The End Of The Innocence
By: Jaime (Enigmatic_Scully)
Rating: A nice strong solid…G
Summary: Companion to The General, Aeryn's story
Archive: Ask and ye shall most likely receive
Feedback: Please oh pretty Please??
Thanks: To Cariel for the use of Pzeisor (again) and to Foster and Kavanne for their…support (if you call demands for more fic support that is). See Authors Notes at end.
Cadet Aeryn Sun was confused. Why were there guards around her wherever she went? It seemed like the entire carrier was on alert, though there was no enemy threat, and it all revolved around her. Could it have something to do with her parents? Her mother had just recently visited her, had someone found out?
Aeryn could still remember the details of her visit vividly. It was a conversation she would hold in her heart forever. Even though she knew that what her parents had done was forbidden, the knowledge that she was created from love filled her heart with joy. While she had never known her parents, knowing their secret about her made her feel closer to them. And now, the suspicious activity around her had her extremely worried for her parents.
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Aeryn Sun's world had shattered around her today. General Pzeisor had pulled her aside and told her that her parents had been killed. They had abandoned their duty in an attempt to escape the Peacekeepers and rescue her, which was why she was so heavily guarded. Their marauder had been shot down on its approach to the command carrier. The knowledge that her parents had been killed because of her had almost caused her to collapse, yet she knew better than to do so in front of the General, so she stoically exited the room and returned to her barracks. There she allowed herself to seek comfort in her bed and drifted off to a fitful sleep.
In her dreams, she saw her parents happily flying through space. She saw the excitement and love in their eyes over finally being free from the Peacekeepers and the prospect of her joining them. Yet in one instant all their hopes and dreams had shattered when their marauder had been shot down. Aeryn awoke with a start, though the images never left her mind.
Her parent's love for each other and their love for her had destroyed them. She cursed them for doing this to her, for loving her. If they had been like normal Peacekeepers they would still be alive. If they had been like normal Peacekeepers she wouldn't have this incredible guilt placed on her shoulders. It was then, that night, that she vowed that she would never love another person, ever. She would be a normal Peacekeeper, always striving to be the best. She would never put anyone through this, ever. And she kept that promise to herself for a long time.
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Aeryn lay on the terrace with her head in John Crichton' s lap. He had her hair fanned about him and was gently playing with it. He had just finished telling her stories about his Earth and his parents when he asked her, "Whatever happened to your parents? Did you ever hear from them again?"
Aeryn sighed, and decided to share with him the memories that had plagued her childhood. "They were killed, just a few weekens after my mother had visited me. They were on a mission together and suddenly one night they just deserted the Peacekeepers. They were killed in an attempt to rescue me. My whole life I swore I would never become like them, I would be a loyal soldier and I would never love anyone. And I succeeded, until you came along. You made me realize what it was that they gave their life for, and now I can finally understand and forgive them."
John smiled at this show of emotion from Aeryn. "They sound like wonderful people. I wish I could have met them."
"I never knew them very well, but I know they were wonderful people. And they would have liked you, I can tell." She smiled up at him and leaned up and lightly brushed her lips over his. Without another word, she returned her gaze to the stars. And to the stars, she apologized for all the hate she had felt for her parents. She embraced their memory and now had something to strive for, to be like them.
The End
Authors Note: Foster, you can put the whip down. Here's another one. This one came to me suddenly, again, today while listening to another song. Here's the lyrics to that one.
The End of the Innocence by Don Henley
Remember when the days were long
And rolled beneath a deep blue sky
Didn't have a care in the world
With mommy and daddy standin' by
But "happily ever after" fails
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales
The lawyers dwell on small details
Since daddy had to fly
But I know a place where we can go
That's still untouched by men
We'll sit and watch the clouds roll by
And the tall grass wave in the wind
You can lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair fall all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence
O' beautiful, for spacious skies
But now those skies are threatening
They're beating plowshares into swords
For this tired old man that we elected king
Armchair warriors often fail
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales
The lawyers clean up all details
Since daddy had to lie
But I know a place where we can go
And wash away this sin
We'll sit and watch the clouds roll by
And the tall grass wave in the wind
Just lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair spill all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence
Who knows how long this will last
Now we've come so far, so fast
But, somewhere back there in the dust
That same small town in each of us
I need to remember this
So baby give me just one kiss
And let me take a long last look
Before we say goodbye
Just lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair fall all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence