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Author: Jessica Short - kamikaze@stuntman.co.uk
Archived: 03-June-00
Rating: PG, language
Spoilers: This story takes place a few weeks after A Human
Reaction and before any of the other episodes after it.
Summary: After A Human Reaction, Aeryn gets a surprise...
Feedback: Definitely. Good or bad, comments are always
welcome at: kamikaze@stuntman.co.uk Please bear in mind that
this is my first Farscape fan fiction though!
Disclaimer: The characters of Farscape are owned by The
Jim Henson Company and the SciFi Channel.
She found herself once again in front of the toilet, heaving heavily into the bowl, her stomach muscles painfully contracting and throwing up the previous night's meal contents. She had managed to hold back her hair, avoiding contact with the vomit that splattered up the bowl's sides.
The regurgitating subsided and she fell backwards against the wall beside the toilet, panting and covered in a thick blanket of perspiration. Her fringe was matted against her forehead in clumps and mixtures of vomit and sweat stained the front of her vest. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her and hoped no one had heard her. It was the early arns of the morning, she had slept soundly, no feeling of illness and then she had woken and the urge to wretch had come suddenly, it had happened several times this weeken and it was lucky her sleeping quarters were near the bathroom otherwise she would have been in a bit of a predicament. There was no headache or dizziness to accompany the sickness, in fact, she felt better almost immediately after she had thrown up.
Aeryn groaned, flushing away any evidence, then returned to her quarters, relieved to find everybody else fast asleep in theirs.
Pilot's voice invaded her dreams though she was soon aware that he wasn't in her dreams, that his voice was echoing throughout Moya. She opened her eyes, trying to resist the urge to shut everything out and return to sleep, something she longed for so much after this morning,s performance. But with a groan she forced herself to sit up, realising she hadn,t actually changed her clothes from the mishap and stank of her own sick. Disgusted with herself she quickly made her way to the shower, completely blocking out what Pilot was saying.
Crichton made his was to the command room at Pilot,s request, pleased to see D'Argo, Zhaan and Rygel already there, though a little anxious at Aeryn's absence.
"What's up?" He asked them.
"Moya's detecting another ship's presence in this region." D'Argo informed him, turning to Pilot's holigrammic picture for more information.
"She's quite worried for her baby. The ship appears to be rather large, larger than Moya, and there are weapons aboard, lots."
"Okay, okay, we don't know that they're the enemy, have you tried to make contact with them yet?" John asked with rationalism.
"Not as yet Crichton, the interference from the dust clouds in this region are blocking the frequency, but we should be able to soon." The alien informed him.
"Pilot, is Moya able to starburst at the moment?" D'Argo asked.
"At the moment, yes, but I cannot guarantee it to be a very powerful one, Moya is very vulnerable at the moment and most of her power is going towards the baby's development." Pilot explained.
"Well, at least we can run if they turn on us." Zhaan concluded.
"So, we just wait for the interference to cease?" D'Argo asked no one in particular.
"Right, I mean these peopl...aliens, whatever, could just be passing or going down on planet for supplies, or even approaching us for supplies." John thought aloud.
"Right, or it could be a Peacekeeper mastership." Rygel added ungratefully.
"Peacekeeper what?" It was Aeryn's voice, startling them all as she entered behind them pulling her waistcoat into place.
"Where have you been?" John asked.
"Had a shower." The ex-Peacekeeper shrugged. "Anyway, what's going on?"
"Well, if you'd been here when Pilot called us..." The Luxan spat at her.
"There's an unidentified ship heading this way, we can't identify or communicate with it because of the dust clouds. Is there any possibility it could be Peacekeeper?" John interrupted.
"Pilot, do you have mass calculations, yaw data or anything that could determine its identity?" She asked with a yawn, ignoring John and instead turning to Pilot.
"I'm afraid not Officer Sun, the clouds are too thick, I can only determine the size of it as larger than Moya."
"I say we starburst now and get the frell away from them immediately." Rygel offered grumpily.
"But then some would call you a coward." D'Argo growled receiving a flash of a smile from John and Zhaan at the Hynerian's offence.
"I'm not a coward, I have led many into..."
"Whatever Rygel." Zhaan cut in a little tired of the Hynerian's speeches. "We must agree on what to do."
"Wait, I'm receiving a transmission from another beacon, it's the ship." Pilot announced.
The crew fell silent and turned to the monitor that would receive the broadcast.
