1.1 Disclaimer: These characters and situations are not mine. They just
came over to play in my head for a while. They are fine, I promise.
Spoilers: everything shippy up to Meltdown, beginning of IP
1.2 Crazy to the End
(a Meltdown epilogue and Infinite Possibilities prologue)
It took him nearly two arns, but Crais finally finished extricating the Banik from Talyn. His neural link to his ship once again operating at optimum, Crais became fully aware of all Talyn knew and felt.
Crais stalked to the command. He knew that Aeryn Sun and the human had been defiling his bridge, but they were gone now. It galled him to know the couple spent so much time together, especially after the drexin incidents, but it tore at him, too. He wanted Aeryn, and suspected she knew as much, but he wanted to see her happy, too, and with Crichton, it appeared she was.
Emotions were still difficult for Crais to deal with, and Talyn was not much of an instructor. Young as he was, Talyn was still trying to understand emotions himself, so he and Crais both tried to deal with the Aeryn/Crichton situation as best they could without letting it interfere with regular operations. Crais hated knowing that the human was so. happy, but at the same time, it felt good to see Officer Sun in a similar state.
Crais checked Talyn's systems, one by one, to ensure the Banik had done no permanent damage. Immersing himself in routine pulled his thoughts off of Officer Sun.
Rygel's bouts of retching had subsided long enough for him to once again feel hungry. However, the memory of that binge aftermath caused him to seek physical comfort in another way: he slept. And he slept well.
Stark entered the room he shared with Rygel, wondering why they still shared. Surely Crichton and Aeryn could just stay together now. No need for them to switch from his quarters to hers and back any longer.
A sly smile creeping across the uncovered half of his face at that last thought, he put his ear to the bulkhead beside Rygel's bed.
Nothing.
Must be in Crichton's quarters this time.
Stark had little doubt what the couple was up to- he'd be doing the same if he were Crichton- but he had little energy for spying right now. His link with Talyn had been physically and spiritually draining, and so had the separation.
With his thoughts on Crais and a half-scowl creasing his features, Stark slunk towards his bunk and fell into his most sound sleep.
John loved Aeryn's hair. Everyone knew it, particularly Aeryn. He loved everything about it: its color, its length, its shine, its fragrance, its texture, and especially its tickle on his face. Except now.
Aeryn hovered over him, teasing him with that tickle. She had both his hands pinned to the floor (they'd never actually made it to the bed) and slowly swished her hair back and forth across his face.
"Stop," he begged again, still laughing so hard his face hurt in spite of the tickling. He pulled his right hand up, but Aeryn had no difficulty pushing it back down. He was weak from the laughter, at least, that's what he told himself.
"Stop what?" she purred. "This?" Her hair brush by again.
John turned his head, genuinely trying to stop the game now. He hated feeling so out of control, and Aeryn knew it. He stopped laughing and marshaled his strength. Rolling abruptly, he toppled Aeryn onto the blanket and pinned her hands down.
"Yes, that," he finally managed to answer.
Her smile was infectious and compelled him to kiss her again. He loved her taste, too.
In fact he loved everything about her and couldn't imagine ever living without her. She made him feel whole. Well, as whole as he could feel in this universe. He wanted so badly to take her home.
He didn't remember releasing her hands, but there they were again, pulling him closer. He didn't resist.
John awoke suddenly. He'd gotten used to things happening abruptly out here, but something was wrong and he couldn't immediately identify it. He lay still, listening, waiting.
Aeryn lay beside him, breathing deeply, still asleep. Talyn's systems hummed quietly; nothing wrong there. John could hear nothing else.
Starlight faintly illuminated his quarters and he allowed his eyes to rest briefly on his notebook. He had only just begun teaching Aeryn to read from its pages, but he still worried if she'd be able to fit in on Earth. He had little doubt these days that he would get home eventually, and he was certain Aeryn would go with him this time. His heart jumped.
"This time"? Why had he thought that?
