Family Matters 3
By ISISDisclaimers and Notes: see part 1
Standing in front of the television, ironing in the dingy apartment she now called home, Dr. Alexandra O'Connor could not believe the sight that she beheld. She stood for a few moments in absolute shock then put down the hot steaming iron and came to sit in front of the television, her eyes fixed on the amazing images it broadcast.
"Again, this is Tom Watkins, live from the White House lawn in Washington, D.C. where history has just been made. Astronaut John Crichton, once thought lost in an accident high above the Earth, has just landed in his Farscape module after an absence of nearly three years. The obvious questions are where has he been all this time? How did he survive in outer space? Did he have help?" The reporter cocked his head, listening to voices on his remote earphone. "Even now, our panel of experts back in the studio are telling us that the Farscape module has been modified. It was never designed to land in the manner we have just seen." The television screen split and half the image was taken over by a replay of the white craft settling gently on the grass of the White House. Then the hatch popped open and John appeared. The camera closed in on his face. Alex studied the image intensely. He looked older, more rugged, his hair shorter than before, but then he smiled and she grinned, unable even now to resist his boyish smile.
There was a noise behind her. Alex turned and caught sight of her son. "Baby, come here," she called. The child bounded over to her and threw himself into her arms. She ruffled his brown hair playfully, then drew his attention to the television. "Jonathan, look. See that man there. He's an astronaut. Just like Buzz Lightyear. And he's a friend of Mommy's."
Jonny studied the screen but only saw boring pictures of a man making a speech. He frowned. "That's not Buzz," he objected stubbornly.
Alex had to laugh at the expression on his face. "No, you're right, it's not Buzz. But it's someone just like Buzz."
Jonny looked at her, his eyes clearly showing that he didn't believe that there could be anyone real who was a wonderful as his Buzz. Then he grinned, his blue eyes sparkling. "Okay," he said with a young child's dismissiveness. He wriggled out of his mother's lap and grabbed up his Buzz Lightyear action figure, racing around the room yelling Buzz's signature *To infinity and beyond!* at the top of his lungs.
Ignoring her boisterous son, Alex sat sadly, only half aware of the television replaying the landing again and again. She was lost in thought of what her life might have been like had she turned down the Stanford job and stayed in Florida with John. That last night together, she had been pretty sure he was going to ask her to marry him. Now she would have been his wife, happily reunited with her lost husband instead of a single mother, abandoned and disgraced.
The Stanford job had started off promisingly enough. Upset by the abrupt end to her three year relationship with John, Alex had let herself drift quickly into a rebound affair with the charming Dr Troy Saxon. Soon they were inseparable both in the lab and at home. He had asked her to move in with him a short three months after her arrival in California and she had accepted, swept away by his dashing good looks and intelligence. They had worked together on several projects, finally making a major breakthrough with a drug that inhibited the growth of cancer cells in human tissue. Alex had been flattered when Troy had insisted that she share the credit on the paper that they had published soon after. The publicity had been enormous, overwhelming. Drug companies clamoured for their work. Symposiums begged for their lectures.
Then it had all come crashing down. A research lab in England, trying to recreate their results, had found several errors in their procedures. It had eventually come to light that Troy had manipulated his results, in some cases manufacturing them outright. By the time the news was made public, Troy had disappeared, leaving Alex to face the storm of controversy alone. Furthermore, he had cleaned out their savings, mortgaged his beach front house to the hilt and even embezzled research funds. He left Alex broke, homeless and pregnant with his child. When the dust settled, her career was in ruins. Her credibility had been compromised. She was unable to get a job at any laboratory. No one in the scientific community would touch her with a ten foot pole. With the threat of an ongoing fraud investigation lying over her, she was even unable to get a job teaching science in a junior high school.
About that time came the news of John's disappearance and presumed death. The shock had sent her into labour. She gave birth to a son, whom she named Jonathan in memory of the man who she realised she had foolishly given up. She sighed, aroused by the sound of the iron sputtering dryly. She leaped up and pulled out the cord. Then she stood looking around at her small apartment. She wiped a tear away at the disaster her life had become. The state had set her up in this apartment, giving her just barely enough to live on let alone raise a child. Her parents helped where they could. They often begged her to come home, but she repeatedly refused. Never well-off, they had spent every cent they had on helping her get through medical school and MIT. She had been their hope and she had destroyed it. Her mother had absolutely adored John and though she had never said so, Alex knew she felt her daughter had made a dreadful error in leaving him for Stanford. Her parents had made a couple of trips out to California from Florida to see her, their faces registering their consternation at her straightened circumstances. But even that had been some time ago. Her father's stoke two years ago had prevented any further trips, and apart from a phone call or two, Alex had all but broken off contact with them.