An alien appeared on the screen, well, John would describe him as human actually, his skin was heavily tanned and well, he had a metal plate embedded into the left half of his skull. His overall appearance was a little scruffy, but he was clean and looked to John as being sincere.
"Greetings, my name is Vexan, I'm travelling on the ship approaching you, please do not be alarmed, we mean you no harm."
"What do you want?" D'Argo asked rudely, though a little anxious.
"Our ship has taken much damage after crossfire with another, we have damages to repair which we can do ourselves but we have injured crew and no facilities on board to help them, I was hoping that..."
"Of course you may board, we will treat your wounded with generosity." Zhaan interrupted, bowing her head slightly.
"A Pa'u, I am in luck in choosing this ship. We will send our pod over with them in" He smiled gratefully.
D'Argo, John and Aeryn all turned to Zhaan with bewilderment on their face as the transmission ended.
"Are you crazy?!" Aeryn asked in a less than normal tone. "We don't know the first thing about these people, they could be savages!"
"They're not." Zhaan simply said. "They're of the Clectron race, ancestors to Pa'u's, they are a peaceful race who would never harm another being without good reason." She explained.
"So how do you explain the crossfire?" D'Argo asked.
"There must have been a reason." Zhaan concluded, not even blinking at the rage the others were throwing at her.
"Alright fine, so we,ll let them aboard." John resigned. "But our supplies are low as it is, we don't have enough to share."
"We'll manage, we picked up quite a large amount of medi supplies with our last collection and to my knowledge we haven't had reason to use them." Zhaan explained calmly.
"Well okay, we,ll do what we can to accommodate them, but as soon as they're fixed they're gone." The Luxan decided.
"They'll eat all our food!" Rygel whined, the others ignoring him completely.
Having all finally agreed to the choice Zhaan had made, though not really given any choice, they agreed that Zhaan and D'Argo head down to the storage to collect what they may need while John and Aeryn set up the cargo bay for the wounded.
Aeryn cursed Zhaan inwardly at having placed her with John. Things had been difficult between them ever since they had come back from false Earth two weekens ago, ever since that night. She had thought about it a lot, it had even kept her up at night but John had shown no interest in raising the matter of what happened between them and so she had never tried to question him about it. To her it had been a night of pleasure with someone she felt something for, though she was still trying to figure out what. Every time she was around John she felt alive, and that night they had exchanged something that would usually mean nothing to her as a Peacekeeper, and yet it bothered her intensely that she couldn't forget it.
They walked silently down the corridor towards cargo bay 2 as Zhaan had instructed.
John looked at Aeryn, wondering whether to attempt conversation with her.
It had been so awkward between them since false Earth; it was like she had pushed him away after what they had shared. Her dismissal of it hurt him, he wondered if it had meant anything to the Peacekeeper like it had meant something to him, like it had opened up something in him, relit a burnt out flame. He had thought about confronting her about it, but didn't want to start World War three and so had left it.
God, he had to say something before his brain exploded from the silence.
"What was with you this morning?" He asked suddenly, making the Peacekeeper jump slightly.
"With me, what do you mean?" She asked, confused by the human terms.
"What was the matter with you? Why were you so late to Command?"
"I...er...I told you I was having a shower." A lame
answer, but the truth.
"I didn't hear Pilot call for me because of the water running."
Liar.
"Aeryn, is everything okay?" He caught up with her having realised she had been taking large steps to distance the space between them.
"Fine, just peachy." She flashed a smile towards
him then returned her gaze to the hall ahead.
John sighed; he could never get through to her at the best of
times.
His interrogation of her was distracted by the nauseous feeling that brewed in the pit of her stomach, she could relate to it from the first time she flew a proper prowler at sixteen cycles, travel sickness.
"..wouldn't you?" She blinked, turning to John as he finished off his sentence.
"What?" She shook her head trying to rid the dizzy feeling.
John sighed. "Have you been listening to a word I've been saying?" He asked slightly angrily.
"Look John, I've got a few things on my mind right now, can we just...can we just get to the cargo bay and get the job done." So that I can return to bed.
Hearing the stress in her voice he shut his mouth and they continued to walk with her in silence.
The job was quick, they set up as many places to put wounded as possible and helped Zhaan and D'Argo with the moving of the supplies.
It was about half an arn before the transport pod reached Moya and docked in the main carrier. Vexan appeared first, dressed in black leathers wrapped tightly around his chest and legs and covered by a long dark black jacket. John's first thought was of scenes from The Matrix.
