I own nothing. Good! Now that we got that out of the way, this is a sequel to 'Surprise
Surprise' which unfortuntely for you and fortuntely for me, you will need to read to
understand this story. Then you can review or e-mail me and tell me how wonderful
they both are, hehe
Title: The Journey Home
Chapter 1: A Reason to...
Rated: R
***
{4 cycles after the events of 'Surprise Surprise'}
***
"If John doesn't kill you, Aeryn will!"
"I KNOW!"
"What's going on here?"
Cassandra and Chiana turned guilty eyes to Zhaan. Chiana chuckled nervously, "Uh, nothing?"
Zhaan eyes widened. "By the Goddess, Chiana, you didn't."
"We have no idea what you are talking about," Cassandra said seriously and grabbed Chiana's
arm to pull her away from Zhaan's suspicious gaze.
A peal of laughter rang down the corridor and a miniature figure ran towards the three women.
It appeared to be a small child but it was difficult to tell do to the large amount of white
powder covering it.
"Jeeze, Chiana! What is it, flour?" Cassandra asked astonished.
"She was in the apothecary?!" Zhaan yelped recognizing the power as one of her herbal remedies.
"Just help me catch her!" Chiana yelled and darted towards the powdered child.
The three finally managed to corner the giggling child and carted her off to Chiana's shower
to clean her up. Zhaan lectured Chiana the entire time about her responsibilities in
volunteering to baby-sit. Cassandra did her best not to grin, since Zhaan felt this was not a
laughing matter and it was her best friend who was being lectured. When Zhaan left, Chiana
breathed a sigh of relief, and Cassandra was free to laugh at her friend's expense.
Chiana scowled and picked up the wiggling, freshly cleaned child. "Let's go visit Uncle
D'Argo, okay?"
"Okay!" the girl piped. "Are you coming too, Aunt Cass?"
"Yep."
"Okay!"
***
"Xhalax!"
"You said you had a present for me, Uncle D'Argo," the precocious girl said grinning and
jumped into his lap.
D'Argo grinned. He had a real soft spot for John and Aeryn's child. "Yes, I did."
"So?! What is it?!" Xhalax bounced with enthusiasm.
"A cousin," he said smiling.
"REALLY?!"
"D'Argo! You didn't tell us!" Cassandra grinned. "Congratulations!"
D'Argo laughed. "Really," he assured Xhalax.
"How far along is Jool?" Chiana asked.
"Two monens."
"How long will it be before the baby is born?" Cassandra asked.
D'Argo grinned sheepishly. "It will take at least a cycle."
Cassandra bust out laughing, and Chiana grinned. They both could see Jool's reaction to that
news quite clearly.
"There you are."
Everyone looked up to see John standing in the doorway. "Daddy!" Xhalax scrambled off
D'Argo's lap and ran to her father. John scooped her up and set her on his hip.
"Guess what happened today! I went to Aunt Zhaan's room and I got covered with white stuff."
She laughed happily. "It was fun!" She leaned over and gave him a sloppy kiss on his cheek.
"Really?" he asked and turned to Chiana who grinned guiltily.
"Yep! It took Aunt Chiana FOREVER to catch me!" She laughed again. "She had to get Aunt Cass
and Aunt Zhaan to help her." She turned to the aunt she was currently getting in trouble.
"It's 'cause she's too slow," she said haughtily and stuck out her tongue.
Cassandra and D'Argo were desperately trying not to fall to the floor laughing. Chiana glanced
at John, trying to figure out if he was getting mad. "Uh, sorry?" John laughed, and Chiana let
out a breath of relief.
***
John and Cassandra sat in the Terrace, schematics spread out across the floor. John had put
Xhalax down for her afternoon nap. Aeryn, heavily pregnant with their second child, was napping
with her. Though neither possessed the intense desire to return to Earth anymore, the two Humans
still worked on unlocking the secrets of wormhole technology.
"We've checked the data six times, Cass. I think this is it."
"Then that means we've done it."
They looked up and their eyes met. Twin grins crossed their faces. "And the award goes to the
Crichtons!" They laughed and hugged.
"The Universe is no longer safe!" Suddenly Cassandra stopped laughing.
"What?"
"I just had a horrible thought."
