Title: Better Angels of Our Nature
Fandom: Andromeda, general series
Author:karrenia
Characters: Dylan Hunt, Gaheris Rhade, Sara Riley, pre-series
Summary: How Dylan Hunt went about proposing to Sara, and how Gaheris is asked
to do Dylan the honor of standing up for him at the wedding as his best man.
90/100
Claim: Andromeda, general series, table 3
Notes: the snippet of the poem that Dylan quotes is by Robert Dunn
prompt #26 honor
Dislcaimer: Andromeda belongs to Fireworks Entertainment and Tribune Entertainment.
It is not mine.
"Better Angels of Our Nature" by karrenia
He found him in his quarters, facing out to the view of the main shipping yards of the High guard fleet, his shoulders square as if he had been facing inspection, and with his hands laced behind his back.
The view was a specular one, row up on row of gleaming, silver sleek, elegant and beautiful but deadly warships in various states of completion. It had been several weeks since they’d both been planet-side and he had planned to take advantage of his own down-time to explore other amenities that could not be had found aboard their newly assigned ship.
Dylan Hunt continued to stare out the window, seeing but not really seeing what was immediately in front of him. Instead, his thoughts were concentrated on a decision that he had come to after several days and endless hours of pacing the piled carpet of his quarters.
The decision itself had cost several sleepless nights and a lot of damaged flexxies thrown at the wall of his quarters in frustration and disgust at his own efforts to compose a love poem that did not resemble utter doggerel. He was resolved at last. He was about to ask the woman he loved to marry him.
Resolved at last on this point, Dylan smiled and quit starring out the window. He turned around and swallowed, Mr. Rhade. You startled me. I didn’t hear the door chime.
“You appeared lost in contemplation,” Gaheris replied. “I did not wish to interrupt.”
“You didn’t, I mean, not really. Actually, I’m glad that you’re here because it does have a great deal of bearing of the decision that
I’ve come to.”
“Of course.
“I am going to ask Sarah to marry me,” Dylan said in excited breath, “and it would mean a great deal to the both of us if you would stand up for me at our wedding.”
“Indeed? Of course, I shall, Sir.”
“No, I’m sorry I don’t believe I made it very clear. I’m not asking you ask your commanding officer, or out of sense of duty; I'm asking you to do this because you're my best friend.”
“I would be honored,” replied Gaheris Rhade.
**
"Sara," Dylan asked. "Do you have a moment?"
"Of course,"she replied.
"We are so much of the time alone, that sometimes we fail to see what has been right in front of us all along."
"What are you trying to say," Sara asked.
"I did not believe it was possible for someone to actually become tongue-tied. It is an interesting phenomnen," interjected Gaheris.
"Don't help, Gaheris," muttered Dylan. Love means something diffrent to humans and other species than it does to yours."
“I recall a Commonwealth physicist remark once about how atoms are bound together by weak attractors. Why not admit the truth? The universe is held together by love,” Sara remarked quietly but with understated determination in her voice.
“If I recall correctly,” replied Dylan with a goofy grin plastered on his face, “didn’t your aunt once warn you that if you ever got involved with me…
“Dear Aunt Constanza,” sighed Sara. “Ah, yes, she did warn me about you. I’d either end up marrying you or killing you.” She shook her head, the movement sending her tousled reddish brown curls swaying.
“I like this female,” stated Gaheris.
“Well, I’m glad of that, said Dylan. So, if we’re agreed on this course of action…”
“Do you have to make everything sound, so, oh, I don’t know, military-minded?” Sara exclaimed.
“Get lost, Gaheris. And I mean that in the best way possible,” Dylan said with a sigh and a roll of his muscled shoulders.
“Oh, you wish to be alone. I will take my leave of you Dr. Riley. Dylan, if you need me I will be in the palestra until 2100 hours this evening, station-time.”
“I will. And thank you,” said Dylan.
“Well?” Sara demanded, crossing her arms over her chest and coming to stand directly in his line of sight. Although she lacked nearly half a head of his towering height, she did not seem at all intimidated by it. There was also a challenging yet expectant gleam in her brown eyes.
Dylan stepped back and took her hands in his, and said. “Honestly, I think I’ve loved you from the moment we first met and yes, I realize that being rescued from a station in dire peril of being destroyed was not even remotely in the book of the most romantic encounters possible.”
“Who knew that the famous, flamboyant, gallant Captain Dylan Hunt could blush as scarlet as an academy cadet? It’s actually rather an attractive side of your nature,” Sara replied.
It was true that their first meeting had been fraught with danger to both her own life and limb and those of her colleagues, it was not the end of either her career as a scientist nor of her on-going relationship with Dylan Hunt.
Dylan laughed and bent his head to kiss her lips, cheeks and forehead, “I do love you, and I tried to write you a poem but nothing could quite capture the way I feel about you. This is the final result. So saying, he then reached into a pocket and handed her a small velvet box.
“Open it.”
She lifted up the cover and inside resting on a white silk lining was a silver and gold ring with both an outer and inner ring of small emerald-cut diamonds. “It’s beautiful!
“Will you marry me?” Dylan asked, breathlessly.
“Yes, Yes, Of course, I’ll marry you!” she exclaimed, carefully closing the box before throwing herself into his embrace and kissing him until they both had to break up apart long enough to come up for air.
“I told you I had tried to write something meaningful and inspirational, but nothing came to mind, instead I’ll have borrowed something from an Old Earth poet named Robert Dunn.
"‘I was thinking this is intelligence, this is the wisest tongue since the Oracle got into a Greek’s ear, speaking sense. It’s the Good, defining itself.'”
"I love you, Dylan Hunt. And, wait, did you ask Gaheris to stand up for us at our wedding?"
“I did, but I had to clarify that it’s as our friend rather than as by subordinate.”
“Knowing that stubborn Netizchean pride will never allow him to admit it, but I bet you anything you care to name that he's
positively beaming on the inside,” Sara said.
“You’re right about that,” Dylan replied.
Sara smiled and then said. “I shall be very content in your company, Dylan Hunt.”
“And I, in yours, Sara Riley.”