Title: Be careful what you wish for
Summary: It's one of those future fanfics (set seven years into the future) about the long awaited return to Earth. Only the conditions under which John returns aren't really ideal. In fact he spends all of his time home trying to find a way to get back, not just for his sake, but for that of his daughter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Farscape or any of its characters.
Be Careful What You Wish For
Acceptance
John let out a very deep sigh as he sat down on the sofa. It had been such a long day, he didn't know if he was going to cope with being home again.
After they got back from the dreadful shopping experience everything seemed to be going all right, Jack had given Jamie some presents. She had discarded the dolls and cuddly toys, but had really taken to the Action Man figures that Jack had bought. She even smiled as she played with them and John began to think maybe she could be happy here, until they found a way back to Moya, but then things started to go very wrong again. It all started when the kids tried to make Jamie jump by leaping out at her from behind a door and she pummelled them angrily. Luckily Jack had been near and he pulled Jamie off the other children. Jamie had then proceeded to yell vicious insults at Jack in Luxan, which John had heard and come running. By the time he found Jack and the kids Jamie had run off. John tried to find her and then got worried when he couldn't, so everyone started looking. Eventually one of the kids found her in a cupboard, hidden away in the top compartment amongst boxes. She had calmed down and the children were willing to forgive her, so they started playing, but then there were more problems when Jamie refused to share her toys with her cousins. This developed into another fight. Jamie was in such a foul mood that John had done the only thing he could think of, he had locked her in their room.
So now he sat on his own in the den thinking what they were going to do if Jamie didn't settle down a bit. He was going to have to explain to his nieces and nephews why their cousin was just that little touchy.
" Hey John," a voice suddenly called from the entrance to the den. John turned round quickly, equally as edgy as his daughter in that respect.
" Oh hey guys," he said when he saw his brothers-in-law standing by the door. " Come in," he said when they lingered. Both smiled at him and then walked in brandishing a six-pack.
" You look like you could do with a beer," Rob said cheerfully and they sat down on either side of John. John grinned and looked at the beer wistfully.
" I cannot believe that I haven't had a beer since being back," he said smiling even broader as he picked one up and fingered the top of the can.
He was stuck in some sort of trance, admiring the can from all different angles, letting his fingers glide over the cold wet metal. He stayed in this trance for about five minutes, when Jake and Rob's laughter finally pulled him out of it.
" You okay there John?" Rob finally asked grinning. John shrugged his shoulders.
" You have no idea how much I wanted simple Earth stuff like beer when I first got out there," John said smiling sadly. " But now. I don't know. I guess I just got resigned to the fact that I was never going to see Earth again."
" John just have the beer," Jake laughed and John did open it. He took a long swig of it and savoured every moment of it. Then he took another and another and before long the three men were throwing them back and sharing amusing stories; John's seemed to be the most amusing. Soon enough they were firm friends.
* * *
" I don't understand, how can that necklace possibly help us," Aeryn said sounding impatient.
" It's not the necklace that's going to be doing the helping," Breiyden said. " It's the guardian, she has the power to transport us to Earth whenever we desire and then when we wish to return we have to just hold this and wish to return home. She'll sense it and transport us back again. at least that's the plan," Breiyden said, suddenly realising the plan was ludicrous, but it was the only one they had to go on for now. Aeryn didn't look at all convinced.
" I don't believe it," she said simply and she turned to climb on the pod.
" You have to Aeryn, it's all we have to go on," Deacon countered climbing after her, but Aeryn's mind was made up and once everyone had boarded the pod she started the ascent.
" Aeryn you have to listen," Breiyden said sounding desperate. " This is the only way we're going to get them back!"
" Why won't you believe us?" Deacon asked frowning.
" I believe what you say," Aeryn said simply. " But I also believe that someone has tricked you and it's best if we leave as soon as we can."
" But Aeryn." Breiyden began in one last desperate attempt.
" No Breiyden, John and Jamie are dead!" Aeryn cried and an un-easy silence fell on the occupants of the pod.
* * *
Jamie sat on her bed staring at the wall seething with anger. How dare her father lock her away? He should know how much she hated being locked up. She had spent at least thirty microts screaming and kicking at the door and when no one came to her, she spent the next thirty microts trying to find crawl spaces and hatches, but she hadn't found anything.
She hated this terrestrial dwelling; it was too quiet and she missed the sensation of always moving, but the worst was that there was no escape. On Moya every chamber was escapable if you were Jamie's size. There was no way that she could be locked away back on Moya, but she'd been locked up successfully several times by the Scarrans and the Androlians and even once by the Peacekeepers. She hated feeling trapped and that is exactly how she felt now.