Suddenly a plan formed in her mind. She turned to her son, who was now playing quietly, lost in imaginary worlds of space and aliens. "Hey, Jonny, baby, how would you like to meet John? A real live astronaut?" She warmed to the idea. "How would you like to meet Mommy's friend, eh, honey. He's been living in outer space for three years. I bet he met aliens just like Buzz." she said, picking up one of the three-eyed cartoon aliens. "Maybe he'll even let you talk to one. Or take you for a ride in his spaceship. Would you like that?"
Jonny looked at his mother wide-eyed, growing excited by her enthusiasm. Then he beamed at her. "Yeah, Mommy. Could we fly in his spaceship?"
She hugged him tightly, laughing as he wriggled out of her arms, already embarrassed by his mother's attentions. Then she ruffled his hair again, before rising and making him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from her meagre stores. Once he was settled at the table with Buzz, the sandwich and a glass of milk in front of him, Alex picked up the phone, dialing her mother's number. The phone rang so long, Alex was almost afraid no one was home. then her mother's voice answered. "Mom? It's me. It's Alex." Tears formed in her eyes. Jonny watched his mother curiously. "Mom, if it's okay with you and Dad, I'd like to come home."
***************'
Up on Moya, Aeryn spent every walking arn monitoring the television broadcasts, sometimes with Pilot, sometimes alone. Hungry for every glimpse of John, her wishes were granted. His image seemed to be everywhere. Pictures of his past, reports on his career, disturbing replays of his funeral, repeats of the famous landing and constant speculation filled the news on nearly every frequency Moya scanned. When there were no live shots of him, Aeryn grew concerned but on the third day after his landing, television reporters were allowed into the decontamination facility to interview the famous astronaut. Aeryn's heart lurched when she saw the quarantine cell, so much like the one she and the others had been confined in on the false Earth. But inside the chamber, John was smiling and relaxed. A man who Aeryn immediately recognised as John's father stood nearby. The reporters shouted questions out like a chittering flock of Pyrasta birds until John laughingly had to hold up his hand, asking for one at a time. With his father moderating, John spent a full two hours telling them a modified version of his life on board Moya. He left out Scorpius' torture and continued pursuit, only hinting that the wormhole technology he had stumbled upon was a much sought- after commodity in the Uncharted Territories. But he did tell them about Captain Crais and the PeaceKeepers, looking despondent at the accidental death of Tauvo Crais that had begun his life as a fugitive. He explained about Zhaan and D'Argo and Rygel and Chiana, how they had all been falsely imprisoned and were now returned home. He told of Moya and Pilot, watching the reporters scribble furiously and reach up with their recorders as he described the massive biomechanoid ship that had been his home for so long. Then he went on to describe the marvels he had seen in the Uncharted Territories, both beautiful and terrifying, all the worlds he had visited, the races he had encountered and the almost miraculous things he had seen.
Aeryn studied the faces of the reporters carefully. A few of them clearly showed that they thought this man was a raving lunatic. One reporter even went so far as to storm out, refusing to listen to such nonsense. But the majority of them seemed to believe John's fantastic stories. When General Anderson came out and answered more technical questions to give John a bit of a break, it became clear to those watching that the military and IASA were taking John's stories very seriously. General Anderson confirmed the speculation that the Farscape module had indeed been modified using an unknown form of technology. He also confirmed that while John Crichton appeared to be in excellent health, his body carried some sort of microbes that had colonized at the base of his skull. Again the reporters pounced, asking about threats to Human life from space viruses. With a quick glance back at John, General Anderson reported that they had found no trace of any disease or virus and that they were satisfied that Commander Crichton posed no threat to Earth. He would be released on schedule the next day.
