After helping the Peace Keepers defeat the Scarrans John Crichton makes a decision that will change his life forever.

"Back from getting your pat on the back from high command," John Crichton said sarcastically when his former nemesis entered the room. "So, tell me, Scorpy, how does it feel to be back in the good graces of the Peacekeepers?"

Scorpius, the cadaverous creature who had chased, tortured and nearly killed John Crichton for almost four cycles, moved to stand near John and smirked. "I owe it all to you, John," he said in a clipped tone.

"You always said you were patient, I guess it paid off, " John said resolutely. "You got the wormhole knowledge from me and revenge on the Scarrans."

"You should be happy, John," Scorpius said. "Because of your assistance in the war against the Scarrans, the Peacekeepers have given you and your friends a full pardon. No one is chasing you anymore."

John turned his back to Scorpius and walked to the desk at the far end of the room. He stroked his pulse pistol with his right hand, as if he was soothing Winona more then himself.

"I wish I could believe I was finally free," John said with his back still turned to Scorpius. "But what’s stopping you or some other race from coming after me again for the knowledge in my head."

"That wormhole knowledge is unique," Scorpius said.

"Yeah, and unique is valuable," John said as he turned back to face him. "Which makes me a man who still has a price on his head."

It still amazed John that he could stand in front of this being and attempt to have a civil conversation with him. Even though there was a truce, the animosity still bubbled near the surface and could not be denied.

He needed to get away. John had a decision to make and even though it was an easy one it would be hard to go through with. He needed perspective and he knew where he could get it.

Moving with purpose, he strode past Scorpius to the doorway. Before walking out he turned back to him.

"Soon I will come to you for a favor," John said sternly. "You say you owe me. Are you willing to re-pay that debt with whatever I ask?"

"Without hesitation, John."

John simply shook his head and walked out the door.

-------------

John found Aeryn working on her prowler aboard Moya. She chose not to go the command carrier for the big celebration. It was a decision that had surprised him, but one he respected.

There was a sense of ease about them now. For so long he had felt the rift between them, but now he thought nothing of walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Aeryn moaned slightly when she felt John's body close to hers. He pulled her back against his chest and nuzzled his nose in her silky raven hair breathing in deeply.

John loved the touch and smell of Aeryn's hair. It was and intoxicant he couldn't seem to get enough of, nor did he want to.

"What are you doing, " Aeryn asked. She took her left hand and rubbed his arm as he trailed kisses down her neck.

"Saying hello," John said between kisses. He moved up her neck and nipped her ear and then slowly moved down her jaw line.

"I like the way you say hello," she whispered. "You should do it more often."

He turned her to him with that comment and placed a kiss on her lips. She opened to him and tasted his lips with her tongue.

Wrapping his arms around her back, John pulled Aeryn close and deepened the kiss. This woman owned his very soul, and he gave it willingly.

Every time she walked into a room, with that self-assured gait, his heart skipped a beat. There were times he lost his breath at the sight of her, and that was why he could never truly give up on her and their love.

In the dark times, after she returned from Talyn and grieved for the other him, he felt the need to just give up. Walk away and succumb to what the fates seemed to have in store for them.

Then he had the faithful run-in with that wormhole and the being he had nicknamed Einstein. Unrealized realities, time travel, he had seen it all. Through everything, however, it was Aeryn that was his center, his guiding star, as it had always been.

Ending the kiss, John moved his hands up Aeryn's back until his fingers reach her silky hair. He pulled Aeryn's head down onto his shoulder and just held her.

To feel her in his arms was like sneaking a peak at heaven. Every time he held Aeryn in his arms there was no thought of home or Earth. That was why his decision wasn’t as hard as it seemed. What good would truly returning to Earth be without Aeryn.

He had already seen what would happen if Aeryn returned with him. It couldn't or wouldn’t be the storybook ending he would have hoped for.

He had once told the old woman, Noranti that his situation was like a dog with two bones. Well, he didn’t want to drop that bone again with the hopes for something better. It took a hard and arduous lesson for him to learn, that home was Aeryn and nothing else mattered.

"I missed you on the command carrier," John whispered in her ear. He pulled back from her and looked into her eyes. "You should have seen Chiana, and what she was wearing for the ceremony."