" Stupid humans," she muttered to herself bitterly. She wished that they had never come to this stupid planet. She was just seriously considering breaking the window and escaping over the balcony when the door opened. Jamie jumped to her feet and tried to look as menacing as possible. It was Jack who walked in.
" Hello Jamie," he said calmly and he sat down opposite her on John's bed. " Have you calmed down now?" Jamie stared at him icily, but eventually nodded and sat down on her own bed. " Look, I know this is all very weird for you." he began kindly.
" No you don't, you couldn't possibly understand," she interrupted him bitterly. Jack's eyes widened at the amount of anger in her tone.
" Okay," he said slowly. " You're right I don't, but I can try and imagine and I can see why you're so confused and paranoid, but there's really no need to get so angry with everyone. We're only trying to help you," he carried on calmly, whilst Jamie's expression grew more and more bitter. By the time he was finished she was practically snarling at him.
" I didn't ask for your help!" she snapped. " I don't need it nor do I want it!"
" So you enjoy being unhappy?" Jack countered, raising his voice slightly.
" No I do not!" Jamie spat back at him and then she cursed a bit in Luxan before calming down slightly. Jack waited patiently for her to finish.
" Okay so maybe you're right, maybe it is impossible for me to understand you. I have no idea what happened to you out there," Jack sighed. Jamie gritted her teeth in silence. " Would you please tell me?" Jamie snapped her eyes to his and frowned slightly.
" What?"
" Would you please tell me about the things you've done, the things you've seen." He paused and gulped. " The things you've suffered. John only gave us a raw outline, he didn't really tell us much. I can't even begin to understand you unless I know what you're been through!" Jamie just stared at him though; her icy gaze was eerie, as though she was reading his mind, sizing him up. Finally she spoke.
" I don't think that I can sum up my whole life and all my experiences into mere words, they wouldn't do them justice," she said sounding totally calm; a complete contrast to the sneering spitting child she had been moments before.
" Please try," Jack urged. " Would you try and understand where I'm coming from for a moment? I've never met a seven-year-old who talks the way you do, acts the way you do, or even looks the way you do! Do you have any idea how strong you are?" he laughed noticing her prominent muscles through her T-shirt. Jack wasn't sure if that was just because she was so skinny, or because if it was because she really was very strong.
" I'm no different to anyone else," she said sounding a little embarrassed as she looked down at herself worriedly.
" But that's the thing, here on Earth you are different, you're very different!" Jack said trying to sound as calm and kind as possible. " Listening to you talk, I would think you were at least twelve, if not more! Now I realise that you may develop quicker to human children but that doesn't stop you from being different!" Jamie nodded, maybe she was beginning to understand where this man was coming from. this man who she was supposed to look up to and respect so much. " Now if I can understand why you are the way you are, then maybe I can stop myself from saying some more stupid things that insult you." Jamie gave him her silent stare again, only this time she seemed to be thinking. After a minute's silence, she seemed to come to a conclusion, because she nodded slowly.
" Okay," she said softly. " But I don't know where to begin."
" Well why don't you start from your very first memory and build it up from there?" Jack suggested smiling at her. Jamie nodded and took a deep breath.
" My very first memory was hiding in a crawl space, because I'd accidentally broken something that belonged to Rygel and he wanted to bite me."
She found that when she started she couldn't stop, and Jack was both horrified and impressed by what she told him, but he only interrupted her once and that was when she mentioned that she carried a pulse pistol. This was nearly too much for him, his seven-year-old granddaughter carrying a weapon, he couldn't get his mind round it. Jamie was confused by his surprise.
" Everyone on Moya carries a weapon," she said frowning in confusion. " It's so dangerous not to! Moya can be invaded at any time, so we have to carry pulse pistols for our own protection!" Jack just opened and closed his mouth in shock, but he couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't offend her so he let her carry on with her story.
* * *
It was one thirty in the morning when John and his newfound friends returned to their rooms to get some sleep. Even though John was drunk, he still had enough sense to assume Jamie would be asleep and that he had to be quiet, but when he walked into the room he found Jamie talking animatedly to his father. John stood and stared at them blankly.
" What's going on?" he asked when they didn't even look up. Jamie finished her sentence and then looked up at her father. She immediately realised that he was completely intoxicated (something she'd only witnessed on three occasions in her life, but it was always amusing).
" I'm helping Jack understand," she said simply. John blinked and stumbled a few steps towards them. He looked like he was about to fall over. " Do you want some help?" Jamie asked him grinning cheekily, but there was no need, John collapsed onto his bed and starting snoring. Jamie smiled even more and turned back on her grandfather to continue her story.
