By: Shipscat

This story takes place a few cycles from now, and the last episode aired while it was being written was DMD, when we had no idea what the crew composition was going to be. It is a sequel to The Traveller's Song and Epilogue, which are posted here in the library. If you haven't read them, all you need to know is that in my imagination, Aeryn's parents defected from the peacekeepers and ran off with a gypsy like group called the Travellers after she was born. Megi and Merisa are Aeryn's sisters.

Thank you to MAlar for reading everything I write while it is in progress, and thanks to the Domekeepers for suggesting that they would like to see the girls and L'ari on Moya. Thanks to UCSBdad for letting me borrow larry, and thanks to Larry for his wonderful acting.

Farscape is not mine, but all the extraneous characters, peoples, planets, etc. are.

The rest of the fic will be posted in the reply section.

Enjoy :)

Aeryn was standing on Moya's bridge staring out at the stars. John walked up behind her and put his arms around her. "We're almost there."

Aeryn leaned back into him and put her arms over his, lacing their fingers together. "I'm glad we decided to do this."

"Looking forward to seeing your folks again?" he said into her hair.

"I'm looking forward to seeing my sisters again."

"I know what you mean. When we have kids, I hope they're just like Merisa and Megi."

"Aren't you presuming a lot?" she said, but she sounded amused.

"Nope. You are the only woman for me. You're stuck with me, and that means kids and silver wedding anniversaries and taking care of me in my old age and till death do us part- all that kind of stuff."

"I'm not making you any promises about having kids." She shook her head dubiously.

"Well, we have to talk about it before we're your parent's age. I'll be too old by then."

"Oh," she said, as if the thought hadn't occurred to her before. "How old are you planning to get.? And how fast?"

"We could still have children when I'm sixty, but it wouldn't be a lot of fun teaching my son to play football when I'm hobbling around with a cane.Besides," he added, nuzzling her neck, '"we know we're compatible. When we make love, it's not inconceivable that we could be making a baby."

"Inconceivable? Does that mean what I think it means? Very funny."

"Or are you going to give me a lecture on the superiority of Peacekeeper birth control?"

"It's never been a concern before," she said truthfully.

"But it's different now, isn't it?" he asked, thinking that from what he knew she wouldn't have had a choice or a responsibility for an accidental pregnancy.

"Of course it's different now,' she said, turning around in his arms and putting hers around his neck. "I love you." She graced him with a beatific smile.

"I love you,too," he said as she stroked his face and then kissed him sweetly. Looking into her eyes, something else occurred to him, "You do realize that the girls will be a little older now, don't you? They change. Megi probably says no all the time and Merisa dresses in black...or what ever would be nonconformist..and is depressed and writes really bad poetry and worries about her weight..."

Aeryn was giving him 'the look". the one that said 'you are the strangest creature I've ever met.' But the rest of her was pressed up against him and her hands were stroking the back of his neck and he was starting to wonder if there was enough time before they got to the planet when Pilot's voice interrupted them.

"We're getting a transmission from the planet. It's rather..strange. It appears to be a warning.'

"What kind of warning, Pilot?"

"I don't know. It says not to land, and gives coordinates to another place."

John looked at Aeryn and saw that she was as puzzled as he was.

"Should Moya and I plot the new course?"

"No. Before we do that, why don't we see if we can raise someone on the planet. Ask for Aeryn's parents."

It wasn't long before they heard Talyn's voice. "Aeryn? Crichton? I can't believe you're here. Whatever you do, don't come down to the planet."

"Why not ? What's going on?" Aeryn asked.

"You know, It could be very fortuitous that you're here. Stay put. I'll get right back to you."

Luckily, the wait wasn't very long, as Aeryn was getting more agitated by the microt. John had to admit that he was worried as well, but until they knew what was happening, there was nothing they could do

"Meara and I were wondering if you could take the girls for a while."

"Of course," John said. "Why? Just the girls?"

"We're having a problem. Do you have decontamination facilities on Moya?"

"Yes," Aeryn said, glancing at John.

"Put the girls and everything we send up with them in the facility. They'll be there right away. I'll contact you later."

The transmission ended abruptly. John looked over at Aeryn. "This isn't good."

Aeryn was pacing monotonously up and down the corridor outside of the small room the girls were being held in. John was peering through the tiny window. They were in a part of Moya John had never seen before. The chamber was small and white and looked uncomfortably familiar to him. He almost expected something less innocuous to come out of the nozzles on the ceiling. He turned to say something to Aeryn about how this reminded him of the gas chambers..no, they looked like showers, this was more like the ovens..when he realized that now was probably not a good time to bring up such a grim subject.

"I'm sorry. I should have asked you first," is what he said to her.

"Asked me what?"

"If you wanted to- never mind,' he shrugged.

He wasn't pleased with the picture before him. Merisa had grown since they had last seen her. She was fulfilling her promise of becoming a willowy beauty, appearing to have bypassed any gawky elbows and knees stage. Megi was a chubby toddler who was clinging tightly to Merisa as she was sitting in her lap. What was upsetting was that they both were unkempt and looked tired and dispirited. Even L'ari was lying on his side listlessly, lacking his usual bounce and enthusiasm.

Aeryn paused long enough to peek in at the dark head bent over the the grubby but still golden curls, then resumed pacing.

"Soon, Aeryn," John promised. She flashed him a look that said soon was not soon enough.

When the door finally opened, Aeryn and Merisa met in the doorway. They hugged awkwardly, Merisa shifting Megi to the side and leaning heavily on Aeryn. She started talking furiously, "It's awful. Everyone's sick and there's nothing Dad can do about it and Elleth died and Gwyndell's baby died. He was only a little bit younger than Megi." Then she burst into tears.

Aeryn tried to take Megi from her, but the toddler clung more tightly to Merisa and started wailing. Aeryn looked helplessly at John.

"She doesn't remember you. Maybe we could..get something to eat, something to drink?"

Merisa nodded and readjusted Megi, leaning back for counterbalance, and proceeded wearily down the hall.

John looked at L'ari's mournful eyes. "Are you going to burst into tears, too?' he asked, and surprised himself by patting him on the head.

"Dad said to tell you he was sorry that they couldn't send more supplies for us. And he said to take everything we brought and wash it- and don't wash it in something that will end up circulating back into Moya," Merisa said after they reached the dining room.

Chiana was bustling around, having decided that good hot soup was in order. "Here, have some sweet crackers while you're waiting. Crichton calls them cookies. I have no idea why, since you don't have to cook them."

"Would you like to fill us in, Merisa?Your father didn't have time to tell us very much about what was going on," John asked as gently as he could.

"I really don't know very much. Mom and Dad made us stay alone in the stumble as soon as the first people started dying. We've been there for days."

Chiana came back with another platter. "I made some small tortes. We were going to take them down with us but I guess you can eat them now."

"Thank you," Merisa said.

Aeryn, sitting beside the two, was engaged in a game with Megi. The little girl was lifting her head and peeking at Aeryn, and then burying her face in Merisa's shoulder again.

"So you've been taking care of Megi by yourself all this time." Crichton said.

"Yes. And I can't believe they sent us up here. I could have been a big help to Dad,taking care of people."

"I'm sure that your mom and dad just want you to be safe."

Merisa gave him a stubborn and familiar glare. John gave up for the moment and watched in amusement as Aeryn slowly enticed Megi off of Merisa's lap with bits of cookie. It reminded him of trying to get a wild animal to eat out of your hand. To his surprise, it worked and soon Aeryn had the baby on her lap, contentedly and messily eating a torte. Merisa looked on disapprovingly but didn't say anything. She did, however, say something when L'ari reached over the table and delicately picked up a torte.

"No, L'ari," Merisa said sharply.

John looked at the small multi-layered cake in his hand,."These taste an awful lot like chocolate, and chocolate's bad for dogs. It can give them heart attacks. My aunt had a little yip-yip dog that ate an entire Christmas stocking once. Luckily it just threw it up."

Merisa gave him a strange glance, having not understood most of the nouns in that speech. "He's been eating them all of his life. He's just not supposed to have his dessert before his dinner,' she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the universe.

"Not until you've had your soup," Merisa said sharply. L'ari looked guilty but hungry and laid down again to wait. Luckily for L'ari, the soup soon arrived and Chiana had remembered to get a large bowl for him.

Crichton was amazed at Rygel's ability to know, night or day, when someone was eating. He wandered in just when the soup was being served. One look at L'ari and he decided to go elsewhere, but not before stuffing his pockets with tortes.

After the girls had finished eating, John suggested that Merisa take a shower and get some rest.

"I can't. She'll scream if I leave. She won't even let me put her down."

"She'll be fine. It's all right if she cries," Aeryn said. "We'll take care of her."

"Honey, we have to make sure that you're taken care of, too," John said to Merisa.

Chiana came up beside her and put a friendly hand on her shoulder. "I'll show you where the room is. We made one up for you."

Merisa gave one more stricken look at Megi and left with Chiana. As soon as she turned her back on Megi the toddler made a dive for the floor. Only Aeryn's quick reflexes kept her from losing her grip on her entirely. She started wailing just as promised, and Aeryn held her tightly and started walking her, jiggling her up and down.

"Wondering what we've gotten ourselves into?" John asked as soon as the child quieted enough for him to be heard.

"No, wondering what's happening and what we can do about it. Has Pilot made contact again yet?"

"He said he would let us know as soon as he got someone on the line. We need to talk to Zhaan about what little we do know."

"Why couldn't it have been an enemy. Peacekeepers, pirates, something we could fight." Aeryn said, exasperated.

"We can fight this, Aeryn. We have to."

For a moment she looked like she was going to join Megi in sobbing. "They wouldn't have sent them away if it weren't desperate."

John was wandering around Zhaan's lab, whistling to himself and peering into jars and containers. He was only halfway listening to the intense conversation between Zhaan and Talyn's disembodied voice, as he had long since been left behind in the discussion.

Talyn was saying, "I don't know if it's a true bacteriophage or if it just looks like a normal cell when it enters the system, but there's no antibody production at all.'

"So is it only Sebaceans who are becoming ill?" Zhaan asked calmly.

"No, the people of mixed blood are contracting it as well. Roughly, I can tell you that the Peacekeeper bred are coming down with it first, then colonists and hereditary Travellers, then those with mixed blood. So far no one who isn't somewhat Sebacean has caught it, but I wouldn't bet on species that are close, like Luxans. That's not surprising because Sebaceans have very weak immune systems. The Peacekeepers have so successfully eradicated viruses and bacteria that we never have a chance to exercise them."

"What's the mortality rate?"

There was a small pause. "So far...a hundred percent. All I've been able to do is try to stabilize them, but since their own bodies aren't doing anything, they're simply being overwhelmed."

This was definitely not good. No wonder they were so quick to get the children off the planet. John listened to the recitation of symptoms which he thought sounded a lot like the flu, which led to thoughts of chicken soup and mom. Or was chicken soup for colds? Was it feed a cold and starve a fever, or the other way around?

"Any fever?" John asked casually. Zhaan looked puzzled. Even the silence from the comm sounded puzzled.

"You know, an elevated body temperature? Helps kill germs?"

"Sebaceans don't have an elevated body temperature when they are ill, John," Zhaan said.

"You can see how that would not be a good adaptation," Talyn added.

"Well, my mom always said that you should let a fever run its course unless it's really high because you'll get better faster. Maybe you could put them in a sweat lodge or something to raise their body temperature. Not high enough for heat delirium, of course."

Talyn said, "I don't know if that would help...maybe." John could almost see him shaking his head. "We can't do it."

"Why not?"

"No source of heat. Not enough fuel. We only have a couple of permanent buildings here and I don't know how we would raise the temperature that much."

Crichton stifled a purely American moment of outrage that they didn't have central heat. "What about your ships?"

"Stumbles are body temperature. Their body temperature. We can't change it. Wait just a microt. I'm going to get Ansel."

it was only a microt before another voice was heard. "I have a generator and I can make something that will work, but I don't have any fuel for it. I could use chakan oil, but it's not a good idea."

"Yeah, like powering your lawn mower with airplane fuel." John hit his com. "Aeryn, any idea how to fuel a generator? Can we bleed some iriscescent fuel from Moya?Tap the froonium drive?"

"What?" Aeryn sounded impatient. "There's no need. We have a stockpile on tier eight."

'Where on tier eight?"

"Ask D'argo. I'm busy."

John was a little surprised at her abruptness, but he dismissed it to pay attention to matters at hand.

"We'll bring some fuel and any other supplies you need."

"I'm going, too." Zhaan announced. "Just give me a microt to gather medical supplies."

"Oh, no," Talyn said. "I don't want anyone to take any unnecessary risks."

"You could use the help, Dad," came quietly from the background.

"It's quite unlikely that the virus will affect me," Zhaan said, gathering instruments and potions.