Just as the General called a halt to the press conference, a woman's voice rang out with a final question to John. "Commander Crichton, you're a handsome young man. You haven't told us anything about your romantic adventures in the Uncharted Territories. It's been three years. Surely you must have had some 'encounters of the closest kind', shall we say, since you've been gone." The woman smiled up at John challengingly. The reporters all laughed at her question. But Aeryn noticed they did not turn off their recorders. Even the General looked amused.
Aeryn held her breath, waiting to see what John would say. As if he could see her, John smiled warmly into the camera, that smile that always melted her heart, then he turned to the woman reporter with a grin. "Yes, I met some interesting ... er females, out there. One in particular. But a gentleman never reveals anything about the woman in his life. Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm just not the 'kiss and tell' type." was all he would say, with a teasing smile. The reporters began calling out for more details but were ushered out of the room. Aeryn grinned, seeing that John was safe and clearly enjoying himself.
It was another two days after John was released from quarantine before he felt he could safely contact Moya. He was staying with his father in his childhood home, happy to be back in his own room again. Unfortunately, they had very little privacy. Reporters were camped out on the front lawn, with remote trucks and satellite feeds everywhere. IASA had had to provide the Crichton's with security in the face of a few threats made by some radical groups and unstable crackpots. John was pleased at the success of his plan, but now was growing impatient. He desperately wanted the storm of publicity to die down so he could bring Aeryn down safely. He missed her so much it hurt.
That morning, he finally had some time to himself. He reached under his shirt and pulled out the commbadge. He had lied to the IASA, saying it was a present from Zhaan, a symbol of Delvian Unity. They had examined the item but were unable to recognise it as a communications device and so had let him keep it. He hit the badge, speaking into it quietly. "Pilot? Pilot, are you there? Aeryn?"
In the Command, Aeryn raced over to the comm, nearly tripping over a DRD in her haste to answer John's hail. "John? John?" Her face broke into a wide grin at the sound of his voice.
"Hey! Is everything all right up there?"
Pilot replied, "We are all well. Are you?"
John smiled, "Yeah, Pilot. It's going better than I had hoped. No one's tried to cut me open or lock me away. I'm home now, staying with my father at his house." He smiled again. "How are you guys doing?"
"We're doing well, Commander. Moya is fascinated by the transmissions from your world. She and I have so many questions."
John chuckled at Pilot's enthusiasm. "That's great, Pilot. Just don't let her watch too much television. It'll rot her brain." He laughed as he heard Pilot gasp. "No, Pilot, not literally. It's just a figure of speech. Aeryn, are you there?"
"Here, John. I'm afraid I've been watching television too much as well. We've been monitoring every broadcast since you landed. You certainly got the media coverage you wanted."
John sighed. "Yeah, sweetheart, it sure worked. Too well. I miss you so much but it's still too hot for you to come down here. I mean, I can't move a muscle without some reporter showing up. I don't want them finding out about you. I won't put you in any danger."
"I miss you too, John. And I understand. I see now what you mean. Will it ever let up?"
John laughed. "Yeah, don't worry. It's the nature of our media. I'm a nine days wonder. Pretty soon they'll be off hounding some other poor schmuck." He grinned. In his mind's eye, he saw her frown as her translator microbes struggled with that term. "Soon, honey, soon. Hang in there."
"I will," Aeryn's voice was warm with longing.
"Oh, gotta go, love. I'm off to Washington to have dinner with the President. Dad, DK and I. Dad and I are taking my sisters and DK's got his fiancée along. I'll be back tomorrow and I'll contact you then. I love you," he said as he signed off.
John had just managed to slip the commbadge back under his shirt when he heard voices outside the door. There was a knock at the door and his father appeared. "Good morning, John," he said warmly, still unable to believe that the son he had thought dead and gone was alive and well and returned to him. Jack frowned slightly, "Were you talking to someone?"
John smiled ruefully, "No, just talking to myself. It's a habit I picked up in the Uncharted Territories. When do we leave for Washington?"
Jack laughed, clapping his son on the back. "The car isn't due to get here for another hour."
"Great, then I've got time for a real home cooked breakfast. I hope you've got bacon and eggs. And real coffee. Man, I missed coffee more than anything else."
"More than me?" a voice asked. John turned in astonishment. There in front of him stood the woman he had hoped one day to marry.
