Series: Family
Episode: 1
Title: Premiere
Archiving: Where do you want it?
Disclaimer: Farscape and it's characters belong to smart and creative people. Though I am smart and creative, for some reason I do not own Farscape nor the characters therein. Must be an oversight.

Notes: To avoid spoiling you already, I am not gonna say much about the series, except that it will not contain PKW spoilers. This episode started it's life as a short 1300-word prologue, but the next episode raised some questions from my beta (the wonderful officersun524) and so the prologue grew into a nearly full sized episode (about 1000 words shorter as the average size of the other four ready to be beta-ed).

Well, enough talking, on with the show. Enjoy!

The room was completely dark except for the small lamp placed on the table where she sat. Her stylus moved at high speed over the paper, writing down countless symbols, numerals and operators. She had awoken in the middle of sleeping cycle with these strange things running through her head and quietly made her way down to the room where her husband designed new tools and machinery.

She'd been having these visions for over five cycles now, on average once a monen. It had taken awhile before she realized that writing them down helped her sleep the next night. If she didn't write them down, they would be repeated the following nights until she did.

"Are you having these visions again?" Her husband's voice came from the doorway.

She nodded without pausing. He had supported her these past cycles, trying to convince her there was nothing wrong with her, that she was a normal Sebacean who just happened to have these odd visions. She paused just long enough to look at him and cast him a smile before directing her attention to the paper again. "You really don't have to sit with me while I write this down."

"I know, but I do not like lying in the bed alone." He leaned back in the chair. She could feel his gaze on her face; her focus remained on the paper and her stylus. "I like watching you though," he said.

It was obvious he knew how important it was for her to focus on this task; he didn't interrupt her once. It took her almost a quarter arn to complete all the new information she had seen. With a deep sigh, she lay down the stylus and added the six pages to the large stack from all the previous times she had written down her visions. She turned her gaze toward her husband and took his hand in hers.

"Do you understand any of the things you write down?"

That was the first time he asked her. Briefly she wondered why he never had asked her before, until she remembered she had told him in the beginning she did not want to talk about the whole ordeal at all.

"No, I don't." That was a lie. She knew very well what she was dealing with: anomalies that were passageways between points in space and time. She was writing down equations to give her the ability to pinpoint an anomaly, stabilize one, direct one or navigate one.

It also showed her the danger of these anomalies if used in the wrong way. This fact alone was enough for her to keep it secret. Even though her husband knew she had these visions, he should never know what it could be used for and certainly not that she understood most, if not all, of it. "No," she repeated, "I'm just a crazy woman having strange, unexplainable visions."

"You are not crazy. You are a bright, beautiful and perfectly normal Sebacean female, one I love with all my heart."

But that wasn't entirely true either. Just three monens ago, an unusually hot summer proved she was not a normal Sebacean.

Mid-Day was the hottest time of the day, too hot for any Sebacean to be outside. Those who had tried had been affected with Heat Delirium, some even getting dangerously close to the Living Death. She, however, had no problem being outside in the heat. While her husband and all the other inhabitants of the village had to remain inside the cooled houses, she was able to go outside and have a walk or perform some tasks in their small garden.

She remembered the stories of her grandmother who had met an alien that looked like a Sebacean. That alien was also capable of enduring heat without ill effects. Was it possible her grandmother had been pregnant with his child, the child that grew up to be her father? It was unfortunate her parents where both dead, but both her grandparents might still be alive.

Perhaps it was time for her to leave this planet and go search for her grandparents. One of them might have the answers to the question of her origins and especially what she should do about the visions. Should she take her husband with her on this quest? Would he want to? If he would go with her, she would have to tell him the truth, both about her possible origins and the meaning of the visions. She should also tell him he might never return here, never see their friends and neighbors again. No matter what he would decide, she would go, she had no other choice.

"Dearest, are you alright?"

"Yes, I am, I was just thinking."

"I know. You were stroking your lower lip with your thumb again." He smiled at her. "Is it something you want to share with me?"

She sighed again. She should tell him, give him some time to think about coming with her. "I am not entirely Sebacean. Three monens ago I was outside the house during the hottest period of the day while everyone else had to stay inside. I was never affected by the heat like any of you."

"That does not mean you are not a Sebacean."

"Perhaps. But I remember the stories Nana told about an alien she met who looked like a Sebacean. He was not susceptible to the heat either. I think Nana loved him and he might be my grandfather."

