Deja New

[Atana]

OK.  I'm working on something.  It's Sort of AU.  I say sort of because it's post UR... but what with the minor spoiler that leaked out of TV guide re the last 11 of Season 4 it makes it AU.  But since we really don't know how that all ends up it doesn't really matter... if you catch my meaning.

In any case like I said it picks up where UR left off... and it's gonna be a long one. 

I put part one up already and part 2 should be up before I leave work and I'll try to post a part a day after that.  Gotta be careful cause this one's not done yet and I don't want you to catch up with me....

Much thanks to my Beta's Scrubschick, AC, Loco, Tazy and Shipsister.  Couldn't visit wonderland without them.

OH and this board forum doesn't like my version of word at all.  I've tried to clean up all the typo's that come when I cut and paste... but if one or two remain just bear with them.... thanks.

OH and as everyone already knows.  I own nothing Farscape

__________________________________

She had a name.  A name and a face.  In a city of several thousand sentient beings it was not much, but it would have to do here because it was all that she had.

A name and a face. A fathers face, burned into her memory the way the son's touch was burned into her skin.  White hair, lines on the forehead and around the mouth....,Kind eyes.  It would be the eyes that she would know, even if the face had changed.  The eyes would identify him.

"Aeryn....... Aeryn?"

The crackling com pulled her back from her revere and she shifted in the tall grass outside of the military complex.

"Yes D'Argo?"

"It's been 5 ahrn's we agreed upon three....where are you?"

"I told you supply run,  I'll be back in roughly 20 microts" 

Aeryn heard an exasperated sigh on the other end of her com and some muffled words she couldn't make out.  She frowned and wished for the millionth time that this atmosphere didn't interfere with the transmission as much as it did.  She'd tried to compensate but with limited success.  For all her improved tech skills she just didn't have the science.  For that she would have needed Crichton.

Crichton......

The thought drew her attention back to the military base.  Or at least that's what the two girls at the shop had said it was. Although if human government was as secretive as Peackeeper High command it could be anything.  But, It didn't matter, D'Ago had said John'senergy signature was coming from somewhere in this quadrant.  This was the most likely place for him to be and so that was where she was going to go......

As soon as she figured out a way in.

"Aeryn!!"

"ALRIGHT D'Argo I'm coming," she hissed into the com and then turned it off before he could chide her further.   D'Argo was worried that her "unskilled wanderings" around the town would get them caught and captured.  "You stay to long Aeryn, you ask to much. Someone is bound to think it strange if you keep wandering around like that with your strange sounding Eng-leesh and your odd questions.  Remember what happened last time."

And she did remember what happened last time she was in this place.  Or something that resembled it closely.  She remembered very well indeed. Pain. Fear. The glass cage where people constantly whispered and stared.  John's face after he'd seen Rygel impaled on a med table with his tiny body ripped open, the look in D'Argo"s eyes when they dragged him away. "Yes she remembered.

But she remembered other things as well.  Things that D"Argo did not.  She remembered the sound of rain, the taste of beer and the feel of John's body against hers. She remembered what it felt like to start falling in love and it was because of that, that she took the risks and asked the questions.  She was not leaving this place without him and that is why she sought the father.

He was her ticket to the son.   

Aeryn sighed and wriggled backwards through the tall grass until she reached the road.  She then picked up the small bag of supplies she'd picked up in the town and dropped them into her field pack.  Once it was secured to her back she broke into a light jog and turned on her com.  It would take her longer then 20 microts to reach the small wooded area they'd chosen to camp once they'd found the military base. But when D'Argo com'ed again she would be able to truthfully answer that she was on her way and that should placate him until she arrived and he could chastise her in person.  It should take her a little more than a quarter ahrn to get there, but after so long spent lying still the smooth movement of muscles felt good.

D'Argo should just let her be, she thought irritably as she picked up the pace.  She knew what she was doing and she was always sure to be careful.  She varied the shops where she purchased the supplies.  She made sure to either go early in the morning when they were full of people rushing to their places of employment or late in the evening when the shops were about to close and the clerks were distracted with ideas of going home.

She didn't speak much and when anyone asked her where she was from she simply smiled and said "France,"  and they nodded and left her alone.

She was actually pretty proud of that one she thought, as she jogged briefly off the road to avoid being hit by an oncoming vehicle.  It had almost thrown her the first time a shop clerk had frowned at her and said, "You aren't from around here are you?"

When she'd simply frozen with her hand out for the change the girl had turned to her co-worker and said, "Doesn't sound like she's from around here does she Deb?  Or like she's American at all for that matter.  Where are you from?" and she'd smiled at Aeryn broadly and spoken the last words very loud as if her volume would make them easier to understand.

Aeryn had considered bolting, but her training wouldn't let her.  Bolting in the face of the enemy would result in chase and capture and even if it didn't it would mean she'd drawn attention to herself and people would probably put out a watch for her and she wouldn't be able to go into the town again.  And she needed the information the townspeople could give her. 

And then it had come to her.  The little ditty the John on Talyn used to chant whenever she came into the bathing chamber when he was in the shower.  Something about places on his home world and her underclothes. 

She'd laughed at him a dozen times and asked him what his home world had to do with her under things but he never answered, only stepped out of the shower, pulled her to him and pushed the apparently offending garment down her legs with one long slow stroke until they dropped off and then the answer didn't matter because there were other more important things at hand.

How did it go, she thought in a rush, how did it go?

"I see Lunon"  (no that didn't sound right),  "I see Lunnon, I see..... Frensh", No not Frensh..... France.  Yes that was it, "I see France." 

And so that's what she said.  And apparently the answer made sense because the girls had smiled at her and said, "Oh isn't that nice.  Always wanted to go to go to Europe myself but it's like....so expensive.  This your first trip to America?"

She had nodded.

"Taking the train in to Salt Lake for the sights?"

She'd nodded again and tucked the fact that the big city they'd seen was called "Salt Lake."

"Don't blame you for staying here instead of the city, myself.  It's totally cool, and the clubs are slamming, which is a surprise what with it being like....Mormonville and all.  But the hotels prices are a joke.   I expect you're up to the Holliday Inn on Tannet road?"

She had nodded a third time even though she had NO idea what a Holliday Inn was.

Again it appeared to be the right answer because the girls had giggled and handed her her change.

"Well you enjoy your vacation then and if you need any help, just ask.  We're Alice and Deb."

Aeryn had nodded and started to leave, when an idea had struck her.  She wasn't sure if she could pull it off but still high on her current success she'd decided to try.  She took a deep breath and moistened her throat.

"Do you know.."  She'd said slowly and then stopped.

Both girls had smiled at her encouragingly, "Do we know what?"

She'd let out and inward sigh of relief and continued.  "Do you know where....the," and she paused frowning, she didn't know the English word for what she wanted to say..

"Where the fighting place is?"

The girls had frowned. "Do you mean the gym?"  One of the girls pantomimed punching at the air.

She shook her head, "No.  The place where.... People learn to fight."

The girls had put their heads together and whispered for a few microts and then asked "Learn to fight what?"

"Wars."  She'd replied, and started to get worried, if she couldn't make herself understood then it would be best to leave quickly before she made a fool of herself and was remembered.

But it seems she'd hit the jackpot again. 

"Ohhhhhhhh," both girls practically screamed and began to bob their heads up and down in excitement.  "You mean the MILITARY BASE." 

"Yes," she had replied with no small amount of relief.

"What you want to go there for?" the girl called Alice asked with a frown on her face, "Nothing fun to do there.  I mean, the guys that come in here are hotties alright, but that place is like..... restricted so you can't hook up there." 

"Friend," Aeryn had supplied quickly.

"You got a friend that works there?" 

She'd nodded.

"Oh well, in that case" said the one called Deb, her mouth muffled by some substance she was chewing and blowing large pink bubbles with.  "I'm not exactly sure of the exact address, but if you take the Freeway East out of town its about a 20 minute drive up the road.  Just look for the signs, they'll tell you where to turn off, and you take that old dirt road about a half mile back and you'll come to the main gate.  I'm sure the guard can find your friend for you."

"Thank you."  She'd replied gratefully and left.

Yes, she'd done all right for herself.  Found out in a few microts what it would have taken days or even weakens to find out by sneaking around.   Even Chiana had been impressed by both her boldness in trying the language and her apparent success with it.

Speaking of Chiana, Aeryn thought as she finally turned off the road in the gathering darkness and started for the tree line.  She could see the girls white ruff peaking at her through the trees.  She started to get angry.  She'd told the girl a hundred times to keep herself hidden until she could come up with something that could disguise her.....but it was China's nature not to obey orders.  Even ones that concerned her life.

"Where you been?"  She quipped as Aeryn drew closer.

"I told you on a supply run."  She grabbed Chiana by the shoulders and forced her deeper into the trees.

"Supply run my emah, maybe three ahrns ago.  Whatcha been doing since then?"

"None of your business Chiana, now help me with this stuff will you?  And where's D'Argo?"

He went to get some wood for cooking....and said if you weren't back by the time he was then we'd start looking for you.  He's really tranked."

"Yeah well," she shrugged and started pulling cans and containers out of her pack, "He'll get over it.  I had work to do."

Chiana regarded the cans. "What does that say?"  she asked quizzically.

She took the can back from the Nabari "Aye-elll-peee-ohhh.  Al-po.  You made stew out of it last weeken.  It was pretty good."

Chiana smiled," Oh yeah that's the stuff D'Argo likes. Good" then she paused and the smile faded. "You've been watching that military base again haven't you Aeryn?"

"I told you Chiana it was none of your business and....."

"Look Aeryn," Chiana grabbed her by the wrists with a firmness that surprised her.  "We can't get in there you know that, we've looked.  That place has more armed people than a command carrier and D'Argo, and I,as Chrichton would say, stick out like sore tums.  Which means there's just you.  And even though you are the draddest with a pulse pistol you can't take them all on.  And even if you could you have no idea where John is in there or even if he...."

"Stop it."  Aeryn cut her off before she could go any further.  "D'Argo got his energy signal from this quadrant before we landed.  The military base is the most likely place they'd be holding him. He is still alive.  And as for the rest.....well if I remember correctly that's what you said about the command carrier.  And we managed that alright."

"A bunch of innocent prisoners died Aeryn and we barely got off there ourselves.  I don't call that alright."

"I don't care," she replied her voice full of ice and abruptly twisted her arms out of Chiana's grasp and gave her a half hearted push away from her.

"We are going to get him out."

"But Aeryn......"

"We are NOT leaving him here."

"What if he doesn't want to go Aeryn?  This is his home you thought about that?  What if he doesn't want to go?"

"He will want to go."

"Are you sure about that?"

And rage filled her then, because she knew the Nabari might be right and the thought of that was almost as painful as being without him had been these last 10 days.  And she put up her hand to strike her, but the fear and the sadness in the girl's eyes let her know that the words weren't meant in malice.  That Chiana was just as worried and scared as she was that they'd not be able to find a way to get to Chrichton.  She just had to courage to say it out loud.

She let her hand drop.  " No.  I'm not sure.  But I have to try....we have to try.  I frelled up Chiana.  I frelled up badly and I need to fix it.  I DESERVE a chance to fix it. And I can, I just need to get to him.  And I'm not leaving until I do.  You and D'Argo can abandon me here on this drenfrek of a planet if you want to.  But I'm not leaving without him."

Chiana studied her carefully and then sighed and began pulling more things out of the supply sack.

"You really love him don't you?" 

She looked away and said nothing.   

Chiana nodded decisively "Well that settles it. I suppose we're stuck here.  Lets get dinner started.  D'Argo will be less angry if there's something to eat when he gets back."

"Right." 

"And Aeryn?"

"Yes."

"What ARE you doing staring at that place for ahrns on end?  Looking for some hidden way in?"

"Not a WAY Chiana, a WHO."

"A what?"

"No, a who. I'm looking for someone going in.... Or coming out."

The loud thonk that came just after she concluded that statement was enough to make her turn around.  Chiana had dropped the can she'd been attempting to open and was staring at her incredulously.   

"Aeryn we don't know anyone on this frelling planet who are you looking for?"

"Well that's where you're wrong" she replied picking up the can and handing it back to the Nabari.  "I do...sort of."

"Aeryn you're not making sense."

"Yes I am. You weren't here before, I was. You stayed on bored Moya with Zahn when the Ancients created that false Earth.  Now John told me that the Ancients based people's behavior on what John's mind told them would happen if he were really on Earth.  And if that's true then they've got John prisoner in there because they don't know where he's been or what he's been doing.  Humans are as afraid of irreversible contamination as the Peacekeepers are.  But they are going to call in one person in who I think might help us."

"And who's that."

"John's father.  Jack Crichton."

"John's father?"

"That's right."

Chiana took a knife out of her boot and began stabbing it into the metal top of one of the cans.

"But you've never met John's father Aeryn...."

"What I met was close enough.  John said so."

"Ooookaaay, I'll buy that. He would know.  But how do you know their going to bring him here?  And how are you going to get to him if they do, and how do you know he's going to trust us and not turn us in and how.....?"

"ENOUGH CHIANA," she screamed losing her temper at last.  "I don't know, I don't know any of it alright?  I just came up with the frelling plan a few days ago and I haven't worked that out yet.  All I know is we can't get to John on our own and we need help.  Right now Jack Crichton is the only person I can think of who might do that.  I know it isn't much.  BUT IT"S ALL THAT WE"VE GOT!!!!"   And with that she flung her can down and walked away.

There was silence behind her and whether Chiana was too stunned to speak or was wisely remaining silent she did not care.  The sheer futility of what she was attempting was settling on her like a weight and she began pacing in an attempt to stave off the tears.

"Listen Aeryn," the voice behind her came soft and tentative.  "I'm sure you're right.  Who knows a child better than it's father right?  And I..I ..... I'm sure that if they want to know if Crichton is.... well Crichton they'll call his dad in yeah?  We, we just need to figure out a way to get to him and, and we'll make him trust us.  D'Argo will help, you'll see.  We'll find him and it'll be alright."

She didn't pull away when the small hand wound its way into her own and the shaggy white head leaned itself against her cheek.  She needed the comforting touch and the words right now.  Even if all they offered was false hope.  She needed to believe right now and she needed to think someone believed with her.  So she tightened her grip on Chiana's fingers and nodded.

"Yes.  We'll find him and it'll be alright."       

[Atana]

She told D'Argo over dinner, some sort of meat stew Chiana had managed to piece together from the contents of the cans Aeryn had brought back from the town.  He reacted the way she had expected him too.  With curses and shouting.  She'd let him scream it out and Chiana for once showed some wisdom and didn't interfere. 

"And that's why I didn't tell you sooner," she'd responded when he'd finally calmed down enough for her to get a word in.  "Because I knew you would react like that. 

D'Argo sighed, "Well what did you expect Aeryn as plans go it's...."

"A long shot at best I know.  But I really don't see any other choice.  We are outnumbered and at a serious disadvantage in this place.  Any help we may garner, from whatever the source will be invaluable."

"Aeryn, maybe it's best if we just...."

"NO.  I am not leaving him in there D'Argo.  You remember what things were like the last time.  I'm not leaving him in there."


D'Argo reached over and got another helping of the stew and shook his head in defeat. 

"Well I know that there is no changing your mind once you've made it up so I won't try to dissuade you.  And I agree, leaving him in there isn't safe.  Who knows what their doing to his mind in there.  He could tell them about us and as long as we're here that could be dangerous."

That brought Aeryns mind back to the other problem at hand, the one she'd been avoiding thinking about since they'd arrived on earth.

"Have you had any response from Moya yet?"

D'Argo nodded. "None.  When they didn't make it into the wormhole behind us I hoped they would follow when it opened again.  But either it hasn't or......."

"Or they ended up somewhere else...."  Aeryn finished.  "In either case we are well and truly stuck here until Moya finds us or John can figure out how to get us through another wormhole."

D'Argo smiled.  "Another point in your favor for getting Crichton out."

"It's not about points D'Argo.  It's about his life."

"Do you really think they'll hurt him in there?"

"I wouldn't be surprised."

