Authors Notes: Thanks to MoonSword1994 for her help in this chapter. If you havent already check out her works, do so, she's amazing.
Harry tapped away at the console, trying to finish some reports before retiring for the night. He'd planned to check in on Scott before he was to bed. Scott had been released from hospital the week before, staying in some quarters near by.
He yawned, getting ready to leave when he heard the sound of sobbing drifting in from the cryo bay. He stood at the entrance looking to see who was in there, spotting a figure close to the back of the vast space. As he neared the end, the view of Ryder became clearer through his sleeping haze. "Sara?" His heart broke painfully as she looked up at him, tears staining her cheeks.
"What do you want?" She croaked out, turning away from him.
"Are you ok?" He reached out to her but she angrily pulled away.
"Ok?" She spat, letting out a bitter laugh. "No, I am not ok. I've had e-fucking-nough of this bullshit. I came to this shit hole for a new start. All I've had is Dad is dead and Scott ended up in a coma. Now I'm the pathfinder, with everyone looking at me to make this adventure worthwhile. Cora hates me because I'm pathfinder, the crew doesn't respect me." She huffed out a breath, drying her eyes. "You fucked me, then left me in the dirt so I go and sleep with some smuggler as some fucked up revenge. Now I find out my mother is not actually dead and dad lied to us, so I mourned for nothing." She starting pacing angrily back and forth. "I am fucking sick of it. Of Tann, Addison, the angarans, the kett….fucking everyone. I wish I didn't come here, I wish I died on Habitat 7. I wish I never met you or let you near me. I want to go back, I don't care if I die on the way or what I get back to, I am just done." Her breaths became hurried as she if she was on the verge of a panic attack. " I hate you, Harry. You stand there, pretending you care, but you don't."
"Sara." He said softly. "I do care."
"Oh really? That night, we shared something amazing, but by morning, that was it. Are those the actions of someone who cares?"
"Sara, I do care, but your father…"
She angrily shoved at him, nearly causing him to trip over a empty cryo pod. "Don't you fucking make that excuse. My father is dead!" She braced herself against the wall as her breathing became laboured. "I loved you, Harry and you abandoned me, when I needed you the most. I still need you. Why cant you love me?"
He grabbed her, pulling into his arms, holding her close. "I do love you, Sara. But I cant make you happy."
"That is for me to decide." She let herself go in his arms as he held her through her panic attack. "I'm an adult. Don't make my choices for me."
"Sara, that choice was made long before now." He muttered and he felt her tense beneath his grip but she said nothing nor did she push him away, instead she allowed him to hold her. He knew after this bubble was popped, he would not be allowed to touch her ever again and despite what logic was telling him, he was going to savour this for as long as he could.
She pulled away after a few moments, letting her mask fall back into place. "I think its best to avoid each other from now on."
She slipped away from him, leaving the cryo bay, tears welling in her eyes. He wanted to rush after her, but it would be a purely selfish act. He knew her dreams of getting married and having children, he just couldn't give her that.
As Ryder sat on her knees, crouched over the toilet bowl, she began to regret the day she willingly agreed to try Suvi's snacks. She only managed to choke one down and that was enough to leave her heaving her guts up all night. More so, she hated Peebee for encouraging the scientist to cook them.
Cora stepped into the bathroom, the stench of vomit lingering heavy in the air. "Sara. Are you alright?"
"I'll kill Suvi." She groaned before she vomited again.
"We did you warn you." Cora tried so hard to be sympathetic but it was just too funny. They had all predicated the snacks would make her ill and they were proved right. "Shall I get, Lexi?"
"No." She whimpered, slumping to the floor. "Just leave me here."
Cora walked out of the bathroom chuckling, passing Jaal on the way. "Jaal, can you put Ryder to bed. I think she's stopped now."
"I hope so. I do not want be covered in a human's insides."
Cora patted him on the back. "Jaal, a friendship isn't a friendship when you haven't been covered in their vomit, at least once."
Jaal walked away muttering under his breath about "Strange humans" Although he did concede the point. After all, if your friends are still your friends after seeing the ugly parts of you, then they are probably worth keeping.
The lights in the cabin were dimmed and the temperature as cold as Ryder could get it. She had finally managed to stop vomiting and just went dizzy, meaning she couldn't move from the bed without wanting to fall down again.
