Looking Back in the Mirror Pt. 3
Author: blueaeryn Rating: R Summary: Sequel to Looking in the Mirror
Notes: Spoilers through Season Four Disclaimer: Not mine.
"I have the specimen," Ariss said holding out the silver vile. She was dressed in her Prowler flight suit, and the garments felt good. After so many cycles of tolling away in the scientific labs, it was a triumphant accomplishment to know she had been promoted to the elite ranks. She was a soldier, a pilot. What she was born to be, but she wanted more.
That was why she was here on this border planet, where no one could recognize her. She had taken on a scouting assignment to chart the progress of Peacekeeper control in outlying colonies, which afforded her a chance to meet her contact.
Mallik, the Scarren officer who was Ariss' contact, took the vile from her out-stretched hand. "You are sure it is the correct vile. That it holds what we need."
"I don't make mistakes, Mallik," Ariss informed him. "Have I botched any other assignment you gave me?"
"No, you have been exceptional," Mallik told her as he fingered the tiny vile in his large hand. "This is the prize Emperor Stallik has been waiting on, and when the experiment is successful you will get all you deserve."
"That is what I am waiting on." Ariss said with a sinister smile. "What of the other information I transferred?"
"It is being assimilated as we speak," Mallik said. "Progress is swift and it appears we are ahead of the Peacekeepers now. It won't be long until we harness the power of the wormholes and we can end this threat of impending war."
"Then it appears I have aligned myself with the right side," Ariss said as she shifted her feet. "Just make sure the Emperor knows who helped made this possible."
"Like I said, you will get what you deserve." Mallik placed the vile in a pouch at his side and turned from Ariss, disappearing into the crowd.
Ariss couldn't hide her smile. For once in her life she was important, she was doing something that meant something. She was helping bring down the Peacekeeper regime.
John Crichton wandered the bazaar of the latest commerce planet the crew had stopped on. He was searching for a gift for Aeryn. She was starting to get suspicious of the numerous gifts he had presented her in the last half of a cycle.
He tried to deter her questioning glances by telling her that no amount of gifts could add up to the gift she had given him, their son. But it wasn't true. In his mind he was trying to make up for something he had taken from her, a piece of herself she would never know existed.
There wasn't a solar day that didn't go by that he didn't think of the child he had sold to Scorpius. That is what he had done, bartered his and Aeryn's child for their lives. It ate at his soul and darkened his heart, and every waking moment he lived with the fear that Aeryn would discover what he had done, and when she did, he knew she would never forgive him.
John was fingering an upgraded pulse pistol he thought Aeryn might like when he heard a commotion behind him. The scuffle intensified and he heard a familiar voice say, "I can't help it if it doesn't work now, you wellnitz. You should learn how to fly."
He didn't have to turn around to know who it was, Furlow.
"We paid for service to our ship, and it still doesn't have proper propulsion control," the horned creature said. "You are going to fix it."
"If you would stop heating up the frodium drive then you wouldn't lose propulsion," Furlow told the guy. "That is why you have problem with propulsion."
The horned figure backed Furlow up against a wall and pulled out a long blade. John was off to the side watching all the action, and was intending to walk away until the guy pulled the knife.
He should just walk away. This was none of his business, and from what he heard, Furlow deserved all she got, after betraying his other self and killing Ancient Jack. He was about to turn away when that little bit of conscious that still plagued him raised it's ugly head.
"Damn," John said aloud as he turned back to the commotion. With his back turned to John, the creature did see him approaching and wasn't even aware of his presence until John pulled Winona and put the nose of the pulse pistol on the side of his head.
"Is there a problem here," John asked tapping the gun on the guys shoulder.
The horned guy turned around to face John, still pinning Furlow against the wall. "Nothing that concerns you, Peacekeeper," the guy said, mistaking John for one of the few Peacekeepers that patrolled the area.
"Well, if you are planning to kill her, then it is my business," John told him. "See, she owes me money and I will collect. Now you can kill her, but if you do, then I expect you compensate me."
The guy looked at John, and then back to Furlow and said, "I don't need to get into any of this, and I know I don't want to if a Peacekeeper is involved." The creature sheathed his blade and stepped away. His movement allowed Furlow a chance to see her savior and her eyes grew wide at the sight of John.
After he walked down the street, Furlow moved close to John. "Well, I never thought I would see you again, Flyboy," she admitted. "Last time I saw you, you were crawling around in the sand about to be a hero. Heard you took care of the Scarrens, but I just figured you wouldn't survive that blast of radiation. Guess I was wrong."
