Disclaimer: I don't own Farscape or the characters, I'm just borrowing them

Sequel to 'Consequences'. I wrote this with the help of a bottle of extremely good Merlot, which made me very mellow and feeling like everyone in the world (even the Farscape world) should have happiness and love. I went back later and put some crunchy bits in with the soft centre, but basically it's a bucketful of nutrasweet with extra cream and sugar on top! Anyway, enough of this crap - on with the show!

"Do my feet look alright John?"

"Umm, they look absolutely fine, Aeryn. Why do you ask?"

"Well I haven't been able to see them in so long I thought I would just check to make sure they're OK." He grinned at her and got down on his knees in front of her to kiss her feet

"They're beautiful, just like the rest of you"

"Don't be silly John, I'm about the size of a command carrier." Aeryn looked down at herself. "Actually I think I'm starting to resemble a command carrier; you know that big round bit in the middle..." John got up off his knees and took her hand

"I'm your husband and I say you look beautiful, that's my prerogative," he was serious for a moment and cupped her face in his hands "in fact I've never seen anything as beautiful as you," he said, staring intently into her eyes to try and convey his feelings

"How can I be John? I'm so fat"

"You're not fat, you're pregnant. You have no idea how wonderful you look to me at this moment." He planted a soft kiss on her mouth and rubbed his hand over the rounded protrusion of their child. "Trust me; it's a testosterone thing. Back on earth we have a very important religious book called the bible which always talks about a woman being "great with child". It's such a fantastic phrase to describe it and you fulfil it for me"

She was speechless in the face of his emotion. A tear escaped from her eye and ran down her cheek

"Oh frell, baby, I didn't mean to make you cry"

"No, it's a good type of cry, John. You always seem to know just what to say to make me feel better. Anyway, you know that I seem to cry at everything ever since you got me pregnant"

"Oh, yeah. I'd forgotten that it was all my fault"

"I'm glad you understand your position in this. Chiana tells me that there are only two things wrong with males: everything they say and everything they do"

"I think you've been spending way too much time with Chiana lately. Can't for the life of me think why"

"It's a girl thing, John" Crichton was having some difficulty picturing Aeryn doing "girl things". For some reason he couldn't quite fathom, her friendship with Chiana and Jool seemed to have developed amazingly over the last few monens, to the point where they always seemed to be discussing something or other, mainly his iniquities he suspected. He almost thought of them as some sort of coven; "when shall we three meet again, in thunder lightening or in rain. When the hurlyburly's done, when the battle's lost and won". Whilst he was very grateful that Aeryn had somewhat mellowed with impending motherhood, he was quite wistful for Miss "shoot now ask questions later".

"I know, I'm just some poor, stupid guy who is a slave to your every wish, but that's why I'm so utterly loveable." She gave him a playful cuff on the shoulder, but it ended up as a hug, the solid shape of their baby pressed between them. She made a small sound that made him pull away.

"You OK, honey?" Since she had passed what would have been full term in a normal human pregnancy two weekens ago he had been on tenterhooks each time she winced, grimaced or generally looked as if something was not quite right. Jool had warned him that it would probably be at least another monen, may be more, before the baby was born but he couldn't seem to help it

"Oh, John do calm down. It was just a very well aimed kick in the ribs"

"Yeah, he's gonna be a star quarterback" he said with a goofy grin

"You mean SHE will be able to beat the dren out of you before she's much more than ten cycles!" After a long debate they had both agreed that they didn't want to know the sex of the baby before it was born, so this was a familiar theme

"Shouldn't be too difficult for her; you can kick my butt with your hands tied behind your back, but, hey, I'm a new man, I can take it. I'd even eat quiche if there were such a thing out here. If you're really lucky I'll even change a diaper"

"The agreement was at least two thirds of the diapers John"

"I thought I'd bargained you down to fifty-fifty?"

"In your dreams, Erpman! This is your fault remember and you have to pay"

"I don't seem to remember you complaining at the time," he said with a sly smile

"That's because I thought there was no chance of me getting pregnant"

"Are you ever gonna let me forget that?"