D'Argo shook his head, "Me either.  But tell me, have you figured out how we're even going to FIND John's father?"

She sighed and started digging a hole to burry their empty cans.

"I figure they have to bring him to the base in one of those vehicles that are always going in and out.  I can see the occupants just fine with my oculars.  I don't know, if...when....they DO bring him I figure we'll wait till he comes out and then.... capture him.  If we get him where he can't get away he'll be FORCED to listen to us and I know I can make him believe we're here to help."

"That's a really bad plan Aeryn."

"I know." 

"But I suppose we should start up some kind of sustained surveillance tomorrow.  We'll take shifts or something."

She felt relief flood her.  "Thank you D'Argo."

D'Argo simply nodded and stood up.  He took three steps away from her and then turned back again.

"Aeryn?"

"Yes?"

"What if after we get him out he doesn't want to come back?"

"Then I will stay here too."

"What if he doesn't want you to?"

"Then I will stay here till he does."

D'Argo favored her with a small smile. "I have to admire your....resolve if nothing else.  Come on, we'd better get some sleep if we are going to start this tomorrow."

[Atana]

It was five more days before she finally saw him.  Five days of hiding and watching.  Five days with still no contact from Moya. Five days and two false alarms.  D'Argo had seen Jack only briefly before, on the false Earth with the ancients and Chiana had not seen him at all.  She'd given them both a detailed description and a crude drawing on the back of a can label but neither of them were very sure.  They'd each sighted a tall white haired man once.  But neither of them had been Jack Crichton.  . 

 D'Argo and Chiana had begun talking behind her back about moving on, finding another place.  They'd been there almost three weakens and they were starting to worry about detection.

They thought she couldn't hear them but she did.  They thought if enough time passed she would see reason and give up. 

But she wouldn't.  They would have to kill her first.

She'd just decided to pack it in and go back to camp, ask Chiana to come and take a turn hiding in the grass and watching the small green vehicles go in and out of the armored gates when one pulled up and stopped.  A dark haired woman got out and talked to the three men in the little house outside the gate.  This was usual, nothing strange about that.

But then the passenger side door opened and HE got out.  And her heart nearly stopped because he looked almost exactly the same as when she'd last seen him.  Tall military bearing, white hair, and when he took the sun blocking glasses off she could see his eyes.  Paler then the sons but with the same intelligence and humor.  Oh yes, she knew those eyes. 

John Crichtons eyes.  Jack Crichtons eyes.

She flipped over on her back ripped the oculars off her head and stuffed her fist into her mouth to keep herself from screaming.  Jack Crichton was here and this meant one of two things.  Either they'd called him in at last to verify his son's identity... or they'd called him in to identify his body.  She said a quick prayer to Zahn's goddess that it wasn't the latter and then flipped over again.

The three guardsmen shook Jack's hand and smiled at him.  They seemed to know him.  And this was good because she doubted that they'd be smiling they knew his son was dead.

One of the men spoke into a little hand held thing, the thought it must be some kind of com system and then stood back and the door opened and he walked in. 

"D'Argo, Chiana, can you hear me?" she whispered into her com even though she was far enough to shout it if she wanted to.

"Yes Aeryn what is it?"  D'Argo's gruff voice came back immediately.

"I've seen him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure... now get over here quickly.  I don't know how long he'll be inside."

"We'll be there in half an ahrn, we can't get there any sooner.  Should we.....bring anything?"

She thought hard for a minute and then combed back.  "Yes.  Some rope, your Qualta blade and....the field pack I brought from my prowler."

"O.k. we're on our way."

_____________________________________________

"Good bye son I'll see you tomorrow."

Jack Crichton pressed his hand up against the bulletproof glass one last time before stepping back.  His son stared at him for a long time and then nodded once and stepped back himself without saying anything in reply. 

It was disconcerting.  But then the whole situation was disconcerting.

He'd reacted with disbelief when the call had come in almost a month ago that a man fitting his son's description had been found floating in Space by the space shuttle team on their way to the new Space Station "Freewave".   They'd freaked out at first and then pulled him aboard when they realized John had been both human and alive. 

They'd kept him in isolation for a few days aboard the space station while the team finished their mission and then they'd returned to Canaveral and transferred him to this remote Utah research facility.   The American government had sent an envoy that included him to help with the "debriefing" as everyone was so diplomatically calling it.  But none of them had been allowed to see John until today.  The scientists and doctors had wanted to be absolutely sure that John was human and didn't have any explosive devices or alien viruses on or in him. 

After three weeks of extensive psychological and physical testing they were fairly sure his son was human.....as for the rest, well, that remained under debate.

Truth was they hadn't wanted to let him in today.  But he'd gotten tired of waiting and called in a few markers he'd collected over the years.  Got this General to call that congressman and that congressman to call this presidential aid, and that aid to talk to the vice presidents wife who talked to the first lady who made an appeal to the Commander- in- chief himself.  And since, despite all appearances it was SHE who actually ran the country, the President had given her what she wanted and an escort had come for him at 0600 this morning to bring him here. 

He'd known it was John from the first moment he'd seen him.  He'd seen it in his eyes, felt it in his blood.  The man that had stood before him was older, harder some how and he had the thousand-yard stare of a seasoned warrior.....but it was his son. 

He'd gone through the hoops the doc's had wanted.  Asked him questions only John would know.  And he'd answered them all correctly and corrected him when he lied to try to trip him up.  But even if he'd gotten one wrong it wouldn't have mattered.  It was his boy.  He KNEW it.

They wouldn't let him in to hug him, touch him for the first time in over 4 years, even though he'd practically begged them to.  They'd had to be content with sitting on the opposite sides of what looked like a jailhouse visiting room and try to "catch up" in the half hour they'd been given.   

At first they'd just stared at each other two over come to talk and then John had broken the ice with a grin and an "I've missed you old man."

And he'd cried then, like he hadn't cried since the boy had been born and he'd first laid eyes on him.  Put his hand against the imprint of his son's palm pressed against the glass and cried.  And John had cried too although he'd been too bleary eyed to see the tears, his son's ragged sobs had echoed across the room.

And then when that was over John had told him an unbelievable story.  Of living ships and alien races and conflicts in other galaxy's.  Of quantum theory wormhole travel and Ancient beings who put the keys to the universe in his head.  He'd listened and tried to figure out if he son was sane or if wherever he'd been had addled his brains.  And then decided he didn't care because the boy was here and alive and they'd never be separated again.

Then it was his turn to talk.  And he'd told John about his sisters and their husbands and his nieces and nephews and how glad they would be that he was alive and well.  That soon this quarantine would be over and he would be able to come home.  And he shouldn't worry about the alien races coming through the holes in space right now.  They'd see to that later he just needed to concentrate on getting better and try to tell the authorities how he happened to be floating in space in an EVA suit that was made of some material they couldn't identify.

And John had stared at him with eyes that were both old and sad and said, "You don't believe me Dad do you?  No don't answer that....If I hadn't lived through it I wouldn't believe me myself.  Don't worry it's all right.  You don't have to believe me now.  It's just good to see you dad.  It's just so damn good to see you.  I never thought I would again."

And they'd cried some more and then it had been time to leave. 

Jack turned quickly and walked away before emotion got the better of him again.  It was hard leaving the boy there locked up like some common criminal.... But at least he was safe and they'd stopped the testing for now.  They said he seemed to be in good health although there were some strange things in his blood, things they couldn't identify and some sort of growth along his brain stem.  They were going to schedule a biopsy to see if they could get some of it out, but they thought he might need a rest first. 

He was obviously insane on some level they told him.  But he'd obviously been out in space too. The question was where? And for how long?  And did he bring anything back with him. 

The missing pieces made his brain hurt. 

"Oh well," he thought.  "Leave those questions for the shrinks and the surgeons.  His son was back, and that's all that mattered to him.

They let him out of the base with a banging of doors and a screeching of locks.  And when he was back out in the sunlight again he headed for the young sergeant who had been assigned his escort.  She was a pretty little thing and obviously feeling full of herself for being given charge of such an important guest.

"Did you see him sir?"  She asked excitedly as she fell into step beside him.

"Yes I did."

"And was it your son?"

"Yes it was."

"I knew it," she screeched in a very unmilitary like way. "Dobbins and Hathaway said they thought so too.  They were assigned to the Sydney base when he was here 5 years ago testing his module, the Farscape wasn't it?  And they got to see him test its engines.  They said he was real nice for a Space Jockey, wasn't full of himself at all.  They remembered him and you too and they said they thought it was John Crichton for real."

Jack couldn't help but smile.  The girl was breaching protocol all over the place but her enthusiasm was infectious.  That and his son was alive.  Right now he didn't care if the world imploded, he'd meet his maker with a smile.

"Where to sir?"  The Sergeant said finding some of her training again.

"Back to Salt Lake City soldier… and you're to pick me up in the morning."

"Yes sir," she all but saluted.

The climbed into the jeep, were waved through by the helpful Dobbins and Hathaway and headed down the long drive to the main road.  The sun was shining, the young Sergeant was chattering away at him again and he'd just rolled down his window to enjoy the breeze.

Then all hell broke loose.

Something large and fast moving jumped out in front of the jeep causing the sergeant to both break and swerve to the side simultaneously.  The Jeeps breaks locked and the vehicle flipped on the uneven grassy terrain. 

And then things got really strange.

A short girl with white hair and a white face stuck a gun through the window at his head.  And speaking of heads he must have hit his when the jeep flipped because it sounded like she was speaking to him in baby gurgles. 

He struggled to free himself from the seat belt when all of a sudden the drivers side door was snatched open and the young sergeant was snatched out by what looked like a large man with dred locks.  Except that he seemed to have dredlocks on his chin as well and his nose was all wrong and the dreadlocks looked like flesh.  He too was talking and his voice sounded like a pit bull facing down an opponent in a fighting ring. 

The white girl stuck her gun closer to his head and began grabbing at his arm and chattering away to someone he could not see.

He pulled at the seatbelt but for some reason he couldn't find the grasp and then it didn't matter because the dred locked man was hauling him out of the jeep anyway, the seatbelt pulling painfully against his chest for a moment before it was cut in two. 

He was abruptly dropped on the ground and he felt blood start to flow as his head hit a rock.

He rolled over and before he could do much more than blink he was hauled into a sitting position and his arms were pinned behind his back by the dredlocked man.

He looked up and kneeling before him was a woman.  A very beautiful woman with black hair and pale skin.  She reached out and wiped the blood out of his eyes with her hand.

"Are....you.... Jack.....Crichton."  She said slowly with an accent he did not recognize. 

He didn't reply he just stared at her. 

The dred locked man behind him grunted some more and pulled his arms tighter behind his back to try to stop him from struggling and he cried out in spite of him self.

The woman looked sharply up over his head and when she spoke again it sounded like a tape going backwards. Her voice was harsh and accusatory.  He began to wonder if he'd hit his head worse then the thought and was hallucinating when another wrench of his arms convinced him that he wasn't.

He turned and tried to find the sergeant.

The woman's fingers were under his chin almost immediately pulling his attention back to her.

"No Fear," she said with an encouraging smile.  "No fear.  No hurt. Friends."  She began to nod vigorously.  "Friends." 

"Friends?" he mimicked back groggily.

The woman's head began nodding double time.  "Yes, we...are.....your.... Friends.  Are you.....Jack Crichton?"

He decided to answer her, because his head was pounding and he was in the middle of a nightmare and when you have a concussion and a woman that beautiful says she is your friend you believe her and you pray she takes you to a hospital.

"Yes," he said as his vision began to blur, "Yes, I'm Jack Crichton."

Oddly the woman began to cry at this.  "Good," she said. "Good.... I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" he wanted to ask, but he didn't get to because she said something to the dred locked man who let go of his arms but before he could move hit him on the back of the neck with something wet and cold.

Then everything went black. 

[Atana]

Pain, that was the first thing, he felt.  Throbbing pain in his head and then... thirst.

Jack Crichton stifled a moan and let his senses wake up one by one.  A sharp metallic taste let him know at some point he'd bitten his tongue.  Heat and the rustling of a slight breeze let him know he was still outside.  He moved his hands, well as much as the binding around his chest allowed him to move and felt something rough....tree bark?

He leaned his head back and cautiously opened his eyes.  Large leaves and dappled sunlight met his gaze.  Yes, a tree.  He was tied to a tree.

Then a very low voice interrupted his contemplation.

"I see you're awake, sorry I had to tongue you, but we didn't have time to explain ourselves."

He looked towards the sound of the voice and nearly passed out again. 

It was the dred locked man.  But now that he wasn't struggling and could see clearly he could see they weren't dred locks at all, more like tentacles growing out of his highly domed skull.  More tentacles sprouted from what resembled a chin and the area was heavily tattooed.  Kind blue eyes stared at him from under eyebrows that seemed to be made of bone and the manta ray shaped nose was slightly wrinkled from the vaguely amused smile the amazingly human shaped lips were making at him. 

And although he could vaguely hear the deep grunts and growls he'd heard earlier in the back of his head, he was most prominently hearing.....English.

Jack closed his eyes again confident that when he opened them again his concussion induced dream would be gone. 

It wasn't.

The giant tentacled man thing was still there.  Only now he was holding out what looked like a glass of water. 

"Here, drink.  You look like you could use it."

To surprised and confused to do anything else, he opened his mouth and complied.  This seemed to please the man-thing and he settled himself into the lotus position slightly to his left taking out what looked to be some kind of mid-evil sword off his back and placing it gently on the ground next to him.

He stared at the sword, mis swallowed and started choking. 

The man thing took out a knife cut one of the ropes binding him and began thumping him vigorously on the back.

"Stop, Stop," he managed to get out, the thumps were starting to hurt.

The man thing stopped.  "Are you alright?" It asked with obvious concern.  "Do you need a him lyke?" 

A him lyke? "What the hell?" he thought and then the thing continued....."A Him-lyke.  Chrichton said it's what you do to a choking human."

Then it hit him, "Heimlich, you mean a Heimlich.  No I don't.  Thank you."

The man thing sat back and they stared at each other for a few microts before Jack found his voice again.

"Who," he asked tentatively, "or WHAT are you and where am I?.....And who do you mean by Crichton? "

The man thing smiled again.  "I," he said pointing exaggeratingly at himself, "Am Ka D'Argo, a Luxan, although since you are a friend you can drop the Ka.  I don't know exactly where we are except in some woods in a place called Oooh Tas, on your planet Earth, and as for Crichton......I mean your son.  John Crichton."

"My son?" he heard the words come out of his mouth but couldn't actually feel himself forming them.....his brain seemed to be heading towards over load.

"Yes your son. John Crichton.  We are shipmates on Moya.  And....he is the best friend that I have.  It is an honor to meet his father." 

Through the whir of sensations going through his brain at what appeared to be light speed he was able to grab onto one word.  Moya.

"Moya, Moya, my son mentioned Moya."

"Mentioned?" the D'Argo things face flooded with what looked remarkably like relief.  "Then he's alive and unharmed?"

He nodded in spite of himself, his brain still trying to process the odd sight in front of him. 

The D'Argo thing began to laugh.

"Well thank Hezmana for that.  We were beginning to wonder if he still was.  I found his energy signal when we got here, but that was almost three weakens ago and..."


At the mention of energy signals and weakens, denial slammed down on Jack Crichton with a force that increased his headache 10 fold and blocked out all other sounds and noises.  "This isn't happening, this can not be happening."

The D'Argo laughed harder.  "You sound just like your son when I first met him.  I assure you that you are not dreaming and I am real.  See?" 

A warm slightly rough hand slid gently against his cheek.

"I know, I know, you've gotta be feeling frelled," the D'Argo went on soothingly.  "But Aeryn will be here in a few microts.  And she'll explain everything."

"D'Argo things, Moya's, strange alien beings, hearing one thing in the back of his head and understanding it perfectly all the same.  This couldn't be happening.  It simply couldn't.

But it was. 

Jack Crichton was first and foremost a soldier and a soldier knew a fact when it hit him in the face.  So this was real.  And if this was real that meant at least some......if not ALL of his son's story was real.

