From the Past Part 4

by Aeryn Slayer

All the normal Disclaimers
Rating: The first parts were probably PGR/M. I'm no good at this part. The next parts will probably be R, maybe strongly in bits.
Sorry I forgot that on the first parts
Also sorry this took too long. Those DRD's are returning after doing there job way too well.
Summary: Things don't look too good for our Farscapers

---

“So, Hynerian. Why do you think your life is of any value to me, alive?” Crais asked cruelly.
“I know how much trouble Aeryn Sun can be, believe me. No doubt she put up blocks in that chair of yours. You’re not going to get any information out of her in the too near future. Unless you kill her, in which case, you’ll still get nothing” Rygel knew he was bargaining for his life, so he was very careful about what he said.
“You do realise that I have Crichton on board. He is with Officer Sun now. What makes you think I can’t get my information through torturing them? Besides, it would be more fun for me that way.” Crais smiled at the thought of torturing Crichton for his crimes. And getting closer to Aeryn.
Rygel thought it over for a few microts.
“They don’t know where Moya is right now. I know her exact location.”
“And are you willing to give me that information. Her location in return for your life?” Crais asked curiously.
“My life. And a full pardon.” Rygel stated, all the while thinking to himself nervously: ‘Crais will betray me no matter what happens. If I can delay on having to give him any information for a while, maybe I can get off this ship alive.’
“A full pardon? That will take some time. The tribunal may not be willing to trade.”
“Well then, you had better get going and convince them, hadn’t you?” Rygel said mischievously.

************

Crichton had moved himself around so that Aeryn could rest on him.
She wasn’t doing very well, but she would be alright. ‘Depending on whether she gets back in that chair’ Crichton thought anxiously.
When Aeryn stirred, Crichton wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.
Without warning, the door unlocked. Aeryn hadn’t heard it and stayed asleep.
Crais entered the room and looked straight at Aeryn, then Crichton.
“How are the lovely couple doing?” he asked sarcastically.
Crichton tightened his hold on Aeryn. “If you touch her again, I’ll kill you.” His voice was so low and level, it would have scared him if it hadn’t been for what he was saying.
“Now, now, Crichton. We both seem to have a vested interest in the remarkable Officer Sun.” Not trying to hide his cruel intentions, he added, “Unfortunately for you, this can only be used to my advantage.” He laughed as he signalled a squad of guards to enter.
Crichton started to tighten his hold on Aeryn further as he prepared himself for the worst.
Crichton’s firm grip on Aeryn woke her. She looked around, a little disoriented. Then she saw the guards coming towards them. “Crichton?” she whispered hoarsely.
She felt Crichton lean into her. His breath was on her neck. He whispered carefully, “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
His voice betrayed his false hope that he could keep this promise. Instead, he tone was filled with the desperation in wanting to keep her safe. He had no idea exactly what Crais had in store for them, but he knew it wasn’t good.
Aeryn was well aware of what Crichton’s voice disclosed, and was still a little confused. She didn’t fully understand what was happening when the first two guards reached down and tried to pick her up, except that she didn’t want to go. Unfortunately, in her state, she was no match to stop them or even struggle.
Crichton tried to stop them, but in return, one of the guards standing next to them knocked his in the temple with the end of his rifle.
“No!” he yelled as Aeryn was pulled out of his grasp. A guard stood on either side of her and dragged her from the room.
Four more guards came towards Crichton. He didn’t struggle very much, except to make them go faster, so as to catch up with Aeryn sooner.
He felt weak at the knees when he entered the large room, only to find, at the centre, the Aurora Chair. His voice caught in his throat as he saw Aeryn being strapped into the chair.
“We’ll see if you can handle watching your life, Officer Sun.” Crais said maliciously as he remembered how Aeryn had left him for dead in the chair, back at the Gammak Base.
Crichton looked at Aeryn, still in shock. He knew she was in bad shape. She couldn’t handle the chair, it would kill her, he was all too sure of that.
“I thought this might be a nice surprise for you, Crichton. It’s only a replica, but it looks like it will suit its purpose just fine. Shall we try it out?” Scorpius asked, obviously thrilled with the prospect of trying out the new prototype.
“If we can’t get to your memories,” he started cruelly as he looked from Crichton to Aeryn. “Then we’ll get to you through her.”
Scorpius could read people. Crichton couldn’t hide how he felt about this woman. He didn’t even appear to be trying to hide his feelings anymore. His face was cemented with the concern and fear he was feeling.
“I don’t know anything else about wormholes!” Crichton shouted as the guards pulled him to the side of the room. Scorpius moved towards Aeryn and stood beside her. She was struggling. He liked that. If she didn’t put up any fights, he would get the information he needed to destroy Crichton and get the wormhole information he held.
“Well then. We’ll just have to see if you know anything, won’t we Officer Sun?” He said as he raised a hand. Niem, the Peacekeeper Barbie, switched some of the knobs and pushed the lever right over as the chair turned.
Aeryn screamed out in pain as she used every ounce of strength she had been trying to store. She concentrated all of that energy on nothing. Not a thought entered her head. Through all the pain, she blocked off her mind.
“She is putting up blocks everywhere.” Niem informed Scorpius.
“Increase power. Break through them. I want what she’s hiding.” He ordered.
Niem turned the knobs further around.
Tears streamed down Aeryn’s face as the pain increased and started to overwhelm her. She didn’t think she could keep the blocks up much longer.
“The blocks are still up. If she stays like this, her mind will liquefy.”
Scorpius smiled with delight as he thought about what an impressive mind this woman had. Crichton had blocked some things, but not everything. ‘This chair is only a prototype though. She might not fair as well if we can fix it to be as powerful as the real thing.’

