End Game ("Fun and Games" Epilogue, rated G)

Originally posted 9/10/07

When I wrote "Fun and Games," the most recent installment in the Family Ties series, I'd fully intended to write an epilogue to the story involving John and Pippin. That story was entirely from Chiana's POV, and I just couldn't see my way to changing POV for a last section of the fic itself. But I got distracted with some other things, and completely forgot about that epilogue till "Fun and Games" was nominated for some Terra Firma FanFic Awards, and several people read (or reread) and commented on it. (Thank you!!! It means a lot to know people are still reading this stuff!) That kind of kicked me into gear, and here, some six months later than intended, is that promised epilogue.

Rating: G
Setting: about 13 cycles after PKW, immediately after my fic Fun and Games
Spoilers: through PKW
Disclaimer: Not my universe, not my characters (except for Pip!), no money being made. Just playing with them to keep the universe alive!

Many thanks to Imloco2, MadScientist and Shipsister for helping me make this story better! Crash tossed me a wonderful Crichtonism, which in the end I eviscerated. It was probably better her way, but....

I hope you enjoy. If you haven't read Fun and Games, this probably won't make a lot of sense.

End Game

Disgruntled. That’s what John Crichton kept telling himself he was feeling: disgruntled.

It was better than admitting that he was furious with their abruptly-departed houseguest and his beloved other half....

What the frell had Chiana been thinking, taking Pippin out of school like that and taking him thieving, for frell’s sake?! The Nebari hit squad wasn’t technically her fault since they’d been following Nerri and not her, but...his stomach turned into an icy rock whenever he thought about what might have happened to Pip if it hadn’t been for Aeryn.

And what the frell had Aeryn been thinking, charging in there like a female version of Attila the Hun?

He tried to tell himself that all’s well that ends well, but it still pissed the hell out of him that trouble – major trouble – had come crashing into their lives again. It didn’t help that Chiana had been gone by the time he got home, so he hadn’t even had a chance to yell at her! Fuming, he paced around the house, avoiding Aeryn and the kids so he didn’t take anyone’s head off just for being there. He was halfway to the front door, intending to get some fresh air and try to clear his head and settle his stomach, when he heard Pippin yelling at Nellie in seriously angry tones. John whirled around just in time to see the boy give his little sister a fierce shove, both hands hard to the chest.

The two cycle old landed on her rump on the floor in front of the sofa where Aeryn had settled Pip when she brought him back from the medics. Nel’s wide-eyed expression was more surprised than hurt, but she opened her mouth and wailed nonetheless.

“What the hell was that for, Pip?” John bellowed, far too loudly considering he was only two motras away from the boy.

Pippin’s black eyes flashed. “She was bugging me!” he shouted back.

“We do not hit people in this family!”

Pippin’s lip was out in a full up angry pout and John suspected his own expression mirrored Pip’s.

The sound of heated voices brought Aeryn into the room. Eyes narrowed, she surveyed the scene, taking in the little one, who though still sitting on the floor was no longer crying, and John and Pip, glaring at each other. After a few microts, she caught John’s eye and then glanced at Pippin, her expression softening. Reluctantly, John reined in his anger. Aeryn was right. The boy had had a hell of a day, and he was just a little kid. Who knew what was going on in his head after all that. That didn’t excuse pushing Nellie, but this was not a simple, “Apologize to your sister and go to your room,” situation, and taking out his own frustrations on Pip was totally unfair. Maybe a little one-on-one time with Dad was called for.

John considered. Hmm. It was going to be light outside for a couple more arns. That gave him an idea. He nodded imperceptibly from Pip to the door, and Aeryn gave him the go ahead. While she came and scooped up Nel for a cuddle, John walked over to the sofa and looked down at Pippin.

The boy looked up at him warily, head cocked to one side.

John took a deep breath to settle himself, and smiled to show he wasn’t mad anymore. “How’s that ankle doing?”

Pippin reached down and massaged the injured joint. “Okay,” he allowed. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

John held out a hand. “Well, then, how about you and me taking a walk. Let’s get out of this place for a while!”

After a microt or two, Pip gave him a weak smile and took his hand. John pulled the boy to his feet and then sent him to get his shoes.

* * * * * * * *

The large freespace in front of their building had been one of the selling points of the place, as far as John had been concerned. It had playing fields for half a dozen games, two yards with playground equipment for the younger kids, and a large central area that was almost wild. It was a great place to just walk and think, especially at this time of day, when most of their neighbors were inside having their evening meal. The late afternoon sun bathed everything in gold as he and Pippin crossed the road into the park.

Intent as he was on the more dramatic adventures of the day, John was taken by surprise when Pip tugged on his arm and said contritely, “I’m sorry I pushed Nellie.”

“Well, it doesn’t do much good to tell me, now does it?” John replied automatically in Dad-speak. After a pause he added in gentler tones, “I guess you’ll have to tell her so when we get back.”