"Nope, I wasn't planning to" she gave him a quick kiss on the mouth and left their quarters laughing.

John watched her go and thought about the abrupt turn his life had taken over the last few months. It had been a rollercoaster of ups and downs but John wouldn't have missed them for the world. Aeryn's temper had been extremely unpredictable; he was never quite sure whether he was going to get tears or a gun pointed at him, but as he had predicted, generally she seemed to have adapted to her new situation pretty well. It wasn't that she had gone soft, just become a little less rough round the edges and more tolerant. John thought back to her reaction to the terrible ribbing that she had received from the crew about her attire as her pregnancy progressed.

"Do they do maternity clothes in black leather?"

"May be this is how we could make our fortunes. We could start up a new line in designer wear for the expectant mother with an attitude. We could call it One Tough Mother"

"What about Bad Ass Mama?"

"Or even Don't You Mess with me, Mama!" Mass hilarity had ensued at Aeryn's expense. Funnily enough she had taken this in good heart and to spite everyone she had acquired a number of voluminous shirts in all the colours of the rainbow. It was still a surprise to him to see her in clothes like the bright red silky number she had on at the moment. Despite the teasing, the crew had all been as supportive as they could, trying to cheer her up when she was down and calming her in her more volatile moments. Even Rygel had helped, but whether that was from affection for Aeryn or from self-preservation Crichton wasn't sure.

He then thought of the moment when he had finally plucked up enough courage to ask Aeryn to marry him. It was not long after they had fought off Sentros and his sidekick Grasha. They had been in their quarters talking. They were spooned against each other, with John's arms wrapped around her and suddenly the baby had really kicked for the first time. They had both felt it. Aeryn had been confused at first but once she had realised what it was a look filled with such wonder and tenderness had come across her face that it just seemed to provide the catalyst he needed. He had rained kisses down on her face then slipped off the bed to his knees and literally begged her to be his wife

"Aeryn, you are my heart, my soul, the mother of my child, my guiding star. I want to be with you always. Will you marry me?" She looked deep into his beautiful blue eyes, tears glistening in her own

"Yes, John, I will. I love you so much" He kissed her deeply

"Oh darlin' you have no idea how happy that makes me."

They had been married shortly after; a simple ceremony conducted by Rygel in his capacity as their dominar and with their friends as witnesses. Pilot had given Aeryn away. Jool and Chiana had been bridesmaids and D'Argo the best man (once John had explained to him what it meant). Much food and drink had been consumed and their hangovers had been legion but it was worth it. He and Aeryn now both wore rings fashioned from a piece of his module and her Prowler to symbolise their commitment to each other.

On the not so good side was Aeryn's paranoia that either the Peacekeepers or the Scarrens would find out about the baby and that they would try and capture her and their child. He had to admit there was some foundation to it, although he had tried to convince her that both were too preoccupied with the ever-worsening war situation to bother with them anymore. Not long after her pregnancy had become obvious they had run into a bounty hunter on some desolate planet they wouldn't have bothered with if they hadn't been desperate for supplies. Fortunately, they had managed to capture him. He had taken one look at Aeryn and his face had taken on a calculating look.

"I know some people who will be very interested to hear that Crichton's tralk is with child. Opens up a whole new set of possibilities doesn't it? This little nugget of information is going to make me very rich indeed. I'll sell it to the highest bidder. Want to get your offer in now to buy my silence?" he had leered insolently at her. It was a fatal mistake. If Crichton needed a reminder that she was still a warrior at heart he need only think of that incident. She had shot the bounty hunter at point blank range. At John's somewhat horrified look she had just said

"We couldn't let him live John, you know that" in that steely way of hers.

After that she had hardly left the ship, except to visit one planet which was permanently in darkness where she could be well disguised. The main difficulty with this was that she refused to visit any diagnosan or medical facility. It had been their main source of disagreement since their marriage.

