Before you read I wanted to say thank you to scrubschick for offering to beta. Because of her, Aeryn actually sounds like Aeryn, along with a whole host of other improvements. THANK YOU!!!
Life and Death part 3
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Aeric slowly followed the two women through the corridors lost in his thoughts. They seemed to know her, but how? His mother had been having visions of them for years now. He'd always thought they were mythical creatures, made up by his mother to put him to sleep at night. But here they were, flesh and blood. He could tell his mother was scared, but she was doing a good job of hiding it. He shouldn't be surprised, she always did a good job of hiding her true feelings.
Except from that Sebacean man. She was an open book as she stood to be interrogated by that bastard. He was going to have to keep an eye on the one they called John. He didn't like the way he looked at his mother. He had said they had their freedom, but his eyes said they belonged to him. His mother had seen it too.
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"How the frell did she live through that?!" Her father had gotten over his initial shock and paced through the Central Chamber as he shouted, forgetting for the moment she was there. D'Argo sat silently watching him pace. "I saw her get into her prowler, the prowler lifted and then BOOM! How the FRELL did she survive?!"
"There was no way for you to know, John." Brennik was amazed at D'Argos' perception. In one simple sentence he had flushed out the real reason behind her fathers' distress. Guilt. No wonder her father considered him a brother.
"I should have D. I should have searched longer, made sure."
"There was nothing to search. ALL of the wreckage was in ashes. Someone must have taken her from the prowler before it..."
"Exploded. Say it D'Argo! For years, all of us have tip-toed around her name, around her death. Her name was Aeryn and she exploded into a thousand tiny pieces as I fell apart on the landing strip. If I'd kept my head out of my ass, maybe I would have been able to tell that her remains weren't fused to her control panel, and maybe she wouldn't have spent the last twenty cycles living as a slave, raising MY son by herself!"
"You're emotional..."
"You're damn right I'm emotional! I knew she was pregnant D. She hadn't told me, but when I looked into her eyes that day, I could tell. I don't know if she even knew yet."
Her father was losing his mind again. That boy was nowhere near nineteen cycles. If her mother had been pregnant, that would make her sibling two cycles younger than her. She debated mentioning this fact to her father, but decided that it was not the appropriate moment. Maybe later.
"Focus, John. This isn't helping. We need to concentrate on what we're going to do now. What do we tell her? Do we tell her the truth, or do we wait to see what the healer will say first?"
Brennik spoke for the first time. "Well, we're going to have to tell her something. Eventually she's going to see me, and then what? 'Oh, don't worry about the fact that I LOOK JUST LIKE YOU!'"
The two men stared at her for a microt and in unison turned to each other.
"Frell." Their two voices harmonized.
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"We need to talk." That Sebacean man was standing outside their cell. The door was open, but he didn't enter.
"Yes, sir." Sundance met the mans' eyes, just as requested.
"The name is John. John Crichton."
"Yes, Mr. Crichton." Kudos to his mother for not giving in to informality. He waited for the man to lose his patience, but he was surprised to find a small grin appear.
"Can we talk alone?"
"I'm not leaving my mother, so you can forget it." Hezema, but this man wasted no time. Aeric's young mind conjured several sordid scenarios and he planted himself more firmly in his seat.
"Fine. But we have some things we need to discuss."
"Come in," she offered stiffly.
Mr. Crichton entered the room and found a seat near the entrance, as far away from Sundance as possible. His eyes were not as courteous. "How are you feeling? How's your head?"
"I will be all right."
"That's not what I asked. Does your head hurt?"
"Yes."
"The nearest diagnosian is twelve arns away. Meanwhile our resident witch doctor is brewing you up a potion. But just a friendly warning, take anything she gives you with caution and as sparingly as possible."
"We cannot afford a diagnosian."
"It's covered."
"If I am free, I do not wish to be in anyone's debt."
John stifled a sigh and rubbed his hand through his hair. "Damn it woman, you are as difficult as ever." Who did Crichton think he was, presuming to know what his mother was like? "You are going to that diagnosian if I have to drag you there myself."
"So, I'm NOT free."
"Not in this you aren't. Aeric says your headaches are getting worse. He's afraid for your life. If for nothing else, do it for him."
Reluctantly she nodded. Aeric let out a small breath. Maybe this man was overbearing, but he seemed to know how to deal with his mother.
