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The summer sun rose quietly in the sky and soft rays peeked over the horizon. Streams of orange and gold seeped through the sheer curtains covering the window in the room, giving the entire room a fiery glow. The alarm clock to the right of the bed read 7:00 AM, it's alarm having been shut off the night before in a last attempt to postpone waking up in the morning. It was a Saturday and no one got up early on a Saturday, not for anything. At least that was the way it had always been with this family. Two entities lay in the bed, one wrapped around the other, nestled in the soft sheets.
At the end of the bed, on the floor, a smaller entity lay curled up in a ball, one eye open on the door and the other closed under the pretense of sleep. He watched as the door slowly opened and a head of gray hair peered in through the crack. The entity on the floor raised its head and opened both eyes, ready to make a sound and alert the two in the bed of the intruder. But the gray haired man raised a finger to his lips and looked directly into the two beady black eyes. It lowered its head and did not make a sound as the face beneath the receding hairline smiled, before disappearing and closing the door.
Now awake and unable to return to its the slumber, the entity at the foot of the bed clambered it's way up over the edge and then onto the soft quilt above. Padding softly across the material and maneuvering itself around the mounds created by the bodies beneath, it continued forth across the plains of the bed until it reached the peaceful face of a sleeping woman. Pressed against her cheek was the face of a man, also deep in tranquil sleep, his arms curled about her body. It moved closer, its nose sniffing about the wavy black curtain of hair spread over the pillow, before finally licking her across the face, giving her its form of a kiss.
Aeryn's eyes opened and she found herself staring into two shiny black orbs. She smiled, giggling a little, and then bent her head forward to give the small mobile alarm clock a kiss on its cold black nose. Yawning, she rolled over in John's arms and wrapped her own around his neck, nudging him with her nose to wake up. His eyelids flickered once, twice, and then opened as he yawned and stretched his face.
"Good morning," Aeryn whispered.
"Morning babe," he yawned and then kissed her face, right where she had just been licked by the animal that lay hidden behind her. John pulled back almost immediately, wiping a hand across his mouth and twisting his face into a grotesque form. "Yuck! Dog slobber."
Aeryn giggled again as a little fluffy yellow head poked up over her shoulder, innocently trying to communicate an "I didn't do it" face. John separated from Aeryn a little ways and made room for the golden ball of fur, and then patted the space, encouraging it to come and sit. The puppy clambered over Aeryn and then onto the spread of blanket. It circled once before settling down snugly between the two, letting out a yawn of its own. Closing its eyes, it laid down its head across its front paws and fell into a light sleep, quietly beating its tail against the bed in a slow rhythm.
"Would you look at that, " John whispered, "he wakes us up just so he can sleep up here." She smiled in response and then slowly stroked the soft fur on the dog's back, planting a small kiss on the top of its head. "And he gets more than I do ..." John muttered to himself.
Aeryn looked up, a quizzical look on her face, "Gets more what?"
John grinned, "You know what I mean." He leaned over the puppy to kiss Aeryn soundly on the mouth. Her hand shifted from the dog to John, resting on the side of his face as her arm went around his neck. John crawled over the yellow disturbance and then on top of Aeryn, bringing them closer together. Their light kiss turned feral in a matter of seconds and John's lips trailed across Aeryn's face and down her neck to where her shoulder and collarbone lay bare. Planting tiny kisses across her chest, his hand slid the silken strap of her red nightie down her arm. He did the same to the other arm, and then, stopping at the top of her gown, raised his head to look at her. Her eyes were closed in enjoyment, a smile of pure pleasure on her face. He wanted to continue, but something was nagging at the back of his mind.
Aeryn noticed he had stopped and her eyes opened, staring down at him. He was absolutely adorable, and ... he was all hers. It didn't matter that she was billions and trillion of lightyears and metras away from where she was born and raised. She was with him, and she loved him, and what's more, he loved her. "What?" Aeryn asked inquisitively.
"I was thinking, " he bent his head down and pulled up the the bottom of the gown so he could kiss her stomach.
"What were you thinking," she giggled.
He continued, punctuating each phrase with a kiss to her milky skin. "I was thinking ... that maybe ... we should think ... about ... having ... kids."
"Kids?" Aeryn was caught off guard, and she sat up slightly, propping herself up on her elbows. "You mean reproduce? Create offspring?"
"Yeah," he said as he pushed the silk cloth back up to kiss her stomach again, "That's what I mean."
"But why?"
