Chiana leaned out of the hug, smiling softly at Cynthia. "How about we eat? I made some sandwiches with what we had, brought some water. You have to be famished after an experience like you had."

Cyn smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah, I think famished would cover this particular feeling pretty well."

Chiana pulled a couple chairs over to the table, sat down, and patted the seat of the other one. Cynthia walked over and sat and picked up a sandwich, then started eating. "Wow. Good cook."

Chiana let out a peal of laughter. "I dont think sandwiches count as cooking, there, hon."

Cyn laughed. "They did on my familys shuttle. My mom was always piloting, I was always either exercising my voice, eating, learning new songs, etc., so my dad was stuck with feeding us, so most of the time, we got sandwiches, and we learned not to complain about his lack of cooking skills. We just started thinking of his sandwiches as home cooked meals, since that shuttle was really the only home we knew." She lowered her gaze to the table, gently wiping her eyes.

Chi put an arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort her. "I know what it feels like, thinking you have no family, but it gets better when you have someplace you belong, and people that want to be friends with you. It WILL get better, believe me."

"After all, how can it get worse?" asked a voice from behind Cynthia that sounded familiar in a not-so-good way.

"Great, just who we didnt need right now," Chi whispered softly. Louder she said with a strained smile, "Hey, Aeryn, hungry?"

Aeryn shook her head, walking towards the table. "Just thought Id see how our new passenger is faring, adapting to her new surroundings. Everything quite to your liking?"

Cynthia thought for a second, not wanting to say anything that would further anger the woman. "Everything here is wonderful. I feel very lucky that such kind and generous people would welcome me into their home like this. I just hope theres something I can do to repay all the generosity you people have given me."

"Well, just remember, peoples welcomes can be overstayed, and generosity is not meant to be taken advantage of," Aeryn told her in a hard tone.

"The second anyone wants me to leave, ANYONE, I will, I would hate to overstay my welcome. And Ive never taken advantage of anyone. Thats not part of my nature. Its more often that Im taken advantage of," Cyn replied. "All I want to do is help, make friends with everyone, do my part, and start fitting in and making my life fit into everyone elses here."

"How do you expect to fit into mine?" Aeryn asked her point blank. "Im afraid theres really no vacancies right now."

Chiana stepped between the two. "Stop it, Aeryn, theres no need to treat her this way. If you would give her a chance, a real chance, and talk to her and get to know her, you two could be really close. I believe that with all my heart. But somehow, I dont think youre ready to do that."

Aeryn glared at her. "Brilliant assessment, Chiana, what exactly was your first clue?"

"The one thing that you have done since you met her that no one else has on this ship, treated her like she isnt welcome here, when that couldnt be further from the truth. You know, WE are the reason she is here! If any one of us, ANY of us, had seen her shuttle and moved Moya in time, none of this wouldve happened. Well, guess what, Aeryn, sad but true, it DID happen! Now deal with it and get over it, but stop treating her this way," Chiana finished, her grayish skin looking faintly flushed with anger.

Aeryn looked about ready to explode, but instead, whirled around and went right back out the door.

Cynthia looked up at Chi. "That probably wasnt the best idea in the world, shell be mad at you for longer than Im on board, most likely."

Chi waved it off. "Shell get over it. Besides, I didnt say anything that wasnt true, and she knows it. Now, its up to her to figure out what to do from here, because I cant control her, no one can but her, and on the rare occasion, Crichton."

"Aeryn looks pissed, who exactly said what in here?" DArgos booming voice echoed slightly off the kitchen walls as he entered the room.

"Said some things that were true that she didnt like, she got mad and took off," Chi explained.

DArgo glanced at Cynthia. "Things about you?"

Cynthia nodded shyly. "Kind of. Things about the situation Ive put you guys in, and Aeryns feelings about it. I cant blame her for not wanting me here. If I was in her position..."

"If you were in her position and you were still you, youd still welcome her with open arms, Cyn, I know enough about you already to know that much," Chi assured her.