"It is good to meet you in person Vexan." Zhaan stepped forward bowing her head.
"You too Pa'u," Vexan bowed his head in return.
"Zhaan please." The blue woman offered.
D'Argo stepped forward. "Where are the injured?" He asked, Vexan turned to the transport pod and watched as two men carried a stretcher from it.
"Here she is." Vexan moved from their views.
"She? There's just one?" John asked, a little pissed off at all their wasted preparation.
"Yes just one, but Shace, she is a very special one, she is a..."
"Triniton." Zhaan finished in awe as she caught sight of the women's deep orange skin.
"Triniton, what the frell's a Triniton?" Aeryn asked in annoyance, gripping her pulse rifle with unease.
"It is a race of Pa'u's that have the ability to read, people's minds." D'Argo informed them, Zhaan looked up to him. "You know of them?"
"Yes, my race encountered them a few cycles back, from what I know they are a very peaceful race." The Luxan announced informatively, though still backing away slightly from the injured Triniton.
"That is correct." Vexan agreed. "But Shace is desperately ill, she was injured in the fire fight we encountered and we do not have the necessary resources to treat her."
"What kind of resources?" John asked in wonder.
"A levage kit, blood supplies, sterilised material. Though simple materials we do not have them aboard our ship." The stranger replied.
"Why a levage kit? What's wrong with her?" Aeryn asked, knowing briefly what one was.
"Shace has internal bleeding, we fear for her life if something is not done very soon." They could all see the pain in his eyes as he spoke and looked down at the unconscious woman. Triniton's were renown for their deep orange skin and long red hair; she was much the same, if not paler from the inflicted wounds.
"We have the equipment necessary to treat her, but none
of us have the knowledge of what to do." Zhaan explained
regretfully.
"I can perform the operation, the equipment is what I needed."
Vexan told them. "Is there somewhere fairly clean that she
can be laid?"
"Cargo bay 2 on Tier 7 is empty now and pretty clean." Aeryn offered.
Vexan looked to the Pa'u for clearance, who nodded in agreement with the Peacekeeper.
The two men carrying Shace, both similar in appearance to Vexan followed D'Argo to Tier 7 while Zhaan led Vexan back to where the medical supplies were kept.
"How did she arrive on board your ship?" She asked with interest.
"Triniton's are a very, well, rare race. When we docked onto one planet she was on the run with a bounty on her head, we offered her an escape route with us. But unfortunately we were chased by mercenaries who damaged our ship. We managed to starburst away before serious harm could be done, well, except Shace's injuries."
"Guess all this was a waste of time." Aeryn sighed looking around the room they had prepared.
"Well at least we were prepared for the worst." John offered. He paused, looking at the Sebaccian while regarding his next question, then continued. "Say, what do you know about this whole mind reading business?" He asked curiously.
"I really don't agree with the idea of another person getting inside your head it's an invasion of privacy and I wouldn't tolerate it." Her answer was stubborn and quickly related as if some thought had been put behind it. Crichton was slightly shocked by her forwardness in the matter. "Wow, I take it she's not gonna get many visits from you."
"Any visits." Aeryn corrected as she left the cargo bay for command, with D'Argo and Zhaan off treating Shace there was nobody to help Pilot with command, and it wasn't like she wasn't going to trust Rygel. Besides, she needed time to think about stuff.
Vexan looked down at his patient nervously, he explained that he had practised medicine briefly but nothing as serious as this, only from textbooks. Zhaan stood beside him offering support in any way she could.
What needed to be done was the opening of the woman's stomach
and to sew up whatever had burst from the assault.
Though messy, the operation went without hitches, Moya was fully
equipped from their stop at the previous planet and Vexan's textbook
reading was obviously up to scratch as Zhaan observed that he
seemed to know what he was doing with confidence. Having found
the problem as a burst kidney he had been able to sew it up,
and eventually sew her up. It was a time costing procedure that
required patience, but was completely successfully.
Dark green blood covered Vexan and Zhaan and so a shower was next on their list of things to do after checking the patient was well.
D'Argo strolled into Command, a little sick at the operation he had just witnessed. Aeryn stood in front of the controls, watching the star field in front of her.
"I'll take over now Aeryn." D'Argo offered, startling the Peacekeeper.
"What? Oh...okay." She turned to him, caressing her neck with her hands. "How's the patient?" She asked.
"Well, the operation, a little messy, went well and the problem was solved." D'Argo shrugged.
"You don't sound too pleased."
