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Rating: PG
Setting: Immediately post-Natural Election
Spoilers: Through Natural Election
Summary: Chiana tries to repair the damage done by her breaking of Aeryn's confidence.
Chiana headed for the atmospheric scrubber room. She knew that Crichton had gone there to clean up after the fans that had self-destructed earlier, and she knew that Aeryn had followed him.
She needed to see how much damage her big mouth had done. Not that the two of them didn't frell things up massively on their own, but she hated to think she'd made things worse for Crichton.
Frell.
John Crichton came out of the doorway and turned in her direction. He walked stiffly down the corridor, face carefully blank, and passed her without so much as a glance at her, much less a "Hello, Pip," or even "What are you doing here?"
Not good. She'd really frelled it this time.
Chiana pondered for a moment. Aeryn must still be in the scrubber room.
Might as well get it over with and let Aeryn take her head off now. She deserved it.
Chiana danced towards the doorway, then edged into the room.
Aeryn was sitting on the floor, knees up, arms crossed on her knees, and her forehead resting on her arms. There was misery in her posture, not anger, but Chiana was sure that could change in an instant.
"So." Chiana bounced on her feet. "Picking up the pieces?" she said, gesturing towards the bucket of rubble that was sitting at the ex-Peacekeeper's side.
Aeryn looked up at her, tears glittering in her eyes. "Are there any pieces left to pick up?" she asked plaintively.
Chiana was taken aback by the question. It was so unlike Aeryn to ask for help, it scared her. Murder she would have understood.... "I'm not exactly the best person to ask about relationships," the younger woman quipped uneasily.
Aeryn wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of one hand, took a breath and said, "I don't exactly have anyone else to ask, do I?"
"Not unless you want to ask Rygel or Wrinkles," Chiana acknowledged, thinking fast. When Aeryn didn't say anything else, Chiana plopped down on the floor next to her and ventured, "He's angry about the baby?"
"What do you think?"
"Men don't like it when you sleep around on them," Chiana told her. "Just ask D'Argo," she added ruefully.
"I haven't had sex with anyone but John since I met him."
"Besides the other one, you mean."
Aeryn blinked at her. "Well, yes. But he was John."
Chiana privately doubted that Crichton saw it that way, but she knew he'd claim his twin's baby as his own. "Hold on a microt. If you haven't been frelling Crais or Stark or a whole PK assassination squad, what makes you think it might not be Crichton's kid?"
"Peacekeeper stasis pregnancy," she said simply.
"For real?"
"Yes. I don't know when it happened. It could have been as many as 7 cycles ago, long before I met John." She took a deep breath, and after a moment admitted, "It probably happened on Talyn, but I don't know that for sure." She looked up at Chiana with a miserable attempt at a smile. "I wanted to find out first. I didn't want to hurt him if I didn't have to."
"Look, Aeryn, I'm sorry for blabbing--" Chiana began, but Aeryn cut her off.
"I should never have expected anything else!" Aeryn's voice could have cut iridium and her gray eyes flashed steel, and Chiana started feeling like the world was making sense again. But then the fire died and Aeryn continued, "It doesn't matter. He doesn't trust me. He doesn't love me."
Chiana was dismayed. If John had said that, her impulsive betrayal of Aeryn's secret had caused far more trouble than she'd imagined was possible. Maybe Aeryn was overreacting? "Did he *say* that?"
Aeryn pondered that for a moment. "He said he doesn't trust me with his heart."
"Because of the kid?"
Aeryn shook her head but didn't elaborate.
Chiana cocked her head and looked at Aeryn. "Look. You know, I should be rooting for him to walk away from you. I'd love to have him myself."
Aeryn eyed her suspiciously.
"But," Chiana sighed, "He loves you Aeryn. He'll always love you. He just doesn't know you any more. And you don't know him. You've been gone a long time."
Aeryn's eyes lost focus as she seemed to be lost in thought. When she came back to the here and now, she looked at Chiana again and said, "He wants to know things I can't tell him, Chiana. Promises I can't break. And I don't know what to do." Once more her eyes filled with tears, though none fell, and she blinked them back.
Chiana couldn't believe Aeryn was confiding in her, especially after what she'd done with the last confidence, and she couldn't help but be moved by Aeryn's obvious pain and frustration. She took a deep breath. "Do you want him?" she asked.
Aeryn's expression was incredulous. "Yes," she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Chiana nodded in satisfaction. "Okay. Me, I'd break the frelling promises. Promises don't warm your bed and they don't do much for your body, either." Chiana grinned, but Aeryn shook her head, and the Nebari continued, "But if you can't, you've got to give him as much as you *can*. Give him something to hang onto, and get to know him again. Let him get to know you."
Aeryn miserably started picking up broken bits of metal and putting them in the bucket beside her.
Chiana tried to think. John had had that look of wounded pride on his face when she saw him in the corridor. Aeryn might think this latest frell-up had nothing to do with the pregnancy, but....he was a man.... "Aeryn," she began, waiting until the older woman looked up at her before continuing. "Did you actually *tell* Crichton you hadn't had any other lovers since you've known him?"
Aeryn looked at her blankly. "He knows that."
"He's a man, Aeryn. He *doesn't* know that, especially since you ran off with the other him, and then you ran off to Frollock knows where with Chumash knows who."
"It won't be enough," Aeryn said, shaking her head.
"If his pride is hurt, it'll be a start."
"On Talyn," Aeryn said slowly, "he thought I was recreating with Crais."
"And?"
"He took it badly."
"And?"
"I told him I hadn't."
"See," Chiana announced, with more certainty than perhaps she should. "You gotta tell this one the same thing."
Aeryn blinked. "He doesn't know that, does he?"
"Nope."
Aeryn nodded slowly, and leaned over to reach some more shards of metal.
"Just think about it, Aeryn," Chiana told her, standing up. There wasn't much more to be said.
"I'll think about it," Aeryn said, with something Chiana would have sworn was fear in her eyes.
Well, maybe that was good. She obviously cared desperately about working things out. Maybe John wouldn't get his heart broken after all. "Right," Chiana said, standing up. "I'd better go see what Sputnik is up to," she said, edging back towards the door. "She's been spending a lot of time with Scorpius."
"Mmm," Aeryn replied, mind clearly far away.
Chiana paused in the doorway, looking back at Aeryn. The Sebacean was just sitting and staring into nowhere. Despite this conversation, Chiana suspected Aeryn wasn't going to talk to *her* about anything important for a long time.
After a moment, Aeryn resumed picking up shards of metal, weighing them absently in her hands.
Chiana hoped Aeryn would find the courage to talk to Crichton, make a start. She shook her head and left Aeryn to her thoughts.
