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"Pilot, where's Aeryn?"
John hadn't found her in any of her usual haunts and was concerned. He wanted to talk to her before they launched their venge on Scorpius.
"She is in the Medical Bay, with Jool."
*Medical?* "Is she alright?"
Pilot's voice held his now common strained patience. "I would suggest you ask her, Commander."
"Right. Thanks!"
He ran down the tiers, worries clouding about him like gnats. It couldn't be that serious. She kept her worst injuries to herself, only going to the Med Bay by force. Maybe it was just a headache. Or perhaps she wanted an antidepressant. God knew she needed one.
John reached the door and slid to a halt. Aeryn and Jool were talking withing. He thought it best to warn them before entering. He hesitated when their words drifted to him.
"Are you absolutely certain?"
"No doubt about it. Every test came up positive."
There was a pause, then Aeryn sighed. "How long?"
"I'd say you have seven months left. Eight at most."
Crichton's heart constricted.
"That's all?"
"Mm-hmm. It's been there for a while, you just didn't notice it yet."
Aeryn made a soft grunting noise. "How do I tell the others?" she muttered. "How do I tell John?"
Jool's voice was gentle. "I'll leave that up to you, but you should tell them soon. Another monen and they'll figure it out for themselves."
Crichton could not stand to hear any more. He fled down the tier. At the nearest intersection, he ducked around the corner and sat heavily. This couldn't be happening. Not now, not ever! Aeryn couldn't be dying! Not after everything. Cruel as he knew life to be, it wouldn't dare strike at her with yet another tragedy so soon, would it?
John let his head sink into his hands and felt the tears flow. No...God, no...
He pulled himself together. Seven months, Jool had said. Whatever was killing her, they could find a cure by then.
Still shaky and in a bit of a haze, he hurried to Command. He had to tell the others.
@@@
"Well," Jool said, "Everything checks out. You're in perfect health."
"Thanks." Aeryn hopped off the examination table. "I sure didn't feel healthy this morning."
"Oh, I can give you some herbs for the morning sickness. You're going to have to start taking it a little easier now, though, or you'll get light-headed again."
She nodded. "I'll cut back on my exercise routine. With out lives, I can't control much more than that."
Jool snorted. "Don't I know it!"
As she started to put her scanners away, Aeryn stopped her with a hand on her arm. Aeryn's eyes were sincere, her face softer. "Thank you."
Jool smiled and said no more. Instead, she left Aeryn alone to her thoughts.
For a few moments, Aeryn just sat, assimilating this new twist in her life. Finally, she called Pilot. "Where is everybody?"
"Jool is en route to her quarters, Crais is on Talyn, and the rest are in Command."
Might as well fire while the rifle was powered up. She headed to Command, trying to figure out how to tell them.
@@@
"There's no way you misheard them?" D'Argo asked.
"I heard what I heard. Aeryn's dying of something and we've got to help her."
"John, we don't even know what's wrong with her," Chiana reasoned.
"Jool seemed like it was something that was growing. That could mean a virus, a tumor, who knows what else Sebaceans could get..."
"I don't mean to doubt you-" D'Argo started.
John looked at him.
"Okay, I do. But it seems like we're basing a lot on what Jool said. You said yourself that you didn't hear the whole conversation."
"D'Argo-"
"How can you be sure they weren't talking about something else?"
"You didn't hear them, D. Aeryn sounded upset. Something's wrong."
"If it's something that big," Chiana said, "I should have seen something by now."
"Pip," John said gently, "I love ya, don't be offended, but how much can we really trust these visions of yours? Besides, it's not imminent. At least seven months."
Rygel grumbled. "Well, *I* think we should stop all this speculation and *ask* Aeryn or Jool."
"Jool'd probably keep that confidential," Chiana said.
"And Aeryn won't talk to anybody," D'Argo added.
"Fine then." Rygel straightened up. "I'll talk to her."
"You?!" D'Argo bellowed. "Why would she confide in *you*?"
"Aeryn trusts me, and rightfully so."
"Oh, I'm sure."
"Maybe we could ask Pilot to speak with her."
"Or you could wait for me to tell you."
They all turned towards the voice. Aeryn leaned in the doorway looking none too pleased.
"You heard did you?" Aeryn's eyes were on Crichton only.
"Yeah."
"Mm. What do you think?"
"What do I think?! I think it's horrible!"
She looked stricken. "You do?"
"Well, how did you think I'd feel?!"
She shrugged and cleared her throat. "Um, I'm not going to make you take any responsibility for this."
He blinked. "Why would you?"
Aeryn's voice was tight. "The other John did this."
Fury burned in his eyes. *He* had hurt her?! "How?!"
She arched an eyebrow. "How do you think?!"
Slowly, he realized what he was getting at. "Oh."
She gave him a "No dren!" look.
John slumped against a console. That explained it. The other John must have given her an STD. It irked him to think of her with him, but also disturbed him that, unless his double had been particularly loose since their parting, he probably was infected too.
Aeryn had composed herself again. He looked at her.
"So," he strove for a normal voice, very aware of the three other pairs of eyes on him, "do you have any ideas?"
That caught her off guard. "Ideas? What for?"
"To get rid of this thing!"
Pure fury and hate raged in her eyes and it was as if the gates of Hell had opend, loosing their fiercest demon. She emphasized through her teeth. "I. Know. That. Translated. Wrongly."