Cynthia gave a sheepish chuckle. "Yeah, youre right. I would."

DArgo looked at her with slight admiration in his eyes. "Then you should fit in well here on Moya, everyone is always ready to help someone in need, give their life to help someone else, whatever it takes."

Cynthia nodded. "That sounds like a noble mission. Id be proud and honored to be a part of it."

DArgo nodded, looking impressed at her answer. "Aeryn will get over her issues and problems with your being here. In the meantime, as far as myself, Chiana, John, Zhaan, Pilot and Moya herself are concerned, you are more than welcome here aboard Moya for as long as you wish to be here." He looked sheepish for a moment, and then continued. "Im sorry it took me so long to come down here to visit you and let you know that, but I was trying to help Pilot with some modifications to Moya."

"What kind of modifications?" Chi questioned.

"Were trying to modify the sensors so they detect if theres something in our path during Starburst so we can either veer and avoid it without harming it or us or so we can stop Starburst long enough to let it get out of our way and then start again if necessary." He looked at Cynthia. "We learn from our mistakes here. Im just very sorry you had to lose your parents before this idea occurred to us. We never really had something so important get in our way during Starburst before, and there was nothing we could do. All we knew was that we hit something. By the time we knew what, it was way too late to do anything about it. The damage was already done. Were just lucky your parents knew how to protect you." He finished, looking very sad. "But, again, Im very sorry for your loss. Im a father myself, and Id protect my own son the way your parents protected you, even if I believed I might die if I did it. Know this: your parents did what they knew was necessary to protect you, and under any circumstances, I know they would do it again, even if they knew what would happen."

Cynthia wiped away another tear. "It just seems really hard to believe, one second Im joking around with them, and just a few later, theyre...just gone..." She was silent for a moment. "Maybe I should go to my room and lie down. Im not really all that hungry anymore, but Im so tired, and right now, I have no strength to fight it off."

DArgo and Chiana nodded and Chi replied, "Whenever you want, come on back to the kitchen for the rest of your sandwiches. Ill save them for you, even from Rygel," she finished with a smile.

Cynthia gave a half-hearted smile back and started walking slowly through Moyas hallways, remembering some of what shed walked by before with John. She saw a door to the right and went in, thinking it might be the right one. Nope, no dice, the room was about the same size, but it looked different. She looked around and saw something that vaguely resembled a bed, and went over and lowered herself onto it. She barely had time to close her eyes before she fell fast asleep.

She had never even looked near the wall where an orange flight suit was sitting.

***********

About half an arn after Cynthia fell asleep, John was walking through Moyas halls, anxious to get to the kitchen and get something to eat before any crises came on. As he was about to pass his quarters, he stopped, noticing the door was open. He opened it carefully, being sure not to make any noise, keeping his hand near his pulse pistol, not sure if what was in here was friendly or not. Then, he saw someone lying on his bed, and tiptoed quietly over to check. There was Cynthia, fast asleep, hair strewn gently across the pillow. John leaned down and pulled a blanket over her, softly smoothing her hair on the pillow, and giving her a feather-light kiss on the forehead, so light she didnt even move. He started walking quietly back towards the door, but halfway there, changed his mind, instead, closing the door almost completely, still quietly, with himself still inside the room. He sat down on the floor, his back against the door, and simply watched her sleep.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 7

Cynthias eyes fluttered open, and she gazed at her surroundings, a little confused at first, then her memory filled in the blanks for her. She sighed heavily. She was REALLY going to have to get used to this place. Speaking of that, where was THIS place? Where was she specifically? Obviously, it was someones bedroom or quarters or whatever you called it, but whose? Or was it another guest bedroom type of thing? She stood up and walked around a little, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw something orange, and turned to look at it. It looked like some kind of loose bodysuit or something, with strange patterns embroidered onto the arms...wait, there was a patch on the front with letters...a name. Crichton. Crichton?! Oh, great, completely figured that out of all the rooms she couldve found to fall asleep in, with her luck, she somehow found his! God help her if Aeryn found out. Shed never believe it was a completely innocent mistake. She started walking toward the door, but immediately stopped as she saw the door open, and turned white as a sheet, terrified that it was Aeryn. Then breathed as she saw Johns head peek around the door. "Hey! Youre awake. Again," he said with a soft smile. "Guess you took me up on my offer, huh?"

