Back again for the final instalment. AND my server is now full functional
(Woohoo) so I got the reviews. Thanks guys.
On with the story
XXX
He couldn't remember much. The pain is left leg had subsided. Was that still the knife wound? How long had he been out? The bed he lay on was warm and soft – not like the ones before. Was that a good or a bad thing?
He sensed, rather than felt a presence in the room. Now who the hell was bothering him now? If he was gonna die, couldn't they just leave him in peace to do it? The questions swirled as he heard a voice.
"There is only one arn left, will you get that thing off before then?"
The voice was impatient, harsh even, yet familiar. Jeez, what kinda drugs were the pumping him full of now? His minds eyes suddenly took a dip. He waited for the feeling to subside – it felt like reminisce of a hangover – if only!
Better to keep the illusion of sleep, maybe they would leave him be, whoever THEY were. Another voice spoke.
"I'm doing my best Aeryn Sun, these things cannot be rushed!"
Now that voice he knew only too well. Crais. As his mind cleared he began to remember. The command carrier, Scorpius, the bracelet. Everything came back in jumbled images. His eyes flew open involuntary. The drug, the gun, Aeryn – dead. Had he killed her – again? No, Scorpius…
"You bastard! I'm gona kill you!" He tried to sit up.
Both parties jumped back at the reaction. This was not good, with only an arn left, he should not have woken. If he was awake them Scorpius would be awake. And if HE was awake, God knows what he would do when he realised what was happening. Would he take John with him to his death? Or, maybe even more worrying, could he avoid death?
Aeryn composed herself first. "John, it's okay, you're on Moya, John?"
His eyes darted back and forth trying to take in his surroundings. "Oh, I get it, where am I now? Is this another way of trying to get me to co- operate? You" he said pointing to Aeryn, "Are dead, come out, come out, where ever you are."
Aeryn looked almost frightened. "No, John, John, listen to me, you're on Moya, what was the last thing you remember?"
The smile he gave was thin, "Ok, I'll play. I remember killing you. Happy now? Why don't you just show yourself Scorpy my man?" He said, not looking directly at her.
And he did, not the real Scorpius, the clone. He wore what could only be perceived as a Doctor's gown. "I'm here. Don't panic, I was taking that vacation you gave me, remember?"
"Not you, the other one!" He was getting impatient with the game. Bad enough that Aeryn looked so alive, so worried. He didn't know how much more he could take. To grab her and kiss her would make him the pawn. He was tired of being the pawn.
She moved toward him and reached out to take his hand. He jerked it away. "Don't.Touch.Me" He yelled. She stood back. Revealing Crais, standing behind her.
"Aw, jeez, it just gets better and better. Where are the rest of you, come on, lets get this over with." As if by his voice command only, Chiana appeared at the doorway. "Hey Pip, come to join the party?"
She moved forward slowly. "Hey old man, you feeling better?" She asked, unaware of what was going on.
He laughed, it was not a nice sound. "Oh yeah, just peachy. So tell me, what are you here for?"
She was about to answer when Crais stopped her. "He is confused Chiana, he does not believe we are here. He thinks it is an illusion." She nodded and stepped back. He looked back to John, "As interesting as this is, we need to remove the bracelet."
What the hell was this about? He looked down at his wrist. "Oh, I like this game, get it on." He raised his arm.
"No, we need to get it off" Crais replied, not understanding – nothing new there. He rarely understood the human at the best of times. He came forward. As he reached for the arm, John grabbed him, pulling him close.
"Oh no you don't" He hissed. With little options left, Crais hit him hard. He fell back on to the bed, unconscious again.
"Are you frelnik? He's sick!" Chiana yelled pulling at him.
"He has to remain this way. If he is like this, then so is the other."
Aeryn nodded, "Yes, good point. Now try and get the dam thing off!"
John's mind became fuzzy. He was vaguely aware of Harvey. "John, John, I have the code. That baboon wont be able to do it time. Wake up." He felt himself being shaken. He let out a moan.