"What?" John asked growing concerned.
"What are we going to do now? I mean, we've been working on this for over four cycles. What
next?" John laughed. Cassandra grinned. "Hey, wanna trash the data and try and figure it out
again?" Cassandra wagged her eyebrows.
"Oh, no!" John stood up.
"Oh, come on! It'd be fun!" she said standing.
They began picking up the Terrace, still cracking jokes. They both began to fall silent as the
full implications of their discovery began to sink in. "John?"
"Yeah?"
Cassandra looked out at the stars, avoiding his gaze. "Before we begin saving the Universe...
do... do you want to... do you want to visit Earth?" John didn't say anything and the room was
suddenly filled with tension. "I... I want to know if Dad is okay."
John sighed. "Yeah, Cass. I want to know too. And I want to know about DK."
"And Laurie," she added quietly.
"And Laurie," he agreed.
She smiled at him, "Though I don't know why, she hates us."
John smiled at her attempt to lighten the mood, and threw an arm around her shoulders. "I wouldn't
mind rubbing her nose in our success. She always said we'd never go anywhere."
Cassandra laughed. "Boy, was she wrong." They walked out of the room grinning.
***
Everyone gathered in Command except Xhalax, who was asleep with four DRDs watching in case the
little mischief-maker woke up. Cassandra alternated between pacing and biting her thumb. John cracked
his knuckles, and Jool winced.
"Alright, it's obvious that something is bothering you two. Just tell us what it is," D'Argo said
breaking the silence.
"Um... we... uh..." Cassandra began to mumble.
"Spit it out!" Chiana broke in.
"We figured out the wormhole technology," John said quietly.
Everyone was silent. Zhaan hesitated for a microt then said, "We always knew you would. What is wrong?"
"We want to visit Earth, if that's okay..." Cassandra said softly.
"I think they should be able to," Aeryn said, not really surprised at the wishes of her mate and his
sister. She also realized how much it meant to the two Humans to let their loved ones know they were
still alive.
"Moya and I agree," Pilot added.
"Me too," Chiana said after a moment.
"I think so as well," Zhaan said.
"So do I," Stark murmured.
"I suppose I agree," Rygel said loftily.
D'Argo nodded and Jool smiled her agreement. John clapped his hands together. "Good, now that we got
that out of the way, we just have to figure out exactly how we are going to make contact."
"I don't think we should show up and land," Cassandra replied.
"I agree, that would put us in danger," D'Argo agreed.
"We'd have to contact them, let them know we're there... then what?" John asked.
Cassandra shook her head, "We'll just have to play it by ear. We don't know how they'll respond. Which
reminds me, what exactly are we planning on saying to them?"
"How about, 'Honey, I'm home?'"
Cassandra rolled her eyes and started to reply when Pilot spoke. "Talyn arrived 600 microts ago."
Cassandra grinned and ran out of Command.
"I never thought I'd see the day..." John began.
Aeryn grinned at him and finished his sentence. "...that Crais was, what did you call it, 'whipped' by a
woman."
Chiana laughed, "She has him wrapped around her finger." They all smiled at Chiana's unconscious use
of Human slang.
"Oh!" Aeryn suddenly yelped. Everyone snapped to attention.
"Is it time?" John asked anxiously.
"I think so..." Zhaan and Jool were instantly by her side and guiding her to the apothecary, John
following close behind babbling that everything was going to be fine.
***
Cassandra entered the docking bay in time to see Crais step from Talyn's transport pod. She ran to
him and jumped into his arms. He grunted in surprise, and they fell to the ground. She grinned down
at him. "Hi."
"Hi," he replied smiling. They shared a tender kiss, breaking apart when Pilot's voice came over the com.
"Aeryn has gone into labor."
"We'll be right there, Pilot," Cassandra replied. She looked down with an amused expression on her
face. "Come on, we'd better go get him drunk again."
"Don't you think he'll be able to handle this birth a little better than Xhalax's?" Crais asked as
they stood. Cassandra shot him a look of disbelief. Crais gave a wry smile, "Right. We'd better
find some fellip nectar."
"D'Argo and I got stash for just this purpose," she replied, and they headed to her quarters.
***
TBC
WELL... what do ya think? Please review or send me an e-mail!