* * *
" Aeryn we can't just do nothing!" Breiyden complained and chased after Aeryn. The shuttle was back onboard Moya, and Aeryn had left in a hurry once they'd set down. Breiyden wasn't intending on letting her get away that easily.
" On the contrary, we're not going to do nothing, we're going to leave this place and carry on with the mission like we planned," she said firmly. " These troops are needed!" Breiyden gave an exasperated sigh.
" Why can't you believe us?" she demanded, finally catching up with Aeryn and spinning her round forcefully. " We're telling you the truth!" Aeryn glared at her coldly.
" I have no doubt that you think you saw." she began.
" Think? More like know!" Breiyden complained. " We were not delusional, we were not imagining things and we aren't making it up! There is a way to rescue John and Jamie, you just refuse to see it!"
" I won't hear another word of this nonsense, we are breaking orbit immediately and if you utter one more word I'll have you confined to your quarters!" Aeryn snapped and she started walking away. Breiyden scrunched up her face in frustration, but she wasn't giving up that easily.
" How exactly are you planning on doing that?" she demanded chasing after Aeryn again. " And please don't break orbit, not yet, you have to." But at this point the two of them came across Kayto who had been looking for them.
" There you are Kayto, will you escort Breiyden to her quarters and lock her in there, she stepped out of line," Aeryn ordered sounding calm, but very dangerous. Breiyden's jaw dropped and she looked at Kayto imploringly.
" What?" Kayto asked, smiling uneasily.
" You heard me, she needs to be punished," Aeryn said firmly. Kayto didn't want to aggravate the situation any more so he nodded and took Breiyden by the arm. He dragged her down one corridor complaining viciously, but then he stopped.
" Calm down," he laughed letting her go. Once released Breiyden jumped away from him and straightened her shirt. " I am not going to lock you up. Instead you're going to tell me what happened down there!" And so Breiyden started telling him about what had happened on the planet.
* * *
John woke up the next morning with an incredibly sore head. It took him a few moments to figure out where he was, but then he remembered and looked across to Jamie's bed to see that she wasn't there. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and looked across at the bedside table where someone had left a glass of water, an aspirin, and a note. John picked up the note grimly and opened it to see that it was written in PK symbols.
'Jack told me this would help you feel better or something, I wouldn't trust it, he wouldn't let me try it,' it read. 'I'm outside, Jack said I needed to get some fresh air. or something, I personally don't see why fresh air should be more beneficial than air in this room. Jack wouldn't tell me either, he laughed when I asked him.'
John grinned when he read the note and pushed it aside. Then he quickly swallowed the aspirin with some water and changed into some clothes before he made his way down to the garden where Jack was standing at the barbeque cooking lunch, Rachel and Alison were sitting at the garden table chatting, and the kids were playing a game in the garden. John wondered where Jamie was, but then he realised that she too was standing at the barbeque talking to Jack. He made his way over to them and Jamie eyed him with what John knew was a judgmental look. Boy oh boy was she turning into her mother.
" You overdid it last night," was all she said though and she turned her attention back to the barbeque. " Mom would be furious," she added sadly.
" Well maybe there's one reason why it's good she's not here," John said lightly. Jamie looked pained for a moment, but then she smiled cheekily and nodded. " Anyway, you're up early, what's wrong with you?" he asked her, trying to keep the mood light and cheerful.
" You were snoring," Jamie said simply. " I tried to stick a sock in your mouth, but you kept pulling it out!" she added with a tired smile. " I was teaching those children how to fight like a peacekeeper."
" You were doing what?" John suddenly interrupted, sounding startled, but he looked over his shoulder and saw the other children were all in one piece and enjoying their game. Jack heard his son's panic and he turned to look at him with a broad smile.
" They thought it was a game," he said cheerfully. John winced, how would Jamie react to them belittling her skills to mere 'play activities', but to his surprise, Jamie hadn't reacted to what Jack said, she was just absent mindedly pulling at a pealing sticker on the barbeque. After a moment's silence he felt compelled to ask.
" And you were okay with this?" he asked her, tugging on her shirt.
" They had fun," she said simply. " And I was getting exercise, there wasn't a problem." John stared at her in silence; this couldn't be right.there had to be more to it. " And it made me feel superior to them, to see them struggling," she added after a while sounding thoughtful. John grinned broadly and slung his arm round her shoulders, feeling a sudden surge of affection for his daughter.
" We're going to teach her baseball later," Jack said picking up a plate and piling hamburgers onto it. " If you're up for it that is," he added with a smile and he winked at John before handing him the plate. John smiled to himself and he walked away with the plate with a tremendous feeling of ease.this was going to work until he could get his daughter home where she belonged.