"Leave me be, it's better in here than out there."
"He is resilient to say the least." Crais commented. "I thought you said he was easily handled?"
Aeryn smiled, "He is, but he has to be handled just right." And when this was over, she was going to make sure that that happened.
XXX
Scorpius looked around the prowler. He let out a string of unrecognisable words. That human was to blame for this. Him and those renegades he took company with. Why could he not understand the scientific facts? To be in control of wormholes would be the ultimate breakthrough. As it was, he still had the bracelet. It gave him little comfort as he realised the prowler was on autopilot. Trying in vain to reverse the power he slumped back in the chair. Well, if he was going to die, so would the human. All was not lost it would seem. That was his last coherent thought as he felt his world turn upside down.
XXX
"Is he awake? Don't tell me the human talks in his sleep as well. Why doesn't that surprise me?" Rygel hovered over the patient.
"No, he is not awake – I don't think. What was that he just said about codes?" Aeryn moved closer.
"Harvey, go to sleep, I don't want the codes, it wont do any good now. She's gone Harve, and so am I, just leave me be!"
So, he actually thought that she was dead. Was that the reason he didn't want to fight? Did she still mean that much to him? She stepped closer still. "John, do you trust me?" It was barely a whisper but he answered. It seemed she could reach him even in sleep.
"Yeah, trust you, trust you, kill you, trust you, kill you" He repeated.
"You didn't kill me John, I'm here, and this is real. Trust in me John, I need you to do that, can you?"
A slight nod "Then tell me about the codes."
The waited with baited breath. After what seemed like internity, a sequence of codes escaped his lips.
She looked to Crais, "Try them, it can't do any harm can it?"
He shook his head and punched in the codes. The watched in amazement as the bracelet clicked then opened.
"Well I'll be the daughter of a hatinian" Chiana whispered.
"You probably are" replied Rygel, keeping out of her reach.
"Look if you two cant control yourselves I'll remove you from the area!" Aeryn hissed giving them a serious look. Her gaze went back to John. To her surprise, he was looking at her.
The rest took this signal to back away and leave the two in peace.
XXX
Several days later, John was on his feet – unsteadily so, but on them nonetheless. Against Jool's strict instructions, he had begun to walk, well limp around the med bay.
"You should be resting. You are primitive remember?" The sarcasm held no weight as the voice was soft, teasing.
"Quit playing nurse maid princess. I'm doing fine. I just need to stretch."
She left him to it. Arguing with the human had been in vain anyway. He would do what he wanted to do. She looked up to the sound of steps. "Maybe he will listen to you," She said walking past Aeryn.
"Oh he will," She stated. Looking over to John she asked "And where would you like me to stretch you're legs to?"
He smiled, "Yeah right, funny. I just need to walk a bit, cant I just walk a bit?"
She took his arm, and he residually began to turn them both towards the bed. The soft tug on his arm caught him off guard. He looked at her questionably. "How about a stretch to the terrace?"
Yep, that his, no, *not his, * Aeryn always full of surprises.
He allowed himself to be led, in more ways than one. He wasn't sure what to do, what to say. He remained quiet as she guided him slowly, attentively towards the terrace.
XXX
Once on the terrace, she gently pushed him into a comfortable sitting position. She sat behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, holding his weight against her, as he had, so many times in the past.
They both sat in silence. This wouldn't do, she needed him to talk. Why did he always do the opposite of what she wanted?
"Hey" It had worked on past occasions, and it worked again.
"Hey"
She shifted her weight and he fell back slightly. The feel of her arms felt so good, so right.
"Hey"
He laughed softly. God how she had missed that sound. "YOU want to talk? No that would be a first."
"Well if the hill wont come to mooohameed.."
That earned her another laugh. "Mountain, to Mohamid."
"That is what I said."
"Yeah, right"
"I missed you." She felt him stiffen slightly in her grasp.
No response.
"I don't want to lose you"
Still no response; was that a good sign or a bad one?
"I'll always be here, by your side, as a…"
She didn't let him finish. "No, I missed YOU"
He relaxed enough for her to rest her chin on his head.
"Aeryn…"
"No, as you said, I want to talk. I don't know what the future holds John, I had love, I had it all."
"I don't want to hear…"
She didn't let him finish. "I don't want to regret my life. I want to take this second chance we have been given. It's me who has been lost John, me. The question is, am I still…?"
He turned at that point, wanting to see her face, wanting to feel it in his hands. His words from what seemed like a lifetime ago cam back to haunt him. This was his conversation; these were the words that he had spoken. He cupped her face. Lost? No, never. But Aeryn, I don't know if I can live up to him."
The desperation in his voice tugged at her heart. The heart she had forgotten was there. "You don't have to. You are John Crichton. I fell in love with John Crichton. I am still in love with John Crichton. Is that enough?"
He leaned closer, feeling her halted breath on his face. "It's always been enough. I've missed you so much Aeryn, I don't want to miss anything else. But we can't go back to the way it was before, before there were two"
She looked crushed. Her eyes dropped, she couldn't look into those eyes that may never be hers.
He lifted her chin. Her eyes remained downcast. "Do you trust me?"
She looked up then, nodding.
"Then trust me with this. We need to start over. Lets start with some introductions." He was rewarded with that look she reserved only for him; one of love, confusion and mirth.
"My name is John Crichton. I'm an astronaut. I got shot through a wormhole and fates collided."
She smiled, letting a soft laugh escape from her lips. She understood what he meant then. "I am Aeryn Sun, ex-peacekeeper, who likes to kick the ass of lost astronauts."
He pulled her forward, their noses brushing. "And you do it so well. Well Aeryn Sun, tell me about yourself."
And she did.
~~~fin~~~
I hope that was shippy enough for the last part. I have other stories, but they are very shippy. Let me know if you want them! Thanks again for the support and the reviews!
On with the story
XXX
He couldn't remember much. The pain is left leg had subsided. Was that still the knife wound? How long had he been out? The bed he lay on was warm and soft – not like the ones before. Was that a good or a bad thing?
He sensed, rather than felt a presence in the room. Now who the hell was bothering him now? If he was gonna die, couldn't they just leave him in peace to do it? The questions swirled as he heard a voice.
"There is only one arn left, will you get that thing off before then?"
The voice was impatient, harsh even, yet familiar. Jeez, what kinda drugs were the pumping him full of now? His minds eyes suddenly took a dip. He waited for the feeling to subside – it felt like reminisce of a hangover – if only!
Better to keep the illusion of sleep, maybe they would leave him be, whoever THEY were. Another voice spoke.
"I'm doing my best Aeryn Sun, these things cannot be rushed!"
Now that voice he knew only too well. Crais. As his mind cleared he began to remember. The command carrier, Scorpius, the bracelet. Everything came back in jumbled images. His eyes flew open involuntary. The drug, the gun, Aeryn – dead. Had he killed her – again? No, Scorpius…
"You bastard! I'm gona kill you!" He tried to sit up.
Both parties jumped back at the reaction. This was not good, with only an arn left, he should not have woken. If he was awake them Scorpius would be awake. And if HE was awake, God knows what he would do when he realised what was happening. Would he take John with him to his death? Or, maybe even more worrying, could he avoid death?
Aeryn composed herself first. "John, it's okay, you're on Moya, John?"
His eyes darted back and forth trying to take in his surroundings. "Oh, I get it, where am I now? Is this another way of trying to get me to co- operate? You" he said pointing to Aeryn, "Are dead, come out, come out, where ever you are."
Aeryn looked almost frightened. "No, John, John, listen to me, you're on Moya, what was the last thing you remember?"
The smile he gave was thin, "Ok, I'll play. I remember killing you. Happy now? Why don't you just show yourself Scorpy my man?" He said, not looking directly at her.
