Title: The Journey Home
Chapter 19: A Pity, Isn't It?
Rated: R
***
"Why are we being held in here? Why can't they send us back down to the planet?" Dr.
Lindsey Smith asked. She was feeling slightly claustrophobic.
"If they send everyone back down then they can't figure out who tried to kill Aeryn,"
Jack replied, his eyes sweeping over the collection of Humans. One of them tried to
kill his daughter-in-law.
"Who cares about some dumb alien! We are locked in here!" said one of the
politicians, obviously close to panic.
"They are probably going to kill us or use us in some experiment," another whispered
fearfully.
DK let out a disgusted snort. They were worrying about being rightfully locked up
while Aeryn's life was still in question. "You all make me sick," he told them.
"They have done nothing to harm us," Dr. Price added scornfully. "They are
protecting their family."
"Let us out!" one of the politicians cried beating on the door to the room.
"Knock it off!" DK yelled.
"If you really want out of here," Dr. Price said once the shouting had calmed down,
"We should try and figure out who tried to kill Aeryn."
"How do we know it wasn't one of them? They could have turned on her and are trying
to blame it on us!"
"Will you shut-up!" DK shouted starting towards the man who had been complaining
since the very beginning. Jack grabbed him and held him back.
This was enough to send the whole collection of Humans into silence. Once Jack
managed to calm DK down, he turned to the rest. "Where was everyone? We'll go
around the room, everyone say where they were and who they were with. I was with DK,
tagging along after the tour group."
"I can confirm that," DK added.
"So can I," Tanya Stanislaski added. She was the only one of the politicians who
hadn't taken the microbes. She spoke English well, though she did not understand
any of the ambassadors who didn't speak English or Russian. It had taken her awhile
to understand everything that had happened. Now that she did, she agreed completely
with Col. Crichton. They needed to find out where everyone was and who could confirm
it.
"What about you?" Jack asked. "I wasn't really paying attention."
"I can confirm that she was there," her partner said.
They went around the room and found three who couldn't be confirmed where they said
they were. Dr. Price, Dr. Mayfield, and the British Ambassador: Mr. Winston Adams.
"So we have narrowed it down to three suspects," Jack sighed. All three instantly
were offended by that remark. Jack was inclined to believe Dr. Price and Mr. Adams,
after all, everyone knew how Dr. Mayfield felt about accepting help from the aliens.
***
John sat next to Aeryn, leaning on her bed, his chin resting on his hands as he
stared at her beautiful face. He was alone with his wife. Xhalax, exhausted from
her crying, had fallen asleep. Zhaan had taken her and Jack back to their room.
Jool was waiting out in the hall, knowing that John wanted to be alone with Aeryn.
"Aeryn," he whispered to her. "Baby, you gotta wake-up. You can't leave us like
this... don't leave me again..." His mind conjured images of Aeryn laying in her
coffin on that twice-damned ice planet. He forced the images away, desperately
trying to think of anything else.
FLASHBACK BEGINS
"This is beer." John placed two bottles on the table. "This is chocolate." He
placed two large Milk Chocolate Hershey Bars on the table.
Aeryn laughed.
"This is very serious," John protested, grinning despite himself.
They were in their quarters; the sleep cycle would be beginning soon. John had
begged and pleaded with Zhaan to baby-sit so he could share this with Aeryn without
the fear of interruptions. Now all he had to do was get Aeryn to actually try it.
He opened up one of the chocolate bars and broke off a piece. "Here, trust me.
You'll like it."
Aeryn grinned at his earnest expression. She glanced at the chocolate and sighed.
"Alright." She took the chocolate from him and popped it in her mouth. "There.
Happy?" she asked before she even chewed. She chewed. "Mmmm..." She swallowed.
"More?"
John laughed. "Wait. Try this." He had already opened one of the beers and had
been sipping from it. He passed it to Aeryn. She gamely took a swig.
"Mmmm... delicious. Chocolate?"