John was about to answer her when another voice came from behind him. "Oh, no, you were right, Furlow." Aeryn stalked over to John and Furlow and pulled her pulse pistol, training it on Furlow.
"Who are you here to betray this time," Aeryn asked as she leveled the pulse pistol at Furlow's face. "Because if I shoot you now, then we can end all the pain now."
"Aeryn," John said calmly putting his hand on her pulse pistol to push it down. "Why don't we see what's going on before we do anything else."
"That's a good idea, Johnny boy," Furlow agreed. "In fact it is a great idea."
"She betrayed us, John," Aeryn said as she lunged toward Furlow. "She killed Jack and betrayed him." John knew what she meant, Aeryn didn't have to say who she had betrayed, the other him. That little nugget of doubt formed inside his gut again. Would he ever believe he had all of Aeryn's love, or would he always be competing with a ghost? It was a question he could ponder for the rest of his life, but for now he had other issues to tackle.
"What are you doing out here," John asked trying to change the direction of the conversation. Aeryn glared at him, wanting to continue her brute administration of Furlow, but John wanted answers so she stepped away. However, she still trained her pulse pistol on Furlow, posed to pull the trigger if she had to.
"I am trying to stay alive, Johnny," Furlow told him. "Those Scarrens are a persistent lot, and they would love to have my wormhole research, especially since they are close to figuring them out."
Her announcement was like cold water being thrown on John. "What are you talking about," John said in shock. "They are researching wormholes?"
"More then researching them," Furlow said. "They have traversed one, and they are close to harnessing one."
"How do you know this," Aeryn chimed in to ask.
"Well," Furlow began as she looked to her left avoiding John's gaze. "I was helping them for a while until I escaped. They were forcing me, but I lit out the first time they turned their back, and I have been on the run ever since. That is why I am in this place, playing at being just a third-rate mechanic."
John looked at Aeryn who wore a worried expression. Me too, he thought. What the hell was going on?
"Who is helping them, where are they getting their information?"
"They had a scan of some notebook with equations," Furlow told them. "I looked at it once, and it had all these notes and it was like a recipe to wormholes."
John didn't need to hear anymore. The Scarrens had a copy of his notebook with all his wormhole research in it, and he could think of only one person who could have supplied it to them. Ariss.
He was about to tell Aeryn when he felt Furlow's body crash into his as she pushed him along the wall. She had snagged Aeryn's arm as well, and though Aeryn was resisting, Furlow managed to direct them down to an alleyway. She raised her finger to her lips in a gesture to be quiet, and then peeked around the corner. She snapped back against the wall, and just as she did, a Scarren strode past him.
John looked at Aeryn with a questioning glance, and she shrugged her shoulders. When the Scarren had past, Furlow came to stand in front of John and Aeryn. "That was close. I thought he saw us."
"Do you think he was after you," John asked Furlow.
"No, he looks to be a member of the elite class," Furlow told John. "But no need to take chances."
Aeryn moved from the wall to step behind Furlow. She looked out onto the street to check the perimeter, when she saw her. It was the last person she thought she would see on this planet, and she couldn't miss the opportunity to welcome her. When the person passed by the alley, Aeryn rushed out and snagged her right arm.
Ariss was just making her way down the busy street when she felt a hand on her arm. The vice like grip bit into her skin and she felt herself being pulled into an alleyway. She tried to scream, but a hand was placed on her mouth, and her muffled cries went on deaf ears.
Aeryn slung Ariss down onto the ground near where John and Furlow stood and pulled her pulse pistol. She stood above her, with the gun trained on Ariss, and kicked Ariss's side with the toe of her boot.
"Nice to see you again, Sister," Aeryn sneered. Hatred hot and pure burned from Aeryn's eyes. John had never seen Aeryn like this before. Even the first day he met her so many cycles ago, he remembered a well-trained vicious killer who would rather blast you then speak to you. But back then it was her duty, something she was trained to do. This was something else. This was a mother protecting her child, wife defending her husband. This was something that made Aeryn even more dangerous, and it scared the hell out of him.
"Well, if it isn't my dear sister, Aeryn," Ariss spat back. "I see you survived, how unfortunate."
Ariss attempted to move to her knees, but Aeryn pushed her back down to the ground. With a defiant look Ariss struggled back up and glared at Aeryn.
John began to sweat. He could see the hatred in Ariss' eyes. A person like that valued ammunition, and in that moment John knew Ariss had it. She knew about the baby. The child he had given to Scorpius. He wasn't sure how she knew, or how she was involved, but she knew.