Cynthia gave an embarrassed laugh. "I didnt know it was your room, John, sorry if I was any trouble or inconvenience..."

John waved it off. "You couldnt be if you wanted to, Miss London. Want me to guide you back to your room or you want to go back out to Moya?"

Cynthia was silent for a minute. "Do you have any spare time? I mean, are you really busy, or do you have a few extra minutes?"

John looked both curious and concerned. "Im free if you need to talk, whats up?" he asked, sitting next to her on the bed, where shed sat back down.

"I have no idea how to move on...how to get past this. My entire life was two things, always and only: my singing and my family. Now it feels like Ive lost both of them forever, and I have no idea what to do," she told him with a voice full of emotion.

"You sang for us in the kitchen," John tried weakly.

"Thats nowhere near what I mean, and you know it," she pointed out.

"Yeah, I do. If it makes you feel any better, I have no idea if Ill ever see my family again either, and my Farscape project that I was working on at home that brought me here...I dont know if the project is ongoing with me here or on indefinite hold in my galaxy. The things that seemed to be my life slipped away from me, too. You know what I did?" he asked, looking in her eyes, trying to see if his words were easing her pain, hoping they were.

She shook her head.

"I changed my life. I decided that as long as I was stuck here, I was going to make the best of it. Id start a new project. And in the meanwhile, I made friends that have practically become my family, Ive found a second home in Moya, a second mother in Moya, and a new life that will suit me just fine until I can get back to my old one," he told her. "You CAN change your life. If it gets changed for you, and you dont like it, change it yourself. You said your life has been your singing and your family, right?"

She nodded.

"Well, youd be amazed how quickly these people can evolve from friends to family, believe me, and it will feel like a family sometime soon. And just because youre traveling with us instead of...well, just because youre traveling with us now doesnt mean you have to give up your singing. I would never ask you to give up something you love, and something you so obviously have a gift for. Well find ways, places for you to sing. When we go to commerce planets to trade, you can sing a little in the streets, just walking along, so people can hear what you can do, then if they want to hear more, theyll have to trade for it. And believe me, other than Celine on my home planet, Ive never heard a voice like yours in all the places Ive traveled, so they WILL trade to hear you sing," he finished.

Suddenly, she looked much more hopeful, to his happiness. "You really think I wont have to give up my singing?"

"I would never ask you to do that, itd be like asking me to give up everything I learned on Earth that I bring to this ship, and to the people I met. Itd be like asking Pilot to stop multitasking and controlling Moya as best he can. In short, I dont ask people to do things; in fact, I would never expect anyone to do something that means giving up a part of who they are. I wouldnt be human, I wouldnt be ME if I did that," he told her.

"Well, I still have no family right now," she pointed out.

John nodded. "I know, and I understand. Ive been there, where you are..."

"Not really and truly," she pointed out gently. "You have the chance of someday seeing your family again. I dont. Mine are gone, and the only friends I have are onboard this ship."

John reached over and gently turned her face toward him with his fingertips on her chin. He looked in her eyes. "Were all you need, know that, believe that."

Cynthia nodded, trying very hard to breathe normally, but the combination of his gaze and his touch were going straight to her head, and it was really hard to think straight, or even at all. Finally, she found some strength, and lifted her hand, taking his in it, and putting it back down on the bed. "I do believe it, John, I know most of you welcome me and accept me, and want to be my friends, but being friends, not like now, but like the rest of you are to each other...that takes time, and you know it, all of you. And as far as Aeryns concerned...frell, I could be here for years, and she still wouldnt accept me. She sees me as a threat, and the worst part is, shes probably right."