"Even if that is true, that is not what was worrying you so much a moment ago. You have obviously known this some monens and I know you well enough to realize you have processed this information and the implications."

"You are right, my love, but it is part of the problem. I think the visions I have are linked to my grandfather. Nana once told me he obtained all knowledge regarding some kind of advanced technology. The knowledge was given to him but he would not be able to access it all because of the danger they imposed. He was to learn on his own, the given knowledge only a guide. He may have had that knowledge in his genetic codes and passed it on to his son, my father, who passed it on to me."

"That too is not what is worrying you."

"I want to go find my grandfather or Nana. They will be able to tell me more and I need to know what is going on, what the implications are for me. I want you to come with me but I should warn you that we might never come back here."

"Dearest, if there is even a chance of you not returning I will not let you leave without me." He smiled warmly at her and she knew he meant what he said.

But should she do this to him? From her grandmother's stories she knew it was a dangerous place and while Nana had taught her how to use a weapon and some fighting techniques, her husband had never done anything else but building and repairing agricultural tools and machines. And she wasn't that good at fighting and shooting either, especially considering she hadn't done either for over seventy cycles.

"I can manage, you know. You may never have seen me do it, but I have learned some fighting skills and I can aim better than anyone in the village."

How did he do that? How did he always seem to know what she was thinking? "I love you, Meric."

"And I love you, Ennixx. I will follow you anywhere."

"Then you can follow me back to bed. We will discuss our plans tomorrow."

Ennixx awoke early that morning, feeling her husband's solid frame against her back, his arm draped over her midsection. A smile formed on her face at just the thought of waking up next to him, even though she had done so every solar day for the past fifty-seven cycles. She still loved him completely, and she was certain he loved her equally.

But this time she did wonder if those feelings would change, now that they had decided to leave the favored planet, their lives behind. She was certain she would keep loving Meric until the day they died, but would he still love her? This thing would certainly show Meric that she had kept a lot of herself hidden, downplayed her character immensely.

Ennixx remembered how Nana had explained to her that most men on the favored planet would not be interested in a woman who liked to fly, explore or shoot weapons. So, Ennixx had kept that part of herself concealed the moment she had met Meric, over seventy cycles ago. She had immediately realized he was a gentle person and would certainly not be interested in what she was interested in.

Ennixx had observed that Nana was indeed correct in her assessment of the men here. She had even witnessed cases where the man would forcefully let his wife know she was not to do anything but take care of the house, offspring and light agricultural work. It must have been very difficult for Nana when she had first arrived, knowing she would be trapped here for a long time.

The last fifty-five cycles Ennixx had seen a glimpse of who Nana had been before she had arrived here. The microt Crichton, her grandfather, had arrived, Nana had changed, though her age had prevented her from doing many of the things she used to do.

Still, Ennixx was sure her husband wouldn't force her to stay in the background in case they did get in a situation outside the barrier. But would he still love her? Ennixx was unsure about that, though his comments last night did not indicate he would stop loving her. Maybe he would even be impressed by her. Yes, she should do her best to impress him with her hidden talents and skills.

Suddenly Meric's arm tightened around her, in a reassuring hug. Maybe it was more than just a reassuring hug, considering that his mouth was now traveling over her shoulders, neck and back. She started to smile again. "Good morning to you, too."

"Morning, dearest."

That was all he was willing to say, his mouth once again returning to kissing her back.

Ennixx slowly turned around to face him and kissed him in return. "You know, my love, we have a lot of work to do later. And we didn't get that much sleep last night."

Meric shrugged. "Since when has that stopped us? Or are you not in the mood?"

Ennixx snorted. "When has that ever happened? I was just looking out for you." She kissed him again. "Old man." She couldn't help but tease him.

Meric snickered. "You are not that young yourself." He was a little surprised she was taking over his attempt to initiate sex. Usually he was the one to bring it up, and though he had now, she was definitely taking charge.

Ennixx kissed him again and pushed him onto his back. "My love, stop talking, and I will show you how young I still am."

The last thought Meric had, was that his wife had definitely taken charge of their love life now. And he loved it!

"You were right, Meric. This is the perfect place to make our preparations. Are you sure our neighbors will not hear the pulse pistol firing?"

"I am unsure, but I doubt they will. We are not too close to the village, and the surrounding land is laying waste." Meric retrieved three knifes from his pockets and laid them on the nearby work bench.

