"Shattered Mirror" Epilogue
Time: Between Different Destinations and Eat Me
Disclaimer: I didn't create Farscape, didn't create the characters, and don't make a plug nickel off of them.
---------------------------------------
One day later…
John stood outside the door of Aeryn's room, looking through the lattice- like bars of the former cell. The room was dimly lit, but John could see Aeryn's sleeping form on her bed. He reached over to open the door, hesitated, then tapped the control.
Aeryn didn't stir as he crossed to her bed. She was lying on her back, coverlet drawn up to her chin. She looked better than she had when they'd gotten the module into the maintenance bay.
Slowly, being careful not to wake her, John sat on the edge of the bed. He sighed as memories from the previous day came back in a rush, no matter how hard he tried to hold them down.
He could see the module rolling to a stop, looking like it had gone through a war. The fact that the wings and canopy looked as if they were melting couldn't hold John's attention. With his superior strength, D'Argo had been able to force open the canopy. The cockpit was filled with smoke from numerous shorts. Aeryn was slumped over in the seat, the safety harness and her clothing apparently disintegrating from cause that, at that moment, John didn't care about.
Aeryn had regained consciousness microts later, as Jool gave her a thorough examination. Whatever had affected the module had apparently started to affect Aeryn, but showed signs of clearing up.
Then Aeryn told them what she'd found on the other side of the wormhole.
John's head hung low as he thought about the Crichton Aeryn had encountered. He wondered, How close did I come to becoming that man? A little less effort, and Harvey would have stayed in control. Everyone would be dead because of me. He buried his face in his hands.
He turned quickly as Aeryn shifted position under the coverlet. John froze, afraid he had woken her. But her eyes remained closed. Relieved, John reached out and brushed a few strands of hair from her face. He watched her a microt longer, then turned away.
From somewhere in the depth of his memory, a college English Literature class that he had taken only because he had to bubbled up. The poem came quickly:
"She walks in Beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.
"One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.
"And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!"
John laughed once. "I'm surprised I remembered that."
He wasn't expecting the hand against his back. "Did you come up with that?"
John turned. Aeryn looked up at him with half-open eyes, a faint smile playing across her lips. "Hey. No, can't take credit for that. That was written by a poet back home, named Lord Byron. How do you feel?"
"Weak, but otherwise all right. A few good night's sleep and I'll be fine." She watched him, seeing discomfort on his face. "You're thinking about him, aren't you?"
John laughed once. "You're saying that if the chip had stayed in control, I would have turned into Crais. I knew I was a basket case, Aeryn, but still…" His voice trailed off.
"Not necessarily. Stark mentioned a theory, something about each decision having an infinite number of outcomes. Each outcome is a different reality."
"Yeah. Quantum theory. Possibly an infinite number of realities just slightly different from each other. There's probably some realities where I never made it here."
"Well, I'm glad I didn't end up in one of them." Aeryn yawned and rolled onto her side, her back to John.
John turned slowly. He stared at Aeryn's bare back and felt a smile crawl onto his face. "What I wouldn't give for a large jar of chocolate body paint."
Aeryn glanced back over her shoulder, looking confused. "What did you say?"
"Nothing. Never mind." John leaned over and kissed her on the shoulder. "Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning." John stood and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Aeryn stared at the closed door, still smiling. "He did look good in the uniform," she said as she drifted back to sleep.
THE END
Time: Between Different Destinations and Eat Me
Disclaimer: I didn't create Farscape, didn't create the characters, and don't make a plug nickel off of them.
---------------------------------------
One day later…
John stood outside the door of Aeryn's room, looking through the lattice- like bars of the former cell. The room was dimly lit, but John could see Aeryn's sleeping form on her bed. He reached over to open the door, hesitated, then tapped the control.
Aeryn didn't stir as he crossed to her bed. She was lying on her back, coverlet drawn up to her chin. She looked better than she had when they'd gotten the module into the maintenance bay.
Slowly, being careful not to wake her, John sat on the edge of the bed. He sighed as memories from the previous day came back in a rush, no matter how hard he tried to hold them down.
He could see the module rolling to a stop, looking like it had gone through a war. The fact that the wings and canopy looked as if they were melting couldn't hold John's attention. With his superior strength, D'Argo had been able to force open the canopy. The cockpit was filled with smoke from numerous shorts. Aeryn was slumped over in the seat, the safety harness and her clothing apparently disintegrating from cause that, at that moment, John didn't care about.
Aeryn had regained consciousness microts later, as Jool gave her a thorough examination. Whatever had affected the module had apparently started to affect Aeryn, but showed signs of clearing up.
Then Aeryn told them what she'd found on the other side of the wormhole.
John's head hung low as he thought about the Crichton Aeryn had encountered. He wondered, How close did I come to becoming that man? A little less effort, and Harvey would have stayed in control. Everyone would be dead because of me. He buried his face in his hands.
He turned quickly as Aeryn shifted position under the coverlet. John froze, afraid he had woken her. But her eyes remained closed. Relieved, John reached out and brushed a few strands of hair from her face. He watched her a microt longer, then turned away.
From somewhere in the depth of his memory, a college English Literature class that he had taken only because he had to bubbled up. The poem came quickly:
"She walks in Beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.
"One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.
"And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!"
John laughed once. "I'm surprised I remembered that."
He wasn't expecting the hand against his back. "Did you come up with that?"
John turned. Aeryn looked up at him with half-open eyes, a faint smile playing across her lips. "Hey. No, can't take credit for that. That was written by a poet back home, named Lord Byron. How do you feel?"
"Weak, but otherwise all right. A few good night's sleep and I'll be fine." She watched him, seeing discomfort on his face. "You're thinking about him, aren't you?"
John laughed once. "You're saying that if the chip had stayed in control, I would have turned into Crais. I knew I was a basket case, Aeryn, but still…" His voice trailed off.
"Not necessarily. Stark mentioned a theory, something about each decision having an infinite number of outcomes. Each outcome is a different reality."
"Yeah. Quantum theory. Possibly an infinite number of realities just slightly different from each other. There's probably some realities where I never made it here."
"Well, I'm glad I didn't end up in one of them." Aeryn yawned and rolled onto her side, her back to John.
John turned slowly. He stared at Aeryn's bare back and felt a smile crawl onto his face. "What I wouldn't give for a large jar of chocolate body paint."
Aeryn glanced back over her shoulder, looking confused. "What did you say?"
"Nothing. Never mind." John leaned over and kissed her on the shoulder. "Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning." John stood and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Aeryn stared at the closed door, still smiling. "He did look good in the uniform," she said as she drifted back to sleep.
THE END