Goddamn.

He was saved from further, and possibly dangerous existential thinking by the arrival of the black haired woman.  She was dressed all in black and had what appeared to be some sort of weapon on her right hip.

"He's up," the D'Argo said.

"I can see that D'Argo," she said her voice guarded, "Thank you.  Now, Chiana's got that girl tied up in case she comes too but I left before we were able to properly camouflage the vehicle. Think you could go give her a hand?"

"Of course," the D'Argo stood up and clapped the woman on the shoulder.  "He's alive and well," he said softly and the woman sagged visibly at his words.  The D'Argo smiled and gave her arm a companionable squeeze.  "I'm sure you two have a lot to discus.  I'll go help Chiana."  And with that he left.

The woman tucked her thumbs into the waistband of her leather pants and regarded him with an inscrutable look on her face.

"Sorry about leaving you with D'Argo," she said, "but we had to get your driver out of the way and hide your vehicle.  Since D'Argo could move faster with your dead weight I sent him on ahead. He didn't mean to hurt you but he can get a bit excited at times and you were struggling pretty hard.  Does it hurt very bad?"

"No," he replied shaking his head very carefully.  "It's just a cut I think, nothing I can't handle and we've got more important things to discuss right now.  Like what is your name, did you know my son as well?  And how did you end up with.... THAT." He nodded in the direction of the disappearing D'Argo.

The woman smiled.  "I am Aeryn Sun.  D'Argo has been a shipmate on Moya and a comrade ever since I left the Peacekeepers 4 cycles ago.  And yes.  I know your son.  Very well."

She paused a moment and then asked tentatively, "D'Argo said he was alive and well.  Is that true?"

He processed that and nodded, "Yes he's unharmed.  But before we get on the subject of John Aeryn I think you owe me some answers.  Where are you from?  You look military?  Are you Special Forces?  You aren't American, I can tell by your accent, what are you Aussie?  Were you a part of the mission that found him.  How long have they been making contact with alien races?  How did you meet my son?  Does the American government know about this?"

"Wait, wait," Aeryn was looking at him with a pained expression on her face.

He fell silent.

"First of all I am military, or rather ex-military but not from any unit you'd be familiar with.  And no I'm not American or Australian either.  In fact, I'm not human and before you say anything, I'm not crazy either.  I may look human and John told me that our races are closely related, but I'm not.  I met your son not long after he came through the wormhole that brought him from your area of space to ours and he's been with us more or less ever since.   Look, didn't he tell you any of this, tell you anything about us?"

Jack stared at Aeryn for several long moments, not sure what to think.  The woman looked human, but she said she wasn't.  And that gun certainly didn't look like anything he'd ever seen before.  It was hard to tell.

"But your speaking English..... he said.  "Come to think of it that, that...... thing was speaking English too, how's that possible.  You weren't when you attacked us."

Aeryn shook her head, "Actually we're not.  Well, I was a bit when we took you.  John taught me some and I've been studying.  But D'Argo and Chiana, the Nabari you saw, can't.  I've had to inject you with translator microbes.  Don't ask me how they work, I couldn't tell you.  But they gather at the base of your brain and let us understand each other.

"You put something in my BRAIN," if he hadn't been tied to the tree Jack would have reached out and grabbed the girl gun or no gun.

"Relax," Aeryn held both arms palm up in front of her face.  "They aren't going to hurt you.  I would never hurt you.  Now what did John tell you about us?"

Jack sighed and gave up.  It was no use fighting this; it was too bizarre and only promised to get worse.

"Not much, we didn't have much time and he was very vague. I got the impression he was trying to keep some things back.  He said he'd gone through a wormhole, ended up on a living ship called Moya with a lot of alien races.  He said most of them were peaceful but a lot of them weren't and some of them had become his friends.  He said he would get into who exactly later, right now he wanted to hear how I was and how his sisters were.  He said we had plenty of time for him to fill in the gaps..... when there weren't so many ears listening.  They only gave me an hour with him, but promised more when I came back.  He's been gone 4 years.  I figured it would take some time to tell me everything.

Aeryn smiled, "And he probably wasn't sure you'd believe him.  We almost didn't believe him about Earth either....At first."

"Well they know he's been somewhere, there are some strange things in his blood and ........"

He trailed off.  Alien races, language barrier breaking microbes, and strange beings hiding in the woods stalking his son.  His head still throbbed but his military training was starting to kick in big time and he inwardly cursed himself he'd let out as much information as he had."

"Wait.  How do I know you aren't here to cause John harm or invade us?  How do I know he isn't hiding from you that you haven't been keeping him prisoner all this time and he's just now escaped?  Or you sent him back as a spy or a plant?"

Aeryns eyes narrowed, "Is that what he's been telling you?  That we kept him prisoner."

He shook his head, "No.  But if you can make me understand alien languages then god knows what else you can do?  You could have brainwashed him or.........anything."

Aeryn shook her head, "No I told you we were his friends I told you.."

"I know what you told me lady, or whatever it is you are.  Now I'm telling you I want proof."

"Ask me," Aeryn shot back at him defiantly, " ask me anything.  About his childhood, his family, you.  I know it all."

He shook his head.  "Family details can be interrogated out of a person, or they can be drugged into doing so."

"Fine," Aeryn said undeterred, "ask me about physical markings, I know where all those are too."

"No.  A simple medical examination would have let you know where those are and as for any new ones......you could have caused those yourself."

"Then what do you want?  How can I get you to believe me?" 

"I don't know.  But until I'm convinced you don't represent a danger to my son or my people I'm not saying another word," 

It was silly he knew.  If these people had brainwashed his son or harmed him in any way he was powerless to stop them from doing the same to him.  But the bravado made him feel better. 

The Aeryn woman sat back on her heels and chewed on her thumb in an oddly familiar way.  Finally she looked at him again.

"Jack"

He stared stoically back at her.

"You are right.  Your son's story could be the result of mental cleansing or tampering.  Ka'lyn knows that his head's been examined enough since he came to the Uncharted Territories for that to be true.  But he's not.  He's telling you the truth."

"And it is also true that we could be here to harm your Earth.  But we are not.  D'Argo is his friend, Chiana is his friend, and they both risked their lives to come here and save John."

"And you?"  He asked.

She stared at him intently and her expression became guarded.  "My reason is more personal. Now I am going to tell you something and I want you to keep quiet until I'm finished.  And then I'm going to let you go."

"Let me go?  And how do I know you haven't inserted some… alien tracking device on me?"

"You don't," Aeryn shook her head, "But that's just another thing you don't know.  You are going to have to trust me."

"You haven't given me a reason to yet."

"You say I could have gotten knowlege about your son from tampering with his brain. that's true.   But your son has information about me that could only come from personal knowledge." 

"Personal knowledge?"

She nodded.  "Look," 

And with that she began unfastening her pants.

"What the hell are you?....." he said looking away quickly

"Look!"  He felt Aeryns hands on his head forcing his head around.

"Your son knows my body.  He knows where it's marked.  Now look!"

He followed her gaze down and she let go of his head and pointed to a small half moon sized marking on her right hip where it began to slope down towards her inner thigh.

"And here."

She unzipped her leather vest and pointed to a spot about half way down her belly, underneath her left breast where a two-inch scar twisted dark and ugly against the otherwise pale and unblemished skin.  He stared at it, and tried not to stare at anything else, for a few seconds and then looked her in the eye again.

Aeryn re zipped her vest.  "Now.  You go and ask him.  Ask him where the marks are and how I got the scar.  He knows.  Ask him if I really taste like Vanilla Ice cream when he kisses me.  And if he knows that Aeryn Sun still loves him.  You are his father.....  You will know if he lies.  Ask him and then tell me if you still believe that I mean him harm."

He sat there and stared at her for a long moment and something in her eyes got to him.  He'd seen that look before.  In his wife's eyes the day he'd left for Korea.  That same look off fear and hope and desperate love.

"You were lovers?"  he asked softly.

She nodded.

He stared at her again.  The look was still there. 

"O.K. I will ask him."

Aeryn bit her lip and if he didn't know better he'd have sworn that there were tears in her eyes.

"Good."  Now I will take you to your vehicle.  I think D'Argo managed to knock out the girl with you hard enough fast enough that when she wakes up you could just tell her you've had a very bad accident.  If she saw us you must convince her that it was a result of head injury."

He nodded.  "If she's still unconscious when we get back I think that's possible."

"Good.  Then go get your proof.  And after you do meet me in the town.  There is a place there where they sell frozen sweet things."

"An ice cream shop?"

"Yes I think that's it.  Meet me there tomorrow evening and we'll talk further.  I think it is very dangerous for both John and us if he stays in there much longer."

"Alright," he watched as Aeryn cut him loose and helped him to his feet.

"Aeryn?"  Her name sounded strange on his tongue.

"Yes?"

"How do you know I won't turn you in?  How do you know I'll come back?"

She stared at him as though the question were stupid.

"You may not believe this, but I know you.  I know you are a man of your word.  You will not betray me.... I trust you."

Damn, he thought as he followed her through the woods....."How do you argue with that?" 

[Atana]

Aeryn had pulled at his arm when they reached the tree line.  "I'll meet you at the frozen sweet shop in the town.  It has this," she bent and drew a crude figure in the mud, "on the door."

Jack nodded.  " Yup, Ice cream cone, Ice cream shop.  It's a small town, shouldn't be hard to find. What time?"

She frowned, "1900 hours?"

"Yup," he graced her with a small smile. "I see he taught you military time too."

She shrugged and looked at the ground, "He taught me a lot of things."

When she looked back up at him the smile was gone and he was serious again.

"Aeryn?  As much as I agree that my son's spent enough time with the head shrinkers and the sci-fi types probing his every open orifice I need to know what you want to do with him?  Why are you here?"

She took an involuntary step backwards, his words frightening her although she couldn't say why, "He was out in space studying a wormhole.  He called Pilot to pull him back in but he didn't make it in time.  One microt he was there.....and the next he was gone."

"D'Argo and Chiana and I came through the next time it opened.  We were lucky; it dropped us where he was.  D'Argo"s ship traced his energy signal to this area.  I know how your people are with alien races. What they do.  I wasn't going to let that happen to him.  I wasn't going to lose him again."

"Again?" 

She said nothing.  That particular problem wasn't her story to tell him. 

"O.K."  Jack took the hint and moved on to another topic.  "But Aeryn this is his home and...."

"I know that," she interrupted.  "And I know that he very well may want to stay.  But the wormhole we came through hasn't come back.  And we don't know if or when it will.  So we are stuck here and we can't get back to Moya.  John knows wormholes.  He can get us home."

"Why don't you come back to the base with me?  Our government would...."

"....Hold us captive and very likely experiment on us until they killed us." 

She could tell from the way his mouth shut in a tight line that he'd realized she was right.

"Now look," she said and handed him a round disk of an unknown material about the size of a dime.  "Most military instillations where I'm from have heavy surveillance.  D'Argo says this should emit a signal that should jam their communications for a short period of time.  Please bring it back.  It's part of his ship."

Jacks fingers closed around hers and squeezed a bit before letting go.  "Do I need to do anything special with it?"

"Rub it, that's all."

"Sure it won't blow up on me?"

She sighed, "I thought you might think that.  No it won't.  I can't prove it so you'll just have to trust me." 

Jack sighed.  "You're right.  I do for now.  I'll talk to my son and meet you at 1900 at the ice cream place.  Now you'd better go before my driver wakes up." 

And with a final glace he turned and headed out of the trees. 

__________________________

He was beginning to commiserate with Scorpy.  Locked in a cell with no way out and people constantly peeping in at you through the bars.  Not that the leather-faced bastard didn't deserve it....but he was beginning to commiserate with him.

John Crichton leaned back against the ice white regulation concrete wall and sighed.  He'd been here too long.  Three weeks and counting with no release date in sight. 

He'd been poked and prodded.  But he'd expected that.  He'd been measured, and psychoanalyzed and "debriefed" ad-nauseaum.  But he'd expected that too.

He'd had his clothes taken and examined and when they'd asked what type of material it was he'd paused and then laughed because he'd never really thought about it that closely before.  He wore leather but didn't know from what animal.  His shirts felt like cotton but were they really?  And his EVA suit?  What was it made of?  He had no frelling clue.  Aeryn had brought this one back from Talyn and he'd never really thought to ask where she'd gotten it from, he'd had other things on his mind.

It occurred to him that he didn't know when he'd stopped asking questions about the UT's or Tormented space or wherever the heck it was they happened to be.  Oh he still wanted to know about the stars, or wormholes, but what things were and how they worked no longer really interested him.  He just accepted, figured out if it was useful and moved on.  The fake mom in his Scaren induced fantasy of some time ago had been right.  He'd lost his sense of wonder. 

And for the first time he missed it.

It was jarring, everybody speaking English all the time unless they were testing his translator microbes again.  Having to call out for things and people instead of using com's.  Looking at schematic's on a flat screen instead of 3-D.  Even the food, missed for so long didn't taste as good as he remembered.  He was currently jonesing for some of Chi's Crispy Grolak.  It's odd how you change when you've been away.

He lay down on the cot, closed his eyes against the harsh white light and felt Aeryn curl up against his back.  Her breath was warm against his neck and her fingers were brushing lightly against his temple.   He sat back up again but that did no good because now he could smell her and taste the softness of her skin on his lips. 

He opened his eyes then because he knew if he didn't then the visions would come and here he was with no Granny dust to stop them.

They'd been getting stronger and stronger the visions.  Jolting him out of his sleep and crowding his brain if he wasn't concentrating hard on something else.

Memories he remembered.  Memories of beer and rain and the sound of her voice in his ear as she came.  Memories of laughter and tears and simple silences shared. 

Memories he didn't remember.  Of places he hadn't been and things he hadn't said and the feel of her legs wrapped tightly around his waist as he made love to her on a bridge that wasn't Moya. 

He knew things he couldn't and felt things he shouldn't, thought about things he hadn't done, and yet he must have because he remembered them. 

And they were all about Aeryn.

Always Aeryn.

He got up and began to pace.  Maybe they would come soon and take him for another battery of tests, or drill him again on what a Luxan was or the hetch drive.  Although he was careful not to give them too much, the constant questions stopped him from thinking about Aeryn, or speculating on what D'Argo was doing or wondering if Chiana missed him. 

He'd left so much unanswered when he'd fallen down the rabbit hole after Einstein let him go, and he never figured not knowing the answers would bother him so much.

And then there was the baby.

He shook his head.  No way was he going there.

He'd just decided to call the guard and ask him to bring today's Salt Lake Tribune when the hydro steel door hiss open and his dad two doctors and three armed soldiers came in.

He immediately went still.  No need to freak the troops, who he knew despite all the testing were still half scared of him anyway.

"Hey dad.  Good to see you again."  He stared at his father who was staring back at him.  He had a bandage on his right temple.

"What happened?"

His dad shook his head.  "Got into a car accident on the way home yesterday son.  Deer ran across the road. The driver and I got bumped up some but we'll both live.  I had them take me to that little town of Craven instead of all the way back in to Salt Lake.  Doc there patched me up and I'm all right.  How you feeling son?"

He shrugged noncommittally. "Could be better could be worse.  Ready to get out of here though" He looked in the direction of the doctors and the MP's.  "Any word on when that might be?"

"Soon commander, soon.  In fact we're looking to transfer you to a research facility at Langley within the week. 

"Oh god," he thought, not another facility.  When was it going to end?

"Look.  I've been co operative.  I've told you about Moya, and where I disappeared to 4 years ago and how I came back.  I'm telling you about all the alien races I encountered and what I can remember about the technology I've seen.  I've told you about the star systems I visited."

He sighed, "Look, I'm being a good little space specimen.  What more can you want from me?"

The doctor stared back at him like he was a simple child.

"Commander Crichton you must understand.  If what you've been telling us about the technology you encountered is true then you can advance our space program millions of years in a few months.  We need to know what's out there.  And this wormhole you came through we need to see if we can..."

