Head over Heels

The quiet hum of Moya had failed for the first time in a long time to send John Crichton off to sleep. As he did his best to get comfortable, he knew he was kidding himself about falling asleep. His mind was working a mile a minute processing the realization that had finally sunk in despite many efforts to deny it.

John sat up on the edge of the bed chuckling to himself. There was no other way to cut it. He was over the falls, head over heels, whipped, you name it. John Crichton was in love. Deep down he knew it had been coming. He'd been drawn to Aeryn since the first day he'd arrived in this end of the universe. There was something about her that set Aeryn apart from any other woman he'd known and he didn't think it was just the pulse rifle.

Laughing at himself, John got dressed and headed out into the corridor outside his room. He quickly tried to justify the late night walk as a way to burn off some energy to help him sleep. He just as quickly blew away that argument, as he knew exactly where he was headed.

The more he thought about it, the more he knew the exact moment he'd finally known for sure that he was in love with Aeryn. He chuckled to himself again at the absurdity of it. There were not many romantic interludes in the uncharted territories. He of course managed to figure things out in a jail cell on a Peacekeeper Gammak base. Now there was a story to tell your grandchildren, he thought to himself. When he'd caught a glimpse of her approaching the cell through a crack in the door, his insides had done a flip. He imagined at the time that it was relief and the return of hope that he might live. But he knew the truth. Aeryn Sun. Her name made a lot more sense now. Air and Sun. For sure that day he'd soaked her up and breathed her in as he felt his life return.

Quietly John arrived at the command room in Moya. There she was, taking her turn monitoring the systems of Moya and standing watch. He was behind her in the shadows of one of the corridors to the room. She hadn't noticed his approach. She was wearing her hair down again lately. Her dark hair flowed down over her shoulders. There was no questioning her physical beauty. But John knew without a doubt that there was so much more to her and that was what made the difference.

Granted Aeryn could be frustrating and exasperating at times. When she had her mind set on something there was no talking her out of it. You'd either have to go with the plan or get the hell out of her way as she was going to follow through regardless. He couldn't think of anyone he'd rather have around in a crisis or a fight. She'd go down fighting before admitting any fear.

At the same time, there were those moments where there was a real childlike quality to her. Once in a while her vulnerability would sneak out. It was times like those that could really break John's heart as it made him realize how much had been taken from her due to her upbringing as a Peacekeeper. She'd never really been allowed to be a kid. Considering John had never quit being a kid in many ways, it made him feel like it was his job to make it up to her.

As John continued to watch Aeryn from the shadows, he changed the subject somewhat in the conversation he was having with himself. Now that he'd finally admitted he was in love with her, what did that mean? His goal up until now had been to find a way home. Lately it had been less on his mind, which he figured was a direct result of Aeryn. He couldn't imagine convincing her to return to Earth with him, in particular after what they'd both seen in his memory driven return to earth.

It wouldn't be fair to expect her to be the one to do all the changing and adapting to his way of life on Earth. Obviously returning to the Peacekeepers wasn't an option either. John knew one thing for sure. Home from here on out was going to be wherever Aeryn was, as he could not imagine a future without her. It struck him suddenly that he now understood how his mother had managed for so long being married to his father despite all the moves from base to base during his time in the military and IASA. The location didn't matter as long as they were together.

John laughed again to himself as a lot of things had fallen in to place and made sense all of a sudden. Now the question remained: How was he going to break all of this to Aeryn without getting killed?

Summoning up his courage, John entered command.

"Hey, Aeryn."

She turned slightly and looked back at John. A slight smile appeared on her face and her eyes sparkled despite the dim light of the command room.

"Hello John."

John felt his heart flip again at the sound of her voice. Yep, there was no doubt. John had it bad and then some.