"Alex?" he cried, stunned. The last time he had 'seen' her had been on New Delvia, recreated from his memories by Lorana. The woman who stood in his father's kitchen was much changed. Her blonde hair showed the first traces of grey. She was slightly heavier, her slender figure now more voluptuous. There were tiny wrinkles around her care-shadowed eyes. But then she smiled and he saw again the woman he had once wanted to share his life with. "Alex! I can't believe it!" He pulled her into a tight hug. "I thought you were in California!" He leaned back to study her again, his face bright with joy at seeing her again.
Her eyes filled with tears. "I just got back! I can't believe you're alive, John. I nearly died when they said you had been lost in an accident!"
John smiled sadly at her and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Yeah, that's what everyone thought." He grinned suddenly, "But I'm back now! I'm alive!" He led her over to the table where his father had placed a cup of coffee for her. "Are you hungry? I'm just about to make some breakfast." Jack poured himself and John some coffee, but before he could sit down, the phone rang. With a muttered ,"That better not be some reporter," Jack excused himself to go and answer it.
John set about making himself the breakfast he had been dreaming of since he left Earth, clanging pots and pans happily. Alex smiled sadly, reminded of all the mornings he had made breakfast for her. Once everything was sizzling away, he turned back to the blonde woman. "So, how was Stanford? You said you just got back. Did the job end?"
Alex looked down, embarrassed. "Not exactly. Things just didn't work out as I had hoped."
John saw the shadow pass over her face and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Alex. I know how excited you were about the job. So what are you planning to do now? Do you think they'll give you your old job back here in Florida?"
Before she could answer, Jack came back into the room. "That was your sister Marion, John. It seems that the kids have all come down with chicken pox. She's really disappointed but she can't go to the White House with us." Jack sat down at the table, watching with amusement as his son dished out his massive breakfast and dug into it enthusiastically. Then he cast an eye at Alex, who watched John eat as if he had been denied food for the last three years. Jack's look grew speculative. "Say, Alex, are you busy tonight? Why don't you come with us to Washington?"
John groaned inwardly at his father's not so subtle match-making and tried to catch his eye without Alex seeing him. Alex looked from one to the other in growing excitement. "Do you really think ... no ... I'd need to be checked out first."
Jack was already on his feet. "I'll call the White House secretary. I'm sure it will be okay. They hate it when their numbers are uneven."
"But I have nothing to wear!" Alex exclaimed in dismay.
"You're the same size as Marion. I'm sure she wouldn't mind you borrowing the gown she was going to wear tonight." Jack smiled at the pair. "Come on, for old times' sake," then he went off to make his phone calls.
Alex looked at John in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, John. I had no intention of butting in. I just wanted to see you again."
John took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Not to worry, Alex. Besides, like Dad said, it will be just like old times."
Jack came forward with the phone, indicating his daughter wanted to speak to her old school chum."Alex! When did you get back in town? I'm so glad to hear you're back. And not a moment too soon." Marion chuckled conspiratorially. "I can't believe I have to miss a dinner at the White House. The joys of motherhood, huh!" Alex grinned at her old friend's exuberance. "Well, if I have to give up my date with my long lost brother, I can't think of anyone I'd rather have take my place. Do I smell a reconciliation between you two? Well, no matter. You have all the time in the world now. Dad said you need a dress. You might as well wear mine. It's a little too fancy for dosing out medicine and rubbing calamine lotion into rashes." Marion exclaimed. "Have the driver stop by here on the way to the airport. I'll have everything you need right down to the brand new underwear ready for you to pick up. Oh God, Alex, I'm glad you're back. John needs a stabilizing influence in his life right now," Marion declared before ringing off.
On board Moya, the days stretched to a weeken and then two. Aeryn wandered around the massive empty Leviathan despondently. John called up to them every day, twice if he was able, his voice filled with excitement as he described for Aeryn and Pilot the places he had been and the people he had met. But every communication ended with him telling Aeryn that it was still too dangerous for her to join him. Aeryn was growing increasingly impatient and anxious. She felt uncharacteristically listless and sluggish. Her appetite had fallen off and she was not sleeping. She had taken to spending the night in Pilot's chamber, unable to face the chambers she shared with John, now empty and cold without him. She tried to keep up her exercise routine but even that failed to stimulate her. All she could do was sit for arns watching the transmissions from John's Earth, hungry for even the slightest glimpse of him.
