Part 1 (Teaser):

D'Argo stalked restlessly around Moya's command center. "Where are they?" he growled. "They should have at least checked in over an arn ago."

"I'm sure that John and Aeryn have a good reason for being late," said Zhaan, gazing out of the viewport at the motley blue-green planet of Silexa IV below.

"Yeah, they probably needed a little... private time," Chiana smirked from her post by the door.

Rygel swerved his throne-sled out of the way of the pacing Luxan. "What I want to know is, why the yotz did they go alone to a planet with such heavy restrictions on communications? That's just asking for trouble... although Crichton rarely has to ask for it."

Zhaan shot the little Dominar a warning glance. "Rygel, you know that we're running low on supplies, and the Silexans are very unkind to non-Sebaceans. As for their communications..." she shrugged.

D'Argo shook his head impatiently. "They still should have found a way to contact us. When John gets back I'll..."

"Ka D'Argo," Pilot interrupted, appearing on the clamshell viewer. "I have just received an automated message from the transport pod. It is approaching and will be aboard in approximately 200 microts."

"Finally," D'Argo muttered, striding quickly from the room with the others following close behind.

The hatch of the transport pod was just opening as the four shipmates entered the hanger bay. A figure appeared in the door, then stumbled down the ramp, swaying slightly.

"John!" Zhaan exclaimed, rushing forward. "What happened? You look awful. Where's Aeryn?"

Crichton's face was pale underneath smudges of dirt, and dried blood formed a reddish-brown smear across his forehead. He stopped and opened his mouth as if to speak, but his eyes rolled back and he crumpled to the deck. The Delvian managed to catch him before his head struck the floor. As Zhaan cradled the unconscious human in her lap, D'Argo and Chiana rushed into the pod, calling Aeryn's name.

The priestess had just managed to revive Crichton as the two came back out. "She's not inside," Chiana panted. "What the frell happened down there?"

D'Argo knelt beside his human friend, who now sat on the floor with his arms wrapped around his knees, rocking slightly back and forth. "John, where's Aeryn?"

Crichton shook his head. "She's gone," he whispered. "All my fault... she's gone, she's gone, my fault... gone..." his voice trailed off as he buried his face in his knees.

"What do you mean, gone?" inquired Rygel, hovering above. "Where did she go?"

"You don't understand," John shouted, raising his head. Tears streamed down his face, making small trails in the blood and dirt. "Aeryn's dead, and I killed her!"

Part 2:

The maintenance bay echoed with paralyzed silence after John's hysterical pronouncement. Zhaan put her hands to her face in shock, while Chiana slowly sank to her knees. D'Argo regained his composure first.

"Tell us what happened, John," he prompted.

The human took a deep, shuddering breath. "It was an accident," he began. "I never... I.... I'll just try to tell you the way it was."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John and Aeryn pushed their way through the crowded marketplace of Silexa IV. Booths and kiosks were packed tightly side-by-side in the narrow street, with tall buildings looming overhead. A thick, greasy smell of many different foods cooking filled the air, while the noise of the vendors hawking their wares produced a constant clamor of noise. His arms already full of packages, Crichton stopped to admire a selection of ornately carved knives laid out on a table in a small stand. Aeryn edged up beside him. "Crichton," she muttered. "Have you noticed how everyone's been staring at me?"

"They're probably just thinking you look good, darlin,'" John drawled, turning toward her with a smile. "Can't say I blame them either."

His companion rolled her eyes. "Have you also noticed that I'm the only Sebacean woman around?"

John looked about him curiously. Aeryn was right--besides a few sparsely scattered non-Sebacean groups, the crowd around them was composed almost entirely of Sebacean men, most of whom gave the woman a shocked double-take as they passed by. Suddenly, he noticed a group of black- uniformed men pushing their way through the throng, moving rapidly toward him. "Let's get out of here," he said, grabbing Aeryn's arm. But they had no sooner turned away than they saw another stony-faced group coming at them from the other direction. The two looked around frantically for another escape route, but they quickly found themselves surrounded by fifteen men wielding various types of nasty-looking clubs and bludgeons.

