UParts 1-3

Parts 1-3

"Where is he?!" D'argo yelled at the quailing, yellow biped on the other side of a sturdy table.

"They had to leave about half a monen ago," the Procin farmer stuttered, his large purple eyes wide with fear. "Rai G'arin said that the PK's were getting too close."

D'argo roared in frustration. He cast his eyes about the small, Spartan farmhouse looking for something to break into tiny splinters. The solid wooden furniture was too weathered but the various clay pots neatly shelved looked promising. But before D'argo could vent his rage and despair on the unsuspecting pots, John Crichton put a restraining hand on D'argo's arm.

"We'll find him, D'argo," he said gazing steadily into his friend's eyes. "We're not far behind."

"But still too far away!" D'argo jerked his arm from John's grasp and smashed his fist into the nearest pot, sending shards and yellow grains everywhere and the poor farmer scurrying under the table. John swallowed hard, glancing nervously at the fuming Luxon. D'argo was on the verge of full-blown hyper-rage, and having experienced Luxan hyper-rage once before, John knew that he definitely didn't want it directed at him.

"Where did G'arin say they were going?" John asked quickly, addressing the yellow head that nervously poked itself above the table.

"He said," quaked the Procin "' As the Sunset Waters face the Zenith of Doroarin, so shall the Blade rise out of the sky.'" The farmer's fear filled eyes never left the pacing D'argo. He leaned his head out a little further and whispered hopefully to the human,

"Are you leaving now?"

"Yes, thank you," said John with a glance at D'argo. The warrior was mulling over the lines from the ancient Luxon legend. A semblance of calm had returned to his face. Suddenly he nodded sharply in understanding. "Got it?" asked John. D'argo merely glowered at him and left the house.

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Eight solar days later, the crew of Moya stood in command staring at the image of a lifeless ship with signs of weapons fire on its red tinged hull.

"It appears to be a Luxon scout ship," Pilot informed them from his clamshell image. Everyone looked at D'Argo, accepting his leadership in the situation. He licked his dry lips before answering in a hushed breath.

"We board."

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D'argo hadn't been on a scout vessel since his days as a young warrior. This ship reminded him of his youth, of the freedom and pride he had felt on his first military assignment. The same pride he had felt when Jothee was born. Jothee. Would he find his precious son dead on this dead ship? D'argo quickly swallowed the lump in his throat. After years of imprisonment and searching, to be so close, would he fail, have come too late?

D'argo fought off the fear as he cautiously led John and Aeryn through the corridor that connected the airlock with command. They passed closed doors in the corridor, doors, D'argo knew, that led to crew quarters and the galley. He was only interested in command.

The door to command was partly open and the smell of death assaulted D'argo's sensitive nose. He paused in front of the red portal, afraid of whom he might find dead just beyond it. Closing his eyes, D'argo whispered a prayer to Zhaan's Kahleen and his own people's forgotten gods: please let it not be Jothee.

D'argo took a firmer grip on his Qualta Blade, glancing at both Crichton and Aeryn, who, moving by instinct, had already flanked the doorway, weapons ready. Gingerly, D'argo pushed the door the rest of the way open. His companions swung in to secure the room, but no enemies awaited them. Instead they found D'Argo's old friend and comrade, Rai G'arin, lying dead in a pool of his own toxic blood.

D'argo stared at his dead friend, protector of his son. A dozen memories of training, battle, and planet-leave flashed before his eyes as he silently said goodbye. But where was Jothee? What had happened? Grief welled up inside him; tears stinging his eyes. He had lost both G'arin and Jothee forever. The flame of hope that had flared when they had first picked up Jothee's trail died at that moment.

"D'argo." He turned to the human beside him. John's blue eyes held concern and sympathy. It still amazed him that this strange creature, who had become both his friend and brother, was there for him.

"I've lost him, John," he said softly, desperately trying to hold himself together. John placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, unsure of what else to do.

Suddenly Aeryn gasped in surprise. She was kneeling next to G'arin's body, staring at something on the floor. "D'argo, Chriton, come look at this."

Written in blood was a final message from G'arin. D'argo read the Luxon script aloud. "Sebacean bounty hunter, fuel leak."

The three looked at each other in surprise. A crooked grin started to stretch across John's face that D'argo couldn't help but mirror as hope surged through him again. He would see his son again and kill the frelling bastard who had stolen him.

"Let's go campers, we have a trail to follow," John quipped, jumping to his feet and heading for the airlock.

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Several arns later, loud, crashing noises from the Center chamber attracted Chiana's notice. Curious, she glided to the door, wondering if Rygel had discovered the little surprise she had left in his jar of slimey bugs. As she poked her head around the door, the grin on her face instantly disappeared at the sight before her.

The room looked like it had been hit by a windstorm, and Chiana supposed upon seeing D'argo leaning his head against the storage unit, it had been. Empty food containers and plates were scattered all over the floor and table. The indestructible chairs were dented and over turned, and two of the overhead shelf's supports were broken on the far side causing it to slope.

Chiana's first reaction was to run away from the scene, but the odd sight of D'argo so defeated made her pause.

"He must be fifteen now," he said suddenly, startling the young Nebari. Lifting his head to look at her, Chiana could see the pain in his face, the resignation, and it scared her. "He was just a baby when I was arrested. He probably won't remember me at all."

"Sure, he'll remember," Chiana said, trying to reassure him.