“Okay,” Pip agreed, and lapsed back into silence.

Not really sure how to bring up the snurching and shooting and abandonment issues, John let the silence stretch as he and Pip wandered aimlessly along the paved path amongst the trees. Finally, telling himself he was the grownup, and it was up to him to start the conversation, he took the bull by the horns. “So,” he said, keeping his voice as casual as he could. “You want to talk about it?”

Pippin shrugged. “About what?”

“Oh, you know, anything.” He hesitated for a microt, and then, when Pip shrugged again, he got a little more specific. “Ditching school? Stealing? Getting shot at?” After a longer hesitation, he decided to go for broke. “Chiana leavin’?”

Pip’s eyes filled with tears at the mention of his birth mother, but he set his jaw and refused to let them fall. “I already told Mom I wouldn’t leave school again.”

Way to dodge an emotional issue, kid, John thought. Your mom – both your moms – would be proud. But he didn’t figure he’d get anywhere pushing, except maybe to traumatize an already-traumatized kid. “I’ll tell you a secret, Pip. I might have skipped out on school a time or two when I was a kid, too.” Pip looked at him with wide questioning eyes. “Your mom, now she never skipped school, because your mom didn’t break the rules, not when she was a kid, anyway.” He smiled, thinking about how many rules Aeryn had bent or broken since then.

“So...it’s okay to skip school?”

Pip’s impish grin said he was teasing, but John figured he’d better not let it slide. Aeryn’d kill him if Pip got the notion that playing hooky was okay to do. “I did not say that, Pip, and you know it.” Pip giggled, and John continued. “I’m just saying it’s not the end of the world that you did it, okay? Sometimes it’s pretty cool to have an adventure.”

But the word “adventure” brought the giggles to a halt, and Pip retreated into silence. Damn! They walked on, but with neither of them saying anything, John’s mind wound its way back to the Nebari hit squad, and Aeryn going in, guns blazing, and frell the consequences.... His stomach tied itself up in knots again. What Pippin was thinking, he had no idea.

Father and son were startled from their thoughts when a bundle of fur shot out of the trees and darted across the path practically at their feet, followed almost immediately by a somewhat larger bundle of fur with very large teeth! They stopped dead and watched the little werry weave and dodge, sending up showers of dry leaves as it tried to shake off the coyote-like predator hard on its heels. It was a near thing, but at last the werry got just enough ahead to make the leap to the trunk of a tree. As the critter scrambled to safety and the predator howled in fury, Pippin let out a huge sigh of relief.

John looked down and saw Pip looking up at him, black eyes shining with more unshed tears. Puzzled by the strong reaction to a skirmish they’d seen play out plenty of times here in the freespace, John asked, “You okay, son?”

Pippin blinked back the tears, once again refusing to let them fall. “I was really scared, Dad,” he blurted. “Those Nebari bad guys were shooting at us.” His lip trembled and his face tried to screw itself up in misery, but he stubbornly got himself under control and added, “I thought they were going to kill me!”

John found himself blinking back tears of his own as Pippin spoke. He knew from personal experience just how terrifying that was, and just thinking about a kid of six being in that position tore at his heart. Once again, he was furious with Chiana. But...lambasting Chi was not going to help his son. John moved off the path and dropped cross-legged to the ground, pulling Pip into his lap. He wrapped his arms around the boy and held him close, feeling Pip’s heart pounding in remembered terror. John told him gently, “Being scared when people are shooting at you is a good thing, Pip. If you’re not scared, that’s when you’re likely to do something stupid and get killed.” After a brief pause, he added, “I hear you were very brave.”

Pip’s childish voice was very small. “I went through the window like Chimama said, and I fell and I hurt my foot.” He continued in a rush, as if he just had to get the words out. “And then I hid in some bushes, and there was lots more shooting, and I was really, really scared.”

Aw, frell, the poor kid! John kissed the top of Pippin’s head in comfort, and repeated, “It’s okay to be scared sometimes, Pip. It’s okay. I would’a been scared, too.”

“You would?”

“I would,” John assured him solemnly. “And so would your mom.” He wondered how long the boy was going to have nightmares about being shot at, and once again he had to fight down anger at Chiana.

Pippen seemed to consider this admission for a while, then leaned his head back so he could see John’s face. He took a breath. “There was lots of yelling, and I was still scared, but then Mom came got me and she took me home, so it was okay!” On “okay,” the boy broke into a wide, comfortable grin, and all the tension drained out of him.

John was stunned. The absolute faith in Aeryn that shone in Pippin’s eyes had John once again fighting off tears. And it wasn’t just Pip’s faith in his mom, it was John’s own sudden understanding of why he’d been so damned angry with Aeryn for racing to the rescue. He’d known, deep inside, that Aeryn had charged into the fray plainly and simply to save her son. There was no way she would have done things differently when one of her children was in danger. She was who she was, and, truth be told, he would’a done the same thing himself if he’d been the one who was there.

