Okay, here is my first ever Farscape fic! I tried to resist the temptation and I couldn't, had to try!
I don't own anything, I'm not making money, so please don't sue!

This is set I guess a cycle after 'Fractures.' Scorpius is dead (The wicked witch is dead! hehe!) While
Aeryn and John aren't completely back together, they are talking again and getting close. John's going to
get lucky, hehe, anyway, I miss Zhaan. So guess what! She's back! Yea, Stark! ...hmm... I think I'll
shut up now...

Title: Surprise Surprise

Chapter 6: The Not-So-Big-Surprise

Rated: R

***

{3 weeks later}

"Okay, I understand *this*, what I don't understand is *this*," Cassandra said pointing out different areas
of John's Farscape module. John launched into another detailed explanation for his curious sister. John
had decided that the best way to ease her into living on Moya was to try and surround her with as many familiar
things as possible. Since there wasn't much on Moya from Earth, they spent the majority of their time together
in the Farscape module.

Cassandra was slowly settling into a routine, which Zhaan said was the best thing for her healing mind. John
and Aeryn would wake her in the morning to eat with them in the central chamber. She would accompany them on
their daily maintenance tasks to get a better feel for Moya's layout as well as an understanding of
biomechanoid technology. Once those tasks were completed, she would go to Zhaan's apothecary for her daily
check-up.

By her third week, all her cuts had healed, and the majority of her bruises had faded, leaving a surprising
pretty woman underneath. The scar on her face seemed to bother her, though in reality it did nothing to mar
her beauty; it actually seemed to enhance it. Chiana would arrive in Zhaan's apothecary to take her on their
daily walks. They spent much of the time in the upper tiers though they always ended at the Terrace where Aeryn
waited for them.

Once there, Aeryn would take Cassandra to her training room. Cassandra was still very weak, so the sessions
didn't last long, but she did begin to exercise again. She concentrated on building her strength and returning
her body to its former levels of flexibility rather than working on her fighting techniques, much to Aeryn's
disappointment. After her time in the training room, she returned to her quarters for a shower. John would
bring her food, talking to her while she ate. After her meal, she napped.

She usually woke a few arns later, though the time shortened as her strength returned. She spent the rest of
the evening with John, usually in the Farscape module until the evening meal. The last meal of the day was the
only time she saw the rest of the occupants of Moya. She remained quiet throughout the meal, speaking only when
spoken to, and even then, short sentences. After the meal, she slept. Waking the next day to begin the
process again.

Her healing wasn't without flare-ups. Aeryn and Chiana seemed to be getting the worst out of it. She never
attacked John or Zhaan and rarely was anyone else around her, leaving her attacks to fall on her friend and her
brother's lover. She always felt horrible about it afterwards and was constantly surprised at how patient they
were being for someone that was a serious threat when her 'episodes' happened. As time progressed, the
flare-ups diminished in intensity and frequency.

"Okay, I get it. What about this? How did you interface the two technologies?"

John's reply was cut off by Chiana's com that the meal was ready. As they walked to the central chamber, John
explained the answer to her question. He was still explaining when they reached the chamber. They sat down,
and Cassandra fired another question. She seemed to be absorbing the information like a sponge. There was a
feeling in the air that something new was going to happen at this meal; everyone but Cassandra and John remained
silent.

"Alright, that's all the questions I can think of about biomechaniod technology." She turned to Chiana, "What
about Nebari technology, is it similar?"

Chiana grinned, Cassandra never asked questions while they ate. She relayed as much as she knew about Nebari
technology. Cassandra then turned to Aeryn and asked the same about Peacekeeper technology. Aeryn tried to
remember everything she possibly could to tell the curious human. Surprise of all surprises was when she turned
to D'Argo and asked him about his ship. D'Argo took the rest of the meal to tell her what he had discovered
about the Luxan ship, ending with an offer to show her as soon as she was finished eating. Cassandra immediately
took him up on that, and the two, followed by Jool, left for the bay housing D'Argo's ship.

Zhaan turned to John after they left. "The true healing has begun, John. I believe she will adapt fine, just
as you have." John smiled in return; his baby sister had finally emerged from her shell.

***

Cassandra fell onto her bunk insanely pleased with herself. It had taken days to work up the courage to speak
to D'Argo. John's explanations on biomechanoid technology had provided the perfect way to begin talking with
him. She had still been nervous and asked Aeryn and Chiana about their technologies first. When she finally
did speak to D'Argo he had seemed surprised then pleased. When he offered to show her his ship, she had been
ecstatic. Chiana had told her he was very possessive of it and didn't let to many people near it. By speaking
with D'Argo she had also found a way to speak to Jool, who rarely strayed far from him. Now she only needed
to speak with Rygel, Stark, and Pilot. When she did, she'd finally begin to feel comfortable. Not knowing
the crew had made her uneasy. Chiana had filled her in on the backgrounds of everyone but it hadn't done much
alleviate her disquiet. Before her experiences with the 'scientists' she had been a very people-oriented
person. DK and John had often threatened to gag her when they were younger, and that trait of talking to anyone
about anything had helped her when she had begun working at IASA. She was well aware of how much she had
changed; she was hoping that this was the first step to returning to her former self-confidence and enthusiasm
for life.

***

{5 arns later}

"We are still getting a steady signal from the transmitter, and the troops are ready to retrieve her and her
rescuers."

"Good. I want her alive. If she is harmed, you will die. Understood?"