"Will he?" D'argo demanded softly. "I've been gone for nine cycles. I've missed him grow up!" he shouted, eyes blazing with fury and unshed tears. "All because I loved a woman of the wrong race!"

Chiana didn't know what to say. What could she say that would help the warrior before her? D'argo turned away, shaking in an effort to contain his roiling emotions.

"How will I be able to protect him when I couldn't even protect Lolann?" he asked in despair.

"We'll be here to help," Chiana said quietly. At her words, D'argo turned and almost managed a smile.

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D'argo was pacing in command the next day when Moya found the wormhole. "Pilot what is that?" he asked pushing back bitter memories from the last time he had seen one of these anomalies.

"It's a wormhole," confirmed Pilot, "and the fuel trail leads into it. I am comm-ing the others now." D'argo silently swore every oath he knew as the others arrived. If Jothee was on Earth… He dared not finish the thought.

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John just stared at the wormhole in shock unable to think straight. Is it real, or is it fake? he asked himself, suddenly, whimsically, wishing for a daisy. He glanced over at Aeryn's rigid form. She probably needs a daisy too, he thought. Aeryn, sensing eyes on her looked back at him, her face a mask. John took a deep breath to steady himself and turned his eyes back to the sight before him. "OK, Pilot, what's the deal?"

Pilot hesitated before answering. "The trail leads into the wormhole."

"What?" screamed Rygel. "No, we are not going into that thing. Remember what happened the last time. We are-" he was suddenly cut off by Chiana's all too familiar hand clamped firmly over his mouth.

"Shut up froggie," she told him absently, still focused on the wormhole. Silence gripped the room, the crew lost in painful memories. The blue vortex before them just waited. "Your son's on the other side, right?" said Chiana shattering the silence.

D'argo nodded. "Yes," he breathed.

"Right, let's go then." The others looked at her in surprise, but didn't argue. The steel glint in Chiana's eyes bore into Rygel's, just daring him to disagree.

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Earth. Again. Aeryn was not pleased. Of all the rotten planets in the galaxy, why did Jothee have to get stuck on that one. It did have a few redeeming qualities, she conceded, but not many. And what if John wanted to stay? No, don't even think like that, she told herself sharply.

As if her thought had called him, John walked into command at that moment. "Hey, Aeryn, has Pilot found out where the bounty hunter landed yet?" he asked coming to stand beside her.

"Yes, here." She pointed to a spot on the map in front of her.

John snorted. "Great, Los Angeles." He sighed heavily. "It could be worse I suppose," he said.

"It could be Australia," Aeryn told him. He looked over at her sharply, scanning her face with his pale blue eyes. Such nice eyes, Aeryn thought for the millionth time. "Another thing," she said breaking eye contact, "D'argo can't come with us. We can sneak in, but it's too dangerous for him."

John smiled slightly. "Especially with that temper of his." Aeryn smiled back at the thought of D'argo terrorizing even more humans with his hyper-rage. Maybe he should come after all…

"Aeryn," John said, suddenly serious. He stared at the floor a microt, avoiding her gaze, before looking up, understanding in his pale blue orbs. "I'm going for Jothee," he told her, his eyes locked on hers, "only Jothee." Aeryn nodded, fighting the urge to grin with wild relief.

Satisfied, John turned to go. "I'll talk to Zhaan about a sedative for D'argo." Aeryn nodded again as he left, his words had barely registered. All she could think was, he's not going to stay.

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On Earth, in the city of Los Angeles, it was sunset. Angel and Wesley were in Angel's office finishing some paper work on a recent case and ignoring Cordelia who was happily munching on pretzels in a chair talking about her latest audition.

"So anyway, he asked me to put on my best smile as I did the laundry. I mean what kind of idiot smiles when they do their nasty laundry. And you should have seen the stuff they put on those shirts! It's almost as bad as - AHHG! NO!" Cordelia screamed as a seer's migraine enveloped her.

Angel and Wesley jumped to their feet, sprang to her side, and waited for the vision to end while Cordelia writhed in pain. "Hello," snapped Cordelia when it was over. "I was in agony and you just sit there?" she demanded holding her throbbing head.

"But you're always all right and you love telling us how much pain you're in," Angel told her as he helped her up. Wesley didn't say anything, just handed her a couple of Tylenol.

"So what's the next job?" Cordelia glared up at Angel, debating on whether or not to tell him. Finally she grabbed a piece of paper and huffily wrote down what she saw.

"I don't know why I put up with you two," she muttered still out of sorts. "Hope you have fun!" Angel just smiled as he took the paper. Charlie's, he read, man and woman, black hair, all in leather. Dump!

"Right, I'm off," he said grabbing his coat.

"Need any help?" asked Wesley hopefully. Angel shook his head as he put on his long black coat then left the office. Cordelia hrumphed a surely goodbye through another pretzel.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

At Charlie's, Angel ordered a beer and sat at a table in the back where he could watch the door. He always hated these times when he had to make contact with strangers who hadn't come to him first. He was never sure what to say or how to approach them. No matter how many times he thought it out, he usually ended up messing it up. Especially with women.

Angel's eyes roamed over the packed bar. It wasn't a huge joint but big enough for a healthy bunch of regulars. Dim light and cigarette smoke gave the place a comfortable shadowy atmosphere that had attracted Angel here when he'd first come to town. As he gazed about at the businessmen in shirtsleeves, the factory workers playing poker, the college kids, the lonely women, the depressed men, Angel smelled the alcohol in the air that was always tinged with sadness and a little fear.