"It's true. Zhaan's not only a different species, she's in a whole other kingdom," John agreed.

D'argo and Jothee set to work packing containers of fuel and other supplies in the transport pod. It was decided, after a little persuasion, that Rygel would fly Zhaan down and bring the pod back up. Before he signed off Talyn and Crichton agreed to talk again after Rygel had returned, so that he and Meara could speak to the girls.

John came in to find Aeryn lying on their bed with Megi draped over her. The baby was obviously dead to the world. He thought Aeryn was, too, until she opened one eye and gave him half a glare.

As he sat down on the bed beside her, she whispered, "If you ever talk to me about having children again I'll smash your frelling kneecaps."

John only had a moment to be grateful that she hadn't threatened anything else when she continued. " And don't think there's going to be any more recre- making- any anything! You and your mivonks can stay on your side of the bed from now on."

John considered a dozen replies, most of them having to do with how this was not his fault, but very wisely said, noncommittally, "I guess things haven't been going very well."

Aeryn looked at the ceiling. "Merisa hates me, and I just lost a battle of wills with someone who isn't even two cycles old yet."

"How do you know she hates you?" he asked softly.

"She said so. And evidently I'm doing everything wrong, and only Mom calls her Risa, and I just spent two arns trying to bathe this child and failed."

"I think they're a little stressed out now, Aeryn. I don't think it means that you're doing a bad job."

"That's not helping," she said irrationally, almost breaking out of a whisper.

"What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to say something that will make it all better."

John reached out and touched the curls of the small head pillowed on Aeryn's breast, trying to think of what to say that would make it all better. That the children missed their parents and Merisa was scared out of her mind? That it's harder if it's someone else's child and that the relationships would improve over time? That kids expected you to make it all better too, even if you couldn't?

It occurred to him in looking at Megi that she had missed more than one bath and Merisa probably hadn't had any better luck in than Aeryn.

"Have you thought about taking her into the shower with you?"

"No," Aeryn said, considering. "She's very.. wiggly. And she squirms a lot. And wouldn't she get slippery? What if I dropped her?"

"When she wakes up we'll do it together," John said, stretching out beside her and placing an arm around her and Megi both.

"Well, you were right,' Aeryn said, her mouth quirking," she definitely knows the word 'no.'"

They shanghaied Megi, stripping her quickly and carrying her into the shower with them both. She gave up after one betrayed yell and let them bathe her, one of them holding onto her while the other one scrubbed and shampooed her. She quit squirming and was soon giggling and smiling. Aeryn made John stop tickling Megi after she almost lost her grasp on the soapy toddler.

John finished showering last and came out to find Aeryn and Megi wrapped in towels, sitting on the bed. Aeryn was combing out the Megi's hair and Megi was playing with the wet tendrils of Aeryn's hair, looking perfectly content. It occurred to John that this was probably familiar to Megi and something she was used to doing with her mother.

"How's my girls?" he asked as he sat on the bed beside them.

"Megi's not ours," Aeryn said automatically.

"Just an expression. I 've been looking for something to use as a crib. I found something with rails- a little small at the bottom and the sides were high-, but Rygel told me it was used to keep the smaller prisoners in so I thought it wouldn't be appropriate.'

"You're probably right. Could you keep an eye on her while I get dressed?"

Megi was keeping an eye on him. Aeryn took the strand of her hair out of Megi's fist that she had been sucking on and got dressed while Megi stared at John suspiciously. After a moment Megi picked up the comb that Aeryn had left and started trying to comb her own hair.

'Cute," John said. "Here, honey, you wanna do mine? You can't possibly do a worse job than I do." He bent his head so that Megi could comb it. Aeryn smiled at them as the hair combing soon turned into her banging the top of his head with the comb.

"What IS this?" Aeryn said, picking up a clean garment from the small pile of children's clothes.

"What's wrong with it?' John asked, perplexed.

"It's pink," Aeryn said, screwing her face up. " And what is this design on it?"

"Flowers? They're strange looking, but I think they're little lavender flowers."

"It doesn't look very practical," she said doubtfully.

"What do you think, we should dress her in black leather? I mean, they're overalls. You can't complain about that."

"What would be practical would be something that was dirt-colored with a food stain design on it," Aeryn said dryly. "And how am I supposed to get something this small on someone so wiggly?"

Megi put down the comb and lifted her arms up.

"Oh, so now you decide to cooperate?" Aeryn had little trouble getting the small shirt and overalls on. John moved to help with the diaper, but she said smugly, " No, that's okay.I figured these out."

John and Aeryn both moved back from the bed to admire their handiwork. "She looks much better, Aeryn."

"What about her feet? I don't have anything to put on her feet."

"Well, Moya's warm and the DRDs keep the floors clean- and besides, I have yet to see that child's feet hit the ground."

"You didn't see her running off, yelling "No bath, No bath!" earlier."

Megi gave her a charming smile.

"I need to go check on Rygel. I could take her for a while, though, if you want, Aeryn."

"You know she'd fuss."

Megi looked from John to Aeryn and lifted her arms to Aeryn. "Up," she said imperiously.

"I see what you mean."

Aeryn picked the child up and settled her on her hip. " I think I will go thank Chiana for doing the laundry and show her the results. She's been very helpful."

"We should be talking to your parents soon. Catch ya later, babe,' he said and leaned over Megi to give her a kiss. Megi pushed him away and clung tighter to Aeryn. John laughed."You gotta share, kiddo."

John had just ascertained that Rygel looked fine and healthy when Merisa caught up with him. She came down Moya's corridor with L'ari by her side, his sharp claws clicking on the floor.

"That ponytail looks familiar." John smiled.

"Aeryn helped me with it. Do you like it?" Merisa preened a little, smoothing her hand down the length of the ponytail.

"It looks great. You look ready for battle."

"A little too ready," Merisa said ruefully. "I picked a fight with Aeryn. I didn't like her taking over."

L'ari distracted John by looking through the window in to the decontamination chamber, where Rygel was currently stuffing his face, someone having planned ahead this time and left him something to eat. it occurred to John that the eye peering in would look a lot like a velociraptor or something. When L'ari snorted on the glass, the image was complete in his head.

"L'ari. Give Rygel a break, okay?"

L'ari said something indecipherable and moved away from the window.

"I did the same thing with Mom, the last time I saw her. I told her I hated her."

'You poor kid,' John thought. He put an arm around her shoulders. "Listen, Merisa, your mom is not even going to remember that. You'll see. And I'm sure Aeryn will understand,too. It might help if you told her you were sorry."

"But she still isn't doing it right."

"She's trying, Merisa. We don't have any kids, so we don't know everything, but we are both going to do the best we can for you and your little sister." He gave her a little squeeze.

"I just feel so useless."

He looked at her and said, "You know your way around a lab, right?" Merisa nodded. "If we are going to find out anything about this plague, we need you to help. Maybe you can pull a Wesley for us."

John and Merisa went to Command where Aeryn and Megi were talking to Chiana. Merisa looked very surprised when she saw Megi. L'ari padded over and sniffed her where she was sitting on Aeryn's lap, as if he didn't quite believe she was the same child.

"Wow," Merisa said, impressed. "She looks good. You got her cleaned up."

"Well, they'd better contact us soon. I think this is going to last all of a quarter of an arn."

"I'm sorry Aeryn. i didn't mean what I said. I-"

"No. It's okay," Aeryn cut her off.

Megi slid off Aeryn's lap and started, for the first time, to explore her environment. She was indeed able to walk and was interested in a DRD that was close by. Every time she got close to it, it moved away and she would straighten up and chase after it again, her sturdy legs moving quickly. Eventually the DRD stopped and Merisa sat down next to it, attempting to catch it's eyestalks in her hands. She had to make many swipes at it before it let her catch hold of it and put it in her mouth.

"Should we stop her from doing that?" Merisa asked.

"I don't think she can hurt it. I think Moya's playing with her."

They talked of inconsequential things until, sensing that she wasn't being watched, Megi wandered to the open door. Aeryn and John simultaneously moved to get her, while Merisa made no attempt. Before either one of them could get here, L'ari caught up with her and hooked one razor sharp tooth through the place where her overall straps crossed. It frightened John to see those teeth so close to Megi's small body, but Megi accepted it as if this happened every day of her life. Looking very much like a mother cat carrying her kitten, and Megi having the same resigned air as the kitten, L'ari brought her back and deposited her carefully at Aeryn's feet. Megi looked at Aeryn and then L'ari and then back to Aeryn.

"Goog goy," she said, as if prompting Aeryn.

"Good boy," Aeryn responded, and patted L'ari's head. L'ari made a couple of whimpering noises and Aeryn started scratching behind the ears instead.

"Goog Goy, Goog goy, goog goy," Megi said.

"I always wondered what babies were saying," John said. "I was hoping the translator microbes would give me a clue, but it sounds just the same."

Merisa giggled. "She calls everything 'good boy'." She called your skulkie a 'good boy.'

"But Amber's a girl,' Chiana protested.

L'ari added a few comments in the form of growls and whining. Aeryn smiled and Merisa giggled again. Chiana looked a little offended.

"Don't tell me you can actually understand him," John said.

"You mean you can't?" Chiana asked.

"It's not that coherent, John. He said something like, 'Vorlags are nice and useful and HELPful and can't even be COMPARed to sneaky little vermin catchers." Aeryn sounded very much like the vocalizations that came from L'ari.

Merisa looked at John speculatively. "You got your translator microbes after you were grown, didn't you. Maybe they don't work as effectively."

"Or maybe," Chiana added her two cents enthusiastically, "it had something to do with what you expect. Like, you think L'ari can't talk because you think of him as an animal, when really-"

Chiana was interrupted by a loud exclamation from Megi.

"Mama, Mama, Mama!" Megi was bouncing up and down on her padded bottom and pointing at the screen where stars had been a moment before. "Dad-eee!!"

"Hi, Baby," Meara said from the Gathering Place. "Merisa...Aeryn. John." Despite her lit-up eyes and genuinely happy smile, John didn't like the way she looked. Her normally erect posture was rigid and she was very pale. Sitting beside her, Talyn looked simply exhausted.

"Thank you for sending Zhaan down to the planet," he said. "It made it a lot easier for me to take a break."

Meara stopped waving and smiling at Megi. "Thanks for taking Merisa and Megi. You have no idea what a relief it is to know that they're safe."

"I was half a microt away from sending them out into the wilderness and let L'ari catch peekits for them," Talyn said, with a ghost of a smile.

John heard a rhythmic and loud thumping. He looked behind him to see L'ari waging his tail wildly, his mouth open in a toothy grin. Megi had a similar but less toothy grin. Aeryn picked up the toddler so that she could see better, and Megi patted her and pointed. "Mama."

"Yes, Megi, that's Mama,' Aeryn agreed.

John noticed that Merisa did not seem to share the other's joy in their reunion. She was looking at her mother with a very sad face. "Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad."

"I love you, Risa."

"I love you, too, Mom."

"You be good for John and Aeryn, okay?" she said as if she were speaking to a much younger child. "They're going to take very good care of you and your sister. And I don't want you to be too sad. Do you understand?"

Merisa nodded.

"And make sure L'ari stays out of trouble," Talyn added.

"John, Aeryn, we would like to speak to you alone," Talyn said, reaching over and carefully taking Meara's hand.

Merisa came over and took Megi from Aeryn. "I'll take her to my room," she said, her voice and footsteps heavy. L'ari followed her out of the room, and Chiana followed as well.

"Want Mama," Megi said, not in her usual demanding tone, but sounding puzzled.

"Not right now, Megi," Merisa said, her voice thick with tears.

When John turned around to look at the screen again, Talyn was alone.

"Meara wanted to be here, but she had to go lie down,' Talyn said. "We wanted to ask you, if we don't make it, if you would keep Merisa and Megi. We wouldn't normally have to ask this- there are a lot of people who would take the girls in but I don't know at this point if any of us are going to survive.'

"You don't have to ask us now," Aeryn said. "Of course we will. But you aren't sick..are you?"

"Not yet. You know, Meara begged me to take the children and leave even though she grounded everyone with a sick family member, but even if I didn't have patients to take care of- not that I'm doing them any good- I wouldn't leave Meara."

"You would rather choose to abandon your children," Aeryn threw back at him.

"Aeryn.' John said. "Don't-"

"Not by choice, Aeryn, but it might be what happens. Your mother wanted me to tell you that she has every confidence in you."

"Did you tell Merisa she might not be going home?" Aeryn asked, her voice trembling.

"We tried to talk to her about it, but she didn't want to hear that her mother might-that her mother is ill."

"How long?" John asked, the full import of this finally hitting him. He amended himself hastily. "I mean, what's the incubation period? How long does it take ..to become fatal?"

"As near as I've been able to figure out, one to seven days for incubation and three to five days before death occurs. Of course, the original carrier had to have incubated it a lot longer since she didn't die before she got here, and there are a lot of people who aren't sick, so it may take them longer."

