See Part One for Disclaimers

~ 5 ~

"Did Moya just starburst on her own again?" Rygel gasped incredulously.

"Yes," Pilot said, his hands continuing their endless roving over the controls.  "I don't know what caused her to panic but I was able to alert the others before we left orbit."

"Frell them," Rygel said irritably.  "What about us?  Where the hex are we?"

Pilot paused for a moment and swiveled his huge head to regard Rygel.  "I believe I understand now, why those who know you would want you assassinated."

Rygel's eyebrows shot up in amazement as his whiskers quivered with insult.  "Why you farking, bowl-headed, dren brain sorry excuse for a...."

His tirade was cut short as Moya groaned loudly, twisting and shuddering, the lights flickering in response.

*Dahlbred*Dahlbred*Dahlbred*Dahlbred*Dahlbred*Dahlbred*Dahlbred*

*pain*pain*pain*pain*pain*pain*pain*

"Are you hurt, Moya?" Pilot said, concern creasing his furrowed brow.  "Or is it Dahlbred who is in pain?"

"Dahlbred?  Who the hezmana is Dahlbred?" Rygel asked peevishly.

Pilot moved his claws rapidly as he bent his head to peer at the various view screens.  "Another Leviathan!" he exclaimed.  "Another pregnant Leviathan!"

~ 6 ~

"They are at the inn, Overlord.  All four of them."

Teurac grunted in approval.  His men had scouted the inn when they'd first landed and found it too risky to be a headquarters so he had made the decision to set up his encampment near the bazaar.  But the reconnaissance of the inn's weaknesses would provide him with information that would be invaluable tonight.

"Gather your soldiers," he ordered.  "And instruct them well.  I only want the Delvian captured."

The officer nodded.  "And the pair of Sebaceans?"

Teurace grimaced at the thought.  "They are of no importance to me.  I would just as soon have them killed than to be forced to look upon their hideous faces and smooth skin.

"But the Delvian must be handled carefully," he continued.  "She is of value to the Luxan and therefore of great value to us.  He may not negotiate if she is damaged in any way."

"I see no problem, Overlord.  She is, after all, only a female."

Teurac nodded and watched as he left.  "I have a score to settle with you Ka D'Argo," he said out loud.  "You were clever enough to best me once before, but now I will have more than just scavenger rights to a gutted Peacekeeper Command Carrier."

Pulling on his armor he snorted excitedly.  "Never in the history of the Sheyangs has anyone claimed such a prize as a Leviathan."  He paused as he imagined the rise to power this acquisition would bring him.  "Yes," he hissed, as he slapped his breastplate into place with a resounding thump.  "This is what we need -- the power of a Leviathan, not the fraddling dreams of myths!"

~ 7 ~

"Until we can get back in touch with Moya, I think you and I should keep watch at night," D'Argo said.

Aeryn nodded, looking up and down the dimly lit hallway.  "I don't like this place," she said shortly, "Too many ways of getting in."

"I agree," he rumbled.  "But with the transport pod nearly full of cargo we couldn't stay there and this is the only inn in the city."

Aeryn shifted uncomfortably then looked up at D'Argo.  "Why would Moya leave us?"

D'Argo shook his head.  "I'll wager it has something to do with her pregnancy."  Seeing the worry in her grey eyes, he added gruffly, "She'll be back.  In the meantime, you and I need to make sure we're all here when she does.

"So," he said briskly, "do you want the first watch, or shall I?"

"Why don't you take first," she said.  "I want to check in with Crichton and see how that creature he has is doing."

D'Argo tilted his head, eyeing the cloth wrapped bundle she carried.  "He was so concerned about that useless thing, he never came down for dinner," she said defensively.  "So I just thought I'd...."  She broke off and glared at D'Argo as he continued to stare at her in amusement.

"I'll expect to see you in three arns," he reminded her, turning away.

"I'll be ready," she threw back at him.  She looked down at the bundle of food in her hand.  "This is ridiculous," she muttered.  "If he was hungry he would have come with us."  She looked across the hall at his closed door.  "But on the other hand, it would be just like him to stay in his room to take care of that creature instead of himself."

Walking over to the door, she knocked lightly.

"Shhh, she's almost asleep," John whispered as he eased the door open.

Aeryn stepped in, a small smile curving her mouth as she caught sight of the little creature on the bed, curled up in her cage.  She walked over and sat down next to it, peering into the open top.  "What's she sleeping on?" she asked curiously, fingering the soft grey material that lined the bottom of the cage."

John chuckled as he walked over to her.  "Daisy took a liking to my tee shirt while I was showering.  She decided it was hers and wouldn't give it back to me.

"Daisy?" she repeated, turning and suddenly finding herself confronted with a naked and decidedly well muscled chest and a flat expanse of stomach that momentarily made her lose her train of thought.

"Yeah, I decided to name her Daisy," he answered, sitting down next to her on the bed and reaching into the cage to stroke the smooth iridescent green skin.