Dropping his packages, John rapidly drew his pulse pistol, firing it at the first man who lunged at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aeryn do the same, then all became blurred in the confusion of the melee. Crichton managed to take out a few of their attackers before a blow to the back sent him flying into the knife-seller's kiosk. His head struck the edge of the table hard as his gun went spinning out of his hand. Blood streaming into his eyes, he struggled to his feet, grabbing a large knife from the table.

As he stood, he felt a hand grasp his shoulder. Dazed and half-blinded, John spun around and plunged the knife into his assailant's chest. Pulling the weapon out, he swiped the back of his hand across his eyes, wiping away the blood. When his vision cleared, he was horrified to see Aeryn standing before him, a shocked expression on her face. Dark red blood dripped through her fingers where she held her hand pressed between her breasts. She staggered backward a half step, then began to fall, her eyes rolling back in her head as her gun clattered to the pavement. John jumped forward and caught her, lowering her gently to the ground and cradling her in his lap.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," he whispered, dimly noting that the soldiers had moved away, forming a circle around them. Unzipping Aeryn's vest, he held his palm tightly against the gushing wound, futilely trying to stop the flow of blood. "I'm so sorry, Aeryn."

Aeryn coughed weakly, a red trail leading from the corner of her mouth. "It's all right, John," she rasped. "It doesn't even hurt... I don't feel anything..." her voice trailed off into another coughing fit.

"C'mon, darlin', don't die on me now," John begged, rocking her gently in his arms. "I don't think I can go on without you."

Aeryn raised her hand to cup his cheek. "You may... have to," she said weakly. John leaned down close to her lips to hear as she whispered, "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be... don't be sorry," he pleaded, tears mingling with the blood on his face. "Please... just stay with me."

Her fingers ran lightly through his spiky hair. "You know... I've always loved you," she breathed, then smiled slightly as her hand fell limply to her side and her gaze shifted from John's face to a point far off in the sky.

"God... no!" John choked out. "Aeryn, please... I love you so much... don't go..." He clutched her lifeless body to his chest, his sobs shaking them both. After what seemed like an eternity, he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head, then slipped into merciful darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The next thing I knew, I woke up alone at night, in the same place," Crichton ended his tale to his stunned shipmates. He pounded his knee with his fist. "The frelling bastards didn't even let me take her body!" he shouted, fresh tears running down his cheeks. "There was nothing I could do."

Zhaan wiped her eyes, then bent her head and chanted a quick prayer. "Kah'leen carry her spirit to paradise," she finished, then placed her hand on the distraught human's arm. "Come on, John, you need to rest and heal now." She rose to her feet and held out her hand. Crichton looked at it blankly for a microt, then grasped it and pulled himself to his feet. When he began to sway dizzily again, the priestess grabbed his arm and slung it over her shoulders. "Chiana, help me get him to his quarters," she said, the Nebari scrambled to her feet to obey, speechless for once.

After the three had left the bay, Rygel swung his throne-sled around to face D'Argo. "I'll just go and... put Aeryn's room in order," he said, backing slowly away.

The Luxan reached out swiftly and clutched the Dominar's eyebrow ridge roughly. "Listen to me, you little worm. If you so much as touch any of Aeryn's possessions, I will personally rip your head off before stuffing your worthless carcass in a garbage chute."

Rygel wiggled free, then zoomed out of the warrior's reach. "Don't threaten me," he sputtered.

"I never threaten," D'Argo growled. "I promise."

The little would-be thief harumphed once before bobbing quickly from the room. After Rygel exited, the Luxan allowed himself a deep sigh before activating his comm. "Pilot, are you there?"

"Yes," Pilot's voice replied. "And I heard what happened. Moya and I are deeply saddened by the loss of Officer Sun."

"As are we all, Pilot. Take us away from here now, so that Aeryn's spirit may rest in peace."

Part 3

John awoke slowly to the gentle pressure of something cool and damp on his forehead. When the coolness moved away, he forced his eyes open, then started back in alarm. Scorpius sat beside the bed, a cold compress in his hand. "Get away from me!" Crichton shouted, pressing himself against the wall.

