With a heavy, frustrated sigh, Olivia Crichton tossed the magazine onto the coffee table, crossed her arms, then checked the clock on the mantle again as she waited for her father to arrive. He had called her a day and a half ago and asked her to come over and wait for him there. He hadn't said why, just that she needed to be there. He sounded like whatever was wrong was urgent, so she took the first flight out of Orlando and had arrived nearly twelve hours ago.

She didn't mind coming over; she enjoyed coming home, in fact. But being forced to drop everything, then wait for twelve hours with no explanation, was ridiculous. Even if the raid on the house by the Deltas had shaken him, he wouldn't have been so paranoid as to believe they would bug his phone. Unless he has something else to hide, she speculated, which seemed highly likely now that she thought about it.

Without warning, the front door unlocked and opened. As Olivia turned around to see who it was, she heard, "Anyone home?" It was DK.

"In here," she yelled, a smile on her face, then got up and walked to the foyer as DK shut the door and walked up to her.

"It's good to see you, Livvy," he said, sliding his arms around her, giving her a good hug.

"It's good to see you, too." It had been almost two years since they had seen each other, and seeing him again made things even more unusual. Pulling away, a quizzical look on her face, she asked, "But why are you here?"

"I got a call from Jack. He asked me to come by."

"Did he say why?" she asked, leading him into the family room.

He sat down on the couch as she sat on the love seat and answered, "Uh uh. He didn't say a word."

"He didn't say anything to me, either."

Looking around, DK suddenly asked, "Is Susan around?"

She gave him a look that said, 'are you kidding?'

"They're still not talking?"

"No," she answered sadly, shaking her head.

"How long has it been?" At the curious look on her face, he added, "Jack hasn't said a word to me about what's going on between the two of them."

"They haven't talked for about half a year now – they tried to get together when Natalie and Chiana arrived. But even when they did talk all they did was argue. Then she stopped taking his calls. Dad tried, but Frank shot him down every time. If we're both here, he probably tried to call her, but Frank probably shot him down again."

"And it's all because of John…"

"Don't say that," Olivia nearly shouted.

"I don't mean it like that," DK backpedaled, his hands held up in the air. His eyes shifting, he added, "All I meant was that if Farscape One hadn't been drawn into that wormhole, then none of this would've happened."

He didn't sound like he meant that. Suspicious, she asked, "So you don't blame him for everything that's happened to you?"

"Of course not."

He was lying. Consciously or subconsciously she couldn't tell, but his body language confirmed he was lying. She was somewhat good at reading body language and could, at times, know when people were lying. She called it her 'bullshit detector'. But she didn't want to make DK feel uncomfortable, especially not when her father had asked the both of them to come by.

Steering the conversation into not quite another direction, she asked, "So, how are things going for you?"

"All right, I guess," he answered, looking down.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

Trying to avoid an awkward silence, Olivia asked, "So… how's Linda?"

He suddenly stiffened and looked away. Before he did, though, she saw a mix of sadness and regret in his eyes, even some anger. So much for avoiding an awkward silence, she thought. She got up and walked around the coffee table to sit next to DK on the couch. She took his hand in hers and said softly, "DK, I'm sorry. I had no idea…"

"It's all right," he said quietly, pulling his hand from hers.

"So, what happened?"

"She left me," he answered, looking at her, his entire demeanor exuding regret.

"She left you?" Olivia repeated, surprised. "I thought the two of you were getting married?"

"We were."

"I'm so sorry…" she trailed off, wrapping her arm around his shoulder and pulling him into a gentle hug.

"Me, too."

Suddenly, they heard the back door to the garage open. As Olivia let go of DK, the two stood up and saw Jack walking out of the kitchen into the dining room. "Dad, where have you been?" Olivia asked, walking around the couch to the dining room with DK following her. They stopped dead in their tracks, though, as they saw the man following Jack out of the kitchen. Shocked, Olivia whispered, "John?" The smile on his face was all the proof her mind needed that he was actually there. She walked up to him, pulled him into a nearly crushing hug, and whispered, "It's about time you got here."

"I missed you, too," he said softly.