"So you had your own typhoid Mary? But that means you know where it came from."

"Yes. It was the clan that arrived just before us. Their last stop was a planet named Faes, about five weekens out. It's not on the same route we are. She sustained an injury that became infected, so it might have come in on a bacterial vector, but now it appears to be spread by the slightest casual contact."

John had an image of Talyn holding Meara's hand. His mind working furiously, he said, "So..the natives there might know how to cure this? If we went there, we might be able to find a medicine or a vaccine or something that would help?"

"Or you might find a planet riddled with plague and wipe out yourself and what's left of my family," Talyn said sharply.

John turned to Aeryn, whose face now held a glimmer of hope.

"Even if it's a long shot, we have to try."

"We could be careful- Moya could probably get there a lot faster with Starburst."

'By my calculations, less than a solar day," Pilot said, proving that he had been listening. "If we use an exact reverse trajectory in Starburst, we should have no trouble finding our way back."

"And the Travellers have maps," Aeryn said.

"I don't think there's much chance of finding a cure," Talyn said. "And if you don't find anything, you probably shouldn't bother to come back. There won't be any reason to."

After making arrangements., John and Aeryn went to check on Megi and Merisa.

They found them both asleep in Megi's room, curled up around each other on her bed. From his position on the floor at the foot of the bed, L'ari raised his head and looked at them with a watchful eye, then went back to sleep. Aeryn pulled the gold colored blanket over them and they tiptoed out.

"We should get L'ari a mattress or doggy bed or something," John said when they got back to their own room. "Those floors don't look very comfortable, and I don't think he'd fit on a bed."

"We could put it in Merisa's room. I feel better knowing he's in there with them. And I feel better now that we've decided to do ...Something," Aeryn said, plopping down on the bed and making a helpless gesture with her hands.

"I know what you mean," John said, sitting down beside her and putting his arm around her. "We have the black plague here and all I could think of was to tell them to wrap'em in a warm blanket.'"

Aeryn turned and buried her face in his shoulder. She wasn't crying, but he put his arms around her and held her comfortingly anyway. "I wish I could tell you everything was going to be fine."

"I wouldn't believe you anyway."

"Would you believe me if I said I love you and we're going to do everything we can?"

"Yes,' she said, with a small smile.

John took her face in his hands and looked deeply into her eyes and kissed the side of her mouth, and then the other side, and then directly on her full red lips. Aeryn kissed him back, slowly and sensuously. Some mutual kissing and removing of clothes later, they were on the bed on their knees facing each other with their arms wrapped around each other. Aeryn was just thinking, that although she had learned a lot in the last couple of cycles about the value of taking it slow, that enough was enough and maybe she'd just push John over on his back, when he withdrew and casually laid down on the far side of the bed. He put his arms behind his head and started whistling tunelessly.

"What?!!"

"I'm just keeping my mivonks on my side of the bed like I'm supposed to."

"Oh, you-" she said, and picked up a pillow and hit him with it. He laughed and grabbed the pillow. "You could come visit us over- oof!" he said, as she pounced on him.

John came in to breakfast to find Merisa cheerfully stirring something on the stove. Megi was sitting on a box on the bench around the table. As he watched, she took something off her plate and plopped it into Aeryn's mouth.

"Mmm," Aeryn said, and made a production out of chewing it up and swallowing it. Megi giggled and repeated the operation.

"There you are," John said. "I was wondering where you got to this morning."

"The girls were up early,' Aeryn said, leaning over so he could kiss her cheek. "I don't think they're on the same sleep cycle that we are."

John nodded at D'argo, who was deeply involved in a bowl of porridge.

"Aeryn was telling me about the plan," Merisa said. "Do you want something to eat?"

"I'd take some of the porridge."

D'argo mumbled something in his direction.

"I'm sorry we didn't let you in on the travel plans, Big Guy."

"Don't worry about it, " he replied, waving his spoon around dismissively. "I know time is very important."

"So what is Megi..uh.not eating?"

"Merisa chopped up some root vegetables and cooked them so they were soft," Aeryn said as if she thought this was very clever.

"I'll take some of those, too," John said.

"Megi likes these. L'ari likes them, too, but he likes them raw," Merisa said. John realized that the large crunching sounds he had been hearing was L'ari , on the floor chewing his food. "They're good for his teeth."

John looked askance at L'ari. "Does he need to have something that's good for his teeth? Have you guys ever thought about getting those things capped or filed down or something?"

L'ari made a short and barking comment.

"L'ari said-" Merisa started.

John stopped her. "No need to translate that one."

Rygel came in, lured by the smell of food.. He floated next to Megi, looking curiously at what the toddler was eating. Megi grabbed a handful of vegetables and shoved them into Rygel's mouth, withdrawing her small fingers hastily as if she was afraid they would disappear into the cavernous opening.

"She's got his number," John observed as Rygel said. "Thank you, my dear."

'Megi," Merisa scolded. "if you give all of your food away what are you going to eat?" She piled some vegetables in front of John , pausing to say "yuck" when he stirred them into the porridge. She then chopped some of the mauve disks into smaller pieces.

"Why are you doing that?" Aeryn asked.

Merisa gave her a strange look. " Little kids choke easily. I'm just making sure they're small enough not to stick in her trachea." Merisa put a cup in front of Aeryn. "You'll have to hold the cup for her. At home she has a special cup with a lid because she spills a lot."

"All right," Aeryn said.

Jothee wandered in and took a look around the room. Grabbing a bowl, he headed to the stove and asked Merisa shyly if he could have some. As she was spooning some out, D'argo said, "It's about time you got your lazy eema out of bed.'

"Da-ad," Jothee said, mortified.

"A warrior has more discipline and self-control."

Merisa was standing with the forgotten spoon in her hand, dripping mush on the floor. Her mouth was open as she stared at D'argo.

"Dad, I'm not a warrior, I'm not ever going to-"

"On earth, teenagers lie in bed til noon," John interrupted hastily.

"Jothee worked hard yesterday helping with the loading. Maybe he needed to rest,' Aeryn suggested.

"Now you sound like Chiana," D'argo said contemptuously.

Aeryn narrowed her eyes at him. D'argo withstood her glare for a microt, then made his excuses and left the table. There was silence for a little while, as Jothee sat down to eat and Merisa got a rag and wiped the floor with it.

'Would you hand me one, too, please?" Aeryn asked quietly.

Merisa tossed her a damp rag. Aeryn caught it neatly and attempted to use it on Megi's face where she had mashed some of her breakfast into a fine paste and applied it liberally to her cheek. Megi shook her head from side to side vigorously to avoid the washcloth. Aeryn scowled at Megi. Megi scowled back. Rygel broke the impasse by cheering the toddler on. " You go, little one. Don't let her boss you around just because she's bigger than you."

Megi looked over at Rygel, surprised by the show of support. Rygel smiled at her hugely, patting his tummy. While Megi was smiling back and babbling something in agreement with Rygel, Aeryn managed to make a passable job of wiping her face. "Thank you, Rygel."

"No problem. I've always gotten along famously with all of my progeny.'

"Maybe it's because you've never grown up,' suggested John. Rygel didn't even reply to this. He was too used to being insulted.

Merisa stood in front of John and Aeryn. "I had an idea. I would like to hang around with Zhaan and look through the datastores for medical information. What dad knows is more than twenty-five cycles out of date- Moya's information is what- four or five cycles out of date? Maybe I can find out something about this virus.'

"That's a good idea, honey. Jothee and I will clean up,' John said. Jothee nodded agreement.

Merisa stood in front of Aeryn until Aeryn realized that she was supposed to make some sort of reply.

"That would be fine,' she said. Having finished washing Megi's little hands, she picked her carefully off of the box and placed her on her lap.

Jothee's eyes following Merisa out of the room from underneath his lowered head. L'ari made an effort to get up, then looked back at Aeryn and stayed. He gave a huge yawn, exposing all of his razorsharp teeth, then laid back down on the floor. Rygel took one look at the teeth and decided it was time to make his exit.

Megi did not cry or scream or try to leave Aeryn's lap. She just looked up at Aeryn inquiringly, with an expression that said, as clearly as if she had spoken, 'what next?' Aeryn looked back and shrugged. "I have no idea."

"John, what do you do to keep someone this age busy all day?"

"How would I know?"

Aeryn soon discovered that it wasn't a matter of keeping Megi busy. Someone that age kept her very busy while they were en route to Faes. For a while they stayed in the dining room listening to Jothee and John talk, discussing chess and the fact that John owed Jothee a game. Megi spent a good deal of time sticking her tongue out at Aeryn and making strange faces until Aeryn finally laughed at her, which, from her satisfied expression, was what she had been trying to get her to do. Aeryn announced that she was going to check out the transport pod's systems and took off with Megi.

"How was my mother doing?" Merisa asked Zhaan hesitantly.

"She's hanging in there." Zhaan was setting her supplies back in order after she had so hastily packed to go down to the planet. "Your father is doing everything he can to make her comfortable."

"I wish I was there to help him."

Zhaan turned around to give Merisa her full attention. " I know how you feel. It was very difficult to make the decision to come back to Moya, but I feel that this is the place I need to be to do the most good."

Merisa, mollified, returned to looking seriously through the datastores. She looked up when Jothee came in.

"Uh, I was wondering if there was anything that I could do to ..uh..help."

Merisa looked at him blankly.

Zhaan thought for a microt. "You can go up to the seventeenth tier and bring down every holochip you can find. You won't find everything in the same place- you'll have to look through boxes and containers."

"The seventeenth tier? Why are they stored there if all the monitors are down here?"

"I don't know, but that's where they are. if you really want to help, then that's the help we need."

"If that's what you need," he agreed.

"And while you're there, bring down any lab equipment you find."

Watching Merisa as she intently went through Moya's datastores, Zhaan had a momentary sense of unease at what she might find, but she knew that everything that was particularly objectionable had long since been erased for the good of the crew. She only hoped that they hadn't erased anything about this virus.

John stumbled over L'ari as he came in to the transport pod to find Aeryn.

"L'ari, you're right in the middle of the doorway. Maybe you should find somewhere else to park your carcass."

"Oh, no, John,' Aeryn said, the sound muffled by the fact that her head was under a console. "He's keeping the baby from escaping."

John looked over the vorlag's furry side. Megi grinned up at him, and attempted to climb L'ari, grabbing handfuls of thick brown fur to pull herself up. She succeeded for a little while, then L'ari rolled a little and shrugged her off. She landed on her bottom, then tried again. L'ari rolled his eyes at John and gave him a look of complete martyrdom.

L'ari moved to let John through. "Sorry, fella." John grabbed quickly as the toddler made a run for the opening. He swung her up and into his arms. " Are you going to cry if I pick you up?" he asked, rubbing her nose with his. She just grinned at him.

" So what do you think, Aeryn? Do we send down Rygel and Zhaan? I think they have the least chance of being infected by anything."

"What a team. Are you sure we shouldn't have left Zhaan with my- with the Travellers?"

"We wouldn't have the slightest idea what to look for without her,' John said sincerely.

Aeryn came out from under the console soon, overcome by curiosity. John was sitting cross legged on the floor with Megi, doing a strange hand gesture and singing. Megi was imitating him as best she could, including babbling along with the tune.

"The itsy bitsy spider went up the waterspout...." John sang.

She watched them, a strange mix of emotions confusing her. Her first reaction was a purely feminine melting, her heart softening at the sight of John and the baby enjoying each other. Mixed in was a sharp jealousy and a deeper, duller ache that this was something she had never had.

John stopped. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know how to do that.," she said..

"Well, of course you don't know how to do it. It's from earth. I doubt that itsy bitsy spider made it all the way to he uncharted territories.'

"No, I mean I don't know how to do anything like that. I don't know any songs. I don't know how to..play with her like that."

John thought for a moment before speaking. "You do play with her, Aeryn. You were playing when she was feeding you and making faces."

"No, John. She was playing with me. No one ever played with me like that. I don't know how to do it.'"

"All right,' John said, getting up and pulling Aeryn over and sitting her down. " School is in session. You are going to learn this and pattycake and peekaboo. Hold your hands like this..No, finger to thumb, not finger to finger- and walk your hands up. You are going to love the rain part."

Merisa was sitting on a stool, her legs tucked under her neatly, intently looking at the monitor.

"Have you found anything yet?" Jothee asked, having finished his search through the upper tier.

"No, and I don't really know what I'm looking for anyway," Merisa said, stretching a little and relaxing.

"I'm sorry about my dad, you know, this morning."

"That's okay. Parents can be pretty stupid sometimes."

"i don't know what parents are supposed to be like."

Merisa looked at him sideways and smiled. "My mom and I got into a terrible fight because i wanted to cut my hair and dye it blue. "

"So why didn't you do it?"