"I'm not sure how comfortable I am with having a mind reader on board Moya." The Luxan admitted.
Aeryn smiled as he took her place. "That makes two of us." She told him as she left Command.
She was there again, in the toilet throwing up, her stomach muscles already pulled from last times actions. The sweat poured from her pores as it did before and the encapsulating nausea claimed her focus as she stumbled back to her quarters. Something was seriously wrong and the others would begin to notice soon if she didn't find a cure. Or a reason.
The following day was rough, more interrogations from John and an avoidance of Tier 7 in case Shace woke and entered her mind. Her only peace was when she was in Command controlling the ship or keeping Pilot company.
It was that night in the mess hall that she was confronted by John as she sat eating alone.
"Aeryn. What's going on?" He asked, sitting beside her, refusing to move even with the best efforts of her death stare.
"Nothing Crichton, why should there be anything wrong?" She asked, evasion being Plan A.
"Well, you said yesterday that you had things on your mind. Believe it or not it's easier to share your problems than bottle them up inside." He told her. She looked up at him, debating to herself whether to tell him about the illness, it was better not to bother him. But that wasn't the only thing on her mind, that night. That one damn night they had shared together.
"Is this about what happened...down on false Earth?" His words were unsure and his eyes fell to the table.
"What happened happened, neither of us should have done it but we did. Can we just forget about it?" She shoved her chair angrily from the table and walked out, cringing intensely at her words.
John dropped his head into his hands with a deep sigh, he should have known it meant nothing to her, he could have saved himself the pain by realising that, but he had hoped anyway.
She found herself on the verge of tears, trying to control the feeling that cried out to her to tell John how she felt, how much she had enjoyed that night and how much she wanted it to happen again.
Aeryn sunk into her bed, pushing her pulse rifle onto the floor and revelling in the echo it created down the hallway.
Zhaan and Vexan waited patiently beside Shace as she began to stir.
"Y'know, people are usually afraid of Trinitons, but you don't seem to be bothered." He noted.
"I can control my thoughts, hide what I don't want found, channel my mind. Besides, I don't have anything to hide from her." Zhaan explained, hoping it was true; she had never encountered a Triniton before and hoped her Pa'u background would save her from digging up the past.
"Of course, I am the same as you. But your crew members, they seem to be determined to keep their distance from her."
"They are not like us Vexan, their mind holds no barriers and I fear they are afraid of what may be revealed." The Pa'u confessed.
"It is nothing to fear, it happens a lot."
Shace's eyes opened as she groaned and they both turned to her. Vexan began to explain gently where they were and what had happened.
She found herself in the mess hall again, thankfully John had left. The Peacekeeper got out a box of food cubes and began munching her way through them realising she actually enjoyed the taste of them.
After two more boxes she decided it was best to get back to her quarters, but not before taking a forth box with her. Something was definitely wrong.
Having devoured the entire box in her quarters, she wandered over to command to see if anything needed to be done. She found D'Argo manning the controls; he turned to her as she entered.
"Have you heard? The Triniton is awake." He told her, her shoulders dropped, Tier 7 was definitely off the agenda.
"Great." She croaked.
"You okay?" It was unusual for the Luxan to care about the Peacekeeper but she looked a state, her hair was unbrushed and her skin paler than the white of her eyes.
"I'll live." Was her only reply. "I'll take Command now." She smiled, D'Argo nodded and left.
Her mind wondered through everything that she could possibly think wrong with her. The sickness in the mornings, the craving of food cubes? It was like she was...oh frell no! She quickly dismissed the thought from her head, but the recent night of passion she had shared with John bounced back into her head. Her hand fell onto her stomach, the morning sickness and food cravings, it was the only explanation.
She was pregnant.
It wasn't something she took lightly or even agreed with but it was the only thing that made sense. The thought itself made her dizzy and she had to steady herself on the controls in front of her.
"Aeryn? You okay?" It was John's voice from behind her, the one person she really didn't need to see right now. He was quickly by her side, placing his hand onto her forehead.
"Jesus you're burning up." He told her. "We gotta get you back to your quarters before you collapse."
"I'm fine Crichton." She retaliated through clenched teeth.
"Right, and Elvis is dead."
Aeryn stared at him before quickly dismissing the phrase he had used, putting it down to her translation microbes.
"Look Crichton, I don't need your help okay?" She pushed him away a little more harshly than she intended and once again stormed away from him.