Hearing DK clear his throat behind her, she let go of John and watched as he and DK cautiously approached each other. John's appearance was an obvious surprise to DK and he looked as if he didn't quite know what to make of his best friend dressed in leather, with a gun strapped to his thigh. It also looked as if John had expected this reaction. But the two still embraced each other, with slight hesitance on DK's part.

"It's good to see you again, Bro," he said.

"It's good to see you, too, DK," John responded.

DK suddenly looked up at something behind her and Olivia saw the surprised look in his eyes again. She turned around as the two men let go of each other and saw four people – if that was the right word – standing there behind them. Two were humans and were dressed similarly to John, but the other two… they were nothing like she had ever seen before. Looks like you got it wrong, Lucas, she thought, gazing at the two aliens, one of which had blue skin with gold accents, the other tentacles and scars all over his head and a massive sword strapped to his back.

"Livvy, DK," John said, motioning to them with his hand. He then motioned to the four standing behind Jack and said, "This is Aeryn, Zhaan, Jothee, and… Crais."

"Hello," she slowly drawled, still working through the fact that not only had John come home, but he had also brought his friends with him and they were all standing there in her father's house.

"Uh, hi," she barely heard DK mumble.

While Aeryn and Crais nodded, Zhaan bowed her head and she and Jothee both said things that Olivia didn't understand.

She slowly walked backwards to John, her eyes never leaving the four guests. She also made absolutely certain she didn't make any sudden moves. Once next to him, she quietly said, "John, what's going on?"

"Livvy, we need you and DK to come with us up to Talyn," he answered quietly.

"What?" they both nearly shouted, DK turning to face his best friend.

"It's not safe here," he answered, looking at both of them. "Especially not with Natalie's trial nearing and especially not with the government breathing down Dad's neck after they found Chiana here."

Looking at Jack, she asked, confused, "Dad?"

"He's right, Liv. It's not safe. So, I'm going with him. We came by to get the two of you and pack up some of our stuff."

"So, are you two in or out?" John asked.

Looking at DK, Olivia saw a smile growing on his face. It was one of those smiles he used to get whenever he and John were planning on doing something crazy, but fun for them. He said, "Hell yeah, Bro, I'm in."

"Liv?" John asked.

Sighing, she planted her hand on her hip and rubbed her forehead the way her brother did at times. Looking up at her father, she asked aggravatedly, "If this is what you were planning, why didn't you just come pick me up in Orlando? Why did you call me and ask me to come here?"

With a sheepish smile, he answered, "Well, I didn't think about bringing you and DK up to Talyn until after I called. I'm sorry, hon."

"Apology accepted." She silently added, for the billionth time.

Jack then looked at DK and said, "You'd better get home and pack up your things if you're coming with us."

"Right," he replied, turning and walking to the door.

"Bring only what you can carry," John shouted.

"Thanks for stating the obvious, John," DK shouted back, then opened the door and walked out.

Turning to the aliens, Jack said, "Why don't you four make yourselves comfortable." Turning to Olivia and John, he added, "I could use some help packing – my stuff and Natalie's. You two should pack up some of your old stuff, too."

"Right," John said, stepping aside to let Olivia and Jack walk past him to the stairs.

As she followed her father to the foyer, Olivia glanced back at the four people John had brought with him as they 'made themselves comfortable'. Both Aeryn and Zhaan were exploring the family room and dining room, looking at various pictures and paintings on the wall and the assortment of objects dotting the two joined rooms. Crais and Jothee, on the other hand, looked like they had absolutely no idea what to do. They were both standing near the opening to the kitchen and appeared to be wondering what they were doing on Earth in the first place. Olivia wondered the same thing.

Walking up the stairs behind Jack, she asked, "Hey, John, what's up with Crais and Jothee anyway?"

"Oh, they're long stories," he responded, walking around the banister.

"Then what about that sword?" she asked, stopping and turning to face him, a curious look on her face.

"It belonged to his father."

"Oh."