John was baffled. "What? You actually want to keep it?"
"Of course I do! Not that it's any say of yours what I do."
"Wh-But- Why?!"
Aeryn stared at him a moment. Beneath her eyes, he saw what might have been heartbreak. At last, she spoke.
"I don't know what's wrong with you, but you are not the John Crichton I thought I knew. And you are not half the man that the real John was."
That bit to the bone. As Aeryn stormed out, he ran to the door. "I was just trying to help!" he yelled after her.
He returned to Command where six eyes watched him. "What'd I say?" he asked.
D'Argo shrugged.
"She's a female!" Rygel snorted. "Entirely unpredictable!"
Chiana rolled her eyes. "You guys fekkik. Can't you see? I don't think she's dying."
"Then what the hell's going on?!" Crichton demanded.
At that microt, Jool stalked in. "What the frell did you say to Aeryn?!"
John threw out his arms. "If I knew, we wouldn't be here would we?"
"Crichton heard about her condition," Chiana supplied.
Jool glared at him. "You spied on us?!"
"No!" Geez, it was like all his years of smoothness with women were taking payback in a ten minute period. "I was coming down to see her and overheard part of your conversation."
"And instead of facing us, you fled to tell the others?"
"Pretty much."
"But what did you say to get Aeryn so upset?"
"I don't know. All I said was I wanted to help her, she told me it wasn't my fault, I asked her if she knew any remedies to flush that bug out of her system..." He noticed the appalled expression on Jool's face. "Lemme guess. Translators frelled that one too."
"You'd better hope so!" she growled.
"Came through fine over here," D'Argo said. "Flush it from her system."
Jool glared ice at John. "I know you were a member of a lesser-evolved barbarian race, but I didn't think you were that callous! And you!" She turned on D'Argo. "Don't tell me that's what you said to your wife when *she* announced she was pregnant!"
"Of course I didn't-" D'Argo blinked. "Hold on..."
John grabbed Jool by the shoulders, drawing a short shriek from her. "Aeryn's pregnant?!"
"Yeah! What did you think we were just arguing about?!"
Chiana grinned 'I told ya so's at anyone who glanced her way.
"Oh, God." John let go of Jool and staggered against a wall. "Holy..."
"You didn't know?" the Interion asked. "What were you talking about then?"
"He thought she was dying," Chiana piped up again.
"Where did you get that idea?"
"I've gotta go find her. I've gotta apologize." John sprinted out the door, letting the others explain.
"Pilot, where's Aeryn?"
"She doesn't want you to know, and I don't blame her."
"Come on, Pilot, you heard what happened. I was an ass and I need to make it up to her. Please?"
Pilot considered, then acquiesed. "Cargo Bay 1."
"Thanks, Pilot!"
When he got there, she was beating the yotz out of her regulation PeaceKeeper punching bag. He could see numerous knuckle indentations in it and wondered just how well the padding worked anymore.
Aeryn threw several rapid fire jabs, drew back to kick, and staggered. John lunged and caught her.
"Easy. Easy," he said, lying her down.
When her mind cleared, she jerked from his touch. He let her go.
Though her gray eyes smoldered like stoked charcoals, her voice attempted civility. "Thank you."
"No problem."
She got up slowly and stretched, the mask back in place. He sat, staring at the floor.
"Aeryn-"
"I thought I made it clear I didn't want to speak to you."
"You did." He didn't move.
"I don't want to see you either."
"You don't have to look at me or talk to me. Just let me say something, please."
"I think you've said enough."
"Aeryn, I didn't know you were pregnant."
That stopped her. She cocked her head at him. "You put up quite a fight for not knowing."
"I only heard part of your conversation with Jool. I thought you were dying."
"Mm-hmm."
"Please believe me! I was worried about you and I realize how bad what I said sounds if you think about it..." *You're rambling, John. Pull it together.* "I won't ask for forgiveness. I just want to say that I didn't mean any of that stuff and I want to help in any way I can. I know it's not my kid, but it's yours and I care about you."
He waited, still kneeling. When she didn't answer, he looked up. Aeryn was looking at him, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Aeryn?"
"You really are happy about this child?"
"Of course," he answered, though a part of him writhed that it was the other John's and not his.
"That argument was a misunderstanding?"
"A big one." *And I am SO glad it was.*
"Then I forgive you, John."
"Thank you."
They stood awkwardly, not sure where this put them. Suddenly, Aeryn gave a short, disbelieving laugh.
"I don't believe it," she said. "I'm going to be a mother!"
Her laughs dissolved into sobs and John wrapped her in his arms. For a moment, she pushed the fact that he was not HER John out of her mind and simply let herself be comforted my his presence.
"What am I going to do, John?"
"You're gonna be a great mom for the kid," he answered. "And we'll all be here to help if you want it."
"Oh, that's reassuring!" Despite her tone, she really did feel better.
"Can we come in and congratulate you yet?" Chiana called from the tier.
The two grinned and Aeryn wiped the tears from her face.
"Yeah," John called back, "come on in."
The crew gave hugs all around, except for Rygel, who preferred the more stately congratulations of a Hynerian to the contact of body-breeders. They talked excitedly amongst themselves about the new member of their ensemble.
Over their friends' shoulders, John's eyes met Aeryn's. They knew this was not the end of their problems, but for now, it felt right.
