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Interesting times

Summary:

After Crichton tosses the coin and Aeryn leaves, Moya manages to find her way back. The journey for Aeryn and Crichton though is a little harder to navigate

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TITLE: "INTERESTING TIMES"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

SERIES/SEQUEL: No. Standalone story.

WEBSITE: http://www.carlajane.50megs.com/Ali00.html

**SPOILERS** Follows on from the Season 3 cliffhanger.

SUMMARY: "After Crichton tosses the coin and Aeryn leaves, Moya manages to find her way back. The journey for Aeryn and Crichton though is a little harder to navigate."

The usual disclaimers apply. No infringement of copyright is intended.

 

"INTERESTING TIMES"
A "Farscape" story
Written by Alison M. DOBELL

 

It had taken him monens to find her after Moya managed to slide back through the wormhole that had so unexpectedly swallowed her up. How the hezmana that had happened he had no idea. It should not have been possible but you could not argue with reality. The news that Aeryn had been pregnant had hit him like a ton of bricks. He had closed his eyes, tears falling in his heart while he broke into tiny little pieces. Each piece a seperate time bomb of emotion capable of shattering what was left of his heart. Pain was a gift that just kept right on giving. The planet she had landed on was insufficient for her needs and they both knew it. It had been a reflex action. Somewhere to run. Anywhere that meant she could be where he was not. That left a sickening hollow feeling inside of him as he realised why the planet did not matter.

It did not matter that it was not his. In a way it was. Same DNA, different twin. It was painful but not as much as it would be if Aeryn went through with this.

Aeryn Sun knew it was him before she even turned around. Some things went way beyond instinct and where Crichton was concerned she had the kind of radar that made stealth techonology look as sutble as a hand grenade going off in a crowded room. She could be blind, deaf, dumb and encased in maddium steel and she would still know the *microt* he stepped into the room. For a quarter of an arn they had just stared at each other. Only metras apart but it might just as well have been solar systems.

"You've got your world and I've got mine
And it's a shame;
Two grown up worlds
That will never be the same..."
- 'Storybook Children' sung by Nancy & Lee

She saw the hollows in his cheeks, the shadows under his eyes, the way his clothes hung off him where he had lost too much weight. So like her John yet unlike him. This twin was more careworn, in worse shape than John had been before he died. Aeryn knew why. Tried not to think about how he must have been falling apart while she was on Talyn with his twin. Doing all the things together that he had dreamed of but could never have. Part of her was sorry. So desperately sorry. But she could not stand to be near him. To see him. His emotions too raw for her to witness. Too much like an open festering wound for comfort. He gave her no peace, haunting her with her lover's face. Yet he would not go and she had no strength left for running.

"C'mon Aeryn," He said softly. "Pilot's worried about you. We all are."

He was trying not to make it too personal. Give her breathing room while gently cutting off any means of escape. She could go but only if she went with him. Aeryn bit back tears. She was so tired of this. "It won't work, Crichton."

"It doesn't have to work, Aeryn, not all at once."

Her look sharpened. What the hezmana did that mean?

"Just come back to Moya. Let Jool look after you. I....I promise to stay out of your way."

She looked at him then. *Really* looked at him. Saw how much the concession had cost him even though he had been walking around on tiptoe ever since she had arrived back on Moya after the John on Talyn had died. And he had been so pleased to see her. His heart laid out bare for her. All the love in the Universe waiting for her. It had cut her heart to pieces seeing him there. This copy. A reminder of all she had lost. It was too cruel. Yet some of her most cherished memories had been with him. *This* Crichton. Before he had been twinned and she had loved the other. She remembered the false earth. Raindrops on her tongue. The almost unreal night of passion that had flowed so naturally between them. Despite the trauma it had cost them - well, *him* - she had treasured their time together. The almost childlike simplicity of just accepting each other if only for one night. A few arns. Who had known it would have to last a lifetime?

"Why can't we be
Like storybook children?
Running through the rain
Hand in hand across the meadow?"