Aeryn watched the play of muscles in his arms as his hand moved.  She had once told him that human and Sebacean males were very similar but she hadn't told him about the differences.  Sebacean males were by far stronger, but they didn't show it the way human males did, she reflected as her eyes moved over the muscles in his strong back and shoulders.

"She reminds me of a little puppy I had once," he continued, unaware of Aeryn's appreciative scrutiny.  Lifting Daisy gently out of the cage, he settled her on her back in the crook of his arm.  "Watch this," he said with a grin as he began to scratch along the edge of her muzzle then up behind her pointed ear.  Although her eyes stayed closed, she stretched her neck back and began to rumble softly.  And as John continued to scratch, one of her hind feet began to energetically paw the air.

Areyn shook her head as John hooted softly.  Evidently this was some joke humans shared with their pets.

"So your puppy was green?" she asked curiously.

"No," John said with a laugh.  "I didn't name her Daisy because she looked like my puppy, she just reminds me of her.  A daisy is an Earth flower."

"Oh, daisies are green."

"No, they're white or yellow."

Aeryn blinked in confusion.  "Then does she smell like a daisy?"

John leaned down and sniffed the top of her head, causing her to wake with a tiny snort and warble in irritation.  "No, she kinda smells like a cupcake."

"Then why didn't you name her Cupcake?" Aeryn asked, her voice rising in exasperation.

John stared at her, his brows drawn together in puzzlement.  "What kind of name is that for a pet?"

"Pet?" Aeryn exclaimed.  "She's not a pet!  She was going to be sold for someone's dinner!"

"No, she wasn't."

"Yes, she was!"

"She was that boy's pet."

"He gave her to you in exchange for food...."

"He was hungry."

"And he'd do the same even if he thought you were going to eat ...."

"Aeryn!"

Suddenly a high pitched keening noise filled the room.  They looked down to find Daisy frantically looking from one to the other, her pale eyes bright as she radiated her distress.

"What's wrong?" Aeryn asked worriedly.

"I don't know," he answered, grimacing as Daisy scrabbled across his bare chest, digging her claws in.  "Ouch!' he yelped, trying to pull her off as her claws tangled in the hair.

"Give her to me," Aeryn said, coaxing her off John's chest and into her arms.  Daisy immediately clung to her, tucking her head under Aeryn's chin as she tightly clutched her white tee shirt.  She was still upset but her keening had subsided to soft cries.

"Did you think we were angry?" John asked, trying to look under Aeryn's chin at Daisy's face.  "We weren't you know."  Glancing up into Aeryn's eyes, he added, "We don't mean anything by it.  It's just the way we talk to each other sometimes.

"As a matter of fact, we're actually rather fond of each other," he said, slipping his arms around Aeryn and pulling her close.  "Aren't we?" he asked softly, as he looked searchingly into her eyes.

Aeryn lifted an eyebrow as she returned his gaze.  "I thought we agreed that this was never, never going to hap...."

The rest of her response was lost as John lowered his mouth to hers, silencing her with kiss so full of warmth and promise that she suddenly felt breathless.

"John," she gasped softly, breaking from their kiss and leaning back.

"What," he murmured, leaning forward as he tried to follow her mouth.  He pulled her closer but stopped as he heard an indignant squeak.

Looking down, he saw Daisy's small wedge-shaped head peeking out from under Aeryn's chin.

"That's what," Aeryn said, with a breathy laugh.

"Well, I guess it's bedtime for Daisy then," John said firmly, reaching down to pick her up.  But she was just as determined to stay and chattered in consternation as she tightened her grip on Aeryn's tee shirt.

John kept trying to pull her off but all he accomplished was a gratifying glimpse down the front of Aeryn's neckline as Daisy clung tenaciously to the stretchy material.

"Stop it!  You'll rip my shirt!" Aeryn snapped, pushing his hands away.  "And I certainly can't walk around without one like you do."

"Oh.  Right," he breathed, blinking as he suddenly flashed on that stunning image.

Sighing heavily, he sat back, eyeing Daisy enviously as she settled into the crook of Aeryn's arm and snuggled up against the curve of her breast.  Thinking this would be an opportune time to retrieve his own shirt, he reached for her cage and suddenly noticed a cloth wrapped bundle lying near it.

"What's this?" he asked, picking it up and tugging it open.

"Just some food," she said stiffly, coloring slightly as John looked at her in surprise.  "After all, you're of no use to us if you don't keep up your strength."  She avoided his eyes and shrugged self-consciously.  "Besides, I have no idea what kind of stamina you humans have."

John leaned forward.  "Oh, I assure you, I have plenty," he growled softly, close to her ear.  He smiled to himself as he felt Aeryn shiver involuntarily, then shove him away half-heartedly.

"Eat," she said with mock sternness.  "A full stomach might help to counteract the high oxygen levels that are evidently in this room."

~ 8 ~

"What have you found out?  Why did Moya starburst?"