* * *
D'Argo had just got to sleep when he was rudely awoken by a great weight landing on his chest. His instincts were to kill whatever had landed on him, but he restrained and instead jerked up and opened his eyes. His view was restricted for a moment by a mop of black hair, but he soon pushed the owner of this hair, Warer, out of the way to see that all the children on the ship were standing in his quarters.all of them looking very pissed off. Breiyden looked the angriest.
" What do you children want?" he asked tiredly, adjusting Warer's weight, so the boy wasn't digging into his ribs.
" We want John and Jamie back," Kara said firmly. D'Argo sighed.
" So do I, but there's nothing I can do about it!" he replied equally as firmly. Breiyden stepped forward, uncrossing her arms and looking determined.
" Wrong, you can talk to Aeryn," she snapped. " Make her see that this." She pulled the necklace out of her pocket and thrust it in D'Argo's direction. " .Is the only way that we are going to get the rest of her family back!" D'Argo didn't like the threatening tone in her voice, so he pushed Warer off his chest and stood up, towering over the young teenage peacekeeper.
" Breiyden, you have to learn that you are not always right, even if it is hard to face the alternative!" he said in a calm voice.
" But D'Argo this is the answer! This is how we're going to get them back! I have never been so sure about anything in my entire life!" she cried stamping her foot. D'Argo paused for a moment, shocked by her sincerity, but this was ridiculous.wasn't it?
" D'Argo it wouldn't hurt to try," Ty said in a soft voice. D'Argo spun round to see the three younger children sitting together on the bed with putting lips and pathetic looks on their faces. Warer looked the worse.
" Please?" Warer pleaded in the softest voice of all, which broke, as if he was about to cry. That was it; D'Argo couldn't handle their sad faces anymore.
" Okay, I'll talk to Aeryn!" he said exasperatedly. The transformation in the children was instantaneous as they all leapt off the bed with beaming faces and hugged him, nearly bowling him over with their enthusiasm. " I can't promise anything!"
* * *
" The aim of this game is to hit a ball?" Jamie asked incredulously as she eyed the bat and ball very carefully.
" Well yeah.and you have to run," John said picking up one of the bat's and smiling at it, semi-lost in his memories of childhood. He didn't notice the disgusted look Jamie was giving him.
" Run where?" she asked eventually.
" Around the bases," Jack filled in, pointing to the little piles of shoes and jumpers that had been laid out as the baseball field on the lawn. Now Jamie was totally disgusted.
" The aim is to hit a ball and then run round in.circles? How futile!" she cried sounding mortified.
" Jamie, tone it down a bit, it's just a game. It'll be fun, you'll see!" John said and he ran over to home base with the bat.
" Give me your best shot!" he jeered Rob, who was pitching. Jamie watched as John missed the first ball, but cleared the second one clean across the lawn. She watched with a little more interest when he ran to second base, but had to stay there because the Rob had the ball again. Judging by the grin that was plastered on his face he was having the time of his life.
" Your turn kid!" he called to her.
" I don't want to!" she called back, event though she was feeling tempted to give it a try.
" Yeah you do, come on Jamie, it's easy!" Jack said from behind her. Jamie spun around and saw he had a very sincere look in his face. So she nodded grimly.
" Okay then," she sighed.
" Good girl. Now take this, and don't forget, keep your eye on the ball," he said handing her a smaller bat. Jamie's jaw dropped.
" I have to hit the ball when I'm holding it to my face? Daddy didn't do that!" she cried. Jack frowned for a moment and then realised what he'd said.
" No sweetie, it's a saying, it means watch the ball carefully," he said smiling. Jamie nodded weakly and slowly made her way over to he base.
" Give her an easy one Rob," John called to his brother-in-law. So Rob did throw a slow ball and to everyone's surprise (except John's) Jamie smacked the ball so hard she cleared it out of the garden.
" Sweet Jesus." Jack muttered to himself as he shaded his eyes to the sun to see if he could follow the ball. Back on the 'pitch' however Jamie was standing on the base holding the bat and looking awkward.
" Drop the bat and run Jamie!" John called to her, so she did and she sprinted round all the bases, so fast it made Jack's jaw drop.
" How did she do that?" Jack demanded, walking over to where John was congratulating his daughter. John smiled and placed his hands proudly on her shoulders.
" Peacekeepers have better coordination and they're stronger than us. This game is like child's play to them," he said grinning. Jack smiled and for the rest of the day the family went through an assortment of human games to test Jamie's skills. Jamie herself, was growing to like these humans.just a bit of course!
