Crossroads---Part IV
John wanted to take Aeryn some place secluded where they could talk or she could scream without drawing too much attention. Aeryn pulled her hand out of his. Clearly he wasn't familiar with the planet. She took the lead. He followed her to the spot by the water. She stopped just short of the water's edge. John stared at the back of head. He took a breath and moved to stand beside her. There was a tensioned filled silence between them. John put that famous grin of his on.
John: "Having Jack has mellowed you, I thought you would have been kicking my ass by now."
She cut her eyes at him.
Aeryn: "I still might."
His grin faded. He knew she was serious.
Aeryn: "What are you doing back here Crichton?"
John: "No foreplay, just straight to it."
He smiled slightly. She turned away and looked out at the water.
John: "Okay, okay no more jokes. I know I owe you an explanation for what I did."
She didn't look at him but she was listening. John slipped his hands into his pockets.
John: "When this technology began opening up to me, all I thought about was going home. And all I thought about was taking you with me. I kept trying to get up the nerve to ask you but quite frankly I had an enough rejection from you when you returned to Moya to last me a lifetime."
He moved slightly so he could see her eyes while he was talking. She still didn't meet his eyes with hers.
John: "When you came to me after our last run in with Scorpius on his Gammak Research Base and we…"
He was looking for the right words.
John: "When we rec…"
Aeryn: "When we made love."
He smiled slightly. She looked at him for a brief microt then looked back toward the water.
John: "When we made love, it was everything that I had been wanting to since the microt I realized that I was in love you and that you loved me. But then while we were basking in the afterglow, I started to think about the twinning thing and everything that happened. Suddenly I couldn't help wondering if it was me that you really wanted or if it was him."
She looked at him. She could see the hurt in his eyes. He looked away from her gaze. Aeryn was never one to lie and if he was right, she wouldn't hesitate to tell him.
Aeryn: "John, look at me please."
He turned his eyes to her slowly. She laid her hand on his cheek like she has done so often in the past but this time it meant so much more.
Aeryn: "John, I knew exactly who you were and I knew what it meant…to both of us."
His blue eyes cloudy with tears.
Aeryn: "All you had to do was trust me. I took a leap of faith coming to you and opening myself up again to those feelings."
John: "Why didn't you try to stop me when I was leaving?"
Aeryn: "It had to be your choice. I know what I put you through when I came back to Moya, I had to let you make the choice."
John: "And I left you, again!"
She dropped her arms to her side. Her head lowered slightly. John leaned his head forward and laid his forehead against hers. He took deep breath and blew it out slowly. He spoke softly.
John: "Aeryn, how did we frell this up so badly?"
Aeryn: "We didn't trust each other Cric…John. We didn't trust our emotions."
A single tear brimmed his eyelash. He rubbed his forehead against hers.
John: "I missed you so much. You were all I could think about to the point of distraction."
Aeryn: "You have always been easily distracted."
He lifted his head up. She had a slight smile on her face. He crinkled up his brow.
John: "Am not."
She looked up in his eyes. He reached up and gently stroked her cheek.
Aeryn: "Your son is a lot like you. Innocent of all things but extremely curious of everything."
John smiled.
John: "I want to hear all about Jack but first there is something I have to do."
Aeryn: "What?"
He took her face in his hands. He inched closer to her until her until their bodies were pressing against each others. He looked in her eyes and slowly lowered his mouth to hers. As John's arms enveloped her a single tear drop rolled from the corner of her eye down the smooth curve of her cheek. Her hands were resting on his chest. She slipped her arms around his neck as their kiss became deeper and more intense. John broke the kiss and touched his fingertip to his lips.
John: "Sweet."
He took her hand in his.
John: "Walk with me, talk with me. I want to hear all about my son. My son, Jack. Jack who is my son."
She looked at him inquisitively.
Aeryn: "You are starting to sound like Stark."
John laughed remembering D'Argo saying the same thing.
The two of them walked along the water's edge holding hands. John listened intensely as Aeryn told him all about Jack, from the moment he was born till present. He laughed at some of the stunts young Jack has pulled. After Aeryn finished John stopped in his tracks. He looked at her.
Aeryn: "What is the matter?"
John: "I want to tell Jack that I am his father. His dad."
Aeryn lowered her eyes from his. He stepped closer to her.
John: "What Aeryn?"
He slipped his hand under her chin and lifted her head.
John: "Aeryn?"
Aeryn: "What happens the next time you decide you are ready to go back to your Earth?"
John searched her eyes.
John: "I will tell you and Jack to pack light. We will hop in the transport and jam down to the planet and be back before the late day meal."
He smiled at her.
Aeryn: "John."
John: "Okay, I can't promise that I won't ever want to go back to Earth again. As much as I longed to be back here, that same longing could happen in reverse someday. I have no way of predicting that. But I can promise you this, I will never leave you and Jack again."
He kissed her forehead. He slipped his arm around her waist. He said in his best Southern accent.
John: "Come on woman take me home. I want to see my boy."
She laughed and shook her head. He smiled at her.
Aeryn: "You are insane, you know that right?"
John: "That is one of the reasons you love me."
She smiled at him.
Aeryn: "I do love you, John Crichton, so much."
John: "I love you too."
He rubbed his nose against hers. They shared a soft kiss.
John: "Come on baby. I want to go home."
He took her hand. They headed toward the pod.
