Originally posted 1/18/07This was written for the Terra Firma 2nd Not-So-Annual Beach Bash fic challenge, and the theme was "hope." It wasn't eligible for the contest prizes, since I'm a mod at TF, and it's probably not even very good (since I'm seriously under the influence of DayQuil), but I think it's kinda cute.
I wanted this to be on Moya, and I needed the kids to be these ages, and it just didn't mesh with my established post-PKW continuity, so I've gone off on a tangent here and created a new second child for John and Aeryn.
Thanks to Imloco2 for a driveby, but basically, all blame lies with me...
Rating: G
Setting: About 8 cycles post-PKW
Spoilers: Through PKW
Disclaimer: Not my characters, not my universe, no harm intended and no money being made!
I hope you enjoy this little piece of hopeful fluff!
Wish Upon a Star
“Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight....” Sam Crichton, age 5, took a huge breath and prepared to finish the rhyme his father had taught him.
“Dope!” D’Argo thwapped his little brother on the arm. “There’s billions of stars out there! What do you mean, ‘first’?”
Sam scowled at him. Undeterred, he said, “I pick
that one.” He pointed at the brightest star visible on the viewscreen on Command. “Mom’s star!”
Dar shook his head, though privately he conceded that choosing the star with their mother’s name was probably a good idea. Mom was the one you had to make your case to in their family.
“I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight!” Sam finished breathlessly.
The two brothers stood side by side, looking out into space, Sam all but quivering in anticipation. After a pause, he turned to Dar and asked, “How do I know if I get my wish?”
Dar shrugged. With all the wisdom of his eight cycles, he said, “It’ll just happen, or it won’t.”
“Oh.” Sam looked nervous.
D’Argo narrowed his eyes with suspicion and asked, “What did you wish for?”
Sam looked up at the ceiling and down at the floor, and finally said in a rush, “That dad won’t find out I lost Winona!”
“You
what?”
Blinking back tears, Sam said, “I just wanted to pretend I was Dad, and I was in Pilot’s den, and....Winona fell!”
“Into the neural cluster?”
Sam nodded.
“You are dead meat, Sam-o!”
More tears welled up in Sam’s eyes, and his face screwed up in misery.
“Crichtons don’t cry,” D’Argo said, automatically.
“Don’t tell Dad!” Sam begged.
Dar shook his head. “Uh-uh. You have to take responsibility for what you did, Sam. That’s what our family does!”
Sam still looked so miserable, D’Argo sighed. “Look,” he suggested, “maybe if we find Winona first, Dad won’t get so mad.”
Sam brightened with hope. “Do you really think we could find her?”
“Sure we can,” Dar said, with more optimism than he felt. He couldn’t stifle a groan, though, when he realized that their father’s favorite weapon was almost certainly down in the bat dren....
* * * * * * * *
The boys stood on a walkway deep below Pilot’s den, looking at the muddy refuse that covered the bottom of the cavern. D’Argo leaned on a metal pole that was about two motras long.
Sam screwed up his face and announced, “Yuck!”
Dar agreed with his brother’s assessment, but he wasn’t going to say so out loud. After all, he was in charge of this mission, and he needed to show confidence. “I wonder how deep that stuff is,” he said. Sam shrugged. Both boys lay down on the walkway, and D’Argo lowered the pole into the muck. It hit bottom with about half the pole covered. “Too deep for you, Sam,” he said with a sigh. “It’ll have to be me.” He reached down and dipped a finger reluctantly into the icky muck, grimacing when it came out blue.
“Maybe it’ll wash off?” Sam said, hopefully.
“I hope so.”
They clambered to their feet again. Dar was just starting to peel his clothes off in hopes of keeping this little adventure from his parents when their mother’s voice startled them both.
“What are you two doing down here?”
The boys whirled around and looked at her with wide eyes, D’Argo tugging down his shirt.
“Well?” she prompted, looking back and forth between them.
Sam looked at Dar, Dar looked at Sam, and Sam reluctantly opened his mouth. “We’re, we’re looking for....” He trailed off.
His mother fixed him with a stern look. “Were you looking for this, perhaps?” she asked, holding up a pulse pistol in her hand. The boys recognized it instantly as Winona.
Sam looked astonished.
“How did you get her?” was written all over his face.
His mother smiled gently. “Pilot told me what happened. I retrieved her for you. Now,” she said, growing stern again, “Take her back to your father and tell him what happened.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Sam squeaked. He snatched the pulse pistol from his mother’s hand and scurried off to face the music.
Aeryn Sun looked down at her firstborn and said, “That was a very good thing you did for Sam, D’Argo.”
Dar could feel himself blushing under his mother’s approving gaze. Embarrassed more by his reaction than her praise, he shrugged. “He’s my brother. He needed help.”
“Of course.” She reached out and took the pole from him. “Come on, then. Let’s go back up top. It’s nearly time for midmeal.” She turned and headed in the direction Sam had vanished.
D’Argo followed behind her. He had a feeling from his mom’s attitude that Sam wasn’t going to get into too much trouble. Hmm, how did that verse go again? He was going to have to remember it!
Starlight star bright, first star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might have the wish I wish tonight....
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