SEASONS Chapter II - Summer
Author: Sarah Wait
E-mail: wait@kca.net
Feedback: Comments are appreciated, constructive criticism is fine, but
flames will be used to make S'mores.
Summary: John and Aeryn return to Earth for another visit. Sequel to
"Spring".
Rating: Let's say PG, although that's probably harsh. Mild language.
Timeline: Later. ;) I'm sure it's totally AU, but I like to think that
it's set sometime in the future where things have calmed down enough for
everyone to relax. You don't have to read "Spring" to understand this one,
but it probably wouldn't hurt.
Spoilers: Anything through Season 2 is game, but as far as I can tell there
are only vague references to I, ET, and CDM
Archive: E-mail me, we'll talk.
Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the TV program "Farscape"
belong to the Jim Henson Company, Rockne S. O'Bannon, the Sci-Fi Channel,
and the actors who bring the characters to life. They have been borrowed
with love, but not permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: This is fluff. Pure, PWP *fluff*. Don't say I didn't warn
you. Thanks to Natalie for her constant encouragement and to my awesome
beta-reader Adele for not letting me get away with anything.
Copyright Sarah Wait, May 2001
SEASONS
Chapter II: Summer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Southeastern Ontario
3:05 pm CST
Aeryn Sun deftly manipulated the module's controls, reaching back to
occasionally push at the flimsy book that kept whacking her in the head.
"Crichton, I'm trying to fly this piece of scrap metal you call a ship.
Can't you find somewhere else to put that thing?"
Attempting to juggle the unwieldy atlas in the small confines of the
cockpit, John Crichton gave up and pulled it close to his chest. Peering
down at the top of his companion's head, he sighed, exasperated. Making it
to the Great Lakes area had been easy, but finding the small lake and
intersecting roads that would lead them to DK's cabin had been harder than
he'd thought. He knew that Farscape I would be virtually undetectable,
thanks to the Leviathan technology he had adapted, but lowering their
altitude much farther would increase the risk that someone would spot them.
They couldn't risk dropping closer to the ground until they had pinpointed
their location. The pressure to land as soon as possible was making them
both rather irritable. "Look Aeryn, I'm trying to get us to the right place
here. I don't want to put Farscape down in some old lady's backyard.
Besides, these things are hard enough to follow when you're at ground
level." Squinting at the view in front of them, he suddenly pointed. "There!
That's Lake Simcoe! Finally!"
With an annoyed glance over her shoulder, Aeryn leaned to the side to avoid
his arm. "So now where, Oh Great Navigator?"
John made a face at her and opened the atlas. Aeryn grumbled a warning as
it poked into the back of her head once again. "Sorry," he muttered,
focusing on the lines and squiggles that he kept insisting made sense to
him. "Okay, see where the lake kind of sticks up on top? Then there's
another little lake above it? That's the one we want. When we get closer,
you'll see a road that goes right along the south side. If you can keep us
to the left of that road, we'll be over a whole lotta nothing." With a
terse nod, Aeryn complied, waiting as long as possible before dropping down
and skimming the trees that lined the hillside.
With the main road barely visible in the distance, they sped towards the
lake, the rooftops dotting the land below becoming few and far between.
John closed the atlas and shoved it behind him, relying on his memory to
guide them. "Okay, here's where it juts out, so we need to jump over to the
other side of the road. Almost there, I promise. There's the Peterson's
dock, so it's the third. no, the fourth cabin past that. That's it, that
one! And there's just enough room in the clearing behind the garage to set
down. Perfect." Crichton grinned triumphantly as Aeryn gently landed the
module. "See, now that wasn't so bad, was it?"
Aeryn rolled her eyes and popped the hatch. Standing on her seat, she
twisted to sit on the edge of the module, her legs dangling inside as she
observed her surroundings. Her irritation fled as she inhaled the rich, cool
air of the Canadian forest and felt a slight breeze rifle her hair. The
birds, surprised into silence by their arrival, cautiously resumed their
serenade. She turned her head slightly to let her gaze encompass the vast
expanse of brilliant green trees. Crichton, straddling her empty seat,
popped up through the opening next to her. He hooked his left hand on the
front edge of the canopy opening, slinging his right arm around her to
dangle down the side of the module. "Pretty cool, huh?"
"Yes," she breathed, not entirely sure what he meant, but relatively certain
that he was as impressed with the view as she was. John, however, was
ignoring the beauty of nature, instead focusing on his companion.
During their last visit to Earth he had realized how much he loved to watch
her discover new things. When the crew had found themselves in the general
vicinity once again, he had jumped at the chance to return. It had been
surprisingly easy to talk the crew into taking the small detour, although
John suspected that the low supply of fresh rations had been just as much a
factor. They could always use the tin - staoin, he reminded himself - and
no one had complained about the prospect of having something other than food
cubes to eat. To his delight, Aeryn had been as excited about the trip as
he had been, although she had been slightly disappointed when he explained
they would not be returning to visit his father and best friend in Florida.
The heat at this time of the year could be severe, and he refused to take
any chances with Aeryn along. He had reassured her that Canada could be as
exciting and wondrous as Florida, and now he had just under a day to prove
it.
Suddenly Aeryn grinned and pointed, drawing John out of his thoughts. Two
inquisitive squirrels had ventured into the clearing, investigating the new
arrivals. Apparently deciding the bipeds did not present an opportunity for
food, the furry rodents turned and bounded away, their long tails flowing
behind them as they chased each other across the grass. John laughed as the
squirrels scurried straight up the nearest tree. Sure, the Uncharted
Territories had its own amazing wildlife, but nothing quite compared to the
simple pleasures of home. "C'mon, time's a-wastin'. Let's figure out what
we're going to do with Farscape and get inside." Placing his hands on the
flat surface behind him, he levered himself out of the module and swung his
legs around, dropping easily to the ground. Aeryn ducked inside for a
moment, reappearing with the duffel he had stored under her seat. She
tossed it to him, then took his proffered hand and landed gracefully next to
him.
John wandered around the edge of the cottage with Aeryn trailing a few feet
behind. He disappeared around the corner, and in the short moments he was
out of sight, she heard him whoop with delight. Catching up to him, she
found herself in front of a large door in the middle of a low building.
From the difference in coloring, she surmised that the structure was
significantly newer than the cabin. Crichton was staring up at the
rectangular sign centered above the doorway, laughing.
She tried to read the sign, but it made no sense to her. Obviously she had
misread it, or it was another case of bizarre human humor. "What does it
say?"
"S.S. Minnow"
Aeryn's brow furrowed. She had read it correctly, after all. "Why is that
so funny?"
"It's DK's way of telling me that this is a hiding place for the module."
He smiled at Aeryn, mischief twinkling in his eyes. "Another ship that was
supposed to go out for a short cruise and got a little... lost."
Aeryn shook her head and dropped the subject. Some things were better left
unexplained. Besides, there was another adornment on this structure that
had caught her attention. She took a few steps to the side of the door to
study the locking mechanism. A small panel was covered with buttons, which
were in turn printed with what she recognized as human numbers. "I hope you
know the code sequence, Crichton, or your hiding place won't be of much use,
after all."
Moving to her side, Crichton studied the numbers briefly. "Hmmm... Well,
this *is* DK..." Without hesitation, he reached out and quickly punched six
buttons. The small light at the top of the panel switched from red to
green, and Aeryn heard the click of the lock disengaging.
"There could have been thousands of combinations, Crichton. How did you
know the sequence on the first try?"
John chuckled as he bent to lift the door open. "DK may be a brilliant
theoretical scientist, but he can't remember a password to save his life.
Every code or sequence he's ever come up with since junior high has either
been his birthday or the name of his family's first cat." With a loud
rattle, the door rolled upwards to expose the empty, cavernous interior.
With a triumphant smile, John turned back to Aeryn. "You drive, I'll
direct."
~~~~~
With the module secure in the outbuilding, they climbed the stairs to the
porch stretching across the front of the small cabin. This door had a lock
that Aeryn recognized as a more traditional human design. Crichton withdrew
the key that DK had given him on their last visit to Earth and unlocked the
door, gesturing gallantly for Aeryn to proceed him inside.