That reunion had been stilted, daggers of agony that shot through his heart and tore his soul into shreds. The way she looked at him. Eyes dark, lost in her own memories, dancing in a maelstrom of trauma that he only aided and abetted by being there. He knew it but could not help himself. "Aeryn?"

She flinched at her name on his lips. He wanted to cry. That just the sound of his voice could hurt her so much. Without speaking she went with him. Not close enough to touch but it was enough. Her prowler had hardly any fuel left in it so they went up in the transport. He promised to come back for the prowler. She did not respond. He longed to hold her, comfort her. But for now Aeryn Sun was off-limits and they both knew it. No use making plans. His twin had warned him *she takes time*. His twin had not said it would be eternity. All he could do was be there if she needed him. If she ever changed her mind. He would take it a microt at a time, then an arn, then a solar day. Whatever it took he would give. Right down to the last breath in his frelling body.

"Why can't we be
Like storybook children?
In a wonderland
Where nothing's planned for tommorow..."

Jool fussed, did umpteen tests, all of which Aeryn endured in silence. The Interon was worried. Pilot and Moya conversed non verbally about the state of Aeryn Sun. Wondering what they could do. They were also worried about Crichton, watching the human diminish a little more with each passing solar day. His spirit seeming to be squashed out of him. He kept his word. Kept his distance. Cried in solitude. Jool worried about him, worried about Aeryn. Was anxious for the baby. If Aeryn did not snap out of this what kind of life would the child have? She wished the other members of the crew were here. It would at least break some of the tension. The unbearable weight of sadness like a physical blow. Aeryn was quite big now. Jool had no idea how long the gestation would be for a Sebacean-human hybrid and watching Aeryn's interpersonal skills had done nothing to reassure her that Aeryn would have the slightest idea what to do or how to care for an infant. What a frelling mess it was.

The breaking point came when Aeryn went into labour. Frantically Jool was trying to keep the Sebacean calm. Typically Aeryn was firing on all cylinders and the Interon had the bruises to prove it. Her temper finally snapped and she yelled into the com. "Pilot, I don't care where the hezmana John is hiding but tell him to get his eema here this microt! If Aeryn hits me one more time I won't be responsible for my actions!"

To her surprise, Crichton materialised almost before she finished speaking. He must have been hovering nearby just in case there was such an emergency. Seeing the look on his face she was glad he was there. Aeryn though was not. She bared her teeth at him. Too many strong emotions competing to rip the skin off his face. Jool gave Aeryn a mild sedative, anxious not to do anything that would harm the baby. Crichton sat next to her and spoke softly to her, lovingly. Careful not to touch her without permission. Anger flashed like thunder and lightening in her eyes but no one could stay angry forever and she had never known another being as annoyingly patient as the human. In the end simple exhaustion calmed her. Seeing her sag, Crichton stroked the damp hair out of her eyes, his voice low and soft. Somehow he seemed to blossom in her presence. A spark of the old happy Crichton shone down on her bathing her in his beautitul ambient light and touching her eyes with unshed tears. He brushed them away gently, his heart breaking for love of her. Was there nothing she could do that would make him love her less? Looking into his eyes she had her answer.

"I wish you could'a met my dad, Aeryn. You would like him and he would have loved you..." He broke off and tried to hide the hurt in his eyes but she caught it and realising he was hurting every bit as much as she was something intractable inside her shifted. Just a little. Whether he sensed it or not she could not tell.

"Don't be frightened Aeryn, you're gonna have a beautiful healthy baby and if the baby is anything like mom you'll be the envy of every species in the Uncharted Territories and beyond!"

"You are talking nonsense, Crichton!" She snorted derisively, but her words held no edge.

He stroked her cheek gently, hardly daring to look into her eyes. Holding back the hopes, the fears, and the longing that he could not keep from his expressive face. She found his voice soothing, his touch comforting. His presence an anchor that kept her sane. Then the contractions started and it took him and Jool all their time and effort to keep Aeryn calm enough to deliver the baby. The baby. That was a joke! To Crichton's unutterable joy, Jool's astonishment and Aeryn's horror when the time came Aeryn produced not one child but two. Crichton laughed as if the Universe were playing a joke on them and he was the only one to catch the punchline. Twins. She had to have frelling twins! One boy, one girl. If that was not perfect irony he did not know what was.