"Whoa, hey, John, it's me, Chiana," the black-clad creature said. John blinked, then rubbed his eyes. When he looked up again, the Nebari sat beside him.

"Oh... God, I'm sorry, Chi," he mumbled. "I thought I saw... never mind, I was probably just dreaming."

"Hey, don't worry about it," she soothed. "You've had fever all night, though Zhaan can't figure out why."

John nodded weakly, already feeling himself slip back into the fuzzy realm between sleep and wakefulness. Eventually, he found himself standing alone in an impenetrable white fog. "Listen to me, John," an all-too-familiar voice spoke behind him.

Crichton whirled around, but could see no one in the dream-mist. "Stay out of my mind, Scorpy," he warned.

"But you see, I have no choice," the incorporeal voice replied. "Your memories have been tampered with by someone other than myself, so the memory chip I implanted in your brain has been activated."

"You put a chip in my head?"

"Yes, but you won't remember that once you awaken. What I need you to do now is break through the false memory."

"Why is everyone always so frelling interested in my memories?!"

Scorpius' voice chuckled. "I've already raised your body's temperature to make your brain more receptive to my signals. I'm here to help, John, but you must remember... remember what really happened."

John was on the verge of replying when the fog abruptly cleared, and he found himself back in the marketplace where Aeryn had died. Once again he saw the soldiers marching toward him... the fight beginning...

Aeryn's chest dripping blood.

No... she was up and fighting next to him. One of the men clubbed her in the head and she dropped to the ground.

"You know... I've always loved you..."

"Don't go..."

Aeryn was being carried away by their attackers, unconscious but still alive. Chained and bound, John followed helplessly into a large nondescript building. As the dream-memory continued, one thought kept running wildly through his mind, over and over.

She's alive! Aeryn's alive!

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

Aeryn Sun paced restlessly in her cell. Ten steps to the softly padded bed, turn right, five steps to the bathroom door, turn right again, five steps to the stuffed chair, then five more to the locked door. Despite the comfortable furnishings of the softly-lit room, the immovable door told Aeryn all she needed to know that she was a prisoner. A large viewscreen facing the chair also made her suspect that she was being watched. The shiny surface was unbreakable, as was the door--she'd hurt her wrists pounding on them. The furniture was firmly fastened to the floor, so she'd been unable to procure any sort of weapon.

She stopped pacing and tugged impatiently at the hem of her shirt. The grey knit pullover and pants were soft and loosely-fitting, but Aeryn preferred the familiarity of her leather outfit, complete with the pulse pistol at her hip. But all that had obviously been taken, along with Crichton... she closed her eyes and thought back to when they'd been captured. She didn't know how long ago it was, but all she remembered was being attacked in the market--after that it was all a blank.

Clenching her fists, Aeryn resisted the urge to stamp her bare foot on the carpet. Instead, she dropped to the floor and began doing push-ups. When her shoulders tired, she flipped over and commenced with sit-ups. After only a few, however, the room started spinning and an intense wave of nausea washed over her. She closed her eyes and lay still, gulping air until the feeling passed. I must have been drugged, she thought, dragging herself into the chair. As she dropped into it, the viewscreen across the room abruptly came to life, revealing a plump, balding man in a blue lab coat.

"Good evening, Miss Sun," the man said. "I trust you're comfortable here."

Aeryn stared at him stonily. "I'd be more comfortable if you'd unlock the frelling door."

He smiled gently. "I'm afraid that's not possible, Miss Sun."

"Where's John Crichton?" Aeryn demanded. "He was with me earlier. And I'd like to know who you are and why you're holding us prisoner."

"Your companion has been returned safely to his ship, unharmed."

"He'll be back for me."

"I think not. Our memory-altering techniques are very thorough. Crichton believes that you are dead, so he won't be coming back here anytime soon."

"Who are you?" Aeryn asked again, after a surprised pause.

The little man beamed. "I'm Dr. Dao Horath, in charge of reproductive procedure. You are located in Oricron, the central breeding center of Silexa IV."

"Breeding center?" Aeryn didn't like the sound of that.

