foundout

Found Out: Part 1 of 2
Author - Kavanne
Feedback - Kavanne@aol.com
Summary - Future Fic.

We got strange looks from some people, they’d never seen a peacekeeper
family. The peacekeepers they knew of didn’t have emotions, didn’t know how
to love, to show compassion, to give without taking.
Some shopkeepers and customers saw our child and their faces softened and
smiled as if to say ‘congratulations’, they had worked out we were not
peacekeepers. Others turned their noses up and walked on by, ignorant and
blinded by their hatred of the peacekeepers so much so that they assumed and
stuck to that view, that very wrong view.
Even with Kristin as a dead, I mean alive, giveaway that we weren’t
peacekeepers, people still treated us like peacekeepers. Once on this planet
a Deskle tried to buy Kristin because she couldn’t have children of her own.
This town always brought the good memories back, the happy times of their
unchartered adventure. He stood there for a while, contemplating their lives
and how they had stumbled back here, how they had found
friends in this strange town, people to trust and rely on. He was glad they
were back, even if he couldn’t see his father or DK, occasionally they were
on CNN reporting on IASA’s progress with the Mars colonisation project, Aeryn
made me promise that if it was completed in our lifetime and I took her
there, she would kill me.
She bumped into someone standing beside her at the cereals shelf, as she
turned to apologise her mouth froze, her whole body froze and went completely
numb. The man stood there looking slightly worried at why this woman was
standing in shock, and then she managed to struggle out
“John.” He spun round as he heard the shock in her voice. He started to
walk, oblivious to the man she was looking at, then as he looked up it hit
him, the same numbness that had overcome Aeryn overcame him to and all he
could do was stand and stare.
“Dad?” he asked quietly, his voice mimicking the tone that Aeryn had called
to him in.
“Where have you been son?” Jack asked before they fell into each others
embrace, as they parted, each one’s eyes filled with hope and fighting back
the stinging tears of joy that racked them, John said, more composed,
“You aren’t supposed to be here Dad.”
“Yes I am, I’m on holiday.” he replied trying to lighten the atmosphere.
“We were supposed to be safe here. IASA wasn’t supposed to find us.” he said
downheartedly as his eyes trailed down to the floor in dishonour. “I’m sorry
Aeryn.”
“IASA isn’t here John, just me.” his father informed him. John’s face looked
relaxed and more calm now, now he knew he was safe, now he knew Aeryn and the
kids were safe.
* * * *
As they made their way back, with Jack, to their house Aeryn let her thoughts
wander and remembered a time long ago, well it seemed that way, it was before
they were here anyway. He was in hyper rage again,it wasn't supposed to
happen again, maybe it was the stress and anxiety we had suffered during our
time out here. Anyway it did happen, and it happened so quickly that Crichton
didn't have time to hide and we couldn't stop D'argo.
He punched him mercilessly then threw him against the bulkhead, she couldn't
stand to watch him being beaten, being killed slower than he could ever hope
to die in the Aurora chair. He kicked his chin up and saw Crichton's teared
eyes, but he had no mercy, he was blinded by the rage, he would die if she
didn't do something. But she couldn't get involved, she couldn't risk it, not
now.
She made the decision, the only hope of D'argo stopping was to tell, to let
them know, maybe then he'd stop, D'argo knew that a child needed a father.
"D'argo?" he heard her voice and spun round hissing."Don't kill him, I. . . I
need him."
"He is worthless, why would anyone need him?" he hissed again.
"He, he is the father of my child." her hand came to rest on her stomach, he
felt a pang of pain in his heart, he couldn't kill a father, it was
dishonourable, the family's pain would far exceed any gratification he got
from killing him.
He stamped off, how would he release the anger, the thought of killing Rygel
had crossed his mind, but he was no man, there would be no fight to dispel
the pent up rage he had held for so long. He would go and exercise.
Crichton lay unconscious resting against the bulkhead. Had he heard? She
would have to wait until he woke up for that.
As she carried his limp body to Zhaan he seemed so peaceful, but his body was
bruised and bloody, please, don’t let him die, she prayed.