"Is that all?"
"No." Crichton paused. "He said you had visions of certain people on board when you had these headaches."
His mother shot Aeric a "we'll discuss this later" look but answered the man.
"Silly girlhood fantasies to take me away from reality. I'm afraid he wanted to see in your friends the similarities."
"What if I were to tell you they weren't visions or fantasies, but reality?"
"I would say you need the diagnosian." Aeric's jaw dropped. Never had he heard his mother speak to anyone else but him in such a manner. Who was this man that could affect her so deeply and make her act in such abandon? Aeric waited for retribution, but the man only smiled. It wasn't the acid smile of so many masters before, but one of humor.
"I figured as much." There was pregnant pause before John dropped his next bomb. "How much of your past is missing?"
This guy was fahrbot. He waited for his mother to tell the idiot to leave them in peace. He kept waiting. "Mom, what is he talking about?"
She stood tall, chin out, proud. "My name is Sundance. I am...was a slave. I was born that way, it was my breeding from birth."
Slowly John stood, purposely stepping nearer. He looked her directly in the eyes, a hairs breath away, nearly nose to nose and whispered. "No. You are more. And you know it. You need to try to remember."
A lone tear formed in her eye, the only indication of the stress she was holding back. "If I remember," Sundance swallowed, "It will kill me. That's what the headaches are. To make sure I don't remember."
A horrified look of understanding descended on Crichton's face. "My being here, in here, with you is hurting you, isn't it?"
She nodded and a drop of red blood dripped from her nose. Aeric could never once remember his mother talking about a Sebacean man, but evidently his mother had neglected to tell him several things. His hurt at feeling left out combined with panic at seeing her bleed. She'd never done that before!
"Baby we're going to fix this." Aeric watched as Crichton raised a hand to his mothers' face and gently caress her cheek with his thumb. Then, almost against his will he slowly leaned over and just as gently placed a feather soft kiss where his caress had been. That bastard! He nearly jumped at the man, but the look of peace on his mothers' face stopped him cold. "Take care of your mother and then meet me in the center chamber. I'm going to need your help if you want her to get better."
Aeric nodded, resenting the command but seeing the wisdom in it. He watched as John left room, the strange man wiping a tear away when he thought he wasn't being watched.
Life and Death part 3
---------------------
Aeric slowly followed the two women through the corridors lost in his thoughts. They seemed to know her, but how? His mother had been having visions of them for years now. He'd always thought they were mythical creatures, made up by his mother to put him to sleep at night. But here they were, flesh and blood. He could tell his mother was scared, but she was doing a good job of hiding it. He shouldn't be surprised, she always did a good job of hiding her true feelings.
Except from that Sebacean man. She was an open book as she stood to be interrogated by that bastard. He was going to have to keep an eye on the one they called John. He didn't like the way he looked at his mother. He had said they had their freedom, but his eyes said they belonged to him. His mother had seen it too.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"How the frell did she live through that?!" Her father had gotten over his initial shock and paced through the Central Chamber as he shouted, forgetting for the moment she was there. D'Argo sat silently watching him pace. "I saw her get into her prowler, the prowler lifted and then BOOM! How the FRELL did she survive?!"
"There was no way for you to know, John." Brennik was amazed at D'Argos' perception. In one simple sentence he had flushed out the real reason behind her fathers' distress. Guilt. No wonder her father considered him a brother.
"I should have D. I should have searched longer, made sure."
"There was nothing to search. ALL of the wreckage was in ashes. Someone must have taken her from the prowler before it..."
"Exploded. Say it D'Argo! For years, all of us have tip-toed around her name, around her death. Her name was Aeryn and she exploded into a thousand tiny pieces as I fell apart on the landing strip. If I'd kept my head out of my ass, maybe I would have been able to tell that her remains weren't fused to her control panel, and maybe she wouldn't have spent the last twenty cycles living as a slave, raising MY son by herself!"
"You're emotional..."
"You're damn right I'm emotional! I knew she was pregnant D. She hadn't told me, but when I looked into her eyes that day, I could tell. I don't know if she even knew yet."
Her father was losing his mind again. That boy was nowhere near nineteen cycles. If her mother had been pregnant, that would make her sibling two cycles younger than her. She debated mentioning this fact to her father, but decided that it was not the appropriate moment. Maybe later.