John couldn't understand it, okay; he had chosen not to bring the Earth subject up with her because she had said forget it, but now she was totally out of line. He turned to follow her and have it out once and for all but Pilot's voice interrupted him. "John Crichton, your presence is required in the cargo bay on Tier 7. I will take control of Moya."
"I'll be right there." He sighed making his way there.
He found Zhaan and Vexan standing beside a conscious Shace. The orange woman smiled at him.
"Nice to meet you John Crichton, please, don't be nervous, come in. I've heard much about you from your bounty and wanted to meet you for so long."
John approached her in small uncertain steps. "Gee I'm flattered, I think."
"What's this thing with you and reading people's minds?" He asked interestedly.
Shace nodded with a smile. "Is that why you're so nervous? Of course it is but I fear my calling has interrupted you from consoling someone." Her brow furrowed as she waited for an answer.
John was surprised, though he knew what she could do; it still surprised him that she was doing it, right now, and to him. "Er...it was just Aeryn in a mood, nothing out of the ordinary." He received a silent smile from Zhaan at his attempt of humour.
"Zhaan, Vexan, would you please excuse us while I learn of John's travel. I am very interested to know how he got to this Galaxy." She turned to them; they both smiled and nodded, obeying like she was their master.
"Certainly Shace." Zhaan led Vexan away. "I'm sure Vexan could do with something to eat."
John took a seat next to Shace's bed. "How ya feeling?" He asked.
"I'm fine now, much better in fact. So, tell me your story."
And so John began to recall his journey with Farscape.
She stared at the body length mirror in front of her, scrutinising her stomach from all angles. Her disbelief began to fuel her into thinking it wasn't possible. But then she remembered her friend in the Peacekeeper Academy, she had fallen pregnant and Aeryn had watched her go through the morning sickness and food cravings. She mentally hit herself for not thinking about it after false Earth, they had never taken precautions, both wallowing in their own sorrows too busy to think of the consequences. Now she was lumped with this.
Once again she slumped down onto her bed, pulling her knees into her chest and rocking gently with her eyes shut. Tears fell freely down her cheeks as she began to think about it more and more, she wasn't mother material. And John, what would John say, frell he would kill her for sure.
Time had passed quickly and John had reached the end of his story.
"That is a tough journey you have endured John Crichton." She paused, looking at the human. "Please, go and find her John,it's not doing either of us any good if you're preoccupied by...Aeryn was it?"
John was lost for words. "I...er...I'm sorry, I'm just..."
"Worried about her, you don't have to tell me John." She smiled. "Though after what happened between the two of you a few weekens ago, what it is I'm not too clear, you should take it easy, it has obviously had consequences and created a difference between you two. Please go and sort it out and I will get some rest."
John smiled, squeezing her hand briefly before leaving to find Aeryn.
He watched her in silence, she lay on her bed asleep and John knew she had been crying by the redness surrounding her eyes. What the hell is up with you Aeryn? Why won,t you just tell me? He left her, letting her rest and hoping it would calm her down.
John found Zhaan alone in the mess hall. "Where's Vexan?"
"He has returned to check on Shace." Zhaan informed him.
"Zhaan, have you noticed anything weird about Aeryn lately?" He asked, taking a seat opposite her. Zhaan looked at him a little hesitantly.
"What? What is it Zhaan?"
"I fear that Aeryn is ill in someway. I have been observing her out of worry; she seems very distant and often closes her eyes as if dizzy and steadies herself. I dare say I have heard her get up in the middle of the night too."
John was shocked by her knowledge on the subject.
"What?! Well why didn't you tell me?" He asked a little pissed off.
"Aeryn is entitled to her own privacy, as far as I'm concerned she has approached no one about this and would prefer to kee--> it this way."
"If she's sick, she may need help or medicine." John's frustration was beginning to show.
"You care about her a lot John, any fool could see that.
But maybe she's not ready to share what she's going through."
John nodded. "Fine, I'll wait, but in the mean time we'd
better be prepared to get our asses kicked." He muttered
leaving Zhaan to eat in peace.
Zhaan thought about what John had said, guilt crept up in her, she hadn't told him the full story. She had heard Aeryn's sickness at night when she had woken to meditate.
Shace sat on the side of her bed, looking at Vexan. "Triniton's
have intense healing powers, I'm fine really." She insisted.
"Shace, we just opened you up and sewed a burst organ of
yours!" Vexan argued.