----------------------------------------------------

She hadn't been lying about Earth when she and John were hiding from the military in that apartment nearly three years ago. It really was a beautiful planet. But during that time, while Aeryn and John thought they were running from his people, she had actually said it to try to help John feel better. Under different circumstances, she would have kept her mouth shut because it had been a trivial matter to her. To a Peacekeeper, it didn't matter what a planet looked like. But she wasn't a Peacekeeper anymore. She had grown far past that.

Flying over an area John had called Virginia, after having made a quick stop at Olivia's dwelling in Orlando, she could appreciate the beauty of his planet – she could appreciate the simplicity compared to most other places she had visited. Other planets were dotted with massive structures with very little room for foliage. Earth, on the other hand, was still covered in greenery, regardless of the Humans' technological advancement. It would have been a nice place to live.

Suddenly, the pod's sensors came to life, holo projections appearing in the viewing shells in front of the pilots' seats. They showed half a dozen one-man fighters circling in what appeared to be a holding pattern several metras ahead.

Jack came up to stand next to John, looking at the readout, and said, "F-22s. They're probably just waiting to see what we're going to do. They probably don't even know we can see them."

Bourne had mentioned F-22s while he and John were arguing over a deal, but Aeryn still had no idea what they were. Jack must have realized that no one in the cabin, besides the other humans, had any idea what an F-22 was because, in short order, he supplied an answer. "It's a stealth fighter. They're supposed to be nearly undetectable."

"Well, they might be invisible to radar, but they can't beat pulse-back soundings," John replied.

"Which is what exactly?" DK asked, standing behind John.

"It's kinda like active sonar, but more sophisticated." Glancing back at Jack, he asked, "You know, I've been meaning to ask you about that. I thought the F-22 wasn't scheduled for integration for another six years."

"It wasn't," Jack replied. "The F-22 was rushed into production and integration not too long after Talyn showed up in orbit."

"Too bad we can't tell them that they've wasted their money. All that stealth technology won't do them any good if the Peacekeepers or the Scarrans show up."

"Of course, there is no likelihood of the Scarrans arriving on Earth," Crais interjected. "Not while they are at war with the Nebari."

"I'm trying to make a point, Crais."

"My apologies, Commander," he said, feigning innocence.

Aeryn rolled her eyes at the two of them. Despite all that they had been through together, they were still at each other's throats, even with the small things. She glanced over to John's sister and best friend who were standing at the front of the pod, watching as the landscape flew past. They both had confused looks on their faces. Aeryn imagined they would have that same look many times in the upcoming monens.

"Aeryn, slow down," Jack suddenly said. She did as instructed and pulled back on the throttle as they came upon a large spot of treeless land. There were people and animals dotting the landscape and two wood dwellings situated in front of a small lake.

"This is the ranch," Jack added. John looked back at him, a curious look on his face. Jack answered, "I visited Natalie's son for her a few times. She wanted me to check up on him and see how his recuperation was going."

Aeryn circled the area and looked for a place to land. She noticed a number of people unsuccessfully trying to keep several large animals calm in a fenced-off area near the smaller of the two buildings.

"Aeryn, you'd better put it down," John suggested. "Those ranch hands aren't going to be happy that we're spookin' their horses."

So, those are horses, Aeryn thought, as she landed in a fairly large clearing several motras away from the two structures, remembering back to her conversation with John about those beasts of burden.

As she powered down the pod, Jack said, "It would probably be for the best if you all stayed put. I'll go see Kristin and try to get her and Jason to come with us."

"We're going with you, Dad," John said, standing up and glancing at Aeryn who stood up as well. "I'm not letting you go out there by yourself with who-knows-who-else is out there."

"John…"

"Dad, don't argue," John interrupted, then turned to follow Aeryn out the treblin side hatch.

As they walked down the ladder, Aeryn heard Jack say, "You two better let me do the talking. After what happened to Natalie, Kristin hasn't been too receptive about the idea of meeting you."

"That's why you didn't want us to come with you," Aeryn stated as Jack walked past and led them to the main house.

"Yeah," he replied as the three saw a woman in her sixties walk out of the house and stare at them as they approached. Several microts later, they walked up the steps to the porch and Jack moved toward the woman to hug her and said, "It's good to see you again, Kristin."

"It's good to see you, too, Jack," she said neutrally, hugging him back. Pulling away, she said, "I hope you realize you scared the hell out of my horses."