He laughed at her expression and broke off a piece. He started to hand it to her,
and then stopped, eating it himself instead. Aeryn quickly leaned over the table and
captured his mouth in a kiss. While he was enjoying the kiss, she stole the
chocolate from him.
She leaned back grinning at his shocked expression. "You..." he said and grabbed
her for another kiss.
FLASHBACK ENDS
He took one of her hands in his. "Aeryn..."
FLASHBACK BEGINS
They had been sitting in a bar waiting for Chiana and Cassandra. A Nebari female
had approached John. Despite his attempts to gently get her to leave him alone, she
was still hanging all over him. Aeryn's temper began to sky-rocket.
A few microts later, she grabbed a hold of the woman and punched her directly in the
face.
Of course this started the instant bar-fight.
(an arn later, on Moya)
"Ow," she hissed.
Jool frowned at her and dabbed more of the anesthetic on her cut jaw.
"I can't believe you started a bar-fight," Chiana said laughing.
"She wouldn't take her hands off him," Aeryn snapped.
Jool turned away to hide her grin. John, however, had no such reservations: a very
large dopey grin was on his face.
FLASHBACK ENDS
"Baby..." He placed her hand next to his cheek.
FLASHBACK BEGINS
"...the Radiant Aeryn Sun..."
FLASHBACK ENDS
"I love you, so much. Please, Baby, wake-up."
***
{A few arns later}
John had fallen asleep beside Aeryn. Jool had re-entered the lab and was quietly
monitoring Aeryn's vitals. A silent parade of Moya's crew had made its way through.
Even now, there were three DRDs in the room. Jool stood and walked over to them.
She carefully examined Aeryn's physical appearance, then glanced at John. She
sighed. Even in sleep, he looked exhausted. For the first time, in a long time,
she prayed. 'Please don't let us loose Aeryn. She means so much to everyone.'
Though she and Aeryn could never be called close, she would miss her... Jool
abruptly left Aeryn's side. She exited the lab and slumped down in the hall, crying
quietly.
***
At first, there was nothing.
Then a vague feeling of dissatisfaction. Something had happened. Something bad.
She couldn't remember. The pain slammed into her, and she groaned in pain.
~~~
John woke when he heard a soft groan. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he looked at
Aeryn. Her face was twisted in a grimace of pain. He stood and took her face in his
hands. "Aeryn!" he called to her desperately. "Aeryn, open your eyes!"
~~~
She was swimming in it. Swimming in a sea of pain. She wanted to let go... but
there was something she needed to remember. Some reason why she shouldn't. The pain
was blinding her. She couldn't remember!
"Aeryn! Aeryn, open your eyes!"
That voice! She knew it! She recognized it! Oh, but it hurt! 'I can't open my
frelling eyes!' she thought. 'It hurts!'
~~~
"Aeryn! Please, Baby, open your eyes and look at me!"
~~~
At first there was nothing.
Then there was pain.
...and then there was love...
~~~
"...John..." she groaned in agony, opening her eyes.
"Jool!" he shouted.
He looked back down at her. She could see the tears streaming down his face. "Oh,
Baby, I thought I lost you..."
***
John sat next to the sleeping Aeryn. He glanced up. "I was wondering when you were
going to show up."
"Oh, John, you know I'm always here when you need me," Harvey smiled.
"And when I don't," John replied.
Harvey walked over and looked down at Aeryn. "She doesn't remember. A pity, isn't
it? You have no idea who to enact your revenge on."
"I'll figure out who it is," John said stiffly.
"Yes, of course you will. And I will help you." Harvey walked to the door of the
lab. "Shall we go?"
John glanced at Aeryn and then followed Harvey to the cell containing the Humans.
***
TBC
WELL... what do ya think? Please review or send me an e-mail!
uh-oh... hmmm... wonder what is going to happen... okay, i was wrong, i'm thinking
two more chapters from this one. i wasn't really expecting the flashback idea to
take up so much space/time (depends on which way u look at it) ANYWAY! thanks
to the peps reviewing and e-mailing! keep 'em coming! lol
~Artemis Luna Diana~
Chapter 19: A Pity, Isn't It?