**********

“We have to do something!” Chiana yelled as she paced back and forth through command.
“Moya has informed me that the Prowler is returning.” Pilot notified them.
Zhaan looked up at the shell-shaped view portal to face him. “Can Moya tell how many are on board?”
Pilot looked at her solemnly. “Only Ka D’Argo is on board.”
As D’Argo docked the Prowler in the cargo bay, Zhaan, Chiana and Stark rushed in. “Thank the Goddess you’re alright.”
“What happened to the others?” Chiana asked, her voice a mixture of anger and concern.
“Crichton has gone onto the frelling ship to make a deal with Crais for Aeryn. I don’t think either of them will make it off alive.” D’Argo sounded so helpless. Zhaan feared he had given up, which was very unlike him, but he did sound so final.
D’Argo looked at Zhaan sombrely. “I am not going to let that happen.” He announced, as if he had read everyone’s minds. “I may need your help. Aeryn was in the Aurora Chair. She looked bad Zhaan.” D’Argo’s voice filled with deep fear and concern.
“We will get them out. I know we will.” Stark added, as calmly and confidently as ever.

*********

The guards slumped Aeryn to the ground. She couldn’t move. She even found herself barely able to breath.
“Crichton.” She croaked hoarsely. She couldn’t make it alone. For the first time she could admit it to herself, also knowing it wasn’t a terrible thing. It didn’t make her defenceless.
“Crichton.” She tried to call again.
“I’m here.” Aeryn heard his voice, but that was all. She couldn’t open her eyes to see him, not could see feel him near her.
Suddenly she heard someone’s footsteps on the floor. They were coming towards her. She used what strength she had to raise her arms in defence, as she was lifted slightly off the ground.
“Aeryn, it’s me. It’s John. I’m right here.” He said softly, trying to not scare her, as he hugged her in tight.
As soon as he said it was really him, Aeryn had no doubts. She slumped lifelessly in his arms.
 

