Aeryn glared at Velorek aiming her pulse pistol at his head. "No... I don't believe you," she said shaking her head angrily. "There's nothing in it for you..."
"Aeryn... you are still so naïve. You are still in the box the Peacekeepers put you in," Velorek teased as he walked slowly towards her. He realised now she would do anything for the human but what he had in mind would certainly destroy the relationship once and for all, besides death had that effect on relationships. And he would sit back and enjoy watching
"I am not naïve..." she replied bitterly still aiming the pulse pistol at him. She tried hard not to move but with Velorek approaching she took a step back. "Stay away from me. I will kill you," she threatened, moving her finger over the trigger.
Velorek smiled, "Ah..." he sighed, "...empty threats Officer Sun. Empty threats. You and I both know you won't kill me... you love your mate far too much to do that. In fact, I would even make a bet with you... I bet that you are willing to do anything to ensure your mate survives. I am correct aren't I?"
She tried to blink back tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks, "I still don't believe you..." she answered hoarsely. "There has to be a cure..."
"Go and see for yourself. Right now he will be breaking out into a fever... an unbreakable fever. As for the cure... If you co-operate with all my needs then I will give it to you."
"No... Peacekeeper lies." she replied in a whisper that was barely audible. "No..." She turned and ran down the corridors and into her quarters that she shared with her lover and saw immediately that Velorek was indeed telling the truth. John lay on their bed in his underwear, sweating and shivering at the same time. He was hot to the touch and shivered at Aeryn's soft touch. "John... what has he done to you?" she cried softly. "He was right..."
He looked up at Aeryn and smiled weakly. "Hey baby...did ya kill the bad guy?"
Aeryn shook her head sadly and sat on the bed beside him and stroked his forehead and cheeks tenderly. "No... I couldn't. You've been poisoned... and only he knows the cure. If we don't cooperate with him then..." she paused and bit her lip to try and stop herself from crying.
John reached up with all the strength he had left and stroked her cheek, brushing away a few tears that had escaped her eyes, "What...? Tell me. Please Aeryn... you know you can tell me anything."
She took his hand and nuzzled it and then clenching it tightly in hers, she sighed deeply. "...then... in four solar days, you will die..." Her mind flashed back to Talyn and John in so much pain dying in her arms. It was a place she didn't want to go back to again. The flash backs and the insurmountable grief almost forced her to secretly take her own life, just to be free of the pain she felt. If it to her happened again, then she'd almost certainly go on a kamikaze mission in her prowler after killing Velorek in a way that would make him suffer in pain."Give him what he wants..." he whispered weakly. "It doesn't matter what..."
Aeryn swallowed, "Are you sure?" she asked, noticing that his brilliant blue eyes had lost their shine, and the cheeky stare that seemed to be permanently fixed on them since she'd said yes to marriage.
He looked up at her and brought her hand to his lips kissing it gently. "Aeryn... we're engaged and I want to marry you... I wanna make love to you every night... you're pregnant with our first child... I want to... I have to live to see him..."
"Her" she corrected in a teasing way.
John smiled, "...her born and hopefully one day we can have more. Honey... I'm thirty four years old... I'm still young but I want to grow old with you... you have to do what he wants. What's the worst he could want?" he asked both her and D'argo who had been listening to the conversation at the corner of their quarters.
"Aeryn... I hate to agree with Crichton, but he is right. If we don't cooperate who knows what he may do."
All of her insides tightened as anger bubbled away inside her, "I knew... I just knew it would happen. We should never have let him aboard.... but we did... we did because we thought he may cooperate with an ex-lover who betrayed him to Captain Crais who High Command had him banished. And it turns out this psycho has spent every waking moment of the day thinking about how to get me back and now... now he hurts my mate... the one single thing I care about most in the universe and I have to cooperate with him? We should have spaced him when we had the chance!"
D'argo moved next to Aeryn, "It is not your fault. If I remember you wanted to starburst, but I insisted he may be able to help us. But we must do what he asks, for all our sakes. Aeryn, you are the only one he will talk to so it will have to be you that has to inform him we agree to his terms... I will inform Chiana and Rygel that our guest has turned nasty. It is just a grave misfortune that Noranti and Stark aren't here to come up with an elixir to ease Crichton's suffering."
Velorek smiled slyly at Aeryn who gazed into his cell with a mixture of anger and sadness. "Well?" he asked.
"Everyone agrees.... We will see to your requests and in exchange I want you to give me the antidote to the poison." She couldn't even look at him. All these cycles thinking he was dead. But now all the feelings that had still existed the past cycles had turned into hatred and disgust. The one thing she couldn't understand was if he really loved her, why was he doing this?
"Ah good... well firstly... instead of this small cell, I'd like some proper quarters that I can come and go from as I please and secondly I would like something to eat and drink other than food cubes and water. Some Sebacean mint stew and some raslak may be nice."
"Is that all?" she asked coldly.