Summary: It's one of those future fanfics (set seven years into the future) about the long awaited return to Earth. Only the conditions under which John returns aren't really ideal. In fact he spends all of his time home trying to find a way to get back, not just for his sake, but for that of his daughter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Farscape or any of its characters.
Be Careful What You Wish For
Acceptance
John let out a very deep sigh as he sat down on the sofa. It had been such a long day, he didn't know if he was going to cope with being home again.
After they got back from the dreadful shopping experience everything seemed to be going all right, Jack had given Jamie some presents. She had discarded the dolls and cuddly toys, but had really taken to the Action Man figures that Jack had bought. She even smiled as she played with them and John began to think maybe she could be happy here, until they found a way back to Moya, but then things started to go very wrong again. It all started when the kids tried to make Jamie jump by leaping out at her from behind a door and she pummelled them angrily. Luckily Jack had been near and he pulled Jamie off the other children. Jamie had then proceeded to yell vicious insults at Jack in Luxan, which John had heard and come running. By the time he found Jack and the kids Jamie had run off. John tried to find her and then got worried when he couldn't, so everyone started looking. Eventually one of the kids found her in a cupboard, hidden away in the top compartment amongst boxes. She had calmed down and the children were willing to forgive her, so they started playing, but then there were more problems when Jamie refused to share her toys with her cousins. This developed into another fight. Jamie was in such a foul mood that John had done the only thing he could think of, he had locked her in their room.
So now he sat on his own in the den thinking what they were going to do if Jamie didn't settle down a bit. He was going to have to explain to his nieces and nephews why their cousin was just that little touchy.
" Hey John," a voice suddenly called from the entrance to the den. John turned round quickly, equally as edgy as his daughter in that respect.
" Oh hey guys," he said when he saw his brothers-in-law standing by the door. " Come in," he said when they lingered. Both smiled at him and then walked in brandishing a six-pack.
" You look like you could do with a beer," Rob said cheerfully and they sat down on either side of John. John grinned and looked at the beer wistfully.
" I cannot believe that I haven't had a beer since being back," he said smiling even broader as he picked one up and fingered the top of the can.
He was stuck in some sort of trance, admiring the can from all different angles, letting his fingers glide over the cold wet metal. He stayed in this trance for about five minutes, when Jake and Rob's laughter finally pulled him out of it.
" You okay there John?" Rob finally asked grinning. John shrugged his shoulders.
" You have no idea how much I wanted simple Earth stuff like beer when I first got out there," John said smiling sadly. " But now. I don't know. I guess I just got resigned to the fact that I was never going to see Earth again."
" John just have the beer," Jake laughed and John did open it. He took a long swig of it and savoured every moment of it. Then he took another and another and before long the three men were throwing them back and sharing amusing stories; John's seemed to be the most amusing. Soon enough they were firm friends.
* * *
" I don't understand, how can that necklace possibly help us," Aeryn said sounding impatient.
" It's not the necklace that's going to be doing the helping," Breiyden said. " It's the guardian, she has the power to transport us to Earth whenever we desire and then when we wish to return we have to just hold this and wish to return home. She'll sense it and transport us back again. at least that's the plan," Breiyden said, suddenly realising the plan was ludicrous, but it was the only one they had to go on for now. Aeryn didn't look at all convinced.
" I don't believe it," she said simply and she turned to climb on the pod.
" You have to Aeryn, it's all we have to go on," Deacon countered climbing after her, but Aeryn's mind was made up and once everyone had boarded the pod she started the ascent.
" Aeryn you have to listen," Breiyden said sounding desperate. " This is the only way we're going to get them back!"
" Why won't you believe us?" Deacon asked frowning.
" I believe what you say," Aeryn said simply. " But I also believe that someone has tricked you and it's best if we leave as soon as we can."
" But Aeryn." Breiyden began in one last desperate attempt.
" No Breiyden, John and Jamie are dead!" Aeryn cried and an un-easy silence fell on the occupants of the pod.
* * *
Jamie sat on her bed staring at the wall seething with anger. How dare her father lock her away? He should know how much she hated being locked up. She had spent at least thirty microts screaming and kicking at the door and when no one came to her, she spent the next thirty microts trying to find crawl spaces and hatches, but she hadn't found anything.
She hated this terrestrial dwelling; it was too quiet and she missed the sensation of always moving, but the worst was that there was no escape. On Moya every chamber was escapable if you were Jamie's size. There was no way that she could be locked away back on Moya, but she'd been locked up successfully several times by the Scarrans and the Androlians and even once by the Peacekeepers. She hated feeling trapped and that is exactly how she felt now.
