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Peja's Wonderful World of Makebelieve Import
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Published:
2020-11-05
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473
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1/1
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4
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417

Penitence

Summary:

A missing tag for "Jeremiah Crichton" that you definitely need to see the episode to get.

Work Text:

"Penitence"
by Rebecca Helton
story copyright 1999
* * * * *

She must have been hoping he wouldn't find her. Why else would she have hidden herself away on the Terrace? He'd had to cajole Pilot into telling him where she was, and that had taken some doing.

But he'd finally found out where she was. Quietly, he entered the Terrace, stopping for a moment to look at her. She was sitting on the floor, her back to the entrance, looking out at the stars. Her back was curved slightly forward, as if she hunched over her knees. He suddenly felt that she was the picture of vulnerability, and it made him all the more sorry for what he had done.

He softly walked toward her, hoping not to startle her. He needn't have worried; she didn't acknowledge him even when he sat down beside her. She just continued to stare straight ahead, chin resting on her kneecaps, as if he wasn't there.

"Aeryn."

She didn't answer, didn't even move. Just kept on staring.

'Okay, fine. I deserve this,' he admitted to himself. "Aeryn, I know you're probably ticked off beyond words at me. I don't blame you. I did something really stupid, and while you guys were paying for it by putting yourselves at risk for three months, I was enjoying life in a tropical paradise. I know I hurt you, before I left. And for both, I'm sorry...more sorry than I can say."

It was a long time before she responded. "Thank you for the apology," she said, still not looking at him.

He waited for her to say something more, but she remained silent. Eventually, he stood up and turned to leave.

As he was walking away, he heard her say, "And...you are entitled to...your opinion--"

"Oh, Aeryn, no," he interrupted, spinning around and almost running back toward her. He knelt on the floor, this time in front of her. She dipped her head, but not before he caught sight of the glossy sheen of tears in her eyes. "When humans get mad, sometimes we say things we don't mean." He put two fingers on her jawbone and gently tilted her head up. "That was *definitely* something I didn't mean."

She blinked rapidly several times, and her mouth twitched into what almost might have been called a smile. He smiled in return.

"Crichton, Aeryn. Your presence is required on the command deck."
 
"We'll be right there, D'Argo," John replied. He took Aeryn's hands and stood, pulling her up along with him. He reluctantly started to let go, but she kept a firm grip on his left hand. When he shot her a questioning look, she simply gave him her Mona Lisa smile.

Hand in hand, they continued to the command deck.

**The End**

Again, comments and constructive criticism are welcome... :)