Aeryn awoke again and found Crichton checking her wound.
She tried to sit up and regretted it instantly.
“Hey, don’t move.” Crichton quietly ordered.
He moved himself so that he was sitting just next to her shoulder. He helped her to sit up a little and lean against the wall.
Confused, Aeryn asked, “What happened?”
“They brought us back here, after you blacked out. It’s been about half an arn or so.”
Aeryn looked at him and noticed something other than concern on his face.
“What it is?” she asked worriedly.
Crichton was unsure if he should say anything, but he also didn’t want Aeryn to have anything else to be concerned about, get it all out inn the open, even though what he had to say would cause problems.
“You were starting to black out, and a memory started to slip out.” He felt rather distressed as he recalled what he had seen and heard just a short time ago.
Aeryn could see it.
“What memory?” Just the thought worried her. Crichton stopped concentrating on her wound and looked up at her. He looked deep into her eyes, as though trying to penetrate her soul, to see if the memory was wrong. It was actually for her sake. He felt so horrible about what he’d witnessed, since it was his fault.
“John, please. I need to know what they found out.”
“You know, I thought it must have been wrong. Maybe somehow, something made up more of the memory than there was. You told me what happened yourself. You didn’t tell me everything.” Crichton paused and put his hand gently over Aeryn’s wound. “When Scorpius shot you, and Gilina pulled you in the way to take it, you both went down.” Aeryn felt so horrible about what she knew he was going to say next, since she had purposely kept it from him. “She whispered to you ‘It’s better you than me, Aeryn. Now John won’t have a choice in who he wants to be with.’ She left you for dead. And then I come along and get all freaked out about what happened to her, instead of seeing how you were.”
“You had no idea anything had happened to me, remember?” Aeryn wanted to be able to do something to stop him feeling so guilty.
“That’s no excuse, Aeryn.” Crichton paused and looked at her. ‘Now’s as good a time as any’ he thought uneasily. “Besides,” he started. “you don’t understand everything.”
“What don’t I understand? You saw her get shot, not me.”
“You don’t understand why she said that I wouldn’t have a choice. She asked me if I wanted to be with you. Only because I asked her to come with us back to Moya. She thought it was because I loved her.”
“And you didn’t?” Aeryn asked sceptically.
Crichton was shocked to hear her ask. “Aeryn. I told you I care about you because I do. I’ve never loved Gilina. I ‘clicked’ with her while we were together, and I knew she felt the same way. The only reason I wanted her to come with us was because it wasn’t every day that a Peacekeeper, even a Tech, wanted to leave. I wanted her to have some sort of freedom, like what you were given.” ‘Even if it isn’t freedom at all’ he added silently.
“She asked me if I wanted to be with you.”
“What? When?” Crichton asked in amazement.
“When we were heading towards the stairs to the top of the Gammak Base, she asked me. She said you wouldn’t answer her.”
“Hang on. You mean just after I took off?” Aeryn just looked at him as though it was an obvious answer. “Well, she only asked me just before you got back to us with Crais’ Ident Chip.”
“Well, if you didn’t answer her…”
Crichton had to cut in and tell her what really happened. “I did answer her.”
“I don’t understand. She said…”
“She said I didn’t answer her,” Crichton finished. “Only because she must have wanted to play us against each other.” He never would have even thought it if he hadn’t seen and learnt what she was really capable of. He sighed sadly and went on.
“So, I told her that I wasn’t taking her with us for any other reason than for her safety.”
They looked at each other then. Eye to eye.
Crichton gradually leaned in closer to Aeryn. So close that his breath was on her face. His eyes drifted slowly from her lips and back up to her incredible grey eyes.
“And that…I loved you, Aeryn.”
As they closed the distance between each other, Crichton looked back up to Aeryn’s eyes and saw them glistening with unshed tears the whole ordeal had caused
They met in the middle, a soft kiss filled with a passion unlike before. Neither one was thinking about where they were. The Chair was the furthest thing from their minds. The pain and agony they had gone through, lost on them. John Crichton had finally told the most wonderful ex-Peacekeeper, Aeryn Sun, he did truly love her. He had told her the only thing his heart had left to give.
Just as the kiss started, it also stopped.
The door to their cell unlocked and a squadron of guards accompanied Captain Crais into the room. Neither John nor Aeryn moved away as they would have normally done.
They looked up at Crais, so at ease, they felt like they could face anything he threw at them.
“Another round anyone?” Crais asked with sarcastic glee.
Through the kiss, the Chair had been forgotten, but Crais’ smile brought back the memories like a flash flood.
Two guards moved to take Aeryn, which John decided would not happen today.
Aeryn clung to John long enough to pull her head into the crook of his neck.
“I love you, John Crichton.” She whispered into his ear before pushing herself away.
As she was being pulled away, Crichton looked her straight in the eye. He felt like he was going to lose her if she had to go into the Chair again. He would have to do something to remedy the situation.

TBC
I'm sorry to do this, but the writers block I have at the mo isn't letting me do much. With a little help from Shales, it will be gone VERY soon, so Part 5 will be on it's way, and you won't have to wait as long as you did for this part.

Aeryn Slayer