"Because my dad said, " Beauty like yours needs no adornment." And I thought, okay, maybe it was a silly idea, but that's not the point. the point is that it's my hair and I should be able to make it pink with purple stripes if I want to."

"Or purple with pink stripes,' Jothee suggested. "But um.. I think your dad was right."

"Well, thank you." she said, turning her attention back to her task. ".. but don't tell him that."

Aeryn set the baby down on a safe place on Pilot's console, still retaining a firm grip on her overalls straps. "Don't touch anything," she warned, as Megi looked with interest at the bright lights and moving parts. Pilot reached out a claw in greeting. Megi looked at Aeryn. " It's okay. Go ahead,' Aeryn said softly. Megi reached out and touched Pilot's chitinous skin, tracing the patterns on it with her small fingers.

"She's grown much since she was last here, hasn't she?'

"She's changed a lot,' Aeryn said proudly.

"Young ones do. The young of my species undergo a dramatic metamorphosis before they become adults."

"This is a dramatic change to me," Aeryn said, watching Megi examine the way Pilot's claw opened and shut.

"There are no warning beacons coming from Faes, Officer Sun. In fact, Moya's long range sensors find nothing to indicate any large scale plague. "

"That's not necessarily good news, Pilot."

"I know," he responded soberly.

"Is the transport pod there yet?"

"Yes, they've reached the planet safely."

"I hate waiting." Aeryn said grimly.

Pilot gave her a sympathetic look. "That is all that we can do right now."

"May I bring her around so she can look at you more closely?"

Aeryn brought Megi into the inner sanctorum. The intensity with which she looked at and touched Pilot made Aeryn realize that he was something totally outside of her short life experience. Megi must have decided that Pilot was safe because she wiggled out of Aeryn's grasp and settled herself comfortably in Pilot's arms. Pilot looked down at her with a familiar and goofy expression.

"Just don't start cooing," Aeryn said, shaking her head.

"Actually, I was wondering when you and Commander Crichton were going to start producing offspring."

"You too, Pilot?" Aeryn said, exasperated.

"Well, that is what the purpose of mating is, isn't it? And Moya wanted to know. She feels that she would like to have little ones around her again, even if they aren't leviathans."

"Talyn is grown now," Aeryn agreed. " And Moya missed most of it."

"As did you."

Aeryns mind wandered to more practical considerations. " Do you think its necessary to use an exact reverse trajectory to get back to the gathering place? Have we lost our position?"

"No, but it is the most practical and efficient. Talyn was born with the equipment necessary to navigate during Starburst. I'm not sure that Moya and I will ever trust the new modifications."

"You're too used to being lost."

"I want to be extremely careful so that we take the least amount of time getting back to your parents."

"Thank you for caring, Pilot,' Aeryn said, touched.

"We all had parents once."

"We should get going ," Aeryn said, noticing how Megi was starting to wiggle. "She's getting restless."

Megi squirmed out of Pilot's grasp and hit the floor running. "Oh, no you don't,' Aeryn said, scooping her up. "I have to carry you out of here. I don't want you to fall off the walkway."

It wasn't a very long time , although it felt like it, before the transport pod returned. Zhaan had made it clear before they came back that she hadn't found anything useful, but John still had hope until they docked and he saw her face. While Zhaan's face was downfallen, Rygel was smiling and bubbly.

"I'm sorry, John,' Zhaan said. "I'm not even sure the virus came from there. There's no evidence of illness in any of the locals. I was hoping that if we found even one person who recovered from it that we would be able to make a vaccine."

"But their trade goods were excellent, their exchange rates favorable and the locals themselves trusting and none too bright. Would you like to see what I purchased?"

"That's not important right now, Rygel. Zhaan, I'm sure we're in the right place. Why couldn't you find anything about the virus?"

"Probably because it came from the secret medical laboratory,' Rygel said, digging into his bag and producing a handful of bright feathers.

"What secret medical laboratory? Why didn't you tell me about it while we were down there? " Zhaan asked dangerously.

"Well, I didn't want to go there. It's guarded. Now where is that- Ah there it is," and with a flourish, he produced a tiny pair of moccasins. Beaming, he bestowed them on Aeryn, who turned them over in her hands and looked at John quizzically.

"Well, they're not for you, they're for the little one."

"Yes, I understand, baby needed new shoes, but what about the secret lab?" John asked.

"It's secret, I can tell you where it is. Sebaceans have been seen there-going in, but not coming out. I hope they were all Peacekeepers."

"Sounds like they could have been experimenting, maybe germ warfare," John suggested. "We'll check it out."

Aeryn nodded.

"How did you find out about this when I found out nothing?" Zhaan asked Rygel.

"Because you, my dear, were asking the official sources, while I was hanging around the pubs and ..shopping."

Suitably girded, armed and braided for action, John and Aeryn were arguing.

"We could grab a Faesoid-

"Faesian."

"And pretend to be test subjects."

"Why not just go down there, take out a couple of guards and see what we can find?"

"That's not much of a plan."

"We don't have much time."

"You're both going?" a voice interrupted. They turned around to see Merisa standing there with Megi on her hip.

"We always go together."

"What if you don't come back?" Merisa said challengingly.

"We always have before," John said gently.

"Every body always comes back . Until they don't. What's supposed to happen to Megi and me if you don't make it? We won't have a mom and dad or you two." Merisa's voice was trembling but her face was set.

Aeryn took a couple of steps to close the gap between them. " Merisa, it increases the chances of survival and success if we both go. We're good at this, and we're good together."

Merisa let out a long breath. "At least take L'ari."

"Honey, I think L'ari would probably be more trouble-"

"NO," Merisa said sharply. "L'ari will make sure you come home safe. Take L'ari. unless you want to let the rest of these yotz's raise us."

"Merisa," John complained.

"Of course we'll take L'ari," Aeryn agreed.

"And we'll all come back," John promised.

L'ari got up from Merisa's side and followed them out. Aeryn's face was troubled." Do you think we're doing the right thing?"

"We won't be gone long."

"Are they going to be all right while we're gone?"

"They'll be fine." John reassured her. "L'ari 's not going to fit in your ship."

"We'll have to take the transport pod."

After they left, Merisa sought out Rygel. "Thank you for getting the information we needed,"she started, " And thank you for the shoes for Megi. It was very thoughtful of you."

Rygel stared at her, his open mouth falling somewhere towards his stomach.

"What did I say?" Merisa asked, sitting down to put the shoes on Megi.

"Nothing,' Rygel said gruffly. "You have manners that your elders would do well to emulate."

"Thank you. Look, they fit,' she commented.

Megi looked at the shoes and felt the design with her fingers.

"They're pretty, aren't they, Megi?"

"Pitty?" she got off of Merisa's lap and walked around in them. "Pitty,' she smiled.

"Here,'Rygel said, embarrassed. " You should get something, too." he handed Merisa the handful of brightly colored feathers, which were affixed to a clip, obviously intended to be worn in her hair.

"Thank you. It's very.."

"pitty," Megi said.

Not long after John and Aeryn left D'argo found a small child pattering down the hallway outside of Zhaan's medical lab.

'Where are you going?" he asked, scooping her up. She glared at him indignantly.

Merisa came darting out after her. "There you are," she said in an irritated tone.

"If she wants to wander around Moya, I can watch her for a while,' D'argo offered.

"Would you?" Merisa asked, relieved. "Zhaan and I are in the middle of something."

"No problem." D'argo said. He set Megi down and watched her as she set off again. "I remember when Jothee was this age. You have to watch them every microt."

D'argo followed along behind Megi as she continued on some unknown purpose. She made a more or less straight line to command. D'argo was impressed. If she had indeed planned to go there, she had certainly figured out where it was. She pointed out at the stars.

D'argo picked her up. She opened and closed her hands and pointed at the screen. "Mama. Daddy."

"I'm sorry. They aren't here right now." This was making D'argo a little uncomfortable. He didn't want to think about the fact that she might not see her parents again, and he had an uncomfortable image in his mind of Jothee waiting for parents that never came back.

"MAMA. Daddy. Goog goy?" Megi gave him a look from her cornflower blue eyes that showed that she obviously doubted his intelligence.

"Let's get you back to your sister," D'argo said. As he walked back with her, he tried tossing her in the air. She shrieked with delight, so he spent some time throwing her around and swinging her. She was giggling and breathless when they got back to find Zhaan alone.

"Merisa went on an errand for me . Leave Megi here, I'll watch her. If there's any trouble, I can call Merisa. She has a com badge now."

Zhaan entertained Megi for a while by singing. Megi listened quietly, enthralled by the Delvians lovely voice. Before too long, the toddler was bored with sitting still and started opening cabinets and looking curiously at the contents. Zhaan pried her out of cupboards containing medicines and potions several times before Merisa returned.

Merisa came back and it was decided that she would take Megi away for a while. Jothee had found a ball and soon Megi and Merisa and Jothee were rolling the ball around in a large open space and watching Megi chase it. After Megi tired, they sat and talked for a while. Megi grabbed one of Jothees tentacles and bit it experimentally. Merisa giggled at Jothee's resulting exclamation. " I think she's just getting hungry."

"I'll take her to Chiana and see if she can find her something to eat that isn't me," he said. "You wait here and I'll be right back."

Chiana was starting to work in the kitchen. "I'm sure I can find something for her. Oh, yeah, how about some of this? Aeryn likes this, ' she said, pulling something out of the food storage.

"Thanks," Jothee said, turning to go.

"Aren't you going to stick around?"

"I want to show Merisa how well I can play the Shilquen,' he said with a smile. Chiana stared after him with an odd look on her face.

Megi ate enthusiastically and then kept herself busy pulling pots and pans out of the cupboard and putting them back. Then she started stacking, unstacking, and restacking bowls. About the time that Chiana's sensitive ears could no longer take the sound of a spoon on a pot that had been made into a drum, Rygel wandered in.

"It's noisy in here, but something smells good."

"Rygel, just the one I wanted to see. Here, take the baby so I can get something done in here."

"Are you kidding me? I can't be responsible for the child. She outweighs me."

"She's getting sleepy. I'll lay her down,and you just keep an eye on her. If you want your crispy krallac, you'll do it," she threatened.

Megi did look sleepy. She was yawning and rubbing her eyes. Rygel reluctantly agreed. Chiana carried her down the hallway and into Rygel's room and tucked her into his bed. Rygel got out a gem encrusted tiara and, after checking to make sure that all the stones were securely fastened , not so much for Megi's safety as the tiara's, he gave it to Megi to look at. She was enthralled with the shiny facets and lay quietly as Rygel lay down beside her and started telling her a long winded story about his youth in the royal courts. " My cousin and I were real scalliwags back then- that was when we were still friends- before he deposed me, that slimy offspring of a budong and a -sorry..anyway, we were playing and .."

Soon, Rygel had bored himself fast asleep. So fast asleep, in fact, that he didn't wake up when Megi slipped out of the bed and crawled through the lattice work in the door of the cell and walked off.

"That was too easy," Aeryn whispered as they moved quietly down the hallway of the small and uninteresting building they had been directed to.

"Surprised your idea worked?' John whispered back.

"I'm surprised that this place was not more well-guarded."

"Maybe they weren't expecting trouble." John realized as they were walking that he was not hearing a sound he was expecting to hear. It took him a moment to realize that it was the click of L'ari's claws on the smooth floors that he was listening for. He looked behind him where L'ari was following and realized that he couldn't even see his claws anymore as the vorlag moved on soft and padded feet.

"Retractable. Cool,' he said, and gave L'ari a thumbs up sign. L'ari gave a shaggy nod and smiled.

After looking through a few empty rooms, they came across a room with a Faesian bending over what looked like a microscope. The rest of the room was filled with vials and paraphernalia. The Faesian was so intent in what it was doing that it failed to even see them come in. Instantaneously, Aeryn had a gun to its head and a hand over its mouth.

The Faesian confirmed John's earlier appearance of them. They weren't very prepossessing, having slight bodies and large heads. The Faesian in front of him was practically shaking with fear.

When Aeryn was sure it wouldn't scream, she took her hand from its mouth. "Peacekeepers,' he breathed.

In a few short words, John outlined what they were looking for. The little scientist kept shaking his head as he spoke. "I won't tell you anything. I can't. If I did, they would know."

"We could pull his fingernails out one by one," Aeryn suggested nastily.

"You wouldn't really let her do that, would you?" he asked, as if he didn't have much hope of agreement.

"No, but I might let L'ari here chew on you for a while."

The Faesian looked at L'ari with wide eyes and shook his head again. "You'll just have to kill me," he said with an attempt at bravado. "it would be far preferable to what will happen to me if I help you.'

"It's my wife's family that you're killing. I think you should be more afraid of what we'll do to you."

The little alien looked up at Aeryn and said sincerely,"I am sorry."

"Frell you,' she snarled and hit him with the butt of her gun. "Well, that was a waste of time. What do we do now?"

