Peace. No one who was out to kill them was near. The hum of Moya was soothing and the crew was taking advantage of the rare quiet day. D’Argo was washing his pants while humming quietly to himself. Granny’s newest mixture was bubbling next to where Rygel was eating. Chiana’s quiet snores echoed near her cell while Sikozu and Scorpius plotted in secrecy over a game of chess.

John and Aeryn enjoyed the peace as well. She rested lazily in his arms while he twirled her hair with one hand and lightly stroked her shoulder with then other. They had rambled on about nothing all day. Leaning forward, he softly whispered in her ear, “I love your hair.”

She laughed and the grin remained on her face. “Actually,” she began as she shifted in his arms so she could see his face, “I’ve wanted to talk to you about my hair.” He cocked his head and tried to act puzzled, but he sort of knew what was coming next.

“I’ve been thinking about a hair cut.”

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

A few arns and a surprisingly good lunch by Noranti later, John was treated to a glorious site. Aeryn walked out from the shower looking like the most amazing thing he’d ever seen. Her long black hair, newly cleaned and soaking wet, sadly managed to block all the good part. “That has got to go,” he thought to himself. He walked over to her and began to dry her off…taking his time of course. When he was done, he wrapped her in a blanket and sat her down in front of a mirror.

“Are you sure you want it to go?”

“I do like it long, but it’s just too long now. It’s been getting in the way.”

“Man, you’re right about that,” he said with a smile. Aeryn looked up at him with a playful glare. John just looked down to hide his smile and reached for the scissors. “How short?” Aeryn thought about it for a minute, then twisted her arm towards her back and pointed to her shoulder blade. “About here should be good.”

Suddenly it hit John the meaning of this. Aeryn *really* loved her hair and now she gave him this important task. John wasn’t quite sure how Aeryn would react if he screwed it up. The options that ran through his head varied from her accepting it and getting it fixed on a planet later on, to the scissor being shoved in a very uncomfortable place. She’d forgive him, but he wasn’t sure how painful it would be before that forgiveness would come.

He took his time with her hair. That was his New Years resolution, to take time while he has it. He slowly ran his hand over it while the other combed it through. It was still damp from the shower and smelled of a slight perfume. She’d scented her hair. He smiled at that. He picked up a section of her hair and set it up to be cut.

He made sure Aeryn could feel where he was talking about and asked, “Right here?”

“Uh huh,” she said as she watched him.

“Are you sure?”

She sensed he was nervous. “It’s okay, John. I trust you.” She looked at him and gave a small nod. With this encouragement, he brought the scissors up and cut.

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

The sound of a DRD sweeping up the hair of the floor woke them up. Reluctantly, they opened their eyes and looked around. The blanket Aeryn had been wrapped in was draped over the chair. Long hair clippings were slowing being swept away as the DRD maneuvered around John’s discarded clothes. The bed sheets had managed to find their way to the floor as well. Everything in the room was in chaos, except the lovers who lay next to each other on the bed.

John slowly moved his cramped arm from under Aeryn’s head and began to stretch. She yawned and rolled onto her belly. He looked over at her and began to rub her back lightly. She giggled as he grazed her sensitive sides. John leaned over and began to follow his hand with his lips, leaving light kisses in a row. He worked his way up to he face, and nuzzled her hair. “Mornin’ beautiful.”

As Aeryn turned her head, most of her hair fell out of her face leaving only a few stray strands. John lightly brushed them away. She gave him a look, “Surveying your handiwork, are we?” He immediately got a boyish grin on his face. She rolled over and sat up. Her hair flowed over her shoulders, ending a little more than an inch below them. “You did a good job.”

“Did you expect anything less?” he asked as he reached his hand out towards her face. They were learning into kiss. Then the combined growl of their stomachs made them jump.

John didn’t loose his grin. “Damn.”

“We must have been asleep longer than we thought,” Aeryn admitted.

John’s eyes sparkled with *that* look. “How do you know it was sleeping that took a long time?”

Aeryn was about to hit him when Pilot’s voice broke in from John’s comm. “Commander?”

“Damn.” Aeryn said this time.

“Double damn. Pilot, what is it? Is everything okay?”

“Fine, Commander. Chiana had asked me to inform you that she managed to keep Rygel from eating all the food that was prepared. She hid it behind the pots in case you were hungry when you woke.”

John and Aeryn both breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Pilot.” Aeryn said as she moved to get out of the bed. John followed behind her.

“I love it when you walk in front of me.”

“Hm. Really? That’s why you stuck with me so long. You like to see me walk away from you?”

“Yup.”

“I’ll oblige then.”

With that, Aeryn threw on John’s boxers and a tank top and headed out of the room. John was left standing there with a school boy grin and nothing else.