"Forget about the wormholes," He felt himself get tense with fear.  "It was a fluke.  They're random.  One took me to the UT's and it took another one 4 years later and millions of light years from where I started out, to bring me back.  They are unstable and I think they're dangerous.  Besides I only survived cause I had that suit on and we don't have any more of those.

"That's another thing," the other doctor chimed in. "We're testing your space suit to see if we can isolate any common materials so we can copy it. If you could jus..."

"Hey," Jack Crichton broke in. "I there's plenty of time for that.  I haven't seen my son in over four years.  Yesterday you promised me some more time with him.  I suggest you make good on that before I have to make another phone call."

The doctors looked at him with some distain. "Mr. Crichton, we are well aware that you have friends in high places but...."

"It's Colonel," Jack interrupted again. " And if you just give me an hour alone with my son I won't have to ruin anyone's day.  An hour that's all I'm asking."

The doctors looked at each other skeptically.  "O.K. an hour we can do but not alone and...."

"Oh come on.  We are 4 miles underground and this place is locked up tighter than a nun at confirmation.  You got cameras and guards everywhere you can track our every move.  The boy's been locked in this room almost 24-7 for the past 21 days.  Let him out of the rat cage for a walk why don't you."

The doctors took two steps backwards and conferred among themselves for a while.  Then one of them came back and said: 

"Alright, you can take a 20 minute walk around the facility on this floor only.  Just follow the arrows and you shouldn't get lost.  If you do just look up.  There are cameras every 50 feet or so.  Just wave and someone will come on the intercom and give you directions back to this room." 

"Thanks."

"No problem. Give us 5 minutes and then you can leave the room."

The two doctors headed out of the room, one of them barking directions to some unseen person on the other end of a walkie- talkie.  Something about queuing all the cameras on level 16 to motion sensor following.  The two guards pulled back to the door but did not leave.

"Thanks dad," he said, "It'll be nice to get out of here for a bit and I have a lot to tell....."

He broke off when Jack grabbed his arm.

"I didn't get to tell you this yesterday son but I ran into an old girl friend of yours when I was in Salt Lake a few days ago.  She'd been out of the country when the Farscape I got lost and didn't know you were missing.  Since you were back I didn't see any need to worry her so I didn't tell her about it.  She asked about you."

He smiled.  It had been awhile since he'd thought about a good old-fashioned Earth woman.  "Who was it?"

"Last girlfriend you had before you left."

His heart took a strange little leap. "You can't mean Alex?"

"No son, I mean Aeryn."

The heart leap froze mid flip and he suddenly found it hard to breathe.

"Aeryn."

"Yes, don't tell me you don't remember her?"

"Ah....no dad.  I just....didn't know... you'd know her."

"Well I didn't.  She just come up and introduced herself.  Said she recognized me as John Crichton's dad.  Said she missed you real bad.  Wanted to know if you still remembered where her birth mark was."

He took two steps backward and lowered himself down on the edge of the cot.  He took a quick glace over at the two guards at the door but they were engaged in conversation of their own, all but ignoring them completely.

"Yes," he said cautiously carefully watching his dad's face, which was frustratingly blank. "She does have a birthmark.  Sweet spot of her right hip, just about the size of a dime.  You say she's in town?"

"She was as of yesterday.  Man that woman loves to talk.  Told me a whole bunch about her life.  Said she'd gotten into a pretty bad fight a few years before.  That was kind of hard to believe. Girl that pretty shouldn't fight."

"Yeah from what I recall she can take care of herself.  And yeah she did get into a fight with some psycho ex-boyfriend named Laraq.  Knife fight left a scar about half way down her belly on the right side." 

"And how would you know about that son?"

He cracked his neck and pulled a face.  "Oh you know how it is with girlfriends dad.  I was there for the kife fight, and as for her birthmark.  Well, I was taking care of the business at hand....and it was ... In hand, if you catch my drift."

His dad nodded, his look changing from blank to slightly relieved. 

John licked his lips slightly and got up as the guards by the door motioned them to come over.

"She say anything else to you dad?"

"Matter of fact she did.  She wanted to know if she really tasted like Vanilla Ice cream when you kissed.... And she said to tell you Aeryn Sun still loves you.


Further conversation was interrupted by a voice coming through the intercom system.

"Excuse me, Excuse me....John, Jack, you can go now. Be back in 20 minutes and keep to this level."

Jack looked up and after a moment found a camera stuck in a corner he could direct his comments to. 

"Oh have a heart.  Can't we go outside for just a few minutes after we take our spin around the hamster wheel?  Boy hasn't seen the sun in almost a month.  You got barbed wire, guards, guns, even if we were inclined to go somewhere it'd be damn near impossible."

There was a sustained silence and then finally another voice floated over the intercom.

"Alright, let me just get some ID badges for you both.  That way security will know to let you out when you reach the door."

After about 5 minutes another doctor entered the room and pinned greeting card sized bright yellow badges to the front of their shirts. 

"Follow the path along to your right," he said after he had finished, "You'll come to a door marked 6427765, slide the badges in the slot and it will open.  Take the elevator up to ground level and the guards at the entrance will let you out into the yard.  Please be prompt in returning when they call you back.  We have a lot of work to do this afternoon and time is of the essence."

"Yes sir, Colonel Klink," John said with a mock salute and followed his dad out of the door.

They meandered down the hallway a few steps and then he checked to see if the two guards assigned to him were still following.  To his disappointment they were.  A discreet distance behind but there nonetheless.

"So tell me dad," he said with as much nonchalance as he could muster.  " Did she say what she was doing in Salt Lake, Aeryn?"

His father took a casual look over his shoulder and caught on quickly.  "Yes, well it seems it was a bit of an accident.  She was.... on vacation and traveling and ...her car broke down.  She's stuck here apparently until, someone can come get her.  But now that she knows you're here.  She's quite anxious to see you."

He frowned, not quite understanding his dad's message but not quite sure how to let him know that.

"Did she......come all this way by herself?

Jack shook his head, "No.  She had two friends with her.  Foreigners.  One girl seemed to be..... Ah, Scandinavian."

"Scandinavian?"

"Yup," Jack said with a sideways glance at his son.  "You know.  Pale with short white blond hair?"

"Oh," He could barely suppress a grin.  "Scandinavian yes."

"And the other was a guy....I think he was Jamaican or some other Island type."

That flummoxed him completely, "Jamaican?"

"Well I can't say for sure… But he did have Dredlocks."

"Dred.....Oh.  Yeah, That'd be Big D."

"You know that guy son?"

He nodded carefully, "Maybe, it sounds like she's traveling with some mutual friends."

His dad pulled at his arm and he realized that he'd been about to bump into a wall."

"Careful their son.  You need to focus a bit more here."

"Sure dad, so tell me.  Since she knows I'm ...tied up with work at the moment.  Why doesn't she just go home?  I mean she can't hang around here forever."

Jacks face took on a rueful smile.

"Son, I don't know this Aeryn girl very well but I don't think she's the sort to give up on something once she's of a mind to do it.  She seems to be a woman of strong emotions.  And women like that are like a rabid dog on a T-Bone stake when it comes to something they want.  She made it clear to me that she really wants to see you.  I don't think she's going anywhere until that happens."

He didn't reply to that.  Aeryn being described as a woman of strong emotions simply rendered him speechless.

"Which makes me wonder," Jack paused a moment as they reached the door and slipped their badges through. "Why'd you two break up in the first place.?"

"Ahh," he winced involuntarily and leaned against the smooth metal of the elevator wall. "Well that's" he petered off as the tension in his temples that preceded one of his "flashes"  preceded to build.  "You see dad it's a bit...."  He broke off and closed his eyes.

A room, small, dark red.  A narrow bed with a fuzzy cover.  Aeryn's head in his lap her hair tickling his thighs as she stumbled through English words from his journal.  She mispronounces "female" and they both laugh.

And then...

The feel of edge of Farscape Is cockpit digging into his chest as he leaned over it.  The look of intense fear on her face as she leaned towards him.  His sweaty fingers nearly dropping the small crystal dripper in his hand.  Her breath warm on his face as she hesitated....just a microt .

And then heat, and softness, and the ecstasy that was kissing her, only this time he couldn't lose himself in it, this time it really mattered, because this time... Oh there, there it was, that sweet taste like his grandmother's homemade syrup and the soft smack as her lips left his and the look in her eyes that said everything her mouth didn't.  Even though she was turning from him and walking away.  He knew, he'd known then what he'd suspected ever since she'd kissed him in the flax, that this woman was......

"Complex."

"Sorry son?"

"My relationship with Aeryn.... It's a bit..... complex."

He opened his eyes when her heard his father laugh softly.

"What's so funny?"

"That's just what I used to say about your mother and me.  She was a bit..... complex too."

"Believe me dad she wasn't like Aeryn."

He broke off as the elevator reached ground level and they got out.  The two MP's in the little booth off to the left nodded as they walked past and punched a few buttons and the heavy steel doors began to swing outward. 

Once outside he stopped a moment and simply let the sun beat down on his head.

He heard his dad chuckle again.  "Nice to be out of the dark isn't it son?"

"You have no idea."

Jack pulled at his arm and when he looked down he saw his father had some sort of metal disk he was rubbing between two fingers.

"What's that?"

"Listen son.  Aeryn gave me this. Now I don't know if these badges are wired or not but I don't want to take the chance.  Aeryn said this would disrupt the communications channels in this place but she didn't know for how long.  Now tell me.  Are these people really your friends?  Do you trust them?"

"With my life.  Now how did you find them and are they O.K?"  He grabbed his dad's free arm and started walking slowly around the perimeter of the base trying for all the world to look like they were on a simple mid afternoon stroll.

"She and those other two The D'Argo and Chiana shanghaied me yesterday afternoon.  They said they'd come looking for you when you disappeared and they can't get back.  The wormhole you came through hasn't showed up again and apparently your Moya ship didn't come through after them."

"Frell."

"What?"

"Sebecean cursing 101 remind me to teach you when I have time.  So they're stuck here."

"That's what they say."

"You've got to get me out of here dad."

"Now hold on son..."

He resisted the urge to take the old man by the shoulders and shake him.  He didn't know.  He didn't understand.

"No hold on.  You don't understand.  You can't leave them out there like that and you can't turn them in.  You see what they've done to me.  You can imagine what they'll do to them.  I have to get them back where they belong and I can't do that from in here."

Jack sighed, "I was afraid you'd say that son."

His father proceeded to say something else but he stopped listening. Taking instead a good look around the perimeter of the base.  Tall steel walls topped with barbed wire semi circled around to disappear into the mountainside that the base was built primarily under.  Guard towers topped it every 50 ft or so and the guards that were there seemed heavily armed.  This wasn't going to be easy.

"John?"

He blinked.  "Sorry dad.....I ah.....I need some time to think."

His father grasped him firmly by the arm and started marching him back in the direction of the base door.  "No you don't son.  I need some time to think.  YOU just need to sit tight.  There isn't anything you can do from inside that rat cage that won't get you or your friends into deeper crap than you are right now.  That girl of yours has a good head on her shoulders.  And that D'Argo thing seems to be pretty smart for all he looks like a giant squid.  We'll think of something.  Don't you worry.  We'll think of something."

Just then the door to the base swung open again and what looked like a platoon of armed men came swarming out.

"Whoa, Whoa," said Jack putting his hands up in the air as the men quickly surrounded them.  "Where's the fire?"

"Sorry sir."  Said on of the soldiers. "There's been a breach of security, we've been sent to get Commander Crichton and bring him back in side."

"Is anything wrong?"  Jack asked with such syrupy innocence that John couldn't help grimacing.

"It's nothing serious sir.  But we don't want to take any chances.  Commander," the MP nodded in John's direction.  "If you'll come with me please.  And Colonel Crichton, Anderson and Smith here will see you get back to your hotel.  The Doctors say that you can come back the day after tomorrow for another visit." 

"O.K."  John watched his father take a step back from him and smoothly slide the metal disk into his pocket simultaneously.  " I'll see you later son.....Any message you want me to take back to that girl?"

"Yeah dad, Tell her....."  he paused for a moment as the sensation of sitting in Pilots den Aeryn leaned back in his arms mourning over Talyn washed over him.  "You tell her that.....we'll do what we can to see her ride gets fixed and she gets home.  And.....  You tell her I've been thinking about her too."   

[Atana]

Aeryn looked at the timepiece on the wall for the fifth time.  And for the fifth time she reminded herself she shouldn't look at it again.   It was still early, he wasn't late. She needed, as John used to tell her, to "chill out."

She sighed and looked around the place Jack Crichton had called an, "Ice Cream Shop".  It was full of young people and adults with small children.  They talked and laughed with each other as they ate the frozen concoction and she marveled at how happy they seemed. 

The children climbed on their parent's laps and put dirty hands on their faces.  And the adults didn't push them away, they merely laughed and kissed them and told them their fingers were cold. 

The adolescents held hands and stole kisses when they thought no one was looking.  Everyone seemed to be smiling.

It was strange, she thought to herself.  All these public displays of affection.  And so very different than her own upbringing which had been filled with discipline and order and regulations. 

Not that everything had been serious.  There had been laughing and competitions and even on occasion a type of playing.  But there had been no kisses, no hugs, no soft dirty hands touching her face, at least not until a prowler pilot 5 cycles her senior had approached her shortly after she'd turned 15.  But that had been another type of affection all together.

"A penny for your thoughts." The voice interrupted her reverie.

She looked up and smiled slightly.  Jack Crichton was standing in front of her with a dish of the ice cream in each hand.

 "A penny for your thoughts.  Your son he always asks me that."

Jack laughed and it sounded like John and that made her shiver a bit because she could remember the way his chest used to vibrate against her ear when she said something he found funny in bed. 

"Well it's a smart man that wants to know what's on his woman's mind," Jack said as his slid into the seat across from her.  "And I got you some ice cream.  I didn't know what kind you'd like so I just got vanilla."

"Thank you." Aeryn said carefully and picked up a spoon.  She'd been past this shop about a dozen times since they'd landed on Earth.  She'd even been inside once or twice.  But she'd never tried the stuff.  She spooned a tiny bit up and stuck her tongue in it carefully.  It was smooth and creamy and sweet and tasted a little bit like a cold version of stewed Filka brains.  She liked it.

"Good." She told Jack with a smile. "But I don't think it tastes much like me."

An odd look passed over Jack's face.  "I'm....not touching that one with a ten foot pole," he said his voice a bit strained. "And we should get down to business anyway."

"Of course," she replied before taking another tentative spoon of the ice cream.  "But first...." she paused suddenly a bit unsure.

"First what?"

"Did you see him.?"

"I did."

"And he is well?"

"Well, lets just say that he's holding on."

"And he told you....I did not lie."

Jack nodded. "I wouldn't be here otherwise."

"Good.  Then ....." she paused, searching for the English and then giving up and speaking to him softly in Sebecean.

"Were you able to find out anything?  Does he know we're here?"

"Yes," Jack replied softly.  "That thing you gave me disrupted their surveillance like a charm.  He knows you're here and it worries him.  He thinks it's dangerous for you out here and I agree.  He wants to get out and help you as soon as he can."

Aeryn breathed a sigh of relief and sat back in her chair.

"Good," she said in English.  "That is good to know."

"Problem is," Jack continued.  "It's not going to be easy.  They've discovered the translator microbes in his head and they want to do a biopsy to take them out.  Now I don't know if that will hurt him any or not, but I do know that it's going to be a whole lot harder to get him out of there once they start messing with his head.  So if we're going to move it's going to have to be soon."

"Yes," Aeryn agreed.  "But the place is well guarded, with lots of security and very well armed.  If this were my world, I'd have the technology to counter that but here," she shook her head. " How do we get in?"

Jack reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a medium sized piece of blue paper that had designs on it. It looked like some sort of schematic.

"Getting in is easy," he said.  "I've got that covered. It's getting out that's going to be hard, and that's where I need your help."

_____________________________________


"I really don't think it's going to work Aeryn."

She choked back a curse.  D'Argo was giving her "that" look.  The one that meant that he was going to be difficult.   Time was of the essence and she didn't have time to engage in the circular arguments that usually preceded any plan anyone on Moya came up with. She decided to knock out as many of his counter points as she could in one fell swoop.