"Grab everything that isn't nailed down and get out of here before whatever it is that he was so afraid of comes back."

They grabbed every holochip they could find. They briefly considered taking some vials out of cold storage, but they left them on the grounds that they might contain more diseases rather than vaccines.

As Aeryn darted into yet another tiny room to take a quick look, John objected. "Let's get the hezmana out of here, Aeryn. This place is as empty as a schoolroom on a Sunday morning. We've been way too lucky so far.'

They turned to go and were all three moving quickly down a metal mesh walkway when John heard something. Actually, he felt it first. It reminded him of the impact tremor that preceded the T-rex's appearance in Jurassic Park.

He whirled around to see Aeryn in the grip of a dinosaur, its long claws holding on to her arm and its huge mouth and teeth inches away from her face.

John drew his weapon quickly although he realized that there was no way that a little yellow bolt of light was going to penetrate the Scarren's thick skin. "Aeryn,' he said calmly. She quit struggling and waited calmly, knowing that they were going to have to wait for an opening.

"How did you find out about this place? Does High Command know you're here?"

"We'll answer your questions if you give us the anti-dote. A vaccine for the disease you let loose among the Traveller group that was here a few weekens ago." John endeavored to speak calmly even though a Scarren was holding a gun to Aeryn's head. There were still possibilities. Aeryn could overload her pulse pistol and shove it in the things mouth. Maybe he could tackle it and shove it off the walkway.

"We have no vaccine," it laughed. " Why would we bother to make something to cure the disease?"

John was about to take action- some kind of action, anything, when the Scarran suddenly went down, hard. He hit the floor with a heavy impact. Aeryn was knocked away from the Scarran and immediately scrambled to get its weapon. All of L'ari's considerable bulk was on the Scarrens back, his jaws locked around the back of its neck. John could hear loud crunching sounds as L'ari was working his teeth into the beasts spinal column. Unfortunately, its neck did not snap as it might have if he had been a wildebeest and L'ari had been a lion in the veldt. The Scarren managed to arise with L'ari clinging to it, his great paws hanging on to the Scarrens shoulders like hands.

L'ari shifted position, changing his grip slightly and applying his bulk to the front of the Scarrens neck. Unfortunately, this put L'ari's sides with in reach of the long clawed fingers. John and Aeryn watched helplessly as the life and death struggle ensued. John fired a few useless shots into the Scarren. Slowly the Scarren went down again as L'ari hung on grimly. its large mouth gasping for breath and waves heating the air as it vainly tried to use its mental powers on L'ari. L'ari finally let go with a dismissive shake as the Scarren breathed its last.

John and Aeryn exchanged one glance and left, fast, L'ari running behind them.

"His bleeding's stopped but I think we need to get him to Zhaan as soon as possible. So tell me, Aeryn, would you have pulled out the Faesians' fingernails?" John asked as they made their way out of the transport pod.

"Did you take a good look at them, John? I don't think they had fingernails," Aeryn said, sounding rather embarrassed.

"Well, if they had fingernails, would you.-" John stopped as he saw the sober faces waiting to greet them.

'What happened?" Aeryn asked immediately.

"The baby's missing. We've all been looking for her, Pilot and the DRDs, but we haven't caught a glimpse of her." D'argo informed them.

"How long?" John asked.

"About an arn...we think," Chiana said.

"You haven't been able to find her in an arn?"

Pilot's voice came on. "Well, as you know, Commander Crichton, we have been getting short on DRDs over the cycles and we simply can't cover all of Moya."

John looked over at Aeryn, who had remained silent. He had a moment to reflect on the irony that the woman who had stood quietly in the grasp of a Scarren a short time ago was now exhibiting all the symptoms of shock.

"Aeryn," he said sharply, but she didn't respond.

"Aeryn," he repeated, and thumped her on the back. " Breathe, dammit, you're going to pass out."

Aeryn exhaled with a whoosh. "You don't understand. There are weapons and poisons on Moya. There are places that are too high that she could fall off of. She could drown in amnexus fluid. Parts of Moya lead directly to the outside. There are parts of Moya that are too HOT!"

"It will be all right, Aeryn. We'll find her. I don't know how, but we'll find her," John said, feeling like panicking himself.

"What if it's too late?" Aeryn asked, her voice shaking.

"It's not like she hasn't wandered off before," Merisa said. " I need L'ari. L'ari, come here."

L;ari got up stiffly from where he had obviously not been listening to the conversation and obeyed Merisa's summons.

"Megaera's missing, L'ari. I need you to find her. We'll start where she was last seen." L'ari followed Merisa, the dull look in his eyes replaced by an eager shine.

Larry picked up the scent outside of Rygel's room and took off at a lope.

"Doesn't he need a piece of clothing or something?" John asked.

"He can remember how Megi smells," Merisa said.

They followed L'ari as he went on a circuitous path through Moya's hallways. L'ari stopped out side of one of the small DRD access doors, whining and scratching at it.

"I'll go in," Rygel volunteered and crawled inside, calling for Megi. " I think I've found her- ow- " a thumping noise was heard. " I'm sorry, it's that damned skulkie,' he said, reappearing. "You don't think that's what the fool vorlag was following, do you?'

"No, of course not," Merisa said impatiently.

"Pilot, where does that door lead ?" Aeryn asked.

Pilot gave them directions to get to the other side of the door. John fell a little behind the others as they raced after L'ari. Rygel took the opportunity to talk to him.

"You know I didn't do it on purpose, don't you? I'm uncommonly fond of the little tadpole, even if she is from Peacekeeper stock and a female."

"Rygel, I don't know what your role in this was, but I suggest you concentrate on helping us find her. If something happens to that child before we find her, you are going to be road kill."

John caught up to the rest of them. It was easy enough to find them, L'ari's barking (or was it talking?) led him straight to the spot. L'ari was looking up, his tail wagging furiously in circles. Aeryn was like-wise looking up, a heartfelt 'Oh, frell," escaping her lips.

"How did she get up there?" asked D'argo.

"I don't think I can jump that high," Chiana said thoughtfully.

John looked up to see a heart stopping sight. Megi was nonchalantly walking along a narrow access path close to the ceiling. He was reminded of a painting he had seen many times of a pair of children walking along a rickety bridge with a guardian angel hovering above them. He could only hope the guardian angel part was true.

Rygel filled in the role of guardian angel by immediately flying up in his chair. Aeryn cried out, "No, no Rygel, don't," as he appeared to be trying to pull the child on to his throne sled.

"It's strong enough to hold us both."

"But you aren't, Rygel. I'm afraid you'll drop her. Just try to get her to stay there until we can find a way up." Aeryn's voice was shaky but determined.

As she and John were looking around to find out how to get to where Megi was, John found himself looking at another astonishing sight. 'Dogs can't climb' he thought to himself as he watched L'ari, who had evidently followed his nose, climb up a staircase that was little more than a ladder and trot over to where Megi was being entertained by Rygel. For a moment John thought L'ari was going to take the entire child's torso in his mouth this time, but he grabbed her by the overall straps and a goodly portion of her shirt. The vorlag then backed down the walkway and down the stairs, carefully keeping the child's body from being bumped on the rungs. Aeryn stayed beneath them the whole time, her arms outstretched to catch Megi if she were dropped.

As soon as L'ari got to Aeryn's level, he deposited the child in Aeryn's waiting arms and continued down the ladder.

Whoohoo!! " John yelled with relief. "That was better than Lassie. That was better than Rin Tin Tin!"

Megi, who had otherwise been totally calm, screwed her face up to start crying as soon as she saw Aeryn's anxious one. She decided better of it and laid her head on Aeryn's shoulder and patted her on the back comfortingly. Merisa came over to give Megi a hug as well. "I told you L'ari could do it."

"Aeryn,' John said, "You have to quit thinking that everything is going to turn out badly."

"Oh,' Aeryn scoffed. " You tell me you weren't scared out of your frelling mind!"

Aeryn was doing a quick inspection of the child. She seemed to be unharmed, just dusty and a little sweaty.

"There's blood,' Aeryn said, finding some on the back of Megi's clothes.She lifted up her shirt," but no wounds. It must be Scarren."

"I don't think it's Scarren,' John said slowly. He had just noticed that L'ari was now lying down, his sides heaving and a thin trickle of blood coming out of his mouth.

John came into the medical lab to find Aeryn running a sliver of ice along L'ari's gums. Megi was up on the table with L'ari and Merisa was applying a poultice to the wounds on his sides.

"How's the patient?" John asked.

'It's not as bad as we feared, John. There are no internal injuries. His thick fur must have protected his sides. The cuts are not deep." Zhaan answered.

"Look at this," Aeryn said. "his mouth is burned. Zhaan's making a salve for it."

John gave a whistle of appreciation at the sight of L'ari's mouth. It was red and blistered, with a few raw sores where blisters had popped.

"I guess Scarrens are really hot."

"Megi, I don't think that chewing on L'ari's ear is going to make him feel better," Aeryn remonstrated gently.

Megi looked thoughtfully at the wet and bedraggled tip of ear that she had been sucking on, and started patting L'ari, making little cooing noises. Merisa started tying l'ari's fur together over the long scratches. At Johns inquiring look, she said, "If we do it this way, we don't have to use staples."

"I think I'm a little jealous here, guy,' he said confidentially to L'ari. "You have all the attention of the lovely Sun sisters."

With a barely perceptible movement of his tail, L'ari opened one eye and winked at John. He immediately closed the eye again and let out a soft moan, resulting in a flurry of feminine concern.

"I have a lot of things to do. I'm glad L'ari's going to be okay.' No one looked up when John left.

Sometime later John found Aeryn standing over a sleeping Megi.

"I don't like seeing her in there,' she fretted.

"She doesn't appear to mind," John said.

It was true.Bathed, changed and wearing another of the small supply of outfits they had been given, Megi was sleeping peacefully with her thumb in her mouth and her bottom in the air in the former prisoner's cage, now a crib.

"Merisa said it was okay to put her to bed early since she missed her nap. Maybe we should put the cage in our room."

"Honey, L'ari's in here, Blue is watching over her and you know that Pilot can keep a constant eye and ear out for her. You don't have to stand guard over her all night."

The DRD with the blue tape was on a shelf overlooking the crib. L'ari was comfortably sleeping on a mattress that had been dragged into Merisa's room and snoring heavily. "Besides, D'argo and i have spent a lot of effort baby proofing this part of Moya. If we keep the girls longer- " he paused for a minute, know ing what that implied, " we will do more, like putting railings around Pilots' Chamber and locking off the laundry room and the ion backwash chamber.

"I have never been so scared in my entire life.' Aeryn said.

"Not even when Scorpy had me?"

Aeryn thought for a microt. " No, because I knew I was going to go get you. It was more..do you remember when we were stuck in the flax and I gave you the kill shot and I had to do PCR on you?"

"CPR."

" Well, it was like that because was afraid it was already too late and it would have been all my fault, and I don't know how I could have lived with myself if something happened to this child. Do you think," she asked hesitantly, "that my mother felt like that when they took me away?"

"I think that your mother probably felt like that every day of your life.'John put his arms around her. " My mother once said that choosing to have a child was like deciding to wear your heart outside your body for the rest of your life, and you can't protect your heart if its' walking around outside your body. Or disappearing on Moya somewhere."

"Then why do people do it?" she asked despairingly. "Before I met you, I didn't have anything to lose. Now I have you, and Moya, and everyone on Moya, and parents and sisters and some part of me thinks that maybe I don't deserve to have anyone to care about, because of all-"

" the bad things you did when you were a Peacekeeper."

Aeryn nodded, her eyes full of tears.

John stroked her cheek. "There is no cosmic accounting. No one is going to take away someone you love just to punish you. Besides, haven't you heard that it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?"

"No," she said , extremely skeptically. "Isn't it better to love and not have lost?"

"Well, yeah, you do have a point."

John took her by the arm and pulled her gently away. "C'mon, honey, she'll be fine."

"You're right. I need to find out whether Zhaan's found anything on those chips. And I'm going go find out who lost Megi so I can throw them out the airlock."

"Maybe you could just give that a rest, Aeryn. You know it could have happened to any of us."

She had that stubborn look on her face that said it wouldn't have happened to her." I'm betting on Chiana or Rygel because they both disappeared after we found Megi."

Aeryn found Merisa and Zhaan looking through the information she and John had brought back form the planet. Merisa was staring blearily at something on the monitor.

"Have you found anything useful yet?" Aeryn asked.

"No, but we're still looking,' Zhaan replied.

"You look tired, Merisa. You should get to bed soon."

"I will. I promise. Did I tell you how glad I am that you and John made it back in one piece?"

Aeryn smiled at her. 'Did I tell you how glad I was that you suggested we take L'ari with us?"

"I knew he would come through for you. I have to tell you that I am really sorry that I didn't keep better track of Megi while you were gone."