"Aw hell, Aeryn, I dunno." Letting the cloth fall, he started to move, sliding the puppy over a little so her could squeeze in beside Aeryn. John lay on his side, resting his head on his bent arm, while his other hand ran lazily up and down Aeryn's velvety limb. "I mean, Aristotle's great company and all, don't get me wrong," he cocked his head towards the sleeping ball of fuzz behind them, "But he can't call me 'Dad', and can't call you 'Mom', and he's not exactly Dad's idea of a grandchild. Plus Daisy's never going to have kids, well, at least it seems that way, so it's kinda up to me and you." Her face betrayed that she was deep in thought, and John patiently waited for an answer ... for all of two microts. "So, what do you say?" He placed a tiny kiss on her shoulder, and then looked deep into her eyes.
Aeryn was only half confused. She understood what he was asking, but the sub-plot was her problem. "What? Do you want to ... to um ... do you want to do this now?"
John laughed and leaned his forehead against hers. "Call me old fashioned, but I don't exactly like to perform in front of an audience." Smiling, he added, "If you know what I mean." John kissed her gently.
She returned the kiss and her brow furrowed. "No, I don't." As John lowered himself onto his stomach so she could see over him, the top of a fluffy golden head appeared, then two black eyes, then a nose, and then a pink tongue. "Oh," Aeryn paused, "That audience."
They both fell into laughter as the puppy beat his tail playfully against the bed, waiting to get more attention. John rolled over and grabbed him with a playful growl. "Grrr ... c'mere Aristotle." He pulled him down in between them and gave the dog a noogie on its head. "But until we have kids, I suppose this little guy'll do." The puppy snapped at his hand in play, and John continued teasing him, moving his hand this way and that, every once and a while catching him off guard and bopping him in the side of the head.
Aeryn simply watched them, finding herself imagining John doing exactly the same thing with their daughter or son. She remembered seeing him on the Royal Planet with the living replica of what his and Katralla's son would be like. He was so playful and gentle, much like a child himself. Aeryn couldn't help but smile at them both now, the puppy and him. She wanted to give him a child more than anything, and she knew she could because they were compatible. The test they had taken on the Royal planet had proved that.
But another question arose in her mind concerning something else. "Why did you name him Air - ree - stod - tool?" She tried to pronounce the name right, but she knew she had screwed it up.
(SIDE NOTE CONCERNING THE DOG'S NAME: If you don't get it (w/ the exception of heather, jean, etc. etc.), you don't get it.)
John tried not to laugh at her attempt. "Aristotle? Well, he was this famous philosopher guy back in ancient Greece." Aeryn's brow was still furrowed in confusion. "Ancient Greece was one of Earth's past civilizations and it was just overflowing with smart people. Aristotle was one of them ... And if I go into any more detail I'd confuse you even more." She smiled sheepishly and he kissed her on the nose. "You ready to get outta bed?"
Aeryn shook her head, grinning and biting her lip, "Uh-uh."
John looked down at Aristotle and shook his head, "What are we going to do about her?" Aristotle looked towards Aeryn, then back at John, and cocked his head. John bent his head down, putting his ear to Aristotle's mouth and pretending that he was telling him a secret. Aeryn watched with immense curiosity and then giggled when the puppy licked the side of John's face. John wiped away the slobber and then pretended to whisper something in the dog's ear. This Aeryn was very intrigued about because she thought she heard a few audible words in there somewhere, and she could have sworn she saw the dog nod it's head in some sort of understanding gesture. They both then looked over at her and she quickly closed her eyes, feigning sleep.
Rolling over onto her side and putting her back to them, Aeryn kept her eyes squeezed tightly shut, partly in effort to try and sleep some more, partly in curiosity of what the duo behind her was planning. Her whole body tensed in anticipation, the pause killing her. Just as she was about to roll over, she felt something licking her ear. *John?* she thought at first, and then considered, *Aristotle?* Then she felt something else dragging the sheet down the bed. She fought to hang onto it, but the force was too strong and she let go, still under the pretense of sleep. A cold object began sniffing and licking her bare feet, causing a stream of giggles to come eminating from her throat.
She tried to keep her composure, not moving and doing her best to stop laughing. But her feet were one of the most sensitive places on her and it was pure toture. Finally it stopped, and she felt nothing. Aeryn was almost tempted to roll over again, but then she heard him.
"WET WILLY!!!!!!!" John screamed and then pounced on her, poking his wet finger into her ear.
"No!" Aeryn screamed, trying to break away from him as he trapped her beneath him.