"I know you're worried, I can feel it, but it's about nothing. My body can heal faster than yours. Look Vexan, there's no need to worry about your reputation if I die. I'm not going to die, I'm fine."
Vexan blushed slightly as his thoughts were revealed; it was because he was thinking about it so hard. "Alright, then I insist on escorting you around the ship on a tour." Vexan held out his arm which Shace happily looped hers around.
"I accept."
And they began their exploration of the leviathan.
Aeryn woke an arn later, she sat up quickly, realising she had fallen asleep. She stood, stretching her body in an attempt to get rid of any impending cramps that may arrive unexpectedly. And then she remembered, looking down at her stomach, her revelation. She fell backwards onto the bed, curling into a ball and throwing her head onto her pillow. It couldn't be true; it was impossible, well almost. She was a Peacekeeper, an escaped one at that. Trapped on a pregnant leviathan, pregnant.
Shace and Vexan wondered into the Command, halfway through their tour of the ship, there D'Argo stood with his back to them, sternly staring out into the star field in front of him, his arms folded and his legs shoulder width apart. He turned to identify his visitors, grimacing slightly at Shace,s presence.
"Greetings Ka D'Argo." Shace bowed her head much like Zhaan did.
"Shace, glad to see your healing from your wounds." He smiled falsely.
"D'Argo, you have such a fascinating ship here, would you mind showing us how it operates?" Vexan asked as he stepped beside the Luxan.
The warrior's eyes flicked onto Shace as he hesitated, it wasn't like he didn't mind explaining anything to anyone, but Shace, he felt awkward around just knowing that she might be reading his mind.
"It is okay Ka D'Argo, I shall continue my exploration of the ship. You explain it to Vexan." She smiled. The Luxan felt himself begin to protest her leaving and him being so rude, but he stopped himself as she turned and left the Command.
"Do not worry if she makes you nervous, she has that effect on many people. It does not seem to bother her." Vexan explained. "Now, how the frell does this living ship work?" He asked in intrigue.
Aeryn walked along the corridor of Tier 3, not only was she desperately trying to avoid John but also Tier 7 where Shace was meant to be, but it was only when she walked into something that she realised Shace was right in front of her. She managed to catch her balance, stumbling backwards blurting out apologies then freezing as she realised it was the Triniton.
"Er...sorry...Shace." She began stuttering, trying to think up an excuse to get as far away from the woman as possible.
Shace watched her. "Aeryn, you,ve been avoiding me." Shace gently stepped towards her, cautiously approaching her like she was made of glass. "And I think I know why." The orange woman's hand reached out and brushed the Peacekeeper's stomach. Aeryn jumped backwards, shaking her head, wanting desperately to run away but needing to know more. "You've been trying to deny it haven't you Aeryn." She began her fragile approach again. "You can't hide it, and pretty soon you won't be able to. But you shouldn't keep it from the others, especially not John." Her eyes stared straight into Aeryn's.
"He's worried about you, and I know you care about him."
"Why are you telling me this?" She asked, still backing away.
"I can feel your worry Aeryn, and it hurts me as much as it hurts you." Shace explained calmly.
"I...your..." The Peacekeeper couldn't find any
words to reply with; her worst fears had been confirmed. "I',m
pregnant?" She asked in a hoarse whisper, tears spiking
her eyes. Shace nodded, a little sympathetically.
"Yes Aeryn you are, but I do not understand why you are
upset by this."
She was about to explain, well, try to explain, but from behind Shace, John appeared down the corridor. She froze once again and Shace followed her horrified glare.
"Hey Shace, good to see you up and about." He smiled cheerfully, his mood lowering when he saw Aeryn. Though it wasn't her fault he couldn't help but feel mad that she hadn't felt anything about that night.
"Aeryn." He acknowledged her then turned back to Shace. "So, you're looking around our ship?" He asked.
"Yes I am, it's very fascinating."
"Not when you've spent nearly five monets on it." Aeryn muttered as she turned and left them to their chatting.
John watched as she left, sighing. "I don't suppose you could read her mind and tell me what the hell is wrong with her." He laughed lightly.
"Not my place of work I'm afraid John." She smiled sadly, desperately wanting to help the dumbfounded human.
"So, let me show you around the rest of the ship."
"You're too kind."
Aeryn made her way along the corridor, she felt dizzy again, but not from the pregnancy, from the being pregnant.
An arn passed and Aeryn found herself wondering aimlessly into Command, looking up to see the rest of the crew staring worriedly into space.
"What's going on?" She asked, attracting the attention of them all.