"Pathfinder?" SAM called out.
"What is it, SAM?" She groaned from underneath the wet cloth on her face.
"I believe I may have alternative cause for your symptoms."
"Oh, well do enlighten me, oh AI overload."
"You are pregnant, future human slave."
"What!" She sat up, immediately flopping back down. "Oh, SAM making the room stop spinning."
"I am unable, Pathfinder."
"You are useless and did you just get in a joke at my expense?"
"It seemed too good of an opportunity to miss."
"I hate you sometimes." She pulled the wet cloth back over her face, turning to the side.
"Pathfinder, you do not seem shocked by the news of your condition."
"I'm not really. I guess I kind of knew. Please don't tell anyone and I mean any one SAM."
"As you wish, Pathfinder. The foetus appears to be approximately 10 weeks gestation."
"Is it alright?"
"I believe so. I assume that this is the result of your dalliance with Dr Carlyle?"
Sara groaned at the mention of his name. "Let's not talk about him, please."
"Then perhaps we should discuss your brother and how you plan on telling him?"
"SAM, go away. Harassing pregnant Pathfinders is not allowed."
"I have sent some information about pregnancy to your private terminal. You should take the necessary precautions."
"How big is it?"
"At current gestation, it is approximately the size of a strawberry."
She smiled sadly, stroking her still flat stomach. "Strawberry was mom's favourite ice cream flavour."
"She would be proud of you."
"I know. Wake me in a few hours." She kept her hand on her stomach, as if she was trying to protect the baby within.
Sara sat at the desk on her quarters on the nexus, going over some emails. Scott lay in bed on the other side of the room, having not woken from the events with the Archon. The baby had survived those events and as told to her by Lexi, the size of a lime and as twitchy as its mother.
"You should be asleep," said Lexi sternly as she entered for her late night check ups. "You're not doing yourself or the little lime any good by staying up so late."
Sara glanced at Scott before going back to her emails. "I know, I just don't want him to be alone tonight."
Lexi nodded as she looked at Scott's readouts. "I understand, but you still need to sleep."
"Have you seen, Harry?" She asked as she got on the bed beside her brother.
"I have. He's angry."
"So I guess he knows then?"
"Yes. Did you know before you faced the Archon?"
She looked at the doctor before her head slumped down. "Yeah, I knew."
"For goddess sake, Sara." Lexi tutted. "Anything could have happened to the baby. Your SAM linked was severed. We have no idea how SAM affects the baby."
"You said yourself, baby is fine." She got up from the bed, moving to the desk. "I didn't want people to know because I didn't want ruin their hope."
"Sara…" Lexi started before she interrupted her.
"Lexi, people were counting on me to defeat the Archon. Everyone who came here and angara had hope to live a happy life. It was my job to do it, what would people think if I couldn't secure a future for my own child."
"You could have put the baby in danger."
"I know. But that fear of losing my baby is why I won. My baby deserves a place to call home, roots to put down. She or he is going to have that and I'd move this entire galaxy to make sure they get it. Also, Scott was in danger, he's my brother, my child's uncle and all we have left."
Lexi smiled at her, now understanding why she kept it quiet. "Still stupid, but I understand why you did it."
"Thank you, Lexi. I'll stay with Scott tonight."
Scott groaned slightly as his eyes opened in the darkness, the computer terminal the only source of light in the room.
"Do you want me to turn the lights on, Scott?" Asked SAM.
"Yeah. My head hurts." Scott squinted as he eyes adjusted to the light in the room. He moved slightly, seeing his twin laying next to him. "She looks tired."
"She has spent half of her time worrying about you."
"What about the other half?" He pulled a blanket over her gently, stroking her hair from her face.
"Worrying about your reaction."
"What? What reaction?"
"I'm not at liberty to say."
"SAM, what is going on?" He took a long drink of the water that Sara had placed on the bedside cabinet. "You cant say that and not tell me."
"Your sister is expecting a child."
Scott looked down at Sara, realising that she was pregnant when she faced the Archon. "Did she know when she risked her life for me?"
"Yes, she did. Lexi assured that the child was doing fine."
Sara gasped suddenly, sitting bolt up right as she panting, rubbing at her eyes. "Scott?"
"Hey sis. Bad dream?"
"Yeah, been happening a lot lately."
"I heard once that its common for pregnant women."