Ennixx, having observed the seemingly casual way he had handled them, looked at him. "Have you been hiding some things about yourself from me?" The smile took the edge off the accusation.

Meric shrugged. "I am starting to wonder the same thing about you."

Ennixx chuckled. "You wouldn't be entirely wrong."

Meric nodded. "That's what I thought after our conversation last night." He moved some of the junk that was scattered all over the floor out of the way to create room for them to practice their fighting skills, and was surprised by Ennixx' help. She seemed much stronger than he thought she was. He grinned at her. "I guess you did not really need my help yesterday with that jar."

Ennixx looked down shyly. She had not forgotten her fear of his possible reaction to what she had been hiding from him but, within the blink of an eye his arms were around her.

"You should not feel ashamed, dearest." Meric kissed her gently. "You were taught to be the wife most men on this planet need. Perhaps I should have told you after we met, that that is not what I need." He kissed her again. "I just needed you, no matter what you wanted with your life or what you were capable of."

Ennixx looked back up at him and saw the sincerity in his eyes, the same sincerity she had heard in his voice, and smiled weakly back at him. "There will be more surprises."

Meric nodded, and squeezed her a little tighter against himself. "I am ready to find out. I am just sorry you felt the need to hide them from me for all these cycles." He chuckled a little. "I guess I will have some surprises for you as well."

Ennixx' smile grew into a grin. "You know I always like your surprises." She kissed him, preventing him from making a comment.

Meric broke off the kiss. "I know you do, but this is not why we are here." He looked around. All the junk was now safely stored in storage compartments or at least lying safely against the walls of the largest room in the building. "I think we still have some mats in our attic. I suggest we go back to the house and retrieve them. You also need to gather the weapons you referred to earlier."

Ennixx nodded. "Yeah, they're in the big chest in the attic."

Meric's eyebrow went up. "I thought it only contained things to remember your grandmother and parents by?"

Ennixx nodded again, smiling. "Yeah. Nana's weapons remind me of her and her strength." Her smile wavered as she remembered her grandparents saying goodbye to her.

Meric kept one arm around his wife as they turned to the door. "I will do anything for you to find your grandparents. You will see them again, I promise."

Meric was barely able to keep the smile off his face. His wife was giving him orders! 'Meric, help me get that trunk on the floor!' 'Meric, take these downstairs!' Briefly he had wondered if he really did want to find out who his wife really was, but quickly came to the conclusion that this was probably a temporary thing, something she needed to get out of her system after keeping it inside for most of her life.

Meric was sure she would not revert to the quiet, obeying wife. He didn't want her too, either. He knew it was uncommon in his village, and probably all over the favored planet, but he had always felt man and wife should be equal partners, but never knew how to bring the subject up with her.

In a way, he had been a coward. He had been afraid of what the neighbors would think of him, if he would allow Ennixx to do as she pleased or involve her when a decision had to be made. He knew that was wrong. Their neighbors had no right to judge their relationship. But it had always been the one thing to hold him back. Probably the only reason he let Ennixx do it now is because they'd be gone within a weeken. He still was a coward.

Disgusted with himself for feeling this way, he sighed as he turned to go upstairs and help his wife carry the mats downstairs. He heard his wife sob before he reached the attic. Should he continue and see if she wanted to be comforted, or if she wanted to be alone with her memory of her parents or grandparents? A moment later he heard the crying stop. She was probably wiping her tears away.

When he stepped into the attic, Ennixx was still sitting on an old chair. The item in her hand told him exactly why she had been crying. He cleared his throat. "I think we should take it with us."

Ennixx looked up at him. "Yeah, I was going to anyway." She put the item in a side pocket of her grandmother's bag, the weapons neatly stored inside them. Then she picked up one half of the mats. "Let's get these things to our exercise room."

"Alright, I set the machine up. It will pop up a target at random intervals." Meric walked back to stand next to Ennixx, a button in his left hand. "It starts when I press this."

Ennixx grinned and picked up her pulse pistol, raising it to the target." Just watch and I will show you how to do this."

Meric raised a questioning eyebrow. "You think you can do this better than me, huh?" The twinkle in his eye showed her he was enjoying her show of confidence. "And what do I get if I prove to be better than you?"

She looked at him bashfully. "I do not have any possessions, so I will have to pay you in other ways. But what do I get if am better, as I know I am."

Meric grinned. "I suspect my respect and eternal love will not suffice as due payment?"