Pilot glanced up, his eyebrows raised in surprise.  "Moya detected a fleet of Sheyang vessels.  She was moving out of their range when she heard Dahlbred's distress cry."

"Sheyangs?" Rygel repeated.  He shuddered as he recalled their last contact with the violent scaveners.  It had involved the Zelbinion -- a Peacekeeper Command Carrier that still held nightmares of memories for him.

Pilot nodded, his claws tapping intermittently as he frowned in concentration at the various display screens.  "One of the vessels appeared to be the Sheyang Flagship we encountered before."

"The one D'Argo bluffed into letting us go?" Rygel smirked.  "That Overload had trigopods for brains.  I wonder if he ever figured out -" he paused and looked at Pilot.  "Do you think he did?"

"He did say he makes a point of killing a clever opponent."

Rygel nodded.  "And with Zhaan's help, D'Argo defeated him without even a crew, much less an army of soldiers."

Moya suddenly groaned and shuddered, sending Rygel flying over to Pilot's shoulder.

*help*help*help*help*help*help*help*

"Yes, Moya," Pilot said reassuringly.  "We will help her."

"What do you mean,  we'll help her?" Rygel demanded, looking over Pilot's shoulder at the array of blinking lights and the blur of images flashing across the viewscreens.  "Let her crew take care of her."

"Dahlbred is an older Leviathan.  She and her Pilot have paid off their debt and are Free Contractors," Pilot explained.  "She is in between contracts and has no crew at the present time to help her with this complication."

"And what complication is that?"

Pilot swiveled his head around to look Rygel in the eye.  "The baby is entangled in it's web of nutrient cords.  If it is not freed, both it and Dahlbred will die."

~ 9 ~

"Don't feed her that."

"Why not?"

"Give her this fruit instead."

"What's wrong with giving her this?"

"She won't eat that."

"Oh, like  you know..."

"It's just logical..."

At the sound of insistant warbling, John and Aeryn glanced down and burst out laughing.  Daisy was standing on her hind legs in-between them, her mouth open and her head up as her eyes followed the food in their hands.

"Sorry, girl," he chuckled, lowering his hand to her.  She grabbed his thumb and hung on as she gobbled the piece of bread from his palm.  "See," he said, looking up at Aeryn, "she liked it."

"She's so hungry she'd probably eat anything," she retorted, leaning forward to hold out a large slice of sweetfruit.  Daisy chirped happily and grabbed it with both forepaws, chewing noisily as she shoved her muzzle into the juicy pulp.

"Geez, get her a bib," John exclaimed as juice and seeds splattered about.

"Better yet, get her a bath," Aeryn muttered, looking at the bits of fruit clinging to Daisy's face and chest as she raised her head from the empty rind and burped contentedly.

Laughing, John scooped her up with one hand and carried her to the bathroom.  As he filled the basin with water, she chattered impatiently then suddenly jumped from his hand into the water.

"Aeryn, look at this!' John laughed as Daisy splashed around, dunking her head under and radiating feelings of joy and delight.

Aeryn shook her head, folding her arms across her chest as she leaned against the doorway.  "Why would you want to have something so helpless, that you have to feed it, bathe it and take care of it?"

John shrugged as he lifted Daisy out of the water and wrapped her in a soft towel.  "I guess because she accepts me unconditionally.  She doesn't care who or what I am.  I don't have to continually prove myself to her."  He turned and faced Aeryn.  "Sometimes that can be very comforting."

She nodded thoughtfully.  It was a need she understood all too well.  One she had been trained to see as a weakness.

But as she saw the warmth and honesty in John's eyes, she came to a sudden realization.  It wasn't that her training had been failing her, the simple fact was that she was discovering that in many ways, her training had been wrong.

Pushing off from the doorway, she moved to stand in front of him.  "So, did you get her clean?" she asked as she ran her hand along Daisy's back and let it drift to trail against John's arm.

"Better than you, it seems," he said with amusement, reaching a hand up to brush away some fruit pulp that had splattered onto the front of her shirt.

"Hmmm.  Maybe I should take it off and wash it," she suggested in a low voice, smiling as John's hand froze in momentary surprise.

"I don't think you need to wash it," he murmured, returning her smile as he lowered his hand to lightly trace the edge of her neckline with his fingertips.  "But don't let that stop you from taking it off..."

Suddenly Daisy keened in alarm, struggling in John's arm as she stared at the door.  As he and Aeryn both turned to follow her panicked gaze, it was thrown open with a crash.

"Sheyangs!' D'Argo growled.  "I spotted a group approaching the courtyard and I'm sure there are more in the back."

He ushered Zhaan into the room as Aeryn grabbed her pulse rifle.  "Both of you, stay here," he rumbled, throwing Zhaan a look that softened his curt order.  "Let's go, Aeryn."

As she passed John, she leaned into him for a moment, short as a heartbeat, then she was gone without a backward glance.

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