A blond was leaving the joint when he saw them come in. The man had slightly spiked brown hair and the woman had her raven black hair in a ponytail. Both wore black, from their leather pants to their long concealing coats. Angel noticed they had an air of nervousness about them, as if they were expecting a fight at anytime. Two toughs on the wrong side of the law? he wondered studying the unnatural bulge on the woman's thigh. Meanwhile, the man carefully led the way to the bar, weaving between swaying customers and tables.

"Hey," the man said snagging Charlie's arm. "We're looking for a guy who stole something of ours. Know someone who could help us?" he asked. Charlie looked the two over then nodded toward Angel.

"He can help you," he told them.

"Thanks," said the man somewhat surprising Angel. He didn't look much like the thanking type.

"Mind if we join you?" asked the man when they reached his table.

"No, sit down," said Angel gesturing at the seats across from him. At least he didn't have to get their attention, he thought with relief. "I'm Angel," he said extending his hand.

The man looked at it for a couple of seconds before clasping it in his own. "John," was all he said. "This is Aeryn." The woman nodded slightly, her face unreadable.

"So you're looking for someone who stole something from you?" Angel asked, trying to figure these people out.

"Yeah, sort of," John said glancing at Aeryn.

"Have you tried the police?" Angel asked. He knew they hadn't but he wanted to see their reaction. John half smiled and Aeryn just stiffened even more if that was possible.

"Last thing we need right now is the police," John said. They stared at each other in silence for a minute. "Can we trust you?" John asked suddenly. Angel, captivated by John's eyes, eyes that spoke of fear and hope, immediately sensed that this man was a good man, even though he obviously had secrets. But then, so did Angel.

"Yes, you can trust me. Client confidentiality," he told them. Aeryn's eyes widened slightly as he said that. Angel could smell her fear, his heart twinging as he was the cause, and marveled that she could keep such stoic control of herself. She grabbed John's shoulder and whispered very softly in his ear, so Angel couldn't hear. He could hear John's deeper voice though.

"Aeryn, we have to trust someone. I don't know this city," he whispered back fiercely. Aeryn looked at him long and hard before saying something else. "Right. Go back there," John said pointing to the restrooms. Aeryn left the table and headed toward the back. She hesitated, quickly glancing at both signs on the matching doors before going in the ladies. John let out a tightly held breath and swung his gaze back to Angel.

"Not much of a people person is she?" asked Angel trying to ease the tension. John looked at him funny then grinned.

"No, she's not," he agreed. His eyes flickered to Angel's untouched drink before he spoke again. "Uh… this is going to sound weird, but could I have a sip of your beer?" Angel was taken aback by the request. A grin played around the corners of John's mouth as Angel passed him his Budweiser. He couldn't help but smile widely as he saw the look of ecstasy on the face of his mysterious client as he took a large gulp of the ice-cold liquid. This guy either drank too much or had been denied the pleasure for a really long time, Angel thought wryly as he continued to observe the man sitting across from him.

Suddenly Aeryn appeared back at the table, yanking John to his feet and dragging him towards the door. John pulled out of her grasp long enough for her to whisper something that elicited a "Frell!" from his lips. Then they were gone.

Angel muttered his own curse at their sudden disappearance as he dug in his pocket for money and the scrap of paper Cordelia had given him. "The dump? What?" he asked himself. "Why are they going to the dump?" Angel shook his head as he tried to piece it all together while he headed for his car.

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"So what do we do?" asked John. He and Aeryn were on a very slow city bus heading for the dump they had landed the Prowler in on the south side of LA.

"I don't know. You're the one with all the brilliant ideas," muttered Aeryn scowling, careful to keep her voice low. She scanned the bus for possible threats for the hundredth time, a guy in a patched workcoat with no teeth blew her a kiss.

John stared out the window at the lighted cityscape of LA, barely noticing the drabby neighborhoods they drove through, each one more rundown and rat infested. But the lights - white squares dotting the skyscrapers, flashing green advertisements, street lights, stop lights, red radio towers - he had forgotten how beautiful they were lighting up the black sky. He blinked and the spell was broken.

"How did he wake up from Zhaan's potion?" he asked again softly, turning away from the window. Aeryn didn't bother to answer. "And Pilot said he was in full-blown, kill-your-best-friends hyper-rage?" Aeryn nodded absently as she recognized their stop.

They got off the bus and headed toward the dump at a run, each of them racking their brains for how to stop D'argo from getting all of them killed.

"Aeryn," John gasped as they entered the shadow filled mountains of trash. She glanced over at him running beside her. "We'll have to take him by surprise and from behind."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Angel ran through the dark dump after his two would be clients, easily jumping over old tires and washing machines. He rounded the final corner around a messed up Chevy and froze at what he saw. John and Aeryn were positioned on either side of a door on a really big…thing. Angel didn't know what it was, but it was big and tan. As soon as he saw it, a huge demon dressed in red with long tentacles, a beard, and a funny looking sword burst out of the door. John, with a piece of pipe, and Aeryn, with some sort of gun, were on it in a second trying to bring it to the ground. The demon roared, and turned on them. The humans jumped back and started attacking from both sides, but the demon was faster and stronger.

No more than a half minute having passed, Angel plunged into the fray, surprising the demon from behind. The demon turned once again, forgetting the two people behind him, slashing with incredible strength at Angel with his sword thing. Angel dodged and kicked trying to get an advantage, but before he could attack, his adversary fell with a final roar to the ground in a heap.