"For the time being." Velorek replied, obviously enjoying the power he had over her. 'If only Aeryn would leave her mate and go away with him then this wouldn't have had to happen,' he thought to himself. In a way he hated what he was doing to her, but she had insulted him by becoming the mate of a lesser specie and had to pay. He would get her one way or another... it was only a matter of time.
Aeryn said nothing, but lead him down three tiers to some relatively large quarters, "Will this do?"
Velorek entered inspecting it, "Nice size, good storage, privacy curtain and... a good bed," he said eyeing Aeryn. An idea shot into his mind that was only to perfect. She would do anything for John, but he'd have to wait until she was desperate to save him. "So... what about some food? Shall I follow you to the centre chamber?"
"If you wish..." she muttered. She used to love the way Velorek stared at her. It made her tingle inside, but now it sent shivers down her spine. The loving look was still there but it was cold and envious. She never realised Velorek could be jealous... Crais perhaps, but not Velorek. She half wondered why she'd bothered rejecting Crais all those cycles back. If she'd slept with him instead of spurning him for Velorek, then Crichton would be fit and healthy right now. 'You can't change the past' she told herself. Aeryn kept one hand on her pulse pistol, and her eyes fixed on Velorek's shadow. If anything else happened to John she'd kill him and find an antidote herself.
The centre chamber was empty, and Velorek sat down, "I request that you eat with me..."
"I'm not hungry." She replied grimly. Just the thought of eating made her feel nauseous. The thought of eating with him made the nausea worse.
"Very well... it's your mate's life you're jeopardising."
"Fine." She placed the stew in front of Velorek and poured him a cup of raslak, and sat at the other end of the table from him. He repulsed her and doing what he wanted made her feel sick. She poured herself a cup of raslak and swallowed it down quickly before pouring herself another one and finishing it off just as fast. "I have to go..." she said, without looking at him.
"Oh yes?" Velorek asked, raising an eyebrow. "But you've hardly touched your food."
"I realise that, but I have to attend my dying fiancé." She said, grabbing a damp towel on the way out trying to ignore all her instincts that said 'Shoot him.'
"I don't know how much more I can take." She said sadly. She could already see he was deteriorating rapidly, and she did her best to keep him cool with the wet towel, but it didn't seem to have much of an effect. "You know... I've given him better quarters, freedom to roam the ship, better food and he still hasn't given me the antidote... what does it take?" She kissed his lips softly and held him in her arms the best she could so that he was comfortable. "I always thought we'd never be together... but we are, and we will be forever... you promised me. And I promise you I will do what I can to save your life..." She could feel John clutch on to her arm with the little strength he had.
"Baby... I love you," he managed to choke out, before falling unconscious.
"I love you too..." she whispered quietly into his ear. "I just wish there was something I can do..." She hadn't noticed Velorek standing at the door watching her.
"It seems the poison is working faster than planed. Perhaps he only has thirty six arns at the most left." He smiled. He enjoyed watching John die. If he died, Aeryn would be his within time. The famed John Crichton... scourge of the Uncharted Territories, the Peacekeepers and Scarrens was now just a weak pathetic piece of flesh. "You wish there was something you could do, do you Officer Sun?"
Tears that had been welling up inside for so long fell. "Anything..." she said weakly. "I'll do anything, just give me the antidote and save his life." She pleaded, still holding her dying lover in her arms.
"I am afraid it doesn't work like that... you give me something and in return I will cure your... mate," he said in a tone of aversion. He couldn't wait to see the reaction on Aeryn's face when he asked what he was about to ask. He knew if she agreed... no when she agreed, it would cause the break up of her relationship and Crichton would never forgive her. She'd agree. She'd have to if she wanted the antidote.
"Alright... whatever you want. You can have it." She would keep her promise to Crichton and do whatever Velorek wished of her. He approached and brushed her cheek causing her to knock it away violently, "Don't touch me." She hissed. "Just tell me what you want and I'll get it for you."
"What I want?" he questioned thoughtfully, already knowing the answer. The answer he'd planned for. "I will tell you what I want Officer Sun." he said circling the bed which she and unconscious John lye on. "I will tell you what I want... What I've wanted all these cycles, what I've loved and wanted since I got here, what I wanted but couldn't have..." he could see Aeryn's look of pure disgust as if she already knew the answer but didn't dare say it. "I want you. And if you want the human to live, then you will give yourself to me."
Aeryn shook her head with horror, "No... You're insane. I'd never ever give myself to you. I'd rather suffer from heat delirium..." Tears filled her eyes, "How can you even ask me for this? If you love me like you say you do, then you would never even suggest it. Do you really think I'll give myself to you?" she questioned.
"I think you love John Crichton... I think you will do anything to save him..."
"You frelling bastard... That's why you stabbed him wasn't it? You stabbed him with the poison coated blade so I would sleep with you for the antidote?"
Velorek smiled, "Perhaps you are not as naïve as I first thought. You have twenty four arns to decide, after that your mate will be incurable and I will set about killing your friends too. Believe me Aeryn, I am sorry. But unfortunately this is the only way. I am sure I will see you later." He gave a brief conceited smile, before walking out of their quarters.
To Be Continued...