The cabin was small, but functional. She couldn't remember the word John
had used to describe it to her, but she knew exactly which word *she* would
use... "Tiny," Aeryn muttered.
"Cozy," John corrected with a grin.
Aeryn rolled her eyes and started to walk around the main room that
accounted for almost the entire interior of the cabin. Directly to the left
of the door, a heating unit was recessed into the wall. Crichton had
grabbed a few pieces of wood from the porch and placed them inside. He was
currently trying to ignite them, without much luck. Aeryn raised an eyebrow
at the antiquated process, then shrugged and continued her perusal of her
home for the next solar day.
Across from the heating unit sat a couch similar to the one she remembered
from the Crichton household. Low shelves overflowing with books and a
variety of items she couldn't identify covered the wall to her left, all
under a large window that looked out to the trees. The right half of the
room was filled by three metal cots, a tall wooden box with large doors, and
beyond that, a small desk. She took the few steps necessary to reach the
other side of the room, depositing their bag on the last bed as she passed.
Opening the doors on the front of the box, she found a large assortment of
bedcoverings. Grabbing two of the heavier blankets, she took a moment to
rub her fingers over the smooth, sturdy wood before closing the doors. What
was the name John had used? *Of course,* she thought smugly as she tossed
the blankets onto the other bed, *an armory. Very appropriate.*
Behind her, she heard Crichton swearing under his breath. She turned to
study him for a moment, biting back a laugh as she watched him struggle with
a pile of papers and small sticks. He stopped, and she quickly turned away
again before he caught her watching him. Crossing to the back of the cabin,
she opened a door to reveal a bathroom. It, too, was what she would
describe as 'tiny', but with its sink, toilet, and shower stall, it had the
necessities. She closed the door and wandered into the kitchen area,
resisting the urge to open every cabinet she passed just to see what was
inside.
Walking around the long counter and back into the main part of the cabin,
she approached the table that took up most of the space between the kitchen
and the back of the couch. An envelope was propped in the middle of the
smooth wooden surface, and after a moment's hesitation, she reached out to
snag it between her fingers. Slowly sounding out the letters as John had
taught her, she read the word scrawled across the front. "Roy."
It took a moment for John to realize she was speaking to him. He had
finally succeeded in starting a small fire and had been desperately trying
to keep it going. As the kindling finally began to glow with flames, he
breathed a small sigh of relief. He never had earned that damn merit badge
for fire-making during his short-lived Scouting career, and it was apparent
he wouldn't have earned one on this attempt, either... The cabin was still
warm from the heat of the late summer sun, but he knew how good a fire would
feel once the sun went down. While the cabin was completely wired with
electricity, it just wasn't economically feasible to put a modern heater in
the place. Of course, during their winter visits, DK always swore an
electric furnace was next on his list of improvements. While he had
apparently talked himself out of it once again, DK had obviously gone to a
lot of trouble to prepare for the chance that his friend would visit the
cabin. A smile spread across John's face as he hurried towards Aeryn,
brushing his hands off on his pants. "My man DK."
Aeryn handed him the envelope and he eagerly opened it, but she interrupted
him before he could look inside. "What does that mean, 'Roy'? You used it
when you contacted him last time, too."
John laughed. "It's from a movie we used to watch over and over again when
we were kids. It was about a man who sees a spaceship and then is obsessed
with finding the aliens. It's called 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind',
and the guy's name is Roy Neary."
They had discussed 'movies' before - Aeryn had been exposed to television
while at the Crichton home, but he hadn't had enough time to fully introduce
her to more than the news and a few sitcoms. "So what happens?"
"Well, at the end he gets chosen to go on the spaceship with the aliens. It
just seemed to fit..." They laughed, and John finally peered inside the
envelope. With a low whistle, he removed a few hundred dollars in Canadian
bills, then a single sheet of paper. "Yeah, I owe you big-time for this
one, buddy," he muttered to himself. Unfolding the letter, he read it
aloud.
"Roy -
We figured you didn't have any of the local currency with you, considering
your long trip. If you get a chance, drop us a line and let us know how
you're doing. By the way, the tank's full.
Take care - George & Lucas
P.S. Say hi to Gorgeous for us."
John looked up from the letter and obediently parroted, "Hi, Gorgeous."
Aeryn's cheeks flushed slightly pink, as close to blushing as he'd ever seen
her do. He winked and shook the envelope, dislodging a set of keys.
Quirking an eyebrow at Aeryn, he walked over to the door in the far right
corner of the back wall and opened it. A familiar junky blue pickup sat in
the lone stall of the attached garage.
"Hey, looks like DK thought of everything," John observed, moving back into
the kitchen.
Aeryn stepped up to the door and peered through, recognizing the vehicle and
smiling. "Yes, it does. Are you ready to go get supplies?"
"We can't go yet. We still have one problem."
Confused, Aeryn turned back to find Crichton leaning against the counter,
his arms crossed over his chest as he studied her. "And what's that?"
"Well, since we're on our own, we have to go out in public. Which means we
can't draw attention to ourselves," he explained.
Aeryn nodded. Obviously they had to be careful - so where was he headed with
this? "So?" She fidgeted uncomfortably as John's eyes traveled slowly from
her head to her feet, then back up again. "Just tell me, Crichton!"
His lips crooked into a small smile as he slowly drawled, "I love that
outfit, darlin', but as sexy as you look in those clothes, attention is
exactly what you'll draw. Lots of it."
Aeryn glanced down at herself, feeling her face flush yet again. This
planet had a very bad influence on her circulation, she decided. She hadn't
given her clothing a second thought. But if Crichton believed.... It was
just a vest and pants! She had never realized her clothing had affected
John - or anyone else - in such a way, and she was surprised to find how
much that thought pleased her. But if he thought she would attract unwanted
attention dressed like this, he was probably right. She desperately wanted
to go with him, but she was suddenly afraid that he would have to leave her
at the cabin. Her mind raced to find a solution. "I could wear the clothes
you gave me last - " she began.
John made a strangled noise and quickly shook his head. "Sorry, but my
boxers aren't much better."
He pushed away from the counter and sauntered over to a small chest sitting
along the wall next to the shelves. Opening the top, he pulled out a bag
similar to the duffel he had taken back to Moya after their last visit to
Earth. He closed the lid and dropped the bag on top, then began to rummage
through it. "Bingo."
Fifteen minutes later, John smiled victoriously as Aeryn slowly pirouetted
in front of him. With her red t-shirt and freshly cropped sweat shorts, she
looked every bit the Canadian tourist. Her hair was threaded through the
back of a baseball cap, and her piercing blue eyes were hidden by dark
sunglasses. In his own navy blue t-shirt and soft jean shorts, so worn they
now ended in a mess of strings right above the knee, they would easily blend
in with the crowd. Not that he planned on spending much time in a crowd,
John amended.
While he was relieved to have found a pair of old tennis shoes by the garage
door, Aeryn was having trouble adjusting to the flat-soled sandals he had
found for her to wear. Hopefully no one else would notice that she
alternated between shuffling and stumbling. But, like everything else,
Aeryn was quickly getting the hang of them. Satisfied with the results of
his little make-over, John tossed Aeryn one of the sweatshirts he was
holding and settled his own hat on his head.
"Are we finally ready, Crichton?"
Grabbing the envelope with the money and car keys, John bowed and swept his
arm towards the garage door. "After you, m'lady," he quipped with a grin.
"About time," Aeryn grumbled good-naturedly.
The last ten miles of the trip would be on the main highway that led into
Orillia, but the only road leading from the cabin to the highway was a
two-lane monstrosity that John dreaded driving in the winter. Even during
the summer it kept everyone but the locals out of the area, a fact he was
incredibly thankful for now.
John started the engine and waited for the garage door to rumble upwards,
smothering a grin as Aeryn immediately reached for the radio. Thankfully,
there were not many alternatives this far from Toronto, so she quickly
settled on a station and leaned back to enjoy the scenery as it flew by
outside her window.