"Merisa, there were a lot of adults here. Why would you think it's your fault?"

"She's my little sister. She's my responsibility.'

"Not at all. I should have watched her rather than have you take her with you," Zhaan said.

"Maybe I should have fed her instead of Chiana," Merisa said.

"What were you doing while Chiana was feeding her?" Aeryn asked neutrally, still thinking that Chiana must have done something stupid..

"I was with Jothee."

"What were you and Jothee doing?"

"Not much,' Merisa said, but her cheeks were stained with pink.

Merisa found John in the kitchen rummaging around for something to eat.

"I think Aeryn's upset with me again,' she said without any preamble.

"What, did you start another fight?' John asked, with a twinkle in his eye.

"Nooo," she said slowly. "I was just telling her that Jothee had been hanging around, you know, and that he was playing that Luxan instrument for me and ..that he tried to kiss me. "

Merisa now had John's total attention. He came over and sat down beside her. Merisa seemed a little embarrassed but not so much that she didn't want to talk about it.

"So, did you let him?' he asked casually.

'No. I mean, I like him, but not that much, and besides, I think the way he acts around his stepmother is creepy."

"She's not his stepmother. In fact, she and D'argo aren't together anymore, or not together right now- I don't think, anyway."

Merisa looked at him skeptically.

"Okay, you're right, it's creepy. So did you tell Aeryn that?"

"She said Jothee was a mixed up kid and Chiana was a trelk."

Accurate, but not too helpful, John thought. He still didn't understand what the problem was.

"It sounds to me like you handled yourself just fine, honey."

"Well, I thought he was kind of pushy about it. I don't think I acted like I wanted to be kissed or anything,' she said, rather indignantly.

'And you told Aeryn exactly what you just told me?"

Merisa nodded.

"And she.. flew off in a huff?"

Merisa took a microt to translate that one. "Yeah."

'She's not mad at you, Merisa. Don't worry about it anymore. Just get some sleep, okay?" John left. He thought it might be a good idea to check and see if Jothee was still in one piece.

John followed the sound of raised voices. He was relieved, he thought, to find out that it was not Aeryn and Jothee but Aeryn and D'argo. He was not relieved to hear that the argument was already at a fever pitch.

"Do you want him to grow up like you? Do you want him to frell everything in the uncharted territories that claims its the female of its species? You want him to make all of his decisions with his-

A loud growl drowned out what she was saying. ' Who are you to tell me how to raise my son?"

John stepped forward and pulled Aeryn gently away from D'argo. She turned on him. 'You don't know what's going on."

"Aeryn," he said, cupping her face in his hand and turning it so that he could look in her eyes,' I talked to Merisa."

"I just asked D'argo to talk to Jothee, but he won't listen to me," she said, sounding more distressed than angry now.

"What makes you think he'll listen to me? When does Jothee ever listen to anything I say?"

"Maybe if you weren't constantly telling him how disappointed you are in him he'd want to hear what you have to say!"

"Aeryn, that's not helping. D'argo, with your permission, I will talk to Jothee."

D'argo growled, but he nodded.

"Is that okay with you, too, hon?'

Aeryn bit her lip and nodded.

"Okay, neutral corners everyone.' John said and walked off with his arm linked in Aeryn's. When they got out of earshot, he whispered 'I'm a little surprised to see you going after D'argo and not Jothee".

"I didn't trust myself. I was too..angry."

After some beating around the bush on John's part and some hemming and hawing on Jothee's, they finally got around to talking about Merisa.

"She's very pretty,' Jothee offered by way of explanation.

John thought that was a pretty flimsy excuse, but he remembered times when it had been enough for him. "She's very *young* ."

"She's only a couple of cycles younger than I am."

"It's an important couple of cycles. And she's led a very sheltered life."

"What are you talking about?" Jothee burst out. "I spent my life chained to a mine and she's been everywhere and seen everything. Have you ever talked to her about it? She's been to everywhere in the uncharted territories- she knows about all the planets and people and cultures-"

"And she's done it all in the company of very protective parents. She is very innocent and inexperienced and I want her to still be that way when we return her to them."

'Yeah, well, " Jothee looked at the ground. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"You can still drool at her from afar,' John said gently. "Just try not to trip over your tongue while you're doing it."

"How am I supposed to do that ?" Jothee said , grinning a little.

"Be respectful and polite and remember that she's a person, and not just a pretty girl." John got up to leave. "And remember that if you step out of line, you get to deal with Aeryn."

John came into their room to find Aeryn, wearing only his t-shirt and shorts, sitting in front of the mirror, taking her hair down.

"I will never get tired of watching you do that," he said, lounging in the doorway.

'Do what?" she said, shaking her hair back and picking up a brush.

'Doing your hair. I always used to wonder how it got that way- if it was down, it stayed down, if it was in a ponytail or a braid it stayed that way." He crossed the room and sat down beside her.

"How did you think it got that way?" she asked, amused.

"Oh, magic," he said, taking the brush out of her hand and starting to brush her hair gently. "Or some advanced Peacekeeper technology."

'Well, You can't stop in the middle of a firefight and do your hair,' she said, leaning back against him and closing her eyes. "Besides, it's personal. Private."

"Which is why I will never get tired of watching you do it," he said huskily and kissed her gently.

"Did you talk to Jothee?"

"Yes." He gave her a short synopsis of the conversation and ended with, "I think he really likes her, and it's got to be better for him than mooning around after Chiana all the time."

"Mmm. I reacted badly, didn't I?"

'You didn't shoot anyone."

Aeryn unfolded herself from his arms and got into bed. She waited while John got undressed and got in with her.

"I don't know why I overreacted,' she said quietly. "Peacekeepers start early."

John raised himself up on one elbow and ran his fingertips down her arm as she lay facing away from him. "Maybe that's why."

Aeryn was still quiet, eyes open, facing away from him. He wondered what she was thinking and whether she wanted to talk about it or not..

"When we first started getting close, I knew you were afraid, and I thought, I mean I know now that I was wrong, but I thought maybe you'd had bad experiences. That you had been forced. Treated violently."

She half turned around to look at him. "Really?" She went back to her original position. ' I'd like to see someone try,' she snorted.

"Yeah, me too. No, I wouldn't, but I know what you mean."

Aeryn was quiet again for a bit."I was a little older than Merisa. It was someone I liked a little anyway. He was kind to me."

'That's good,' John said.

"No. It wasn't. It hurt when he went on to someone else. I thought- he's found someone prettier, sexier, someone better at it.."

'You were looking for something more."

'Yes,' she nodded. " I wasn't sure what. "

He put his arms around her and held her close. "You 've found something more. And there is no one prettier or sexier or better."

"Maybe just for you," she smiled.

"Better be just for me,' he growled. " And I am going to prove to you just how pretty and sexy you are."

Right," she said challengingly.

John had made some progress in convincing her when a quiet voice was heard outside their door. "Aeryn?" Merisa said quietly. Not for the first time John wished for solid doors with good locks on them

"What is it? Is it Megi?" Aeryn asked immediately.

"No, she's fine. L'ari's with her. I just needed to talk to someone."

"I'll be right there,' Aeryn said, throwing the t-shirt back on.

As soon as they got well away from the sleeping quarters, Merisa started talking.

"Do you think our mother will still be alive when we get back?" she asked.

"I don't know," Aeryn answered honestly, knowing that their time was running out.

"I was so hoping that we would find the answer on Faes, and Zhaan hasn't found anything in the information you brought back."

"There's still hope," Aeryn said gently.

"I am so scared. And I feel really selfish, because I know I keep thinking about myself."

Aeryn was feeling seriously out of her depth. She felt for Merisa, but wasn't at all sure that she was the right person for her to confide in. Maybe John or Zhaan would be more capable of easing the young girl's mind. She started to say something about it when Merisa continued.

"You know, it's not just Mom and Dad, it's everyone I know. Everyone I grew up with."

"What about the boy you like?"

"His clan wasn't there yet." A ghost of a smile crossed her face.

"Merisa, I don't know what it's like to have a family and to lose them. I only know what it's like to not have one in the first place."

"I know. I'm sorry," Merisa said comfortingly, their positions temporarily reversed. "But what if everyone dies? What will happen to me? I was born and raised in that clan. If I'm not a Traveller, than what am I?"

"Merisa," Aeryn said seriously, leaning forward and talking with her hands, "You will still be yourself, and you will survive and adapt and be a stronger person for it. I know, because my life totally changed and I had to change with it. "

"And I can do it, too.'

"Yes, but it is different, because I didn't lose anything that was worth losing," Aeryn said, her eyes bright with tears. "And remember, you'll still have Megi and me. You'll still be my sister."

Merisa leaned forward and hugged her. "Thank you." She looked at her for a moment. "You'll do. If the worst thing happens, I know you care about us and you would be a good mom for Megi." Merisa was starting to mist over.

"I've been thinking about something else. You were right about both John and I going on a mission together. We won't go out on anything dangerous together again as long as you're here. If you're with us ..permanently, then one of us will always stay until you and Megi are older."

'Are you sure?"

"Well, I can't leave it to these yotzes to raise you, now can I?"

Aeryn quietly entered the bedroom, trying not to wake John. She put her pulse pistol in its place by the bed and eased herself into the bed, curling up next to John's warmth. He rolled over and put his arms around her. "Everything okay?" he asked sleepily.

"Yes. This has been the longest day of my life, " she said, laying her head on his shoulder and getting comfortable.

"Well, you've been putting out brushfires all day," he said.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she said, 'In case you think I've forgotten, I'm still going to space Rygel."

John woke up to the sound of cheerful babbling coming from somewhere near his ear. It was coming from his comm badge, which was nearby. For one confused moment, he wondered how Megi got hold of a comm badge. Then Pilot's voice came over the com. "I thought you might want to know that the littlest Sun is awake."

John looked over at Aeryn, who had not stirred. She was sprawled across more than half the bed. In the few occasions that he had had to observe her sleeping before they started sleeping together, he knew that she slept on her back with her arms to her side, as if she were on a small and narrow bunk. Now she took up all of her side and most of his as well, especially if he was in the bed with her.

'Thank you, Pilot,' he whispered, carefully removing the parts of himself that were in contact with Aeryn and sneaking out of bed.

John took a quick look into the room to see if Merisa was asleep before entering. She was buried so deeply under the covers that he could barely identify the top of her head.

Megi, playing quietly in the makeshift crib, looked surprised to see John.

"Mornin', Sunshine. Let's not wake up Mo- Aeryn and Merisa,' he whispered. Megi considered for a moment, then stood up with a big grin and put her arms out to be picked up. John put his finger to his lips and said "shhh." Megi liked that, and said, 'shhh," back, and 'sshh" to L'ari as he followed them out.

"Now where are those diapers?"

Not too much later Megi was comfortably ensconced in her cobbled together booster seat watching John make pancakes.

"Now these aren't real pancakes, you know, not like Mama Crichton used to make, but they're a reasonable facsimile thereof," he said conversationally. He flipped a pancake into the air and caught it deftly. Megi giggled and clapped.

"That one went REAL high, " he said, addressing Megi directly. After he gave her that one to eat, he repeated the operation to more applause and excitement.

"You know what I like about you, kiddo? You are the perfect audience. Everything I do is entertaining, you never complain that you can't understand what I'm saying, and you laugh at aaaall my jokes."

Megi nodded vigorously.

Rygel poked his head in and looked around the kitchen carefully before entering. He hovered his chair over to Megi and said,' You have gotten me into a lot of trouble, little one."

Megi offered him a large bite of pancake. Rygel accepted it, and said regally, "You are forgiven."

"Where's Aeryn?' he asked.

"Sleeping in. And by the way, Sparky, she knows it was you and she says she's going to throw you out the airlock."

"Well, in that case, I think I would rather it was done on a full stomach or three. You wouldn't deny a meal to a condemned man, would you?"

"Pull up a plate, Rygel."

They ate in companionable silence for a while until Megi, having had her fill, started taking pieces of pancake and putting them onto her hitherto unused spoon and throwing them in the air. This was to the delight of Amber, who braved L'ari's presence and started eating the bits. L'ari ignored her and kept carefully eating his breakfast.

'Oh, Aeryn is just going to love that I taught you that,' John said, rescuing the leftover pancakes. 'Here, honey, I think you're done." he looked at her doubtfully. 'And I think I can live with the crumbs on your face. Let's go see Zhaan. You wanna go see Zhaan?" he asked, picking her up.

"If you would be so kind as to remind Aeryn that I went with Zhaan to the plague planet, and that I found the secret laboratory and I looked for the child when she was missing and flew up to save her," Rygel said piteously.

"I can try , Rygel, but you might want to just lay low for a while."

"And remember,' he called as Crichton left his sight, "I can be revived if I've been frozen."

Merisa was in Zhaan's lab when he got there.