Dr. Horath looked sad. "A tragic necessity, I'm afraid. You see, nearly all of our women were wiped out by a biological weapon five cycles ago during our great war with Silexa III. By the time our scientists developed a vaccine, only a handful of females remained. We also sent a modified version of the virus to our enemies, so they are in the same predicament as ourselves. In order to preserve the species, these breeding centers were developed so that women could live in comfort and produce as many children as possible until our society is stable again."

"Live as prisoners, you mean," Aeryn retorted. "So, do you kidnap all the Sebacean women who visit your planet, or did you make an exception for me?"

"Do you think we'd have a memory-altering device if you were the first?" No reply came to Aeryn's mind, so she glared at the doctor as he continued. "Now, normally at this point you'd begin the impregnation process, but you seem to be ahead of schedule."

"What do you mean?"

"Surely you knew? During our preliminary tests, we discovered a six-weeken-old male fetus already inside you. You're pregnant, Miss Sun. Congratulations."

Part 4

Pregnant! The doctor's words faded into an indistinct babble as Aeryn's mind traveled back to the day she knew the child had been conceived. Six weekens ago, they had just come back from the royal planet where Crichton was suppose to remain as a statue for 80 cycles, married to a princess whose DNA was compatible only with his. Aeryn had been devastated at the thought of losing him, but could find no way to articulate her emotions. After unexpectedly having him returned to her, Aeryn, still at a loss for words, had simply presented him with a small vial of the DNA-testing kiss solution. After their sweet-tasting kiss, she'd turned and walked wordlessly out of the maintenance bay, leaving the next move to him and hoping she'd done the right thing.

Sure enough, after a few microts she heard his footsteps following her down the corridor. He'd caught up to her outside the door to her quarters, clasping her in his arms and kissing her passionately. This time, she hadn't resisted, and pressed her body even closer to his. After several eternal moments, she'd broken free, but only to open the door and pull him inside. They'd made love that night, not with the desperate passion they'd had on the false Earth so long ago, but as an expression of the deep feelings to which neither could form words to communicate. And from that, now, a child--John's son--grew within her. But these bastards wanted to take him away from her! Slowly, she tuned back in to the words that Dr. Horath was speaking.

"...need to run a few more routine tests now, so if you'll just step over to the door, we'll get started."

"I won't cooperate."

"Now, Miss Sun, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I trust you won't be difficult?"

Aeryn gave a short laugh. "You should put your trust elsewhere."

Dr. Horath sighed. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but..." He reached over and adjusted something off-camera. Immediately, a bluish-white mist began streaming from vents in the ceiling. Aeryn dropped to the floor and tried to crawl to the bed for a blanket to protect her breathing, but the gas soon overwhelmed her and she slipped into unconsciousness.

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

Chiana looked up from her seat by John's bed as D'Argo entered the med bay behind her. "How is he?" he inquired, moving up behind her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Better, now. Finally sleeping... Zhaan made something for him to bring his fever down." She nodded toward the far corner of the room where the Delvian lay curled up on another bed, fast asleep. "He's been delirious for the past few arns. First he was talking to Scorpius, then awhile back he started yelling that Aeryn was alive. Scared the grot out of me when he did, too!"

As if on cue, John suddenly sat up straight, his eyes wild. "We've got to go back," he gasped. "She's still alive... I remember..."

D'Argo sat on the edge of the bed and placed his hand on the human's shoulder. "It's all right, John," he said, trying to get him to lie back down. But Crichton knocked the hand away and pushed himself up so that his back was against the wall.

"You don't understand, I remember it all now. We left her there!"

"John, you were dreaming," Zhaan said, coming up to stand behind Chiana.

"No no no no no... I remember! Just listen to me," he begged, his hands clenching the covers.

D'Argo sighed. "All right, John. We're listening."

Crichton took a deep breath. "I was given a false memory. The fight started like I told you before, but now I remember how it really ended."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As John scrambled to his feet after being thrown into the knife kiosk, he felt two strong pairs of hands grip his arms. He struggled, but soon his wrists were bound behind his back. Blinking his eyes to clear the blood from them, he turned his head and saw Aeryn lying on the ground to the side of him. "Aeryn!" he called out, fearing the worst. To his relief, she stirred and moaned slightly as one of the soldiers leaned down and injected something into her arm. "Hey, what're you doing?" John shouted, attempting to go toward her. Two of the men grabbed him and forced him to his knees, where he could only watch helplessly as several others lifted the unconscious woman onto a stretcher.

