Last Rites (ficlet)

Summary: A challenge was issed once for us to write a story where something appeared to be happening and by the end of the story it would turn out to be the opposite of what it appeared to be.

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He could barely hold back the tears. After all they'd been through together, all the trials and tribulations. The way fate had taken her from him and then miraculously given her back, they deserved so much more.

But since when had fate ever cared about what they deserved.

He reached out to touch her one last time, his hand shaking so hard he thought it was going to fall of his wrist and in the end his fingers curled into a fist and he couldn't do it.

His eyes closed as he remembered some of their more intimate moments. The smooth feel of her under his fingers, the way she'd responded whenever he touched her. As if she'd been made for him alone.

She'd always been with him. Even when she'd been away with the other on Talyn and he thought he'd never see her again she'd stayed in his thoughts, haunting him with the memories of all that they'd been through together. She'd been his partner, his friend, saved his life more times than he could recount. He'd felt empty without her by his side and when she'd returned to him he'd sworn he'd never let her get away again.

But she had. Despite all that he'd done to protect her she was gone.

It was too much. He leaned his head back and let the tears come.

So great was his grief that he started a bit when the arms wrapped around him and Aeryn's soft voice whispered into his ear.

"Winnona was a great weapon John. She served you well and we would have never gotten out of that armory if you hadn't set her on overload to blow up that door. It is a shame that we lost her, but her sacrifice wasn't in vain."

He nodded and leaned her head against her hair. He knew she was right it was time to let go and move on.

So after one last longing glance at the mangled metal, he closed the top of the box and let it drop gently into the waste disposal unit.