Behind the demon's crumpled body, stood Aeryn and John bickering about something. He couldn't tell what because Aeryn was speaking in a language he had not heard before. Angel found a convenient refrigerator to sit on to think about what the hell was going on with the two people currently oblivious to his presence.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"What do you mean you didn't remember?"

"I mean I didn't remember till I saw the blood vessel on the back of his neck. Hand to Hand with Alien Species was almost fifteen cycles ago," Aeryn explained.

John shook his head in wonderment. "We've lived together for almost two cycles and you never noticed that spot before?"

"I don't go around lifting up his tentacles all the time," Aeryn remarked wryly.

"You better not," John grinned. Aeryn smiled back. She gestured toward D'argo who was a heap on the ground.

"We better tie him up before he regains consciousness," she said. John nodded and turned toward the Luxon. It was then that he noticed Angel watching them.

"Uh… Aeryn?"

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Angel stood up when John saw him and quickly put his hands in front of him when Aeryn raised her weapon. John spoke first,

"You heard her, didn't you?" he said.

Angel nodded wondering why, if they understood each other, they didn't speak the same language. "Look, I'm not going to hurt you." John shook his head slightly.

"That's not what I'm worried about." John obviously had faith in the gun Aeryn was pointing at his gut.

"I won't turn you in to the police, if that's what you're afraid of," he told them. John's quick glance at Aeryn was answer enough. Aeryn said something in her strange language. It was nice language, different from the harshness of demon tongues, with little clicks interspersed in the syllables.

"How can we trust you?" John asked, rousing Angel from his contemplation of various languages he knew.

Here goes, he thought, the great unveiling of my identity. "I'm sort of the 'policeman' of demons and I was sent here to help you." Angel looked at both of them intently. Aeryn was clearly confused and John seemed almost shocked. He blinked his eyes for about a minute or two staring at the ground at Angel's feet. Aeryn was about to say something, but before she could, John interrupted.

"Wait, Aeryn." He looked up at Angel, a small smile twitching on his mouth. "So there are demons on Earth and you're the 'policeman'? Sounds like a load of dren. Who sent you and why should we trust you?"

Angel had no idea what dren was but he knew that the two wouldn't back down. They were in some kind of trouble and they obviously thought they could handle it. Some people were just so frustrating.

"I just helped you defeat that demon," Angel said pointing to the creature on the ground. "Does that count for anything?"

"No," said John clearly getting angry. "You think that because you help us knock out the big, bad wolf you're suddenly Prince Charming? Reality check: we can't keep a gun on you forever. Our lives are in your hands and that is unacceptable until we have something to bargain with!"

Angel was surprised. They weren't just going to try and kill him like most thugs he helped.

It was ironic that in order to help these people, he had to show his bad side. Angel sighed heavily, hating what he had to do. What would they think of him now? he wondered darkly, not that it really mattered - he was going to help them whether they wanted his help or not. So sighing heavily, he shifted his human face into his vampire face.

John blinked and took a step back. Aeryn, unfazed, said something to which John replied "He's not human." Aeryn said something else, and John turned towards her answering "Aeryn, I'd thought you'd gotten past shooting everything that scares you."

Angel shifted his face back to normal and tossed a wooden stake at John's feet. "Now my life is in your hands."

John looked over at Aeryn and they gazed at each other for a long moment. Angel could only guess at what was passing between them. Finally John said "Trust me."

Aeryn suddenly looked into Angel's eyes. Angel held his breath. This was some kind of test and he had to pass it. Finally she nodded to John and lowered her gun.

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Part 2

The unhuman human heaved a sigh of relief when Aeryn lowered her gun, making her feel a whole lot better for some reason. Whatever he was, it was unfamiliar and a shock to John, which didn't inspire her with confidence. As a soldier, unknown variables made her very nervous, but she had learned to trust John's instincts. The man had revealed himself to them, secret for secret, although Aeryn doubted he was very worried about them hurting him. The way he had fought D'Argo showed him to be a skilled warrior. Then there was the way he had jumped into the fight. It was something John would have done. That, more than anything else, earned him at least a measure of her trust.

D'argo groaned from where he lay on the ground, pulling Aeryn out of her thoughts. He was starting to regain consciousness and that was not good. "We need to tie him up before wakes," she told John who nodded absently in agreement. He stood with the wooden stake in his hands, taking in what Angel had revealed.

"Is there any cable on the pod?" he asked, as he collected himself, getting back to the business at hand.

"Should be in the equipment locker," she answered going over to D'argo while John went into the pod to get the cable.

D'argo was just an inelegant heap on the ground. One leg was under him and his torso was bent to the side. As Aeryn knelt next to him to make sure he was indeed unharmed, the stranger silently came up beside her. Startled, the ex- PeaceKeeper immediately jumped to her feet, smoothly drawing her pulse pistol as she did so. The stranger stepped back in surprise, his hands in the open waiting for Aeryn to lower her weapon. When she did, an uncomfortable silence settled over them.

"Big guy," the - whatever - commented, shifting uncomfortably. Aeryn couldn't help but smile.

"That's what Crichton calls him," she said without thinking before she remembered that he didn't have any translator microbes.

"You can understand me right?" Angel asked. Aeryn nodded in reply as she finished her examination of D'Argo. The giant Luxan was fine; the blow she had dealt to his pressure point hadn't done any damage, nor had the ensuing fall.

Aeryn tried to straighten D'argo out and was surprised when Angel helped her shift his massive weight.