Aristotle clambered up next to her head where John was, giving her a repeated torture of wet willies in her ear. He began sniffing and licking, planting dog-kisses all over the bare spots on her face as John began moving his hands south, tickling her in all her special sensitive places. She tried running, tried pushing them off, but John kept hitting those little spots with his tickling torments. Laughing wildly, John continued, ignoring Aeryn's pleas for freedom. Somewhere in the midst of it all, Aristotle was barking and slurping and licking and beating his tail in happiness.
"Sto - hahahahahahahaha -p!" Aeryn giggled, attempt to get her hands to John's sides where he was most ticklish.
He stopped her and then went for her stomach, blowing raspberries all the way across. "NO WAY!" John screamed, still administering his torment. Aeryn tried wriggling out of his grasp one last time, and finally managed to escape from beneath him. She landed on the floor, leaving John up on the bed with Aristotle, who was now attacking him with slurping kisses instead of her.
As Aeryn stood up she heard laughing behind her and turned to see Jack standing there, a big grin on his face. She blushed, more embarassed than she had ever been, and then cleared her throat to get John to notice. John stopped, gripping the puppy and holding him over his head. "Mornin' Dad," he said innocently.
"You three are noisier than a hoarde of elephants," Jack exclaimed, "It sounded like the whole house was tumblin down."
"Sorry," Aeryn said quietly.
"Oh, it's alright." Jack clapped Aeryn on the back, "Say, isn't about time you two kids got outta bed and made your way downstairs for some breakfast?"
John swung his feet over the side of the bed and scratched the back of his head, "Guess so. What do you got fixed?"
Jack ground his foot into the carpet a little, "Well I didn't have anything fixed. I was waiting for you two to come on down and ..." His voice trailed off as they both looked toward Aeryn, the only one who knew how to cook slightly well, and even then it was only because she had been taught by Daisy.
Aeryn looked back at them both, shifting her head between the two of them. "No, no, no I'm not ..." John flashed her his sad puppy face. "... Why me?"
An idea struck John. "Ok then, I'll make breakfast." He started heading for the drawers to grab a shirt to put on. Aeryn stopped him.
"Fine, I will cook," she gave in. Both men tried to conceal their smiles as Aeryn went to the closet to find something to wear. *Anything is better than John's cooking.* She shuddered inwardly at the memories of all of John's cooking experiments on Moya. Too many scars, too many wounds, too many things that needed to stay in the past. *Like his fried dentics ... if he ever tries that again ...*
Jack left Aeryn and John to get dressed, and he
called the puppy along after him. "C'mon Aristotle." The dog barked
and then hobbled off the bed, eagerly following Jack down the stairs.
Aeryn was the first down the stairs and trudged to the kitchen, reluctantly pulling pans out of the cupboard once there. Jack was extremely helpful, getting the eggs and the bacon out of the refrigerator, and reaching up into the top cupboard to get down the pancake mix. She sighed as the things piled up beside her, and when Jack began hunting for the waffle iron, Aeryn gave him a deadly stare. He back away from the bottom drawer, closing it with his foot and then going to sit down at the table.
Doing just as Daisy had showed her, Aeryn began frying the eggs and then started mixing up the pancake batter. John came bounding through the kitchen door and kissed Aeryn on the cheek as he passed by.
"What, no waffles?" He pulled a frown as he stood behind her. Aeryn whirled around, a knife in her hand, and held it inches away from his face, glaring at him with fiery eyes. John gulped. "Pancakes are fine." He went over and sat down beside his father. "Guess we can't invite D.K. over for breakfast?"
"I heard that!" Aeryn called from where she was standing at the stove, trying her best to flip pancakes in the skillet. Beside her was the menacing knife and her hand gravitated towards it just slightly.
"I'd take that as a 'no' son," Jack whispered back.
Aeryn grinned at that. She may have given in to cooking for them, but two men with appetites that could compared with Rygel's were enough. She didn't need a third. Looking down beside her feet, she saw Aristotle sitting patiently, tail beating against the floor as usual. Positive the other two weren't looking, she expertly dropped a small piece of bacon, letting it land in Aristotle's waiting mouth.
"Hey! What about us?" John shouted, "We're hungry too!" He watched as her hand moved towards the knife, still sitting beside the stovetop. "I mean, um, take your time sweetheart. We can't wait to see what wonderful food you're cooking."
Jack leaned over, and in a barely audible voice whispered in John's ear, "Kissing ass with the wife, are we son?"
"If mom woulda had a knife within arm's reach when she was cooking breakfast for us, you woulda kept your mouth shut too."