Soon, he found himself being propelled rapidly through the streets, surrounded by the black-clad guards. He could only catch glimpses of Aeryn being carried in front of him, so he contented himself with asking numerous questions of their captors. After repeatedly inquiring as to why they were being abducted, he became frustrated with the silence which was his only answer. Finally he fell silent as they entered a tall, windowless building with the word "Oricron Breeding Center" inscribed over the grey metal doors. When they entered , Aeryn was taken down a long hallway, while John was brought into a small, bare, white-walled room and strapped into a metal chair in the center. As the guards left, a tall, thin man wearing a blue lab coat entered the room. John glared at him. "Are you gonna tell me what the hell's going on?"

"Of course," the man answered. "You're at the Oricron breeding center. You will soon return to your ship, while your companion stays here and assists us in the rebuilding of our society."

"I'm not going anywhere without her."

"Oh, you will. By the time you leave here, you'll think she's already dead. But first..." He walked over and strapped a metal band across John's forehead. "You're going to tell me everything about yourself and your friend. What are your names?"

Crichton opened his mouth to tell the man to go frell himself, but to his surprise, the words that came out were, "I'm John Crichton, and she's Aeryn Sun."

The man smiled. "Good, I'm glad you're going to be cooperative."

Shaking with frustration, John answered every question his interrogator asked. Finally, the man nodded. "Thank you for your help. You won't remember any of this, of course." Still unable to speak, John could only clench his teeth as the taller man continued. "Your memory-altering process will begin now. If it's any consolation, know that Miss Sun will be treated well, even though you won't remember that she's here. Goodbye, Mr. Crichton. And believe me when I say I am truly sorry." With that, he reached out and touched a button on the wall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"After that, I blacked out and woke up in the marketplace like I told you before," John concluded.

"How were you able to break through the false memory?" Zhaan asked.

He shook his head, staring down at his hands. "I don't know. While I was asleep, I somehow remembered the truth. And it wasn't a dream! I know that for sure." He shuddered, then looked up. "You all believe me, right? We've got to go back and get Aeryn!"

"Already done," Pilot's voice came over the comm. "We will be back at Silexa in approximately five arns."

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

Sitting on the bed, Aeryn picked idly at the plate of food cubes on her lap. They'd been on the floor of her cell when she'd awakened, but no one had spoken to her as of yet. Chewing on one of the tasteless squares, she absentmindedly rubbed a hand across her abdomen. She'd never thought of herself as the mothering type, but now an intense desire to protect the life within her arose. "Don't worry, I'll get us out of here," she whispered. And find John, she thought. He's already got one child he'll never see... I won't let that happen again. She was startled out of her reverie by a faint buzzing noise as the communications screen activated again. Standing up, she moved over to it, only to see Dr. Horath glaring at her.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Miss Sun," he said. "You should have told us the fetus was only half Sebacean."

An icy lump of dread suddenly manifested itself in Aeryn's stomach. "Why?"

"Our blood must be kept pure!" he shouted, then calmed. "No matter. The fetus will be removed immediately so that you can start over again. Your abortion procedure is scheduled for three arns from now." Before Aeryn could reply, the screen went blank again.

"No," she whispered, then louder, "No!" She began pounding on the screen, her fists emphasizing her words. "I... won't... let... you! You... can't... take... my... baby!"

Finally, exhausted and with bruised and bloodied knuckles, she slid to the floor and rested her head on her knees. She was sound asleep when the drugged mist poured from the vents once again.

Part 5

The crowds in the streets parted like a massive wave before the stony glares of John and D'Argo. Eyes fixed on the grey building up ahead, John clenched his teeth and picked up the pace, his long black coat whipping around him. The two burst through the unlocked doors, weapons at the ready.

"Where is everyone?" the Luxan asked, aiming his Qualta blade down one hallway.

John shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe they figure no one will try to rescue anyone here." Especially if everyone held here is thought to be dead. He started down the corridor he'd seen Aeryn taken. "This way."

They hadn't gone far when a door just ahead of them opened and a short, bald man carrying a clipboard walked out and nearly ran into them. His eyes opened wide with shock as John grabbed him by the collar and shoved him into the wall.

"Where is she?" Crichton growled, pressing his pulse pistol to the man's head. "Where's Aeryn?"

A look of recognition and fear crept across the man's face. "C-Crichton! How... you shouldn't..."

John pushed him even harder against the wall. "I can find her with or without your help, doc," he said, moving the gun under the man's pudgy chin for emphasis.

The doctor lifted a trembling hand and pointed down the hall. "Five doors down, on the l-left."

"D'Argo, watch him," John said, giving the man one last shove as he moved away. "Make sure he doesn't call for help."

The terrified little doctor looked as though he were considering bolting until the tip of D'Argo's blade landed lightly on his chest. "Don't even think about it."

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

Aeryn lay restrained on her bed, too drugged even to cry. A dull ache below her stomach told her that the surgery had already been done. As far as she could tell, she'd been drifting in and out of consciousness for the past few arns, as nurses came in periodically to inject her with sedatives and check her restraints. She turned her face to the wall and closed her eyes as the door opened again, not caring what her tormenters did to her now.

But this time, to her surprise, she felt a gentle touch on her forehead, while a voice she never thought she'd hear again called her name. She turned toward the voice and forced her eyes to focus on the person standing over her. "Crichton?" she whispered, unable to believe what her eyes and ears told her.

"C'mon, let's get you out of here," John said, tugging at the straps across her chest. Aeryn watched him closely as he freed her from the rest of her bindings, still unsure of whether or not she was dreaming. Only when his strong arms lifted her off the bed like a baby did she allow herself to relax and wrap her arms around his neck before the darkness claimed her once more.

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

When Aeryn awoke again, she was back on Moya, lying in her quarters. John sat beside her on the edge of the bed, his fingers lightly tracing circles on the back of her hand. He smiled at her as she opened her eyes. "Hey," he said softly. "How're you doing?"

"I..." She sighed deeply. "I've been better."

He gripped her hand tightly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Aeryn remained quiet for so long, John was afraid that she wouldn't speak, like many other times when he'd asked her to talk about her feelings. Then, he noticed the slight quivering of her chin, and the small droplets that began to stream from the corners of her eyes into her hair. "Hey, hey, it's all right," he said, leaning down and pulling her up into his arms. She slumped into his embrace, gripping him tightly as she sobbed out all the pain and rage that had been building up. "Shh... it's OK," John soothed, stroking her hair gently. "Tell me what happened."

"They took him," Aeryn managed to say. "They killed our son."

"What?" Crichton was confused.

She pulled away from him and took a deep breath, wiping her eyes. "I didn't know it, but I was pregnant with our child. When the doctors found out he was only half Sebacean, they..." She shook her head, unable to continue as fresh tears flowed down her cheeks.

John sat still for a moment, overwhelmed. He'd been prepared for a tale of rape or violation, but this... He didn't know what to say, so he reached out and gathered Aeryn back into his arms. "God, Aeryn, I'm so sorry... I wish I could have gotten you out of there sooner."

"They told me you thought I was dead," she said, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

"Yeah," he replied, holding her a little tighter. "Actually, they made me believe I'd killed you" He pulled back so he could look her in the eyes. "Even though I know what really happened now, I remember seeing you die... and how I felt afterwards," he said, shivering a bit from the memory. "That's something I never want to go through again. I don't ever want to lose you..." He leaned in close to kiss her, but she turned her face aside.

"I... I can't, John, not just yet," she sighed, putting her head back down on his shoulder. "Just hold me for now, all right?"

"OK," he said, enfolding her in his arms once more. He held her tightly, staying silent and rocking her back and forth gently until her deep breathing told him that she was asleep. Then he lay her back down on the bed, crawling in beside her and spooning his body around hers. Healing for the both of them would take time, he knew, but for tonight, just being together was enough.

THE END

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