"Do you see them?"

"No, I don’t see either one of them anywhere…. Aeryn, there are planetary security forces over there, taking people away…You don’t suppose…"

"Peacekeepers are trained never to suppose anything, Zhaan. We need to get to where we can actually see what is happening over there before we start making assumptions."

Zhaan nodded as she and Aeryn started making their way through the milling crowd to where the local constabularies were pulling individuals off the street and into a large transport. Aeryn took careful notice of the amount of debris strewn about and the number of merchant booths that were overturned. Whatever had happened had obviously involved a large number of people, possibly from a variety of races. Taking note as a couple of officers led away an enraged biped twice the size of the average Peacekeeper, she understood why the locals had responded with enough troops to repel anything from a major riot to a small-scale invasion, whichever might prove to be necessary.

The locals had cordoned off a large area, using men and small vehicles, a move the soldier in Aeryn had to respect. They were not as efficient as a group of Peacekeepers would have been nor did they seem to keep bystanders at bay as well, but the planetary forces were well disciplined, competent troopers. If it were not for their rock-hard obsidian skin and the red energy that glowed where eyes should be, it would have been easy for her to see them fitting into any Sebacean commando company worthy of the name.

She and Zhaan stopped just short of the line of force, and Aeryn motioned to Zhaan to take the lead while she hung back within earshot at the edge of the crowd. Rygel had been very explicit about how the natives felt about Peacekeepers, indifferent at best, downright hostile at worst. If it had not been for the fact that D’Argo was still upset with the Hynerian and the Nebari for inadvertently endangering their shipmates in order to satisfy their own greed, Rygel and Chianna would have accompanied Zhaan and D’Argo down to the planet instead of Aeryn and John. It had taken arns of discussion before they had all decided it was better to tempt fate with the locals than make the tension among the group worse than before.

Zhaan approached the trooper nearest her, her serene Delvian countenance the very portrait of priestly calm. "Excuse me, officer," Zhaan smiled ingratiatingly as the trooper stepped forward so that he could hear her over the noise of the crowd. "I hate to disturb you at your post, but I am seeking two friends of mine and I have reason to believe they were in the area behind you. Would it be possible for me to pass so that I may look for them?"

The trooper shook his head negatively before he answered. "That would not be possible. All of the occupants of the cordoned area were participants in a major civil disturbance. They are all going to be held overnight for questioning. Your friends would not be allowed to leave with you even if you found them."

"Is that really necessary?" she asked, her placid blue eyes reaching out to the trooper. "My comrades and I are here to procure supplies for our ship, nothing more. If my friends were in there, I am sure they were just innocent bystanders. I can not believe they would be involved in starting such a disturbance." Zhaan had allowed a slight amount of outraged indignation to join the earnest pleading in her voice, Aeryn noticed, as if she and the others were just peaceful travelers and not criminals on the run for their lives.

The trooper was actually starting to look sympathetic. "Nonetheless, it is standard procedure, but you should not worry. If your friends are innocent as you say, they will be released without consequence as quickly as possible tomorrow morning."

"But what if they are injured? You said there was a disturbance here. Can I at least see them so I know they are not in any danger?" Zhaan allowed her voice to crack a little, a nice touch Aeryn thought. "I am sorry to press, but I have been very concerned ever since they did not meet with me when they were supposed to…."

The trooper laid a hand on Zhaan’s shoulder in a small gesture of comfort. "I think perhaps I could see to it. You would have to stay here, but I could probably arrange for them to be brought over before they are taken to the central processing center."

Zhaan reached up and patted the hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, thank you so very much. That would mean a great deal to me."

"Not at all. It’s my pleasure. Now, if you could tell me their names and species…"

"Their names are Ka D’Argo, a Luxan male, and John Crichton, a human one."

The trooper looked a little confused at the last. "Human? I am not familiar with that species. What do they look like?"

Aeryn took an unconscious breath as Zhaan paused before replying. She tried to look non-threatening, nonchalant as she stood there, just in case the troopers started scanning the crowd for hostiles after Zhaan gave her answer.