"Was he after you?" Angel asked making sure to phrase his question in a simple yes-no format that Aeryn answered by nodding her head.

"Well, I found some cable but I don't know if it will be enough," said John from behind them. Aeryn took a cord from the proffered bundle and started to tie D'argo's arms while John worked on his feet.

"I hope this is strong enough," she told John as she yanked a knot tight.

"What'd she say?" asked Angel who was watching them curiously. John glanced up at him before answering.

"She said she hopes the cable's strong enough. So do I." John finished the knot he was tying and stood up. "You said you were sent here to help us?" he asked. Angel nodded. "Know any place safe for us to take him?"

Now it was Angel's turn to be shocked and confused. "What?" he finally managed to say. "First you attack him, then you want to take him somewhere safe?"

Aeryn suddenly understood. "Crichton, he thinks D'argo's an enemy"

"Oh, no," John said to Angel, forgetting that he couldn't understand Aeryn, "he's a friend." Angel just shook his head.

"Wait, slow down. What did she say?" Angel asked frustrated at not being able to follow the conversation.

"Aeryn said that you thought D'argo was an enemy, but he's not. He's our friend," John explained.

"Now I'm really confused," said Angel looking back and forth between the two of them, his brow creased.

"D'argo's not someone you exactly talk out of a bad mood," John explained. Aeryn snorted at the understatement.

"I'm contacting Moya, let them know everything's under control for the moment," she told John leaving him to the explanations while she walked over to the transport pod and activated her comm.

"Pilot, this is Aeryn."

"Officer Sun, is everything alright," came Pilot's concerned reply.

"How's D'argo?" asked Zhaan before Aeryn could answer.

"D'argo's unconscious, but unharmed," she told them. "We're safe for the moment and we've found someone who might be able to help us find Jothee."

"Thank the Goddess," said Zhaan. "The sooner you are all safely aboard Moya again the happier I'll be."

"Me too," Aeryn fervently agreed. "I'll keep in touch."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

So there are demons on Earth, thought John. Figures. He'd been to the restaurant at the end of the universe and back only to find out that his own planet was part of the chain.

"So you're what, a vampire?" he asked Angel. He still couldn't believe that the man before him was not human when he looked so nice, and, well, normal. But then none of his closest friends were human either, he thought wryly.

"Yeah," said Angel.

"So why aren't you sucking my blood?" he asked almost dreading the answer. "This isn't some interview with a vampire thing is it?" John remembered the end of that movie all too well.

Angel smiled and shook his head. "No, I'm cursed with a soul."

Now what the frell did that mean, John wondered. He reasoned it must be something good because Angel hadn't killed them yet; instead he had actually helped them.

Aeryn came back then. She nodded to John that Moya and the rest were up to speed. He hoped they weren't too worried about them. At least this time they could keep in touch with each other.

"So, what are you?" asked Angel, fully grabbing John's attention. What were they? John began to laugh. Well, the vampire with a soul had given him a shock, so turnabout's fair play.

"Well, I'm your garden variety, everyday, wormhole traveling human being.

Aeryn's a Sebacean and D'Argo's a Luxan; they're both aliens."

Angel just stood there with a stunned expression on his face. "She's not human?" he spluttered pointing at Aeryn who muttered something about rather being in the living death than human.

John grinned. "Nope, purebred alien."

"You mean, from another planet? Not supernatural, but scientific aliens?" Angel was flabbergasted. "Whoa," he said putting a hand on his head trying to absorb it all. "I mean I've seen demons and crazy magic, and other dimensions, but real aliens from our own! In this universe?" Angel shook his head but there was a small smile on his face. "No wonder you want to stay away from the government."

"So you'll still help us?" asked John suddenly nervous. They desperately needed his help and, after seeing his positive reaction to his alien friends, John trusted him even more.

"Yeah," replied Angel. "My car's this way."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

An hour later they were in Angel's black convertible heading for his office. D'argo was tied up and unconscious on the backseat and John and Aeryn were next to Angel up front. As they drove through the dark streets, Angel half listened to John tell Aeryn everything he knew about demons and vampires, which wasn't much, while he, for his part, tried to get over the fact that he had real, same-dimension aliens in his car. Little, green men his ass, he thought glancing over at the beautiful Aeryn.

Angel had had plenty of experience in dealing with creatures from the various underworlds of Earth and a few other dimensions that were tied to Earth by one force or another, but never any that were completely unrelated. It was an incredible thought and Angel was shocked to find that he was surprised by this fact. He was so busy dealing with the nightmares of the world that he had never really considered the possibility of life on other planets.

He looked in the rearview mirror again at D'argo. He had so many questions about these people. Why would they attack a "friend"? Why did they insist he be tied up? And how the hell did John, an obvious human, get out into space with them in the first place? And how did he understand their language when he still spoke English? The questions would have to wait till they got back to the office. Angel looked at the clock; it was almost ten. Cordelia and Wesley would still be waiting for him. Wait till they found out about this, he thought, laughing to himself.

"And that's about all I know," he heard John say. "Zhaan would probably be better at explaining this than me." Aeryn said something in reply and John quietly laughed. "Darlin', I'm just a simple scientist. My planet or not, when it comes to the mystic, it's Zhaan's job to save us."

Who was Zhaan? wondered Angel as he pulled onto his street. He drove around to the back of the small office building and parked the car. "Here we are," he said jumping out. John and Aeryn quickly followed. They all stared at D'argo lying in the back, none of them cherishing the idea of lugging him inside. Their trek through the dump with the three of them hauling his huge bulk had not been a pleasant one.

