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Title: Under Suspicion Summary: What would've happened had John and Aeryn stuck around longer after DK's murder? Things could've gotten rather rough for them, as usual. Agents Mulder and Scully are asked to investigate the mysterious deaths before the government covers it up. Note: This story is completely AU in the X-File universe as it presumes that Mulder and Scully are reinstated as agents (though not on a full-time basis) after the events in "The Truth." It also presumes that William's adoption never occurred or that the adoption is somehow now null and void and their parental rights are fully restored. In the Farscape universe, this story could be considered a UR since I've had to play with the timeline to allow this story to take place. Just know that J&a and crew left earth on Christmas Eve just like on the show. A cknowledgments: Special thanks goes to my betas, Chaz and Officersun524 who were very helpful in their comments. 10:30 a.m. "... what else do we really know about them? Precious little except the carefully orchestrated appearances allowed by our government. Good Evening. I'm your host, R. Wilson Monroe." "And tonight... we will pierce the veil of secrecy, showing you these aliens as no one has witnessed them before." "Mulder, I've dropped off Will at mom's." It was fortunate that her mom had time to baby-sit given the short notice. "What are you watching?" She joined him on the couch and gave him a quick kiss in the process. Mulder sat back and watched what looked like raw footage of a documentary. He paused the tape. "While you were gone, Skinner had a messenger drop this off along with the police reports on those two deaths in South Florida." He handed Scully the file containing the crime scene photos. "You're looking at one Douglas Knox or as his friends know him, 'DK'. The other photo is his wife, Laura." Scully took special note of the slash marks on the victim's face and torso. "Who could've done this?" she asked. "The preliminary findings list the cause of death as strangulation, but the bodies show more extensive mutilation". "It's not who killed them, but what and we've been given a chance to find out. Skinner wanted us on this case because he knows the government is going to bury this, Scully. " His attention was drawn once again to the television. "When we come back, we will meet Officer Aeryn Sun, rumored within many circles to be John Crichton's lover. This alien, who looks remarkably human, will reveal a side of herself that you may find disturbing." The voice of Aeryn Sun can be heard. "Well, I look like your people, so..." "Please stay with us as 'Alien Visitation' continues." "According to Skinner's information, DK is a close friend and former colleague of Commander John Crichton. Isn't it odd that he and his wife should turn up murdered days after our astronaut returns with his fellow alien friends in tow." Aeryn's appearance on the TV screen after commercial break catches his eye and he gives it his undivided attention. Aeryn: "Earth... is under... no threat from the Peacekeepers." Monroe: "But, you said..." Aeryn: "Look. If... if you were to make.. A pact with an enemy, then, perhaps." Monroe: "So... the possibility exists that your people one day would attack?" Aeryn sighs, then laughs: "Why are you so... determined to twist this into something it's not?" Monroe: "Because, Officer Sun, you are an admitted soldier in, what is to us, an alien army. You look human. Indistinguishable to the naked eye. How are we to know that there aren't thousands of your people roaming our planet, preparing our destruction?" Aeryn: "Surely John Crichton has explained this to you all already." Monroe: "Well, we need to hear it from you." Aeryn: "Hear what? That Earth is sacrosanct? That your perfect isolation can somehow be restored? Is that it? Look, from what I know of the Peacekeepers... and of anyone else, for that matter... they couldn't care less about this planet. You're not a threat. Technologically speaking, you're not even a potential... ally, so...if someone wanted to enslave you, if they wanted to destroy you, could it be done? Well, quite simply, yes." "She has just said herself that it's not out of the realm of possibility." Mulder paused the tape at this point. "She was a Peacekeeper part of some type of intergalactic army, if you will. Don't you think that she has made enemies along the way? Plus we don't know squat about what has happened to John Crichton in the four years he's been gone. Who did he manage to piss off out there? Scully, something followed them through that wormhole and I think the target was one of them." "So when do we leave?" Scully asked knowing that the next words out of her husband's mouth would be their travel arrangements to the Cape. "It's a 4:30 flight, which is good since it will give us enough time to finish this tape." They sat in companionable silence and watched the remaining minutes of "Alien Visitation". 8:00 p.m. After getting their bags from baggage claim and making their way to pick up their rental car, they were able to start mapping out the strategy to their investigation. "I think it'll be best if we check into our room and start this case when we're fresh in the morning. Whaddaya say?" "Sounds like a plan to me, Mulder. I was thinking, I'd like to go over to the coroner's office early in the morning and take a look at those bodies up close. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll find some telltale sign of what killed them that forensics missed." "That's good. I'm planning on paying John Crichton a visit. You may want to think about visiting Officer Aeryn Sun. Maybe she can shed some light on this whole thing." That was to be my second stop tomorrow. After watching the rest of that interview, I get the feeling that Officer Sun is hiding something and I'm not talking about just in regards to these murders." Scully let her thoughts drift as she looked out the window of their rental at the night lights. Are the rumors true that Aeryn Sun and John Crichton are lovers and that she is pregnant with his child? "They can't know what's out there waiting for them and I can't tell them, because they wouldn't believe me. Hell, if I tried, they'd lock me up. Frell. I'd lock me up." 9:30 a.m. John watched from the living room what was going on in the front driveway. From the looks of it, this was official business as the person speaking with the guards flashed a badge, after which they allowed him to proceed to his door. "Fuck!" John knew this had to involve DK and Laura's death. He gave a long look at the patio door which had been boarded up and the dirt that was still embedded in the carpet despite efforts to clean much of it. There were also the indentations where there had once been a table. He figured this agent would probably leave here with more questions than answers. "Good morning, I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder. I'm with the FBI." Mulder flashed his badge to John. "No doubt you are the infamous John Crichton". "Yeah... but I don't know about infamous." John invited the agent into his father's house and showed him to the living room. "I'm here to ask you a few questions about the death of Douglas Knox and his wife Laura. I understand you were good friends with him." "Yeah, we were best friends. His death has come as a shock to all of us who knew him. But why is the FBI involved...what's it to the feds?" "Well, let's just say the circumstances surrounding their deaths have aroused the suspicions of those higher up in the Bureau. Don't you find it odd, Commander Crichton, that your friends were murdered within days of your arrival back here on Earth?" Mulder noticed the extensive damage to the patio window, door, and the exposed wiring in the ceiling where a chandelier once hung. He made a mental of note to ask about the damages later. "I wish I could be of help to you Agent Mulder, but I'm just as much in the dark about this as you are," said John. "Who do you think killed them?" John decided to throw the ball back in his opponents court. "I have my own suspicions, but let me ask you this and please allow me to be candid, who did you piss off out there? Or maybe who ever killed Douglas and his wife, was really after Aeryn Sun. She admits to being a Peacekeeper. Probably stands to reason that she has made..." John was trying to keep his reaction to Aeryn being brought into this as neutral as possible, but he felt he was losing ground fast. "I'd appreciate it if you'd leave Aer...Officer Sun out of this Agent Mulder." "And why is that"? Mulder asked, sensing that the man sitting across him was becoming very defensive or maybe the correct word was protective...at least when it came to Aeryn Sun. Maybe there was something to those rumors after all. "Tell you what I think I think something followed you and your crew through that wormhole." "Agent Mulder, judging from what you've said, I'd almost be willing to believe that you were a believer in ET's long before our arrival. Am I right?" John couldn't help but laugh. "Since you asked, my partner and I are part of a division called The X-Files. When I started there, those were cases that were long forgotten because they were deemed unsolvable. Some of the cases dealt with the paranormal and yes, extraterrestrials. I am an abductee, and though I don't have all the memories attached to it, I know for a fact that it was an alien abduction. So is this enough proof for you, Commander Crichton?" John didn't know what to think. If this conversation had taken place before his travels in the Uncharted Territories and Tormented Space, he would swear the man in front of him was short a six-pack. But now, he himself was living proof that extraterrestrial life not only existed, but that the woman he loves is one of them, and who might also be carrying his baby. "Ok, here's the deal. Anything is possible, Agent Mulder. This is not an admission that I know what killed my friend and his wife, but that I'm acknowledging that nothing is out of the realm of possibility." John was trying to answer the question, by not answering it. There was no way that he was going to tell this agent all that he had seen or name to his enemies out there. "Well, then I guess we're done here." Mulder stood to leave, but before he started for the door, he turned to the partially repaired wall. "Do you mind my asking, Commander, what happened here? I noticed your window is boarded up, this wall here has extensive damage and there are exposed wires in the ceiling. He gestured toward the ceiling as he pointed those things out to him. "No, I don't mind," John said, lying through his teeth to the agent. "My dad was having some work done on this house and well...you know the contractors have really botched the job." John watched as the agent visually surveyed the damage-the guy didn't buy that lame excuse at all. "Umm... well, thank you for speaking with me, Commander." "I just wish I could've been more help to you, Agent Mulder." John was glad this meeting was over as it was getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute. Mulder turned once again, before leaving the house, "Here's my card. If you think of anything that might aid us in our investigation, give me a call any time. And if you just want to talk about your experiences out there, I'll be glad to be a sounding board." John took his card and stuffed it in his jacket pocket. "I'll be sure to do that." After Agent Mulder left, John took the card from his pocket. Looking at it, he remembered the agent saying he had a partner. He wondered where his partner was while they were talking. Then the idea came to him that maybe as