The only time he'd truly believed he'd returned home, it had only been a test. The Ancients, and the one pretending to be John's father, had devised the test to see if humanity was ready to share their world with alien life. Aeryn had been scared to go with him then, but that was before.
The Ancients. A bell rang. John felt a kind of tugging, a compulsion to go-somewhere. Were the Ancients really calling him?
Something inside, deeper than even Harvey, said yes. He had to go. He had to answer the call. It was of vital importance, and he knew it.
So much for boring.
John's dilemma lay not in how to tell the others of his "calling" but in when. Their first priority since the drexin/Mu-Quillus incident was re- stocking the galley that Rygel had emptied. Commerce planets were few and far between out here, and few of those welcomed the site of a gunship in their space. In spite of these facts, however, it only took them two solar days, days filled with bickering and stomach growling, to find an accommodating world.
John and Aeryn took Rygel dirtside to barter what the Hynerian had for enough food to last them several more days, provided the little slug didn't binge again.
John considered telling Aeryn about the Ancients' call, but decided he'd be safer doing so in his quarters. No telling how she'd take the news.
"Are you certain?"
John was shocked how calmly Aeryn reacted. He nodded in reply to her innocent question, but stayed tense, ready to bolt if she exploded.
"John, I have to know. Are you certain it's them, not Scorpius, not someone else?"
John relaxed at the tone in her voice. She was concerned, not angry. And if she was scared, it was for him, not herself. He crossed his quarters, then rubbed her arms up and down, soothing her, he hoped.
"I know," was all he said, sure she'd hear the conviction in his voice.
She nodded once, a bit militarily, he thought, then said, "Right. I guess we'd better take this to the others. Crais will need a course to set."
That seemed kind of easy, John told himself. Better to take it up with her later,
though, after she'd had more time to digest the idea. She was right. They needed to let the others in and set a course immediately.
"Aeryn. It's them," he reassured. "I know it is. It's just this.feeling in the back of my head. And it's familiar. I know it's them."
Aeryn nodded again, but didn't seem comforted.
Crais paced back and forth across Command while he ranted. John was used to seeing that. He was also used to hearing the tone that Crais used as he argued against John's proposal.
"This is foolhardy, Crichton, even for you. How do you know it isn't Scorpius? He could be using some kind of electromagnetic pulse tuned to your-"
"What?" John interrupted, "My brain waves? My blood type? My fillings? How could Scorpius do that?"
John glanced at Aeryn. She looked stoic, which only meant that she was keeping her opinions to herself for now, in front of the others, so John continued. "This is a far superior race, I'm talking about here. Not Sebaceans, not Scarrans, not humans. These people have the ability to create worm holes on a whim, so I don't think ignoring them is a good idea."
John hated arguing with Crais; all the frowning made his brow ache, but the man was so frelling thickheaded there was no way around it.
Crais stopped his pacing long enough to look to each of the others for opinions, beginning with Aeryn. John didn't like the way Crais looked at her, but he waited anyway.
Rygel was the first to offer an opinion, as usual. "If these people are so powerful, then why do they want you?"
"I don't know, Sparky, maybe you can ask them when they come here to find out why I never showed." Just another pissing contest, he thought.
"Sounds interesting," Stark put in.
"Sounds fahrbot, you mean," Rygel disagreed.
"Fine, it's crazy," admitted John, "but it's still necessary. They're calling, I gotta answer. That's all there is to it."
"That is not 'all there is,'" Crais argued. "I need to know what kind of threat we are flying into. I won't take Talyn into a situation out of his control-"
"Like flying into Mu-Quillus' sun was in his control?"
Crais glared at John.
"Crais, think of it this way," John tried, changing tacks. "What if these people just want to send me home? I'd be out of your hair for good. Wouldn't that make it worth the risk?"
Crais seemed to consider this before turning again to Aeryn. "Officer Sun? What is your opinion on this matter?"
Aeryn, hands clasped behind her back, looked up from the floor and faced Crais then John. Her gaze pierced his icy-blue eyes for several microts before she sighed and finally offered an opinion. "Yes, we should go. John's right. These Ancients do have immense power, but if he thinks they are calling to him, it's probably important."