*****
4:43 pm
After winding their way down the mountain road and following the highway
along the lake, they arrived in Orillia, a small town bustling with the
activity of other tourists. Even with the new developments near the edge of
town, John easily navigated his way to the main grocery store. They would
encounter more people at this large chain store, but he figured it would be
easier to blend in there than in one of the smaller, privately-owned grocers
he and DK usually frequented.
As the doors slid open in front of them, Aeryn abruptly halted. It was as
if an entire commerce planet had been placed inside one building. No
individual owners to barter with, Crichton explained, but everything
centralized and at a fixed price. This was apparently another aspect of
John's world that she would no longer be able to classify as "primitive"...
John smiled at the overwhelmed expression on Aeryn's face, idly wondering
how shocked she would have been had he taken her to one of the large
national chains back home. It was nice to finally be on the non-shocked end
of new experiences. He grabbed a cart and they made their way to the
produce section, slowly starting down the first aisle while he provided a
non-stop commentary. "Oh, man, these apples look incredible. I can't
remember the last time I had a fresh, juicy apple. You'd like 'em, Aeryn,
nice and crispy. Don't they look good, Aeryn? Aeryn??"
Spinning around frantically, John finally spotted his errant alien half an
aisle back, mesmerized by the sprinkler system that had just begun misting
the vegetable display.
Fortunately, to anyone else her fascination appeared to be nothing more than
an intense scrutiny of the broccoli, but John wasn't taking any chances.
Trying to appear nonchalant, he strolled back to stand beside her. When she
noticed his presence, Aeryn tugged at his arm and started whispering
urgently, gesturing towards the carrots. "Dunadh!" Grabbing one, she
scrutinized it closely, then with a disgusted snort, tossed it back on the
pile. "But they're much too small."
"Too small? Dunadh? You lost me, Aeryn."
Aeryn snagged another carrot and shook it under his nose. "Dunadh! They're
a delicacy! In ancient Sebacean culture, only the royals were allowed to
eat them. But to serve them dunadh as small as these would have been a
great insult, Crichton." She waved the carrot dismissively, then began
using it to poke at the other carrots, flipping them over and pushing them
off to the side as she looked for the stash of regulation-size 'dunadh'.
John rescued the vegetable and returned it in the display. "So I take it
you don't want to get any?"
Aeryn spun around to face him, her eyes wide and incredulous. "Haven't you
been listening, Crichton?"
"Apparently not," John sighed, but he doubted Aeryn heard him. She was
already talking again.
"When I was ten, maybe twelve cycles old, we were given a challenge by the
older trainees. We had to break into the refrigeration unit where the
rations for the high-ranking officers were kept. Only two of us made it,
and as proof we brought back dunadh. It was the only time I've ever tasted
it, Crichton, and even after all this time I still think it's the most
delicious thing I've ever eaten. But this small - I doubt they'd taste the
same," she finished wistfully.
John was about to shock her with the news of the completely offensive 'baby
carrot' when he noticed an elderly couple a few feet down the aisle. They
looked as if they wanted to come closer, but were a little wary of
interrupting what they probably assumed was a lover's spat. With a weak
smile and a shrug, he took a few steps towards them and murmured
conspiratorially, "She wins the blue ribbon at the state fair for her
home-grown carrot cake, and she hasn't seen a decent one at the store since.
All I want is a salad..." They laughed and smiled indulgently as John
reached back and grabbed the closest bundle, then firmly pulled Aeryn back
towards the cart.
"Okay, we've got the carrots - sorry, 'dunadh'," he corrected when Aeryn
glared. "Whatever. We've got 'em. But I'm not gonna risk losing you in
here, little Miss Sight-Seer." Aeryn's face fell briefly, only to be
immediately replaced by growing anger. Uh-oh... Thinking quickly, John
pushed the cart towards her. "Sooo... you get to drive."
"*Much* better," she declared softly, a triumphant grin spreading across her
features.
They had made it to the end of the aisle without incident when John stopped
to let a woman and her small child pass. Almost instantly, an intense pain
shot through the back of his ankles.
"OW!" He spun around to see Aeryn wincing sympathetically as she yanked the
cart back towards her. Cursing under his breath, he hobbled around to her.
She glanced guiltily at the towering display of colorful cereal boxes that
had distracted her. "I have a better idea," he instructed as he gently
pulled her hands away from the handle. He led her to the side of the cart
and wrapped her fingers around the edge. "You hang on here so I don't lose
you, and I might have a chance of being able to walk in the morning."
Aeryn nodded agreeably. "Sorry," she mumbled.
Almost two hours later, they had finally wandered up and down every aisle in
the store. The cart was close to overflowing, as John had given in not only
to his cravings, but also to Aeryn's curiosity. It didn't help that the
bottom of the cart was lined with two solid rows of canned food, carefully
chosen according to the requests of the crew. Finally arriving in a
check-out line, they piled their purchases on the end of the counter behind
another large order. The cashier sighed when she turned to see the mountain
of cans waiting for her, but pasted on a bright smile to ask "Paper or
plastic?"
John smiled and pretended he hadn't noticed her not-so-subtle glance at the
clock. "Just the boxes for the cans, and paper for the rest, thanks," he
answered. As their purchases started to beep through the scanner, he turned
and skimmed the headlines in the nearby display.
"JFK Sunbathes with Mob Boss in '60!"
"Woman Gives Birth to Monkey Baby!"
"Astronaut makes First Contact - and Decides to Stay with Aliens!"
Squinting, John leaned closer, then grabbed the paper out of the stand with
a laugh. "Hey, I made the tabloids!"
Aeryn, her attention focused on the cooler of fruit juices across the aisle,
automatically corrected him. "Tav-LEKS." Wait a minute, that wasn't
right...Tavleks on Earth? She spun around to face him, her eyes searching
the front of the store frantically.
John shook his head emphatically. "No, this time *I'm* right. Tab-loids.
Look." He held the paper out to her, proudly displaying the fuzzy picture
in the top corner. A shot of him in his flightsuit dating back to his first
shuttle trip had been spliced next to an alien that looked like a cross
between E.T. and The Grinch.
Flipping the paper open to the middle, he cleared his throat and began to
read. "In 1999, second- generation astronaut John Crichton, Jr. disappeared
from a testing run somewhere in the empty space above Earth. Assumed dead
by both his country and family, sources close to The Daily Digest indicate
that Commander Crichton has instead been living the good life in the
uncharted regions of our galaxy. As our latest unofficial ambassador to
outer space, Crichton has even found time to hob-nob with royalty and
experience a few Kirk-ian encounters, all while accomplishing his covert
IASA assignment of experimenting with various forms of alien technology.
Recent progresses in the realm of virtual reality and genetic cloning can be
attributed to his findings, relayed to his superiors via orbiting shuttle -
"
Aeryn cut him off before he could finish the paragraph. "Crichton, we have
to get out of here. What if someone recognizes you?" Her voice rose as her
gaze darted around the store, searching for the closest exit.
John grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him. "Aeryn, the only thing
people are going to notice is you yelling at me," he explained, his voice
barely above a whisper. He waved the tabloid dismissively. "Trust me,
*nobody* believes these things - that's the whole point. I promise you, we
are in no danger here. I know what I'm doing. Just trust me, okay?"
"Trust you."
"Yeah." John heard the dubious note in Aeryn's voice, but he could feel her
muscles relaxing under his gentle grip. Leaning towards her ear, he
whispered teasingly, "C'mon, have I ever been wrong before?"
Aeryn snorted and pulled back from him. "Would you like a list?" she
hissed, but the smile playing along her lips took the sting out of her
words. John grinned back, but kept his hand resting lightly on her arm.
She was still tense, but his touch seemed to calm her.
The cashier cleared her throat in the not-so-subtle hint that it was now
their turn to check out, the bored expression on her face confirming that
their discussion had not been overheard. "I'm assuming you want to drive
up?" she asked, waving at the tower of groceries a stockboy was loading into
carts.
John shot a friendly grin in her direction, then tipped his head towards
Aeryn. "Yeah. Her sister's coming up tomorrow with her kid's Brownie
troop. A dozen ten-year-old girls 'camping out' for three days."
With a look of sympathy, the cashier nodded her understanding. "Here's your
receipt. The liquor store is down the street on the right."