"You should get some breakfast," John said. Merisa waved a half-eaten food cube at him, as her mouth was full.

"John, where is the baby?" Aeryn's slightly panic stricken voice sounded over the com.

"It's okay, Aeryn. I have her."

"I'll be right there."

"Don't worry about it, Aeryn. Take your time. Get breakfast and a shower or whatever. We're fine."

"Aren't we, Megi?"John noticed how intently Megi was staring at the com. "You wanna say somethin' to Aeryn?"

Megi leaned forward until her mouth was touching the com. "Aahn.'

'You said, 'Aeryn', That was great!" John said. He smiled as some distinctly un-peacekeeper- like endearments came from Aeryn. When she signed off, he rummaged around until he found something- he wasn't sure what it did but it looked unbreakable, not likely to hurt Megi, and had lots of moving parts. He put her down on the floor in front of it and left it to Blue and L'ari to keep her from wandering off.

Leaning forward with his elbows on the table he addressed Zhaan and Merisa. "Tell me what you know."

"It's definitely a genetically engineered virus. It's specifically made to look like a normal Sebacean cell. The rate of infection, the incubation period and transmissibility are all designed to kill as many Sebaceans as it can. I'm not sure what actually causes death,' Zhaan confessed. "It is susceptible to heat."

"The Scarrens would have no fear of catching it even if it jumped species because it simply wouldn't survive in their bodies." Merisa added.

"It's possible," Zhaan added, "that someone who was a crossbreed would be more likely to develop antibodies against it."

"But it hasn't happened yet," Merisa added. 'And even half-breeds - at least all the ones I know- are susceptible to heat delirium."

"And we can't use heat against it because the temperature it would require to kill it would cause the living death easily," Zhaan said.

"It wouldn't in humans,' John said.

"And your body temperature rises naturally as a result of illness," Zhaan said.

"Oh," Merisa said. "Oh no. Aeryn is not going to like this idea."

"Yeah, I understand that it's necessary, but can't you just scan me or something?' John said, as Merisa approached him with the needle .

"No, John, I want to take a really good look at your blood," Zhaan said.

"I'm not really sure I want Doogie Howser here to take my blood."

"I can do it," Merisa said, sounding a little hurt.

"She'll be fine, John," Zhaan said, preparing a slide.

John took a quick look to see if Megi was still occupied and in sight. She seemed to be quite content playing on the floor.

After he agreed, Merisa competently drew some blood and took it over to Zhaan, where they both fussed over it.

"You know, although Peacekeepers are definitely not on my list of favorite people, I can't condone genocide. I find it hard to believe that even the Scarrens would try to eliminate the entire race,' John was saying as Aeryn came in and sat on the floor with Megi.

"I don't think they were trying for genocide, John. If they designed this virus, it was probably meant to take out a small contained area, like a base or a command carrier. It would be effective at disabling them and allowing the Scarrens to have a tactical advantage even if it didn't kill them all," Aeryn said.

"Well, it's still germ warfare. That's got to be against the Geneva or Hague conventions or something.'

'What's that?" Aeryn asked as she scratched L'ari behind the ears.

"It's rules for warfare. That you have to treat prisoners, and injured and ill, humanely, stuff like that."

Aeryn was looking at him incredulously. "You're kidding me, right?'

"No. Excesses in war can end up with the perpetrators on trial for war crimes."

"War crimes. But you can only try the losers. You can't try the victors."

"There's always the court of public opinion. We all have to live on the same planet on earth, you know."

"But-" Aeryn said, stopping for a moment to talk to Megi and brush crumbs from her cheeks. "That makes no sense. What if the enemy mistreats your prisoners."

"That happens."

"You know, Crichton, I used to wonder what would happen to the balance of power if your species ever got out here and got enough technology. You are so adaptable where we are so rigid. Now I realize the Peacekeepers have nothing to fear if humans are going to play at war like it's a game of chess," she snorted.

'This is very good,' Zhaan said, looking at the slide.

"This is amazing,' Merisa said. "Are you sure you aren't sick right now? You have twice as many white blood cells as an ill Sebacean."

"I told you humans were superior,' John said to Aeryn smugly.

"What's going on?" Aeryn asked.

Merisa and Zhaan looked at her silently.

"We're trying to determine what the chances are that I would survive and produce antibodies to the virus if I were exposed to it,' John said carefully.

"Oh, no, " Aeryn said, shaking her head repeatedly.

"We have reason to believe that John has a better chance-" Zhaan stopped because there was no point in continuing. Aeryn had stormed out.

"I'd better go after her,' John said, getting up to do so. "She must be really upset, she didn't even take the baby. Merisa, could you watch Megi while I go talk to Aeryn?"

"Sure, ' Merisa said, looking a little guilty. After he left, she looked at Zhaan. ' They remind me of my Mom and dad, " she said sadly.

"How is that?"

"They're just so.. wrapped up in each other."

John found Aeryn with her arms around her knees, sitting on the floor in their room. He did not take this as a good sign, knowing that if she were less upset she would be working out or furniture would be flying.

"Where's the baby?" she asked when he came in.

"Merisa's watching her,' he said, sitting down beside her.

She buried her face in her knees, her arms outstretched and her hair falling around her like a dark shroud.

"Why do you have to do it?" her muffled voice said. "Why not me? or D'argo? Or Jothee?"

"Aeryn, are you even listening to yourself? The next thing you know you'll suggest Merisa."

"Why does it always have to be you? You are the one who has to destroy the Gammack base, You have to exchange yourself for Jothee. Why can't someone else play hero this time?"

"I'm..unique in the universe. It might be the only chance."

"You are unique to me. I don't want you to do it," she said, raising a desperate face.

'Aeryn." John was surprised. "You've never said anything like that before."

"It doesn't mean I haven't felt that way before. Only this time, I can't go get you when you frell up."

"Gee thanks. You know, this is definitely a one helmet situation,' he said, pulling her close and holding her stiff body against him until she relaxed. "You can't help me. But it is the right thing to do."

"I don't want to lose you,' she whispered.

"I don't want to be lost, " he said, and kissed her gently.

Much to their relief, they found out Meara was still alive as soon as they got within hailing range of the Gathering Place. Talyn credited her survival to John's suggestion and to her own toughness and stubborn determination. Zhaan had a long discussion with Talyn and the others gathered in Command to wait for a visual.

John was walking alongside Megi while she was riding L'ari to make sure that she didn't fall off or kick him in the sore spots along his ribs when Talyn appeared on the screen. Megi greeted the sight of her father with the usual cheerful yell and enthusiastic waving. John had to make a quick save to keep her from hitting the floor. L'ari said something unintelligible and started wagging his tail enthusiastically, whacking John in the leg.

"Want Mama,' Megi said demandingly as soon as she realized that her father was alone on the screen.

"Mama can't be here right now, Megi," Talyn explained soothingly.

Megi's little face screwed up and she burst into tears. Aeryn came over and took her from John and she buried her face in Aeryn's shoulder.

"I appreciate all of your efforts but Zhaan has been telling me about your plan and I don't think it's a good idea."

"But Dad-" Merisa started.

"I'm not in the business of making people sick. If I wanted to experiment on intelligent beings, I would have stayed with the Peacekeepers."

"I would be volunteering, sir,' John said.

"Dad, the outer wall of his cells differ ever so slightly from ours. That means-"

"Zhaan isn't too enthusiastic about it either. And I want you to be alive to take care of my daughters. All of them. You shouldn't give us too much weight- Meara and I have long outlived the average Peacekeeper life expectancy and most of that has been together." It wasn't until he put his hand on the huddled shape on the bed behind him that John realized that it must be Meara.

"It might be the only choice."

Talyn was shaking his head and starting to say something when Merisa spoke first.

"Daddy!" she said, raising her voice. Everyone turned around to look at her. "You are being very selfish. You are putting the welfare of your children above everyone else. You didn't ask me if I wanted you to do that. I want to help you and Mom and the entire clan. John wants to do it and I think it's going to work," she finished very firmly.

"What about you, Aeryn? Is this alright with you?" Talyn asked quietly.

Aeryn looked down at the child that was still sobbing in her arms. "Yes," she said, her face like death.

"Bring down the blood sample with you. You do realize that we can't risk bringing the virus to Moya?" Talyn said wearily.

"Yes. the plan was for me to go to the planet."

After the transmission ended, Megi started crying loudly. The crying turned to kicking and screaming and jerky movements of her torso and pounding of fists. Aeryn was aghast. "What do I do?" she asked Merisa.

"It's a full blown temper tantrum. You'll have to wait it out," Merisa said.

Aeryn held Megi gently but firmly and waited.

As it turned out, Aeryn was going to get a lot of practice in waiting over the next few arns. But first, they had to pack up John and Zhaan and a lot of medical equipment.

"So, is fatalism a family trait?" John asked as they were watching the others putting things from Zhaan's lab into the transport pod. To his surprise they were loading the gadget that he had given Megi to play with.

"No. It's a Peacekeeper- Ex-peacekeeper trait. Merisa doesn't have it. You forget that we all come from the same place."

John was worried about Aeryn. Earlier she had expressed, for the first time that he could remember, a fear of losing him. He knew that it was partly because she had become so much more free in expressing herself, but he also knew that it was because any fear of loss in her was usually converted to grim determination that she prevent it from happening, and this time she had no control over the situation.

Speaking low and confidentially, he said to her, "I'm sorry we have to do it this way. I know it's hard on you."

"Just don't go getting your ass killed."

"I'm planning on coming back."

"You'd better," she said, her tone implying that if he didn't whatever kind of afterlife he had would be a hellish one.

Her words were harsh but the rare public kiss that followed was soft. It might have turned into something lingering and desperate if it weren't for the fact that Megi was between them, quiet now but hanging on to Aeryn like a little monkey.

Aeryn turned and left.

When they got to the planet Zhaan tried to leave the transport pod without him.

"Whoa...what's going on?"

"Talyn wanted to look at the blood samples before we took the risk of exposing you to the virus."

"But you told me that testing my blood with the virus would only reveal whether or not I was already immune, and you know that's not going to be the case."

"Talyn would like to make his own assessment as to your chances," Zhaan said.

'We don't have time for this,' John said, pushing past her and going out the door to a waiting Talyn. He stepped up, shook Talyn's hand, and said, "I'm contaminated. Now do your worst."

When they got to the building, Talyn took John into a quiet area away from the rows of sick people.

"Now the idea is, even if I produce just one antibody, you can cure people, even if it kills me, right?"

Talyn looked disgusted and didn't speak.

"We need more than one, John," Zhaan said apologetically," Please concentrate on a couple of hundred or so."

John smiled, realizing that this was a little blue humor.

"This is going to hurt," Talyn said, giving John an injection.

'At least you're more honest than your daughters,' John said.

The time spent waiting on Moya was not pleasant. Aeryn and Chiana got into a little spat over the laundry, Aeryn being low on kid's clothes and diapers and trying to explain, quite reasonably she thought, that she could not do laundry with the baby since the laundry area was a deathtrap, and Megi would not allow Aeryn out of her sight without throwing a fit. Chiana wasn't having any of this and simply refused.

Megi, on the other hand, refused to eat any lunch, and when Aeryn, in desperation called Rygel in the hopes that he could cajole her into it, he didn't answer his comm. Giving up on lunch, and getting increasingly frustrated, Aeryn went to watch Jothee teaching Merisa to play chess. Megi tolerated this as long as she was in Aeryn's lap.

"I've already been through this," Merisa told her. "I'm glad it's you and not me this time."

"Well, it's driving me farhbotz," Aeryn confessed.

"I know what you mean," Merisa said, not sounding the least bit jealous that Megi had transferred her affections to her older sister.

After a while the two forgot Aeryn's presence and were deep in conversation, with Jothee asking many questions about the Travellers.

To Jothee's question about the constant use of her elders first names, Merisa replied, "I don't think it's disrespectful. My mother says its a defensive tactic. It's the same reason we say "the gathering place' or "the clan" instead of giving it a proper name. Outsiders don't know what we're talking about, but we all do. Now, my dad says its political. That it makes for a more egalitarian society if we all have the same rank."

'So who's right?"

"Um...they both are. Mom's right, it's protective for the outside world not to hear honorifics or surnames so that they don't know who people were who joined us, and Dad's right, because it makes it easier of people to forget who they used to be. Only Mom says that you should remember who you use to be, like with her scars." Merisa paused awkwardly, then went on. "Mom says she's proud of her scars because they remind her of where she's been."

Jothee looked at her directly. "I'm not proud of my scars because I'm not proud of where I've been."

Merisa looked at him sympathetically. "Maybe you can be proud of where you're going."

Aeryn thought this was very insightful and mature, and was also surprised at how calm Merisa was being. The distraction of the game and talking to Jothee must work for her, but Aeryn was getting an increasingly strong urge to move, take action, HIT something. She took Megi and left, calling D'argo on the comm and insisting that he keep an eye on the teenagers. He didn't sound too happy about it, but he agreed.