John shook his head, looking slightly confused. "I dont get it...a threat to what?"

Cynthia smiled at him. "A threat to her and you, John."

John looked sheepish. "Oh. Wait...why is she probably right?"

Cynthia gazed down at the bed, not wanting to look at him. "Partially because of what you said in the kitchen. That proves to you theres something more than platonic, which she wouldnt like."

John nodded. "Ok...but you said partially. Whats the other part? The first part was about me...is the second part about you?"

Cynthia tried to turn around, to turn away, wanting not to tell him, wanting to look anywhere but at him. If she wasnt looking at him, she didnt have to say a word, she didnt have to tell him, but every time he was looking in her eyes, that was all she wanted to do, and she couldnt. She couldnt ruin what he had with Aeryn. Shed never been the reason a relationship was ruined before, and she didnt want to start now. For all she knew, John and Aeryn could be soulmates, destined to be together, and all she was was a mistake, someone that got into the middle of the situation by accident. She couldnt tell him the truth. She felt his hand on her upper arm, turning her back towards him.

"Please dont shut me out, talk to me, tell me what the other part is," he was saying to her.

She looked in his eyes, knowing she probably shouldnt, but needing to do it, to show both him and herself how strong she was, how strong she could be. "I cant tell you the other part, John," she told him truthfully.

He looked confused. "Why not?"

"You remember earlier, you said there was something you wanted to say, but shouldnt, because things would happen because of it?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Well, you were right, things are happening because of it, but maybe I can stop them if I dont say the other part, my part. Things arent out of control yet, and they dont have to get that way. I want to say my part too, but I shouldnt, and Im going to learn the lesson you already have, and in my case, simply not say what I want to," she finished.

John looked at her for a minute, then the hand that was holding her upper arm pulled her closer, his other hand went around the back of her neck, and he kissed her.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 8

Her world froze.

Then her common sense shook her frozen thoughts free, and she pulled away. She stood up and walked a few feet from him. "No, no, nothis should NOT be happening, we shouldnt be doing this."

John watched her. "You know, I get why this is a problem for me, but why for you? Based on what you were saying before I did that, about not saying your part that partially proved Aeryn was right...you were going to say you feel the same way, werent you?"

Cynthia kept her back turned towards him, but heard him get up and start walking towards her, so she walked a few quick steps forward and turned to face him to try and keep him back. Only problem was, looking at him like this made it impossible for her to be silent. "Yeah, I was, okay? And this whole thing is not a good idea, whether I do or not."

"Why not?"

"Because Id like to stay alive on this ship for longer than a day, and if Aeryn knows, then that hope is done for," she explained.

"Listen, Aeryn scares everyone, but unless you actually hurt her or threaten her, shes harmless, really," he told her.

"Im threatening what she has with you, John. Shell consider that enough, Im sure."

"Will you look at me for a second?" he asked, as he watched her eyes examine everything in the room but him. She fixed her gaze on him, and, although its what hed asked her to do, he wasnt ready for it, really, and had to collect his thoughts. "Uh...ok, listen, what matters here is...NOT...Aeryn. She is my problem. What matters right now is how you feel and how I feel. At least thats how I see it. Wish to contribute your point of view?"

She nodded. "Aeryn tried so hard to be kind to me when I first came aboard, but because I was angry and in pain, I pushed her away. Now, shes angry and in pain, so shes pushing me away. Problem is, all three of us are going to have to live on Moya for as long it takes to do whatever it is you need to do. My point is she does matter, how she feels matters, as does how she feels about how we feel. Did you catch all that all right?"

He nodded with a gentle smile.

She looked slightly confused. "What are you smiling about?"

"Youre not the one in a relationship with her, frell, she doesnt even want to be near you right now, and shes probably been insulting you, and for some reason, my guess its just in your nature, you still are so concerned about everyone but yourself. You are so incredibly unselfish and selfless that it really makes me wish I could be more like that," he admitted with a sigh.

