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The next day, Aeryn and John were walking to the Terrace. Thankfully, neither Kassandra nor Aken were with them. They walked in silence, having just met up.

Strange, Aeryn thought. This is the first time I've been alone with him since... since he and Kassandra came aboard. And I'm actually relaxed? Hmm... She wondered briefly what that could mean, and then decided, I'll find out how he feels first. If he likes...her... I'll just have to live with it. If he doesn't, I still have a chance! Inevitably, the next thought followed: But does he like me?

John, too, thought about the past month or so, and again cursed Kassandra and Aken for ever finding Moya. That annoying Kassandra, he agonized. I've never met anyone so... self-centered, and weak, and selfish, and boring and uninteresting and infuriating in all my life! How I ever imagined a future is beyond me! He glanced sideways at Aeryn, who was apparently thinking deeply as well. But have I completely screwed things up between Aeryn and me? I hope not. And...well, if she likes him, I'll just have to convince her otherwise. I don't think he treats her very nicely, not the way she deserves at all...maybe she's infatuated with him and can't see that... maybe.

They both started to speak at the same time, very suddenly: "Soooo, where's Ak-" "Where is Kass-"

Both laughed, nervously, and motioned for the other to go first. "Ladies first." John said. So Aeryn repeated: "Where is Kassandra today?" She couldn't quite keep the sarcasm from her voice.

John flushed a deep red. "I know, I've been with her a lot lately, and I'm sor-"

"Where is she?"

"I...um...sort of told her off last night." He muttered.

"'Told her off'? What's that?" Aeryn asked. Quite suddenly, it was important she know whether he liked Kassandra or not.

"It means I told her to back off...for good."

"And... why is that? I had thought you two had had a good relationship." Aeryn asked, studiously casual in tone.

I'll tell her, John decided suddenly, and turned to her. They were on the Terrace now, the galaxy swirling around them like a cosmic panoramic painting. He wet his lips. "Because... Because I love you!" He blurted.

Aeryn stood as still as stone, completely in shock. What had she just heard? "W-What?"

"I...love you." John said, surprised himself by saying it. As she still said nothing, and didn't move, he asked worriedly, "Aeryn? You OK? Look, I'm sorry if I've upset you-you can forget I ever said anything...I mean, if you mind it..." He started to back away, trying not to show how rejected he felt deep inside.

She grabbed him by the front of the shirt and hauled him close, to kiss him fully on the lips. "Mind!?!" she practiucally shouted at him. "That's the most wonderful, sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me!"

"R-Really?" he asked in disbelief. He kissed her then and gave a whoop of delight, and started dancing around ecstatically. Aeryn had to laugh; he looked the perfect picture of joy and foolishness evenly mixed.

He stopped suddenly, and his smile dropped.

"What?" Aeryn asked, alarmed. Now what?

"What about Aken?"

"What about him?" she asked evenly. A little tooevenly, John thought.

"Don't you...like...him?"

Aeryn burst out laughing. "Like him?" She howled. "I despise the slimebucket!"

Interesting translation, translator microbes, John thought to the base of his skull. "If you despise him, why'd you spend so much time with him?"

"He-he wouldn't leave me alone." Aeryn said. She wouldn't meet his eyes, and her voice was very small.

"What do you mean." John said in a hard tone. Then, more pleadingly, "Please tell me."

Then Aeryn did something she had not done since she was 5 years old. She cried, collapsing, sobbing out the story of weeks of torment, of innuendo, of mistreatment to John. He cradled her close, and whispered soothing nothings in her ear. When she quieted, he asked, "You OK now?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'll be back in a minute."

"But-where are you going?"

"To kill Aken." He had never sounded more serious, not when he promised he'd dispatch her if she entered the Living Death, not when he swore he would protect them on the psuedo-Earth. She was deathly afraid he would carry out this threat.

"No-John, no, please."

"Why not? He hurt you, and I'm out for some revenge."

"I've already got my revenge."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"I love you instead of him." She said simply, and sat back on her heels. It was the first time she'd said that to him, and it gave him pause. Can I forego avenging her just because she asks me to? It was a rhetorical question. Yes. And in that instant, he gave his heart and soul completely to her.

"All right, I won't kill him. But just 'cause you asked nicely." He paused, and then asked hopefully, "Can I maim him instead?"

"No!"

"Aaaawww, c'mon, Aeryn..."

"I said no."

"Oh. OK. But only if I get another kiss."

"Well, you didn't have to make a deal, you could've just done it!"