Rated: R
***
"Why are we being held in here? Why can't they send us back down to the planet?" Dr.
Lindsey Smith asked. She was feeling slightly claustrophobic.
"If they send everyone back down then they can't figure out who tried to kill Aeryn,"
Jack replied, his eyes sweeping over the collection of Humans. One of them tried to
kill his daughter-in-law.
"Who cares about some dumb alien! We are locked in here!" said one of the
politicians, obviously close to panic.
"They are probably going to kill us or use us in some experiment," another whispered
fearfully.
DK let out a disgusted snort. They were worrying about being rightfully locked up
while Aeryn's life was still in question. "You all make me sick," he told them.
"They have done nothing to harm us," Dr. Price added scornfully. "They are
protecting their family."
"Let us out!" one of the politicians cried beating on the door to the room.
"Knock it off!" DK yelled.
"If you really want out of here," Dr. Price said once the shouting had calmed down,
"We should try and figure out who tried to kill Aeryn."
"How do we know it wasn't one of them? They could have turned on her and are trying
to blame it on us!"
"Will you shut-up!" DK shouted starting towards the man who had been complaining
since the very beginning. Jack grabbed him and held him back.
This was enough to send the whole collection of Humans into silence. Once Jack
managed to calm DK down, he turned to the rest. "Where was everyone? We'll go
around the room, everyone say where they were and who they were with. I was with DK,
tagging along after the tour group."
"I can confirm that," DK added.
"So can I," Tanya Stanislaski added. She was the only one of the politicians who
hadn't taken the microbes. She spoke English well, though she did not understand
any of the ambassadors who didn't speak English or Russian. It had taken her awhile
to understand everything that had happened. Now that she did, she agreed completely
with Col. Crichton. They needed to find out where everyone was and who could confirm
it.
"What about you?" Jack asked. "I wasn't really paying attention."
"I can confirm that she was there," her partner said.
They went around the room and found three who couldn't be confirmed where they said
they were. Dr. Price, Dr. Mayfield, and the British Ambassador: Mr. Winston Adams.
"So we have narrowed it down to three suspects," Jack sighed. All three instantly
were offended by that remark. Jack was inclined to believe Dr. Price and Mr. Adams,
after all, everyone knew how Dr. Mayfield felt about accepting help from the aliens.
***
John sat next to Aeryn, leaning on her bed, his chin resting on his hands as he
stared at her beautiful face. He was alone with his wife. Xhalax, exhausted from
her crying, had fallen asleep. Zhaan had taken her and Jack back to their room.
Jool was waiting out in the hall, knowing that John wanted to be alone with Aeryn.
"Aeryn," he whispered to her. "Baby, you gotta wake-up. You can't leave us like
this... don't leave me again..." His mind conjured images of Aeryn laying in her
coffin on that twice-damned ice planet. He forced the images away, desperately
trying to think of anything else.
FLASHBACK BEGINS
"This is beer." John placed two bottles on the table. "This is chocolate." He
placed two large Milk Chocolate Hershey Bars on the table.
Aeryn laughed.
"This is very serious," John protested, grinning despite himself.
They were in their quarters; the sleep cycle would be beginning soon. John had
begged and pleaded with Zhaan to baby-sit so he could share this with Aeryn without
the fear of interruptions. Now all he had to do was get Aeryn to actually try it.
He opened up one of the chocolate bars and broke off a piece. "Here, trust me.
You'll like it."
Aeryn grinned at his earnest expression. She glanced at the chocolate and sighed.
"Alright." She took the chocolate from him and popped it in her mouth. "There.
Happy?" she asked before she even chewed. She chewed. "Mmmm..." She swallowed.
"More?"
John laughed. "Wait. Try this." He had already opened one of the beers and had
been sipping from it. He passed it to Aeryn. She gamely took a swig.
"Mmmm... delicious. Chocolate?"