"They look Sebacean" Zhaan admitted as the trooper’s face twisted into automatic disgust before she hastily added, "but they are most definitely not Sebacean in any other way. There is no way anyone would mistake my friend for a Peacekeeper."

"Do not be too sure of that," the trooper replied. "If your friend looks Sebacean…" He stopped as he looked back into Zhaan’s pleading face. "Still, I promised that I would help and help I will. Wait here and I will see what I can do." He reached out and briefly touched her on her shoulder again before turning away and walking back toward his comrades, then past the cordon line into the disturbance area.

Time passed slowly, or so it seemed to Aeryn, as she and Zhaan waited for the trooper’s return. A vague sense of uneasiness was starting to creep up on the former Peacekeeper. She had not been all that concerned, she realized, when she and Zhaan had been concentrating on locating their missing companions, but now, standing here, unable to do anything but wait, she was starting to think about all the things that could have gone wrong, and just how unlikely it was that her comrades would return unharmed.

What if they were attacked? she asked herself. Would the natives even help them, the way they feel about Peacekeepers? What if the natives "accidentally" hurt them arresting them? Her thoughts continued on this path for long microts before she realized what she was doing and gave herself a good mental "shake."

Hezmana, what am I doing? This is accomplishing nothing. If they are hurt, we will deal with it. She paused and took a deep breath, then another before continuing her line of thought.

If he is hurt, I will deal with it.

She realized now just how much she had opened herself up by finally taking John as her lover. Their liaison had just barely started and already she was allowing her feelings for him to cloud her thinking. It was doubly frustrating because she couldn’t even tell herself just what those feelings were.

She looked at Zhaan. She was glad they hadn’t told the others that they were involved. If she found she couldn’t deal with this situation, it would be easier to end it, if no one else knew about it.

But I don’t want to end it, do I? She enjoyed the time she spent with the human. It was the unwelcome emotions he caused in her that she could do without. She had ignored the situation by just concentrating on enjoying being with him, but as time went on, she found that it was harder and harder for her to do that.

Dren! The trooper’s finally returning. Think about this later. Aeryn redirected her attention toward Zhaan and the Obsidian soldier she had been speaking to earlier.

The trooper walked up to Zhaan and smiled at her somewhat lopsidedly, a strange sight on a face so obviously built for stoic expressions. "Well, I have some good news for you. I have met with partial success. The Luxan is well and he will be brought up here in just a few microts so you will be able to see him and talk to him yourself."

"What about the human?" Zhaan asked as Aeryn felt a knot start to form in her stomach. Unconsciously, her hand drifted over and rested on the grip of her holstered pistol.

The trooper paused, then turned as he heard a group of people approach the line, before answering Zhaan. "I believe," he responded turning partially back toward the Delvian, "it would be best if I let your friend explain what happened." He then motioned to two other troopers to bring the prisoner forward.

D’Argo looked unhappy about being in chains again, but other than that, he appeared to be in relatively good shape. He had some minor injuries, bruises and scrapes, that said that he had been in a fight, but there were no other signs of mistreatment. It looked as though the Obsidians were that rare breed of soldier, professional enough to control even their worst captives without the use of unnecessary force. He was definitely growling something at them though, Aeryn noted.

"D’Argo," Zhaan happily greeted her shipmate before walking to where he was held. The joy in her voice was not faked for the soldiers’ benefit. Aeryn could tell that it was definitely genuine.

She smiled up at the Luxan before turning back to the trooper. "Thank you so much. I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate this."

"You are very welcome," he replied as he motioned to his companions. "We can not go very far, but I think we can give you a few microts alone." The troopers moved a little off, staying between the two and the crowd, not wanting to give the Luxan any kind of avenue of escape. The trooper Zhaan had been dealing with pulled out some type of comm device and began talking into it, leaving the other two to their job as watchdogs.

Aeryn sighed as she realized she wasn’t going to be able to hear Zhaan and D’Argo from where they were. Then she heard the click that meant her comm had just been signaled and she heard Zhaan’s voice come over it.

"D’Argo, what happened?"