"We're sorry about that. But we needed to find a good place to land."

Kristin simply nodded in response, then, glancing at Aeryn and John, coolly asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Look, Kristin, with all this paranoia goin' around, it isn't going to be safe around here once Natalie gets out…"

"It isn't safe now, Jack. We've already had a couple of broken windows, my car was set on fire, and we've received hate mail and phone calls. Over a quarter of my employees quit, too, either out of fear or because they believe all that's being said about my daughter."

"Which is exactly why we need to get you, Jason, and Scott up to Talyn."

"I agree that we need to get Jason to safety, but can you guarantee that he'll be safer up there than he will be down here?"

"Yeah, I can. Before she was arrested, Natalie told me that Talyn would protect Jason no matter what. She also told me she wants the two of you and Scott on Talyn. He'll be safe up there." Taking her arms in his hands, he pleaded, "You and Scott will, too."

"What about your children, Jack? Are you that confident that they'll be safe up there?"

"Olivia and John, yes. Susan…" he sadly trailed off. "She's not coming. I hate leaving her behind, but she doesn't want to have anything to do with me, and I have to protect Livvy and John and myself. Just like you need to protect Jason and yourself. You'll both be safe with us."

Aeryn watched as Kristin looked at Jack for several microts, deciding on her next course of action. She finally said, "All right, come on in. We'll talk to Jason and see what he wants."

"Jason's here?" he asked, following her into the house.

"Yeah, I'm home schooling him," she answered, leading them through the house to the kitchen. "Things just got too dangerous for him at the public school."

Walking into the kitchen, Aeryn saw the teen sitting at a round table reading a fairly large book, other books and assorted papers were scattered around the table. His right leg was resting on another chair and had some sort of brace on his knee. He looked just like his mother, square face, brown hair (but spiked with blonde streaks), brown eyes, and all. He looked up from his book and watched as they approached. A questioning look on his face, he said, "Hey, Jack. What's going on?"

"Jason…" Kristin started, sitting down in the chair next to him. "They're here to take us up to Talyn. I don't exactly agree with them about going up there, but it's not safe here."

"Well, it's about time," he said angrily, looking straight at John and Aeryn. "While you guys were up there, I was stuck down here with morons who think kicking my ass is cool just because my mom has alien friends and was arrested for it."

"Jason," Kristin warned.

"C'mon, Grandma. I mean, just where were they while I was down here getting my knee cap shattered again a few months after it healed the first time?"

"Jason, they're here now, and they're willing to help for the moment. Don't let that mouth of yours ruin this for you if you want to get off Earth."

"Sorry," he mumbled, shutting the book in front of him.

To Aeryn, he seemed a lot like Chiana. But, unlike the Nebari, Jason had someone to teach him right and wrong and some manners.

"Jason, why don't you go on upstairs and start packing," Jack suggested.

"Sure," he mumbled, gently easing his leg from the chair and getting up as he grabbed his crutches. He then slowly made his way through the living room to the stairs.

"So, where's Scott?" Jack asked.

"His carrier was deployed to the Indian Ocean. The last I heard, it was on its way back to the Pacific. But even if he were here, he wouldn't leave. The Navy is his life and he wouldn't give that up."

"I can understand that," he said sadly. Aeryn could tell that he missed the military life. She understood all too well.

"But you should get packing, too," Jack continued.

"I'm not leaving, Jack," she said matter of factly.

"Kristin, it's not safe for you here, either. You said as much yourself."

"I've lived here off and on for forty-two years, when I wasn't being shuffled around to different Naval bases with my husband. I've given birth to two sons and a daughter here, and I've tried to raise them as best I could while we were forced to move all over the country. My husband died here, Jack. I plan on dying here, as well. I'm not leaving."

Listening to Kristin, Aeryn wondered just how differently her life would have been if Xhalax and Talyn hadn't been Peacekeepers. She liked to think that just maybe they would have turned out to be like Jack and Kristin.

"All right," Jack said, nodding, a small smile on his face. Giving her arm a gentle squeeze, he added, "Good luck."

She took his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze, then gently said, "You, too."