His eyes opened as they passed the docking bay, instantly a tear fell down
his cheek, as the pain, once again, registered with him. He also remembered
the last thing he heard, Aeryn said she needed him.
“Do you really need me Aeryn?” he asked quietly. She lay him down on the
floor, he tried to get to his feet, but the pain made the buckle beneath him
and he fell, with a bump, back to Moya’s humming floor.
“Yes, I do need you. Without you, I would be nothing and without you I cannot
survive to see another day.” she replied as she ran her fingers through his
hair.
“Thank You.” he whispered.
“Come on, lets get you back to Zhaan.” she tried to pull him up, but Crichton
pulled her to the floor beside him.
“How did you get D’argo to stop? You must have pulled a major stunt to do it.”
“No, I told him the truth.”
“What?”
“That I needed you, be... because I am pregnant.” she got ready for his
reaction, not keeping her hopes high, just in case, but she prayed all the
same.
“Did I just hear you say what I thought you said?” she nodded slowly, he
threw his arms round her. “That’s great!!” he exclaimed joyfully, he saw
Aeryn’s face as shocked and wondered if he had said the wrong thing, and she
didn’t want it. “Right?” he asked looking for approval.
“Yes. I just didn’t think that you would be... I mean, this is neither the
time nor the place to have kids.”
“We’ll find somewhere to go Aeryn, don’t you worry.” And his promise came
true, we did find somewhere, eventually. And I do fit in, around here anyway,
as far as they are concerned, he’s a John Crichton look-alike and I am his
wife, Aeryn Sun. Another human being, just living her life, if only they
knew. If only they knew.
* * * *
John was shaking her shoulder, “Aeryn, we’re back.” she shook her head and
blinked to bring herself back to this present reality and not a past one she
had been in. “Dad’s gone in to meet Kristin, are you sure you don’t want me
to carry you, ‘coz I don’t think I could anyway.” he asked playfully, looking
happily at her slightly rounding stomach.
“No, I’m fine.” she replied in her native language, she only used Sebacean
when she and John were on their own with Kristin or having an argument, which
was a rare occurrence. She could also use Sebacean in front of Vicky, she was
the first person they encountered here and she had let them have the second
house. Her parents left her here with their run-down farmhouses. To this day
she doesn’t know why, the houses had no mortgage and they were all getting on
fine, then when her aunt died they left Vicky with all the money from the
will and only took what they needed. Poor girl she wa only 15 when they left
her, but she was 19 now and a perfectly normal teen. She is quite quiet when
you first meet her, but when she gets to trust you (which is quite hard to
achieve by the way) she is happy and strong and bubbly teenager, she also
knows how to protect herself, she single handedly fought off two burglars, if
I didn’t know better I’d say she was a peacekeeper! They also gave Vicky
translator microbes, because when they first met Aeryn couldn’t speak English
and we needed someone to show us around this South Canadian village.
They entered their home, each time they did so they were reminded of Zhaan,
D’argo, Rygel, Chiana, Pilot and Moya as they had managed to use a computer
to get the holo-images on paper. They missed them, but the thoughts were
happy ones they had now as they lived on a colony that killed any Sebacean
that set foot there and they would be protected. When they told the
government on Geftas 3 what they had done in the past to the peacekeepers,
like destroy the Gammak base, they were given high positions in society and
respect from the natives, who were mostly fugitives falsely imprisoned by the
peacekeepers.
Jack Crichton was sitting there talking to Vicky with Kristin sitting smiling
on his lap, she liked him obviously. Vicky knew it was her cue to leave as
Aeryn and John walked in, Jack had told her who he was and she knew that they
would want time alone to talk. As she walked out the door she smiled at the
picture this particular family created, harmony, great happiness, something
she longed for, she only wished she could pluck up the courage to tell them
who she was, lift the great burden she carried in lying to them about her
parents, who never existed.
“Hello son.” Jack stated starting the conversation over again.
