Chapter 9

When he reached their quarters, John could hear the shower running. He stripped off his dirty clothes, not wanting to see the damn things that Dickhead had given him ever again. A small chirping sound behind him made him turn. He got down on his haunches and beckoned to the little machine that had obviously been hiding under his bed

"Hey 1812, come here boy. Think you and your buddies can get rid of these things? You can have some fun ripping them to shreds or burning them or whatever you little guys get off on." 1812 chirped excitedly in return which Crichton took as agreement. He headed to the shower to join Aeryn. Snaking his arms around her waist he whispered in her ear

"Sorry, babe"

"I'm sorry too, John"

Sometime later he was getting dressed: never had his own clothes felt so good! Rummaging around on one of the messy surfaces of the room he found Winona. Giving her a big kiss he strapped her to his thigh where she belonged

"Thank God my daddy taught me that you don't wear a gun when you're planning to make a marriage proposal!" His attention was caught by something sitting in the middle of the shelf; it was the ring box he thought he had lost in the Quajagan Sea. Opening it up he saw his mother's ring nestling in its velvet cushion

"John, have you seen my hairbraid?" Aeryn appeared behind him

"No, but I've found something much better." He moved to stand in front of her then dropped down onto one knee. She stared at him, a questioning look on her face

"I know I've already done it once, but I'm gonna do it again for good measure. Aeryn, I love you, will you be my wife?" She frowned at him for a matter of microts and his smile faltered. She kept up the pretence for a microt longer then her smile broke out

"Of course I will you drannit. You don't think I'm so fickle as to change my mind so quickly do you? I love you too and it will be my honour to be your wife" he smiled broadly with pleasure and relief

"You had me goin there for a bit, darlin," he said as he slid the ring onto her finger "now please God let it stay there this time; don't make me have to put it on a third time." He kissed her ring then lent forward and placed a gentle kiss on her stomach. She ran her hands through his hair and bent down to claim his mouth with hers.

"Ahhmm, I hate to interrupt whatever it is you were about to do, actually I'm quite glad I interrupted, but Noranti is about to serve up dinner" Rygel hovered in the doorway

"Congratulate us, Rygel, we just got engaged again"

"Again! I thought you would have thought better of it after the first time. You found the ring then? Chiana and I placed it where we thought you would find it"

"Your generosity at not stealing my property astounds me Rygel, but thanks anyway"

They were a very merry party for that meal, especially as Chiana and Sikozu appeared back in time for dessert. Chiana's vision was still blurred but improving rapidly. The only unfortunate thing was that the med techs could only synthesise tissue for sebacean eyes, so instead of her own black she now had eyes of a vivid green which D'Argo for one was having difficulty getting used to. But they still celebrated her cure, as well as John and Aeryn's return and also the other happy news of their pending marriage and new arrival. Not even Scorpy's presence could dampen John's joy at being back on Moya with Aeryn at his side, but he knew he would have to talk with him sooner or later. Deciding not to put it off any longer he went to the half-breed's quarters straight after dinner.

"So what do you want this time grasshopper?"

"What I always want John, your safety"

"Don't give me that BS. What have you got planned?"

"It's not what I have planned. There is another player in our game now, John"

"What, who have you made a deal with this time? Not Aknar? Does Staleek know? Is that a double cross or a triple cross or is it a double cross of your double cross? I've lost the plot on who you're currently serving. Oh I forgot, you only ever really serve yourself!"

"I have not made any deals, John and this new player is not someone I can currently control"

"Don't tell me Grayza has broken out of Braca's leash"

"Grayza is no longer in the equation"

"Temporarily or on a permanent basis?"

"A permanent basis, John, a very permanent basis. Peacekeeper High Command viewed her failure on Katratzi very dismally. Unfortunately, they sent one of their highest officers out here to meet out the appropriate punishment, which she did extremely efficiently. You and your friends are her next target"

"Bring her on. I'm not afraid. I've dealt with everything the Peacekeepers have thrown at me, even you"

"I think you'll find that this one is different, John. I have persuaded her that we need you alive at the moment to preserve the wormhole knowledge, but that is not going to work much longer. Do not under-estimate the determination of the Peacekeeper hierarchy to eradicate the threat they believe that you and your friends pose to their position against the Scarrens and their reputation in general. They would prefer that you were dead even without getting wormhole knowledge if it means that the Scarrens don't get it either, and now they have a new plan. They will kill you and Aeryn and take your child to extract the wormhole knowledge from its DNA" at John's staggered look he carried on "Oh yes, the Peacekeepers as well as the Scarrens can do it. You won't always be able to protect them, John. Put your trust in me and I will ensure that your family is safe forever!"

John made his way slowly back to his quarters, thinking over what Scorpy had said. Aeryn had told him about the Scarren's plan to extract DNA from the foetus but he hadn't really believed it, but somehow he didn't doubt that Scorpius was telling the truth.