"I can only imagine," Aeryn replied as she moved up to stroke his cheek. Touching John, being with him was a luxury she finally felt she could allow herself. When the other John died, she felt the best part of her self had gone with him.

Then she walked off the transport pod and back onto Moya to face the man she had watched die in her arms. Seeing him brought back all the pain and joy she had experienced and she knew she couldn't watch him die again. Aeryn had supported him with cool resolve when he went on the Command Carrier the first time, to sabotage Scorpius‚ wormhole research.

Aeryn kept telling herself that this John wasn’t the man she loved. That he was the clone, the fake, and she was only supporting him to honor the memory of the John she had fallen in love with.

Then she discovered she was pregnant. She knew this John would take responsibility for the baby even if it was the progeny of the other him. It hurt to know that the child may not even be John Crichton's child. That was why she left, too many unanswered questions and John's insistence that they talk out their problems.

Of course, leaving had been the worst mistake of her life. She knew that now. It took them so long to get to where they were now. Neither one of them had a second thought about touching and caressing the other any time they felt like it.

It wasn’t the uncontrollable emotions she experienced with the John on Talyn. That relationship always felt hurried and rushed, and in a way those feelings came to fruition. It was a doomed encounter from the beginning.

Aeryn didn’t feel that way with this John. They had gone through so much, endured so much and through that, they had learned to appreciate the time they had been given. Aeryn no longer thought about John dying in her arms again, she just cherished the time they were stealing from fate, and hoping that time would last.

It seemed they were beating fate. The same fate, that earlier, seemed to be screwing them in the fine print as John had said.

John's wormhole knowledge allowed the Peacekeepers to defeat the Scarrans. For that knowledge and his assistance all of them had received a pardon for their supposed crimes. They were all free. For the first time in four cycles no one was chasing them and they could travel to any part of the universe without looking over their shoulder.

The best news came two solar days ago. After talking to John about it, yet another step in expanding their relationship, Aeryn decided to go to the med tech lab on the command carrier and have the embryo DNA tested.

The procedure was short and painless, but the microts sitting in the waiting area for the results were pure torture. John sat by her side and held her hand, stroking the inside of her wrist. They didn’t speak, each weighing in their mind what the other would do if the results were not what they hoped.

After what seemed like an eternity, a technician appeared in the doorway and motioned them back into a small room. John and Aeryn took the two chairs that faced a pale-faced Med Tech who had thinning brown hair and a slight mustache. In his right hand he fingered a data chip, and he held it up to them.

"I have the information you requested," he said without little interest. In his mind the duo were still traders and he didn’t like dealing with a former Peace Keeper he believed should be killed for her crimes instead of celebrated. However, he was born and bred to follow orders and he did what was requested of him, keeping his true feelings to himself.

"Wha ….. What are the results," Aeryn stammered. It was a question she both longed for and feared.

John could feel her unease and grasped her left hand. He squeezed it once and turned to her and smiled offering her a wink for good measure.

"It appears there are some traces of unknown DNA strands in the embryo," the Med Tech began. "I cross-referenced this to the sample I took of yours," he said as he inclined his head toward John.

"The DNA sample matches the strand I found in the embryo," the Med Tech continued. "It appears you are the father of this half-breed."

It was a comment he of course should have kept to himself, but he couldn't control his anger. A Peace Keeper of Aeryn Sun’s lineage should not have lowered herself to procreate with this deficient being, and it sickened him to see it happen.

Aeryn flinched at the Med Tech’s words. She could tell from the first time they met that he despised her for her actions and she hid her pain at this resentment. The pain was quickly overtaken by the joy of what he had said. The child she carried was John Crichton's, but the question of which one was still in doubt.

"What about the other test I asked you to run," she asked. "Were you able to run that test as well?"

John gave Aeryn a puzzled stare at her question. They had just received the best possible news, and he wondered if there could still be something wrong with the baby.

"Yes, I ran the second test," he said coolly. "It appears the embryo has been in stasis for three cycles."

Aeryn couldn't hide her joy. She turned to John and smiled, and then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"What is he saying," John asked, still feeling in the dark. "What does that mean?"