John laughed and thanked the woman, then slipped his hand down to take
Aeryn's and started for the door. There was a moment of confusion when
Aeryn realized they were leaving without the supplies they had spent the
last few arns purchasing, but with his earlier words echoing in her mind,
she allowed Crichton to lead her out of the store. *Trust me.* It sounded
so simple - and as she thought about, she realized it could be.
~~~~~
6:55 pm
As they left the parking lot, the groceries loaded in the back of the
pickup, John headed slowly towards the main drag. Now where? They really
didn't have anything else they needed to do, but he wasn't ready to head
back to the cabin. "You hungry yet?"
Aeryn didn't answer. Stopping at a red light, John glanced over just in
time to see her swallow hastily. With a guilty smile, she held up a
half-empty bag of baby carrots. "Hungry? Not anymore..."
"Where did you get those?" John demanded.
Aeryn gestured towards the sliding glass windows in the back of the cab.
"This arrangement is incredibly handy, Crichton, and you were so considerate
to put the bag with the dunadh right up against it." She laughed as he
glowered at her. With a playful smile, she waved one of the carrots at him.
"They taste a bit different than I remember, but they're still delicious."
With a chuckle, Crichton snatched the carrot out of her hand. "Good, 'cause
if that's what you do to food you *don't* like, I'm not letting you anywhere
near my french fries," he quipped. Crunching on the carrot, he pulled onto
the main road. "Let's take a quick drive through town and see if we can
find something to do for a bit, then grab a bite to eat. We didn't get
anything that needs to be refrigerated right away, so we don't need to
hurry."
They had barely left the grocery store when Crichton suddenly slowed and
changed lanes, a grin spreading across his face. "No way. No *way*," he
chuckled.
Aeryn twisted around, trying to figure out what had caught his attention.
"What? What is it?" All she could see was a large white fence with a sign
that had enough missing letters to make it incomprehensible, at least to
her.
"Change of plans, darlin'. We're gonna have to take this stuff back to the
cabin after all. I just figured out what we're going to do tonight."
"And that would be?" A note of impatience crept into her voice, and John
couldn't help but smile. As curious as the ex-Peacekeeper was, she sure
didn't like surprises. Too bad - there was no way he was going to spoil
this one for her.
"Let's just say that it'll take care of entertainment and dinner all in one
fell swoop," he answered evasively, turning the pickup onto a road that
would lead to the highway.
Back at the cabin they quickly unloaded the groceries and rearranged them
for transport the next day. At one point he turned to find Aeryn digging
purposefully through one of the bags, shoving aside plastic jars of spices
and cans of Crisco before triumphantly emerging with a small cardboard box.
She studied the label intently, a perplexed look on her face. "I thought I
remembered seeing that word," she announced, holding the box out to him.
"Brownies. What exactly does this have to do with intoxicants and large
groups of young girls?"
John laughed, remembering the look of confusion that had skittered across
Aeryn's face while he was talking to the clerk. "I'll explain on the way
back to town," he told her.
Directing Aeryn to grab some blankets out of the armoire, John finished
putting away the groceries. As they left the cabin, he grabbed a few
folding lawn chairs from the garage and tossed them in the back of the
truck, then they headed back to town.
~~~~~
8:02 pm
Sitting up straighter in her seat, Aeryn leaned forward as they approached
the white fence with the sign. Crichton was still refusing to tell her
where they were going, so it was up to her to figure it out. She studied
the sign closely, but the missing letters still prevented her from
deciphering their message. With a frustrated sigh, she flopped back against
the seat and glared at Crichton. She couldn't believe it - he actually had
the audacity to chuckle at her. Frell. She hated surprises.
Crichton turned the truck onto a small dirt road leading to a break in the
fence, where a short line of vehicles had already formed. They crept along
for a few hundred microts while Aeryn strained to see around the fence and
into the enclosure. At the edge of the fence, Crichton stopped at a small
building and held a piece of money out through his open window. "Start
about nine?" he asked.
"Yep. It's gonna be a long night," the young woman in the building replied.
She handed some coins back to Crichton, who thanked her and pulled forward.
Aeryn looked around eagerly, but her excitement immediately turned to
disappointment. The rows of cars gave her no more information than the
short conversation had - for all she could tell, they were at another food
market. She fumed silently as Crichton drove slowly through the rows,
finally selecting an open space and pulling into it. With an irritated
frown, she twisted around in her seat. "Crichton? Why are we backwards?"
All of the other cars were facing the other way, pointed towards a huge
white wall.
The delighted look on Crichton's face almost made her forget her
frustration. Almost. "Because. We have a truck."
"Crichton!" That did it. Any patience she still had instantly disappeared.
"What is this place?" Aeryn demanded.
"It's a drive-in theatre," Crichton grinned. "We get to watch movies
outside."
Aeryn's eyes widened with astonishment. John was right, the surprise had
been worth it. Finally, she was going to see a movie. John had told her
about them on so many different occasions, promising that they were much
more exciting than the tee-vee she had seen at his father's home in Florida.
But... "Isn't the viewscreen back there?"
John nodded patiently. "Yeah, but like I said. We have a truck." At
Aeryn's exasperated glare, he turned the truck off and opened his door.
"C'mon, I'll show you."
It took less than a quarter-arn to transform the back of the truck into a
comfortable viewing area. Aeryn helped John set up the folding chairs,
piling the blankets high around them for warmth once the sun set. The
trickiest part was attaching the clunky metal speakers to the sliding
windows in the back of the cab, but after a few tries and a little bit of
swearing, they had 'stereo', as John called it. "Hungry now?" he asked.
At her enthusiastic nod, he grabbed her hand and they made their way to the
"snack bar", as Crichton called it - although it looked a good deal tamer
than any bar she had ever been in.
Once they were inside, John took great delight in picking out their meal.
He had to introduce Aeryn to all the traditional movie fare, he explained.
Popcorn, hot dogs, Cokes... Item after item piled onto the tray as they
made their way through the line to the register.
As John paid for the food, the young man behind the counter studied him
intently. Aeryn was beginning to get nervous when he finally asked, "Hey,
did anyone ever tell you that you look like that American astronaut that
disappeared a while back? Crichton, or something like that?"
Aeryn stiffened automatically and John reached over to take her hand. The
gesture seemed casual, but his grip on her hand was solid. She could have
easily broken free, but she reminded herself that this was his world. She
had to trust him. Relaxing only slightly, she waited to see how he would
handle it.
John glanced at Aeryn, noting her worried expression. He smiled
reassuringly, then turned back to the teenager, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, I
get that a lot, actually." He laughed good-naturedly and the boy smiled,
obviously relieved that he hadn't irritated a customer. With a casual
"Thanks" and a grin, John squeezed Aeryn's hand, then released it to gather
their purchases. Loading her down with the popcorn bucket and hot dogs, he
grabbed the drinks and they made their way back to the truck, juggling the
armloads of food.
When they reached the truck, John jumped in and set the food down, then
rearranged the chairs to face the dying sunlight. At Aeryn's small sound of
protest, he quickly explained, "Gotta be able to see what we're eating."
With a longing glance at the screen, Aeryn settled into her chair and set
the bucket of popcorn at her feet. "We'll move 'em back in time for the
movie," John reassured her as he sat down, balancing the hot dogs on his
knees. "You won't miss a microt, I promise." He reached back and grabbed
their drinks, and following his example carefully, she removed the covering
from the plastic tube and pushed it through the hole in the top of her
container.
John nodded in approval. "Now suck."
"Excuse me??"
John laughed. "Just do it, but don't breathe at the same time."
With a skeptical look, Aeryn obeyed. Her eyes widened in surprise as a
familiar taste filled her mouth. Soda. Quickly getting the hang of the
'straw', she took small drinks, remembering the potentially embarrassing
effects that resulted when she drank too much too fast.
Crichton waited until she had finished taking a long drink and placed the
cup at her feet, then handed her a makeshift tray with a hot dog and a large
pile of popcorn from the bucket at her feet. "Dinner is served, madam."