"I think I'm gonna get help," said Angel looking at John who nodded. He turned and went to the front of the small office building and unlocked the door. Bounding up the stairs, he heard Wesley and Cordelia's bickering voices.

"Cordelia, I didn't mean…how do I put this?" Wesley was saying.

"Hey," said Angel sticking his head through the doorway.

"Any luck?" asked Wesley jumping up out of his chair, grateful for the diversion.

"How much they paying?" Cordelia asked at the same time. Angel groaned inwardly.

"We'll talk about that later. I need your help at the car." Curious, the two followed Angel back outside.

When they got to the car, John and Aeryn regarded his friends with suspicion. Aeryn's hand went to the weapon at her side, but she let them approach.

"I am not touching that thing," announced Cordelia after Angel told them they had to get D'argo inside. Angel closed his eyes briefly in frustration. He had known this would happen. Of course, it would have been much worse if he hadn't left out the part about D'argo and Aeryn being aliens. Angel shuddered at the thought.

"Fine," he said to Cordelia, "just open the doors." Angel, Wesley, John, and Aeryn pulled D'argo out of the car and with a lot of grunting and stopping, finally managed to get him down in Angel's apartment. Cordelia dutifully opened all the doors.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"That's all we know," finished John. It was eleven thirty. Aeryn was in Angel's bedroom keeping an eye on D'argo and avoiding John's fellow earthlings. The terse introductions and hasty explanations that glossed over last names and the fact that D'argo and Aeryn were aliens, hadn't gone over too well. Wesley clearly wasn't sure what to make of two people bringing home a demon friend but Cordelia just eyed them with suspicion, and in John's case, appraisal, which hadn't done much for the comfort factor - especially since it had pissed Aeryn off. Angel finally picked up on it and sent Cordelia home, for which John was eternally grateful. Aeryn had escaped as soon as she could, leaving John to explain the case.

So now John was sitting at the kitchen table with Angel and Wesley drinking coffee. Honest to goodness, bitter, refreshing coffee. Man, had he missed coffee all those days in the Uncharteds when he had an early shift in command. He closed his eyes just enjoying the black heat that slid down his throat. He could live in this moment. So of course, Wesley chose that moment to ask him another question.

"Is there anything that might help us identify the Sebacean?"

"I don' know," John sighed. "Aeryn might know something, but we never saw him."

"We'll ask around for people who might have seen Jothee," said Angel. "That's probably the best trail to follow." Wesley nodded and started gathering up his notes, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Pardon me," he said for the yawn. "I really must be going," he added offering John his hand. "Nice meeting you, John." John firmly shook his hand. It felt really good shaking hands again. It beat pulse rifles in his face any day.

Angel stood too and glanced around his dark apartment. "You guys can crash here," he said to his guest. "I'm going to start looking for Jothee."

"Isn't it a little late?" asked John surprised.

"Not for me," said Angel, and with that he was gone.

Right, thought John. He had forgotten about that. He sighed and took his coffee to the couch. John was really tired. Moya time it was closer to early morning than the middle of the night. Thoughts tumbled around in his mind, not making much sense. He was on Earth, the real Earth, and it was like he was on another foreign planet. More weird creatures, more weird cities, more hiding. Would it ever end?

Soft footsteps came up behind him, then Aeryn came into view. She sat down next to him on the couch, their shoulders touching. As John tentatively put his arm around her, Aeryn snuggled closer.

"How you doin', Sunshine?" he asked. Aeryn rolled her head towards him before answering.

"Well, we're on Earth, in hiding, a strange creature we barely know is helping us, and we've been in one fight today, against D'argo, no less. I'm doing fine."

John chuckled at her response--it seemed that his sarcasm was beginning to rub off on her. "Are you telling me this is just another ordinary day?" he asked grinning wickedly.

Aeryn pretended to think it over. "Well, not quite ordinary," she said grinning back. "Neither you, Chiana, nor Rygel caused the trouble were in." John laughed.

"OK, you want out of the ordinary? I'll show out of the ordinary tomorrow when I take you out on the town, babe," he told her.

"And how will you do that?" Aeryn asked her curiosity showing in her

twinkling eyes.

"Because, for a change, I know tons more about this place than you do!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Meanwhile, out on the underside of town, Angel was checking out all the local demon haunts. He had been to about five so far with no success; none of the generally observant proprietors had seen anything.

It was about two when Angel stepped into a high class, gambling joint where well-to-do demons and their associates came to chat and throw away some money. Angel skirted the edge of the dimly lit casino toward the bar. He was in luck; Dixon was at the counter mixing drinks. Angel came up and stood next to a little bald man with red cheeks and patiently waited for Dixon. He glanced around his surroundings at the variety of pebbled and leathery skinned demons in all shades of green, blue, and gray, each impeccably dressed as they gambled and drank with their human associates on posh velvet chairs and mahogany tables.

Finally the little man walked away with his martini. "New to the joint," Dixon told him conversationally, nodding after the man. "Still a little nervous around horns and tails." He turned his attention back to Angel. "So what can I do ya for?"

"I'm looking for a kid, about fifteen, with long tentacles on his head. He's in custody of guy who doesn't speak English," said Angel.

"What's it worth?" asked Dixon slyly. He wasn't about to pass up a chance to make a profit.