" Stupid humans," she muttered to herself bitterly. She wished that they had never come to this stupid planet. She was just seriously considering breaking the window and escaping over the balcony when the door opened. Jamie jumped to her feet and tried to look as menacing as possible. It was Jack who walked in.
" Hello Jamie," he said calmly and he sat down opposite her on John's bed. " Have you calmed down now?" Jamie stared at him icily, but eventually nodded and sat down on her own bed. " Look, I know this is all very weird for you." he began kindly.
" No you don't, you couldn't possibly understand," she interrupted him bitterly. Jack's eyes widened at the amount of anger in her tone.
" Okay," he said slowly. " You're right I don't, but I can try and imagine and I can see why you're so confused and paranoid, but there's really no need to get so angry with everyone. We're only trying to help you," he carried on calmly, whilst Jamie's expression grew more and more bitter. By the time he was finished she was practically snarling at him.
" I didn't ask for your help!" she snapped. " I don't need it nor do I want it!"
" So you enjoy being unhappy?" Jack countered, raising his voice slightly.
" No I do not!" Jamie spat back at him and then she cursed a bit in Luxan before calming down slightly. Jack waited patiently for her to finish.
" Okay so maybe you're right, maybe it is impossible for me to understand you. I have no idea what happened to you out there," Jack sighed. Jamie gritted her teeth in silence. " Would you please tell me?" Jamie snapped her eyes to his and frowned slightly.
" What?"
" Would you please tell me about the things you've done, the things you've seen." He paused and gulped. " The things you've suffered. John only gave us a raw outline, he didn't really tell us much. I can't even begin to understand you unless I know what you're been through!" Jamie just stared at him though; her icy gaze was eerie, as though she was reading his mind, sizing him up. Finally she spoke.
" I don't think that I can sum up my whole life and all my experiences into mere words, they wouldn't do them justice," she said sounding totally calm; a complete contrast to the sneering spitting child she had been moments before.
" Please try," Jack urged. " Would you try and understand where I'm coming from for a moment? I've never met a seven-year-old who talks the way you do, acts the way you do, or even looks the way you do! Do you have any idea how strong you are?" he laughed noticing her prominent muscles through her T-shirt. Jack wasn't sure if that was just because she was so skinny, or because if it was because she really was very strong.
" I'm no different to anyone else," she said sounding a little embarrassed as she looked down at herself worriedly.
" But that's the thing, here on Earth you are different, you're very different!" Jack said trying to sound as calm and kind as possible. " Listening to you talk, I would think you were at least twelve, if not more! Now I realise that you may develop quicker to human children but that doesn't stop you from being different!" Jamie nodded, maybe she was beginning to understand where this man was coming from. this man who she was supposed to look up to and respect so much. " Now if I can understand why you are the way you are, then maybe I can stop myself from saying some more stupid things that insult you." Jamie gave him her silent stare again, only this time she seemed to be thinking. After a minute's silence, she seemed to come to a conclusion, because she nodded slowly.
" Okay," she said softly. " But I don't know where to begin."
" Well why don't you start from your very first memory and build it up from there?" Jack suggested smiling at her. Jamie nodded and took a deep breath.
" My very first memory was hiding in a crawl space, because I'd accidentally broken something that belonged to Rygel and he wanted to bite me."
She found that when she started she couldn't stop, and Jack was both horrified and impressed by what she told him, but he only interrupted her once and that was when she mentioned that she carried a pulse pistol. This was nearly too much for him, his seven-year-old granddaughter carrying a weapon, he couldn't get his mind round it. Jamie was confused by his surprise.
" Everyone on Moya carries a weapon," she said frowning in confusion. " It's so dangerous not to! Moya can be invaded at any time, so we have to carry pulse pistols for our own protection!" Jack just opened and closed his mouth in shock, but he couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't offend her so he let her carry on with her story.
* * *
It was one thirty in the morning when John and his newfound friends returned to their rooms to get some sleep. Even though John was drunk, he still had enough sense to assume Jamie would be asleep and that he had to be quiet, but when he walked into the room he found Jamie talking animatedly to his father. John stood and stared at them blankly.
" What's going on?" he asked when they didn't even look up. Jamie finished her sentence and then looked up at her father. She immediately realised that he was completely intoxicated (something she'd only witnessed on three occasions in her life, but it was always amusing).
" I'm helping Jack understand," she said simply. John blinked and stumbled a few steps towards them. He looked like he was about to fall over. " Do you want some help?" Jamie asked him grinning cheekily, but there was no need, John collapsed onto his bed and starting snoring. Jamie smiled even more and turned back on her grandfather to continue her story.