“Dad, I’m sorry I didn’t contact you. I couldn’t risk it with Aeryn and
Kristin and certainly not now, with Aeryn expecting again.” he apologised he
looked up at his father, guilt and sorrow in his eyes. His father could see
his strained soul behind the eyes, he had been through much obviously, he
couldn’t not forgive him. Sure he may not have told him he was here first,
but now he knew and he could rest assured that his son was Ok. . . as long as
IASA didn’t find out.
“It’s Ok John, but why couldn’t you risk Aeryn?” the only part of his son’s
speech he didn’t understand, why?
“She’s. . she’s not of this Earth dad.” he chose his words carefully. Jack
sat there, trying to comprehend what his son had just told him. The woman in
the kitchen across the hall was an alien, his son was married to an alien.
“Why couldn’t you just have married Alex like I asked?” he instantly
regretted saying that, and he didn’t know why he said it, he just needed and
answer to all the questions brewing up, but didn’t know how to ask them. It
was just the first thing that came into his mind. John couldn’t really think
of an answer, so he just started to explain the first meeting with Aeryn;
“When I first met her, on a leviathan bio-mechanoid ship, she kicked my butt.
She was a peacekeeper, a trained killer, but I knew that I loved her from the
first moment I met her, even if it was on a subconscious level at first. I
asked her to be more and she accepted and we intend to spend the rest of our
lives together.” Just as he finished Aeryn walked in Coffee in hand, she
wasn’t ‘I’ll make coffee for everyone person’. Crichton decided that Aeryn
should have some time to talk to his father, so he left to make some coffee
and bring some biscuits for his dad.
“So you are the famous Aeryn.” he started.
“You could put it that way.” she couldn’t help remembering her experience on
the false Earth and the first time she and John had been close, it all seemed
so far away.
“You do love John don’t you?” Jack asked, she knew the true meaning behind
the question, even if he didn’t know. She put her coffee down.
“Colonel, I may be an alien but that does not make me incapable of feeling. I
love you son with the whole of my heart, I couldn’t imagine life with anyone
else. The first time I met him I was a peacekeeper and I hated him, I had
been trained to believe that all aliens were lower life-forms. But as time
progressed I found that John was far superior in many ways, his ability to
express emotions. . fascinated me. It took me a long time to learn that
emotions were not a burden but a natural phenomenon that is the gift of being
a sentient, living being.”
“If John loves you then I welcome you to our family.” he smiled.
“Thank you, I better go put Kristin to bed.” Hearing the words ‘Kristin’ and
‘bed’ in the same sentence she immediately looked up and pleaded with her mom.
“Please, grandad only just got here.” her eyes looked so innocent and sad,
but it was 9:00.
“Come on Aeryn, she can stay up, just for tonight.” John said as he entered
the room, the same pleading and sad tone Kristin had used, except deeper.
Aeryn rolled her eyes and Kristin let out a whoop of joy and ran at Aeryn to
give her a hug, Aeryn almost fell when Kristin latched onto her legs but
managed to keep her balance.
“Training never fails, eh Aeryn.” he laughed. She smiled back and Jack sat
there thinking *What the hell are they on about?!*
They talked for most of the night, till about 12:30. John offered his father
the opportunity to stay, so he did.
The fire raged, she could feel it engulfing her, John had told her to get
Kristin and get out. She saw Kristin huddled under her bed, crying, she had
been so happy earlier and now she was sitting there, petrified and helpless.
Thank god she had her father’s resistance to heat, a Sebacean in her room
would be comatose by now. That’s why Aeryn knew she had to get out. . . fast.
In one scoop she picked up her terrified daughter and ran out the door.
Luckily the hall hadn’t been engulfed yet and there was a path out of this
hell. As she stumbled through the door John was there to catch her along with
Jack, she fell into black.
John was relieved, this wasn’t the living death, she was out in time. Vicky
had a small bucket of water and a wet towel, John thought what the hell and
poured the water slowly over Aeryn, just to make sure.
When the police arrived the whole town was surrounding the house, but the
blocked it off so they could get through.
“Come with us.” A couple of officers said as they came up. They were so
screwed.