"It means," Aeryn said with a tear rolling down her cheek. "That the child I carry is yours, John Crichton. Your child from when we made love on the fake Earth."

John jumped from his chair and pulled Aeryn up to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. He was so lost in the moment that he bent his head and kissed Aeryn deeply, totally unaware of the Med Tech or anyone else.

The Med Tech watched in disgust at their public display of affection. He shook his head and left the room.

It would have been so easy to extend their euphoria and relief by releasing the baby from stasis, but John and Aeryn decided to wait. They still had time, and John wanted to settle a few things before his child was brought into the world.

-----------

It was because of Aeryn and the baby that he had made his decision. A decision that would end his quest for home and allow him to create a new one here on Moya for good.

John broke contact with Aeryn and moved from her. She was dressed in her black leather pants and was wearing a tight long-sleeved T-shirt. It was attire that she wouldn’t be able to get away with for much longer, when her pregnancy began to show. Her hair was loose, but wasn’t as long as it had been when they were first re-united. She had trimmed it back to the length he remembered and she hadn't put it in the tight braid for many solar days.

"I have something to talk to you about," John said as he rubbed his hand through his light brown hair. "I have come up with a way to stop people from chasing us."

"I thought you already did that by helping Scorpius and the Peace Keepers defeat the Scarrans," Aeryn asked as she furrowed her brow. "We got our pardons and we are free."

"Are we," John asked in a hushed voice. "Do you really think we can be free as long as this wormhole knowledge is in my head?"

Aeryn walked over to John and stroked his forearm. "What are you thinking?"

Crichton always had a plan, sometimes they worked, but most of the time they didn’t. But whatever they were she always supported them and she wouldn’t stop now, if he had come up with a way to insure no one would be hunting them again she would back him.

"Before I left the command carrier, when it was blowing up around us, I made sure KuKura’s knowledge of wormholes was erased," John began. "I put him in the Aurora Chair and took all information from his mind.

"At the time I couldn't imagine doing the same thing. All I could think about was using the knowledge to find a way home."

The mention of Earth sent a chill through Aeryn. When she, D'Argo and Chiana had returned to Earth with John it wasn’t a pleasant experience. She didn’t want to return to that strange and archaic planet, but if it was what he wanted she would follow him. She loved John and she would never willingly be separated from him again.

"I want to ask your advice on something," he said. His voice brought Aeryn back from her thoughts and she stared at him awaiting his announcement.

"Before, I couldn't do the same thing I did to KuKura because the wormhole knowledge was still locked in my head," he said. "Now that it is unlocked it is a procedure I can go through myself."

”Wait, what are you saying," Aeryn asked as she took a step back. What was Crichton thinking now she wondered.

"Scorpy said he owed me, and I am going to ask him to re-pay that debt," John said. "I am going to have him put me in the Aurora Chair and get this crap out of my head."

John's announcement first sent a wave of pure joy through Aeryn, but then she sobered from her euphoria. Erasing the wormhole knowledge would end any chance for John to ever return to Earth.

Grabbing John by both shoulders she shook him hard. "You can’t do that, John. You will end any chance of ever going back home."

"Home," John said in a mocking tone. "I already tried that and look how it turned out. No, that dream is over."

"You can’t give up," Aeryn said as she shook him again. "What about your family on Earth, your father."

"What about my family here." John countered. "You, the baby, D’Argo, Chiana, hell, even Rygel.

"No, I got a chance to see them, even if it wasn’t real. I know my two worlds will not work together so I choose you. I choose this life."

Looking into her eyes, John could see the tears forming. He knew it was something she had wanted to hear, but her selfless soul also knew it was something she felt she didn’t have a right to ask for.

"Don’t feel guilty about this," John said. "It is the only way. I believe fate meant for me to be here, to meet you, to love you, to live here."

John took Aeryn in his arms again and held her tight. He kissed the top of her head and then placed a kiss on her temple.

"Aeryn," he softly he whispered in her ear. "It is the only way. It's going to be okay. I promise."

Aeryn nuzzled her cheek into John's neck and shook her head yes. It was the only way she could acknowledge his decision, for the power of speech had left her.

---------

Aeryn and John took a transport pod to Scorpius‚ Command Carrier two arns later. They rode in silence, not speaking about what was in store for John.