Ennixx shrugged. "Well, respect and eternal love are highly valued. Yes, that will do nicely." She grinned as she noticed that Meric had not expected that answer from her.

Meric's grin had vanished the moment he heard her agree to his terms. That would not do! Then he noticed her smirk and realized he had walked into her trap, allowing the grin to return. "In that case, I must make sure I win. I do not wish to give away my respect and eternal love so easily."

Ennixx chuckled and then turned to the targeting machine. "Meric, love, push the frelling button."

Meric's grin grew even wider. "Yes dearest."

Meric had found reason to adjust his earlier assessment of himself. He hadn't been just a coward for not telling Ennixx she was free to do as she wished, he had been a fool too.

Here they were lying naked on the sparring mat after the most thrilling sex he ever had the pleasure of experiencing. It was obvious this was just another aspect she had kept hidden from him. Out of fear of him. As it turned out, a free Ennixx was a bold Ennixx, one that took great pleasure in teasing him and making sure he was not able to do a thing about it.

But there had been two other surprises before that. Ennixx had managed to hit all targets, a slightly better score than he had managed himself when he missed two. The bigger surprise came when they started their sparring matches. Ennixx hadn't exaggerated her skills. Of the ten matches Meric had only won once. The last one he lost was also the moment Ennixx had decided to show him just what other skills she had been hiding from him.

She had confidently walked towards him, straddling his chest and pinning his upper arms to the mat. Before he realized what was going on, she had his hands tied down to a nearby hook just above his head. With no were to go, he could only lie down and admire her as she took of her clothes. Too slow he had felt at the time, but now he could admit it was just perfect.

Once her clothes had vanished, she had taken a bottle of water and brought it over to him, carefully letting him drink from the bottle. She took it away and let some of it drip on her breasts and then pulled his head to them, letting him lick the water from her skin.

After drinking a bit herself, she had put away the bottle, and slowly walked back to him. The movement had mesmerized him, her beautiful figure all bare to him, the movement of her muscles clearly visible.

Then the real teasing had started, with soft caresses of his chest and stomach, every now and then just dipping in his waistband for very brief moments. She had laughed softly as he had struggled to get his hands on her skin and taking of his pants.

Her hands had then followed the way they'd gone before, her tongue and lips going the same route as she licked and kissed his skin. Finally she opened up his pants. She didn't pull them off completely, but the motion gave his throbbing length the freedom it had been craving for a long time already.

He didn't know just how long it had lasted before both were sated, but it felt like arns. Thinking about it now, it probably had been arns. After their first coupling and subsequent release, she had untied his arms again. Meric had thought she had enough for now, but he'd been mistaken. Even before he'd been able to move his arms to embrace her, she was again caressing and kissing his body.

How many times had they coupled this afternoon? Four times? Yes, four times, every time with Ennixx in total control of their movements. Meric hoped this wasn't just a temporary display, like her ordering him around earlier. He realized he was growing hard again. Before he could ask Ennixx if she was awake, he felt her smile against his chest.

She looked up at him. "You want some more exercising, love?"

He felt her hand rubbing his erection and all rational thought fled his mind.

How dare they interfere with their lives! Meric was angry at their neighbors. Some of them had seen Ennixx moving some of their belongings from their house to the transport pod, though nobody knew a pod was her destination.

They had asked him if he realized what his wife was doing, and shouldn't he tell her that this was not her task. He had said that, yes, he was aware of what she was doing, and no, he was not going to tell her to stop.

But that wasn't the worst of his anger. His brother had seen fit to let Ennixx know to stop doing whatever it was she was doing. And he hadn't intended to let her know with words only. Neither Ennixx nor his brother had seen him arrive at the apex of their confrontation. He'd heard his brother's voice and then Ennixx responds to his brother clearly, telling him not to interfere. That was the point at which Meric was able to see them standing in their garden. His brother had attempted to hit her, but with much satisfaction Meric had seen his wife evade the fist and take down his brother with one swift move.

Meric yelled at his brother and made clear to him that he should never touch Ennixx again. Looking back, Meric could see the irony of the statement. Tomorrow they would be gone, so his brother wouldn't even be able to touch her.

Meric sighed. Neither of them had told anyone they were leaving, and he wasn't planning on telling anyone now. They would leave a note of course, to explain where they'd gone and that they didn't expect to return here.