"Y - Yes, sir!"

"Attack will commence in 10 arns."

"Yes, sir!"

***

"EARTHQUAKE!!!"

Cassandra woke and cried out in surprise when her bed shook, and she fell to the floor in a puddle of sheets.
She looked up at John and glared. He fell onto her bed laughing. "Jerk!" she yelled and attempted to stand
but fell again when she couldn't untangle herself from her covers. This only made him laugh harder. When she
finally managed to stand, she punched him in the shoulder and stormed off to the bathroom to shower.

When she returned, John had thrown all her covers back on her bed. "You couldn't make it?" she asked nastily.

John grinned at her. "Revenge is sweet, dear sister."

"You never fell on the floor."

"Can I help it if I have better reflexes?" John asked her innocently.

"Wanna test those?" she asked starting towards him.

"Don't damage him too badly, I need him later," Aeryn said from the doorway.

Cassandra looked over at her and grinned. "Morning, Aeryn!"

"Morning, Aeryn!" John said, a similar grin on his face.

"The similarities between you are scary," Aeryn said, perfectly serious.

"Me like him?!"

"Me like her?!"

The argument of similarities between the humans continued on down the corridor and through the morning
meal until Aeryn pulled out her pistol and said she'd shoot the next person who talked.

Aeryn was once again tempted to shoot the two humans when the three began repairing a problem with Moya's
environmental controls. (Jool had complained loud and long about the temperature in her quarters.) At first
they were pretty quiet, until Cassandra started humming. John soon picked up. If that wasn't bad enough at
some predestined time they both began singing as loud as they could, "KISS ME BABY, WHOOO, FEELS GOOD! COME ON
OVER BABY! LOVE ME LIKE A LOVER SHOULD! YOUR FINE! SO KIND! TOLD THIS WORLD THAT YOUR MINE, MINE, MINE!"

At first Aeryn had been too surprised to say anything. Finally, getting desperate to end their caterwauling,
she'd fired her pistol into the ceiling. The shot had stopped the noise and they both stared at her like SHE
had gone crazy! After yelling at the two deranged humans, she stalked off, leaving them to do the repairs by
themselves. Little did she know, they started singing again as soon as she left.

The day continued on for Cassandra in her normal routine, except for Aeryn's surprising shot during her and
John's excellent rendition of Jerry Lewis, it was a pretty average day. She was a little nervous about
approaching the training room when Aeryn didn't meet her on the Terrace. She had a feeling that Aeryn was a
little irritated. 'Boy, is that an understatement!' she thought. Instead of still being irritated though, after
Cassandra's daily warm-up, Aeryn began showing her how to use a pulse pistol. Aeryn was pleased that she was
much better than John had been when she first began teaching him. Cassandra explained she was very proficient
in the guns used on Earth, it was just trying to get use to the differences in the way they fired. This had
begun a technical discussion on weapons that left both women extremely happy.

At first glance, John and Cassandra seemed very similar. It was nearly impossible to understand them, though
they always understood each other. They were always pulling pranks on each other or talking about some technical
thing that only Pilot and Jool could even begin to grasp. Yet, Cassandra possessed a need to know how to defend
herself. She had explained to Aeryn that she had always been interested in martial arts and convinced her
parents to let her take lessons. She had been taking lessons since she was a little kid, very similar to
Aeryn. But, she had wanted to learn, and approached the whole concept of training differently than Aeryn. John
hadn't been interested in learning hand to hand combat until he had come to the Uncharted Territories.
Cassandra also possessed a knowledge of weapons that John did not.

***

Cassandra was sleeping, blissfully unaware of the discussion taking place in Command. D'Argo, Aeryn, Zhaan,
and John were discussing the possibility of finding the ship Cassandra had been on and destroying it. Aeryn
and D'Argo both felt the ship was familiar somehow but couldn't recall why. Pilot had searched Moya's databanks
but there were no vessels matching it. The fighter and the transport they had stolen weren't any help. The
fighter was of Nebari design and the transport was Delvian.

"I don't think we should be making this decision alone anyway," D'Argo remarked after about an arn of getting
nowhere near making a decision. "Cassandra deserves to be apart of it."

"I think it would be wise to wait awhile anyway. Cassandra's recovery is going well, but another encounter
with her captors before she's ready might cause her to retreat again," Zhaan added.

Before anyone could reply, Moya shifted, causing the four to slightly lose their balance. "Pilot?" they
asked simultaneously.

"We've been fired upon!" was his shocked reply. "Moya's sensors did not even detect their approach!"

"Who fired on us?" Zhaan asked.

"I believe it is the ship that Cassandra was held on." He paused a moment. "We are being boarded!
Maintenance Bay!"

D'Argo, Aeryn, and John pulled out their weapons of choice and ran for the bay. Zhaan told Pilot to have
everyone else come to Command. She was soon joined by Stark, Jool, Chiana, and Rygel. "Where is Cassandra?"
Zhaan asked worried.

"What's up, doc?" Cassandra asked from the doorway.

Zhaan closed her eyes in relief, saying a quick pray of thanks to the Goddess before informing the group of
their situation.

***

TBC

WELL... what do ya think? Please review or send me an e-mail!

Thanks to the peps that are reviewing! I really need all the ego boosts I can get for this one since it's my first
Farscape fic, I'm glad to know that it's being well recieved! And a special thanks to Lorraine for the e-mail she
sent!

~Artemis Luna Diana~