There was a moment of silence. He heard people on the street passing by, heard life moving forward. But for John it was standing still. He turned to stare at Aeryn, and drank in her lovely profile. She loved him, he could feel it, but would she afterwards. When she found out.
"Girls," John began, trying to deter the direction of the conversation.
Ariss looked up at him when he spoke. She smiled a sick knowing smile. He felt his gut clinch when she spoke.
"I have some bad news, John," Ariss began as she stroked the arm Aeryn had grabbed. "Your deal with Scorpius is null and void. He is still looking for you."
"What is she saying" Aeryn turned to John.
"I am saying you gave Scorpius a bad specimen," Ariss continued. "I tried to help you. I carried the child, but it died at birth."
"What child," Aeryn asked.
"The child John gave Scorpius for your freedom," Ariss said looking at Aeryn. "Didn't he tell you?"
Aeryn's face turned ashen as she lowered her pulse pistol. It was the first time John had seen her lose her composure during a confrontation. Her moment of weakness afforded Ariss a chance to strike. She jumped to her feet and went for Aeryn's pulse pistol. Her movements broke the trance Aeryn was under and she began to scuffle with Ariss.
John jumped in and tried to wrestle the gun away from them both. He tugged once and then again, and one last pull brought the pulse pistol in his hands. Aeryn fell back to his left and Ariss went to his right. John reacted on instinct when he saw Ariss reach for her pulse pistol, he pointed Winona at Ariss and shot her.
Ariss' wound was only superficial, but the loss of blood had caused her to pass out. When John suggested they take Ariss back to the transport pod and to Moya, Aeryn only shook her head in agreement. She didn't look at him, just acknowledged his suggestion.
After the commotion, John scanned the alley for Furlow, but she had high- tailed it out of there a long time ago. The woman sure knew when to leave when trouble started. Maybe he should learn how to do that?
Back on Moya, Noranti again administered to Ariss, this time bandaging the wound on her shoulder. John secured the straps around her Ariss and left the medical area. He went in search of Aeryn, though he wasn't looking forward to it.
He found Aeryn in their quarters. She was standing over their son's cradle, stroking Trevon's dark hair as he slept. John walked slowly to them, and stopped beside Aeryn. She turned her head to him, and then looked back down to Trevon.
John didn't know what to say, how to start this conversation. How do you apologize to your wife for stealing her child, and selling it off to your enemy? It was horrid of him, but he felt a weight lift from him when Ariss said the child had died.
"Aeryn, I ." John began and stopped. He placed his hand on her forearm and she shrugged it off. Tears were forming in her eyes as she continued to stroke Trevon's baby soft hair. Trevon sighed contently at her administration and lifted his right thumb and placed it in his mouth. He was at peace, not a care in the world, as his parent's world was crashing down around them.
"Aeryn, I didn't have a choice," John began again. "That frelling Scorpius had my ass against the wall. He had you, he had our son and my wormhole knowledge wasn't enough anymore."
Aeryn moved away from Trevon and walked to their bed. She sat down and placed her head in her hands. John sat down next to her and dangled his hands between his legs.
"Scorpy told me he had extracted an egg from you, and if I provided a sample of my seed, then he could create a receptacle for that damn wormhole knowledge. A sample he had already taken from Trevon. All I had to do was provide this and we were free."
Aeryn lifted her head and looked at John. "But it wasn't just a receptacle you provided him, John. It was our child."
"Aeryn, please," John cried as he got off the bed and onto his knees in front of her. "I didn't know what else to do. It has eaten me up inside ever since I did it."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know how," John answered. John couldn't control his emotions any longer, he laid his head on the bed beside Aeryn's thigh and cried. His body shook as the tears flowed and he was soothed when he felt Aeryn's hand on his head.
She stroked the small hairs at the nape of his neck, and ran her fingers down his neck. John looked up at Aeryn, who had fat tears streaming down her cheek. She took his hand and pulled him back on the bed. There wasn't any words between them, John leaned his head on Aeryn's shoulder she continued to stroke his head.
As Aeryn stroked his head, she kept replaying everything that had happened in the last few cycles. This had to stop, she thought to herself. At some point all of this had to end. Maybe, just maybe she could put an end to it. She had to stop the pain, stop everyone from chasing, using and abusing the man she loved. There wouldn't be peace for any of them if she didn't.
"John," Aeryn said as she rubbed her fingers over his cheek. "I am going to end this. I am going to the command carrier. I am going to impersonate Ariss and I am going to end it all."