"You seem it to me."

He reached out and ran a hand down her arm. "Thanks, but you barely know me."

"Well, lets just say from what I already know, which is actually a lot, I know Im right," she said with certainty echoing in her voice.

"Mind if I ask you something you may not want to hear or answer right now?" he asked.

"You can always try," she replied.

"If somehow, some way, we can make Aeryn okay with this, would you want...I mean...uh...frell, how do I say this?" he muttered in a frustrated tone.

She tried not to giggle as she said, "Yes. If Aeryn could be okay with what there seems to be here, with us, then Id be okay with giving something a try. But I have to KNOW that she is absolutely and completely okay with it. Unconditionally, otherwise, no dice."

He nodded, already looking more hopeful. "For all we know, she may have nothing to worry about. This could just be complete curiosity between two people that havent had a lot of chances recently to come into contact with people they were attracted to...except Aeryn in my casewell, and Gilina, but thats a long story..."and looking into her eyes he was forgetting what he was saying

"Youre absolutely right. She has nothing to worry about, not a frelling thing. I mean, Ive never been in a relationship in my entire 21 years at this point, so, no question in my mind, Im invariably going to screw this up microts after Ive started it, and youll be back with her in no time," she agreed. Wait...was he moving closer to her?

"Well, it probably wouldnt actually be your fault, Id probably be the one being insensitive, or not having anything in common with you. You know, being slightly older and all," he responded, moved slow footstep by slow footstep closer to her. For some reason, knowing she felt the same way, and knowing that under only one condition, she would be willing to give this a try with him made it much harder to stay away. It changed a lot of variables that had made distance a necessity, into givens, that made it an impossibility. So close, but not close enough, not yet...

"Actually, you strike me as being very sensitive, and I honestly didnt notice your age. All Ive noticed is your..." she cleared her throat "personality." God, that sounded so frelling obviously like a lie! Just a couple feet away now...

He smirked ever so slightly. "What about my personality have you noticed?" He was suddenly right in front of her, and her eyes were melting him from the inside out.

She felt her knees start to give. "Everything," she whispered softly. She tried to take a step back, but for some reason, her legs were frozen.

He stayed where he was, didnt come any closer. He lifted his hand, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you want me to leave? Or do you want to leave?"

She was silent. Her mind was saying yes, for Gods sakes, go, before you do something that will lead later to grievous bodily harm! Her heart was saying no, he wont hurt you, thats not what he wants, give him a chance. And considering how she wasnt moving, apparently her heart was also controlling her ability to move. "Im not going anywhere...and...I really am wishing you dont either." Wait, had she actually said that? It had sounded like her voice, but had she said those words? Who was this person, much braver than she normally could ever hope to be...

Johns hand was still on her cheek, and those blue eyes were still finding their way inside her. "Well, how would you like it if I said your wish is granted?" His eyes moved down to her mouth, and he lowered his face slightly, so it was about an inch away from hers, then stopped and looked at her. "Is this okay? Do you not want me to? Because I can still--"

Cynthia reached out with both hands and pulled him the last inch, cutting him off mid sentence in another kiss.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 9

The two seemed to be frozen, Cynthia, with her arms around his neck, John with one arm around her waist, and one hand that shifted from her face to her neck. They parted a moment later.

Johns expression was filled with surprise and shock, but also a smile. "Wow...Im guessing women are assertive where you come from!"

Cynthia laughed softly. "When you do what I do, getting up onstage and basically presenting yourself to perfect strangers every night, you have to be confident and assertive or it just doesnt work. You follow?"

"Yeah, I follow. Makes sense."

Cynthias expression suddenly switched from relaxed to anxious. "Frell...I should go before someone comes looking for one of us and finds us here like this."

John gave her a look. "Someone or...?"

Cynthia nodded. "Ok, ok, before Aeryn finds us like this," she conceded.