And he did, not the real Scorpius, the clone. He wore what could only be perceived as a Doctor's gown. "I'm here. Don't panic, I was taking that vacation you gave me, remember?"
"Not you, the other one!" He was getting impatient with the game. Bad enough that Aeryn looked so alive, so worried. He didn't know how much more he could take. To grab her and kiss her would make him the pawn. He was tired of being the pawn.
She moved toward him and reached out to take his hand. He jerked it away. "Don't.Touch.Me" He yelled. She stood back. Revealing Crais, standing behind her.
"Aw, jeez, it just gets better and better. Where are the rest of you, come on, lets get this over with." As if by his voice command only, Chiana appeared at the doorway. "Hey Pip, come to join the party?"
She moved forward slowly. "Hey old man, you feeling better?" She asked, unaware of what was going on.
He laughed, it was not a nice sound. "Oh yeah, just peachy. So tell me, what are you here for?"
She was about to answer when Crais stopped her. "He is confused Chiana, he does not believe we are here. He thinks it is an illusion." She nodded and stepped back. He looked back to John, "As interesting as this is, we need to remove the bracelet."
What the hell was this about? He looked down at his wrist. "Oh, I like this game, get it on." He raised his arm.
"No, we need to get it off" Crais replied, not understanding – nothing new there. He rarely understood the human at the best of times. He came forward. As he reached for the arm, John grabbed him, pulling him close.
"Oh no you don't" He hissed. With little options left, Crais hit him hard. He fell back on to the bed, unconscious again.
"Are you frelnik? He's sick!" Chiana yelled pulling at him.
"He has to remain this way. If he is like this, then so is the other."
Aeryn nodded, "Yes, good point. Now try and get the dam thing off!"
John's mind became fuzzy. He was vaguely aware of Harvey. "John, John, I have the code. That baboon wont be able to do it time. Wake up." He felt himself being shaken. He let out a moan.
"Leave me be, it's better in here than out there."
"He is resilient to say the least." Crais commented. "I thought you said he was easily handled?"
Aeryn smiled, "He is, but he has to be handled just right." And when this was over, she was going to make sure that that happened.
XXX
Scorpius looked around the prowler. He let out a string of unrecognisable words. That human was to blame for this. Him and those renegades he took company with. Why could he not understand the scientific facts? To be in control of wormholes would be the ultimate breakthrough. As it was, he still had the bracelet. It gave him little comfort as he realised the prowler was on autopilot. Trying in vain to reverse the power he slumped back in the chair. Well, if he was going to die, so would the human. All was not lost it would seem. That was his last coherent thought as he felt his world turn upside down.
XXX
"Is he awake? Don't tell me the human talks in his sleep as well. Why doesn't that surprise me?" Rygel hovered over the patient.
"No, he is not awake – I don't think. What was that he just said about codes?" Aeryn moved closer.
"Harvey, go to sleep, I don't want the codes, it wont do any good now. She's gone Harve, and so am I, just leave me be!"
So, he actually thought that she was dead. Was that the reason he didn't want to fight? Did she still mean that much to him? She stepped closer still. "John, do you trust me?" It was barely a whisper but he answered. It seemed she could reach him even in sleep.
"Yeah, trust you, trust you, kill you, trust you, kill you" He repeated.
"You didn't kill me John, I'm here, and this is real. Trust in me John, I need you to do that, can you?"
A slight nod "Then tell me about the codes."
The waited with baited breath. After what seemed like internity, a sequence of codes escaped his lips.
She looked to Crais, "Try them, it can't do any harm can it?"
He shook his head and punched in the codes. The watched in amazement as the bracelet clicked then opened.
"Well I'll be the daughter of a hatinian" Chiana whispered.
"You probably are" replied Rygel, keeping out of her reach.
