you don’t want to come with me? We could make up for all those years.”
Harper shook his head. “No. It’s okay dad. I’ve survived this long on my own, and I can do it for a little longer. Besides, I’ve made a new life for myself here. I’ve got a family of my own here.”
Liam nodded. “I understand son. You don’t need me. You never have, and you never will. Harper’s always survive best on their own, but in the rare occasion that they fall down-”
“-Then they need somebody to come and pick them up again.” Harper finished for him, quickly glancing over at Beka.
Beka grinned. “If that picking up person feels like lending them a hand.” She put in.
Both Liam and Harper laughed.
“Alright, son. Take good care of yourself.”
Harper nodded. “You too.”
They hugged each other one last time before Liam turned around and walked towards his glider.
Moments later, the glider lit up and the engines stared humming. The hangar doors opened and the glider rose and slowly flew out, sparks and smoke flying all around.
Harper squinted through the sparks, staring at the spot where his father had last stood.
He knew that he’d never see him again.
Slowly, the glider slid out of the hangar deck and floated in mid space before turning around and speeding away.
Beka came over and stood beside him, staring after the glider. Slowly, the hangar doors were being shut.
“So, this family is enough for you?”
Harper sighed. “Yeah. Enough to last me for a lifetime. I don’t need or want another one.”
“Good, because you’re part of this family, and you don’t get to leave unless we all give you permission to, understood?”
Harper gave her a grin. “So I don’t even get a choice?”
Beka put an arm around his shoulder. “Nope.”
Harper laughed. “Don’t worry. I don’t need one.” He put his arm around Beka’s shoulder and the two of them walked out of the hanger deck, following Dylan and Trance back into the Andromeda.