Aeryn could hear D’Argo growl under his breath before answering. "John and I had the bad luck of walking in on a full fledged political demonstration. A group of Walkarin was facing off with a group of Myrkry over some kind of trade treaty. They were hurling insults at each other and it did not take long for the situation to become violent."

Aeryn heard what sounded like Zhaan taking in a deep breath. "Myrkry…"

"Yes, Luxans and Myrkry have never been allies in the best of times…but I wanted nothing to do with the battle. John and I steered ourselves away from it and honestly tried to get away before things got out of control."

He paused, looking down at the chains around his wrists. Zhaan allowed him a microt before prompting him. "You did not get away, obviously."

D’Argo looked up and Aeryn saw something she had rarely seen on her fellow warrior’s face, embarrassment. "We almost did, but we ran into a group of Myrkry that was standing apart from the main group. We still could have gotten away, but I …allowed myself to be baited. They said some…. things I could not ignore and I foolishly joined in the fight." D’Argo looked down again, obviously not wanting to look Zhaan in the eye.

Aeryn could see Zhaan reach out a hand and touch one of D’Argo’s chained ones, a smile on her face. "They insulted your ancestors, didn’t they?" she asked in a gentle tone of voice.

D’Argo nodded. "An old ploy, but…"

Zhaan lifted his face so he was looking at her rather than his hands. "But no Luxan could let an insult like that go unpunished. Family is everything for your people."

He returned her smile somewhat hesitantly as he looked down at the Delvian woman. It faded however when Zhaan finally asked "D’Argo, what happened to John?".

D’Argo looked embarrassed again. "He should have stayed out of it. I was outnumbered, but a human is no match for even one Myrkry." He looked down briefly before looking back up at Zhaan. "He was down before I even realized it."

Aeryn felt her mouth go dry, something that usually happened only when she was waiting for an attack order to arrive, as she waited for Zhaan to ask the next question. "How badly is he hurt?"

"I don’t know," D’Argo admitted with some frustration. "I tried to help him, but the Obsidians arrived and I was cut off from him. They took him and they will not let me see him. They claim that he is in ‘good hands,’ whatever the dren that means!"

Aeryn tensed as D’Argo’s words sunk in and her hand reached for her pistol again. She looked at the troopers standing closest to her. It would not take much to grab one and force him ….

"Officer!" Aeryn’s plans were interrupted by Zhaan’s shout to the troopers. "I would like to talk to you." She stalked up to him, the polite supplicant gone, replaced with a warrior priest whose every step was backed up with the internal power only a tenth level Pa’u could summon. "My other friend, I want to see him now"

The trooper was obviously startled by the change in her demeanor, but he still answered her. "I’m sorry. I can’t do that."

"Why not?" Aeryn could hear the cold fury in Zhaan’s voice. Even as intent on she was on every detail of the moment, on looking for something she could turn to their advantage, some part of her was once again impressed by the Delvian.

"Because he’s not here. He was hurt in the riot so they went ahead and took him to the processing center." He looked a little shamefaced before continuing his explanation. "They really weren’t going to do anything for him except watch to see if he died because they thought he was Sebacean, but I called in while I was looking for your friends and had them do a genetic check. When they realized he wasn’t a Peacekeeper, they went ahead and checked him over."

He paused to take a breath. "I just got through talking to them. The reason he hasn’t woken up yet is that he has a slight concussion, but other than a multitude of bruises, he’s fine." He looked Zhaan very squarely in the face before continuing. "I am really very sorry about this. You must believe me that we are not in the habit of letting our prisoners die in our custody, but when it comes to Sebaceans, we can be a little…."

"Unreasonable?" Zhaan supplied for him, a slight smile on her face. "That is not an…. uncommon reaction, I am afraid."

"Still, it is not very professional," he replied, returning her smile. "I would like to make arrangements for you and the Luxan to be transported to the center. Once we get his statement, we will release both him and the human into your custody. Do you think this will make up for our earlier behavior, Lady Priest?"

Zhaan smiled as she answered. "I believe so. But tell me, whatever gave you the notion that I am a priest?"
 