"Hey, where did you slope off to?"

"I went to see Scorp" Aeryn could see that the meeting with Scorpius had affected him badly and her hackles immediately rose

"What did he do to you? What did he say? What's wrong John?"

"The Peacekeepers are stepping up the odds. Scorpy says they can extract the wormhole knowledge from foetal DNA as well as the Scarrens. Oh baby, they're gonna be after you and junior like there's no tomorrow and I'm not sure I can take that. Hell, I know I wasn't there at the conception but this baby is my child in every way that matters and you are the most important thing in my universe. It won't take the Peacekeepers or the Scarrens very long to get what they want and I don't know how we can stop them this time." She looked confused for a moment

"John, I thought, I, obviously not, I, oh frell, on the boat, I thought I was clear"

"You were certainly making more sense than you are now Aeryn. Clear about what?"

"I was so nervous about your reaction I can hardly remember what I said, but I mustn't have put it right. When I said the baby was yours I meant it in every sense of the word"

"You mean I was there at the conception?" he asked, his voice a hoarse whisper

"Those ancients and their false earth have so much to answer for" she replied softly as she stroked his hair. He looked incredulously at her so she carried on. "The surgeon on the command carrier was able to tell how long the foetus had been in stasis. He said it had been implanted for approximately three cycles which could mean only one thing: it's not his or yours; he's part of both of you; you can't know how happy that made me"

"I think I can" he just grinned at her inanely. His brain wouldn't seem to work. Although he hadn't really cared about the child's conception as long as biologically it was his, this just made it all the better. As his brain started to function again he suddenly realised why this was so very important

"That means the baby was conceived before I got the wormhole knowledge implanted in my brain, so extracting it's DNA won't help anyone. I can't wait to see Scorpy's face when I tell him this one" A sudden thought occurred to him "I got you pregnant on our first time? Way to go fellas! Not bad for a supposedly deficient species, huh?"

"Hmm, typical of your rutting instincts"

"No, just pure, unadulterated, 100% prime American male!"

"Oh, please your testosterone storm is making me feel quite nauseous"

"I've got a cure for that" he said as he kissed her deeply.

The next day John took great delight in going back to Scorpy's quarters first thing

"Hey Scorp, I've got a news flash for you. The baby can't have any wormhole knowledge so you can all put your scalpels away" Scorpius looked at him questioningly. "Don't believe me? Then let me tell you about my relationship with Aeryn. It has been a long series of misunderstandings, errors and completely frelled up emotions since the day we met. Up until now, for every step forward we've taken at least three steps back. You know I told you about the false earth where I got the knowledge planted in my brain? Hell, you saw it for yourself in the aurora chair. Well, right before that happened, and I mean right before, Aeryn and me took a big leap forward, like to the promised land if you get my meaning. But being me and Aeryn we took several huge leaps backwards straight afterwards and after that we didn't, well er, you know, for, well, a long time. So to cut a long story short, junior was created on that false earth and missed out on wormholes by a matter of arns. If you don't believe me check it out with your surgeon, he was the one who told Aeryn about the timing of the conception. So, no go on the foetal DNA amigo, comprende?

"I comprehend perfectly, John, but this will only stop the Peacekeepers and the Scarrens pursuing Aeryn and the child. It won't protect you"

"I know, but I can take care of myself. Look Scorpy, I know you Peacekeeper types probably can't understand this, but my life is pretty good at the moment. People are not trying to kill me every day; pretty frequently, but not every day. And Aeryn and me are finally happy together. That probably doesn't mean much to you, but it means the world to me. We're getting married and we're gonna have a baby. Not surprisingly I'd like to keep things as they are. So now I'm making the rules. I'm telling you and I know that you'll be able to get a message through to your mate Staleek and whoever this new Peacekeeper chick is. I've been the victim too long. I'm not running scared anymore. I'm the one who can control wormholes, so hear this and hear it good: If any harm comes to me or mine, if so much as a hair on Aeryn's or our baby's head is harmed, so help me God I will bring down the wrath of wormholes on the perpetrator so fast they won't know what hit them. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly clear, John. Do you feel better now?

"I couldn't be better if Elvis turned up alive and well and living on Moya"

He turned to leave but before he could do so Moya lurched violently throwing both John and Scorpius to the floor. Pilot's screams could be heard echoing through the comms.

Author's note: I know you probably think the whole "false earth conception" thing is a bit trite, but I'm pretty convinced about it because a) so much pivotal to the whole series happened in that episode and b) why in The Choice did Aeryn keep seeing John as he was on the false earth? – must have been a subliminal message!!!

P.S. Thanks for all the feedback – will keep going (I'm too hooked on this story myself to give up now!)