Rating: PG
Spoilers: up to Fractures
Disclaimer: I don't own it, Jim Henson does.

[It is a few days after the tag from Fractures. The plan for the assault on the Command Carrier still exists as little more than the vaguest of notions.]

Dominar Rygel XVI, eating his mid-afternoon meal in the galley, happily paused to grunt and release a triple flutterblast of helium. He resumed the repast after a small smile of satisfaction for the volume. The others had been so testy lately he'd developed a most un-customary habit of painfully restraining himself.

A few microts later Aeryn entered the galley, Rygel noticing the slightest of pauses as she checks to see who's inside before fully entering the room and commiting herself to social interaction, however limited. He nodded in greeting, continuing to gorge on his stash of candied Bishnuk larvae, a delicacy he had sorely missed in his time on Talyn (even then he'd never been without his precious marjoles) Aeryn joined him with her tray of food cubes and protein paste with a perfunctory "Hello", nodded at his grunt returning the greeting, and began her own quick meal, mechanically shoveling in the slop like a soldier with no time to waste before returning to duty. Her unnecessarily spartan menu selections reminded him that the resumption of her old PeaceKeeper mien seemed to be as much about punishing as protecting herself.

'Still not much for small talk' he noted to himself with a sigh, but at least around him she seemed to relax, however slightly, at least if no one else was around. Sitting at the same table with him to eat was progress even if the gay repartee' was non-existent -- not that had ever been her strong suit he thought to himself with the hint of a smile. Perhaps she remembered his attempt to reach out to her on the ledge of her room on the world where her mother died the second and final time.

Interrupting his meal with a muffled belch he decided to give it a try.

"Aeryn, I never had the chance to properly thank you for rescuing me after that backstabbing trelk Oryn kidnapped me. The rest of you and Moya were already out of danger with our departure and could have easily starburst away to saftey. I know there have been plenty of times in the past you would not have bothered. I was a fool this time, endangering us all and I could not have blamed you if you had left me. Again, I thank you," the dominar said sincerely.

To Rygel's disappointment Aeryn accepted his half-apology with a nod indicating it was no big deal and only said "It was my duty" and resumed eating, eyes straight ahead. Just as she began to turn his way to add something more she froze with a look of near-panic at the sound of John and Chiana laughing in the corridor, approaching the galley.

John's laughter cut off awkwardly and he got that cautious look (that he immediately but unsuccessfully tried to hide) whenever he unexpectedly ran into Aeryn these days. The Sebacean had already restored her "poker face" as John called it, before he saw her. Chiana tried to distract him with another question about some bit of Earth slang, an insult if Rygel remembered correctly.

John played along with Chiana to let the tension defuse another moment before he took a deep breath and addressed Aeryn directly.

"Aeryn, I've been trying to review everything I've learned about wormholes for our date with Scorpy, and I noticed my notebook wasn't in the bag you brought back from Talyn." "Do you still have my, er our, notes?" he hurriedly amended himself as he saw the slight narrowing of Aeryn's eyes when he said "*my* notebook".

Caught off guard by the topic she ran with the the first idea that came to her "It went into Dam-ba-da's sun along with John." She felt a tug of pain as she saw the hurt in his eyes from the implied rejection, but managed to squelch her remorse -- too late for that now -- and looked back down to her tray to pick up another tasteless bite, trying to finish as soon as possible so she could leave and avoid those blue eyes.

Crichton saved her the trouble, turning on his heel and retreating without another word. Aeryn looked up in time to catch Chiana's angry glare before the Nebari followed the human out the doorway, trying to strike up another cheerful conversation.

Aeryn glanced at Rygel daring him to make some comment about the fact that she still had the notebook. Satisfied that she had him cowed she raised her spoon again.

"You could have lied less cruelly." Before she could respond with an angry retort he went on "It would have been kinder to say it was lost on Dam-Ba-Da." She was silent for a moment and replied "I wasn't trying to be mean. He startled me," intending to leave it there.

The Hynerian went on to add gently "Just seeing the notebook is too painful, yet you can't give away your one last memento of *him* either, no matter how much you try to put it all behind you."

This unwelcome insight was too much for Aeryn, and she shot to her feet so quickly she knocked her chair over, only her fighter pilot's reflexes preventing it from hitting the floor. Without meeting his eyes or speaking another word she marched from the galley, more like a robot than a soldier. Rygel mentally kicked himself for opening his mouth for anything other than a morsel of food, and put away both their trays a microt later.

Half an arn later Chiana ran into Rygel on one of the lower tiers. After glancing up and down the corridor to see that they were alone she said "Can you believe that frelling bitch? She's not the only one hurting, you know. She..."

"Shut up, Chiana," Rygel interrupted her tirade with a raised hand. The Nebari spluttered to a halt in shock. He said tiredly, "She has not given up on John Crichton. She just doesn't know it yet."