3 Steps to Home

author:	anthony docimo
archive:	anyone who asks me can archive this
PLEASE, send me comments on this - good, slightly odd, or what.
OBANNON owns only the cannon characters here - everyone else is 
mine...though if you ask nicely, you can borrow them.
notes:	still in my own ficverse...this's the prequel to the New Year 
Crichton that I'm working on.
~~~
	In The Air:
"Explain this to me again."
"Aeryn, we've been over this," said a John Crichton trying to focus 
on coming through the atmosphere of this oxygenated world.
"Humor me," she told him using the broken English she'd aquired over 
the last three cycles; there being no sebacean equivilent to that 
pair of words.
"Fine, we're going to Crichton, Maine; it's where my family lives."
"Your family was named after a city?"
John sighed, levelling his line of descent.  "Actually, a Crichton 
was a founding father up in Maine, so it was named for him."
"Humans can give birth to cities??" Aeryn asked, baritone notes of 
alarm springing into her voice; she looked down at her abdomen with 
panic.
"No, Aeryn, we humans can't give birth to cities...except for laying 
the foundations, building the first houses somewhere."
"Oh," her voice returning to a calmer range.
~~~
	In Town:
"It's 'Old Lady Schlosser'," John whispered, using the name that him 
and DK - and a few other neighborhood kids - had used  growing up.
"She seems nice enough," Aeryn commented.
John made a face.  "I tell you you can be more, and you end up losing 
all sense of suspicion?" he asked sarcastically. 
"I refuse to answer that, on the grounds that I may incriminal 
myself," Aeryn replied, mixing human English with sebacean Dolah.
By now, the elderly Schlosser had walked up to them.  "John, is that 
you?  My how you've grown.  And you brought a lady-friend with you to 
see the old neighborhood, how romantic.  It's refreshing to see young 
people in love, walking hand in hand  these days."
Aeryn'd had instructors like this, ones who could talk for arns, so 
she kept her back straight  and waited patiently.
John, on the other hand, waited for Mrs. Schlosser to finish a 
sentance before interupting as politely as he could.  "Mrs. 
Schlosser, this is my fiance Aeryn.  Aeryn, this is Mrs. Schlosser."
"Good health, misess Schlosser," Aeryn said, fumbling at the pre-name 
title; Dolah held no gender-specific forms of address, leaving her 
ill-equipped for this.
Mrs. Schlosser perked up at Aeryn's voice, and John readied himself 
to grab his fiance and make a run for it.  "How sweet," Mrs. 
Schlosser cooed.  "You know, John, her accent is a lot like our 
mother's was, back when she first moved in with your father," in a 
voice that threatened more memories to come pouring out the mouth.
John gulped quietly and tried to figure out how to escape.
~~~
	In The House:
"Dad?" John called  as he stepped through the front door.  He'd 
phoned ahead, so they knew he was coming...though Aeryn would be a 
surprise.  "Mom?" then decided to see if any of his sisters were 
home, "Kaelyn?  Emma?  Joelyn?" though she'd probably still be in 
school about now.
"I think we're supposed to go that way," Aeryn whispered in John's 
ear, seeing the arrow sign on the wall that faced the front door.  
_Go to the right._
Down one hall, turn, and down another hall.  Sunlight shone through 
the french doors to the dining room, which neighbored the kitchen.
On the kitchen table, there were three glasses, two of which were 
filled with a white substance, while the third had a golden amber to 
it.  John groaned as he recognized the old test...the one his 
mother'd given to Alex -- a girlfriend test.  He also recognized the 
glasses: his old toddler cups, with a picture of Gort, Klaatu, and 
Steamboat Willie.
But Aeryn just sat down with him, and sniffed at and then swallowed 
the golden one in one gulp.  She then proceeded to sniff the other 
two, taking cautious sips; then emptied the one of the milks, but 
left the other one on the table.
It was then that John's mother, Marilyn Crichton, entered the room.  
Picking up the remaining glass of milk and sniffing, Marilyn made a 
face.  "Here, John," she said, putting it in front of you, "your 
stomach can handle that better than mine.
"Stand up," his mother instructed in the military fashion that she 
was so good at, that John remembered so well.  Aeryn did as she was 
told.
"Mom," John said in an embarassed tone as his mother held Aeryn's 
mouth open, checking her teeth.
"Aaye-sooohh kaahayo," Aeryn said, her words untranslated because 
they hadn't been fully formed - because she couldn't yet close her 
mouth.  Hearing those sounds, Marilyn Crichton let go of Aeryn, her 
eyes full of some emotion.
"Mom," John said, "I can explain."
"No need to, John," his mother told him.  "I was wondering if you'd 
ever meet somebody from my side of the family."
While John tried to figure out if his mother was implying something, 
Jack stepped into the room, leaning on the [].  "English please, 
Mar'," he requested.
Though his mother nodded, John turned to his father.  "She was 
speaking English."  A thought occured to him: "Oh man, I'm in another 
simulation, aren't I?"
Jack Crichton chuckled.  "John, would anyone other than a sebacean 
fascinated with English  name her halfling son 'John Jakob Jinglemier-
Shmit Crichton'?"
John had to admit he had a point.
~~~~~~