Author: blueaeryn Rating: R Summary: Sequel to Looking in the Mirror
Notes: Spoilers through Season Four Disclaimer: Not mine.
"I have the specimen," Ariss said holding out the silver vile. She was dressed in her Prowler flight suit, and the garments felt good. After so many cycles of tolling away in the scientific labs, it was a triumphant accomplishment to know she had been promoted to the elite ranks. She was a soldier, a pilot. What she was born to be, but she wanted more.
That was why she was here on this border planet, where no one could recognize her. She had taken on a scouting assignment to chart the progress of Peacekeeper control in outlying colonies, which afforded her a chance to meet her contact.
Mallik, the Scarren officer who was Ariss' contact, took the vile from her out-stretched hand. "You are sure it is the correct vile. That it holds what we need."
"I don't make mistakes, Mallik," Ariss informed him. "Have I botched any other assignment you gave me?"
"No, you have been exceptional," Mallik told her as he fingered the tiny vile in his large hand. "This is the prize Emperor Stallik has been waiting on, and when the experiment is successful you will get all you deserve."
"That is what I am waiting on." Ariss said with a sinister smile. "What of the other information I transferred?"
"It is being assimilated as we speak," Mallik said. "Progress is swift and it appears we are ahead of the Peacekeepers now. It won't be long until we harness the power of the wormholes and we can end this threat of impending war."
"Then it appears I have aligned myself with the right side," Ariss said as she shifted her feet. "Just make sure the Emperor knows who helped made this possible."
"Like I said, you will get what you deserve." Mallik placed the vile in a pouch at his side and turned from Ariss, disappearing into the crowd.
Ariss couldn't hide her smile. For once in her life she was important, she was doing something that meant something. She was helping bring down the Peacekeeper regime.
John Crichton wandered the bazaar of the latest commerce planet the crew had stopped on. He was searching for a gift for Aeryn. She was starting to get suspicious of the numerous gifts he had presented her in the last half of a cycle.
He tried to deter her questioning glances by telling her that no amount of gifts could add up to the gift she had given him, their son. But it wasn't true. In his mind he was trying to make up for something he had taken from her, a piece of herself she would never know existed.
There wasn't a solar day that didn't go by that he didn't think of the child he had sold to Scorpius. That is what he had done, bartered his and Aeryn's child for their lives. It ate at his soul and darkened his heart, and every waking moment he lived with the fear that Aeryn would discover what he had done, and when she did, he knew she would never forgive him.
John was fingering an upgraded pulse pistol he thought Aeryn might like when he heard a commotion behind him. The scuffle intensified and he heard a familiar voice say, "I can't help it if it doesn't work now, you wellnitz. You should learn how to fly."
He didn't have to turn around to know who it was, Furlow.
"We paid for service to our ship, and it still doesn't have proper propulsion control," the horned creature said. "You are going to fix it."
"If you would stop heating up the frodium drive then you wouldn't lose propulsion," Furlow told the guy. "That is why you have problem with propulsion."
The horned figure backed Furlow up against a wall and pulled out a long blade. John was off to the side watching all the action, and was intending to walk away until the guy pulled the knife.
He should just walk away. This was none of his business, and from what he heard, Furlow deserved all she got, after betraying his other self and killing Ancient Jack. He was about to turn away when that little bit of conscious that still plagued him raised it's ugly head.
"Damn," John said aloud as he turned back to the commotion. With his back turned to John, the creature did see him approaching and wasn't even aware of his presence until John pulled Winona and put the nose of the pulse pistol on the side of his head.
"Is there a problem here," John asked tapping the gun on the guys shoulder.
The horned guy turned around to face John, still pinning Furlow against the wall. "Nothing that concerns you, Peacekeeper," the guy said, mistaking John for one of the few Peacekeepers that patrolled the area.
"Well, if you are planning to kill her, then it is my business," John told him. "See, she owes me money and I will collect. Now you can kill her, but if you do, then I expect you compensate me."
The guy looked at John, and then back to Furlow and said, "I don't need to get into any of this, and I know I don't want to if a Peacekeeper is involved." The creature sheathed his blade and stepped away. His movement allowed Furlow a chance to see her savior and her eyes grew wide at the sight of John.
After he walked down the street, Furlow moved close to John. "Well, I never thought I would see you again, Flyboy," she admitted. "Last time I saw you, you were crawling around in the sand about to be a hero. Heard you took care of the Scarrens, but I just figured you wouldn't survive that blast of radiation. Guess I was wrong."
