Finale to The Locket,

by CeRell

8/26/2000 A light, shippy fic for those shippers left wanting more after The Locket

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Hezmana, but he just couldn’t sleep…Frustrated John rolled out of bed,
dressed and headed off to the maintenance bay. The crippled prowler
hunched painfully on it’s pad a sad testament to Chiana’s recklessness..

"Might as well put my time to good use." John grumbled as he opened his
workbox.

He was going to fix it yesterday when Aeryn had sidetracked him with the locket …Best not to think of her tonight. Thoughts of her were already keeping him awake and the prowler really needed repaired. He sighed heavily and proceeded to attack the piece of equipment sitting forlorn on the tabletop.

A couple of arns later with a humph of accomplishment, he set his tools down and carried the unit to the prowler.. Unfortunately, he quickly found out, while relatively easy to extract, it was proving a devil to mount, it was far too heavy and awkward for one person …He was going to need an extra set of arms.

"DREN" He sat the unit on the ground.

"Something wrong?" Aeryn asked coming to a stop beside the prowler.

"Ah! Couldn’t sleep either?" His heart gave a lurch as looked up at her. Her
eyes were dark, gentle and slightly inquisitive tonight. Her luscious lips were parted and held a slight smile.

‘Ah Hezmana, those lips,' he thought, his heart started thudding, . Her dark
hair was loose and swirling around her bare shoulders as she slightly tilted
her head in another silent question. The black leather vest hung unzipped
revealing her gray tank top.

With a Herculean effort he ignored his rampaging emotions "Come on down here, I need another set of arms. I’ve got the replacement parts installed, but I can’t mount the unit myself."

Obediently she joined him underneath the prowler…

"I’ll support it, you align the holes." He motioned to the DRD with the blue
tape, his personal favorite, "Shine your light right here, Blue." She leaned in close to him, her hair brushing his nose as she reached for the tool laying at her feet. The smell of the oils she’d borrowed again from Zhaan sent his heart into triple speed. What was she up to? He forced the thought out of his mind and tried to concentrate only on the unit.

Aeryn picked up the ratchet and bolt, John hefted the heavy unit and set it up against it’s mount on the underside of the prowler..

"No, turn it, bring it back." Aeryn guided his efforts…

"It’s HEAVY, Aeryn." John complained.

"Then get underneath it, Crichton."

John moved closer to Aeryn, shoved his shoulder underneath the unit to better support it’s heavy weight. Aeryn had to lean into John’s chest as she tried to insert the bolt into it’s hole. As she applied force to entice the bolt to thread, her thinly veiled breast rubbed against John’s chest as the leather vest was brushed away.

John’s mind went blank as his breathing increased. The nearness of Aeryn
blocked out every other thought. His mind was riveted on her. Aeryn barely
noticed when the bolt gave up it’s protest and started to obediently thread.
Her mind was centered on the sensations caused by her close contact with
John. Another couple of turns of the bolt and the ratchet fell from her
unguided fingers. It bounced off the DRD which backed out of danger, it’s
light stalks waving..

She was only aware of how close John was. Those lips were only a hands
width away.. How absurd she abstractly thought. John’s eyes were on her
own full lips and a clear hunger in his eyes. She knew they would stay on
their knees chest to chest for an eternity if she didn’t do something. She
leaned into John and kissed him slowly, lingeringly…closing her eyes and
relishing the sensation.

His arms quickly encircled her body and he pulled her into his chest
deepening their kiss. Aeryn’s emotions flared out of control and she shoved him backwards onto the floor. John rolled her over, broke off the kiss and gazed down deeply into her eyes.

"Ah, Aeryn." He ground out and reached for her lips with a fierce,
unrestrained hunger. Aeryn’s body surged upwards to meld with John’s
when the unit from the prowler crashed to the ground beside them.

Shocked they broke apart to look at the now totally wrecked unit.

"Well," Aeryn cleared her throat, her voice unsteady but serious. "I guess I
know what Chiana will be stealing next." They broke into gales of laughter as they clung to each other rolling on the floor beneath the crippled prowler that clearly was going to stay out of action for a long while to come.