"I know you think it's not going to work D'Argo.  I know you think it's too risky, and that there are a million things that could go wrong.  I know what will happen if we get caught, and I know theoretically all of us could die.  I know that and I don't have time to argue with you about it.  Right now it's the only plan we've got, and since we know nothing about this military base or it's operations and Jack Crichton does then that means we have to follow his plan risky or not."

"But Aeryn...."

She put up a hand to cut him off.  "D'Argo I'm doing this with or without you.  With you is better.  But I'll knock you out, tie you up and go on my own if I have to.  Now, so as not to waste any more of our already precious time, are you in or out?  Right.  Now."

D'Argo stared open mouthed at her for a few moments and then slowly shook his head.  "You take all the fun out of it you know," he said wearily.

"Fun out of what?"

"Arguing.  It's no fun if you counter all the arguments and never let the other person get a word in edgewise."

She fought back a grin.  "D'Argo, I promise you.  Once we get out of this mess, I'll come up with something really stupid and shocking, and we can fight over it to your hearts content."

D'Argo let out a small grunt.  "Don't get tetchy Aeryn, it doesn't suit you.  Now lets go over this plan of yours some more.  If we only have two days then we need to get busy.


Aeryn stood at the entrance to the Ice Cream Shop and watched Jack Crichton saunter across the street towards her a blue bag swinging from a cord wrapped around his left wrist.  It amazed her how much the man reminded her of his son, not just physically but in his mannerisms.  Same bouncy gate, same habit of rubbing the thumb of his right hand over his lower lip when he was worried or in deep thought, same slight down turn of the lips whenever he was going to be stubborn on some point or another.

It made her wonder if that's what happened when you grew up with someone.  Did you take on their habits because you saw them?  Or was it genetic?  Something encoded in your DNA that made you walk like your father or speak like your mother.  She wondered briefly if Xhallax had been anything like her before High Command had sentenced her to the life of an assassin.  Of  Talyn were he living, would notice some of himself in his daughter. 

The child crossed her mind as well.  Would it be anything like it's parents?  Would it have her hair and John Crichton's eyes, or perhaps the traits of someone else altogether?  She shook her head and pushed the thought away.  To complex, to painful, and she had more important things to concentrate on.

She watched Jack Crichton smile as he reached her side.

"Well?"

She smiled back. "They're in.  Chiana was easy.  D'Argo, he took some convincing but I brought him around in the end."

Jack took a brief look around.  "Lets walk.  We need to talk freely, and while I'm impressed with your command of the English language, it is a bit limited.  If we move and you talk softly you should be able to use your own language and on one will notice."

"Good idea." 

He took a hold of her arm and began to guide her through the light traffic on the sidewalk.

"Alright.  I've got everything you should need on your end here in this bag. A Uniform, ID badge, standard Glock 9 millimeter with two extra clips. One for you and one for John. Now have you memorized those blue prints I gave you?"

"Yes."

"So you know the way out?"

"Left out of the medical bay, past three doors then turn right go to the fourth door on the left.  Open it and go down 5 flights of stairs.  At the end of the stairs should be a door that says "DINING ROOM" Go through that and it should lead to the kitchens.  At the back of the kitchens should be a chute that they use for waste disposal.  We go down those shoots and there should be bins at the bottom to take the trash out to be either burned or carted away. 

"At the back of this room on the left hand side should be a silver topped grate.  We plant the explosives on the grate and blow off the top.  Drop down inside and we should be d be in the sewage system.  We follow the drain half a metre to the left, then right and follow that pipe until we come to the end which should place us about 4 metra's back into the woods behind the base on the other side of the mountain.  D'Argo and Chiana will meet us at the end of the pipe and pull the grate off so that we can get out."

"We dispose of the clothing and the gun and head back for our camp site.  And that should be it, did I forget anything?"

"No not a thing." Jack replied with no small amount of admiration in his voice.  "That's perfect."

Aeryn smiled at him briefly. "Don't look so surprised.  I was born a soldier.  This sort of thing is what I do best."

"Oh come on now," Jack laughed.  "No one's born a soldier."

"I was."

"O.K." Jack said in a voice that stated that he was going to have her explain that comment at a later time, "Now what time are you going to meet me and where?" 

"1800 ahrns....hours at the end of the road leading to the facility."

"Good. In the bag there's a watch that shows military time.  I've synchronized it with mine so that we'll both be on the same time schedule.   And then?"

"I wait for you to stop the Jeep and then I take out the driver.  We will then proceed to the entrance and let the guards let us in."

"And you know what to say?"

"Yes I've been practicing.  I should be able to say it and sound a bit more "human" now."

Jack shot her a look.  "You sound human enough...it's the American" bit you need to work on, but I've seen to it you have some very good fake credentials.  They shouldn't question you. And then?"

"We proceed to John's room and 800 microts after....."

"Minutes Aeryn not microts.  If the entry guard asks you how long our visit is you can't say 30 microts."

She winced a bit, "Sorry, 5 minutes after entering I'll activate the scrambling device from D'Argo's ship.  He's managed to boost the signal enough that it should knock out everything, electricity, communications, water, heat, even the lights that work on those little portable power sources for about least 15 of your Earth minutes.  That base will be dark and without communication long enough for John and I to get to the waste pipe.  After that.....Well I just hope we're fast enough."

"You should be," Jack said reassuringly as he turned them around and headed back in the direction of the ice cream shop.  "We have surprise on our side.  I know the military.  They have contingencies for things going wrong.  They just don't have contingencies for everything going wrong at once."   

"I hope you're right Jack."

"I hope I am too."

They arrived back at the Ice Cream shop and she turned to go.

"Aeryn?"

She stopped. "Yes?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For ..... looking after my son while he was lost.  For befriending him, watching over him.  For risking yourself when he was in danger."  Jack paused and shook his head.  "I don't know what sort of things he faced while he was out there.  But I know he would have been dead a long time ago if it weren't for you and the others."

She stared, not knowing at first what to say and surprised to feel a lump in her throat, which she quickly swallowed down.  Then she reached up and briefly touched the older man's cheek.

"No.  My life was.... different before your son came crashing into it.  He made it.... more.  He made me.....better.    And for that I suppose I have to thank you."

[Atana]

He almost choked when he saw her.

John got up off his cot and did his best to stare nonchalantly at the doctor and his father, but his eyes kept slipping back to the dark haired sergeant to stood stiffly at attention slightly behind them.

The sergeant who wore the face of Aeryn Sun.

He had to give her credit.  She fit the part beautifully.  Back straight head at a 90-degree angle to the rest of her body, eyes locked dead in front of her staring at nothing.  She was spit shined and polished and not a hair was out of place in the tight bun at the back of her head.  It seemed a soldier was a soldier no matter the species.

And damn she looked sexy in camouflage.

He struggled to focus on what the doctor was saying.  Something about after he'd had time with his dad today he'd be transferred to Langley where they would be doing a biopsy on his brain to try to remove some of the translator microbes for study.  Normally this would have worried him but since Aeryn was here that ostensibly meant she had some plan for getting him out....and that worried him more.

" Commander Crichton?"  the doctor's annoyed voice broke into his reverie.

"What?  Sorry?"

"I SAID, do you understand today's itinerary?"

"Oh yeah, visit with dad here and then we're jettin off to Langley so you can dissect my brain.  I got it."

The doctor's face reddened and then he sighed and shook his head.  "Look, I know this has been hard on you.  I know you're tired of all the tests and the questions, but you must understand how important you are.  You've been places no human has before, seen things.... you can advance our society, our space travel, our defense so much that....."

"I know," he broke in wearily, the last thing he needed right now was another lecture on how he was gonna save the world.  "It's just that I'm tired of being special.... I just want to be normal again.  See my family.  Go home."

"And you will, someday we promise. But for now we still have a lot of work to do.  Now enjoy your afternoon with your dad I'll see you in...."

Whatever else the doctor was going to say was cut off by a size 8 standard military boot to his face.  He dropped without a sound.

The other two guards in the room were so stunned that for a moment they simply stared and that moment cost them dearly.  In less than 10 seconds they two were on the ground and unconscious the victims of a well-placed kick to the groin and a Pantak jab to the chin.

"Subtle as usual." John said as he watched Aeryn check the pulse on the nearest guard and methodically begin to strip him.

"Subtlty wastes time," she threw back dryly.  "My way is much more efficient.  Here." She threw him a gun.

"And just what am I supposed to do with this?"

Aeryn shot him a nasty look.  "If you're lucky nothing.  If not I hope, after a moen of sitting around and doing nothing, that you haven't become a worse shot than you already are and can hit anyone that tries to kill us.  Now  put this on," she tossed the guards jacket and pants at him, "And come on we have to move."

"Wait" He turned to his dad.  "What about...?"

But Jack Crichton waved him off.  "I can't be seen to be a part of this.  You follow Aeryn son, she knows what to do.  I'll meet up with you later."  He turned to Aeryn.

"Try not to damage anything vital"

"I won't," she said and then hit him on the head with the butt her gun knocking him out cold.

John stared," What the.....?"

Aeryn grabbed his arm.  "He said he couldn't be involved.  This way he won't be.  He'll be fine..... COME ON."

"Aeryn this place is crawling with soldiers how are we going to....?"  He stopped as suddenly all of the lights went out.

"Oh."

Aeryn pulled out a flashlight, turned it on and lead him into the corridor.   "D'Argo managed to boost the signal on the jamming device I gave your father the other day.  It's knocked out all their power but it will only give us about 1200 microts.  So follow me and don't get lost."

Outside the medical bay the base was in chaos.  People were running around trying to turn on lights and close doors that stubbornly refused to co-operate.  Officers were shouting useless orders in the dark and screaming about back up generators and emergency planning.  It was fairly easy to slide in among the confused soldiers and make their way down the corridor, especially since they seemed to have the only working flashlight

"Aeryn?"

"Yes?"

"Where are we going?"

"No time to explain now, I've got to count."

"Count?"

".......Three, four, here we are" she stopped in front of a closed door and threw her weight against the handle.  It's heavy, help me."

He added his weight to her and after a few moments they were able to shove the door in enough to both slip through.

"Where are we going?"

"Down." She said curtly as she started running down the stairs.

He followed.

"Why is your flashlight working?" he couldn't help but ask and then grabbed a hold of the banister to keep them both from falling to an early death when she pulled up short.

"Because it's mine.  From my field pack, the frequency's different.  Now will you please come on we don't have time for your questions now."

He couldn't argue with that and followed her the rest of the way in silence.

After a few more flights of stairs and a quick run down some twisting and turning corridors they came to the dining room and made there way to the back near the kitchen.  The place was strangely deserted and he wondered for a moment if they'd managed to escape at a shift change. 

"Where to now?"

"Shhh, I'm looking, O.K. here it ....."

Aeryn was cut off suddenly by a loud blaring siren and all the lights coming on at once and the sound of doors slamming shut.

"Frell"

"What's happening?"

"I don't know."

"I thought you said that thing would hold out for.."

"I KNOW what I said," Aeryn cut him off as she backed towards the wall.  "But I don't know what happened.  Evidently it's stopped working."

"Well we need to get out of here let's..."  John paused.  Footsteps were coming their way.....fast.

"Frell."

Aeryn frantically began looking for a way out, and baring that a place they could hide.  But they were at the back of the room near the trash chutes and there were no cabinets or tables or any other useful furniture they could hide in or under.  She spun and looked at the trash chutes themselves.  They were set into the wall about chest high.  She pulled one open and stepped back as heat came up from the shaft.

"What the...?"

John bit back another curse.  At this point it wouldn't do any good.  The footsteps were getting closer. 

"Incinerator Aeryn"

"What?"

"They burn the trash, the incinerator is located at the bottom of this."

"But Jack didn't say......"

"Well obviously he didn't know.  Look, when the power was out the incinerator wasn't on.  We could have slid down easy, now if we do we'll be fried faster than Talyn doing a header into a Siren Star."

Aeryn turned to look at him hard. "How do you know about....?"

"Unimportant..... right now we need to think, or rather do something quick or both of us will be in a cell before.." He broke off as he heard the outer doors of the dining area thud open and a voice call out. 

"Anyone in here?"

[Atana]

"Frell," Aeryn said again.

"That's it."

"What's it?" she asked looking at John with complete frustration.  It was just like him to choose this moment to get cryptic.

He didn't answer just shoved her into the alcove formed between the two incinerator openings and kissed her.

Hard.

For a moment she went ridged with shock and indignation and then his tongue slid warmly against hers and all thoughts of fighting him slipped somewhere into the heat that was forming in the pit of her belly.

"FREEZE SOLDIER"

John pulled away from her abruptly, mouthed the words, "play along" and turned to face the voice they'd heard with his hands up near his shoulders.

"Whoa there," he said managing to sound annoyed and embarrassed at the same time. "We're not stealing anything."

"ON YOUR KNEES HANDS OVER YOUR HEADS"

Cycles of military training had her on her knees in the requested position in a microt.  She looked up without raising her head and saw four men completely dressed in black with what looked like large green goggles over their eyes.  All four were pointing weapons of various sizes directly at them.

"Hey," John said quickly.  "No need for that.  We weren't doing anything wrong.  Well we were....but we weren't ...."

"QUIET SOLDER I'LL ASK THE QUESTIONS HERE."

John shut up immediately.

Aeryn closed her eyes and lowered her head again.  She knew the drill, first they'd be asked rank and regiment and when that didn't check out they'd be arrested and taken away for interrogation.  So it came as a complete shock to her when one of the black suited men peeled off his glasses and hood and regarded them with a sardonic smirk.

"What the hell were you two doing in here?"

"Well," began John.

"Don't answer that... it was rhetorical." The man snapped back.  "I mean were you two so busy doing the horizontal mambo that you didn't notice there's a MAJOR SECURITY BREECH GOING ON HERE??"

Aeryn shot a look at John who was managing to look appropriately sheepish.  "Hey man cut me some slack.  My girl here is stationed in Salt Lake; I don't get to see her much.  You know how it's been around here lately.  I haven't had furlough for almost three months.  She phones me she's being sent up here to pick up some paperwork for her CO and I think hey, maybe while the brass are dotting the "I's" and crossing the "t's" maybe we can play a little catch up.  We came down here for a bite.... the lights went out and I think, "hey, generator surge " and she thinks it would be a great time to play Lord Fountleroy and the serving wenc.... " John paused and shrugged, "Who am I to argue?  She was speaking with an accent and everything."

The man looked her up and down in a way that made Aeryn's teeth itch.  If the situation hadn't called for such tact she would have wrapped his weapon around his neck for taking such a liberty.

"That true?" he asked her with a lecherous grin.

She forced a smile.  "It's true.  We haven't been together for a long time."

The man's grin grew.  "Whhhoooowe, you sure do know how to pour it on Sugar.  What kind of accent is that?'

"French."

John made a choking noise next to her.

"Ummhummm, " the man practically drooled, "Well you can parlez-vous MY Frenchie anytime darlin."

She felt her skin crawl but continued to smile anyway.

"Look man," said John "I know we've broken about 15 reg's here but do you think you could find it in your heart to let us off.  I mean come on, all of you would have done exactly the same in my situation."

One of the other men snorted. "Like Wilkins here would EVER be in your situation."

"SHUT IT," the one called Wilkins screamed.  He then turned back to face them.  "Weelll, seeing as I am feeling charitable and you did give me the best laugh I've had in weeks O.K.  Wait 5 minutes and then head out of here back to where you're supposed to be.  If you hurry they probably won't even notice you were gone. "

"Thanks man," John said the relief in his voice the first genuine thing he'd done in several minutes. 

"Don't mention it," Wilkins said and turned to walk away.

Aeryn got up immediately and backed towards the incinerator shaft again.

"Hey" John called out to Wilkins and caught her arm to stop her.

"Yeah?"

"What is the big deal anyway?  Seems overkill even for this place to call out a Black Op's unit for a busted generator."