He laughed at her expression and broke off a piece. He started to hand it to her,
and then stopped, eating it himself instead. Aeryn quickly leaned over the table and
captured his mouth in a kiss. While he was enjoying the kiss, she stole the
chocolate from him.
She leaned back grinning at his shocked expression. "You..." he said and grabbed
her for another kiss.
FLASHBACK ENDS
He took one of her hands in his. "Aeryn..."
FLASHBACK BEGINS
They had been sitting in a bar waiting for Chiana and Cassandra. A Nebari female
had approached John. Despite his attempts to gently get her to leave him alone, she
was still hanging all over him. Aeryn's temper began to sky-rocket.
A few microts later, she grabbed a hold of the woman and punched her directly in the
face.
Of course this started the instant bar-fight.
(an arn later, on Moya)
"Ow," she hissed.
Jool frowned at her and dabbed more of the anesthetic on her cut jaw.
"I can't believe you started a bar-fight," Chiana said laughing.
"She wouldn't take her hands off him," Aeryn snapped.
Jool turned away to hide her grin. John, however, had no such reservations: a very
large dopey grin was on his face.
FLASHBACK ENDS
"Baby..." He placed her hand next to his cheek.
FLASHBACK BEGINS
"...the Radiant Aeryn Sun..."
FLASHBACK ENDS
"I love you, so much. Please, Baby, wake-up."
***
{A few arns later}
John had fallen asleep beside Aeryn. Jool had re-entered the lab and was quietly
monitoring Aeryn's vitals. A silent parade of Moya's crew had made its way through.
Even now, there were three DRDs in the room. Jool stood and walked over to them.
She carefully examined Aeryn's physical appearance, then glanced at John. She
sighed. Even in sleep, he looked exhausted. For the first time, in a long time,
she prayed. 'Please don't let us loose Aeryn. She means so much to everyone.'
Though she and Aeryn could never be called close, she would miss her... Jool
abruptly left Aeryn's side. She exited the lab and slumped down in the hall, crying
quietly.
***
At first, there was nothing.
Then a vague feeling of dissatisfaction. Something had happened. Something bad.
She couldn't remember. The pain slammed into her, and she groaned in pain.
~~~
John woke when he heard a soft groan. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he looked at
Aeryn. Her face was twisted in a grimace of pain. He stood and took her face in his
hands. "Aeryn!" he called to her desperately. "Aeryn, open your eyes!"
~~~
She was swimming in it. Swimming in a sea of pain. She wanted to let go... but
there was something she needed to remember. Some reason why she shouldn't. The pain
was blinding her. She couldn't remember!
"Aeryn! Aeryn, open your eyes!"
That voice! She knew it! She recognized it! Oh, but it hurt! 'I can't open my
frelling eyes!' she thought. 'It hurts!'
~~~
"Aeryn! Please, Baby, open your eyes and look at me!"
~~~
At first there was nothing.
Then there was pain.
...and then there was love...
~~~
"...John..." she groaned in agony, opening her eyes.
"Jool!" he shouted.
He looked back down at her. She could see the tears streaming down his face. "Oh,
Baby, I thought I lost you..."
***
John sat next to the sleeping Aeryn. He glanced up. "I was wondering when you were
going to show up."
"Oh, John, you know I'm always here when you need me," Harvey smiled.
"And when I don't," John replied.
Harvey walked over and looked down at Aeryn. "She doesn't remember. A pity, isn't
it? You have no idea who to enact your revenge on."
"I'll figure out who it is," John said stiffly.
"Yes, of course you will. And I will help you." Harvey walked to the door of the
lab. "Shall we go?"
John glanced at Aeryn and then followed Harvey to the cell containing the Humans.
***
TBC
WELL... what do ya think? Please review or send me an e-mail!
uh-oh... hmmm... wonder what is going to happen... okay, i was wrong, i'm thinking
two more chapters from this one. i wasn't really expecting the flashback idea to
take up so much space/time (depends on which way u look at it) ANYWAY! thanks
to the peps reviewing and e-mailing! keep 'em coming! lol
~Artemis Luna Diana~