Crais turned to face the front view port, hiding his expression from all but Talyn. "It's decided then. We will search out these Ancients of Crichton's and find out what they want." He turned again and, with his glance alone, dismissed them from his bridge.
That was fine with John. He wanted to talk to Aeryn alone anyway. He followed her off the Command, Rygel's throne sled humming along ahead of them, Stark slinking somewhere behind. Seemed Stark was always slinking somewhere behind these days. It kind of creeped John out, but he managed to dismiss thoughts of the Banik from his mind as he followed Aeryn. Funny how following Aeryn always had that effect on him.
John had to wait several arns before he and Aeryn were alone again. Between actually re-stocking the galley, eating their own meals, finishing repairs to Talyn, and double-checking Crais' course settings, the couple had hardly even seen each other.
John had begun wondering if Aeryn was trying to avoid him. But when she showed up at his quarters as he was preparing for bed, he knew she had just been taking time to think. He closed his notebook, and crossed to the door where she stood, waiting.
"You okay, Baby?" he asked, rubbing her arms.
She melted into him, folding her own arms around his back.
He stroked her hair, waiting for her. He was really good at that by now.
"I was just thinking," she told him unnecessarily. "What if they can send you home?"
"Then we'd go, just like we said we would."
She pulled him tighter, then finished, "What if they can send only you back?"
So that's what had been bothering her. Would he leave her if that was his only way home? She was worried, not about his safety or hers, but about being left behind.
John pushed her back and caught her gaze with his. He had to reassure her here and now, he knew it. "Then I'd wait to find another way. I'm going home with you or no deal."
Aeryn's face softened a bit, then that smile he hadn't seen since early that morning began to come back. "Rygel's right. You are fahrbot, but I love you."
John took Aeryn's face in his hands and kissed her before answering. He would have to take her home. How could he ever consider leaving those warm kisses?
When they parted, John smiled. "Just crazy 'bout you, Baby. Crazy 'bout you."
Spoilers: everything shippy up to Meltdown, beginning of IP
1.2 Crazy to the End
(a Meltdown epilogue and Infinite Possibilities prologue)
It took him nearly two arns, but Crais finally finished extricating the Banik from Talyn. His neural link to his ship once again operating at optimum, Crais became fully aware of all Talyn knew and felt.
Crais stalked to the command. He knew that Aeryn Sun and the human had been defiling his bridge, but they were gone now. It galled him to know the couple spent so much time together, especially after the drexin incidents, but it tore at him, too. He wanted Aeryn, and suspected she knew as much, but he wanted to see her happy, too, and with Crichton, it appeared she was.
Emotions were still difficult for Crais to deal with, and Talyn was not much of an instructor. Young as he was, Talyn was still trying to understand emotions himself, so he and Crais both tried to deal with the Aeryn/Crichton situation as best they could without letting it interfere with regular operations. Crais hated knowing that the human was so. happy, but at the same time, it felt good to see Officer Sun in a similar state.
Crais checked Talyn's systems, one by one, to ensure the Banik had done no permanent damage. Immersing himself in routine pulled his thoughts off of Officer Sun.
Rygel's bouts of retching had subsided long enough for him to once again feel hungry. However, the memory of that binge aftermath caused him to seek physical comfort in another way: he slept. And he slept well.
Stark entered the room he shared with Rygel, wondering why they still shared. Surely Crichton and Aeryn could just stay together now. No need for them to switch from his quarters to hers and back any longer.
A sly smile creeping across the uncovered half of his face at that last thought, he put his ear to the bulkhead beside Rygel's bed.
Nothing.
Must be in Crichton's quarters this time.
Stark had little doubt what the couple was up to- he'd be doing the same if he were Crichton- but he had little energy for spying right now. His link with Talyn had been physically and spiritually draining, and so had the separation.
With his thoughts on Crais and a half-scowl creasing his features, Stark slunk towards his bunk and fell into his most sound sleep.