they spoke, his partner was questioning Aeryn. He wanted to call her up to warn her that somebody may be coming to question her, but held himself back from doing so. Monroe: "And could a Sebacean such as yourself procreate with a human male?" Monroe: "Officer Sun?" R Wilson Monroe leans forwards: "Officer Sun?" Aeryn: "Uh... uh... uh." She tilts her head and blinks. "Yes, I was just thinking. Well... there's no way to be sure at this point. However, our physiology's do appear to be very similar." Monroe: "Remarkably so, in fact." Undisclosed Location "Give William a big kiss for me, mom and I'll see you tomorrow or the next day." Scully disconnected from her call with her mom. Before continuing with her side of the investigation, she had decided to check up on her other man her baby boy. Satisfied that all was well at home, she was ready to tackle the job at hand. Having spent the better part of the morning at the Coroner's office and examining the bodies, she felt sure she had some idea for going forward with this investigation. "Gee, this place is gorgeous," Scully muttered to herself as she exited her car and headed for the gate of the house where she was about to interview Aeryn Sun. Inside Chiana had made herself comfortable on the couch flipping through all the available satellite TV channels. Finally, she landed on one where they were showcasing wedding styles. "Hey, Aeryn, you've got to check this out," she giggled. Aeryn came over to see what her friend was so excited about. "Does seeing these dresses give you ideas?" Chiana asked. "No. First of all John and I are not even back together and...well...those dresses... "But Aeryn..." Before Aeryn had a chance to counter whatever Chiana had on her mind, the door bell rang. "I'll get it," Aeryn said. "Try watching something else for a change...hey what's the show I've heard Crichton talk about Buffy the Vampire something-or-other. Anything except wedding dresses." Aeryn tried to come across as not so moody, but the stress of the last few days was wearing on her. She knew Chiana was only being an optimist where she and Crichton were concerned. Aeryn opened the door to find herself face-to-face with a redhead like Sikozu only shorter. "Um..hi, may I help you?" Aeryn asked. "Good afternoon, my name is Special Agent Dana Scully. I'm with the FBI and I'm here to ask you a few questions about the murder of Douglas Knox." The woman flashed her badge to show that she was indeed acting in an official capacity. Aeryn examined the badge and gave it back to her noting that it must have been all right with the guards or the woman would not have gotten this far. "Would you like to come in?" Aeryn asked. Chiana, gave up on the TV program she had been watching when the guest Aeryn was talking to piqued her interest. She joined Aeryn at the door. "So who are you?" Chiana asked. "I'm Special Agent Dana Scully. I'm with the FBI and I'm investigating the murder that took place in the garage a few nights ago." "Ok...um...Aeryn you have fun answering this...this agent's questions. I'll check you out a little later." "Wait, you were there when the bodies were discovered, right?" Before Chiana could take off, Scully quickly put her hand on Chiana's shoulder to get her to freeze. Chiana spun around in response. "Yes, I was, so?" Her attitude was definitely defensive. "Nothing at the moment, but I might have some questions to ask you later." "Oh...okay." commented Chiana. "Aeryn, I'll be upstairs if you need me for anything." She gave the agent another look before leaving. Aeryn had no idea where Noranti and Rygel were at the moment, but invited her into the living room. "Ok, let's get started then" said Scully as she prepared to start the interview. "Would it bother you if I recorded our discussion?" "No...um...Agent Scully, am I under suspicion?" "No, no not at all" replied Scully. "I'm here to find out what you know, if anything, about who could've killed Douglas Knox." "I... don't know how much help I can be as I had only met him briefly days ago before his death," Aeryn said rather nervously. "Officer Sun...". "Please call me Aeryn. I haven't considered myself a Peacekeeper for quite awhile," Scully corrected herself, "Aeryn, what can you tell me about that night?" "I was here. I had been packing up some clothes and books to give back to John's...I mean Commander Crichton's sister, Olivia. Then I took them over to his father's house because I knew they would all be there for their Christmas Eve dinner." "So you couldn't have been with the others when this happened. Tell me, when did your partner, um... John Crichton tell you about the deaths?" "Um...it was later that night. We both learned from D'argo and Chiana what happened when they found DK in the garage." Aeryn was beginning to feel uneasy about this line of questioning. "It was horrifying for us all." "Umhmm..so would you venture a guess as to what or who was responsible for those deaths?" Now, Aeryn was getting more irritated by these questions. "Are you trying to accuse us of having something to do with it, Agent Scully, because if you are..." "No, I'm not, Aeryn, but I want you to know that we...my partner and I suspect something not of this world is responsible for DK and his wife's death." Aeryn found this woman in front of her very intuitive or maybe she sensed that Dana Scully had experience with alien life forms in the past. "Agent...I don't know what I have to say to you to get you to believe that I don't know what killed those people." "Alright, but before you decide that you don't know anything, let me show you some pictures of the deceased. I was at the Coroner's office this morning and examined the bodies." Scully took out the photos and spread them out on the table for Aeryn to see. She could see the condition of the bodies in the photos was upsetting to Aeryn Sun. Hell, it was