"Oh, you mean like this?" Kiss.

"No, more like this." KISS!

"Oh, like thi-"

"Well, now, isn't this sweet... the two little lovebirds cuddling up... Aaaawwwwww..."

"AKEN, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE???" John stood, utterly furious.

"Checking on my whore, what's it look like?" Aken retorted and laughed coarsely. John studiously looked around the room. "Sorry, man, Kassandra's not here."

"WHAT?" A female voice screeched. All heads turned. Kassandra had found them, as well. "Why'd you tell them?" She hissed to Aken. Aeryn and John's eyebrows shot up. What the hell--?

"I didn't tell them anything! You just told 'em!" Aken spat.

"Whaddaya mean I just told them-"

"Told us what?" John interrupted.

"About us!" Kassandra practically screamed at him, gesturing from herself to Aken.

"Oh, we've known about you two for weeks, now." John lied smoothly, hoping to shoo Kassandra's attention back to Aken. It didn't work too well.

"WHAT?" Kassandra did scream this time, furious with John. "You mean you've been lying to me all along?!"

"Ah, no, that's not what I meant-" John stuttered, backing up.

"I hate you!" She cried brattishly, and launched herself at John. Before she could get within a foot of her, a dark-clad form tackled her: Aeryn.

"You keep your hands away from him!" she yelled at the blonde. "He's mine, and you're not getting near him now!"

Kassandra's face twisted in anger as she tried to claw at Aeryn's eyes. Aeryn slapped her hand away and, with great relish, landed a nice right hook directly on Kassandra's nose. Blood started to pour from it as Kassandra's struggling landed a lucky kick on Aeryn's knee's nerve. She gasped in pain as pins and needled danced up and down her calf.

Abruptly, Aeryn was hauled off Kassandra by John, who carefully checked her for injury and grinned savagely when he realized that the blood was Kassandra's.

"Now look what you've done!" Aken was saying to Kassandra. "You've gone and spoiled your pretty looks!"

"I-what? Oh, I'm sorry, Aken, I didn't mean to!" she whined. "I'm sorry!" She burst into tears, the saline mixing with the blood and making even more of a mess of her face.

John and Aeryn exchanged looks. Was there something funny in the water they drank, or what?

They were even more shocked when Aken assumed a contrite expression and moved to comfort Kassandra. "Hey, babe, I'm sorry, didn't mean to upset you..." He crooned, wiping the blood away with a handkerchief that appeared out of nowhere.

Aeryn's jaw dropped in utter amazement. Aken-being comforting? Entropy must be occurring.

"Oh, I know you didn't, but you do upset me so easily! And that upsets you, and I hate seeing you upset."

"Y-you do?"

"Of course you great idiot, I have the hugest crush on you! I really care about you." She added shyly.

"You do?" Before she could say anything, he continued, "Well... actually, I feel the same way!"

"Well, what about her?" Kassandra asked poutingly, pointing at Aeryn. John put a protective arm around her.

"What about her? -No offense, Aeryn... Don't hold a grudge, please?"

"Ah, no of course not." Aeryn quickly replied, not wanting to get involved at all.

"Good... then, uh, Kassandra, will you... oh what's the human phrase... 'Go out'! That's it. Will you 'go out' with me?"

She was all smiles and ditziness now. " Of course!" she squealed, linking her arm through him and propelling him from the Terrace. "Ta-ta, now!" she called gaily over her shoulder to Aeryn and John(who still had his arm wrapped around Aeryn).

"Bye..." They called softly. The moment they were gone, Aeryn and John collapsed into laughter.

"Ah, that's priceless!" John gasped.

"I think they definitely deserve each other," laughed Aeryn, which set both off again.

Eventually, when they had calmed down, Aeryn asked John, "So... where do we go from here?"

"I dunno. How do your people go about this sort of thing?"

"We don't. Have relationships with aliens, I mean. 'Keeping the bloodlines pure' and all that."

"Oh. Well, we just plain haven't made First Contact yet, except for me, and I don't think Emily Post covers this."

"Emily Post?"

"Mother of modern etuiquette."

"Ah. So that brings us full circle. Where do we go?"

He shrugged in response. "Guess we'll have to wing it. But I'm glad that it's with you."

"Me too."

That settled, they stayed there the rest of the night, watching the universe live around them. Each wondered: how, with such love in it, could they ever think the universe cruel or unfair? That argument didn't make as much sense now as it did before they found each other. Before they each found their point in the universe, their reason for being, in the other.


Epilogue
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