"Focus, John. This isn't helping. We need to concentrate on what we're going to do now. What do we tell her? Do we tell her the truth, or do we wait to see what the healer will say first?"
Brennik spoke for the first time. "Well, we're going to have to tell her something. Eventually she's going to see me, and then what? 'Oh, don't worry about the fact that I LOOK JUST LIKE YOU!'"
The two men stared at her for a microt and in unison turned to each other.
"Frell." Their two voices harmonized.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"We need to talk." That Sebacean man was standing outside their cell. The door was open, but he didn't enter.
"Yes, sir." Sundance met the mans' eyes, just as requested.
"The name is John. John Crichton."
"Yes, Mr. Crichton." Kudos to his mother for not giving in to informality. He waited for the man to lose his patience, but he was surprised to find a small grin appear.
"Can we talk alone?"
"I'm not leaving my mother, so you can forget it." Hezema, but this man wasted no time. Aeric's young mind conjured several sordid scenarios and he planted himself more firmly in his seat.
"Fine. But we have some things we need to discuss."
"Come in," she offered stiffly.
Mr. Crichton entered the room and found a seat near the entrance, as far away from Sundance as possible. His eyes were not as courteous. "How are you feeling? How's your head?"
"I will be all right."
"That's not what I asked. Does your head hurt?"
"Yes."
"The nearest diagnosian is twelve arns away. Meanwhile our resident witch doctor is brewing you up a potion. But just a friendly warning, take anything she gives you with caution and as sparingly as possible."
"We cannot afford a diagnosian."
"It's covered."
"If I am free, I do not wish to be in anyone's debt."
John stifled a sigh and rubbed his hand through his hair. "Damn it woman, you are as difficult as ever." Who did Crichton think he was, presuming to know what his mother was like? "You are going to that diagnosian if I have to drag you there myself."
"So, I'm NOT free."
"Not in this you aren't. Aeric says your headaches are getting worse. He's afraid for your life. If for nothing else, do it for him."
Reluctantly she nodded. Aeric let out a small breath. Maybe this man was overbearing, but he seemed to know how to deal with his mother.
"Is that all?"
"No." Crichton paused. "He said you had visions of certain people on board when you had these headaches."
His mother shot Aeric a "we'll discuss this later" look but answered the man.
"Silly girlhood fantasies to take me away from reality. I'm afraid he wanted to see in your friends the similarities."
"What if I were to tell you they weren't visions or fantasies, but reality?"
"I would say you need the diagnosian." Aeric's jaw dropped. Never had he heard his mother speak to anyone else but him in such a manner. Who was this man that could affect her so deeply and make her act in such abandon? Aeric waited for retribution, but the man only smiled. It wasn't the acid smile of so many masters before, but one of humor.
"I figured as much." There was pregnant pause before John dropped his next bomb. "How much of your past is missing?"
This guy was fahrbot. He waited for his mother to tell the idiot to leave them in peace. He kept waiting. "Mom, what is he talking about?"
She stood tall, chin out, proud. "My name is Sundance. I am...was a slave. I was born that way, it was my breeding from birth."
Slowly John stood, purposely stepping nearer. He looked her directly in the eyes, a hairs breath away, nearly nose to nose and whispered. "No. You are more. And you know it. You need to try to remember."
A lone tear formed in her eye, the only indication of the stress she was holding back. "If I remember," Sundance swallowed, "It will kill me. That's what the headaches are. To make sure I don't remember."
A horrified look of understanding descended on Crichton's face. "My being here, in here, with you is hurting you, isn't it?"
She nodded and a drop of red blood dripped from her nose. Aeric could never once remember his mother talking about a Sebacean man, but evidently his mother had neglected to tell him several things. His hurt at feeling left out combined with panic at seeing her bleed. She'd never done that before!
"Baby we're going to fix this." Aeric watched as Crichton raised a hand to his mothers' face and gently caress her cheek with his thumb. Then, almost against his will he slowly leaned over and just as gently placed a feather soft kiss where his caress had been. That bastard! He nearly jumped at the man, but the look of peace on his mothers' face stopped him cold. "Take care of your mother and then meet me in the center chamber. I'm going to need your help if you want her to get better."
Aeric nodded, resenting the command but seeing the wisdom in it. He watched as John left room, the strange man wiping a tear away when he thought he wasn't being watched.