Did other places have such narrow-minded beliefs as well? Why would his friends and neighbors not accept that women are entitled to a life of their own too? Why did most, if not all, of the men around him believe that women should be pressured into obedience and by force if they couldn't do otherwise? He wished he had let Ennixx know she shouldn't be the obedient wife she had turned herself into. She had probably missed a lot in life because of it.

"Meric, I really believe you should tell them in person. They are your family."

Meric looked at her. "They were trying to force you back into the obedient wife they thought you were, without even consulting with me first. I do not care whether they can say goodbye to us or have to find out through a note that we left."

Ennixx sighed. "They are still family. They deserve that chance."

Meric looked at her. "Were you planning on telling your cousins?"

Ennixx shook her head. "You know they do not want to talk to me, and yes, I have tried this morning to talk to them, and as usual they walked away before I had the chance of saying 'hello'. Your family loves you, and will listen to you."

Meric snorted. "If they had listened to me before, they would have known I was not looking for obedience and would not have tried to change you."

Ennixx looked him in the eyes. "Really? When have you let them know that is what you wanted?"

Meric turned his head away. "They should have known."

Ennixx gently touched her hand to his cheek and turned his head back to her. "I didn't know either, and I have been living with you for nearly half our lives." She kissed him softly. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"I do not think that will help the situation. They are still angry with you and if they learn we are leaving because of you, they may all turn on you."

Ennixx shrugged. "Perhaps, but if you feel more comfortable with me being there, I will come with you."

Meric embraced her. "I know, dearest, and I love you for it. But I have to deal with my family myself. It will be difficult enough to tell them I will be leaving, without the dren of this afternoon getting in between as well."

Just before Meric left their home and talk to his family, they showed up unexpectedly at the house. Meric opened the door and noticed the bruise on his brother's face were Ennixx had hit him earlier.

His older brother cleared his throat. "Meric, I believe we should have a discussion about your wife's unacceptable behavior over these last days."

Meric looked him in the eyes. "What unacceptable behavior?"

Bortan, the brother Ennixx hit, glared at him. "She did this to me." He pointed at his bruise. "And she didn't listen to me."

Meric turned his angry gaze to him. "And I have subsequently told you, you were not to touch her ever again and that this matter is closed. Nobody hits my wife." He looked his other brothers and cousins in the eyes, one by one. "Nobody."

Gorinc, the older brother, took charge again. "Perhaps you should have made it clear to her, this is not the proper way a woman should behave. You are the dominant one, you are in charge of her."

Meric shook his head. There was just no point in trying to convince them they were wrong. "I am sorry, Gorinc, but that is not what I want, not what I ever wanted. I fell in love with Ennixx for her, not because she would do as I tell her. I have let her pretend to be someone she's not for too many cycles. She is capable of so much more." He looked at Bortan again, hoping to make it clear that his bruise was not a lucky strike from Ennixx.

"And you allow her to whatever it is she was doing? You allow her to hit your brother?"

Meric turned back at Gorinc. "If that brother tries to hit her, then yes, she is allowed to defend herself. And as one of you has already discovered, she is quite proficient at it. This is our life, Ennixx and mine, it is none of your business, any of you, what we do and how to live. Now, if you will excuse me, I want a quiet evening with my wife."

Meric closed the door, not wanting anymore arguments. He also had no desire to inform them he would be leaving tomorrow morning and most likely never come back. It would only lead to more arguments anyway.

Ennixx and Meric closed the door together in silence. This was most likely the last time they'd see this place, and now that the time had come, it felt awkward to just leave it behind.

Silently Meric stuck the note of explanation on the door. Then he let his arm fall around Ennixx' shoulders and turned around. "Let's go, dearest. We still have a few things to do before we can leave."

Ennixx carried the last bag up the ramp of the transport pod. "This is the last thing." She dropped it on the floor, not bothering to secure it in a compartment.

Meric was already sitting at the co-pilot seat, looking in awe at the controls. He looked to Ennixx as she strapped herself in. "You can fly this thing?"

Ennixx nodded. "At least I could fifty-five cycles ago. I do not believe I have forgotten how. I've added the fuel my grandparents gave me from the transport pod that took them away from me. We now have the maximum range this transport can fly without refueling."

"You haven't flown in fifty-five cycles? Are you sure it is wise to fly then?"

In answer Ennixx powered up the engine. "It will only be rough while we are in the atmosphere. Once we are up there, you can unstrap yourself." She took the controls in her hand and carefully lifted off. Once they were clear from the ground she quietly spoke to herself. "I'm coming, Nana. I'm coming."