~Artemis Luna Diana~
Surprise' which unfortuntely for you and fortuntely for me, you will need to read to
understand this story. Then you can review or e-mail me and tell me how wonderful
they both are, hehe
Title: The Journey Home
Chapter 1: A Reason to...
Rated: R
***
{4 cycles after the events of 'Surprise Surprise'}
***
"If John doesn't kill you, Aeryn will!"
"I KNOW!"
"What's going on here?"
Cassandra and Chiana turned guilty eyes to Zhaan. Chiana chuckled nervously, "Uh, nothing?"
Zhaan eyes widened. "By the Goddess, Chiana, you didn't."
"We have no idea what you are talking about," Cassandra said seriously and grabbed Chiana's
arm to pull her away from Zhaan's suspicious gaze.
A peal of laughter rang down the corridor and a miniature figure ran towards the three women.
It appeared to be a small child but it was difficult to tell do to the large amount of white
powder covering it.
"Jeeze, Chiana! What is it, flour?" Cassandra asked astonished.
"She was in the apothecary?!" Zhaan yelped recognizing the power as one of her herbal remedies.
"Just help me catch her!" Chiana yelled and darted towards the powdered child.
The three finally managed to corner the giggling child and carted her off to Chiana's shower
to clean her up. Zhaan lectured Chiana the entire time about her responsibilities in
volunteering to baby-sit. Cassandra did her best not to grin, since Zhaan felt this was not a
laughing matter and it was her best friend who was being lectured. When Zhaan left, Chiana
breathed a sigh of relief, and Cassandra was free to laugh at her friend's expense.
Chiana scowled and picked up the wiggling, freshly cleaned child. "Let's go visit Uncle
D'Argo, okay?"
"Okay!" the girl piped. "Are you coming too, Aunt Cass?"
"Yep."
"Okay!"
***
"Xhalax!"
"You said you had a present for me, Uncle D'Argo," the precocious girl said grinning and
jumped into his lap.
D'Argo grinned. He had a real soft spot for John and Aeryn's child. "Yes, I did."
"So?! What is it?!" Xhalax bounced with enthusiasm.
"A cousin," he said smiling.
"REALLY?!"
"D'Argo! You didn't tell us!" Cassandra grinned. "Congratulations!"
D'Argo laughed. "Really," he assured Xhalax.
"How far along is Jool?" Chiana asked.
"Two monens."
"How long will it be before the baby is born?" Cassandra asked.
D'Argo grinned sheepishly. "It will take at least a cycle."
Cassandra bust out laughing, and Chiana grinned. They both could see Jool's reaction to that
news quite clearly.
"There you are."
Everyone looked up to see John standing in the doorway. "Daddy!" Xhalax scrambled off
D'Argo's lap and ran to her father. John scooped her up and set her on his hip.
"Guess what happened today! I went to Aunt Zhaan's room and I got covered with white stuff."
She laughed happily. "It was fun!" She leaned over and gave him a sloppy kiss on his cheek.
"Really?" he asked and turned to Chiana who grinned guiltily.
"Yep! It took Aunt Chiana FOREVER to catch me!" She laughed again. "She had to get Aunt Cass
and Aunt Zhaan to help her." She turned to the aunt she was currently getting in trouble.
"It's 'cause she's too slow," she said haughtily and stuck out her tongue.
Cassandra and D'Argo were desperately trying not to fall to the floor laughing. Chiana glanced
at John, trying to figure out if he was getting mad. "Uh, sorry?" John laughed, and Chiana let
out a breath of relief.
***
John and Cassandra sat in the Terrace, schematics spread out across the floor. John had put
Xhalax down for her afternoon nap. Aeryn, heavily pregnant with their second child, was napping
with her. Though neither possessed the intense desire to return to Earth anymore, the two Humans
still worked on unlocking the secrets of wormhole technology.
"We've checked the data six times, Cass. I think this is it."
"Then that means we've done it."
They looked up and their eyes met. Twin grins crossed their faces. "And the award goes to the
Crichtons!" They laughed and hugged.
"The Universe is no longer safe!" Suddenly Cassandra stopped laughing.
"What?"
"I just had a horrible thought."
"What?" John asked growing concerned.