She turned off the stovetop and turned, holding two plates in her hands. Aeryn went over and put them down on the table in front of John and Jack. Then she went back to retrieve her own, Aristotle following close on her heels and waiting for yet another scrap to be dropped. By the time she had sat back down, John and Jack had already managed to put a large dent in the food on their plate.
"Execellent babe. You're a great cook," John complimented.
"Yes Aeryn, very nice."
Aeryn couldn't help but smile. She loved compliments and praise, especially since she was trying so hard to fit in on Erp and please John in every way. *I'm in this for good so I might as well make the best of it.*
By the end of breakfast Aristotle had managed to con all three out of at least two pieces of bacon and one small slice of pancake. And even then, he still continued begging for someone to put food in his bowl. Aeryn got up to do so while Jack cleaned up the dishes and John went to answer the phone.
"Hello ... yes this is he ... um, I suppose so ... no, I'm not working today so it'll be alright ... yes ... well, we just got done breakfast so if you give me a chance to change I'll be out as soon as I can ... how much? ... by myself? ... okay, cause I was going to say ... yeah, sure ... mhmm ... okay then, I'll be over in a few ... your welcome ... bye." John hung up the phone.
"Who was that," asked Aeryn as John started to head upstairs.
"One of the farmers who rent the barn out there. They said a man of theirs is not feeling too well today and they were wondering if I could help since I live right here and it wouldn't be that far to walk."
"Help with what?"
"They're baling hay today and they need help loading it into the barn. Besides, they're gonna pay me pretty good if I help 'em. The way I see it, it's a pretty good deal. I get some nice excercise, and I get paid to do it."
"Oh." Aeryn went back to putting away the stuff off the table.
A few minutes later John came back down the stairs, dressed in a white tank top and a pair of old jeans. He went into the kitchen as he slipped on a pair of work gloves. Aeryn was sitting at the table, making a grocery list with one hand and keeping Aristotle vaguely entertained with the other, holding onto a piece of rope as the dog yanked it back and forth. John paused in the doorway, stopping to admire her without her noticing. She was so beautiful, just sitting there in absolute tranquility. Well, almost absolute tranquility, but still, it was close enough. He could never tell if she really liked it on Earth or not. In fact, he'd never ventured to ask out of fear. John was terrified she'd say 'no', that she'd say she didn't like it here and she was sorry she'd left Moya and the Uncharted Territories. She had been hesitant the night he'd asked her to marry him, moreso than when he had asked her to come with him. But then again, he hadn't given her a choice for coming with him, that was decided the moment she had said she loved him that night in the maintenence bay after being on the frozen planet. Yet when he had asked her to marry him, in that motel, right after they had crash landed in that lake, she had hesitated immensely, not knowing what to say.
*****
They were hitch-hiking. John had never thought in his life that he'd ever have to really, truly hitch-hike. But he was, and so was she. The Farscape module had crash landed in a lake behind someone's house and they had had to run away as fast as possible. The lights in the house had come on and a dog was barking. Into the woods they had gone and just ran, ran until they hit the highway. Then they started heading in no direction in particular. That was when the trucker had stopped and offered them a ride to the nearest motel. And now here he and Aeryn sat, him between her and the truck driver, heading for the closest place to stay. Not a word had been uttered since the intital conversation consisting of, 'Need a ride?' 'Yeah' 'Hop in. I'll take you to the closest motel.', and now they were heading towards god knows where, and he was dragging Aeryn with him.
John looked over at Aeryn. She was staring out the window at all the other cars and trucks that passed them. It was fairly dark and the highway was nothing but headlights and taillights, but still she stared on. He slid his hand into her lap and curled his fingers around hers, giving her hand an assuring squeeze. She turned and looked into his eyes, forcing a smile on her lips. He smiled back and then kissed her lightly on the forehead.
"Almost there babe," he whispered.
She smiled again and then turned away, staring out the window once more, leaving John to gaze ahead of them. Up in the distance he could see a sign, neon and bright, in the dim gloom of that late night. It said 'Rick's Regal Motel'. *Regal my ass,* John thought at the mere sight of the place as they pulled into the parking lot.
"This here's yer stop," the truck driver announced, stepping on the brakes.
John nudged Aeryn to open the door, and she did, climbing out as quickly as possible, him on her heels.
"Thanks for the lift," John thanked the driver and started to close the door.
"Hey, wait a minute!" The truck driver's voice halted John and he opened the door back up.
"Yeah?"
"You two got any money to get a room?"