Aeryn savored the light, buttery taste of the popcorn, reluctantly switching
to her hot dog only when Crichton insisted it needed to be eaten before it
got cold. Carefully balancing the strange bread and meat combination, she
followed Crichton's example and tilted her head to take a bite. "Mmmm..."
she murmured, ketchup running over her fingers. Swallowing, she glanced at
Crichton. "What is it, exactly?"
He studied her somberly. "I don't think I'm supposed to say."
She stopped, her mouth inches from another bite. "What? What do you mean?"
John shook his head. "Never mind, just enjoy it. Trust me, it'll be better
that way." With a shrug, she quickly set to work on the remainder of her
meal.
She had just finished her hot dog and was reaching for another handful of
popcorn when she realized Crichton was staring at her. He didn't look
worried, or happy, or upset, he was just... looking at her. Her eyes locked
with his, and she experimentally licked her lips, wondering if she had
catch-up on her face. His mouth quirked into a small grin, but he didn't
look away. "What?" she finally asked, wondering what Erp custom she had
violated to earn this response.
Crichton shook his head as if coming out of a trance. To Aeryn's amazement,
his cheeks flushed slightly pink as he stammered out an explanation.
"Nothing. It's just... the light from the sunset. It made you look... I
don't know, ethereal or something. Beautiful. Well, more than usual, that
is. You just kind of... glowed, the way the light washed over you. Like a
sun worshipping a Sun."
Now it was Aeryn's turn to blush. Embarrassed but pleased by his comments,
she glanced away for a moment, pretending to study the napkin on her lap.
When she turned back, she suddenly realized exactly what he meant. The
fading light sent a play of colors across his face, making his skin seemed
darker and contrasting sharply with his pale eyes. They almost seemed to
sparkle, and for a moment, she found herself unable to look away. Then he
smiled knowingly, and she immediately raised her gaze to study the view he
had praised so earnestly. For the first time in cycles, she took a moment
to actually *watch* a sunset. The sky was filled with oranges and reds,
streaks of darker purple trailing from the horizon. Everything around them
was bathed in a soft glow of light. "It's been a long time since I've
noticed sunsets. I've seen so many different kinds, on so many different
planets... I guess I stopped paying attention to them as anything more than
an indication that night was about to fall." She paused for a moment as
they watched the sun slowly sink below the horizon. "It's almost like the
sky is on fire," she murmured.
"Beautiful," John repeated. She turned to him, only to find that he was
staring at her again. He quickly averted his gaze to the horizon.
"Absolutely gorgeous."
Strangely flustered, Aeryn settled back in her chair and craned her neck to
see the screen, which had come to life moments after the sun had
disappeared. Fuzzy lines tracked over the surface, accompanied by a buzzing
from the speakers behind them. After a moment the lines went black, then a
green screen with writing appeared. John stood and moved his chair against
the back of the truck. Following his lead, Aeryn pivoted her chair to face
the screen, then leaned forward in anticipation. "Is this it? Is it
starting?"
To her dismay, John shook his head. "No, not quite yet. First we get to
watch some previews. They just explain other movies." After a quick look
at the disappointment on her face, he added, "They don't last very long."
Somewhat placated, she sighed and tried to follow the mixture of dialogue,
images, and words that supposedly explained the stories. When the third
green background filled the screen, she started to get impatient. "So which
one is the one we're watching?"
"None of them. You don't get a preview for the one you're coming to see -
the theory is, you saw a preview for it at *another* movie, and that's why
you're here now."
Aeryn rolled her eyes. "Fine. So what's *this* one about, Crichton?"
John shrugged. Apparently he was still determined to make this a surprise,
a fact that she found highly irritating. "Don't worry, you'll like it. All
of them."
"There's more than one?"
"Yep. You always get more than one at the drive-in." He refused to say more,
so Aeryn gave up and tried to concentrate on the last few previews.
Overwhelmed by the random images and words that flashed across the screen,
she reached for more popcorn, only to have her hand collide with Crichton's
inside the bucket. Their slippery fingers tangled briefly, then stilled.
Glancing away from the screen, she met his gaze and they exchanged a private
smile. John squeezed her fingers lightly, turned his attention back to the
screen. After a moment - and with a handful of popcorn - Aeryn did the
same.
Soon the screen darkened for the final time, and John muttered, "Here we
go."
A brief sentence appeared on the screen. Aeryn was learning English quickly,
but John knew she would never be able to keep up. Leaning over so his lips
were next to her ear, he softly read the words to her.
"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away."
The music started, and Aeryn sucked in her breath. John grinned and began to
read. Aeryn was instantly captivated by the story that unfolded. She
completely ignored him except to lean over whenever there were words on the
screen, but he didn't mind. He knew the movies by heart, and it was much
more entertaining to watch her get caught up in the characters and plot that
had instantly fascinated him the first time he had seen them, so many years
ago.
However, as the movie progressed, he was surprised at how much of it seemed
new and different. Trying to imagine how it all looked to Aeryn was only
half the fun. He had seen the trilogy so often he could recite it, but his
own experiences in the past few cycles put a unique spin on things for him,
too. Since he knew that Lucas had used real languages as a basis for many
of the alien dialects, he had idly wondered if his translator microbes would
allow him to understand them. That theory was shot down as he strained to
understand the Jawas surrounding R2-D2. *Chipmunks on speed,* he decided.
The first movie ended, and Aeryn turned to John, slightly disappointed that
she would have to wait until the end of intermission - whatever that was -
before the second movie would start. "So *this* is what you expected to find
beyond your planet?"
"More or less. Actually, this movie is what got me seriously interested in
space exploration to begin with."
Aeryn snorted. "Well, that explains a lot, Crichton."
John couldn't help but laugh. The Uncharted Territories might be in
Technicolor, but Aeryn was right - he had certainly gotten more than he
bargained for.
As the second movie started, he gave up all pretense of watching the screen
and focused on the Sebacean next to him. Aeryn was totally relating to the
movie, laughing at the aliens, comparing the planets to those they had
visited together. He hadn't enjoyed a movie this much since he and DK had
snuck into 'Jaws' when they were in junior high. They had escaped
punishment, he recalled, because his father had believed that two Florida
teenagers terrified of the beach for an entire summer was punishment
enough...
Aeryn remained completely focused on the screen until the wavering image of
"Hobie on Cannoli" instructed Luke to go to Dagobah for training. John,
still snickering over the image of the Jedi Master as an Italian surfer,
took one look at Aeryn's furrowed brow and abruptly sobered, then launched a
serious attempt to sink through the bed of the pickup. It would be just his
luck for Aeryn to remember the rest of his flippant description. Tearing
her gaze from the screen a moment later, Aeryn regarded him suspiciously.
"Little green guy. Trains warriors."
John gave her a weak grin and his best innocent-look, but remained silent.
A few minutes later, her eyebrows lifted. "*This* is Yoda???"
He couldn't help it - he had to laugh. "Yep."
Aeryn snorted. "He looks like Rygel, not a warrior."
John squinted at the screen. She did have a point.
As soon as the credits began to roll, the interrogation began. "What did he
mean, 'there is another'? Is Doc Raider really his father? How could she
hear him in her head like that?" Nodding politely, yet still refusing to
answer her questions, John took Aeryn's hand firmly in his and headed for
the bathroom. He didn't care if Sebaceans had superior bladders; an entire
Mega- Jumbo Size soda warranted a potty break on any planet.
Stopping in full view of the door marked 'Gals', John pointed. "I'm not
tellin'. You have to wait, just like everybody else." The door swung open
and John caught sight of the long line waiting inside. "And apparently you
have to wait here, too." Aeryn opened her mouth to protest, but John just
shrugged. "I'm not gonna tell you, so you might as well do something
productive while you wait. Go. Now. I'll be right here."
Aeryn grumbled, but headed for the door. With a grin, John made a quick
trip through the 'Guys' door, then went to the snack bar one last time.
Waiting for Aeryn exactly where he had promised, he muttered quiet pleas for
her to hurry before his next surprise succumbed to the elements.
It seemed like forever before she finally emerged. Her brow furrowed, she
approached him slowly, studying his hands. John rolled his eyes. This was
not the time for Aeryn to get suspicious again. "Will you just get over
here and eat this thing before it melts?" he pleaded.