* * *
" Aeryn we can't just do nothing!" Breiyden complained and chased after Aeryn. The shuttle was back onboard Moya, and Aeryn had left in a hurry once they'd set down. Breiyden wasn't intending on letting her get away that easily.
" On the contrary, we're not going to do nothing, we're going to leave this place and carry on with the mission like we planned," she said firmly. " These troops are needed!" Breiyden gave an exasperated sigh.
" Why can't you believe us?" she demanded, finally catching up with Aeryn and spinning her round forcefully. " We're telling you the truth!" Aeryn glared at her coldly.
" I have no doubt that you think you saw." she began.
" Think? More like know!" Breiyden complained. " We were not delusional, we were not imagining things and we aren't making it up! There is a way to rescue John and Jamie, you just refuse to see it!"
" I won't hear another word of this nonsense, we are breaking orbit immediately and if you utter one more word I'll have you confined to your quarters!" Aeryn snapped and she started walking away. Breiyden scrunched up her face in frustration, but she wasn't giving up that easily.
" How exactly are you planning on doing that?" she demanded chasing after Aeryn again. " And please don't break orbit, not yet, you have to." But at this point the two of them came across Kayto who had been looking for them.
" There you are Kayto, will you escort Breiyden to her quarters and lock her in there, she stepped out of line," Aeryn ordered sounding calm, but very dangerous. Breiyden's jaw dropped and she looked at Kayto imploringly.
" What?" Kayto asked, smiling uneasily.
" You heard me, she needs to be punished," Aeryn said firmly. Kayto didn't want to aggravate the situation any more so he nodded and took Breiyden by the arm. He dragged her down one corridor complaining viciously, but then he stopped.
" Calm down," he laughed letting her go. Once released Breiyden jumped away from him and straightened her shirt. " I am not going to lock you up. Instead you're going to tell me what happened down there!" And so Breiyden started telling him about what had happened on the planet.
* * *
John woke up the next morning with an incredibly sore head. It took him a few moments to figure out where he was, but then he remembered and looked across to Jamie's bed to see that she wasn't there. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and looked across at the bedside table where someone had left a glass of water, an aspirin, and a note. John picked up the note grimly and opened it to see that it was written in PK symbols.
'Jack told me this would help you feel better or something, I wouldn't trust it, he wouldn't let me try it,' it read. 'I'm outside, Jack said I needed to get some fresh air. or something, I personally don't see why fresh air should be more beneficial than air in this room. Jack wouldn't tell me either, he laughed when I asked him.'
John grinned when he read the note and pushed it aside. Then he quickly swallowed the aspirin with some water and changed into some clothes before he made his way down to the garden where Jack was standing at the barbeque cooking lunch, Rachel and Alison were sitting at the garden table chatting, and the kids were playing a game in the garden. John wondered where Jamie was, but then he realised that she too was standing at the barbeque talking to Jack. He made his way over to them and Jamie eyed him with what John knew was a judgmental look. Boy oh boy was she turning into her mother.
" You overdid it last night," was all she said though and she turned her attention back to the barbeque. " Mom would be furious," she added sadly.
" Well maybe there's one reason why it's good she's not here," John said lightly. Jamie looked pained for a moment, but then she smiled cheekily and nodded. " Anyway, you're up early, what's wrong with you?" he asked her, trying to keep the mood light and cheerful.
" You were snoring," Jamie said simply. " I tried to stick a sock in your mouth, but you kept pulling it out!" she added with a tired smile. " I was teaching those children how to fight like a peacekeeper."
" You were doing what?" John suddenly interrupted, sounding startled, but he looked over his shoulder and saw the other children were all in one piece and enjoying their game. Jack heard his son's panic and he turned to look at him with a broad smile.
" They thought it was a game," he said cheerfully. John winced, how would Jamie react to them belittling her skills to mere 'play activities', but to his surprise, Jamie hadn't reacted to what Jack said, she was just absent mindedly pulling at a pealing sticker on the barbeque. After a moment's silence he felt compelled to ask.
" And you were okay with this?" he asked her, tugging on her shirt.
" They had fun," she said simply. " And I was getting exercise, there wasn't a problem." John stared at her in silence; this couldn't be right.there had to be more to it. " And it made me feel superior to them, to see them struggling," she added after a while sounding thoughtful. John grinned broadly and slung his arm round her shoulders, feeling a sudden surge of affection for his daughter.
" We're going to teach her baseball later," Jack said picking up a plate and piling hamburgers onto it. " If you're up for it that is," he added with a smile and he winked at John before handing him the plate. John smiled to himself and he walked away with the plate with a tremendous feeling of ease.this was going to work until he could get his daughter home where she belonged.