It was just the potential consequences that were worrying him to death. This was a civilized planet, and there were rules about shooting people, even members of an alien hit squad. If the garda managed to tie Aeryn to the firefight, there would be the possibility of legal troubles. However small the likelihood, the prospect of Aeryn going to jail was just about unbearable, though with luck, the circumstances would exonerate her without them having to do anything drastic. John took a deep breath, and told himself the important thing was that Pip was safe, and they’d deal with the consequences together, if those chickens came home to roost. He tousled Pip’s unruly black mop, and gave him a smile. “Yep,” he said, agreeing with Pip’s last statement. “Your mom went and got you, and everything’s okay!”

Pip abruptly decided that they were done with that topic, and he climbed out of John’s lap and got to his feet. “Can we go to the play yard?” he pleaded.

John looked him over, trying to decide if Pip really didn’t want to talk any more about the events of the day, or if he just needed a breather before they tackled the biggie – Chiana taking off again. It was a fairly short walk to Pip’s favorite play yard, maybe half a metra, and it was back in the direction of home. “Yeah, sure,” he said finally. “We can do that.” John groaned as he uncrossed his stiff legs and stood up beside Pip, brushing dried leaves from his pants. Damn, he was getting too old for this stuff! Still, he was happy that Pip’s mood seemed to be picking up, even if he wasn’t sure it was permanent.

At the play yard, the two of them encountered a couple of toddlers and their parents, but they were still effectively alone. Pip headed for the large wooden climbing structure that was his favorite thing to play on. He clambered around on it for a while, showing off and burning up a whole lotta energy while John watched from the ground, occasionally shouting encouragement. Finally Pip came down again and ran to give his old man a hug. “Chimama climbed up there with me one time, even though grownups aren’t s’posed to,” he said, pointing at the structure. “She can climb as high as me!”

With a wistful smile, John admitted, “I bet she can at that. Chiana always was quick on her feet.” When he saw that Pippen was still smiling, he thought it might be worth trying to draw the boy out on the subject of Chiana’s leaving. He decided to try to sneak up on the topic from behind. “It sounds like you two had some good times.”

Pip grinned and nodded. “We played a great game today in the Zocolo! We both snurched stuff, and then we put it back!” At John’s frown, he emphasized, “We didn’t keep anything! It was just a game! It was fun!”

John sighed and tried to hide an amused grin. “You’ve got a lot of Chiana in you, boy, no matter what your mom and I try to teach you!”

“Is that bad?” Pip’s voice was anxious, and John could have kicked himself for making Pippin doubt himself.

“Hell, no! It’s what makes you you, Pip, and what makes you so much fun! We wouldn’t have it any other way!”

Pippin stared at his father for a long time, and John wondered what the frell was going on in his head. Finally, Pip came out with the $64,000 question: “Then why did Chimama go? She said she loves me, but she went away!” he wailed. And this time, the six cycle old did dissolve into huge, heartbreaking sobs.

Feeling both relieved and a bit guilty for getting the boy to open up about Chiana leaving him, John scooped Pip up into his arms. Sobbing, the child wrapped himself around his father, burying his face in John’s chest. John hugged him tightly, letting him cry. He rocked him back and forth and murmured, “Hey, buddy, of course she loves you! She loves you so much, she left you here with us instead of taking you back with her where you might get shot at some more. She couldn’t stand to have you get hurt because of her and what she’s doing to make this old galaxy a better place.”

“But I miss her,” Pippin bawled, tightening his grip around John’s neck.

“I know you do, Pip. We’ll miss her too. She’s good people.” And he realized suddenly that he meant that, completely. He still wanted to strangle her for the upheaval in their lives and for nearly getting Pippin killed, not to mention the trouble Aeryn might now be in, but...Chiana was good people. And in the end, he thought it was a good thing that she’d come. Before, no matter how much they’d told Pippin about the woman who’d birthed him, she was a stranger to him. Now, he knew her, at least a little. He knew, despite his misery over her leaving, that she loved him, which was something he hadn’t known before. He’d seen just a little of who he was, who he came from. That had to be good for him to know. “It’ll be all right, Pip,” he said, patting his son on the back. “You’ll see her again.” He stopped short of promising, because who knew what the fates had in store, but he hoped it would bring the boy some comfort. John waited for a response, but Pip only took a few deep, snuffling breaths, and wiped his nose on John’s shirt.

John patted his unhappy child on the back. “It’ll be okay, Pip,” he repeated. “We should prob’ly go on home now. I’m sure your mom is wondering what happened to us.” Pippin sniffled and nodded his head.

John didn’t push for more. No doubt that was the best he was going to get right now. But kids were resilient. He had to believe it wouldn’t be too long before they had their happy-go-lucky Pip back again. Feeling more optimistic than he had any right to, John carried the boy home to his mother.