AN: OK, this is my first ever Farscape Fanfic, and only my second fanfic period (at least that i've published) so PLEASE if you have time, let me know what you think! I could really use the feedback. Criticism is good, just please be nice about it?

OK, legal stuff...don't own anything, never have, but hope to get a dog soon

John lounged in the chair, eyeing the chessboard carefully. Aeryn sat opposite, watching him. "So, this piece is a …knight? And it moves in an 'L' shape?"

"That's right. It is also the only piece on the board which is allowed to jump over other pieces, which is why it is the only other piece used in the first move, see?" He demonstrated quickly.

"OK, I get it." She quickly ran through the movement descriptions he had given her thus far, those for pawns, rooks, knights and bishops, incongruously turning her pulse pistol over in her hands. "So, what about these pieces?" She asked, indicating the king and queen.

"That's the queen. It can move in a straight line any direction, provided nothing is blocking its way. This is the king. It can move in any direction, but only for one square. Capturing the king is the aim of the game. Understand?"

"Sort of. I think I'll get it when we actually play a game." She grinned. "You want to?"

"Well, why not? I didn't teach you how just so we could sit here and stare at the board."

"So, white moves first, right?" John nodded, and reaching out, moved a pawn forward two squares. Aeryn considered his move carefully, and was just about to make one of her own, when the clamshell on the wall came to life as pilot commed. "Commander, Officer Sun, you are needed on the command. Now!" He yelled, then the image flickered out.

"Pilot? Pilot, what's the matter?" Called Aeryn, even as they both ran out of Crichton's quarters towards the command. They arrived, a flurry of arms and legs, trying to see what the problem was.

"Oh no" said John, staring at the scene before their eyes. "No, no, no. This is not happening. You are not doing this to me!"

"Oh yes we are" replied Aeryn with a grin, grabbing his shoulder and propelling him onto the command and into the middle of a birthday party.

"I should never have told you about birthdays, should I?" He said, shaking his head at his own foolishness.

"Probably not. But you did, so, here we are. Happy birthday, John" she smiled at him.

"Why now?" He asked, staring around in complete bafflement.

"Why not now?" She replied, grinning. "It's just a meal, John. Sit down and enjoy it." She pushed him into a seat.

"Do we have time for this?" He asked, concerned.

"We have nothing to do until we arrive at the slave auctions, John, which won't happen for at least nine solar days. We might as well enjoy the break while it lasts." She sat opposite him and passed over a plate. "We made all of your favourites, so you might as well enjoy it."

"Alright then. At least you guys don't know 'Happy Birthday'." He chuckled, and started serving himself. "Did you make smoked pronga sinew, Aeryn?"

"Of course, John. Boy, you are so gullible. We have been working on this for two solar days, and you had no clue what was coming."

"It was slightly too easy, wasn't it?" Suggested Chiana, "you were so easily distracted, Crichton."

"Yeah, well, I think Scorpy helped a bit with that." Crichton's words sobered the group briefly, and he immediately regretted them. "Come on, lets enjoy the food" he grinned around, trying to make everyone feel better. They all sat and served themselves platefuls of their favourite dishes. Soon they were laughing and joking, enjoying each other's company as they had so many other times. Crichton was laughing at a story Aeryn was telling when he suddenly saw Scorpius sitting at the end of the table. He raised a glass in John's direction, as though toasting him. "Happy Birthday, John" John froze, then shot to his feet and ran from the chamber.

"John? John, what's wrong?" Aeryn followed him, trying to catch up. "John, is it Scorpius? John, you have to fight him." She grabbed his arm, swinging him around to face her. She took his face in her hands and stared into his eyes. "John, concentrate. Look at me. There is no Scorpius here; he's just in your head. He has no power, he has no control. The real Scorpius is dead, remember? John?" Crichton's eyes closed, and he relaxed.

"Hey, baby." He smiled gently. "I'm alright. Sorry about that" he grimaced. "Let's go back so I can apologise to the others, shall we?"

"They understand, John. You have nothing to apologise for; this is all on Scorpius. He put that frelling piece of dren in your head. You have to keep fighting it, we will find a way to fix it." She kissed him gently, then turned to lead the way back to the command. They arrived back together, and were just sitting down to continue their meal, John muttering apologies, when the clamshell suddenly flickered to life.

"Pilot, is something wrong?" Asked Aeryn, concerned.

"I…I do not know. I cannot remember what I was going to say…" his voice trailed off. John and Aeryn exchanged concerned looks, then jumped to their feet. "We're on our way, Pilot" they ran out of the command towards the den.

"What do you think is wrong?" John asked Aeryn as they ran up the tier.

"No idea, but whatever it is, it can't be good if it's messing with Pilot's short term memory." They reached the door to Pilot's Den and swiped the door control. The door didn't open. Aeryn swiped it again, impatiently, but it still did not respond.

"What the frell is wrong with this thing?" She demanded impatiently.

"Just a theory, but it might have something to do with that" said John, pointing down the corridor, where the lights were dimming on and off.

"Something is seriously wrong, John. We have to get in there and try to talk to Pilot."

"Back door?" Asked John, referring to the entrance through the access shaft.

"Yep" replied Aeryn, turning away from the door and sprinting down the corridor to the access shaft. They ran up it and dropped through the roof hatch into the Den.

"Pilot? Are you all right?" Asked Aeryn, concerned. Pilot wasn't moving, but his eyes were still open. "Pilot?" Aeryn jumped over the control board and cupped his face in her hands. "Pilot?" There was no response, but Aeryn shifted her hands, feeling his skin. "John, he's burning up!" She swore loudly. "He must be sick. It must be something Moya has…" just as she was saying this, facing John across the control panel, Moya accelerated, so hard and fast that John, who had nothing to support him, lurched, but stabilised himself, until, just as suddenly, Moya came to a complete stop. "JOHN!" Screamed Aeryn, reaching out, trying to grab him, as he was thrown across Den, until he hit the wall, head first, with a sickening thud.

Aeryn threw herself across the walkway to where John lay slumped on the platform. "John? John, can you hear me?" She held his face in her hands, and tapped his cheek gently. Suddenly, the lights in the chamber came up to full, almost blinding brilliance. Aeryn ignored them, squinting slightly to concentrate on John. She ran a hand around to the back of his head, and pulled it away bloody. She quickly checked if he was breathing, and, finding that he was, pulled up one of his eyelids. "John! John, it's time to wake up now!" She slapped his cheek again, lightly. Suddenly, he jerked under her hands, his eyes snapping open.

"Aeryn?" He groaned. He tried to move, but she pinned him down with a hand to his chest.

"Don't move, John. You might have a serious head injury" as she spoke she ripped the sleeve off her top and used it as a compress to slow the bleeding.

"What happened with the lights?" Asked John, sounding vague and confused.

"It's a Peacekeeper alteration. They come on full force when there is something seriously wrong with the Pilot, so that it is easy to see to fix it."

"What are you talking about, Aeryn? The lights…aren't on…" John's voice faded away towards the end of the sentence.

"You can't see anything, John?" Aeryn waved a hand back and forth in front of John's eyes.

"Nothing. I see nothing" John started to panic.