To Aeryn's surprise, Megi let her workout, watching calmly from her position leaning against L'ari. Aeryn had explained very carefully to L'ari that he needed to make sure that Megi didn't get too close, as she didn't want to accidentally hit her.

About the time Aeryn was getting tired, she noticed Megi rubbing her eyes and yawning., so she decided to go lay her down for a nap, which is where Chiana found her a half an arn later, still trying to put her down.

"She won't sleep, she won't eat, she won't let me put her down,' Aeryn said, at her wits end. ' I don't know what's wrong with her." Aeryn was struck with a terrible idea. "You don't think she's sick, do you?"

Chiana looked at the fretful baby in the crib, her arms outstretched to be picked up and her cheeks stained with tears. "She's losing her trust in the world."

"I thought that she was getting better about that,' Aeryn said sadly.

"Well, every time she gets comfortable, she gets reminded of her parents or someone disappears off Moya. She's also picking up on your feelings."

Aeryn looked at Megi. It was true that she herself felt much the way Megi was behaving.

"How do you know this?" she asked Chiana.

"I don't know. I just do."

Aeryn picked Megi up again. "I think I'll take her to my bed and lie down with her."

"Oh, and Chiana- I'm sorry about yelling at you earlier."

"That's okay. I wasn't being very nice."

Aeryn looked askance at her.

"I'm worried too. And besides, you and your sisters have all the male attention sewn up around here,' she said jealously. " Megi's even got Rygel wrapped around her little finger."

"There's always D'argo."

"Hmmph,' Chiana said, her nose in the air.

John had felt fine for several arns. He had even helped unload and set up lab equipment. He was beginning to worry that the incubation period was going to be too long for the experiment to be of any use even if it did work when he was hit with the worst aches and pains he had ever felt. Every joint felt like it was rotten and every nerve was on fire.

"Oh, crap," he said, and laid down on the nearest bed. A few minutes later he heard one of the unnamed helpers calling for Talyn. "Quickly! I think he's having convulsions!"

Megi was less upset in Aeryn's bed, but she still looked unhappy, lying there listlessly sucking her thumb.When Aeryn lay down beside her, she settled herself in the crook of her arm.

"I know you're scared, Megi," Aeryn said, smoothing her curls down. "I am, too. Do you want to hear a song John taught me?"

While Megi watched with wide eyes, Aeryn sang slowly and softly. "I'll entwine and I'll mingle my raven black hair...with the roses so red and the lilies so fair.." as she finished singing she realized for the first time that the song did not have a happy ending. But Megi didn't care- she was asleep.

Aeryn , not sleepy, had nothing to do but worry, so she tried to think of other things, like whether she should have let L'ari go off on his own ... maybe he was hunting down Rygel's food stashes, she thought with a smile. She wondered if Jothee was behaving himself and whether D'argo cared or not. then she started thinking about whether letting Megi spend so much time in their bed was setting a bad precedent. It wasn't that she minded, but she could see it as a problem when she and John wanted to be alone. Of course, that didn't make any sense. If John succeeded, the girls would be going back to their parents, and the alternative was simply unthinkable. She realized with a pang that she was going to miss them. Somehow she couldn't imagine Moya without them even though they had only been there a couple of days.

"We are trying to get rid of you as fast as we can," she whispered to the sleeping child. "But I really don't want to.'

Someone was pulling John's eyelid open and shining a light into it. "It doesn't look like there's any brain damage."

John snorted. "You have no idea."

Talyn was smiling at him. "You scared us. i thought we'd lost you for a microt. Your temperature is 212 gliks. Is that too high?"

"Hot enough to boil an egg. Uh, can you give it to me in Fahrenheit? How about Celsius?"

At Talyn's puzzled look, he said,' I thought not. Then I have no idea."

"Well, you seem to be doing all right."

"I feel like crap. Why are you so cheerful?"

"Antibodies. Lots of antibodies.

Talyn and Zhaan went into a conference.

"What we'll need to do is make up an immunoglobulin for everyone. The people who haven't contracted the virus can also be given a killed virus vaccine," Talyn said.

"I can't possibly provide all the antibodies for all the Travellers, can I?"John said from the bed.

"No, John," Zhaan replied," But we can make your antibodies replicate themselves very quickly. That's what the equipment from Moya is for."

"Well, I hope Megi didn't break it," John said.

""What I am worried about is whether the Sebacean body is going to accept John's cells. They might not work for them at all, or there might be rejection problems," Zhaan said to Talyn.

"Well, if we have to we can marry a little Sebacean DNA to his antibodies to increase the chances of their being accepted," Talyn replied.

"I was planning on doing that anyway," John said. "I need to talk Aeryn into it first. You know, mix my DNA with a little Sebacean DNA and make some little Sebaceans?'

"Do you think he's delirious?"

"No," Zhaan answered. "He makes that much sense all the time."

"Call Moya," John said urgently. "Call Moya, Aeryn id worrying aboud me."

Aeryn was lying next to Megi worrying about John, but deriving some comfort from the small warm body lying next to hers when Pilot told her that there was contact from the planet. She almost forgot herself and cheered when Talyn's voice came on and told her that he thought John was going to be fine, and would she like to talk to him?

"John, are you really all right?" she asked in a tearful whisper.

"I'm fine. Id no worse than having de flu."

"Is it going to help my mother? And the Travellers?"

"Don'd know yet. Dey're working on it." John sneezed massively.

Talyn's voice broke in. "I have no idea what's going on with his nose."

"You do sound strange," Aeryn said.

"I hab a code id my dose. Why are you whidpering?"

"I have a sleeping baby."

"I wub du."

After Aeryn translated this, she said, " I wub du, too."

When Zhaan saw Talyn preparing an injection, she asked, "Weren't we going to do a little DNA manipulation first?"

"That's tricky and takes time. Meara's already been sick longer than anyone else has survived it. "

He wasted no time in giving an unconscious Meara the injection and waited by her bedside while Zhaan attended to working on the antibody reproduction and the vaccine. After about half an arn, with a great whoosh of air, Meara sat up and began a barking cough. Within microts it changed to wheezing and she passed out. Talyn and Zhaan worked on her frantically.

"Do you think it's an anaphyllactic reaction or do you think she's going through rejection?" Zhaan asked, her voice rising.

"I don't know, but we'd better find out fast. She's having a very hard time breathing." Talyn said grimly.

Meara's throat was on fire and every part of her hurt when she woke up. Talyn was leaning over her offering a drink, which she gratefully accepted.

"This reminds me of how we met,' she croaked.

"Frankly, I'm surprised this time, too, but you're going to make it."

Meara smiled. "How are my babies? What about the rest of the clan?"

"The girls are fine. They're still on Moya. Ansel's fine and we have a vaccine," Talyn said with vast relief. "We've started to distribute it. You were our test subject.'

"I can't believe it worked. I had given myself up for dead."

"You can't die,' he said , touching her forehead with his and speaking very intimately. "You are what makes my life worth living."

"You are my life,' was her answer.

It took some time before Zhaan was able to get to Moya and vaccinate Aeryn and the girls. They weren't sure what had caused Meara's reaction- the theories ran from allergies to rejection to a huge effort by the body to rid itself of the virus. Talyn even suspected that it might have been something else encoded in the virus by the Scarrens as a last ditch effort to kill the host if it was starting to recover. But it didn't really matter at the moment as long as they had adrenaline on hand to keep the throat from constricting, and it didn't occur in people who weren't already sick. No one on Moya was vaccinated until every last Traveller that had been exposed to the virus had received a vaccine.

Megi spent her time still being clingy, but both Aeryn and Merisa were so relieved by the news that they found it much easier to tolerate. By the time they had the go ahead to go to the planet, Aeryn had fallen into a comfortable routine with Megi and was finally beginning to feel competent at what she was doing. L'ari had recovered from his injuries although he had had a tummy ache from discovering one of Rygel's food stashes.

When they got to the building that housed the impromptu hospital, Aeryn immediately asked for John but Merisa ran ahead to find her parents.

"He's asleep," Zhaan said. "We gave him some painkillers that put him into a very deep sleep."

"Painkillers?" she said. "I want to see him anyway."

John was isolated from the rest of the patients by a small curtain. Aeryn didn't like the look of the machinery and tubing surrounding him. Megi evidently didn't like it either, because she said, 'Dohn,' in a very worried tone.

"It's okay, Megi, he's just sleeping."

"Shhh," Megi said, putting her finger to her lips.

As Aeryn came around the curtain she could see Merisa at the other end of the room with both Talyn and Meara. From what she could see, it looked like Merisa was sobbing her eyes out and being fussed over by both parents. She drew back a little, hoping that Megi hadn't seen them. She thought that they needed some time with Merisa before they had to deal with the toddler as well.

While she was peeking from behind the curtain she noticed a bluehaired man approaching.

"Ye must be Aeryn, " he said. "how ye doin, Megi?"

Megi babbled something cheerfully in response. Aeryn said, " You must be Ansel." Thinking back to Meara's life story, she could remember that they had talked about Ansel looking just like Broc, but she had not gotten the impression that Broc was very handsome. Ansel was.

"I'm your brother. Sort of."

"Okay,' Aeryn said. "I have an entire platoon of relatives I didn't know I had. What's one more?"

"Beka. Come meet Aeryn."

The woman that Ansel introduced as his mate was so small and slightly built that Aeryn was sure she that if she had been born a Peacekeeper, she would have been made a tech if she had passed the genetic screening at all. She hung back a little and was, Aeryn thought, rather plain. Then she smiled at Ansel and Aeryn changed her mind. She was very pretty indeed. Aeryn brushed off Ansel's enthusiastic gratitude.

"May I hold Megi?" Beka asked. "I've missed her."

Aeryn tried to hand Megi over but she clung to Aeryn and refused.

"She likes ye a lot."

"The feeling goes both ways." Aeryn said, smiling at Megi.

Aeryn could see that Merisa was calmer now. L'ari came over to get his share of the attention, too. He laid his head on Meara's lap and gazed at her soulfully while she scratched behind his ears and talked to him. Talyn thumped him on the side and after a brief conversation, L'ari took off and left the building, woofing a goodbye over his shoulder at Aeryn as he went.

Aeryn turned to Ansel and said, 'I guess it's time for me to take Megi to her mother."

As Aeryn walked slowly over to Talyn and Meara, Meara stood up and took a couple of eager steps towards Aeryn and Megi, until Talyn stopped her.

"Sit,' he said firmly. Meara gave him a rebellious look but sat back down on the bed.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy,' Megi cried. Talyn gave her a hug and she smiled and babbled at him. Meara reached out her arms to take her but she turned her face away from her mother and buried it in Aeryn's neck. She only hung on tighter when Aeryn tried to pry her off. This was only making this more difficult for Aeryn, who was at a loss as to what to do and not too happy about the situation herself.

"It's all right, Aeryn." Meara said softly. "She's just angry with me. Go ahead and give her to me, anyway."

Aeryn managed to pry Megi loose and handed her to Meara. The child sat on Meara's lap stiffly, with her face turned away. Meara held her and talked to her quietly until Megi relaxed and leaned against her.

Merisa and Talyn were watching the little drama. When it seemed that it had been resolved, Merisa said, "I would like to go see my friends."

Talyn looked at her soberly. "I need to talk to you first, Merisa," he said, drawing her away to a private place.'

Meara was still cooing and talking to Megi, rocking her gently. 'Oh, look, you have new shoes."

"Pitty,' Megi said.

"And a new word," Meara said.

"Aahn," Megi said, pointing to Aeryn.

"Two new words,' Meara said. She lifted her head up and looked at Aeryn. "Thank you so much. I know you did a wonderful job of taking care of them."

Aeryn could see that Meara's cheeks were wet. She sat down stiffly on the bed across from Meara and said, "How do you know that?"

"Merisa told me."

"Did she tell you that we had a couple of fights? Did she tell you that we lost track of Megi?"

"Merisa and I fight like that quite often, and Megi has wandered off before. What did Merisa do when you two weren't getting along?"

"She went to John and talked to him," Aeryn said shortly.

"That's exactly what she does with your father and me,' Meara smiled. "And I am so impressed by your John. He was very brave and selfless. We all owe him our lives."

"He's like that." Aeryn was beginning to wonder at her own behavior. She knew she was angry at Meara, but she didn't know why. It wasn't because she had to give up Megi, she knew that the baby was where she belonged. It occurred to her that every time she saw her mother, she acted like Megi had a microt ago. She didn't want to get close for fear of being left again.

"Mama," Megi said, patting Meara's arm.

"Yes, Megi, that's our Mama."

Megi gave her a very puzzled look. She looked up at Meara.

"I'm Aeryn's mama, too, baby."

Megi looked at Aeryn with f