After landing on the carrier, John stepped off the pod first and waited at the bottom for Aeryn. When she walked down the steps he held out his hand for her and she took it. John and Aeryn strode through the hanger hand-in-hand as they made their way to Scorpius’ headquarters.

Scorpius was alerted of John's presence on the carrier and he sat behind his massive desk awaiting Crichton's arrival. He prided himself on guessing Crichton's moves, but at this moment he had no clue of Crichton's motives or intentions.

When the doors slid open and John Crichton entered the room, Scorpius sat up straighter in his chair. He hid his mild surprise at seeing Officer Sun enter the room behind him. Of course, Aeryn Sun had lost her rank and commission, but Scorpius could never see her as anything else but a Peacekeeper officer. It was a job she was bred to do, and even though she chose not to return to that life, he could still see the traces of her upbringing in her.

In a strange way, he admired her for her convictions. When Officer Sun had brought him back with her to Moya, she knew what it would do to Crichton to find him there. It was never about easing her pain while she had heat delirium; her well being was the furthest thing from her mind.

Aeryn Sun would never have given Scorpius sanctuary in exchange for her life. He gained access to Moya because of her love for John and need to protect him. She was a self-less soul, and even though he didn’t share her beliefs on self-sacrifice, he understood her motives.

"I am glad to see you have graced me with a visit," Scorpius said as she leaned back in his chair. "To what do I owe the honor."

John moved further into the room until he stood directly in front of Scorpius’ desk. Aeryn followed behind him, and Scorpius noticed she fingered the pulse pistol on her right thigh. He envied Crichton in that regard, for he had someone who would always watch his back, always support him.

"I have come to collect the debt you owe me," John said. He placed both hands on Scorpius‚ desk and leaned forward.

"As I have stated, John, whatever you ask I will honor," Scorpius countered. Yet, in the back of his mind he wondered what Crichton would ask. What did Crichton want?

John nodded his head at Scorpius and lifted his hands off the desk. He moved back the flaps of his long black leather coat and placed his hands on his hips.

Taking a deep breath Crichton stared at Scorpius, making sure he saw the look in his eyes when he made his announcement. "I want this wormhole crap out of my head, Scorpius," he began.

"I want it gone, erased, out of my mind," he controlled the grin that formed when he saw Scorpius‚ eyes widen. "I want you to put me in the Aurora Chair, erase this dren, and then we will be even."

"Are you out of your mind, Crichton," Scorpius growled. The anger Scorpius felt was quickly under control again, but it took all he could muster to not jump across the desk and attack Crichton.

Crichton was a volatile species. He did things without reason or foresight, and this was one of those times. Didn’t he understand that his wormhole of knowledge was the balance of power the universe needed that the threat of a wormhole’s power allowing peace in the universe and keeping aggressive species from rising up.

John could tell Scorpius was seething at his request. He almost laughed at the anguish it was causing him, and it made him even more determined to erase the knowledge from his mind.

"You told me anything I wanted in payment for my help defeating the Scarrans," John stated. "And that is what I chose."

Scorpius rose from his chair and circled the desk. He approached John and his movement toward Crichton caused Aeryn to start toward the duo drawing her pulse pistol as she did so.

"You can holster that pulse pistol, Officer Sun," Scorpius told Aeryn. "I am of no threat to John."

"You are always a threat to John," Aeryn replied. "I am here to make sure you won’t be anymore, and that you honor his request."

It amazed John how Aeryn could slip so easily into the bad ass Peacekeeper mode. This is the same woman who cried when she discovered the child she carried was his.

She was truly a remarkable woman and to know she loved him, that she belonged to him, made him stronger as a man. Made him truly feel like a man for the first time in his life because she was in his life.

"So, Scorpy, do we have a deal," John questioned. He rolled back on his heels and rocked back and forth awaiting his answer.

"I believe this is a mistake, John," Scorpius replied. "You are unique, your knowledge is unique and it is required to provide balance in the universe."

"I don’t want to be a balance," John said as he shook his head. "I want to be free to live my life and love this woman." He slide a glance at Aeryn as he spoke and he noticed she looked back at him and smiled slightly before she turned her attention and pulse pistol back to Scorpius.