"What is it?"
"It's an ice cream cone," John declared proudly, taking a quick bite off the
top of one to prevent the melting treat from toppling over. At her confused
look, he swallowed and tried again. "Iza- sgream." Her face lit up as she
recognized the name of the treat that had earned such high - yet completely
confusing - praise from the human during their unfortunate encounter with
T'raltixx.
"Ready for a bite?" he asked. Aeryn nodded eagerly, but instead of taking
it from him like he expected, she imitated his earlier movement and swooped
down to take a bite just as he held it up to her. As a result, she
misjudged the distance - badly - and wound up with cold ice cream decorating
the end of her nose. Choking back a laugh, John avoided her furious glare
and swiveled his hips towards her. "Umm, napkin. Back pocket."
Still scowling, Aeryn reached around and snagged one of the paper towels.
John opened his mouth to make a witty remark, then immediately decided it
was wiser to remain silent. Instead, he carefully held the cone out to her
again.
Balling the napkin up in her free hand, Aeryn gingerly took the cone and
studied it critically. With a shrug, she leaned in and took a stab at the
creamy mixture with her tongue. Her face instantly broke into a smile.
"Like it?" John asked rhetorically. Her answer was garbled as she took
another bite. "Good. You'd better like it, 'cause even though junk food is
required at a drive-in, two ice cream cones is a bit much, even for me."
Determining that Aeryn had the situation under control, John concentrated on
his own cone. He wasn't even halfway through before he realized that Aeryn
was no longer eating, but had fixed her gaze on a point a few feet away.
Thankfully, she looked intrigued, not worried. "Aeryn? What is it?"
She stared harder. "I thought I saw something..." John caught a small
flash of light slightly to the left, his suspicions confirmed as Aeryn
jerked her head in that direction. "There it is again!"
Crichton laughed and took her hand, firmly placing his cone in her grip. He
walked slowly towards the spot Aeryn had been studying so intently and
waited.
Aeryn took another impatient swipe at her cone. "What is it, Crichton?"
As if on cue, John swung his arms out and clapped his hands together in
front of him. Grinning triumphantly, he returned to the curious Sebacean.
Gently separating his cupped hands, he showed her the insect nestled inside.
"It's a lightning bug." He nodded at her inquisitive look. "Yeah, like
during a thunderstorm - because they light up just like lightning does.
They're called fireflies, too." Blowing softly into his hands, he
encouraged the insect to go about its business, then gestured towards the
empty lot that bordered the drive-in. "See, look out at the field. You can
see all kinds of them out there flashing to each other. It's how they
communicate."
Aeryn smiled as she watched the field blink with the glow of hundreds of
fireflies. After a few quiet moments, she gasped. Concerned, John quickly
turned back to her, only to see a trail of melted ice cream making its way
down the backs of her fingers.
"Oops," he chuckled, taking his cone from her other hand. "Quick, Aeryn,
before it melts any more." Slightly distracted watching Aeryn lick the
sticky ice cream off her fingers - okay, he was *seriously* distracted, he
admitted to himself - John was surprised to feel a trickle slide over his
own thumb, forcing his attention back to his own cone. He quickly swiped
his tongue around the base of the ice cream, hoping to cut off any more
drips. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aeryn take a huge bite off the
top of her cone. Mumbling around a mouthful of ice cream, he warned, "No,
Aeryn, don't take that big of a - " He sighed as her eyes clenched shut and
her free hand flew up to clutch at her forehead. "...bite," he finished
unnecessarily.
"OW! Crichton!!"
He watched her face carefully, hoping Sebaceans didn't have some kind of
reverse Heat Delirium, until she slowly opened her eyes again.
"Congratulations, you've just had your first ice-cream headache."
She glared at him accusingly, her eyes watering, but she cautiously resumed
eating the rapidly melting dessert.
A few minutes later, cones finished and hands freshly washed, they hurried
back to the truck as the last movie started. Aeryn snuggled into her chair
as John pulled his closer, then draped a blanket over both of them. He
could tell that she was getting tired as the movie progressed, but she
refused to fall asleep. At one point he had draped his arm around her and
she had allowed her head to rest on his shoulder, but after a moment she
jerked awake and pushed away from him, determined to make it through the
final film. However, she had protested when he started to pull his arm
away.
John was about to fall asleep himself by the time the final credits began
rolling across the screen. Any sluggishness disappeared, however, when he
looked over at Aeryn and was rewarded with a dazzling smile. He grinned
back, tightening his arm around her in a quick hug. As they stood and began
cleaning up the back of the truck, the interrogation started. "So what do
they do now that the Empire is gone? Is he really the last of the Jedi, or
does he find someone else to train? What made Doc Raider change sides in
the first place?"
By the time they had trailed the long line of cars through the lone exit,
Aeryn had run out of questions. As they drove away from the drive-in, she
twisted around in her seat for one last wistful look at the screen looming
over the trees. She fell silent as John navigated the pack of cars heading
for the highway, and by the time he started up the entrance ramp, she had
been rocked to sleep by the motion of the truck. John stole frequent
glances at her as he drove down the highway, but as he passed the exit to
the cabin, he reluctantly admitted to himself that he had to start focusing
on his driving instead.
~~~~~
John pulled the truck into the garage and put it in Park, then checked his
watch. A little after three o'clock in the morning. No wonder they were
exhausted. Aeryn hadn't even woken when the truck stopped. Allowing
himself a small indulgement, he simply watched her for a few moments. She
had enjoyed the movies - enjoyed the whole day, as far as he could tell -
and her happiness was reflected in the peacefulness of her features as she
slept. Of course, if she woke and found him staring at her like this, that
could all change very quickly... With a wry smile, he reached out and
gently brushed the backs of his fingers down her cheek. She inhaled deeply,
her eyes fluttering open.
"Home sweet home," he murmured.
"Mmmmmm....okay." After fumbling briefly with her seat belt, Aeryn slid out
of the truck just as John sent the garage door rumbling down. She followed
him inside the cabin and he noted that still looked tired, but a lot more
awake.
"Up for a chapter tonight?"
"Of course," Aeryn replied, stretching her arms above her head with a huge
yawn.
"You go ahead and use the bathroom first, then." Aeryn nodded, stifling
another yawn as she rummaged through their bag, pulled out a handful of
items and headed towards the small cubicle.
John grabbed the duffel and plopped down on the couch. Rifling through the
items inside, he finally found the copy of "King Arthur and the Knights of
the Round Table." It was the last of the books he had taken from home the
last time they had visited Earth. On one of their first nights back on
Moya, Aeryn had appeared at his door while he was reading. She was curious,
as he'd hoped, and he had started reading aloud to her that night. The
rationalization was that it helped Aeryn learn more English, but in all
honesty it was just a great excuse to spend some quiet time together. As
the months passed, it had become a nightly ritual.
Pushing himself off the couch with a groan, he stretched the protesting
muscles in his back and went over to the small bookshelf against the far
wall. He carefully perused the titles, his lips quirking into a smile as
his fingers fell on "The Lord of the Rings." After Aeryn's positive
reaction to Star Wars, that one was definitely going on the reading list...
Hearing the shower shut off, he quickly skimmed the rest of the shelf,
selecting another half-dozen hardbacks.
Aeryn re-emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, wearing a familiar
pair of blue plaid boxers and a North Carolina State t-shirt. Her wet hair
hung down her back, drenching the shirt and making it cling to her skin.
She waved towards the bathroom, indicating that it was John's turn, then
brought her hand to her mouth to smother yet another yawn. "Yeah, you'd
have drawn *lots* of attention dressed like that," he muttered softly as he
grabbed his clothes and headed for the bathroom.
John hurried through his shower as quickly as possible, but he couldn't help
taking some time to savor the smell of familiar soap and shampoo. He
resisted the urge to sing, knowing that Aeryn would probably mistake his
favorite in-the-shower Elvis tune for sounds of distress and come barreling
through the door, weapon drawn - and he didn't even want to think about what
manner of weapon she had smuggled into the cabin despite his repeated
requests to leave them in the module. Then again, Aeryn jumping into the
shower with him presented some interesting possibilities, he conceded with a
devilish grin. With a sigh, John cranked the faucet all the way to "cold"
and finished his shower by serving out a good thirty seconds of punishment
for that thought.