Tired, soaked in perspiration, and totally stunned she looked from one baby to the other. Crichton's beaming face sidetracked her at last. The human was impossible. He was *overjoyed*. How the yotz could he be happy when the twins were not his? Oh frell. She had thought one child would be hard enough but fate had to punish her with two. It wasn't fair.

"Oh sunshine, the twins are *perfect* just perfect like their mom."

His wall to wall smiles were beginning to crack the armour plating that she used to shut him out. Carefully he placed the baby girl in Aeryn's arms then cradled the boy in his. Aeryn looked into the tiny screwed up infant's face, a strange tenderness moving her more than she would have believed possible. She was beautiful! Hers. The little girl opened her eyes and fastened them on Aeryn. Both were totally fasincated with the other. Crichton chuckled. The baby in his arms had opened his eyes once to look at him then yawned, closed them and settled down to sleep. Smart boy. The girl typically was the nosey one. Not that he would dream of telling Aeryn that. Well. At least not yet. He was so wrapped up in the joy of childbirth that it was only when it came time to take the baby from Aeryn so she could rest that he noticed her hand. To be precise, the wedding finger of her left hand. He swallowed hard and tried to bat down tears. Aeryn was sleepy now but something made her look at him. Her eyes widened slightly and realised he had spotted the ring. John had given it to her but she had not worn it until she went into labour. Why she decided that was the right time she did not know. Looking at the pain on Crichton's face she realised she had once again hurt him. She started to pull the ring off but he laid a hand gently over hers, his eyes rising to meet hers.

"No, Aeryn. It belongs there. He gave it to you, meant you to have it. Let it be."

She opened her mouth to argue. He touched a finger to her lips. Electricity leapt from his finger to her heart. She hardly breathed. If he noticed he was too polite to say. There was something else in his eyes that she could not quite fathom. Something that vied with a sadness so deep it
was hard to remember his unfettered joy of microts ago when he had held one of the twins in his hands. As if the children really were his and he had claimed them with a touch. Ridiculous but this was Crichton. Anything was possible.

He tried not to think about the ring. The ring he had bought for Alex. He had forgotten all about it but his twin hadn't. Seeing it on her finger stirred all kinds of emotions in him. Another nail in his coffin. Another reminder that none of this was his.

"You've got his ring,
You've got his heart,
You've got his baby;
And it's too late to turn away
And start again..."

Aeryn clutched his hand when he went to get up. He froze. Jool took the children and placed them in a makeshift cot. Aeryn raised a hand to Crichton's face. "I know nothing about children."

He smiled softly. "You'll learn Aeryn. You'll be great."

His certainty amused her. "Crichton, when Peace Keepers give birth the babies are taken from them, raised by others. I would not cope with one child let alone two."

His smile actually grew. He kissed the hand that framed his face, his eyes on hers. "Then it's lucky I'm here, baby."

The word made her breath catch slightly. She was surprised to find it bore no pain.

He looked concerned. "You okay, Aeryn?"

She looked at him in silence. Trailed her hand slowly down his face, as if her fingers could read things in him that her eyes could not. He let her take her time. Tell him whatever she needed to. Or be silent if that was her wish. He loved her. Always would. In time she would understand that nothing could change that. Her fingers slowly traced his lips and lingered there. "You *are* him."

He said nothing. Instinct telling him it was important that if he was going to be able to be a part of her life again, she would have to come back to him herself. *She takes time*.

"I've been a fool haven't I?"

He could hardly breathe. "No, Aeryn. Never that."

"I have. I see it now but it's so hard. You're here and yet you're not here. You died. *He* died."

He watched the little frown lines form and resisted the urge to gently brush them away with his fingers. This was her call not his. His silence made it easier for her. She wondered if he would taste the same. Would his touch be identical? Would she react to him in the same way? How perverted was that? Did it matter if the DNA said they were the same man? Her heart was the judge and it was having problems coping at the best of times. This was *not* the best of times.