John stuffed his hands into his pockets and mentally kicked himself. Of course they didn't have any money. He'd been in outer space for the last three years of his life. There definitely wasn't an exchange rate for UT currency here on Earth. He shook his head, "No, we don't. But don't worry, we'll --"
"Here." The truck driver tossed some cash in John's direction. "Get yerselves a room er somethin. Should be enough there."
He couldn't believe it. Someone who barely knew him from Adam was giving him money to get himself and his companion a room to stay in. John was speechless. "Thanks," was all he could mutter before the truck driver pulled the door shut and began backing up his vehicle. John turned to Aeryn and directed her towards the office of the motel. They needed a room desperately. Both of them were so tired and they had a long day ahead of them. A good night's rest was their last hope at revitalizing before they took off the next morning.
Clutching her bag tightly, Aeryn followed John into the dimly lit office where a bald, middle-aged, fat man was sitting behind a cluttered desk, a black and white T.V. fritzing from beneath a stack of papers.
"Excuse me," John asked politely, "but can we get a room?"
"The two of ya's?"
*No asshole, I was just gonna take the room for myself and leave her to sleep in the parking lot.* "Yes."
"One bed or two?"
John looked at Aeryn. She briefly nodded her head and then went back to studying the room they were in. "One."
The man paused to do some calculations in his head and then looked up at John, "That'll be thirty bucks."
He flipped through the cash in his hand and pulled out exactly thirty. "Here."
Almost too quickly for comfort, the man snatched the money from John's hand and then filled the empty palm with a key. "Room 3, fourth door on the left."
"Thanks," John said for the second time that night. Wrapping his arm around Aeryn, he picked up his other bag and lead her out the door towards their room. "I know this isn't much Aeryn," he started, putting the key in the lock on the door, "but it'll have to do." Pushing open the door he was confronted with a stale odor. "Besides, it's only for one night."
They both walked inside, John flipping on the light and then locking the door behind Aeryn. The room was not as bad as he'd thought it would be. There was a T.V. against the wall, but he doubted its ability to work. The bed was a double bed, big enough for the both of them, and the sheets looked as if they may have actually been washed within the past month. Aeryn set her bag on top of a dusty dresser and, pulling out a shirt and a pair of boxers, headed for the bathroom. John in the meantime sat down on the bed, dropping his bag, and then fell backwards, shielding his eyes with his arm, completely exhausted.
A few seconds later he heard the shower turn on, a groan of distaste from Aeryn, and then the sound of someone stepping into the shower. Absolutely sure she was occupied and would be for awhile, John began rummaging through his bag. Only a minute passed before he had retrieved what he had been looking for. It was a tiny gold ring, one he had bought on a commerce planet at least a cycle ago, intending to put it to good use one day. *Now's a better time than ever.* He stuffed the ring into his pocket and returned to his former position, half-sitting, half-laying, on the hard-as-a-rock motel bed. After about fifteen minutes John heard the shower shut off and then the door open only seconds later.
(SIDE NOTE: ah shit, a block just hit me ... AGAIN ... gimme about three seconds, I'll think of something ... ::jeopardy theme plays:: .... okay, I got it.)
John sat up and watched Aeryn emerge from the bathroom, dressed in a simple black tank top and boxers. She came over and stretched out across the bed, on top of the covers. He turned and crawled up beside her, sidling closer to her until he was practically breathing in her ear. "Aeryn, look um, tomorrow's going to be a big day and all, and we're going to be moving really fast, and we won't be stopping until we get to wherever my dad is, so I wanted to um, well ..."
Aeryn rolled over, facing him, a weary expression on her face. "Yes?"
"I love you."
"I love you too." She gave him a light kiss, "Is that all you wanted?"
"Yeah." Aeryn started to roll back over. "No wait." She rolled back into place. "Actually, there is something else." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring, holding it up between them for her to see. Then he crawled over her onto the floor, and pulled her into a sitting position. Aeryn's expression went from sleepy to curious and sleepy in a matter of microts as she patiently awaited whatever it was he wanted to show her. Bending down on one knee, he took her hand in his and held the ring just a hair's breadth away from her finger. "Officer Aeryn Sun, will you marry me?" He gave the translator microbes a few moments to kick in and then awaited an answer.
"John, I ... I, um ..."
"You love me, right?"
"Yes John, I do, but ..."
"And you want us to be together forever, right?"
"Something like that, yes."
"So then say you will."
She paused, biting her lip in indecision. This was the second time she had to make a decision that would decide her fate. If she said yes, that was it. She was with him forever. If she said no, then he most likely wouldn't disown her, but their relationship would suffer. A few more agonizing moments passed until she had reached an answer. A slight nod of her head was all she gave and that was all John needed.