 

Aeryn watched as John slept, wondering if he would ever show any signs of waking up. Zhaan had checked him over herself and agreed with the Obsidians’ diagnosis. She said it was only a matter of time before he awakened. A concussion was well within the Obsidians’ technology to heal.

Aeryn understood all that in her head. She knew it meant he would be fine.

But there was another voice deep inside her that didn’t, and it was the one that was screaming "Why won’t he wake up?!" so loudly she was surprised that Zhaan and D’Argo didn’t hear it.

Looking at him didn’t make her feel any better either. He had a huge bruise on his right cheek, a number of bruises on his neck, and when she had checked under his shirt earlier, he had more on his chest and stomach. It made her want to go back and find the Myrkry that did this to him, but that would mean she would have to leave and then she wouldn’t be there when he woke up.

If he ever woke up…

"Aeryn," Zhaan’s voice broke into her thoughts. "You really ought to get some rest. Watching him won’t make him wake up any faster."

"What will then?" Aeryn almost growled at the Delvian. She was surprised when instead of answering, Zhaan broke out into laughter.

Aeryn watched, amazed as Zhaan brought herself under control. "Oh, Aeryn, I’m sorry. It’s just…" she paused as she looked at Aeryn as if unsure what to say next, "it’s just ….he really will be all right, so are you so impatient because you’re concerned?"

Zhaan looked at Aeryn with an amused grin on her face. "Or because you can’t go without your lover for just one night?"

Aeryn gaped at the Delvian as she tried to make her mouth work.. When she could finally make herself say something coherent, all she could get out was "You know?!"
 

"Of course," Zhaan replied. "D’Argo too. I have no idea about Rygel or Chianna, but then I have not asked them either."

Aeryn could feel a flush of what could only be embarrassment run across her face. Not wanting to reveal anything else to the Delvian, she turned away from her and re-focused her attention back on John as her thoughts chased themselves in confusion. Dren, I thought…How do they know? John, would he have said something? I thought we agreed…She looked back and saw that the former priest was still smiling at her in what seemed to Aeryn a most annoying fashion. "All right, how do you know?"

"Aeryn, it’s been fairly obvious to everyone how you feel about each other. It was just as obvious when you finally gave in and did something about it."

"How do we feel about each other?" Aeryn could feel herself getting angry. How dare they? How dare they think they know how I feel? They can’t even begin to understand what being a Peacekeeper meant to me. How could they presume to understand anything else?

Zhaan shook her head as if Aeryn had just asked her about something that should be profoundly evident. "You care about each other," she replied. "You were the one who insisted on teaching John how to fly the transport pod, on checking on him when he disappeared down the wormhole. He was the one who helped you when Namtar had the rest of us preoccupied and he was the one who watched over you after Larraq stabbed you." Zhaan smiled as if to say much like you are doing now.

"There have been many other things, little things, that speak volumes to anyone who has gotten used to watching for them. D’Argo and I have become very good at it. That’s why it was obvious to us that you had stopped fighting the attraction between the two of you and given in to it."

Aeryn glared at Zhaan, anger at feeling that her privacy had been violated flooding through her soul, before she realized that she really had no reason to be angry.

It’s a small ship and Zhaan and D’Argo are intelligent beings. I was foolish to think we’d be able to hide anything from each other.

Sighing, she sat down on the edge of John’s bed, her right hand almost casually grasping one of his and pulling it into her lap. She stroked it absently, watching her fingers play across his skin, before addressing the much older, and she realized now, much wiser woman standing across from her.

"Is it obvious to you how I’m supposed to deal with this?" Aeryn stared intently at Zhaan, hoping that she didn’t hear the fear Aeryn tried to keep from entering her voice.

Zhaan sat down beside her, a confused look on her face. "This?" she repeated.

" This …relationship. Zhaan, I can’t … allow myself to become so attached to one person like this. It clouds my thinking, makes me less effective as a warrior." Aeryn glanced down at where she was still clutching John’s hand before looking back up at the Delvian. "I can’t do what’s good for the whole if I’m concerned with keeping one person from being hurt. Being involved like this keeps me from being able to see what needs to be done and making sure that it is done."