John was about to answer her when another voice came from behind him. "Oh, no, you were right, Furlow." Aeryn stalked over to John and Furlow and pulled her pulse pistol, training it on Furlow.
"Who are you here to betray this time," Aeryn asked as she leveled the pulse pistol at Furlow's face. "Because if I shoot you now, then we can end all the pain now."
"Aeryn," John said calmly putting his hand on her pulse pistol to push it down. "Why don't we see what's going on before we do anything else."
"That's a good idea, Johnny boy," Furlow agreed. "In fact it is a great idea."
"She betrayed us, John," Aeryn said as she lunged toward Furlow. "She killed Jack and betrayed him." John knew what she meant, Aeryn didn't have to say who she had betrayed, the other him. That little nugget of doubt formed inside his gut again. Would he ever believe he had all of Aeryn's love, or would he always be competing with a ghost? It was a question he could ponder for the rest of his life, but for now he had other issues to tackle.
"What are you doing out here," John asked trying to change the direction of the conversation. Aeryn glared at him, wanting to continue her brute administration of Furlow, but John wanted answers so she stepped away. However, she still trained her pulse pistol on Furlow, posed to pull the trigger if she had to.
"I am trying to stay alive, Johnny," Furlow told him. "Those Scarrens are a persistent lot, and they would love to have my wormhole research, especially since they are close to figuring them out."
Her announcement was like cold water being thrown on John. "What are you talking about," John said in shock. "They are researching wormholes?"
"More then researching them," Furlow said. "They have traversed one, and they are close to harnessing one."
"How do you know this," Aeryn chimed in to ask.
"Well," Furlow began as she looked to her left avoiding John's gaze. "I was helping them for a while until I escaped. They were forcing me, but I lit out the first time they turned their back, and I have been on the run ever since. That is why I am in this place, playing at being just a third-rate mechanic."
John looked at Aeryn who wore a worried expression. Me too, he thought. What the hell was going on?
"Who is helping them, where are they getting their information?"
"They had a scan of some notebook with equations," Furlow told them. "I looked at it once, and it had all these notes and it was like a recipe to wormholes."
John didn't need to hear anymore. The Scarrens had a copy of his notebook with all his wormhole research in it, and he could think of only one person who could have supplied it to them. Ariss.
He was about to tell Aeryn when he felt Furlow's body crash into his as she pushed him along the wall. She had snagged Aeryn's arm as well, and though Aeryn was resisting, Furlow managed to direct them down to an alleyway. She raised her finger to her lips in a gesture to be quiet, and then peeked around the corner. She snapped back against the wall, and just as she did, a Scarren strode past him.
John looked at Aeryn with a questioning glance, and she shrugged her shoulders. When the Scarren had past, Furlow came to stand in front of John and Aeryn. "That was close. I thought he saw us."
"Do you think he was after you," John asked Furlow.
"No, he looks to be a member of the elite class," Furlow told John. "But no need to take chances."
Aeryn moved from the wall to step behind Furlow. She looked out onto the street to check the perimeter, when she saw her. It was the last person she thought she would see on this planet, and she couldn't miss the opportunity to welcome her. When the person passed by the alley, Aeryn rushed out and snagged her right arm.
Ariss was just making her way down the busy street when she felt a hand on her arm. The vice like grip bit into her skin and she felt herself being pulled into an alleyway. She tried to scream, but a hand was placed on her mouth, and her muffled cries went on deaf ears.
Aeryn slung Ariss down onto the ground near where John and Furlow stood and pulled her pulse pistol. She stood above her, with the gun trained on Ariss, and kicked Ariss's side with the toe of her boot.
"Nice to see you again, Sister," Aeryn sneered. Hatred hot and pure burned from Aeryn's eyes. John had never seen Aeryn like this before. Even the first day he met her so many cycles ago, he remembered a well-trained vicious killer who would rather blast you then speak to you. But back then it was her duty, something she was trained to do. This was something else. This was a mother protecting her child, wife defending her husband. This was something that made Aeryn even more dangerous, and it scared the hell out of him.
"Well, if it isn't my dear sister, Aeryn," Ariss spat back. "I see you survived, how unfortunate."
Ariss attempted to move to her knees, but Aeryn pushed her back down to the ground. With a defiant look Ariss struggled back up and glared at Aeryn.
John began to sweat. He could see the hatred in Ariss' eyes. A person like that valued ammunition, and in that moment John knew Ariss had it. She knew about the baby. The child he had given to Scorpius. He wasn't sure how she knew, or how she was involved, but she knew.