He nearly tackled her to the bed, sliding the ring onto her finger and then covering her clean body with his filthy one. His mouth pressed up against hers and they locked in a passionate kiss that lasted for an eternity. That night they made love for the first time as an engaged couple, and for the first time, John went to bed with her in his arms, and knew for a fact that she would still be there when he awoke.
*****
Laying a hand on his shoulder, Jack brought John out of his reverie of rememberance. John turned slightly, then, noticing it was only his dad, turned back around to watch Aeryn.
"You snagged yourself a good one son," Jack whispered in his son's ear.
"Yeah. She's perfect," John replied softly.
Jack hesitated, pausing a moment, before continuing with what he wanted to say. "You do realize that IASA and the government will find out eventually, don't you son?"
"I keep telling myself they won't, trying to convince myself that Aeryn's safe, but yeah, deep down I know the truth. It's all going to have to end sometime." He turned his head so he could see his father's face. "But I'm going to do everything I can to keep those space program and government bastards away from her. I love her too much to lose her."
"Would you die for her?"
John did not hesitate for one microt as he nodded
his head, and then took one last glance at Aeryn before leaving the small hallway he was
standing in. He headed out the door towards the ramshackle barn where a wagon of hay
was already being towed in.
Aeryn looked up from where she was sitting at the table when she heard the door close. She saw Jack standing in the doorway to the kitchen.
"Did John just leave," she asked, already knowing the answer.
Jack nodded and then left the doorway, heading for his study. Aeryn went back to making the grocery list and still playing with Aristotle who seemed to have a boundless amount of energy. Finally she gave up, her wrist sore from moving it back and forth, and let the rope drop to the floor. Aristotle whimpered, then barked, and then leaped into her lap. His paws went up in front of him and rested on the notepad she had sitting on the table as he turned his head to look at her, ready to play.
"Look, I have to write this list. You need to get down," she pleaded.
Aristotle barked, but overall did not move as his tail began smacking into her ribcage, moving back and forth in excitement. Aeryn sighed and picked him up, putting him back down on the floor and then returning to her list. The puppy waited for a few moments and then leapt back into her lap, assuming his previous position.
"I mean it. Now, get down." She was growing frustrated by the minute.
He shook his head no and then continued his journey onto the table, plopping his fat little furry bottom on top of Aeryn's notepad so she was unable to write. Aeryn waggled her pen at the puppy, which he effectively caught in his mouth and yanked from her grasp, tossing it to the floor.
"You know, you're more annoying than three Rygels put together. And you're a lot more trouble than he is too." She leaned her face in close to Aristotle's, locking gazes with him, a fierce look on her face. He met her fierce look and eyed her menacingly. Then, his tongue flickered out and moved across her face with rapid speed, dissipating the hostiled mood. Aeryn couldn't help but start laughing, and, giving the animal a pat on the head, she said quietly, "But you are cuter than Rygel ever was." She went over to the back door and opened it, letting Aristotle outside so he could get some fresh air. He barked in gratitude before racing out into the backyard. Aeryn smiled and then sat back down at the table to finish her work.
"That frelling little pest!" She slammed
her fists against the table as she stared down at her notepad, a giant yellow spot in the
middle of it. Outside, on the back porch, Aristotle looked in through the glass
doors at Aeryn, his tail wagging in approval and contentment. Next time she would
pay attention to him the first time he begged for it.
The next few hours passed slowly. Aeryn had given up trying to make a list because every single page in the pad had been contaminated and dyed yellow thanks to her lack of attention to Aristotle. She was stretched out across the couch, attempting to watch what John called tell-a-vishun while the little golden ball of fur slept peacefully on her stomach. Using the remote like he had shown her, she flipped through channel after channel, bored out of her mind. Aeryn paused briefly on a channel where a man had a belt wrapped around his waist that was actually moving his abdominal muscles. She pressed the button again and her ears were met with screams and shouts.
" ... yeah well I've been sleeping with your sister ... MY SISTER?! ... JERRY, JERRY! ... " the television sounded.
Aeryn sat up, slightly intrigued, as she continued watching. A man holding a black stick in his hand moved across the stage, urging the crowd on as two obese men battled back and worth on the stage.
"... I thought you loved me. How could you sleep with my sister? ... Because he is! ..." Another woman had come onto the stage, equal to the two men in size, and she began yelling as well. " ... Why are you doing this Mary? ... because I hate you ... Yeah? Well I hate you too! ..." The man and the woman went at it on the stage, the one ripping through the shirt of the other, as punches and kicks began to fly. The crowd went wild. "... JERRY, JERRY, JERRY ..."