Zhaan nodded in understanding. "I see," she said in a quiet tone of voice.

"You do?" Aeryn was somewhat surprised. She thought she would have to explain her feelings more in order for the former priest to understand.

Zhaan nodded again. "I see that that is your Peacekeeper training talking, Aeryn. You are not a soldier anymore. You are a warrior, yes, but you are not expected to give up any semblance of having a life as part of your duty anymore." Zhaan paused, holding up a hand to keep Aeryn from refuting her before she could continue. "Aeryn, I think you know that to be true, so what is your real reason for not wanting to continue, as you put it, this?"

Aeryn stared at Zhaan for a long microt before responding. "I don’t know what you are talking about."

"Fine," Zhaan sighed and moved as if to get up. "Do not ask for my advice if you cannot be honest with me." She gathered her robes as she stood before looking at Aeryn. "Or yourself," she added before turning toward the door.

"Zhaan, wait." Aeryn watched as the Delvian froze. She did not turn around, but she did not keep walking. She merely stood, waiting.

"I… almost lost him today, Zhaan." Aeryn didn’t try to hide the fear in her voice this time. She needed someone else to hear it, if only so she could acknowledge it to herself.

"So you might have," Zhaan agreed, turning partially back towards the bed. "Our journey is not a safe one. We are all at risk almost all the time."

"I don’t think I could handle that." She felt herself pulling John’s hand closer to her, clutching it tightly. "I don’t think I could handle getting so close to him and then losing him like that. Nothing in my training, my …life, has prepared me for what that would feel like." She looked up so that her eyes were locked with the other woman’s. "I don’t think I want to take the risk of having to deal with it."

"So, what do you propose to do?" Zhaan looked like she knew, but she wanted Aeryn to say it out loud.

Aeryn took a deep breath before answering, her eyes still locked with Zhaan’s. "End our involvement. Try to go back to being just comrades." She glanced down at the floor briefly before saying the last.

"Allow him to find happiness with somebody else."

Zhaan nodded, her placid features betraying none of what she might be feeling. "If that is what you feel you must do…"

"It is, Zhaan." Aeryn stared intently as her as if to underscore the certainty of her decision. "It’s the right thing to do."

"Very well. It is your choice." Zhaan turned back to the door as if she were going to leave, then paused on the threshold. "Aeryn…" she began.

"Yes, Zhaan?"

The former priest spoke without turning around. "You do realize that if you do that, you will already have lost him." Zhaan did not wait for Aeryn to answer. She walked out, gathering her robes and her serenity around her.

The former Peacekeeper could only watch, any possible answer dying on her lips unsaid.
 
 

"Ahhh, Damn it!"

The barely audible curse made Aeryn pause in the corridor just outside John’s room. Of course! she thought. He would finally wake up right after I leave to go get cleaned up.

Almost cursing out loud herself, she rushed in to find John sitting on the floor, his back against the wall near the door, his head resting on his bent knees as if he were trying to catch his breath. He no longer had on the gray t-shirt he had been wearing earlier when she and Zhaan had put him into his bed, only a pair of underwear, causing Aeryn to take an unconscious breath as she crossed the threshold. Even though she told herself that she was only concerned about his well being, she couldn’t help feel something stirring deep inside her as she looked at his half-naked body.

"John, what are you doing? You’re not supposed to get out of bed." She knelt down, being careful not to touch him. She was afraid of what might happen if she did.

"Well, I didn’t know that," came his muffled reply. "Last thing I remember is being in a fight with a group of guys that would make Chewbacca look like an Ewok and then I woke up here in my quarters. I wanted to find out what happened."

Aeryn started to reach out, to help him get back to his feet, then stopped herself as she answered. "You and D’Argo were involved in a major riot and arrested by the local police with everyone else that participated. D’Argo wasn’t hurt, but you sustained a concussion. Zhaan convinced them to let you both go after they treated your injuries."

"Oh," he responded, still not lifting his head. "I wondered…" He lifted one of his hands to his face and started rubbing between his eyes as if his head still hurt.