"Busted Generator my ass, someone kidnapped some guy out of that secured area of the med lab.  Knocked out two Privates and the guy's old man. Then not only did the electricity go out but all power systems went straight to hell for about 10 minutes."

"I'm not worried though.  We got about 10 teams running a level-by-level search and this place is locked up tight again.  We'll find them soon enough.  Nobody's getting out of here."

"Wow," John's eyes widened in an attempt to look incredulous.  "Then you'd better get out of here hadn't you.  CO will have your rear if you don't find the guy soon.  I heard that guy they had in the med lab was pretty important."

"Must be," Wilkins agreed, "If someone was stupid enough to try to break in here and get him out.  I'd hate to be them when the brass catches up to them.  Now remember wait 5 minutes and then follow us out."

Aeryn waited exactly 5 microts after they left the room to begin rubbing D'Argo's jamming device again. 

"Aeryn I don't think that's going to..." began John

WHAM

Everything went dark again.

"You don't think it's going to what?"

"Alright, alright.  Where do we go next."?

"Well," said Aeryn "After this chute's no longer hot we go down it.  There's a grate at the far end of the room, or so the schematics of this place say. I've got just enough plasticine to blow it out with. Underneath there should be this building's waste transport system.  We take it about half a metre out and D'Argo should be waiting to let us out at the end."

"Waste transport?"  Said John as he gave her a leg up to begin wriggling down the chute.  "You mean sewer?  You mean we are going to have to crawl out of here through Dren?  Oh come on Aeryn you can't be serious."

"I am serious.  It's either Dren or back in the cell." And with that she dropped down the chute into several bags of smelly garbage.

She wiped as much muck off as she could and quickly located the caged grate on the floor.  She set about setting the charges she'd had in her pocket as soon as she heard John slide down behind her.

"Dren," He panted, "Why should I be surprised?  With my life the way it has been over the past three years I guess it's to be expected.  Some days I wish I'd gone down with Elack."

She paused surprised by how the comment hurt her.  Here she was saving his sorry life again and he was wishing he'd committed suicide with an ancient Leviathan. 

Something must have shown on her face because he looked at her quizzically.

"What?"

"Nothing" she said brusquely placing the last of the charges.  "It's just that after that performance you put on back there I think I prefer the dren, come on."

"Hey," he grabbed her arm.  "I didn't enjoy forcing that on you any more than you enjoyed accepting it, but it saved our lives so I suggest you get over yourself."

She stared at him, pain and anger fighting for room in her heart.  But she was a soldier and this was a mission no time for arguments now.  She shook her head and dropped down into the sewer.

__________________________________


He could smell them long before he saw them and they didn't smell good.

"This is gonna be bad," D'Argo thought as he emerged from the dense foliage he'd been hiding behind to watch the waste transportation grate.  Still he felt a bit relieved, John and Aeryn were a quarter ahrn overdue and he'd started to worry.

Crichton came first sloshing through the ankle high sludge, which at some point, if the muck on their clothing were any indication, had actually reached chest high. He smelled like an unhealthy mixture of feces, rotting food and fresh vomit.

"Hey Heavy D," John said with a weary smile and an even wearier voice.  "Here to break us the rest of the way out of Alcatraz?"

He took a couple of steps backward.  "Ohhhh, I don't know if I want to break you out of anything smelling like that, you smell worse than the bat dren on Moya."  He turned away and gagged audibly.

John pulled a face, "Yeah, well I appreciate that D-man, and if you think it's bad on that end you should try it from here, but we really need to get out of here so if you're gonna be sick do it fast and get to cutting."

D'Argo took a couple of steps toward the grate and was promptly repelled back again by the arrival of Aeryn who smelled equally as bad although he couldn't detect any vomit on her. 

"Hurry up D'Argo," she said.  "Those soldiers back there weren't the brightest I've run into but I think even they will come around soon.  I want to be well away from here when they figure out who we were and how we got out." 

"Fine," he said taking a few deep breaths to calm his churning stomach. "Step back and I'll blow the bars but when I do there will be no hugging, no handshaking, no happy hello's.  Head straight back to the campsite, get some of those Cleansing bars Aeryn picked up the other day and head straight for the lake.  I'm going to be ill if I have to smell that much longer."  As if to prove his point he took a few steps back and dry heaved into some bushes.

"Alright man, alright," John sighed and D'Argo could hear them splash back up the tunnel.

He pulled three plasticine charges from Aeryn's supply pack and placed them at equal intervals along the metal mesh grating covering the sewer tunnel.  He returned to his hiding place in the bushes and detonated the charge.  The grate blew with a loud bang and a shower of metal fragments and after a few microts wait to let the debris clear Aeryn came cautiously out and began peeling off the sewage soaked uniform she'd been wearing. 

"I'll take point," she said curtly without turning in his direction. "And after we eat and get cleaned up I think we should move camp.  They might use trackers once they find we got out that waste pipe and we'll leave a really clear sent smelling like this."  And with that she stalked off.

He watched her go with a bemused expression on his face. "Well I see you two are getting along better," he quipped as he heard John come up behind him.

"D'Argo don't." came back the reply.

He regarded his friend as he sat on a log and pulled off first one boot and then the other and emptied it of fetid sludge.

"You know normally I wouldn't but in this case I think you should cut her some slack."

John looked up at him incredulously, " Me cut HER some slack?  First of all you have no idea what just went down, and second of all last time I saw you, you told me to let her go.  Maybe you should just butt out."

D'Argo sighed, "Oh I will my friend I certainly will, but two things first. Number one, no matter what just went on Aeryn just broke you out of a highly secured military facility for about the third time since the two of you met.  And Second, I've had a chance to talk to Aeryn while we've been stuck here trying to find you.  There's a lot I didn't know. A lot you don't know either.  I'm just saying maybe you should listen."

John pulled his right boot on with a hard jerk and stood up his face reddening with anger.

"See, that's just the problem.  She always goes to someone else, I'm always the last to know."

"True, but have you ever considered that's because you won't sit still long enough for her to tell you first?" 

John turned and stared at him and he could see in his friends face he'd scored a point.  He'd also known Chrichton long enough to know that he would never concede that point out loud.  He sighed and picked up Aeryn's supply bag and headed off in the direction of the camp.

"Look, all I'm saying is she deserves to tell her side.  If you don't like what she has to say.....Well then that's that.  But I do think she deserves listening to.  Now come on Chiana was making Alpo stew when I left and sitting in the bushes for over an ahrn has made me hungry."

"Alpo stew?  D'Argo did you say ALPO STEW?"

He turned back to John completely nonplussed.  "Yeah. Don't tell me you haven't heard of it, it's in the stores everywhere around here."

John looked like he might throw up again. "D'Argo, Alpo is DOG food.  It's for ANIMALS.  It is NOT fit for human consumption."

D'Argo pondered that for a microt and then shrugged. "Guess it's a good thing I'm not human then isn't it?" he quipped, and then headed off through the woods.

[Atana]

She'd started to leave after she'd washed herself clean, but when she heard him come crashing through the trees, she'd hidden and watched him unsure if she should stay or not.   She didn't think he'd run if he saw her or tell her to leave, but with this Crichton you could never be sure.  All her previous attempts to engage him in conversation on Moya had been met with..... indifference.  Yes that was the word, indifference, she mouthed it silently her lips stretching over the unfamiliar shapes. 

It's not that he outright ignored her... at least not since he'd been caught in that game.  But his answers were brief, vague and impersonal.  And he always ended the conversation as quickly as he could and excused himself to go take care of one suddenly urgent task or another.  He was acting; she hated to admit it, like she did when they first met.

And she didn't like it.  She didn't like it one bit.

"Come back when you've got your story straight" he'd said and left the room.  Eight words and she was out of his heart as cleanly as she'd been out of his life for almost a cycle.

Eight words.  After almost four cycles in each other company, after everything they'd been through, it should take more than eight words. 

She deserved more than 8 words.

And she'd tried to be patient.  She'd tried to give him space and time to get over the hurt she'd apparently caused him.  She'd frelled up about the baby, and she'd been wrong to leave as she did, but he didn't understand the way her heart had been torn then.  Just like she hadn't understood then that he was the only one who could heal it.  It had taken time for her to realize that and when she had... she'd started making plans to come back.  She'd figured he'd come to the same conclusion if she kept her distance long enough but it had been a quarter of a cycle and he was till sticking to those same...eight....words.

So she'd tried giving him words of her own.  Words she knew he liked, words she knew he'd know.  She'd thought that maybe if she gave him his words in his tongue he would finally hear what she had to say.  So she practiced day and night to learn his words.  A gift to him from her.... who never liked to talk much anyway.

He liked it, or rather it drove him crazy.  But away from her not towards as she had intended.  Maybe Chiana was right, maybe she needed to learn wormhole. 

Or maybe it was down to another language all together.

She watched as he swam to water that was about mid chest high, lathered his head and then dunked himself under water to rise out the suds.  He repeated the action and then moved on to suds his body.  The water was cold, he was shivering slightly.

She stood up and stripped off her clothes quickly.  She didn't have much time, the others would be calling them for dinner soon, or Jack Crichton might come looking for his son.

But she had things to say....and she needed him to listen and this was as good a time as any, there was less chance of him running away.

She waited until he dunked under to rinse again and jumped in. 

__________________________________

She managed to surprise him. After all she'd put him through he thought he'd be immune to anything she did but she still managed to surprise him.

The stench of the sewer pipe had proved harder to get off than he'd anticipated, he'd just surfaced from rinsing off his third soaping when the unmistakable sound of a throat clearing made him turn around suddenly. 


And there she was treading water a few feet from him.

"Jeez, Aeryn.  It isn't wise to sneak up on a guy that that."

One eyebrow rose sardonically and she floated a bit closer to him.

"Why?  You figured out somewhere to hide a pulse pistol I haven't yet?"

He actually felt himself color.  "Ah no, it's just...."  He paused, there was no way he could finish that sentence that didn't lead somewhere he didn't want to go.  "Never mind, here's the soap.  I'll be out of your way in a microt."

She swam closer blocking his way and planted her feet on the ground. 

"I'm already clean, I didn't come here for that. Don't go."

He shook his head, "Aeryn.."

She didn't move closer but her fingers reached out and brushed his arm lightly.

"Please. I'm not trying to seduce you... I just want to talk."

That stopped him.

"You want to talk?"

She nodded.

"Here?  Now?"

She nodded again and her expression turned a bit sheepish.  "Look I admit it's a bit... awkward but there's no one around, nobody to bother us for a few microts at least and.... I thought if I caught you unawares you wouldn't run off."

He didn"t quite know what to say to that one so he stared at her for a few moments.  There she was standing there with her wet hair plastered in tendrils over her face and arms and goose bumps forming on the swell of her breasts where they broke the almost shoulder high water.  Her teeth were chattering and she was obviously uncomfortable but she had such a look of determination on her face that he took pity, although he wasn't sure on whom.  Himself or her.

"I don't run Aeryn."

The twitching lips twisted themselves into something like a smile. "Oh really?  And have we had a conversation that's lasted longer than three microts since I returned to Moya?"

"Aeryn that's..."

"No," she took another slippery step or two closer to him."

"My turn to talk, your turn to listen. You had your say in the atmospheric scrubber room back on Moya."

He stared up at the sky for a moment.  The descending sun had painted the sky a pinkish gold and the fading light had thrown the surrounding trees into stark relief.  A breeze had picked up and the temperature was starting to lower to nighttime levels.  Arguing with her would only prolong their stay in this rapidly cooling lake and he wasn't keen on catching pneumonia.  Besides, D'Argo was right, she'd just saved his life....that, if nothing else, earned her right to talk.

"Fair enough.  Talk."

Her mouth fell open briefly at that and he almost laughed.  Seemed he wasn't the only one who wasn't immune to being surprised.

"O.K."  She took a deep breath and rubbed her arms briefly against the cold.

"I know you are angry at me.  And I know I.... failed you somehow.  And I'm sorry about that."

He shook his head.  She still didn't get it. "Aeryn..."

She slapped the water in frustration cutting him off.  "No.  Listen!  You told me to come back when I'd gotten my story straight but how can I do that if you won't shut up long enough for me to tell it!"

She stared at him angrily until she was satisfied he wasn't going to say anything else and then she continued.

"Look.  I can't change what I did.  I can't take back telling Chiana about the pregnancy first, and I can't take back bringing Scorpius on board and I can't take back leaving Moya in the first place.  And I can't tell you all of what I was up to when I was gone.  Some of it...perhaps.  But not all of it.  I frelled up John.  And I can't change it and I know in your mind that means that I can't make amends but....

She paused and closed her eyes for a microt.  She was shaking harder now and he resisted the urge to pull her close and hug out the cold. 

"But....what I can do is give you reasons why I did what I did.   I owe you an explanation for my behavior.  I realize that now.  I didn't at first, I figured I knew what was best for me and I figured.... Wrongly it seems.  That you would understand that."

He broke in gently. "Aeryn that's not the point."

"I know it isn't."

He felt himself actually take a step backwards in astonishment. 

"It isn't the point," she continued.  "But I didn't know it at the time." 

"You see, the other John.... he taught me a lot of things.  How to admit need, and not fear... feeling.  He taught me that love makes you.... more, not less of yourself and that it changes you and those changes stay, even when the love is gone."

"And my time away taught me that I couldn't go back to what I had been.  And more importantly I didn't want to.  And when I realized that I made plans to come back.  And I was going to.  But the hit on Uloom's people went wrong.... and then everything got frelled."

"Aeryn..."

"I'm not done yet.  I was wrong to just expect that things could go back to the way they had been between us.  Because even though you are John Crichton you were not on Talyn with me for half a cycle.  And you didn't die.  And I don't know you.  But I want to.  If you'll let me."

She took another couple of steps closer to him and he could feel her warm breath against the chill of the evening air.  He could touch her if he wanted to.  And god did he want to. But he couldn't yet.  She still hadn't said the words he needed to hear.  The ones that would let him know that she understood what was really wrong.

"You taught me something John, you did, not the other."

"What?"  Somehow it came out as a whisper.

"That I can't expect you to trust me with your heart.  When I haven't trusted you with mine." 

He let out a sigh and it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.  It didn't fix anything, not by a long shot. But for the first time in a long time he felt that maybe, just maybe they could.

"That's it.  I'm done, you could talk now."

Her chattering voice pulled him back to his thoughts and he gave her an answer.

"I can't promise you anything Aeryn.  I'm different. You're different.  But I do want to know the answers to those questions.  And I imagine you'd like the chance to ask a few of your own."

She nodded.  "I would."

"But .... he said as his own teeth began to chatter.

"Yes?"

"Do you think we could have that chat somewhere a little less wet and a little more warm?"

He could barely make out her smile in the growing darkness.  "I think that would be wise... yes.  But as soon as we have some time....?"

"We'll have that talk."

He turned and sloshed his way a couple of steps towards shore.  Then he stopped.  Something had been nagging at him since her return, but pride and then circumstances had kept him from asking. He felt he could now, with a minimum of embarrassment.

"Aeryn?"  He turned back around.

He could barely make out her shape now but he thought she was still in the deeper water.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." 

He watched her splashing closer and felt again the brief kiss in the kitchen at the base. 

"After you left...and while you were gone... did you... miss me at all?  And I mean me.  Not...him.  Not the...idea of John Crichton.  Did you miss...me? Even just... a little?"  His head dropped as his voice petered out.

He heard more splashing and realized after a moment that she must be standing right in front of him.  Still it was some time before she spoke. 

"I can't tell you that."

His head snapped up, "Aeryn...."

Her cold fingers pressed suddenly against his lips dripping sour tasting lake water into his mouth.

"I can't tell you," she whispered.  "I can only show you."

And then she kissed him.

It wasn't the way he'd pictured it in his dreams all those nights alone on Elack.  Her cold lips almost missing his in the dark and sliding wetly against the side of his face.  It was supposed to be on the Terrace, or Command or in his quarters, after grand protestations about how she'd found it impossible to live without him, not with things still unsettled and him freezing the boys off in some half stagnant pool of water while mosquitoes circled around waiting to eat at his arms and frogs started chirping in the distance.  No.  It wasn't supposed to be like this at all.