Pulling on the boxers and t-shirt that served as his own set of pajamas,
John walked out of the bathroom still drying his hair with a towel.
Stopping in the middle of the floor, he lowered the towel and smiled softly.
Aeryn was already fast asleep. She was sprawled flat on her stomach, face
towards the wall, her arms dangling over the sides of the narrow cot.
Chuckling softly, he shuffled quietly over to her bunk. He wasn't surprised
to see that she had chosen the one farthest from the wall, directly across
from the garage door. Even in her sleep, she kept her guard up. "So much
for that chapter," he murmured.
Shaking his head ruefully, he reached down to pull her blanket over her.
The cabin temperature was comfortable now, but he knew it would get chilly
as the fire died down. As he tucked the blanket around her shoulders, she
turned her head on the pillow, brow furrowing. John froze, hoping that he
hadn't woken her up. Thankfully, she slept on, so John continued to watch
her. She had pulled her hair into a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck,
but one lone tendril had escaped the band. Gently, he reached out and
guided it back off her face, his fingers briefly resting against her cheek.
She smiled in her sleep and turned into his touch, mumbling something he
couldn't quite catch. John smiled and leaned down to drop a light kiss on
her forehead. "G'night, Gorgeous. Sleep tight."
Moving quietly back to his own bed, he tucked the book in the bag, then
reached out to turn off the light. Pulling the heavy blanket over him, he
turned towards the wall and immediately fell asleep.
~~~~~
7:33 am
Aeryn woke up to the warm feel of sunlight streaming over her face. She
briefly wondered what had roused her, then she heard it. Everywhere, a
cacophony of sound. Some of it she recognized - the wind gently blowing
around the cabin; the rustling of the leaves on the trees; the hum of the
generator. She remembered the strange sounds of Earth's nature from her
time in Florida, but not to this extent.
She was used to sleeping with background noise, such as the sounds of a
ship, bunkmates, and more recently, the hum of Moya's systems. This was
different. The sounds cascaded around her, unfamiliar in their intensity.
Slowly opening her eyes, she rolled silently to her side. Crichton was
obviously not having the same problem. He was still fast asleep, his heavy
breathing dangerously close to a snore. She watched him for a few moments,
observing the way the sunlight danced over his features, highlighting the
tips of his pillow-ruffled hair and making him appear much younger than he
was.
With a soft sigh, she carefully threw the covers back and swung her legs off
the side of the bed. She shivered as the cool air of the cabin touched her
skin, and for a moment she contemplated returning to her warm nest of
blankets. She dismissed the idea immediately - now that she was awake,
there was no way she would be able to go back to sleep. Grabbing her
blanket, she wrapped it around her as she stood. She had seen where the
extra wood was kept for building the fire, but she knew the noise would wake
John. Judging by the angle of the sunlight, it was still very early - at
best, she had gotten four, maybe five arns of sleep. But she had napped on
the way home from the movie; he hadn't. It wouldn't hurt to let him sleep
for a few more arns.
Curling up on the couch, Aeryn reached over and grabbed a handful of the
glossy books that rested on the shelf next to her. The amount of words was
overwhelming this early in the morning, so she contented herself with just
looking at the pictures. Soon she lost complete track of time as she drank
in page after page of humans and their world.
~~~~~~
John opened his eyes slowly, his mouth stretching into a wide yawn. He
froze as his gaze fell on the empty bunk next to him. Aeryn was gone.
Trying not to panic, he propped himself up on his elbow and breathed a sigh
of relief. She was curled up in the corner of the overstuffed sofa, her
blanket draped around her and a pile of magazines scattered over the
cushions. Stretching languidly, he sat up and pushed the blankets away.
The chill of the cabin air made him shiver as he stood and shuffled his way
over to the couch.
Aeryn was so absorbed in whatever she was reading that she didn't even seem
to notice he was there until he rested his elbows on the back of the couch.
His breath ruffled her hair as he peered over her shoulder and quietly
asked, "So, what'd you find?"
Aeryn glanced back at him, curiosity shining in her eyes. Despite that, he
noticed they were fogged with sleep - obviously she hadn't gotten as much
rest as he had. She pointed to the cover of the local tourist magazine she
held in her hands. "What's this picture?"
John squinted and rubbed his eyes. "Snow."
Aeryn rolled her eyes. "I know that. But *where* is it?"
"Here."
"What do you mean, 'here'? Where here? *Here*-here?"
"Not *here*-here. Well, yeah, here-here, but not now-here." John closed
his eyes in frustration. He wasn't sure he was awake enough to have this
conversation. He shook his head in a futile attempt to clear it, then with
a deep breath, he started again. "Yes. We have snow, but not right now.
In a few months, this whole place will be covered with it."
Aeryn's brow furrowed. "What are they doing?"
John looked at the picture again. "Skiing. Building snowmen. Making ice
sculptures. Having fun, basically."
"Having fun," Aeryn murmured to herself, as if surprised by the concept.
After a moment she put the magazine off to the side, but not before he saw
her run her hand over the cover almost wistfully.
Filing away that bit of information for later, he leaned over and pushed
aside the stack of magazines, then crawled over the back of the sofa and
settled next to her. Tugging at her blanket, he pulled one corner free and
slipped underneath it. She shifted slightly to accommodate him, sharing the
small cocoon of warmth her body heat had created. He tilted his chin
towards her lap. "So what else did you find?"
Aeryn launched into a barrage of questions, rifling through the magazines as
she quizzed him. He answered easily, enjoying her curiosity - most of the
time.
"John, what's a bee-kee-nee?"
"Excuse me??" His mouth suddenly dry, John's eyes widened as she pulled the
infamous Swimsuit Edition from the pile.
"I mean, I can tell what they are from the pictures, but what are they
*for*? I don't see the purpose."
"Umm, they're for swimming. Technically."
Aeryn snorted her derision and tossed the magazine aside. "How
impractical."
"Well, that's not exactly the primary goal," John murmured, thankful that
Aeryn was too busy rummaging through the pile of magazines on her lap to
hear him. Impractical, indeed... He pulled restlessly at the collar of his
t-shirt, which suddenly seemed much too tight. His libido couldn't
withstand the image of Aeryn in one of the non-existent suits...
His gaze darted around the room, finally registering the clock on the far
wall. Ten o'clock. They only had a few short hours left.
"How about we stick the rest of these in the bag to take back to Moya?
There's one more thing I want to do before we leave."
Aeryn looked intrigued, but didn't ask for details. Perhaps after last
night, she was trusting 'surprises' a bit more, he thought smugly as she
untangled herself from the blankets and headed for the bathroom, stopping
only to grab some clothes on the way.
John shuffled through the magazines, selecting a variety and tossing them
into the bag. As he picked up the swimsuit edition, he noticed the cover
for the first time. *Good Lord, is that body paint?* Intrigued, he started
to flip through the magazine, then firmly reminded himself that they didn't
have time for this. Besides, they certainly didn't need that one floating
around Moya; that was just asking for trouble...
Quickly shoving it back onto the shelf before he could change his mind, he
checked the couch area to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. He
could still hear Aeryn in the bathroom, so he moved to the desk and quickly
inspected it. Struggling briefly with the bottom drawer, which had warped
slightly from age, he gave one last tug. It popped open and a wide smile
spread across his face. "Bingo," he murmured. DK's old digital camera sat
nestled on a pile of receipts and fishing licenses, his friend's idea of a
filing system. He muttered a quick thank-you for DK's penchant for buying
electronics the moment they came on the market, then discarding them as soon
as the next new gadget was available. Perfect.
He was rummaging through the refrigerator for extra batteries when Aeryn
came out of the bathroom. Catching sight of the clunky object sitting on
the counter, she picked it up and turned it over in her hands. "What's
this?"
"It's a camera," he answered. "A-ha!" He stood up and closed the
refrigerator door, clutching a handful of batteries. "No film, so no
worries about a photolab developing pictures we don't want them to see.