Aeryn shook her own head as she stopped herself once again from reaching out and touching him. What happened was he could have been killed, she reminded herself. The man has an almost compulsive tendency to throw himself into situations he has no prayer of winning. One of these days, he is going to lose, and then what would I do?

"Aeryn?" he asked, looking up, his blue eyes somewhat unfocused. "You still with me?"

"Where else would I be?" she answered without thinking, and he smiled at her, despite the pain, one of his smiles that made him look like a particularly adorable little boy, so open and vulnerable and enticing all at the same time. The stirring inside her flared up again as she looked at him. He was so beautiful, even bruised and battered the way he was. Somehow it just offset his looks, rather than detracting from them, contrasting his handsomeness with the ugliness of what had been done to him.

"Oh man, I think I would kill for some Tylenol right now," he mumbled, lowering his head back down to his knees, but turning so that she could still see his face. He closed his eyes and started rubbing his face again, the way he often did whenever he was in distress or pain.

Trying not to reach out and touch him, she couldn’t help just watching him, admiring what she had almost come to take for granted in the weeks since they’d become lovers. He had such a wonderful body. He was not a large man by any means, but he was definitely muscular, all tight, well-defined curves that made her want to run her mouth across him, all over him. She loved watching him move, clothed or unclothed, although there had been times when she had taken no greater pleasure than when she had almost ripped what he was wearing right off of him.

He had great hands, hands that she loved to feel on her body, caressing her, pleasuring her. He had a way of touching her that felt like it was barely any touch at all and yet it could definitely set every nerve in her body on fire.

Then there was his face, a face that was so lovely sometimes it gave her pause and made her wonder if he was actually real. Blue eyes that always seemed to invite her into what he was thinking, a gorgeous mouth that made her want to ravage it until they both could no longer breathe. She was amazed at how quickly his face could change in expression, from playful little boy to very determined man, yet still be so open and inviting she couldn’t resist him if she tried.

I don’t believe this, she thought. I come in here to end it and I’m completely overcome just at the sight of him. She closed her eyes, hoping to break the spell, but when she opened them, she found she still couldn’t help looking at him, couldn’t help wanting to run her hands over him, couldn’t help wanting to taste him.

Couldn’t imagine seeing him with somebody else.

Zhaan was right. I can’t do this. I can’t push him away. It’s too hard. She remembered what it had felt like the first time she had had sex with him, the utter joy of it, the complete rightness of it, the feeling that he was once and for all, inescapably, hers.

And Peacekeepers don’t give up what is theirs without a fight.

She finally allowed herself to reach out, to run her hands along his arms, up along to where he was rubbing his face. Gently she moved his hands, then lifted his face to hers as she kissed him long and hard, her tongue re-acquainting itself with the inside of his mouth, before finally leaving him gasping for air.

As she pulled back away from his face, he looked at her almost in wonder. "Okay," he finally said. "That’s definitely better than Tylenol." He reached out and pulled her back so he could return the kiss, his tongue licking her bottom lip, before entering her mouth and dueling with hers.

Aeryn felt something snap inside her with that kiss as the tension and worry she had been holding in all day suddenly manifested themselves in a wave of emotion. Now that she had decided that he was hers, no matter what, the desire to have him, to take him and claim him, was stronger than she had ever felt before. The thought that someone had tried to take him away from her permanently, had actually dared to hurt him, made the need increase until she could not make herself wait any longer.

She ran her hands along his thighs, stopping when she finally reached cloth, then reaching up under the cloth and touching the maleness underneath. She felt him gasp inside her mouth as she began stroking him, feeling him grow beneath her hands. When she finally had him fully erect, she pulled her mouth away from his, and caressing his uninjured cheek with her mouth, moved to his ear, kissing the edge before breathing a warning into it.

"If you don’t want to lose one of your two pairs of underwear, I suggest you help me get them off of you."

He turned his face back towards hers, his lips brushing against hers, as he moved to comply, then suddenly seemed to catch himself. "Whoa, wait a minute," he said, briefly shutting his eyes. "I’ve been beaten and arrested today. My head still feels like somebody is pounding on it and you want to have sex right here on the floor?"