"Pilot's detecting an unknown fleet of attack jets heading into our region." Zhaan explained.
"Well, why didn't you contact me?" Aeryn asked angrily.
"Would it have made a difference?" John spat bitterly.
Aeryn ignored his comment, approaching them with her arms crossed tightly. "Prowlers?" She asked, suddenly interested.
"That's a negative Officer Sun, we would have recognised them. These are slower and slightly larger than your Prowler." Pilot explained.
"And they're headed this way?" She asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid they might be coming for me." Shace admitted. "I fear I may have put you into danger."
"We don't know that. But we should prepare for attack anyhow." John concluded.
"I,ll get my Prowler, I can do more damage in that than in here." She told them. Shace immediately grabbed her arm as she turned to leave, her voice was a whisper.
"Do you really think that's a good idea Officer?" She whispered. Aeryn pulled her arm from the woman's grip.
John stepped forwards. "What's going on?"
"Nothing Crichton." Aeryn snapped. "I'm getting..."
"Aeryn, don't do this." Shace was trying to keep her voice down.
"What's going on?" D'Argo repeated.
Aeryn immediately disliked the situation Shace had put her in, well, she had put herself in.
All eyes were on he as the crew watched the commotion in silence. "I don't know what you,re talking about I'm fine." She turned to leave.
"Aeryn!" Shace cried, she had no choice. "Aeryn...you're pregnant!"
Everyone froze, including Aeryn who eventually turned around,
pure horror on her face, matching that of everyone else's.
"What the hell is going on?" John stepped forward;
his eyes left Shace and fell onto Aeryn, waiting for her to deny
it. But she didn't. How could she be pregnant? Who....? Oh god
no. That night.
Before more questions could be fired at her she turned and fled leaving silence hanging in the air of the Command. John turned to Shace, his mouth and eyes till wide open.
"Shace?"
"It is true John Crichton, Aeryn is pregnant. It will explain to you why she has been acting strangely, she is having side affects of the pregnancy." The Oracle explained.
"This is absurd." D'Argo cut in. "How could Aeryn possibly have..." John turned to him, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Down on Earth we..." He didn't finish the sentence, hoping they would catch on, they quickly did, nodding their sudden understanding with huge grins on their faces.
"John, I think you have someone to find. We will sort out this situation." Shace interrupted, Crichton turned to her and nodded before running off in the direction of Aeryn.
She stopped running to catch her breath, her chest heaving heavily and her heart thumping against her ribs. Raising her head she realised she had led herself back to her quarters. Wiping the flowing tears from her eyes she entered, wondering whether to lock herself in with the knowledge of the impending confrontation by John. What the frell was she going to say? What was he going to say? She dropped her chin to her neck in a resigned sigh and wondered over to the window. It gave her comfort to watch the star field, something she needed right now. Her hand slid onto her stomach, rubbing it gently as her maternal instincts took over, she closed her eyes and let more tears stream down her cheeks, her arms wrapped around her own body.
John watched her in silence, watching her struggling with the knowledge that he knew about the baby. It was killing him to just stand there, but he knew he had to give her time to decide what she was going to say to him and he needed that time too. Aeryn had rejected him when he had asked her if the night had meant anything to him, and now she was carrying his baby. Things would be unbearable, if only he could change her mind. Show her how much he loved her, maybe she could learn to love him.
He began to approach her, his hands began to shake, perspiration built up on his forehead. Sooner than he thought he was beside her and let out a shaky breath that he hadn't realised he'd been holding.
"Hey." He whispered, hoping to ignite some kind of conversation. Aeryn's eyes remained on the star field and he watched their light glistening off her tears.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, in a hushed whisper, thinking that if he spoke any louder she would break. Aeryn let out a small laugh through her nose before shaking her head. "I've been in many fire fights John, a lot where I've faced death or been tortured." She paused and John wondered where it was leading.
"And I have never been this scared in my whole entire life." Her voice was slightly hoarse as more tears threatened to surface. The words simply broke John,s heart and he could feel his own tears stinging his eyes.
There was silence between them, John desperately wanted to reassure her that things would be okay, but he hadn't a clue what she wanted and so he asked. "What do you want Aeryn?"
"Want?" She laughed. "Why does every man assume that a woman wants something from them?"
"That's not what I meant Aeryn." His voice was a little sterner than before.
"Oh?" She turned to him for the first time, looking him in the eye. She would have said more but could no longer trust her voice.