It's kind of old, so I think it's only got enough memory for about two dozen
pictures. We'll have to be pretty choosy, but now I actually have a way to
bring Moya to my family without putting any of us in danger." He smiled as
another idea occurred to him. "And - "
"- it's a way to bring a little bit of Earth back to Moya," Aeryn finished.
"Exactly." Pilot was bound to have some way to store the pictures for him.
He took the camera from Aeryn and loaded the batteries, already planning the
shots he could take before they left. Speaking of which... He glanced at
the clock again. "But now we'd better get going."
He quickly packed some of the food in one of the grocery bags and set it on
the counter, then made quick use of bathroom while Aeryn packed their small
bag. When he emerged, he was not surprised to find that curiosity had
finally gotten the best of her. "So what are we going to do?" she asked
immediately.
"I thought we'd have a picnic."
Aeryn's nose wrinkled as it did whenever she encountered something that
confused her as well as piqued her curiosity. "What's that?"
"Well, it's basically a fancy way of saying 'let's eat outside'. I know the
perfect spot. But, we have to hike about an hour to get there. Can you
handle that?" he teased. He was rewarded with a withering glare, just as he
had anticipated.
"What do I need to do to help?"
"Absolutely nothing," he replied, hefting the bag of food over his shoulder.
"Just grab something to drink and the blanket and we're all set."
~~~~~~
10:56 am
Taking the final branch on the unofficial path that was known only to the
locals, John was glad he had purposely overestimated the time. It was
usually a half-hour walk from the cabin to his favorite clearing, but with
Aeryn stopping to investigate half of the objects they passed and asking
questions about the other half, it had taken almost twice as long.
Finally reaching the end of the path, he hoped nobody would be in 'his'
clearing. Much to his relief, the small plateau in the side of the hill was
empty, save for a few squirrels that took one look at them and ran for the
trees. In the winter, it was possible to see through the bare trees to the
lake, but with the limbs in full bloom, they would have to make due with the
small stream that ran near the edge of the clearing.
John walked to the exact middle of the clearing and spread his arms wide.
"So, what do you think?" he grinned, already knowing the answer.
Aeryn slowly spun around, taking in the trees, the soft grass, the small
stream that ran near the far edge of the clearing. "It's not bad," she
shrugged indifferently.
John's mouth dropped open and he started to sputter. Then Aeryn turned
towards him and he saw the glint of humor in her eyes and the teasing smile
playing at the edge of her lips. "Gotcha," she taunted lightly.
With a good-natured grumble, John put the bag of food on the ground and
pulled the blanket out of her arms. "Just for that, *I* get all the
carrots."
Aeryn laughed and pointed at the bag. "You have to find them first," she
informed him. John's brow furrowed and he reached over to rummage through
the bag. Sure enough, the carrots were gone. "I had to make sure we had
some left to take back to Moya, and I knew I couldn't trust *you* with
them," she said archily.
"I give up. I just plain give up," John muttered as Aeryn's laughter echoed
through the clearing.
~~~~~~
Twenty minutes later, John let out a contented groan and fell back on his
elbows. They had demolished the food he had packed - everything from fresh
fruit to crackers to candy bars. To his surprise, the strawberries had not
gone over well, but Aeryn was very close to admitting that chocolate had
dethroned carrots on her list of favorite Erp foods. Good thing he had left
a package of Hershey bars back at the cabin, he decided. The cool breeze
ruffled his hair, providing a pleasant relief from the warm sun. Without
it, he might have started to worry about Aeryn, but the air was just cool
enough to be comfortable. With another groan, he flopped onto his back,
raising one arm to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun.
Aeryn licked the last of the melted chocolate off of her fingers, then stuck
the empty wrapper back into the bag. Shoving it off to the side of the
blanket, she stretched out on her side and watched Crichton. He seemed
fascinated with the sky, which, in her honest opinion, was rather plain and
boring. But then, it was his home, she mused. Maybe that's why it was so
appealing to him. She glanced up again, trying to see it as he did,
wondering what it would have been like to grow up under this sky. It was
pretty in a simple kind of way, she acknowledged, but it didn't hold her
interest for long. Watching Crichton was much more interesting, she
decided, and returned her gaze to him. A few moments later, John grinned
broadly and pointed straight up. "Look, it's a DRD!"
She frowned and twisted her neck to look up. What in hezmana was he talking
about? All she could see were the tops of the trees, the blue sky, bright
yellow sun, and few puffy white clouds. There was absolutely no sign on
Moya or any of her mechanical servicers, and she proceeded to tell him
exactly that.
John shook his head. "No, no. Right there, see? Look at that cloud - it's
shaped just like a DRD."
Intrigued by yet another of Crichton's strange Erp games, Aeryn tried to
find the cloud in question. John noticed her struggle and spread his right
arm along the blanket. "Come here so I can show you."
Scooting across the blanket, Aeryn nestled up against him and rested her
head on his shoulder. If she tilted her forehead until it brushed his
cheek, she could almost see the sky from the same angle as he did. John
wrapped his arm around her shoulder and tugged her closer, then pointed
again with his left hand. "See? That one. There's the round body, and the
little parts sticking up there are his eyestalks, and that bit sticking out
of the side is like his arm."
"I see it!" Aeryn exclaimed. A moment later, the cloud moved and she
chuckled. "Look, now its eyestalk is bent."
"Yeah, all it needs now is a little blue electrical tape," John quipped.
They laughed, and for the next few minutes, the sky became a floating zoo.
"That one's an eala."
"Which one? Aeryn, that's a duck."
"Eala."
"Aeryn, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and talks like a duck,
it's - "
"It's an eala," Aeryn finished determinedly.
"Fine. Whatever," John grumbled and craned his neck the other way. "Look,
that one's an elephant."
Aeryn followed his finger, then elbowed him in the side. "Absolutely not.
It's a muc-mhara."
"You don't even know what an elephant is!" Crichton protested.
"Well, you don't know what a muc-mhara is, either," she replied stubbornly.
Soon the sun became too bright, and Aeryn had to close her eyes before she
got a headache. It felt nice, lying here next to John. The sun warmed her
body, but it wasn't too hot. Not too hot at all... Maybe she could just
lie here for a few more moments, until her eyes were ready to deal with the
sunlight again...
~~~~~
John felt Aeryn relax against him and glanced over at her. He wasn't
surprised to find that she had drifted off to sleep. After a moment, she
turned on her side and curled into him, bringing her hand up to rest on his
chest, curled near her cheek. With a small smile, he let her doze, knowing
how little sleep must have gotten the night before. He contented himself by
watching the clouds drift across the sky and listening to her breathe, but
he resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her and fall asleep, too. *Too
damn bad we're on a schedule,* he thought. *Next time.*
An arn later he was almost ready to wake her when she stirred in his arms.
He relaxed the arm he had draped over her shoulder, but after an initial
stretch, she curled back into the same position. "Good morning, Sunshine,"
John kidded gently.
Aeryn smiled guiltily and rubbed her face against his t-shirt to get the
sleep out of her eyes. "I can't remember the last time I napped in the
middle of the day without being sick," she remarked.
John shrugged teasingly, bouncing her forehead against his cheek a few
times. "It's the clear Canadian air, it'll do that to you." With a
chuckle, Aeryn sat up and ran her fingers through her tangled hair. John
shook his tingling arm to restore some circulation and stood, then reached
back to help Aeryn to her feet.
"I hate to say this, but it's time to go," he told her.
Still holding his hand, Aeryn looked around wistfully. "What is it?" John
asked gently.
"It sounds silly, but... I wish we could stay, just for a little while
longer."
"Me, too, Aeryn. Me, too."
*****
Two weeks later
DK Moore sauntered out to his mailbox under the blazing Florida sun.
Flipping through bills and junk mail, he stopped as he encountered a
postcard with a familiar lake vista on the front. Oblivious to the fact
that he was standing in the middle of the road, he turned it over to read
the short message.
"Thanks for the digs and the wheels - had a great time. All is well. Hope
to see you both soon. Love, Roy and Gorgeous"
With a laugh, DK headed inside to call the Colonel.
END