Sara was stunned but then recovered enough to give the ceiling a very harsh glare. "Thanks for your discretion, SAM!"
"He needed to know." Said SAM placidly. "And isn't honesty between family members something your mother encouraged when you were young?"
"Dad called it 'selective honesty'." Grumbled Sara as her gaze returned to her brother, whom seemed to be holding back his opinion on the situation in favour of letting her explain herself. "It wasn't what you think."
Scott nodded. "So it wasn't planted there by an alien queen, good to know. Now that that's out of the way, tell me who the father is."
"No," Said Sara flatly.
"Yes." Insisted Scott sternly. "I need to know who this guy is, Sara. He has to at least own up to the fact he did this."
Sara hated her brother's sense of duty and justice, it gave him a very strict moral compass that she herself lacked at times. While she often admired that about him, right now it just made her want to strangle him.
"The paternal genetic donor is Dr Carlyle." Interjected SAM.
"Fuck, SAM!" She shouted, jumping up from the bed. "Don't be mad…"
"Sara, I know you slept together." He pointed to the bed, ordering her sit back to down. "Does he know?"
"According to Lexi, he does. I avoid him." She flopped on to the bed,making Scott bounce a little. Tears starting falling down her cheeks. "I told him that I loved him and he still rejected me." She croaked, pushing the tears away with her hand.
"He's a fool.
"I'm scared."
He pulled her to him, resting her head on his chest. "Don't be. You got me."
"Thanks, Scottie."
Sara felt relieved to actually by allowed out of the apartment. Two Ryder's cooped up together was a recipe for disaster and something liable to blow up the Hyperion. She saw the crew milling about, chatting to everyone else. She saw Reyes standing next to the door of the now defunct bridge. They hadn't talked much since their one night stand, but she knew she had to tell him about the baby, in case he thought it was his. "Reyes. Didn't think you'd be here."
"I came to bathe in so hero glory." He winked at her. "You are glowing."
She shifted uncomfortably foot to foot, looking down at the floor. "Reyes….You're gonna hear some things and I wanted to tell you myself. I'm pregnant…."
"Pregnant!" He said a little too loudly, causing others to turn towards them.
"Reyes, quiet." She hissed. "I came do tell you, it isn't yours. So don't freak out."
He huffed out a breath, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "You had me worried."
Sara scoffed before walking away, cursing the idiot who couldn't keep his mouth shut. She stopped dead when Gil got in front of her, eyebrows raised, foot tapping expectantly. "Hi Gil."
"Did I hear that right?"
She tried to act coy. "What do you think you heard?"
"Pregnant. Is there something the crew should know." He gave her a stern glare
"Alright, fine. I am."
He nudged her, giving her a wink. "Is that the King's."
"No!"
"Harry's?"
Sara sighed, whining a little. "Why do you want to know Gil? I'm knocked up and I'll be a single parent."
"Well. Little Meri or Dian will have a play mate at least."
Sara saw Harry over Gil's shoulder coming down the stairs towards them. "Dammit. I gotta go." She turned about heel, racing as fast as she could away from Harry. She was so not in the mood to deal with him yet.
Scott sat on the habitation desk, watching as people moved about their business. He was eager to get out and explore Meridian, especially with Sara. He worried about his sister, how she would manage being Pathfinder and mother. But Sara would adapt and cope like she always did. He looked up to see Harry walking by, shoulders slumped, anger in his eyes. He stood up, walking towards the Dr. Sara would throttle him but he had to do it. "Harry?" He called out, harsher than actually intended.
"Scott. How are you feeling?" He asked politely.
"Cut the shit, doc. I know about the baby and I know my sister opened her heart to you. What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Don't start with me, Scott. She knew she was pregnant and still went into that battle." He said through gritted teeth.
"This isn't about Sara's choices and Lexi has already given her a hard time over that. My sister tells you, that she loved you and yet, you still shit all over her feelings. I mean…what the fuck. I know you feel the same so why do you insist on being this cruel to her."
Harry angrily jabbed at finger at Scott's chest. "You have no idea, Scott. I do not have to justify myself to you or anyone else."
Scott squared up to him, chest to chest. "Work it out and quick. You'll share a baby with my sister in a few months. If you want to be a father, then you need to make some amends." Scott stormed off, shaking his head at the man's cowardice.