"I'm fine John, the baby's fine. Why do I need to see another doctor? I trust Jool. She wouldn't tell us everything was alright if it wasn't"

"But honey, she's good but she's not trained in this sort of thing. What about when the baby actually comes. She's never delivered a baby"

"It'll be fine. I'm sure everyone will help"

"Look, our combined experience of childbirth is helping at the birth of one leviathan-peacekeeper gunship in the case of Chiana, directing the servants as necessary in the case of Rygel and passing out at the first contraction in the case of D'Argo. I arrived in time to share a cigar with my brother- in-law when my nephew was born, but that's as far as it goes"

"I'm not going to worry about it John. It's a natural process"

"But sweetheart, we don't know how the human element might affect this natural process in sebaceans

"Don't 'sweetheart' me John Crichton. You're starting to give me a woody. I'm having this baby on Moya and that's that. End of discussion." She said emphatically, then added with interest, "did D'Argo really pass out?"

"Apparently" he grinned, not bothering to correct her English "missed the whole thing. Woke up with a huge lump on his head and was handed his son!"

"Well you'd better not do the same. I'd never forgive you"

"I promised you I'd be there every step of the way, didn't I? I'm not gonna do anything stupid like miss the great event itself"

John gave up trying to convince her and went to find Jool

"Jool, I can't convince her that she might be better off having the baby in a proper medical unit. She's determined that it's going to be born on Moya"

"I know John. I also tried and almost got shot for my efforts. Look, I'm going to go with D'Argo and the others on this next trip. I'll see if I can find a medic or midwife or someone who is willing to come on board for a while and help with the delivery"

"Thanks Jool, I really owe you. Please don't think I don't trust you, it's just.."

"I know, John and I'm not offended in the slightest. If I were you I'd do the same thing. I mean, I've read all I can and I'm pretty confident that I could deliver the baby if everything is normal, but the slightest problem and I would be out of my depth." She switched subjects "You want anything from the planet? Chiana and I thought we might get you a few things and give Aeryn one of those baby slower things you told us a about"

"It's a shower. That'd be great! We'd really appreciate it, but you'd better be circumspect about your shopping. You know she'll have a fit if she thinks you've been advertising the fact that someone on Moya is having a baby"

"We'll be careful, John. Her heart's in the right place. She just wants to protect your child"

"Yeah, I know, bit of a change from the beginning, huh! Oh and Jool, I'd advise against getting anything pink" she looked at him blankly " That dark planet we were on, we were looking at baby stuff and I suggested we might want to get some of these pink babygro type things in case it was a girl. She looked at me as if I'd crawled out from an under a stone and said "no child of mine is going to wear pink, John"

"Don't tell me she's intending to dress the baby in black?"

"I wouldn't put it past her, so I'd appreciate it if you and Chiana could try and guide her in a more sensible direction. Just avoid pink unless you want the pulse pistol in the face reaction" Jool grinned and kissed the harassed father-to-be on the cheek

"I'll see what we can do"

After the others left for the planet, Crichton decided it was time to do some repairs in the neural cluster. Aeryn was on hand to help

"Can you hold that down while I solder this conduit?"

"Sure" they worked in silence for a while

"John, I have to go"

"What do you mean you have to go, Aeryn. I need you to hold that cable"

"I know but I have to go and pee, as you would say"

"Can't you hold it for a bit?"

"Yes, well normally I would but right at the moment YOUR child is using my bladder as a punch bag so no I can't hold it!" She dropped the cable, threw a tool at him, narrowly missing his head, and left. He was about to follow her to apologise when Pilot interrupted him.

"Commander Crichton, we are being hailed by a vessel that has appeared on Moya's hammon side. They are emitting a distress signal and requesting permission to board, but Moya's sensors do not detect anything wrong their ship. I should also tell you that the vessel is heavily armed."

"Uh, that does not sound good, Pilot. You'd better let me talk to them. Can you put them on external comms in command?"

"Doing so now, Commander"

The picture that appeared on the screen in command showed two creatures that looked not unlike the bartender Moordil they had once come across, but whereas Moordil had had a huge body, these guys just had the huge heads with incongruous thin, wiry bodies attached.

"Leviathan, we request permission to dock to undertake repairs to our ship"

"What exactly is wrong with your ship?"