"What are we going to do now? I mean, we've been working on this for over four cycles. What
next?" John laughed. Cassandra grinned. "Hey, wanna trash the data and try and figure it out
again?" Cassandra wagged her eyebrows.
"Oh, no!" John stood up.
"Oh, come on! It'd be fun!" she said standing.
They began picking up the Terrace, still cracking jokes. They both began to fall silent as the
full implications of their discovery began to sink in. "John?"
"Yeah?"
Cassandra looked out at the stars, avoiding his gaze. "Before we begin saving the Universe...
do... do you want to... do you want to visit Earth?" John didn't say anything and the room was
suddenly filled with tension. "I... I want to know if Dad is okay."
John sighed. "Yeah, Cass. I want to know too. And I want to know about DK."
"And Laurie," she added quietly.
"And Laurie," he agreed.
She smiled at him, "Though I don't know why, she hates us."
John smiled at her attempt to lighten the mood, and threw an arm around her shoulders. "I wouldn't
mind rubbing her nose in our success. She always said we'd never go anywhere."
Cassandra laughed. "Boy, was she wrong." They walked out of the room grinning.
***
Everyone gathered in Command except Xhalax, who was asleep with four DRDs watching in case the
little mischief-maker woke up. Cassandra alternated between pacing and biting her thumb. John cracked
his knuckles, and Jool winced.
"Alright, it's obvious that something is bothering you two. Just tell us what it is," D'Argo said
breaking the silence.
"Um... we... uh..." Cassandra began to mumble.
"Spit it out!" Chiana broke in.
"We figured out the wormhole technology," John said quietly.
Everyone was silent. Zhaan hesitated for a microt then said, "We always knew you would. What is wrong?"
"We want to visit Earth, if that's okay..." Cassandra said softly.
"I think they should be able to," Aeryn said, not really surprised at the wishes of her mate and his
sister. She also realized how much it meant to the two Humans to let their loved ones know they were
still alive.
"Moya and I agree," Pilot added.
"Me too," Chiana said after a moment.
"I think so as well," Zhaan said.
"So do I," Stark murmured.
"I suppose I agree," Rygel said loftily.
D'Argo nodded and Jool smiled her agreement. John clapped his hands together. "Good, now that we got
that out of the way, we just have to figure out exactly how we are going to make contact."
"I don't think we should show up and land," Cassandra replied.
"I agree, that would put us in danger," D'Argo agreed.
"We'd have to contact them, let them know we're there... then what?" John asked.
Cassandra shook her head, "We'll just have to play it by ear. We don't know how they'll respond. Which
reminds me, what exactly are we planning on saying to them?"
"How about, 'Honey, I'm home?'"
Cassandra rolled her eyes and started to reply when Pilot spoke. "Talyn arrived 600 microts ago."
Cassandra grinned and ran out of Command.
"I never thought I'd see the day..." John began.
Aeryn grinned at him and finished his sentence. "...that Crais was, what did you call it, 'whipped' by a
woman."
Chiana laughed, "She has him wrapped around her finger." They all smiled at Chiana's unconscious use
of Human slang.
"Oh!" Aeryn suddenly yelped. Everyone snapped to attention.
"Is it time?" John asked anxiously.
"I think so..." Zhaan and Jool were instantly by her side and guiding her to the apothecary, John
following close behind babbling that everything was going to be fine.
***
Cassandra entered the docking bay in time to see Crais step from Talyn's transport pod. She ran to
him and jumped into his arms. He grunted in surprise, and they fell to the ground. She grinned down
at him. "Hi."
"Hi," he replied smiling. They shared a tender kiss, breaking apart when Pilot's voice came over the com.
"Aeryn has gone into labor."
"We'll be right there, Pilot," Cassandra replied. She looked down with an amused expression on her
face. "Come on, we'd better go get him drunk again."
"Don't you think he'll be able to handle this birth a little better than Xhalax's?" Crais asked as
they stood. Cassandra shot him a look of disbelief. Crais gave a wry smile, "Right. We'd better
find some fellip nectar."
"D'Argo and I got stash for just this purpose," she replied, and they headed to her quarters.
***
TBC
WELL... what do ya think? Please review or send me an e-mail!
~Artemis Luna Diana~