"Look if you two cant control yourselves I'll remove you from the area!" Aeryn hissed giving them a serious look. Her gaze went back to John. To her surprise, he was looking at her.
The rest took this signal to back away and leave the two in peace.
XXX
Several days later, John was on his feet – unsteadily so, but on them nonetheless. Against Jool's strict instructions, he had begun to walk, well limp around the med bay.
"You should be resting. You are primitive remember?" The sarcasm held no weight as the voice was soft, teasing.
"Quit playing nurse maid princess. I'm doing fine. I just need to stretch."
She left him to it. Arguing with the human had been in vain anyway. He would do what he wanted to do. She looked up to the sound of steps. "Maybe he will listen to you," She said walking past Aeryn.
"Oh he will," She stated. Looking over to John she asked "And where would you like me to stretch you're legs to?"
He smiled, "Yeah right, funny. I just need to walk a bit, cant I just walk a bit?"
She took his arm, and he residually began to turn them both towards the bed. The soft tug on his arm caught him off guard. He looked at her questionably. "How about a stretch to the terrace?"
Yep, that his, no, *not his, * Aeryn always full of surprises.
He allowed himself to be led, in more ways than one. He wasn't sure what to do, what to say. He remained quiet as she guided him slowly, attentively towards the terrace.
XXX
Once on the terrace, she gently pushed him into a comfortable sitting position. She sat behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, holding his weight against her, as he had, so many times in the past.
They both sat in silence. This wouldn't do, she needed him to talk. Why did he always do the opposite of what she wanted?
"Hey" It had worked on past occasions, and it worked again.
"Hey"
She shifted her weight and he fell back slightly. The feel of her arms felt so good, so right.
"Hey"
He laughed softly. God how she had missed that sound. "YOU want to talk? No that would be a first."
"Well if the hill wont come to mooohameed.."
That earned her another laugh. "Mountain, to Mohamid."
"That is what I said."
"Yeah, right"
"I missed you." She felt him stiffen slightly in her grasp.
No response.
"I don't want to lose you"
Still no response; was that a good sign or a bad one?
"I'll always be here, by your side, as a…"
She didn't let him finish. "No, I missed YOU"
He relaxed enough for her to rest her chin on his head.
"Aeryn…"
"No, as you said, I want to talk. I don't know what the future holds John, I had love, I had it all."
"I don't want to hear…"
She didn't let him finish. "I don't want to regret my life. I want to take this second chance we have been given. It's me who has been lost John, me. The question is, am I still…?"
He turned at that point, wanting to see her face, wanting to feel it in his hands. His words from what seemed like a lifetime ago cam back to haunt him. This was his conversation; these were the words that he had spoken. He cupped her face. Lost? No, never. But Aeryn, I don't know if I can live up to him."
The desperation in his voice tugged at her heart. The heart she had forgotten was there. "You don't have to. You are John Crichton. I fell in love with John Crichton. I am still in love with John Crichton. Is that enough?"
He leaned closer, feeling her halted breath on his face. "It's always been enough. I've missed you so much Aeryn, I don't want to miss anything else. But we can't go back to the way it was before, before there were two"
She looked crushed. Her eyes dropped, she couldn't look into those eyes that may never be hers.
He lifted her chin. Her eyes remained downcast. "Do you trust me?"
She looked up then, nodding.
"Then trust me with this. We need to start over. Lets start with some introductions." He was rewarded with that look she reserved only for him; one of love, confusion and mirth.
"My name is John Crichton. I'm an astronaut. I got shot through a wormhole and fates collided."
She smiled, letting a soft laugh escape from her lips. She understood what he meant then. "I am Aeryn Sun, ex-peacekeeper, who likes to kick the ass of lost astronauts."
He pulled her forward, their noses brushing. "And you do it so well. Well Aeryn Sun, tell me about yourself."
And she did.
~~~fin~~~
I hope that was shippy enough for the last part. I have other stories, but they are very shippy. Let me know if you want them! Thanks again for the support and the reviews!