"Why do you need to know? We are in distress and by the rules of common courtesy you should help us"

"Because, Mr potato head, we don't detect anything wrong with your vessel and we don't take kindly to people who try to trick their way onto our ship under false pretences"

"Have it your way. Our weapons are now targeted at your leviathan's central area likely to cause maximum damage. Allow us to come aboard or you will be destroyed"

"They are not bluffing commander, weapons are primed"

Aeryn joined him in command

"Do we have any choice, Pilot?" she said, her previous temper forgotten in the face of danger.

"Moya estimates that their weapon is powerful enough to disable her significantly"

"You any idea who these guys are, Pilot?"

"I believe that they may be Camillan pirates, Commander. I was not aware that they were operating in this area. They have a reputation for destruction and brutality that even the Zenitans admire"

"Oh, great, Bluebeard of the Uncharted Territories"

Crichton replied to the pirates

"OK, you win. What do you want?"

"We will board you within 200 microts. Make sure that you have anything of value ready or the leviathan will be destroyed"

"Jesus, they're highwayman. Talk about stand and deliver! Well Dick Turpin you are clear to land." When the faces of the pirates had disappeared from the screen he turned to Aeryn

"How the hell are we gonna get outta this one, babe?"

"Firstly, we need to gather as many weapons as possible and secondly find a place to conceal ourselves where we can observe them. Let them make their own search for any valuables. We're not going to make it that easy for them. Pilot, can you raise D'Argo and the others?

"Negative, Officer Sun. The atmosphere of the planet they have landed on is interfering with communications"

"Frell! We'll just have to do this by ourselves."

An arn or so later found them hiding in one of Moya's ventilation tunnels above the maintenance bay, quietly watching some of the pirates go through the contents of the various boxes and containers in the bay. It had not been easy for Aeryn to get into the tunnel but it was the only place they could think of that hid them and gave them a view of what was going on. There were half a dozen pirates on board; some searching the crew's quarters, others in the maintenance and cargo bays

"We'd better come up with a plan to do something about the dread pirate Roberts before he reaches Sparky's stash. Although, I'm pretty intrigued to find out where he keeps it"

"I'll take the ones in the cargo bay. You deal with the ones in our quarters"

"You gonna be alright with this, Aeryn?"

"Of course John. Just because I'm nine monens pregnant doesn't mean I can't all of a sudden not handle a weapon" whatever she might have been planning to say next was cut off as a look of pain came across her face and she took a sharp intake of breath

"You OK babe?"

"Perfectly fine" she said through gritted teeth

"Aeryn, talk to me. Tell me that wasn't a contraction, hon"

"I've been having them on and off for ages, John, don't worry about it"

"Don't worry about it, don't worry! How long is ages?"

"About the last two arns"

"You've been having contractions for the last two arns and you didn't tell me!"

"It's nothing to fuss about John"

"Nothing to fuss about! You're about to have our baby and you tell me it's nothing to fuss about!"

"Yes, because I am not going to have this baby while there are pirates on Moya"

"Aeryn, I'm not that sure that you have any choice in the matter"

"Yes I do. We can just get rid of these intruders as soon as possible. Then I'll think about the baby. Now let's get on with this plan" John was about to argue with her further but she put a finger to his lips

"No, John, there's nothing more to say. Having got this far I wouldn't do anything to endanger our child. This is probably a false alarm. Let's just put this plan into action and see what happens." He reluctantly had to accept what she was saying, knowing that any attempt to stop her on his part would probably delay the situation further and get him a smack across the mouth.

"OK, but be careful. I want you to have as many DRD's with you as possible and if you need me you holler load and clear. Pilot, any luck with the comms to the planet?"

"No Commander, I still can't raise them. All available DRDs on their way to maintenance" came back the whispered reply"

John had crawled through the ventilation shafts until he was above D'Argo's quarters where two of the pirates were rifling through the Luxan's possessions. He positioned himself carefully above the exit hatch and waited for them to move underneath it so that he could surprise them from above. Suddenly there was the sound of gunfire and shouting. Obviously, Aeryn had not wasted any time. He used the pirate's distraction to pounce, taking them both out quickly. He ran into the corridor as a third Camillan emerged from Chiana's quarters. He managed to get his shot off before the pirate, who fell to the floor clutching his side. Sprinting to the maintenance bay he saw one pirate apparently dead. Aeryn and the other two Camillans had taken cover behind various crates and were exchanging fire, as were the DRDs lined up around his wife. He decided to change the odds more in their favour and managed to creep up unnoticed behind the pirates. Throwing himself at the nearest one, he grappled him to the floor. Unfortunately at this moment Aeryn was momentarily distracted by another contraction. This gave the remaining pirate a chance to attack her. She fired her pulse pistol at him, but only hit him in the shoulder; under the circumstances her aim was naturally a little off. Despite his injury he continued to come at her and hit her across the face. This seemed to give John the strength he needed to throw off the other Camillan. He sent him sprawling across the floor and then headed for his accomplice.

"You bastard, how can you hit a pregnant woman, especially my wife" he hit him across the maintenance bay with all the force he could muster then ran to Aeryn's side. Both pirates scrambled up and made it to their ship. It was starting to escape. John watched in horror, not knowing what to do to stop them. He turned to see Aeryn at her Prowler. As the pirate ship exited Moya she reached for the Prowler's guns and fired. It was a direct hit and the pirate ship exploded

"Oh, babe, you a star" he said as he reached her. She collapsed in his arms

"OK, John you win. Now we have to have this baby" He looked down a the wet pool surrounding her

"Oh, Jesus Aeryn, your waters have broken. What are we going to do?"

"Like you said John, I'm not sure that we have any choice in the matter" she clutched at his hand as a more powerful contraction hit. "They're getting much more regular and closer together so I suppose my false alarm theory is a bit of a non-starter" she tried to joke. John looked at her in anguish, hating to see her in pain and a little frightened by the fact that they were alone on Moya. But he realised that if ever she needed him it was now. He had to be strong and not let her sense his fear for her.

"Pilot, Pilot, keep comming Jool and the others and tell them to get back up here now. Come on babe, we have to get you to the med bay"

"No John I want to go to our quarters"

"Aeryn, please don't be stubborn about this. All the medical stuff is in the med bay."

"And do you know how to use any of it"

"Point taken, but let's hurry. I really don't want my son or daughter to be born in one of Moya's corridors"

"It's not going to happen that quickly, John. Just let me get to our own room where I'll be comfortable and I'm sure everything will be fine" John gripped her hand and put his other arm around her shoulders and prepared himself for what seemed like the longest walk of his life.

Eight arns later Pilot finally heard from D'Argo.

"Pilot, Pilot are you reading me?"

"Yes Ka D'Argo. I have been trying to locate you for some time"

"Sorry Pilot. We ran into a few problems on the planet and the frelling atmosphere blocked all the comms as well as my sinuses. Is everything alright on Moya"

"It is now Ka D'Argo. We had some trouble with some Camillan pirates but the commander and Officer Sun were able to overcome them. I'll leave it to Crichton to fill you in"

"Where the frell have you guys been? You've been gone a whole solar day" John's harassed-sounding voice came on the line

"Well there was an incident with Rygel and Chiana and some people in a bar. I don't really want to talk about it. We'll be with you in a quarter arn"

"Just get a move on"

When Lo'la landed, Jool commed John immediately.

"John, I wasn't able to persuade any of the local doctors or midwives to come aboard but I've had a chance to have some good discussions with them so I feel more confident now. Where are you?

"I'm in my quarters, but Jool don't worry about it"

"Don't worry about it! John, this is Aeryn and your child we're talking about" Jool came round the corner with D'Argo and opened the door to John and Aeryn's quarters. She stopped in her tracks as she saw John sitting on the side of their bed, his arms around Aeryn. Aeryn was gazing at the small bundle in her arms

"I told you not to worry about it," said John with his trademark grin " we seemed to manage quite well by ourselves"

"When?" Jool managed to get out

"About an arn ago. Our son seemed to be very anxious to join us in our quest to rid Moya of the pirates. He only missed it by a few arns"

"Don't worry Jool," said Aeryn "I think being the only person on hand made John concentrate on helping and stopped him from passing out"

"I did not almost pass out"

"No but there was definitely a point where you probably would have done if I'd not shouted at you"

"I suppose you might have a point there"

Jool came up for a closer look

"Oh, he's just gorgeous, Aeryn"

"I know. I can see that he's going to be the image of his father already" the look of wonder and love on her face as she gazed at their son was something that John would never forget. The last few arns had been very stressful for him as he tried to help Aeryn as she struggled to bring their child into the world. As with so many things that they had faced since he had met her, they had worked together to get through it safely. It had been an extremely moving experience for them both.