"It's worth me not giving your boss the file I have on your… barside activities," Angel replied maliciously. Dixon gulped. He had forgotten Angel knew about that.

"OK, OK," he said hastily. "But not much has been happenin' around here for the last couple a' weeks."

"Dixon," said Angel, "you've got eyes in the back of your head, surely you've seen something. If not…" he trailed away suggestively.

"Let me think!" pleaded Dixon as he glanced nervously about the room for any potential eavesdroppers. "OK, about five hours ago I was in the storeroom, right? Mr. LeCuinda came in the back with two people. One had a sack over his head so I couldn't see him, right? But the other was a tall man…uh, black hair,… dark clothes, and a gun on his hip. LeCuinda said something to him and he answered in a language that definitely was not English or anything like any demon language I know, and I know a lot of them, at least what they sound like. I remember thinking it was kind of funny because most of the human types speak English, right? But workin' in this joint…" Dixon shook his head. "So that's what I know." Angel nodded and got off the stool.

"LeCuinda, what's he?" he asked.

"Um…I think he's a Langston demon," said Dixon after a moment. Angel laid a twenty down on the counter. Dixon stared at it before pulling it towards himself. "So… uh… you're not going to give my boss that file, right?"

Angel smiled coldly. "Just keep giving me reasons not to and I never will."

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Part 3

Angel returned home after his chat with Dixon to find John and Aeryn fast asleep on the couch. Leaving them to dream, he checked on D'argo who was still out cold in the bedroom before settling down in the armchair in the livingroom area. He watched his two guests sleep for a minute, John's arm around Aeryn and her head on his chest, remembering a time when he had a certain vampire slayer in his arms like that. Now she was in that macho commando, Riley's arms. Angel sighed, thoroughly depressed at the thought and tried to close the door on the painful past. Thankfully, the stress of the day quickly pulled him into sleep.

A crash in the next room startled Angel into consciousness. He jumped up and found Aeryn and John already on their feet, Aeryn's gun raised in a defensive posture and John's hand on his empty holster. Another crash echoed from the bedroom and the Luxan's hulking form, still bound by cable, hopped through the doorway. He was an impressive sight with his long tentacles and braids flying about his tattooed head and Angel could tell he was really pissed off. He began shouting in a barking language. The human and sebacean both answered at the same time. Angel couldn't think straight with the noise of three shouted languages bouncing around the room. Then suddenly, they were all looking at him.

"Uhh…I'm…gonna go upstairs now," he said, not about to get involved in this fight when he couldn't even understand two of the belligerents. The Luxan was still tied up, Aeryn had her gun, and the only way out of the building that his guests new of was where Angel was going to be, so it seemed safe enough to leave them alone. And they were friends? thought Angel, shaking his head.

Wesley was pouring over one of the large demon tomes in Angel's office when he came upstairs. The lamp was on and the blinds were closed as usual lending the room a very somber, scholarly atmosphere.

"Good morning, Angel," said Wesley looking up from his book. "Are you alright this morning? You look a bit… off," he said.

Angel sighed and sat down at his desk. "The aliens are fighting downstairs. Woke me up from my four hours of sleep." He rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. "I don't know what to make of them, Wesley."

Wesley nodded in agreement. "Yes, I can certainly under- wait, did you say *aliens*?" Wesley's jaw dropped.

Angel nodded, groaning inwardly. Partly because of the confusion and the need to get D'Argo safely confined, and partly because, to be honest, Angel wasn't up to what he knew would be a lengthy discussion, he had sort of skipped the details in last nights hasty introductions - like the part about Aeryn and D'Argo being aliens. For that matter, the tormented vampire still didn't know John's last name-he'd never gotten around to asking.

"It seems you better fill me in," said Wesley testily, "before I waste another hour trying to find out the strengths and weaknesses of a Luxan demon."

So Angel told Wesley what he knew about their guests from outer space, from first contact to what Dixon had told him about the Langston demon. "And now they're fighting in my apartment and I can't understand a word they're saying," he finished.

"I might be able to remedy that," said Wesley jumping out of his chair and turning to the bookshelf behind him. He had taken the news rather well, which didn't really surprise Angel considering his job. The ex-Watcher found the book he was looking for and quickly began to leaf through the pages.

"What are you looking for?" asked Angel curiously leaning across his desk.

"There's a universal translation spell in here that might solve our communication problem. Ah here it is," he said. He ran his finger down the page stopping about halfway down. "You cast the spell on the being who doesn't speak the language, then whenever they speak, those around them understand what he's saying." Angel got up to look over Wesley's shoulder, then clapped him gently on the back.

"Good work. Now we'll be able to find out who these people really are."

"Yes," agreed Wesley distractedly. He went into the other room and stood facing Cordelia's computer. He just stared at the thing for several minutes then he turned it on.

"Wesley?" asked Angel surprised. The man hated that thing. "What are you doing now?"

"There's something familiar about John and since he doesn't seemed inclined to tell us about himself, I thought I'd see if I could find out something," Wesley said clicking the mouse. "That is, if I can figure out how to use this thing." Angel shook his head again, heading toward the elevator.

As he left, Cordelia walked in. She stopped short at the door, nearly dropping her coffee, as soon as she saw Wesley at the computer. "Oh my God," she cried. "The world's going to end!"

************

About half an arn before the aspiring actress came into work, D'argo woke up in a strange room, with a pounding headache, and ropes tightly tied around his arms and feet. Worst of all, he remembered why he was here, on Earth. Jothee had been captured and brought here by a bounty hunter.