John loved Aeryn's hair. Everyone knew it, particularly Aeryn. He loved everything about it: its color, its length, its shine, its fragrance, its texture, and especially its tickle on his face. Except now.
Aeryn hovered over him, teasing him with that tickle. She had both his hands pinned to the floor (they'd never actually made it to the bed) and slowly swished her hair back and forth across his face.
"Stop," he begged again, still laughing so hard his face hurt in spite of the tickling. He pulled his right hand up, but Aeryn had no difficulty pushing it back down. He was weak from the laughter, at least, that's what he told himself.
"Stop what?" she purred. "This?" Her hair brush by again.
John turned his head, genuinely trying to stop the game now. He hated feeling so out of control, and Aeryn knew it. He stopped laughing and marshaled his strength. Rolling abruptly, he toppled Aeryn onto the blanket and pinned her hands down.
"Yes, that," he finally managed to answer.
Her smile was infectious and compelled him to kiss her again. He loved her taste, too.
In fact he loved everything about her and couldn't imagine ever living without her. She made him feel whole. Well, as whole as he could feel in this universe. He wanted so badly to take her home.
He didn't remember releasing her hands, but there they were again, pulling him closer. He didn't resist.
John awoke suddenly. He'd gotten used to things happening abruptly out here, but something was wrong and he couldn't immediately identify it. He lay still, listening, waiting.
Aeryn lay beside him, breathing deeply, still asleep. Talyn's systems hummed quietly; nothing wrong there. John could hear nothing else.
Starlight faintly illuminated his quarters and he allowed his eyes to rest briefly on his notebook. He had only just begun teaching Aeryn to read from its pages, but he still worried if she'd be able to fit in on Earth. He had little doubt these days that he would get home eventually, and he was certain Aeryn would go with him this time. His heart jumped.
"This time"? Why had he thought that?
The only time he'd truly believed he'd returned home, it had only been a test. The Ancients, and the one pretending to be John's father, had devised the test to see if humanity was ready to share their world with alien life. Aeryn had been scared to go with him then, but that was before.
The Ancients. A bell rang. John felt a kind of tugging, a compulsion to go-somewhere. Were the Ancients really calling him?
Something inside, deeper than even Harvey, said yes. He had to go. He had to answer the call. It was of vital importance, and he knew it.
So much for boring.
John's dilemma lay not in how to tell the others of his "calling" but in when. Their first priority since the drexin/Mu-Quillus incident was re- stocking the galley that Rygel had emptied. Commerce planets were few and far between out here, and few of those welcomed the site of a gunship in their space. In spite of these facts, however, it only took them two solar days, days filled with bickering and stomach growling, to find an accommodating world.
John and Aeryn took Rygel dirtside to barter what the Hynerian had for enough food to last them several more days, provided the little slug didn't binge again.
John considered telling Aeryn about the Ancients' call, but decided he'd be safer doing so in his quarters. No telling how she'd take the news.
"Are you certain?"
John was shocked how calmly Aeryn reacted. He nodded in reply to her innocent question, but stayed tense, ready to bolt if she exploded.
"John, I have to know. Are you certain it's them, not Scorpius, not someone else?"
John relaxed at the tone in her voice. She was concerned, not angry. And if she was scared, it was for him, not herself. He crossed his quarters, then rubbed her arms up and down, soothing her, he hoped.
"I know," was all he said, sure she'd hear the conviction in his voice.
She nodded once, a bit militarily, he thought, then said, "Right. I guess we'd better take this to the others. Crais will need a course to set."
That seemed kind of easy, John told himself. Better to take it up with her later,
though, after she'd had more time to digest the idea. She was right. They needed to let the others in and set a course immediately.
"Aeryn. It's them," he reassured. "I know it is. It's just this.feeling in the back of my head. And it's familiar. I know it's them."
Aeryn nodded again, but didn't seem comforted.
Crais paced back and forth across Command while he ranted. John was used to seeing that. He was also used to hearing the tone that Crais used as he argued against John's proposal.