John removed his arms and stepped away. "Come to think of it, if Rygel sees us like this, were screwed. Hell blackmail me for anything hes ever wanted."

Cynthia looked baffled. "Why just you? Why not both of us?"

John reached out to softly touch her face again, finding it hard to stay away. "Because, beautiful, you have nothing he wants, and he doesnt really love to prey on damsels in distress, not his style. Preying on me on the other hand..." He reluctantly started walking toward the door.

Cynthia turned herself, not walking, just turning to face the door. "John?"

He turned back around. "Yeah?"

She gave him a soft genuine smile. "Thanks for what you said earlier. It really does help. If I have singing and you...I mean, and friends, then Ill be all right. Im stronger than I look."

John shook his head at her in wonder. "Girl, when I see you dealing with what you have to deal with right now, I have no doubt of that in my mind. I dont know if I could deal with what youre going through right now, so I make no bones about your strength. Besides, the way youve dealt with Aeryn so far..." he laughed. "Trust me, THAT requires a great deal of strength AND diplomacy." He looked at her with a wistful glance. "Ill find a way to make this okay, Cyn, I swear."

She nodded. "You dont need to swear, John, just do what you can, if its not meant to be, then its not." It hurt her to say the words, but at the same time, she meant them.

John nodded, looking at her one last time before walking out the door.

Cynthia waited the last couple of moments until he was gone, then walked out through the same door, wandering through Moyas halls until she finally found her room again. She walked over to the pile of blankets and collapsed into them, and started sobbing. Can any of these people know what it feels like to have lost everything youve ever known, ever loved, when youre at what feels like the beginning of your life? she wondered through her tears. John can somewhat get it, but like I told him, not entirely. It just feels so alone here when I think of it like that...and I know I shouldnt, I know that only makes it worse, but when youre supposed to ignore something, that makes it the only thing you can think about....

She heard footsteps in the room and looked up to see Zhaan standing beside her, bending down to her with a soft smile. "What is wrong, my child? Why the tears?"

She looked up at her through tear-filled eyes. "Zhaan, everyone here is so kind, and want so much to help, but it feels like the only thing I really need right now is the one thing I cant have..."

Zhaan smoothed her hair, gently lifted her face and wiped her tears away. "Whats that, my dear?"

Cyn took a deep breath. "Someone who REALLY understands, someone whos been where Ive been, that has hardly any friends, thats never really had a home, and thats lost their family when they were young, and not in a way that they can ever get them back. I understand that everyone here has experienced loss, and Im not discounting that, but no one has, that I can see, in the same scenario that I have."

Zhaans smile had a touch of irony that Cyn couldnt understand. "My dear, there IS someone on board Moya that has those exact characteristics. And its unbelievable to tell you who it is, but this person does empathize, even if they dont know it yet..."

Cyn looked hopeful, but baffled. "Unbelievable? Why, Zhaan? Who is it?"

Zhaans smile remained in place as she replied, "Aeryn."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aeryn was going to walk right past the room, even after hearing the voices of Zhaan and the new girl, but when she heard her name, she stopped, and came closer to the doorway, so she could hear without being seen.

The first thing she heard was Cyns voice: "Aeryn? For real? She was in my place? When?"

Then Zhaan: "When she was younger. People that are essentially guardians or police for quite a bit of space, called Peacekeepers, have brought her up. She never knew her mother or father, theyre not even memories to her, more like facts, which is actually very like Aeryn. To her, she exists as a result of her mother and father, and thats that. She seems to regret sometimes that she never got to know them, but most of the time, she considers that simply another fact. But shes been on ships like Moya for most of her life, therefore, no family and no home since she was young, even younger than you, dear. And being a Peacekeeper to her is what singing is to you, something shes known and been all her life, and when she took off with Moya and chose to stay with us, she lost that, too. Hopefully, there, you wont have to be in the same place, there, you wont have to give up your singing. But you understand what I meant now?"