Aeryn didn’t even blink. "Yes. Is that a problem?"

He looked at her, wonder and amusement warring in his eyes, before finally shaking his head. "No," he said, reaching out and briefly kissing her on the lips. He smiled at her as she could see the laughter dancing in his eyes. "I just didn’t want you to think earth men were easy."

She smiled at him, knowing that she was missing the point of yet another piece of human nonsense. She didn’t care though because, with his help, it wasn’t long before they were both unclothed, kissing and caressing each other as if they hadn’t touched each other in cycles.

She felt his hands rub across her shoulders, her upper and lower back, as her own hands played up and down his legs, across his lower abdomen and back down again. Their mouths devoured each other, enjoying the feel of lips, tongue and teeth, in an almost primal display of raw desire.

Aeryn found herself tempted to bite her lover, to leave her mark somewhere on his flesh. It was that thought that made her realize she needed to fulfill the need within her before she did something the gentle human probably wouldn’t begin to understand.

She pushed down gently on his thighs so that she could straddle him, the feel of her breasts pressed against his firm chest almost making her gasp. Desperately, she started kissing across his face and neck, tasting the flesh beneath her mouth as her tongue ran across him, the sweet and the salt of him enhancing her desire. Almost feeling herself pushed to the edge, she reached down between her legs, grasped him in her hands, and pausing only long enough to kiss him soundly, deeply on the mouth, took him within her as deeply as she could.

She moaned loudly as the sensation of having him inside her almost made her come. Then she felt the need build again and pressing herself against him, she started to move, to grind, to build the passion between them even as she worked to quench the desire within herself.

She felt him move to meet her, the wall behind him supporting their frantic movements as they moved to match each other’s rhythm. His hands moved to her hips, gripping her gently at first, then harder as she felt him get caught up in the animal drive that was coursing through her body.

When the wave finally hit her, crashing through every nerve ending, every muscle, she almost tried to fight it, to hold it off. The sheer physical joy of trying to make herself one being with her lover was so great, she almost hated to have it end, even though she knew it would mean the completion her body so desperately wanted.

In the end, she couldn’t fight it as she felt the wave crest over her, releasing its pleasures within her, until she finally collapsed, panting, gasping into the arms of her equally exhausted lover.

Neither spoke as they sat there, clutching each other, feeling the sweat run between their bodies. Aeryn didn’t want to think, only wanted to enjoy the sensation of his body, his warm skin over firm muscle, pressed against her, around her, as one thought sang out over and over in her mind.

Mine, she thought. All mine. I will never let him out of my sight again. That way he will always be with me where I know I can keep him safe.

Her thoughts were interrupted as he reached up and gently moved her face up off his shoulder. He looked into her face, searching her eyes, before kissing her gently, tenderly on the mouth, then pulling back and looking at her as if she was the most amazing thing he had ever seen.

"God, Aeryn," he finally breathed as if he was afraid of breaking the silence between them. "That was, …incredible doesn’t even begin to describe it." He reached up and stroked her face wonderingly, his thumb briefly caressing her mouth, before moving back over to her cheek. Absently licking his now-abused lips, he looked at her intently before breathing again, "What brought that on?"

"Just you," she replied. "Just looking at you and…," She hesitated, not sure if she should let him know her fear. Indecision washed over her, stopping her, but only for a microt. Something inside her, some strange impulse, quickly made the decision for her.

"And thinking about how close I came to losing you today," she added, looking into his beautiful eyes, feeling just how much she would have missed them if the worst had come to pass.

"But you didn’t," he soothed, caressing her face again. "I’m here and I’m not going anywhere as long as I can help it."

"I know," she agreed, still looking at him intently, "because I’m not going to let anything like this happen to you ever again. You belong with me and I’m going to make sure you’re safe from now on."

The hand on her face stopped as he looked at her in what appeared to be…shock? Disbelief? "Aeryn," he began, "you don’t mean that…"

"Yes, I do," she replied, more fiercely than she intended. "I am not prepared to lose you and as long as I can keep you from harm, I will!"