Unfortunately, gossip mongers and trash television shows had picked up on the John Crichton phenomenon. Pilot and Aeryn watched one show in particular, in horrified fascination. A tall man in a suit cavorted around a stage in front of a large group of people, an elongated communications device in his hands. On the stage was a strange assortment of people all of whom claimed to have had contact with, been abducted by, been experimented on, and, in a couple of cases, impregnated by aliens. Aeryn and Pilot listened to their wild stories in shock.
"I thought Commander Crichton said that his people had not had any contact with outside races before," Pilot commented in amazement.
"So did I, Pilot. But it seems he was mistaken. Now that he has returned and made his story public it looks like there have been more cases." Aeryn listened closely to the descriptions the Humans gave. "Do you recognise any of the races they're describing?"
"No, I've never heard of a race of little green men before, have you? Could they possibly mean the Ja-Kench? I would not have thought they had travelled this far?" Aeryn shook her head, as mystified as Pilot. Somehow the Human's description was not in keeping with the servile little alien Aeryn remembered from the Royal Planet. Pilot's voice broke into her thoughts, "I'll have to add that to my list of questions for Commander Crichton when he comms us again." Pilot watched Aeryn's shoulders droop when he mentioned John's next communication. He was growing worried at her melancholy demeanor.
Suddenly the scene on the viewscreen shifted to a smiling couple of Humans in front of a flashy backdrop. After the blaring music died down, the screen behind the female was filled with a picture of John kissing a blonde woman. They appeared to have been caught in the act by a flash photographer, looking in wide-eyed guilt at the reporter.
"Has America's most eligible astronaut finally found love on this side of the Universe? Inquiring minds want to know. And who is the mystery woman? It seems that astronaut John Crichton has taken up where he left off with former medical researcher and close friend Dr. Alex O'Connor." The woman smiled knowingly at her partner. The screen behind them flashed with other pictures of John with the blonde woman, in a number of different situations.
"That's right, Sally. You remember Dr Alexandra O'Connor. She was at the centre of that cancer drug scandal a few years ago at Stanford."
"Right you are, Brock. It seems to me that John Crichton can't afford a scandal at this time. And neither can Dr. O'Connor. We'll be following this story with great interest."
Aeryn turned away from the screen, a mass of hurt and anger. Pilot tried to quell her fears. "I'm sure there's a good explanation, Aeryn. John loves you. He would never do anything to hurt you. You have to trust him, not these garish images from his bizarre world."
Aeryn smiled sadly back at Pilot. "You're right, Pilot. I do trust John. I just miss him, that's all. And I'm worried about what's taking so long."
"He wants to make sure you will be completely safe on Earth. It appears that he is still the object of undue surveillance by reporters. You must be patient a while longer."
"Yes, Pilot, I'll try." She flashed him a quick smile of gratitude. "I'm going to do my exercises. Please call me immediately if John contacts us," she said unnecessarily. Pilot watched her leave his chambers, his eyes filled with concern.
Once outside Pilot's chambers, Aeryn collapsed against the wall, gasping for breath as waves of sickening emotion washed over her again. She hadn't lied to Pilot. She did trust John. She knew he loved her. She just didn't trust herself. She doubted that she was ever going to be able to go to Earth with him. Aeryn questioned her own motives for wanting to be with John. She knew she loved him. She just wasn't sure it was enough. She remembered how tempting Larraq's offer to join Special Ops had felt and she had known it wasn't real. John was back on his Earth, the possibility of a return to his old life right there in front of him. She recalled the enthusiasm and excitement in his voice as he reported everything back to them daily. If it weren't for her, he could be living that life freely, without a care. Instead, John had to spend every day trying to figure out a way for her to join him safely. And even then, Aeryn was beginning to realise that her presence on Earth could only be temporary. There were too many dangers. She didn't want John's life on Earth to be the uncertain pursuit that his life in the Uncharted Territories had been. She bent over as waves of pain crashed through her abdomen, a testament to the intensity of the emotions she was feeling. She veered from her intended exercise and raced to her quarters, reaching the washroom just in time as the retching nausea overcame her.
A DRD that Aeryn passed unseen in her dash signalled back to Pilot. The symbiont communicated his concerns to Moya and together, they decided to try to reach John.
End of Part Three