But he didn't care. 

He didn't care because her tongue flicked warm against his teeth as it sought entrance to his mouth.  He didn't care because her breasts arched full and firm against his chest and his hands slid slickly over her wet curves like silk.  He didn't care because she was winding her arms around his neck and her breath was blowing hot into his ear as she urgently whispered words he was in no position to make out because she was pressing against something else that was equally as hot and urgent. And he didn't try to suppress the groan that welled up in him as he gripped her upper thighs and hoisted her up his body.

No he didn't care.  Because he was hard and she was soft and this was beyond thinking, beyond feeling it was......

CRACK.

To many years being hunted made him pause. 

"Aeryn?"

"Umm," she locked her legs more tightly around his hips and her mouth moved up to begin an assault on his right ear.

CRACK.

"Aeryn?"  He released his grip on her backside and she gasped as she slid back into the cold water.

"What?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Crackle, Crackle Snap.

"That."

She nodded at him all business now and started sinking slowly under water.

He understood almost immediately and did the same.  He crawled almost crab like under water feeling his way along until he bumped up against something that felt like the bank and slowly surfaced.  He prayed it was dark enough that whomever or whatever was on the bank hadn't seen them move from that distance.

He felt along the bank until he found Winona and the flashlight he'd brought with him and then he slipped back into deeper water again.

He stood there half submerged .... And listened.

At first nothing, then there it was again.

Crack.....snap.

Aeryn cool fingers on his side almost made him jump but he had enough sense to avoid crying out and watched carefully as she indicated to him in signs that their next move should be.

They listened again until they heard the rustling sounds again, fainter now like whatever it was was moving away from them instead of towards.  He homed in on the sound and flicked on the flashlight while Aeryn, slightly behind him to his left took aim with her pulse pistol.

The figure froze as soon as the light came on.


"....Dad....?"

Jack Crichton turned around slowly and even the dark of night couldn't hide the sheepish look on his face.

"Yeah son it's me.  I'm sorry. They let me out of the base about an hour ago and I'm just now catching up with you.  D'Argo said you'd come up here to wash the stench off  and....Well anyway when I saw that you were.... busy.... I tried to get out of here as quietly as I could but I guess my sneaking skills aren't what they used to be."

"No dad it's....."

"No, no son, you all just finish.... taking care of the business at hand.  Just pretend you didn't see me.  I'll go back and tell the others I found you and you were ... going for a walk or something.  No one will bother you I promise.  I'm gone."

And without waiting for another word he turned and hurried back towards the tree line.

John stood there a minute unsure of what to do until Aeryn splashed over in front of him.  She reached out tentatively and grabbed his arm.

"Well," she said softly.

"I think we'd better get back," he replied softly, "We'll get eaten by bugs if we stay out here much longer"

"Right."  She released him abruptly her voice as cold as the water.

"No.  Don't" he reached out and stopped her.

"Come on, we don't want to get bitten."

"Aeryn stop."

Something in his voice must have reached through the anger because she did.

"Look," he couldn't see her clearly in the darkness but he sought to look her in the eyes nonetheless.  "It's not that I don't want you.  God after what just happened you know it's not that.  It's jus.... Things are still so unsettled now.  And when we do this....I want it to be with no ghosts, no.... expectations between us.  I want it free and clear and with both of knowing who we are and who the other is.  I want it to be right.  And that's going to take time.  I'm willing to wait on it Aeryn are you?"

She stood there a microt and he could feel her warm breath brushing his shoulder.

"Zahn used to say that anything good, anything worth having was hard won and worth waiting for.  It's why she was so patient with the seek.  I know it's good, you and me. I know it's worth having.  So yes.  I will wait.  Although....I warn you.  I don't wait very well."

He laughed then and gave her one last kiss, a promise of things to come, before leading them back to shore. 

[Atana]

He didn't turn when he heard his father's footsteps behind him.  He simply accepted the cup of coffee and made room for him to sit down.

"Do you miss it son?"

"What dad?"

"Where you came from, out there?"

He sighed.  "Loaded question dad, no simple answer.  Suffice it to say I miss certain things.  Certain people.  I felt the same way about Earth when I was out there."

"Was it safe for you out there John?  Were you happy?"

He looked at his father and was surprised to note that he looked old.  And not just in a physical way either.  He had an air about him that spoke of two many nights spent sleeplessly pondering unanswerable questions.  Of one to many conversations had over an empty grave.  Of guilt shouldered because there was no one else to bear it.  And he felt a quick pang of pain.  He'd done that, with his little excursion to the other end of the universe and he'd been too stupid to see it. No worse, he'd been too selfish.

And because of that he contemplated lying for a moment.  Telling him it had been all one great happy adventure.  That he'd spent the last four years gallivanting across the universe with his loving friends and his beautiful woman and if he just gave him a few minutes he'd get them all home again and he and Aeryn would come back to North Carolina and live happily ever after.

But there was no ever after, and there was no happy ending, and as much as he wanted to he knew he owed this man more than a lie.

"There's great beauty out their Dad.  But great evil too.  There are people who would destroy this planet and everyone on it without a second thought.  I've had to do things out there..... things you wouldn't think I was capable of.  I've changed.  I'm not the man that you knew."

His father nodded.  "I can see that."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Whatever you did out there, I'm sure you did the best you knew how.  You've seen things beyond my wildest dreams, and done things I can't comprehend. And your still alive John. You're still alive.  I don't know many men who would be if they were in your shoes. And I'm proud of you for that son.  It's silly I know.  But I just wanted you to know that I was."

He swallowed hard against the lump in his throat that the words brought up and reached out and gripped the old man's hand hard.  "It's not silly dad. And thanks; you have no idea what it means to hear that from you.  And I want you to know something.  I never stopped trying.  To get back here, to Earth, to you.  It's what kept me alive when things .... got really bad.  The thought of you, the knowledge that somewhere out there was my home. It kept me sane when there was nothing else."

And there was silence for a while and then Jack spoke again.

"I like her son."

"Pardon me?"

"Aeryn.  I like her."

He laughed a bit at that. "I always thought you would."

"She's hard that one.  But determined.  I hope you work it out."

He sighed. "I don't know dad.  We've done this before her and me, and something always screws it up."

"But from the look of it you keep trying."

"Yeah, we do that too."

"Mind telling me why?"

He paused at that, not sure what to say.  Not sure of the answer himself.  Not sure how to tell his father that this woman was under his skin, how even when she was breaking his heart the need to be with her resonated in his soul. He didn't know if there were words for his relationship with Aeryn Sun and he was surprised to find when he looked into his dad's eyes that he didn't have to.... He understood.

"I know son."

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"Mind telling me how?"

"Because she looks at you the way your mother used to look at me."

And there was nothing he could say to that so he remained silent.

"Son?"

"Yes dad."

"You're leaving again aren't you?"

"Yeah.... I think I have to.  They can't get back without me and it's not safe for me to stay here."

"But son.."

"No dad.  There are people and things out there that would tear this planet apart if they knew I was here.  And some who would do it even if I weren't.  I have knowledge in my head that can destroy the universe.  I didn't ask for it.  I don't want it, but I am responsible for it.  And the only way I can keep this planet safe is by going away."

"I know son, I just hoped....."

"I know dad I did too."

"So when will you go?"

"In the morning I think.  I won't know for sure until I get some readings in D'Argo's ship."

"So soon?"

The desperation in the old man's voice made him flinch a little and he thought of his sisters as yet unseen and wondered when he'd gotten so hard.

"I think it best yes.  They won't stop searching for me."

"Son the military....."

"It's not the military I'm worried about dad."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry.  I wish it could be different but...."

He broke off as his father reached over and grabbed him.  "It's O.k. son.  It's O.K.  I told you every man has to be his own kind of hero.  If your destiny is out there then I have to accept that.  And you'll be fine, you'll see.  You have friends, and a place you can call home, and a woman who loves you enough to come half way across the galaxy to keep you safe.  And don't worry, about what you've done.  Or how you've changed.  You are my son.  And that's all that matters to me."

And he knew he should say something.  Something to let this man know what he'd meant to him over the years.  How everything he was, was because Jack Crichton had been his father.  And he wanted to tell him everything he'd been through, all the pain and the suffering and the secrets he'd been given.  But right now he felt about five years old and too weak for talking. So he buried his head in his fathers shoulder..... and hugged him back.
____________________________________________


"So do you think it'll work old man?"

She reached out a hand and brushed the hair lightly out of his eyes.  He smiled, caught her fingers and deposited a light kiss on the tips before batting them away from his face. She smiled back as the customary tingle of feeling at his touch swept through her.  She'd missed that.... and him.

"I don't know Pip but we have to try."


She settled herself crossed-legged a small distance away from him.  Close enough to watch the flexing of his ass as he scooted from side to side beneath D'Argo's ship but far enough away to see if anyone were approaching from either side of it.  She'd left Aeryn talking quietly with Jack; they had the rear view, no need to worry about that.

She watched the wiggling of his ass in the leaves a few microts longer before closing her eyes and turning her head up to where the weak sunlight dappled it's way through the trees.  She still wasn't used to it, the quiet beauty of this place, the trees, the small animal sounds, the crisp air, the feeling of freedom it gave her.  She still liked to revel in it when no one was watching.  And she never let anyone see.  Because if they did then she'd have to explain why it meant so much to her.  And that would mean explaining what happened.  And she wasn't doing that.  Because if she did that, if she said out loud the things they had done to her, she would have to relive them in the daytime.  It was bad enough to have to relive them in her dreams.

"Don't think D'Argo's gonna like you messing with his baby." She said half to break the silence and half because it was true. D'Argo's ship named for his dead wife as though she'd never occupied space in his life.  She shouldn't care, but she did.  They'd stripped all her armor away when they'd worked her over in that room.  Her body had healed but her heart had been left empty.  They'd left her open.  And for that she would never forgive them. 

"Yeah, well probably not.  But if we're going to get out of here I've got to make a few modifications.  Can't slingshot without it."  His voice was muffled beneath the metal and strained a little when he rolled slightly to the side to reach some hard to get nook.

"Slingshot?" 

"Yup, It's a way of using atmospheric friction to increase speed. And under the right conditions.....it seems to call wormholes."

"Wormholes," she sighed.  "Always with you and the wormholes."

He slithered out from under Lo'La sat up and brushed the leaves out of his hair.   "Yes, always with me and the wormholes." And his eyes got that far away look, the one that frightened Aeryn.  "I thought that finding Earth.....coming home would free me from them but....."

"Yeah I know Crichton, I know."

He smiled again.  "No you don't Pip, but thanks for saying so."

She didn't refute him, but he was wrong.  She did know.  The wormholes called to him.  He spoke their language and they knew it.  They were as much a part of him now as breathing was.  They made him need them.  As much as he  needed Aeryn.... maybe even more so.

She understood because it was the same for her with the visions.  They called to her and she went.  Never mind the pain, never mind the terrifying blindness.  They called; she went and never mind the consequences.

She wondered if it was the pain that had made them change.  Before she'd been captured she had seen only the future, crystal clear and carved in sharp relief.  A moment, a movement, like a view screen frozen in time for her to look at and examine.  They had been like a cold blast of air that made you gasp with the sensation for a microt and then was gone and forgotten.  She had relished it then, thought it might make her rich some day.  How wrong she'd been.

"So how's this slingshot going to get us home?"

He looked around and frowned a bit until she handed him the water carrier he'd been seeking.  "Slingshot won't.  Slingshot will bring the wormholes.... I'll get us home from there."

"And you can do that?"

"I think so."

She laughed a bit and scooted closer to him.  "I'm supposed to risk my life on,  you ...think...so?"

"Oh like you haven't risked your life for less."

She picked up some leaves and threw them half- heartedly at him but didn't reply.  He was right; she had risked her life for less. 

She'd risked it stealing Baran coins from a landowner's depository on Heptath III for the name of a man who supposedly could give her the location of a Nabari Resistance outpost.  She'd stolen the coins for one man and given her body to another and the location had been false.  There had been nothing there, another dead end.

She'd risked it on Marath Prime where it had been cold and wet and she'd hidden from a Peacekeeper patrol in a filthy basement for a weaken paying for a single cup of gruel per day with the last of her credits.  She didn't know why they'd come or why they stayed so long but she'd run out of money three days before they left and she'd risked going out to steal bread when the hunger pains had gotten to bad.  The storeowner had caught her and it had turned ugly.  She hadn't meant to kill him..... She never meant to kill them.  But he'd seen her and recognized her from the wanted beacon.  Said he'd turn her in. "It's Survival of the fittest Pip," Crichton used to tell her.  And she made frelling sure she was always the most fit.

She'd risked it in that Casino when she'd played that game.  Winning every time, enough money to keep her safe, fund her search for Neri, help the rebellion when she found them.  Enough money so that she'd never have to risk anything again.  The visions had still been showing her the future then, clear pictures of the mercury drop falling in its slot.  Again and again and again, the metallic clang of Brandar tiles growing muted in her ears as the piles grew higher.  She should have known better.  Nothing came easy or clean in her life.  Not since she'd been a child.

"So how will you do it then? Get us back to Moya."

She watched his face change, a mixture of fear and love that was usually reserved for the Peacekeeper.  That and something else.  Longing.  A desperate kind of desire that she didn't know if even he recognized.  He loved the wormholes and they loved him.  He may not want to, he may try not to.  But they were his.

"I don't know if I can explain it Chi...."

"Try"

And so he did, and after a microt she stopped listening to his words.  She'd not really wanted to know anyway. She'd just wanted to sit here in his company and listen to the sound of his voice and watch the light in his face as he talked about something he loved.  She used to ask him about Earth for the same reason.  It was the connection, not the conversation she was after.  It was the connection that got her through.

She'd never known the need for restriction before he came along.  She did what she wanted, what she pleased.  She used, reflected everything outward kept nothing for herself.  It was a game before she lost Neri and a survival tactic afterwards.  Eat, drink, sleep, orgasm.  That's what she did.  It was all there was to do.  What need had she of anything else.

Until he had saved her life and asked only her friendship in return.  Something she had not at first known how to give back.  Life had taught her that it was short, unfair and often frelled you up the rear.  So you took what you could and moved on.  Aeryn had understood that, and Rygel and even D'Argo to an extent. Friendship she found had rules. You stayed, you helped, you cared.  Only Zahn had shared his sensibilities such as they were and look what had happened to her.

She'd tried to find his angle, his weakness, the chink in his armor that would let her control him.  But he had no weaknesses that she could take hold of.  Only Aeryn had that power.  The power to hurt him, make him cry or beg.  Only Aeryn could touch his heart.

But over time she had come to accept that, be glad for them even.  He gave her what he could and that was enough.  He protected her, looked after her, cared what she thought, what she felt.  Never took her for granted.  He got angry with her but never hated. Never hurt.  Never demanded more than she was willing to give.  Never asked her to change.  He loved her in his way.  Not the way she wanted but when did Nixa's like her get what they wanted anyway?

It had been the absence of him that made her break in that cell.  Not the dark or the cold.  Not the chains cutting into her arms and legs or the endless parade of laughing, taunting men.  It had been the knowledge that he would not come for her that made her cry.  He always came for her they ALL always came for her.  But not this time. This time she was alone and no one would care if she lived or died.

And it was then that the visions had changed.  No longer showing the future but the present in drawn out intimate detail.  Every crack in the ceiling, every bead of sweat from her brow, every drop of saliva that spewed from the face of every man that thrust himself into her torn and bleeding body, magnified, stretched until it seemed to go on forever. 

She'd almost gone mad.  The sense of isolation and alienation trapping her far more effectively than the bars of the cell.  She'd managed to fashion a knife from a shard of plate she'd shattered in one of her more impulsive attempts at escape.  They'd swept up and punished her but they'd forgotten this one piece. 

She'd stared at it a long time.  Imagined the warm rush of blood that would come and sweep her away.  Envisioned the darkness and peace and end to the pain.  Thought about Zhaan. 

And then she'd felt him in the darkness.  Knew he was somewhere out there, alone like she was.  And she knew she couldn't leave him there all alone on his own.  He would die if she did.  And he'd never call her Pip again, or see D'Argo or Rygel or get home to Earth. And Aeryn would be left alone.  And he didn't deserve that.  None of them deserved that.  And if they didn't deserve it, then maybe neither did she. 

So she held on to that feeling. Let the knowledge that if she lived she would see him again fuel the tiny spark in her soul.  And when Rygel had appeared without warning at her cell door one day, she hadn't asked how he'd found her or how they were getting out she'd simply kissed the Hynerian slug and said they had to find Crichton.

"Hey Piplet..." She ducked as a small twig came flying at her head.

"What?"

"How long's it been since you stopped listening?"

"I  AM listening."

He laughed and the sound sent warm shivers through her broken parts, another balm on the wounds that did not show."

"Bull Frell.  I just told you that in order to get enough thrust to get free of this planets atmosphere we were going to have to have to harness the combined energy of all our farts and you just smiled and asked me how you could help."

She grinned, grateful to be out of her head and back in the here and now.  The past could never hold her as long as he was around.  "Well any opportunity to get a look at your backside....."

"CHIANA!!!!!"

"I'm just saying it'd be worth the stench is all. You should be flattered."

She let out a squeal as he tackled her, laughing and screaming her mouth filling with dirt as she writhed away from his tickling hands. 

"Say uncle," he taunted going for the extra sensitive spot behind her knee.

"W-Wh-What?"

"SAY IT!!"

"UNKLEL!!!!!!".

He released her.  "Close enough."

She felt his eyes on her as the cleared the dirt from her mouth and the twigs from her hair and when she looked up his face was serious again.

"I don't think I thanked you Chi."

"For what?"

"For getting me of Elack, for saving my life on Arnesk, for coming for me here.  For..... so many things."

"There's no need for it."

"I know.  But I wanted to thank you anyway."

And she should have kept silent and accepted the good feeling.  But she wasn't sure if she was healed enough for good feelings yet.  Some deep part of her still clung to the dark places.

"You don't have to go Crichton," she said the words heavy and thick in her throat but leaving her lips smoothly.  "You can show me what to do.  Aeryn will stay with you here.  She will, she said."

He blinked at that a bit at that and some indescribable emotion passed over his face.

"Thanks Pip but no.  You go, I go."

"What?"

"Well wormhole travel it's not piloting a prowler.  It's half science, half intuition and I know it like I invented it.  It's inside and it's not perfect and I could end up killing us all."

"But even if I could show you how I wouldn't.  This is my home.  It will always be my home.  But I don't belong here anymore.  D'Argo can't stay and you can't stay and after what I've been through, I'm not leaving either of you ever again.  Being apart from you all.  The way we'd left things.  It was more than I could stand Chi. It was more than I could stand."

And his love was too much for her. So she got up, brushed a hand through his hair, and left.

[Atana]

O.K. guys we're almost finished.  Last part should be tomorrow.  I'd like to thank my beta's AerynCrichton, Imloco2, Scrubschick, Tazy, CrystalMoon and Shipsister, without whom this short story that morphed into a monstrosity wouldn't be here.  Thier encouragement, good grammer and excellent advice have been invaluable.

And I'd like to thank all of you for being so impatient with me.  As most of you know. Right now I have no computer at home so most of this has been written out long hand and then I've had to either come in early to work (no mean feat since I start at 7 AM) stay late,  give up lunch out of the office and once... come in on the weekend to get it beta'ed and posted.  I know it's been hard waiting or parts but you've all been great.  Thanks again.

Here we go.

______________

"You did WHAT?"

"Don't freak man.  It won't hurt her.... at least I don't think so."

"You're frelling right it won't hurt her because you are going to take it OFF this microt."

Jack felt a tug on his sleeve as he started to move.  "Leave them to it," Aeryn advised.  "They'll only be at it longer if we get involved."

"Is that....normal?" He asked as he eyed the big Luxan waving his arms threateningly as his son stared up at him defiantly with his hands on his hips.

Aeryn raised an eyebrow.  "I'm afraid so.  But I shouldn't worry about it to much in all the time they've known each other they've only seriously injured each other once."

"Seriously injured?"

The smile that tugged at her lips caused him to relax a bit.  "Nothing permanent, and none of it intentional.  Those two....they would die for each other if necessary.  No small feat if you consider that when they met it was all we could do to keep D'Argo from spacing him."

Jack smiled back and then he turned serious." Aeryn can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You'll look after him won't you?  I mean I know it's a silly thing to ask.  He's been out there four years now.  He's adapted, he's changed. I'm not sure of what it is exactly he's become but I feel I can be proud of him.  It's silly but I still have to ask.  It's so far away, where he's going and so much is unknown.  I know he has to do it, has to go, but I think I'll rest a lot better if I know someone's watching his back.  Someone who cares." 

She stared at him for and the expression on her face was so odd that he wondered for an instant if he'd said something offensive, but when she spoke at last he knew it had simply been because she was choosing her words carefully.

"Your son told me once that he would never leave me.  I laughed at him when he said it.  We were in a bit of a crisis and I thought he was being... sentimental.  But he wasn't.  He meant it.  And he's kept true to it.  He's never left me.  Not really.    I thought he had once, but it turns out he didn't.  At the time... I just didn't know how to look...."  She petered off and frowned a bit as though she couldn't find the right words to say. 

Jack frowned a bit, what she was saying didn't quite make sense but something in her eyes told him he shouldn't interrupt.

"So I guess what I'm trying to say is this.  No matter what happens, I won't make that mistake again.  I'll always be there to back him up, help him through.  And he'll do the same for me. I know he will.  As long as I live I...."

He reached out and touched her hand cutting her off.  "I understand," he told her and he watched her relax, the loosening of her muscles causing her to slump a bit and her fingers to entwine themselves with his.

"Do you really?"

He gave a slight tug on her hand and caught her as she stumbled a bit, her forced forward motion giving him the excuse he'd been looking for to hug her. 

"You love him," he said simply.  "And you'll look after him.  You give your word on it."

She stood stiff and unyielding in his arms for a moment and then suddenly wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him back. 

"I give my life on it Jack Crichton," she whispered thickly into his neck. "Words aren't strong enough."

__________________________________

"So son, I guess this is it." The old man didn't look at him, preferring instead to study the surface of D'Argo's ship.  One hand lightly skimmed the surface, looking for comfort in the solidity of the metal or for imperfections he knows he won't find.  Anything to keep from looking at him.

"I guess it is." And now he was doing the same, his hand instinctively reaching up to skim Lo'La's wing.  But it was better than trying to say what was really on his mind.  Better than trying to pretend that he was just out for a quick stroll among the stars and then back again.  It was better than trying to lie.

His father cleared his throat." I've never been much for good-bye's...."

"Good. Because I've learned it's better not to."

"O.K."

"Will you be alright dad, will you be O.K.?"  And he wasn't just talking about the soldiers still searching for them in the woods, or the government officials' questions that he knew would come later.

As usual his dad understood and tried to smile at him.  He didn't quite succeed but he was grateful for the effort.

"I'll be fine son, don't you worry.  What can I tell them really?  You were here, and then you were gone.  Everything else.... means nothing to them."

"And to you?"

"We've had this talk before.  It's enough."

He nodded and then jerked a bit because D'Argo was calling him.  The sensor's picked up movement a metra away and they have to leave soon."

"Will you be O.K. son?  They won't detect.....?"

"No," he replied relieved to be able to give him some small comfort.  "Lo'La has a cloaking device that works for a short period of time.  They won't see us and they should take any disturbance as some sort of distortion in their scanners.  No one came looking for them when they came here and even if they do make the connection, we aim to be gone long before they can do anything about it."

"Good son, that's good."

And he thought that there would be more to say at this point.  That it should be profound and memorable.  But it felt too much like good-bye so he said nothing.

"Well son," Jack said looking at him at last  "You've got things to do. You'd better get to them."

He laughed a bit at that, "Yeah you're right."

He pulled the small envelope out of his pocket and tossed it to his father.  It had letters for his sisters and a few photos of him and Aeryn that Jack had taken that morning and he knew would be shown and quickly hidden away.

"I wish you could come dad," he blurted out suddenly.

The old man grinned.  "Naw son, I'm to old for that kind of excitement.  Now you go on... and be careful out there."

And they didn't say anything else and they didn't touch each other because they both knew if they did, they might not be able to let go.   

So he grinned and sketched his father one last salute. 

Then he turned and walked away.

________________________________


"When Crichton?  When?"  D'Argo's voice was fraught with tension that he ignored because he could feel it now.  It was still in the stars but it knew he was here now and it wouldn't stay hidden long.

"In a microt D-man, just keep the speed."

And the temperature was rising because Lo'La wasn't made for atmospheric skimming, but his modifications were holding and ......"

There it was suddenly, appearing like a starburst flare ahead of them.  It swirled and dipped both a welcome and warning.  Aeryns hand griped his suddenly and he let her because he understood her fear.  But he knew their language and if he spoke they would listen.

"Now D'Argo, now!"

And there was a wrench as they broke free of Earth's gravity and a rushing in his ears and then the rushing became voices and faces and places all rushing by at the speed of light and competing for space in his brain.  And he almost panicked, he almost gave in to the chaos in his head because it was crowded and noisy and all threatening to spill over and push out his sanity.  But then he felt Aeryn's fingers gripping his hand hard and Einstein's voice threading through the maelstrom.

"Fear is the key."

So he reached out and grabbed it.

And he hung on to his fear with one hand and his love with the other and it served as a balance against the storm.  And he could feel her deep in his brain almost hidden by the other noises but getting stronger all the time.  And he gripped Aeryn's hand tighter because the pressure was almost too much, and he wanted to scream and let go but he couldn't because you could never go back before you left and he had to hold on till he got past that.  And just when he thought he'd surely killed them all he felt the right rhythm, heard the right sounds and caught hold of it with his mind as forced his mouth to scream out.

"NOW D'ARGO NOW!!"

Then there was silence and an absence of sensation, and a little bit of sadness now that it's gone from him again. 

And D'Argo was clapping him hard on the back and Chiana was choking him with her hug and through it all he could hear Pilot and Sikozu and Noranti all at once and they didn't understand his question or why he asked but when they answer he choked back the tears because it had been three solar days since they all left and he'd done it.  They hadn't been in this place before.

And he opened his eyes slowly and finally joined in the laughter because there she was.  His savior, his home.

Moya.

[Atana]

"What do you see when you look out there?"  She asked him partly because she wanted to know and partly because she didn't want to startle him by sneaking up on him.  Truth was she'd been standing in the doorway of command for half an ahrn waiting for him to move. 

He glanced at her and then stared out of the view screen again.  "At first I saw away to leave home.  Then I saw a way back.  Now," he shrugged.  "I'll have to get back to you."

"Are you alright?"

He didn't glance at her this time merely shook his head.  "No."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be.  I'll be fine. Being back on Earth was hard.  Leaving was harder.  I just need......some time."

She sighed and moved a few steps closer to him.  She wasn't quite sure how she felt about time.  Some things it helped, others.... it frelled up. 

"For what it's worth, I understand how you feel."

She saw the corners of his mouth tug slightly upwards, "I don't think so.   But thanks all the same."

She reached for his arm and when he didn't flinch away turned him to face her.  "Dreaming of coming home, only to find that no matter how much you love it, no matter how much it meant to you....you no longer belong there?  And feeling frelling lost because you now don't know where you belong?  Yes Crichton I have some idea what that's like."

He stared at her a microt and then dropped his head.  "You're right.  I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it turned out alright in the end."

"Did it?"

"Yes. You were right.  I was more."

The hint of a smile turned into the genuine article for a moment and then he was serious again.  "How did you handle it Aeryn?  The loss of all you loved?"

She frowned at bit at that, not sure how to answer.  "I don't really know.  I think, over time, I simply found other things that mattered.  Other things to love."

He sighed, "It's not that easy for me Aeryn."

"It wasn't for me either.  Sometimes I still miss things.  But that's just the way it is."

He laughed a bit at that.  "And what is it that you've found that matters?  Tell me Aeryn I could use the inspiration."

She shrugged.  "Basic things.  Being Moya's protector.  Rescuing those children from that damaged Space Station.  Stopping your wormhole technology from falling into the wrong hands.  The things I did while I was gone.  All those things mattered."

He reached out and fingered a tendril of her hair before pushing it gently back behind one ear.  "Ever the soldier," he said in a voice that was half amused and half sad.  "Always looking for a cause. Well I'm not a soldier Aeryn for all that I carry a gun.  I need more than duty and honor."

"It's not all about duty John."

"Oh really, and name one thing that matters to you that isn't?"

She hesitated a moment, afraid to tell him what was really on her mind.  But he had said he needed honesty from her and here was as good a place to start as any.

"Being John Crichton's lover matters.  It matters most of all."

He blinked and shook his head slightly, "Aeryn, I......"

She stopped him by placing her fingertips lightly against his lips.

"I'm not trying to rush anything and you don't have to speak.  I just wanted you to know......."

And she started to say something further.  She started to tell him how much she'd missed him while she had been gone.  How she'd almost come back that first day out but she hadn't been able to raise Pilot and she'd figured he'd gone.  How she slept huddled in a corner of her bed because it was too big and she was always cold because his warmth wasn't there and it had only been the thought of him that had kept her alive when things had gotten bad.  She wanted to tell him all of that but she couldn't, because his hands were in her hair and he was kissing her.

And it never ceased to amaze her how something so small could touch her so deeply.  How the simple tangle of lips and tongues and the light caress of a hand could send fire swirling in her belly and befuddle her brain.  How everything seemed possible when she was in his arms and the world disappeared and it didn't matter if they died tomorrow as long as they could be here now.

"Ummh," she whispered licking the taste of him off her lips when he finally let her go.  "Now who's rushing things?"

He laughed and the rumble was like music to her ears.

"No rushing.  I just...... needed that right then."

She nodded into the soft fabric covering his chest.  "Yeah, me too."

He was silent for a moment and then he put his mouth against her ear and said," I love you, you know.  Never stopped, not even for a microt, not even when things were bad.  That's why it hurt so much when you left, and why it hurt even worse when you came back with all your secrets.  Because the love's still there Aeryn, it's still there."

She struggled to speak past the lump in her throat.  "I am...so......sorry.  I wish I could take it back.  But I...."

"Shhh," he cut her off.  "No more I'm sorry's.  I'm tired of that."

She tightened her grip on his back.  "I may need to say it again."

"No.  What's done is done and can't be changed.  I need to know the answers to my questions Aeryn.  But I don't need your apologies.  Not any more."

She sniffled a bit to hold back the tears and then pulled back just enough to look at him.  "So I take it we should have our talk then."

He contemplated that for a moment and then leaned in and kissed her again.  "One day at a time Aeryn.  One day at a time. Tomorrow I think, is soon enough for that.  Right now, I just like being with you.  So lets just stay here awhile, O.K? Can we do that?"

She rested her head back against his shoulder her face naturally burrowing until it found it's favorite spot just under his chin.  "Alright, we'll stay. It's...... nice."

His grip tightened for a moment and then his fingers found her hair.  "Ask you something Aeryn?"

"Course,"

"When I hold you like this do you get....?"

"Deja New?" she asked cutting him off again.

"What?"

"The other John told me it was when you felt like you've done something before when you really hadn't."

"Oh.  That's vu Aeryn and yes."

"Not really, no.  I told you there was no difference in my mind but that's not what I meant.  I only meant that you are John Crichton.  Same feelings, different man.  I don't confuse you any more.  I know who I'm with."

She felt rather than saw the smile on his face and allowed herself the luxury of closing her eyes.

"Then I guess you were right after all."

"Humm?"

"Same feelings, different man.  Deja New after all."

"You are crazy Crichton."

She smiled as he pulled her tighter.  "Only about you babe, only about you."

[Atana]

I've just re-read this.  It still takes my breath away.  Very, very beautiful, Atana! 

Tracy

Wow!!! Really enjoyed this one. Thanks for taking all the time and effort to do it.

Tracy