Aeryn heard nothing for a moment, then Cynthia again, quietly: "Yes. I feel so awful...the way I talked to her, in the infirmary earlier, and the way Ive been spending time with John...she must think Ive been trying to push her out of the picture...I have to apologize." Aeryn waited a minute, and then knocked on the doorway. "Come in," she heard Cynthia say, and entered.

"Aeryn..."Cynthia said with an embarrassed expression on her face. "Have you been out there long?"

Aeryn gave the girl a slight smile. "Ive just been walking around Moya, working off some excess energy and making sure this girl is working properly, thought Id come in and apologize."

Cynthias expression turned from embarrassed to a mix of guilty, pleasantly surprised, and bewildered. "Apologize? For what?"

"For my behavior earlier, the rude refusal of a slumber party, and the way I talked to you in kitchen. It was exactly what Chiana said, and I shouldve known better. Im sorry," she finished.

Cyn looked pleasantly surprised and somewhat guilty still, but there was gratitude in abundance in her expression. "Thank you Aeryn, that means a lot, so much...and I have something to tell you, too." She glanced at Zhaan, who held up her hands. "Dont even say it, dear, Im already gone." Cyn smiled her thanks to the woman as she walked out. Once Zhaan was gone, Cyn turned her gaze back to Aeryn. "I need to apologize, too."

Aeryn looked at her, feigning curiosity. "Really? For what?"

Cyns gaze locked on her feet in embarrassment and guilt. "For one, for the way I talked to you in the infirmary...you were trying to be nice, and I just didnt even try. You understand more than I knew, and I wish I hadnt said what I did. Im sorry."

Aeryn nodded. "Accepted, gratefully. I DO understand what youre going through, or I did at your age, anyway. If you want to talk...Im here. And I understand why you exploded. Youd just been told that all you knew and loved was gone; I wouldve done the same thing. I was very angry when I was stranded here on Moya when the...wait, how does John phrase it?...when "the inmates took over the asylum"? Oh, well, its something like that. Anyway, no worries, no problems." She gave Cynthia a genuine smile.

Cyns smile back was still soft, pained. "Theres something else I need to apologize for..."

Aeryns gaze locked on the girls eyes. "All right."

Cyns eyes filled with tears. "Chiana and John both told me that you and him had something of a relationship before I came on board. AndI dont know...the way we started interacting when I was awake and here...you mustve felt like I was trying to steal him away, but I swear to you, I wasnt, and Im not. Im not the type of person who would steal a guy away from another girl. Thats just not me," she confessed to Aeryn, her eyes full of sincerity. "If you want me to stay away from him, I will. Im sorry for any hurt or anger or jealousy or anything else negative that I caused you. I never wanted to hurt anyone." A few tears slipped down her cheeks.

Aeryn was surprised at the girls sincerity and emotion, and, feeling somewhat guilty about eavesdropping on her, knelt down next to her and wiped the tears away. "You dont have to stay away from him. The only reason John and I are inwhatever were inis because Im Sebacean and he looks like me and we were attracted to another from the start. Occasionally, off of the ship, there were others, and one in particular for him-Gilina, who died. But we were the only species on this ship that really looked all that much alike, so the commonalities helped, and then, we built from that. But I wouldnt keep someone else from him...ever. Do you have feelings for him, Cynthia?"

Cynthias gaze dropped to her feet and she didnt speak. Aeryn, ever so gently, lifted the girls chin with her hand so their gazes were matched again. "Its ok, Cyn, just tell me, and be honest, thats all I ask."

Cyn nodded and maintained her gaze as one tear fell from her right eye. "Yes."

Aeryn nodded, understanding the girls fear and conflicting emotions. "And does...does John have feelings for you?" she asked the girl, forcing the words out of her mouth, not sure if she was ready to hear the answer.

Cyn began, "Aeryn, I dont want to hurt you, I dont-"

Aeryn held up her hand. "This isnt about pain, just tell me."

Cynthia nodded again, and said, "Yes."