"Aeryn…oh, man," she watched as he looked away, one of his hands coming up and rubbing across his eyes as he obviously searched for something to say. "You can’t, you can’t do that…"

"Why not?" she asked. She could hear the steel in her own voice, the determination that had made her an exceptional warrior, willing to do whatever it took to perform her duty. It was a font of strength that would not let her turn away from a path once she had set her mind to it and her mind was firmly set upon this one.

"Because we can’t live that way," he finally said, looking her in the eyes, determination of his own burning in those blue depths. "I can’t live that way. Aeryn, I’m not a child that you have to take care of. I’m an adult and while I do care for you, I can’t live my life just so you don’t feel like you have to worry about me. I can’t keep from doing something just because it might put me in danger. It wouldn’t be…it just wouldn’t be right for me," he paused, his hand moving across her face one more time, "or for you, if you think about it."

Aeryn blinked, somewhat taken aback by his reaction. Her plan had sounded so right, so perfect in her mind, that it never occurred to her that he would have a problem with it.

And it should have, she thought as she suddenly found herself unable to look into his eyes. He’s not going to be content, letting me protect him. Even when he’s in over his head, he’s never willing to let someone else take the lead. Aeryn looked back at his face, watching him watch her so intently, as if he was trying to guess what she was thinking. It was the look he often got on his face when he was trying to convince she or D’Argo to do something that he wasn’t even sure of himself, an untrained civilian trying to hold his own with a pair of warriors trained from birth.

She couldn’t help but smile, almost sadly, as she had to admit he was right. She couldn’t ask him to stop trying to solve all their problems, even though it drove her mad sometimes. It was one of the things she adored so much about him in the first place.

"So what do we do?" she asked, amazed at how quiet her voice sounded to her own ears. "How do we keep something like this from happening again?"

He smiled at her, a gentle smile that did have traces of sadness in it. Caressing her face once more, he pulled her to him and kissed her gently again. "We can’t," he admitted as he pulled back, no more than a breath away. "We just have to deal with things as they come and hope it’s enough." He looked at her, searching her eyes intensely, as if he suddenly needed to know what she was thinking at that very moment.

"Can you do that?" he asked finally, a slight catch in his voice betraying the fear she could see trying to hide in his eyes.

She looked at him, at the body she had taken earlier in a fit of deepest need, and knew that her earlier thought had been completely wrong. He was hers, but she hadn’t taken him. She had only received what he was more than willing to give.

She smiled as she nodded at him, a smile she watched him return as it became clear to him what she was saying. Enchanted by that smile, she leaned over and kissed him soundly, deeply, before pulling back just enough to breathe words into his mouth.

"Yes, I believe that I can," she said to her human lover. I believe that I have to, she said to herself.

He kissed her again, responding to the depth of her earlier kiss, his body tensing as if he would like to join with her again. Then he stopped, pulling back as one of his hands came up and started rubbing his head. "Okay, time out. If we are going to do this again, one of us has got to get dressed and get me some painkillers. The elephants in my head are starting to tap dance."

The miserable look on his face was just so cute that Aeryn couldn’t help laughing at him as she stood up and started reaching for her clothes. He might have said something sarcastic to her, but seeing as how she was getting dressed to go get him something for the pain, she could see that he was more than willing to let her make fun of him.

She blew him a kiss as she started to walk out the door, pausing on the threshold as she found herself admiring him once more. There had been times in the past when she had almost resented the turmoil he’d thrown her life into, but looking at him now, knowing what he’d come to mean to her, she knew it was all well worth it.

He’d gone back to resting his head on his knees, but he looked up when he sensed her stop at the door. "What are you doing?" he asked, sounding torn between puzzlement and amusement.

She couldn’t help but think of a human phrase he’d explained to her once. He’d been standing on the terrace, acting like he was frozen in place, staring out into the nothingness.

She smiled at him as she palmed the door open and started to step out into the corridor. "Oh, nothing much," she replied, watching him start to smile at her. "Just enjoying the view."

Fin.