"Jerry Springer?" A voice from behind Aeryn called out.
Aeryn turned, surprised to see Jack in the doorway. "Who?"
"What you're watching." Jack sat down in the chair beside Aeryn. "You shouldn't be watching that kind of stuff, it'll rot your brain." Laughing, he took the remote out of her hands.
Giggling, she explained, "Oh no, it was very int-er-resting." She sounded out the last word, her English much better, but still a little rough. "I think that that man has been having sex with that one, but that girl was having sex with that large man on the right. And everyone keeps yelling 'Jerry!'."
Jack changed the channel, flipping it to a re-run of the 'I Love Lucy' show. "This is the good stuff." Aeryn yawned and he looked over at her. "Well if John had known I was letting you watch that other junk, he woulda gotten madder than anything."
"Where is John?" Aeryn asked suddenly, gazing out the window towards the barn on the hill.
"Probably still out there working. The other guys have all left for lunch, but I guess John doesn't need a break." He returned his attention to the television while Aeryn bit her lip in thought.
*Doesn't need a break, huh? Well, we'll just see about that.* She got up off the couch, gently placing Aristotle on the cushion as she did, and started for the kitchen.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to make John some lunch."
Jack nodded and left Aeryn to her devices. He
would have asked her to make him something while she was at it, but after that morning's
breakfast and all those knives being within arm's reach, he didn't want to impose.
Grabbing a basket from the closet, Aeryn set it on the counter and looked inside. *What should I bring John?* She set about making sandwiches with the leftover lunchmeat in the fridge, cutting the crust off the bread just the way John liked it. And then, wrapping them up in paper, she stuffed them in the basket along with a blanket. Next she grabbed some vegetables, sliced them up in record time, and added them to her meal in a basket. Aeryn continued filling it with more food including a bag of chips and some cookies from the jar. Then she closed it up and headed out the door, snatching a pitcher of tea and two glasses on her way out.
Barefoot and in only a pair of shorts and a hatler top, Aeryn trekked across the yard towards the big red barn looming up ahead. She saw the tractor parked outside the large barn doors as she rounded the corner. The wagon was about half-full from what she could see, most of it was inside the barn, only a sliver outside. Peering through the opening, still out of sight, Aeryn could see John on top of a pile of bales, stacking them into neat little rows. She waited until he slid down the elevator to send more bales up before she made her presence known.
"*Ahem*," Aeryn cleared her throat as she leaned seductively against the door.
John turned around towards the doorway, catching sight of Aeryn and almost forgetting to breathe. The sunlight behind her filtered in through the open door, framing her in a halo of light, and making her glow in the dim interior of the barn. She was gorgeous. "Aeryn," he coughed, jumping down from where he was on the wagon, "You um ... why are you ... um ..." He lost the words he had had in his mind.
Aeryn stood looking at him, his tank top sweat-soaked and his tanned skin glistening in the faint light of the barn. And now he was even more handsome, speechless and shocked at the sight of her in the doorway. She smiled, sauntering over towards him. "I noticed that everyone else had left and you hadn't come home for lunch," she circled around him, setting the basket and pitcher of ice tea on the gate of the wagon, "so I decided to bring you some lunch. That is, if you're hungry."
As she moved past him, John reached out quickly and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her closer to him until there was barely an inch between them. "And just what do you mean by that," he whispered in her ear, his voice husky and low. He start nibbling on the lobe of her ear as his hands drew her even closer against his body.
She pulled back, her hands on his chest, looking him dead in the eye with an innocent look on her face. "I don't know. What do you think I mean?"
He couldn't take it. She was trying to play dumb and he knew it. *Well, we'll just see about that.* In one swift motion he pulled her up into his arms and off the ground, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist. Then, just holding her there, he leaned forward and planted a small kiss on her lips.
"So," she started, non-chalantly, "You hungry or not?" Aeryn ran one lazy finger down the muscles of his arm, the beads of sweat collecting on the tip as she traced patterns against his skin.
"Oh I'm hungry all right," John started nuzzling at her neck again, this time nipping and biting the soft skin he found there, "just not for food."
"Then what are you hungry for?" Aeryn asked, stretching her neck to allow him better access.
"You," he said quietly, his voice muffled against her skin.