There was a moment of silence. He heard people on the street passing by, heard life moving forward. But for John it was standing still. He turned to stare at Aeryn, and drank in her lovely profile. She loved him, he could feel it, but would she afterwards. When she found out.
"Girls," John began, trying to deter the direction of the conversation.
Ariss looked up at him when he spoke. She smiled a sick knowing smile. He felt his gut clinch when she spoke.
"I have some bad news, John," Ariss began as she stroked the arm Aeryn had grabbed. "Your deal with Scorpius is null and void. He is still looking for you."
"What is she saying" Aeryn turned to John.
"I am saying you gave Scorpius a bad specimen," Ariss continued. "I tried to help you. I carried the child, but it died at birth."
"What child," Aeryn asked.
"The child John gave Scorpius for your freedom," Ariss said looking at Aeryn. "Didn't he tell you?"
Aeryn's face turned ashen as she lowered her pulse pistol. It was the first time John had seen her lose her composure during a confrontation. Her moment of weakness afforded Ariss a chance to strike. She jumped to her feet and went for Aeryn's pulse pistol. Her movements broke the trance Aeryn was under and she began to scuffle with Ariss.
John jumped in and tried to wrestle the gun away from them both. He tugged once and then again, and one last pull brought the pulse pistol in his hands. Aeryn fell back to his left and Ariss went to his right. John reacted on instinct when he saw Ariss reach for her pulse pistol, he pointed Winona at Ariss and shot her.
Ariss' wound was only superficial, but the loss of blood had caused her to pass out. When John suggested they take Ariss back to the transport pod and to Moya, Aeryn only shook her head in agreement. She didn't look at him, just acknowledged his suggestion.
After the commotion, John scanned the alley for Furlow, but she had high- tailed it out of there a long time ago. The woman sure knew when to leave when trouble started. Maybe he should learn how to do that?
Back on Moya, Noranti again administered to Ariss, this time bandaging the wound on her shoulder. John secured the straps around her Ariss and left the medical area. He went in search of Aeryn, though he wasn't looking forward to it.
He found Aeryn in their quarters. She was standing over their son's cradle, stroking Trevon's dark hair as he slept. John walked slowly to them, and stopped beside Aeryn. She turned her head to him, and then looked back down to Trevon.
John didn't know what to say, how to start this conversation. How do you apologize to your wife for stealing her child, and selling it off to your enemy? It was horrid of him, but he felt a weight lift from him when Ariss said the child had died.
"Aeryn, I ." John began and stopped. He placed his hand on her forearm and she shrugged it off. Tears were forming in her eyes as she continued to stroke Trevon's baby soft hair. Trevon sighed contently at her administration and lifted his right thumb and placed it in his mouth. He was at peace, not a care in the world, as his parent's world was crashing down around them.
"Aeryn, I didn't have a choice," John began again. "That frelling Scorpius had my ass against the wall. He had you, he had our son and my wormhole knowledge wasn't enough anymore."
Aeryn moved away from Trevon and walked to their bed. She sat down and placed her head in her hands. John sat down next to her and dangled his hands between his legs.
"Scorpy told me he had extracted an egg from you, and if I provided a sample of my seed, then he could create a receptacle for that damn wormhole knowledge. A sample he had already taken from Trevon. All I had to do was provide this and we were free."
Aeryn lifted her head and looked at John. "But it wasn't just a receptacle you provided him, John. It was our child."
"Aeryn, please," John cried as he got off the bed and onto his knees in front of her. "I didn't know what else to do. It has eaten me up inside ever since I did it."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know how," John answered. John couldn't control his emotions any longer, he laid his head on the bed beside Aeryn's thigh and cried. His body shook as the tears flowed and he was soothed when he felt Aeryn's hand on his head.
She stroked the small hairs at the nape of his neck, and ran her fingers down his neck. John looked up at Aeryn, who had fat tears streaming down her cheek. She took his hand and pulled him back on the bed. There wasn't any words between them, John leaned his head on Aeryn's shoulder she continued to stroke his head.
As Aeryn stroked his head, she kept replaying everything that had happened in the last few cycles. This had to stop, she thought to herself. At some point all of this had to end. Maybe, just maybe she could put an end to it. She had to stop the pain, stop everyone from chasing, using and abusing the man she loved. There wouldn't be peace for any of them if she didn't.
"John," Aeryn said as she rubbed her fingers over his cheek. "I am going to end this. I am going to the command carrier. I am going to impersonate Ariss and I am going to end it all."