"This is foolhardy, Crichton, even for you. How do you know it isn't Scorpius? He could be using some kind of electromagnetic pulse tuned to your-"
"What?" John interrupted, "My brain waves? My blood type? My fillings? How could Scorpius do that?"
John glanced at Aeryn. She looked stoic, which only meant that she was keeping her opinions to herself for now, in front of the others, so John continued. "This is a far superior race, I'm talking about here. Not Sebaceans, not Scarrans, not humans. These people have the ability to create worm holes on a whim, so I don't think ignoring them is a good idea."
John hated arguing with Crais; all the frowning made his brow ache, but the man was so frelling thickheaded there was no way around it.
Crais stopped his pacing long enough to look to each of the others for opinions, beginning with Aeryn. John didn't like the way Crais looked at her, but he waited anyway.
Rygel was the first to offer an opinion, as usual. "If these people are so powerful, then why do they want you?"
"I don't know, Sparky, maybe you can ask them when they come here to find out why I never showed." Just another pissing contest, he thought.
"Sounds interesting," Stark put in.
"Sounds fahrbot, you mean," Rygel disagreed.
"Fine, it's crazy," admitted John, "but it's still necessary. They're calling, I gotta answer. That's all there is to it."
"That is not 'all there is,'" Crais argued. "I need to know what kind of threat we are flying into. I won't take Talyn into a situation out of his control-"
"Like flying into Mu-Quillus' sun was in his control?"
Crais glared at John.
"Crais, think of it this way," John tried, changing tacks. "What if these people just want to send me home? I'd be out of your hair for good. Wouldn't that make it worth the risk?"
Crais seemed to consider this before turning again to Aeryn. "Officer Sun? What is your opinion on this matter?"
Aeryn, hands clasped behind her back, looked up from the floor and faced Crais then John. Her gaze pierced his icy-blue eyes for several microts before she sighed and finally offered an opinion. "Yes, we should go. John's right. These Ancients do have immense power, but if he thinks they are calling to him, it's probably important."
Crais turned to face the front view port, hiding his expression from all but Talyn. "It's decided then. We will search out these Ancients of Crichton's and find out what they want." He turned again and, with his glance alone, dismissed them from his bridge.
That was fine with John. He wanted to talk to Aeryn alone anyway. He followed her off the Command, Rygel's throne sled humming along ahead of them, Stark slinking somewhere behind. Seemed Stark was always slinking somewhere behind these days. It kind of creeped John out, but he managed to dismiss thoughts of the Banik from his mind as he followed Aeryn. Funny how following Aeryn always had that effect on him.
John had to wait several arns before he and Aeryn were alone again. Between actually re-stocking the galley, eating their own meals, finishing repairs to Talyn, and double-checking Crais' course settings, the couple had hardly even seen each other.
John had begun wondering if Aeryn was trying to avoid him. But when she showed up at his quarters as he was preparing for bed, he knew she had just been taking time to think. He closed his notebook, and crossed to the door where she stood, waiting.
"You okay, Baby?" he asked, rubbing her arms.
She melted into him, folding her own arms around his back.
He stroked her hair, waiting for her. He was really good at that by now.
"I was just thinking," she told him unnecessarily. "What if they can send you home?"
"Then we'd go, just like we said we would."
She pulled him tighter, then finished, "What if they can send only you back?"
So that's what had been bothering her. Would he leave her if that was his only way home? She was worried, not about his safety or hers, but about being left behind.
John pushed her back and caught her gaze with his. He had to reassure her here and now, he knew it. "Then I'd wait to find another way. I'm going home with you or no deal."
Aeryn's face softened a bit, then that smile he hadn't seen since early that morning began to come back. "Rygel's right. You are fahrbot, but I love you."
John took Aeryn's face in his hands and kissed her before answering. He would have to take her home. How could he ever consider leaving those warm kisses?
When they parted, John smiled. "Just crazy 'bout you, Baby. Crazy 'bout you."