(WARNING: NC mat ahead ... proceed with caution ... you may be thoroughly damaged ;-) )
Aeryn sighed and then John began moving across the barn floor, guiding them towards a low stack of bales in the corner, snatching the blanket from the basket as they went. Gently, he tossed the blanket out over the hay, still holding onto Aeryn with his other arm, as they locked in a passionate kiss, their tongues battling for dominance over each other's. John laid her down onto the blanket, never breaking their liplock, and then followed her down, using his arms to support him as he loomed over her.
Her hands slid up the sides of his arms, then down the front of his sweat-soaked tank top, until finally she reached the waistband of his jeans. She pulled the hem of the shirt out and drug it up over his head and off his body. His scent was stronger than usual and was working almost like an intoxicant on Aeryn in the close proximity. Aeryn attacked his bare chest with her mouth, licking up every bead of sweat that had formed on his rigid muscles.
Meanwhile John was concentrating on work of his own. His one hand moved to the buttons on her denim daisy dukes. (SIDE NOTE: yes, everyone ... she is wearing denim daisy duke shorts ... the second cousin to booty shorts ... now, back to the show ...) With nimble fingers he undid the clasp and began dragging them down her long, slender legs. She raised her hips to assist him as her shorts fell to the floor next to the discarded tank top.
Aeryn slid her lips back up his chest, to his neck, and then finally met his mouth again, sucking him into a mind-blowing whirlwind of passionate kissing that fueled their desires and made them stronger. Her one hand tore through the button on his jeans and then made short work of the zipper, before she used her legs to slide them down his body and onto the floor below. With a light push she shoved him over onto his back and settled on top of him, her gaze raking across his hardened body, glistening with sweat. Her lips pursed, Aeryn reached behind her to undo the halter she was wearing and it slipped from her chest, adding to the ever growing pile of clothing beside them.
John sat up, Aeryn's knees planted firmly on either side of him, and he wrapped his arm around her back, taking one round, perfect breast into his mouth. A moan escaped her lips as his tongue curled itself around the mound, flicking back and forth over the nipple until it was a hardened nub. Then, moving his mouth to the other and repeating the process, his hands slid down towards her hips, one moving to her inner thigh before snaking beneath the black cloth that was there and slipping inside of her. Her hips ground themselves against his hand as he moved yet another finger inside. He cirlced the aching bundle of nerves at the center of her, always coming close, but never quite touching, until she thought she would die of the torture.
In another swift movement, John flipped her back
over onto her back, both of them losing their last remaining clothes as they moved.
Aeryn's legs locked around his waist as she drew him to her, grinding her hips
towards his burgeoning erection, inviting him into her depths. He took the
invitation and entered her, driving himself in to the hilt and then withdrawing almost
completely, only to thrust in again. Their mouths found each other, tongues
mimicking the movements their bodies were making below, as their pace went from slow to
frantic. The moved together in fevered rhythm, their cries and moans filling the
before silent air of the old, lofty barn. Hands roaming each other's bodies, they
drove themselves closer and closer to that blessed euphoria.
"Oh gawd Aeryn ... mmmm ... Aeryn ..." John's voice rang out as he felt himself
begin to teeter over the precipice of release.
"Oh John ... John ... oh ... John," Aeryn screamed, driving herself faster and faster to meet his thrusts, frantically trying to reach that pinnacle of absolute pleasure.
Their climaxes hit them with amazing force as they both tumbled over the edge and into the abyss of light and sound, their passion consuming them as their souls melded into one in the dim, quiet barn. Sweat was dripping from their bodies as they lay together, entwined on the small, gingham blanket, as they slowly drifted back to reality. Several minutes passed and neither of them had moved, wanting nothing more than to lay there, listening to the sound of each other's heart beating, breathing in the intoxicating scents that hung thick on the air. John moved his head from where it was resting on Aeryn's chest and looked deep into her eyes, his hand coming up to push a damp strand of hair away from her face.
"Still hungry?" She ran her hand along his arm and smiled.
He nodded and she continued, "For food ... or for ..."
"Food," he said bluntly, but his eyes were sparkling at the prospect of repeating the last half hour of bliss. "Besides, the guys'll be back from their lunchbreaks soon and I wouldn't want them finding us here ... like this." The last part was quiet as he raked his gaze over her naked body, memorizing each line and curve.
Aeryn grinned and then began reaching for her clothes next to the stack of hay. He kissed her gently before letting her up and then gathering his own clothes. They both dressed in silence, before taking up the blanket and then heading for the picnic basket still sitting on wagon gate, unscathed and untouched. John lifted up the lid and peered inside.
"So, what all do we got in here?"