"Why can't we be
Like storybook children?
Running through the rain hand in hand
Across the meadow.
Why can't we be
Like storybook children?
In a wonderland
Where nothing's planned for tommorow..."

Aeryn felt so tired. Her eyelids were drooping. Her hand fell slowly and sighed against the coverlet. He watched her and leaned over to plant a light kiss on her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open again and for a microt they locked with his. "John?"

John not Crichton. He hardly dared to breathe but she was waiting for a response. He owed her that. "Yeah, Aeryn?"

"I want you know why I acted the way I did."

"Sssh, you don't need to worry about that Aeryn. Just go to sleep, we'll talk in the morning."

"No, I need to tell you. It was fear."

"I know, Aeryn." He soothed.

She heard the love in his voice. The gentleness of this human had wormed its' way so deep into her heart that taking a breath without him brought only pain. "Don't leave, John."

A second time. So. She had not called him John by accident. She was telling him it was deliberate. What did that mean? "I would never leave you, Aeryn."

"Not even to return to Earth?"

He smiled. "Earth would be nothing without you, Aeryn."

At her puzzled expression he chuckled lightly.

"We have a saying on my homeworld. *Home is where the heart is*. And Aeryn, you know where *mine* is."

Her breath caught. Suddenly all the pieces of her life clicked into place. Made whole by the love of this man. This wonderful, beautiful creature from another world. This gift. "John Crichton?"

That amused him. She loved the way he angled his head slightly, his eyes twinkling at they shone down on her like stars. He had once told her that she was the brightest star in his sky. His one true constant. If she were his, then he was surely hers. She knew that now. A smile transformed her face into a beacon of light. It dazzled him and made his heart leap in his breast. "Yeah, what is it Aeryn?"

"I want to try again."

"Try what, sunshine?"

She touched his face. He wanted to kiss her so badly. It was a physical ache in his heart. "I was a coward. Running away."

"You were scared, Aeryn. Life isn't a battle."

"You are wrong, John. It *is* a battle. The most important battle of your life and I almost frelled things up. I nearly lost you."

He held his breath. Him. She was saying these words to him, not to the other John but *him*. Hope beat a path to his heart but he was cautious. Wanted to be sure. "Me, Aeryn?" He asked softly.

"Yes, John, you. I finally figured it out and though I won't promise it will be an easy life I *can* promise you it will be *interesting*."

He mumbled words she only just caught. "May you live in interesting times."

She raised her eyebrows. He smiled and finally gave in, letting her arms slide up around his neck and guide him to her waiting lips. Star Burst. That was what it was like. All his emotions exploded in his heart at the touch of her lips. His feelings in overdrive, his mind detached from his body as she clung to him, deepened the kiss and slowly explored the inside of his mouth with her tongue. When she released him he was almost afraid to look at her in case she suddenly realised she was kissing the wrong twin. Aeryn swallowed and ran her tongue around the inside of her mouth, savouring his taste thoughtfully. A slow smile washed over her face, her eyes teasing him. "Sweet."

His smile blazed back at her. Thousands of watts. Compatible. She was telling him they were compatible. "Oh Aeryn, I love you so much!"

She grinned and moved over on the bed to make room for him. He did not need a second invitation. He stripped his clothes off slowly so that Aeryn could have time to change her mind if she realised it was a mistake but she did not stop him. Did not yell at him to get the hezmana out of there. Rather she watched quietly and enjoyed the view. He folded his clothes neatly then slid into bed alongside her.

Aeryn snuggled in close to him and lay her head on his chest, her breathing already dipping into the deep register of sleep. He felt so happy, so elated. So blessed. Gently he stroked her hair, planting light kisses on her forehead as he pulled the covers over them. His last image before he joined her in sleep was of Jool checking on them, her smile matching his as she doused the lights and slipped away. Unseen a little DRD dipped his light stalks and switched them off. Pilot smiled and reassured Moya. The babies slept lulled by the gentle hum of the leviathan. It did not matter what tommorow would bring. They would face it together.

* * *
END