"Alright, John," Scorpius conceded. "I will do as you request, because I always honor my promises, but I believe it will be a grave error on you part."

"I don’t give a damn what you think," John said as he moved closer to Scorpius. "I just want you to do this and then leave me the hell alone."

---------

Three cycles ago John sat in a chair like this on the Gammock Base. His fear at being captured by the dark and dangerous creature he would come to know as his nemesis was overshadowed by his worry for Aeryn. Going to the Gammock Base to get the tissue sample for Aeryn is what had started him down this path, and led him here.

Here in this chair to erase all his knowledge of wormholes, and to finally find peace. The kind of peace he had craved for four cycles. A chance to build a family, have a life and be his kind of hero.

Aeryn stood on the platform beside him as Scorpius placed the padded headgear on John's forehead. She could see the fear in his eyes and she stroked his hand to offer support. She smiled at him and winked at him the way John had done with her so many times, and he winked back.

Scorpius walked off the platform and moved to the control panel. He looked at Aeryn and motioned for her to move from the platform with the incline of his leather-clad head.

Aeryn jumped down and walked over to Scorpius. She pulled the pulse pistol from her holster again and kept it at her side.

"Are you ready, John," Aeryn asked.

John seemed to lose his voice. It took all his strength to answer her and he finally managed to say yes.

Aeryn looked at Scorpius. "Do it."

Scorpius turned to the controls and moved two levers on the right and pulled another one down on the left. Then he pushed a bright red button to power up the Aurora Chair.

Equations began to swirl in the viewfinder. A mathematical path to the mastery of wormholes. John recognized it all and then in a just a few microts it became foreign to him. It was like the time he tried to learn to read Japanese and all he ever saw was lines and symbols that had no meaning for him.

The Aurora Chair began to power down and then the viewfinder went dark. John took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again he saw Aeryn standing over him with worry in her eyes.

"It's okay, Baby," he told her. "It's gone. It is all gone. We're finally free."

It was that feeling of freedom that aided in John and Aeryn's decision to release their baby from stasis. They both felt safe and they wanted to extend their family by adding the child they already loved dearly.

EPILOGUE

"Aeryn, come here," John yelled over his shoulder. He leaned back further in his chair and stared up at the stars.

The planet they had found to take a holiday was almost like being back on Earth. After asking Pilot to scan various planets he had found one that met all his requirements. It had wooded terrain and a large lake that offered lodging and was just the place for a little rest and relaxation.

It had been four moens since they left the orbit of the command carrier. It had been a peaceful time for the crew of Moya, and even though John loved his newly formed family dearly, he wanted some alone time with Aeryn. So, he told the others to drop them off here on Tarresk and come back in 10 solar days.

"What do you want," Aeryn asked breaking his revelry. She was standing behind John and rubbed her fingers down his left cheek and leaned over to place a kiss on his right temple.

She moved around the chair to sit on his lap and John wrapped his arms around her to pull her closer. He stroked her slightly burgeoning abdomen and nuzzled his face into her neck.

"Hey, Baby," John whispered slowly. "So, how do you like our vacation so far?"

"I like it a lot, Aeyrn groaned as John kissed her collarbone.

It was strange for John and Aeyrn to know such peace. For so many cycles they had been chased by so many people it was hard to keep count.

"We better enjoy the peace," John stated. "Cause when this little rug rat comes we won’t have any."

Aeryn just laughed and shook her head at John. He still came out with some of the strangest things. Like calling their unborn child rug rat or munchkin.

"Well, that is why I have you," she admitted. "To do all the dirty work."

"Dirty work," he exclaimed as he tickled Aeryn's side. "I did all the hard work getting you this way."

He gave her a big smile and she slapped him on the forearm. Then they looked deeply into each other’s eyes and shared a long slow kiss.

Yes, it was time for a little happiness for John Crichton and Aeryn Sun. Fate had finally given them a break, and they were enjoying every minute of it.

-----

"How long are you going to wait, Sir," the young officer asked. "Aren’t you afraid you will lose contact and never find them again?"

Scorpius leaned back in his chair and smiled wickedly. He tapped his leather-clad fingers on the desk and shook his head no.