John wanted to take Aeryn some place secluded where they could talk or she could scream without drawing too much attention. Aeryn pulled her hand out of his. Clearly he wasn't familiar with the planet. She took the lead. He followed her to the spot by the water. She stopped just short of the water's edge. John stared at the back of head. He took a breath and moved to stand beside her. There was a tensioned filled silence between them. John put that famous grin of his on.
John: "Having Jack has mellowed you, I thought you would have been kicking my ass by now."
She cut her eyes at him.
Aeryn: "I still might."
His grin faded. He knew she was serious.
Aeryn: "What are you doing back here Crichton?"
John: "No foreplay, just straight to it."
He smiled slightly. She turned away and looked out at the water.
John: "Okay, okay no more jokes. I know I owe you an explanation for what I did."
She didn't look at him but she was listening. John slipped his hands into his pockets.
John: "When this technology began opening up to me, all I thought about was going home. And all I thought about was taking you with me. I kept trying to get up the nerve to ask you but quite frankly I had an enough rejection from you when you returned to Moya to last me a lifetime."
He moved slightly so he could see her eyes while he was talking. She still didn't meet his eyes with hers.
John: "When you came to me after our last run in with Scorpius on his Gammak Research Base and we…"
He was looking for the right words.
John: "When we rec…"
Aeryn: "When we made love."
He smiled slightly. She looked at him for a brief microt then looked back toward the water.
John: "When we made love, it was everything that I had been wanting to since the microt I realized that I was in love you and that you loved me. But then while we were basking in the afterglow, I started to think about the twinning thing and everything that happened. Suddenly I couldn't help wondering if it was me that you really wanted or if it was him."
She looked at him. She could see the hurt in his eyes. He looked away from her gaze. Aeryn was never one to lie and if he was right, she wouldn't hesitate to tell him.
Aeryn: "John, look at me please."
He turned his eyes to her slowly. She laid her hand on his cheek like she has done so often in the past but this time it meant so much more.
Aeryn: "John, I knew exactly who you were and I knew what it meant…to both of us."
His blue eyes cloudy with tears.
Aeryn: "All you had to do was trust me. I took a leap of faith coming to you and opening myself up again to those feelings."
John: "Why didn't you try to stop me when I was leaving?"
Aeryn: "It had to be your choice. I know what I put you through when I came back to Moya, I had to let you make the choice."
John: "And I left you, again!"
She dropped her arms to her side. Her head lowered slightly. John leaned his head forward and laid his forehead against hers. He took deep breath and blew it out slowly. He spoke softly.
John: "Aeryn, how did we frell this up so badly?"
Aeryn: "We didn't trust each other Cric…John. We didn't trust our emotions."
A single tear brimmed his eyelash. He rubbed his forehead against hers.
John: "I missed you so much. You were all I could think about to the point of distraction."
Aeryn: "You have always been easily distracted."
He lifted his head up. She had a slight smile on her face. He crinkled up his brow.
John: "Am not."
She looked up in his eyes. He reached up and gently stroked her cheek.
Aeryn: "Your son is a lot like you. Innocent of all things but extremely curious of everything."
John smiled.
John: "I want to hear all about Jack but first there is something I have to do."
Aeryn: "What?"
He took her face in his hands. He inched closer to her until her until their bodies were pressing against each others. He looked in her eyes and slowly lowered his mouth to hers. As John's arms enveloped her a single tear drop rolled from the corner of her eye down the smooth curve of her cheek. Her hands were resting on his chest. She slipped her arms around his neck as their kiss became deeper and more intense. John broke the kiss and touched his fingertip to his lips.
John: "Sweet."
He took her hand in his.
John: "Walk with me, talk with me. I want to hear all about my son. My son, Jack. Jack who is my son."
She looked at him inquisitively.
Aeryn: "You are starting to sound like Stark."
John laughed remembering D'Argo saying the same thing.
The two of them walked along the water's edge holding hands. John listened intensely as Aeryn told him all about Jack, from the moment he was born till present. He laughed at some of the stunts young Jack has pulled. After Aeryn finished John stopped in his tracks. He looked at her.
Aeryn: "What is the matter?"
John: "I want to tell Jack that I am his father. His dad."
Aeryn lowered her eyes from his. He stepped closer to her.
John: "What Aeryn?"
He slipped his hand under her chin and lifted her head.
John: "Aeryn?"
Aeryn: "What happens the next time you decide you are ready to go back to your Earth?"
John searched her eyes.
John: "I will tell you and Jack to pack light. We will hop in the transport and jam down to the planet and be back before the late day meal."
He smiled at her.
Aeryn: "John."
John: "Okay, I can't promise that I won't ever want to go back to Earth again. As much as I longed to be back here, that same longing could happen in reverse someday. I have no way of predicting that. But I can promise you this, I will never leave you and Jack again."
He kissed her forehead. He slipped his arm around her waist. He said in his best Southern accent.
John: "Come on woman take me home. I want to see my boy."
She laughed and shook her head. He smiled at her.
Aeryn: "You are insane, you know that right?"
John: "That is one of the reasons you love me."
She smiled at him.
Aeryn: "I do love you, John Crichton, so much."
John: "I love you too."
He rubbed his nose against hers. They shared a soft kiss.
John: "Come on baby. I want to go home."
He took her hand. They headed toward the pod.