"I meant what do you want to do? About the baby?"
"I honestly don't know John. I,m a Peacekeeper, a killing machine, not a mother."
"I think you'd make a good mother." The human shrugged receiving a raised eyebrow from the Sebacean.
"What do you want Crichton?" She asked, turning back to the star field. Her heart wildly trying to escape from her chest as she waited for his answer.
"You Aeryn."
The answer was unexpected and threw her off course. What did he mean?
She felt his fingertips skim the bare skin on her shoulder.
"I want us Aeryn, you and me together." He pulled her around to face him, forcing eye contact upon her. "I don't know about you, well I guess I do cos you told me, but that night meant everything to me. I woke up the next morning a changed man, a man in love. In love with a beautiful woman. A beautiful woman carrying my baby." His hands grabbed her upper arms to emphasise his seriousness. "Now I know that it didn't mean the same to you...."
"What makes you say that?" She cut in.
"You told me Aeryn, and I'm not saying we should be together just because of the baby. I'm saying I want us together because...because you drive me crazy and I can't stop thinking about you. Maybe you could learn to love me back someday...." His hope diminished as he saw the change in her eyes.
"Learn?" She choked on the words, tears forming crystals in her eyes. She slid her hand up his torso until it rested on the nape of his neck, then pulled his face down to hers.
"I don't have to learn John." She whispered. It startled John that she had used his first name.
The warmth of Aeryn's body as she pulled him towards her turned his legs to jelly; he could feel her breath brushing softly against his skin. His eyes fell to her lips as they moved closer and after what seemed like an eternity, their lips met.
He could never have imagined lips so soft from such a strong person. His hands slipped around her waist, pulling her into him. The kiss deepened and he found himself shocked by Aeryn's passion, He slipped his fingers under her vest, tracing patterns on the small of her back. Her soft groans deepened his desire for her him and he had to resist himself from pulling her any further into him without crushing her small frame.
The kiss was broken as they gasped for breath, their foreheads touching.
"What I said before about that night." Aeryn began. "I was confused about the baby, I didn't mean it..."
"Shhhh." John placed a finger onto her lips. "Doesn't matter." He shook his head. "All that matters is you and the baby." Aeryn smiled, digging her face into John's shoulder as she jumped into a fierce bear hug. John wrapped his powerful arms around her, kissing her hair before resting his head onto hers. "God I'm the happiest man alive." He whispered.
They had gone back to John's room to talk some more, though they found it increasingly difficult to keep they hands off each other as they sat on his bed. The others had been informed briefly of the situation by John and steered clear of that Tier to give them some space, it turned out that the attack jets were Trinitons, coming to claim Shace and taken her into what John would call protective custody, away from the bounty hunters.
John gazed at Aeryn, then her stomach, then back to her face.
"There is one thing I'm not sure you know about because it might be different on Earth."
"What's that?" He asked, gently stroking her hair as she leant against him.
"The gestation period."
It had never occurred to John that it might be different from Earth. "Earth's is nine months...monets."
"Ouch! Sebaccian women have a gestation period of four monets, a quarter of a cycle." Aeryn waited for his reaction.
"Four months! I'm gonna be a father in four months...Jesus, this is...scary...exciting. This is great, I'm gonna be a dad in four month!" He was bouncing himself on the bed, almost screaming. Aeryn had never seen him so...happy?
"Three and a half actually." Aeryn corrected, taking away the two weeks that had passed since fake Earth.
"Wow, this is...surreal." John muttered.
"For you maybe, you're not the one who has morning sickness or the one whose stomach surpasses the size of Rygel's appetite." Aeryn fell back onto the bed. "What am I letting myself in for?" She groaned, Crichton lay down beside her, placing a hand onto her stomach.
"We are gonna get through this just fine and you are gonna look beautiful no matter how big you get or how much you throw up."
"You won't be saying that when I try to rip your arms and legs off." Aeryn laughed.
"True." John pulled her into his grip, letting her rest on his body.
"What about a name?" Aeryn asked suddenly.
"Well, if it's a boy, I wouldn't mind naming him after my father. Jack." Crichton offered.
"Okay, on the condition that if it's a girl, we can name it after my mother, Bethanny." Aeryn replied, John kissed her gently on the forehead. "It's a deal." He whispered.
They lay that way for the rest of the night, talking and listening sharing and giving. For the first time in both of their lives they were at peace with the universe. They had both found something strong that they could hold onto and live for. And at last, they were both home.
The End