D'argo tried to stand up, but the effects of the blow to his pressure point affected his balance and he fell to the floor with a crash. Slowly, he pushed himself back to his feet, then caught himself on the table by the bed, knocking something onto the floor as he started to sway again. Cursing under his breath and straining at the cords, D'argo hopped through the open doorway. Aeryn and Crichton were in the next room, the sight of them filling D'argo with uncontrollable anger.

The hyper-rage instantly upon him, D'Argo's thoughts raced. His friends had betrayed him! They had conspired with that blue plant to keep him on the ship and away from his son! They must be in league with the bounty hunter and were going to help give Jothee to Macton! Why else would they attack him from behind and bind him like a prisoner! The fierce warrior had sworn he would never be a prisoner again and now he swore that neither would his son!

"Where is he?!" D'argo yelled at his comrades. "What have you done to him?!"

Aeryn reholstered the pulse gun in her hand as both she and Crichton spoke. "We haven't found him yet." "What do you mean what have we done to him?"

"How could you do this to me?!" D'argo demanded hopping closer. The human and sebacean each took a step back to stay out of his tongue range. "You help me search for my son, then betray me for the PeaceKeepers!"

"Woah, Big Guy," sputtered Crichton. "We did not two-time you."

"We would never betray you," yelled Aeryn insulted. "After all that we've been through-"

"Then why am I bound as a prisoner," interrupted D'argo, still in the thrall of the hyper-rage, "and who the frell is that human behind you?" The two turned around to stare at the tall man in black who looked more than a little confused.

"Uhh…I'm…gonna go upstairs now," the man said shakily turning toward the stairs and leaving hastily.

"Um…that was Angel," said Crichton. He appeared to be about to explain further but D'argo didn't give him a chance.

"Another one of your bounty hunter friends? Going to show him how my blood runs clear?" he demanded harshly. What was that man doing here, that human? What would they do to him trussed up and unable to defend himself? He strained against the ropes but they were securely tied, probably by Aeryn.

"D'argo, no. He's here to…" Crichton started.

"To dissect me as those other humans did Rygel?" he yelled furious at the very thought of being the object of some scientific inquiry. How could they betray him? his hearts screamed. It hurt more than he ever thought it could.

"D'argo, just listen to us!" shouted the ex-Peace Keeper. No surprise that she had gone back to her old ways, he thought bitterly, the hyper-rage still influencing his mind. "We had Zhaan sedate you-"

"So you could keep me from Jothee!" he bellowed. He tugged on his ropes some more and with a great roar managed to pop one of the cords around his arms. The others loosened a little bit but held fast as D'argo roared again in frustration. Rage surging through his blood, pounded in his brain.

"D'argo, shut the frell up and listen for once!" Crichton shouted.

"Untie me!" the Luxan demanded.

"No," screamed back Crichton. "This is the reason we had Zhaan sedate you in the first place. This is the reason we tied you up once you were down. We will not have you acting like the Tasmanian Devil when there are no access shafts around!"

"So you fear for your lives," said D'argo with an evil sneer. It pleased him that they were worried about what would happen, what was going to happen when the ropes were gone.

"Yes, and for yours," said Aeryn sharply. "We didn't want you down here because you stand out too much. You would easily be caught and slaughtered by a troop of soldiers. We are not going to let what happened on that fake earth happen again!"

"I don't need your protection, PeaceKeeper. I've seen what that's worth.," he snarled back. Aeryn stiffened, the blood draining from her face. D'argo knew deep inside that he had really hurt her but his enraged self didn't care. How dare she say they were concerned for his safety. What about Jothee's safety? What were they doing for him?

"D'argo," snapped Crichton, taking a protective step in front of Aeryn, "believe it or not we do care about you. We knew you'd come down here in hyper-rage, like this and start shooting and shouting in a language no one on this planet understands. You remember what my people can be like! You would have been out like a light faster than lightening. And what about Jothee? What kind of life will your son have if the only person he has left in the universe is dead?"

The tall Luxan had no reply. Rai G'arin, his old comrade, was the only other person Jothee had known as family, and he was dead. Could he bear not to see his son again before he died? So many cycles of not knowing what had happened, of not seeing him grow up. He had been a little boy, barley out of infancy, when Macton had ruined their lives. The stabbing pain of those cycles began washing away the blinding rage as the tears came to his eyes. He blinked furiously, trying to hide them from his shipmates.

"We value you too much as a friend to let anything happen to you or your son," continued Crichton. D'Argo, guilt and shame at his foolishness now overcoming his rage, knew that the human's words rang true. How many times had they risked their lives for each other and strangers in need?

"You should have at least asked me first," he finally said sullenly. His Luxan pride would not allow him to back down so easily.

"Would you have listened?" said John with a smile teasing the corners of his mouth.

"Does he ever listen?" asked Aeryn wryly, as she approached the bound Luxan. She pulled a small knife from her boot.

"Aeryn," D'argo said, suddenly remembering his earlier words. "I'm sorry for what I said. I do trust you." Aeryn smiled broadly and the remaining tension flowed out of her body.

"Thank you," she said cutting the cable around his arms. "Now I don't have to kill you," and with that she flashed him a wicked grin.

Crichton laughed. "Finally! Someone else in her doghouse!" D'argo and Aeryn just looked at each other and shrugged. He was Crichton after all. Somehow that thought made D'argo feel better. Yes, he was Crichton, and he would help find Jothee no matter what the cost.