* * *
D'Argo had just got to sleep when he was rudely awoken by a great weight landing on his chest. His instincts were to kill whatever had landed on him, but he restrained and instead jerked up and opened his eyes. His view was restricted for a moment by a mop of black hair, but he soon pushed the owner of this hair, Warer, out of the way to see that all the children on the ship were standing in his quarters.all of them looking very pissed off. Breiyden looked the angriest.
" What do you children want?" he asked tiredly, adjusting Warer's weight, so the boy wasn't digging into his ribs.
" We want John and Jamie back," Kara said firmly. D'Argo sighed.
" So do I, but there's nothing I can do about it!" he replied equally as firmly. Breiyden stepped forward, uncrossing her arms and looking determined.
" Wrong, you can talk to Aeryn," she snapped. " Make her see that this." She pulled the necklace out of her pocket and thrust it in D'Argo's direction. " .Is the only way that we are going to get the rest of her family back!" D'Argo didn't like the threatening tone in her voice, so he pushed Warer off his chest and stood up, towering over the young teenage peacekeeper.
" Breiyden, you have to learn that you are not always right, even if it is hard to face the alternative!" he said in a calm voice.
" But D'Argo this is the answer! This is how we're going to get them back! I have never been so sure about anything in my entire life!" she cried stamping her foot. D'Argo paused for a moment, shocked by her sincerity, but this was ridiculous.wasn't it?
" D'Argo it wouldn't hurt to try," Ty said in a soft voice. D'Argo spun round to see the three younger children sitting together on the bed with putting lips and pathetic looks on their faces. Warer looked the worse.
" Please?" Warer pleaded in the softest voice of all, which broke, as if he was about to cry. That was it; D'Argo couldn't handle their sad faces anymore.
" Okay, I'll talk to Aeryn!" he said exasperatedly. The transformation in the children was instantaneous as they all leapt off the bed with beaming faces and hugged him, nearly bowling him over with their enthusiasm. " I can't promise anything!"
* * *
" The aim of this game is to hit a ball?" Jamie asked incredulously as she eyed the bat and ball very carefully.
" Well yeah.and you have to run," John said picking up one of the bat's and smiling at it, semi-lost in his memories of childhood. He didn't notice the disgusted look Jamie was giving him.
" Run where?" she asked eventually.
" Around the bases," Jack filled in, pointing to the little piles of shoes and jumpers that had been laid out as the baseball field on the lawn. Now Jamie was totally disgusted.
" The aim is to hit a ball and then run round in.circles? How futile!" she cried sounding mortified.
" Jamie, tone it down a bit, it's just a game. It'll be fun, you'll see!" John said and he ran over to home base with the bat.
" Give me your best shot!" he jeered Rob, who was pitching. Jamie watched as John missed the first ball, but cleared the second one clean across the lawn. She watched with a little more interest when he ran to second base, but had to stay there because the Rob had the ball again. Judging by the grin that was plastered on his face he was having the time of his life.
" Your turn kid!" he called to her.
" I don't want to!" she called back, event though she was feeling tempted to give it a try.
" Yeah you do, come on Jamie, it's easy!" Jack said from behind her. Jamie spun around and saw he had a very sincere look in his face. So she nodded grimly.
" Okay then," she sighed.
" Good girl. Now take this, and don't forget, keep your eye on the ball," he said handing her a smaller bat. Jamie's jaw dropped.
" I have to hit the ball when I'm holding it to my face? Daddy didn't do that!" she cried. Jack frowned for a moment and then realised what he'd said.
" No sweetie, it's a saying, it means watch the ball carefully," he said smiling. Jamie nodded weakly and slowly made her way over to he base.
" Give her an easy one Rob," John called to his brother-in-law. So Rob did throw a slow ball and to everyone's surprise (except John's) Jamie smacked the ball so hard she cleared it out of the garden.
" Sweet Jesus." Jack muttered to himself as he shaded his eyes to the sun to see if he could follow the ball. Back on the 'pitch' however Jamie was standing on the base holding the bat and looking awkward.
" Drop the bat and run Jamie!" John called to her, so she did and she sprinted round all the bases, so fast it made Jack's jaw drop.
" How did she do that?" Jack demanded, walking over to where John was congratulating his daughter. John smiled and placed his hands proudly on her shoulders.
" Peacekeepers have better coordination and they're stronger than us. This game is like child's play to them," he said grinning. Jack smiled and for the rest of the day the family went through an assortment of human games to test Jamie's skills. Jamie herself, was growing to like these humans.just a bit of course!