Their quarters were at last quiet. Jool had checked out both the baby and Aeryn and declared them both to be in excellent health in the circumstances. Everyone had been in to see the baby and offer their congratulations. Even Rygel had been gracious in his praise, commending Aeryn for managing to produce a male child at the first attempt, but now they had all gone to allow the exhausted Aeryn to sleep. John was also tired but there was something he wanted to do before he slept. He crept over to the far side of the room, cradling his son in his arms, with his favourite DRD trundling behind him. He spoke quietly at the DRD.

"Dad, I know that I haven't left you a message in a while and that this is the first on video rather than just my recorder, but today is a special day and I want a video record of it to share with you some day. I have some one I want to introduce you to." The DRD panned its camera down to show the small bundle held safely in John's arms

"This is your grandson, Jack Talyn Crichton. He's about four hours old and I can't believe he's really here at last. Aeryn and I named him after his two grandfathers and a remarkable ship that saved our lives on several occasions. I know he'll probably come as a bit of a shock to you, especially as his mother isn't a human, but if I know you like I think I do, you'll get over that pretty quickly and love them both as much as I do. I want to reassure you that he's a fully paid up member of the Crichton clan. Aeryn and I were married here on Moya, as much as a marriage ceremony performed by a deposed ruler and witnessed by a bunch of aliens would be valid on earth, but it was certainly enough for us." The baby in his arms started to stir and the beginnings of a cry started

"Shhh, son, your momma is asleep over there and she needs a rest; you gave her a bit of a hard time today you know"

"I'm awake, John" came a whisper from the bed. John moved over to where his wife lay. She eased herself up and accepted their son from him. John sat behind her and put his arms around both of them. The DRD that had been recording his conversation trundled over

"Gotta get a photo of the new Crichton for the family album. Smile babe, you're on camera!"

The DRD recorded the scene then produced a still picture for them. They both looked at the image of their smiling faces, silently thinking of their own parents.

"I wouldn't mind if you want to try and make a wormhole so we could take Jack to meet his family on earth" she said quietly. He was touched by her offer but shook his head.

"No, it's OK darlin'. I wouldn't want to put you both at risk by taking you to earth, or endanger earth because one of the bad guys follows us. I just wanted to share this moment with my Dad somehow. I wish he could meet you and Jack so he could see how contented I am here. You're my family now, Moya is my home and I couldn't be happier. Have I told you lately that I love you Mrs Crichton?" he kissed her deeply before their son interrupted, demanding his first meal.

John sat on the bed close at hand and watched Aeryn nursing their son for the first time. She was a little hesitant, but fortunately Jack wasn't, so they both got the hang of it pretty quickly.

"I was wrong, babe"

"About what, John?" she asked, looking up at him

"I thought you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen when you were carrying Jack, but now, seeing you with our son nursing at your breast, I've decided this is definitely the most beautiful sight in the universe"

"Come here John Crichton" he leaned over and she kissed him. A soft kiss full of tenderness mixed with passion

"You're a hopeless romantic, but I love you. And thank you for being there; you kept your promise"

"Always, sweetheart, always"

He knew that there would be bad as well as good times to come. He knew that their enemies wouldn't leave them alone forever. He knew that Aeryn was even more scared than he was about looking after a baby and doing the right thing in raising their child. He knew they would make mistakes with him. But right at this moment, in the quiet of their quarters, with Moya's hum the only noise, none of this mattered. The only things that mattered were his beautiful wife and his beautiful son. Right at this moment life was good and John Crichton was the happiest man in the Uncharted Territories.

The End