hard on her to look at them in person, let alone in photographs. "It looks like some kind of animal attacked them," Aeryn responded to the sight of the photos. "Yes, it does. But the question is what is it and is it still here waiting to prey on other victims. You have to understand our concern that we want to know what we're dealing with and if it can be destroyed before more lives are taken." "Obviously, I don't have the answer," said Aeryn. "Granted you don't, but tell me something, would someone or something have come after you through that wormhole? You and John Crichton could have made enemies along the way." "Anything is possible, Agent Scully. We...I just don't have any answers. With a wormhole open out there, anyone or anything could theoretically travel through it, I guess." "Aeryn, I've seen some footage of your interview for the TV broadcast of "Alien Visitation," and you say that Earth is under no threat from the Peacekeepers. But how do you know that when you yourself are no longer part of the Peacekeepers. Correct me, but they don't sound like the type of organization, that would allow one of their own to just leave without there being consequences. "That's just it, I don't know. It just seems too much of a stretch that the Peacekeepers would find the same wormhole that brought us here." "And what about your relationship with John Crichton? Would you mind my asking, but is there more to it?" queried Scully knowing she was probably treading on dangerous ground. "We're friends, shipmates and...." Aeryn sort of let the answer hang in mid air. Just what was she to John these days? As much as she tried to rebuild the trust they shared, tried to prove to him that she wanted to be with him and only him that she wanted to give them a chance again, he withdrew further from her. "And ...what else" asked Scully. "And that I think it's none of your frel....business," snapped Aeryn. "Well, I spotted your hesitation to answer the question about the possibility of a Sebacean and human pregnancy in that documentary. It was as if you were considering how much you should reveal." "Before I answer your question, allow me to ask you, why are you so interested my relationship with John?" No longer content to sit across from the agent who is now delving into matters that she would prefer not to discuss, she started to casually walk around the room. "I understand your hesitation, but I'm trying to establish what your relationship is to John Crichton as it could have a bearing on our case," explained Scully. Could it be that someone wants you or John dead and DK was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. Um... our relationship is well...complicated." Aeryn explained. She knew she wouldn't be able to fool her, but her answer was meant more to try and satisfy the agent's curiosity. Since it seemed their interview had come to an end, Scully decided to wrap things up by thanking Aeryn for her time. As she was putting away her recorder and the photos, she decided to go the distance and ask Aeryn one more thing. "Off the record, you're pregnant, aren't you?" Aeryn looked away and did not answer the question. "That's ok. You don't have to answer it. Have a good afternoon. I'll see my way out," said Scully. "Wait. Does it show?" Aeryn had to know. Of course, she knew that she didn't show physical signs of her pregnancy, but what gave it away. "No, but it will." She didn't have to pry any further but just look into her eyes to find the answer to her question. And then she left, leaving Aeryn to ponder the implications of what all this could mean for everyone. Would her secret still be safe for awhile longer or would all of planet Earth soon know she's pregnant. Most of all how will they react to hers and John's baby. Would they be closed-minded and prejudiced against their baby being of mixed parentage? The thought reminded her of how the Peacekeepers treated mixed children and the thought of that happening to their child both frightened and angered her. As she placed her hand on her stomach where their child remained in stasis, she felt the overwhelming need to escape this place if she was to protect this baby. With or without DNA confirmation, as the days go by, she is more certain that the baby is John Crichton's. How open do we allow ourselves to become? Do we view an alien commingling of our gene pool as a favorable step towards integration into a larger community, or as a threat?" R. Wilson Monroe "If you thought children of race-mixed parents took abuse at the hands of other children, wait until one is born with tentacles!" - Dr. Anderson "Seriously now, what is the big deal? Firstly, I do not believe Aeryn's pregnant with John's baby and, secondly, if she was..." Olivia Crichton Sometime Later After the strange, if not unexpected, events of the day, Aeryn decided to take a bath a luxury that life on Moya didn't afford her. She didn't know it, but John had let himself into the house. He knocked on her bedroom door, but with no response entered and called her name. "Aeryn?" "I'm taking a bath." John went to the door of the bath. She was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen with her hair piled on top of her head, lying back with her eyes closed. Definitely a side of Aeryn that he had never had the opportunity to experience until now. And it's all fucked up because as much as he would love to cross the small distance to the tub to join her, he knew he couldn't. He had distanced himself from her over these past weeks and it was killing him even while snorting the lakka. If only he could tell her why he maintained this divide between them, but he didn't want to take the chance of jeopardizing her life or that of the baby. So he kept up the pretense of not caring and not loving her. "Hey...thought I'd come over to warn you that some people might be coming around..." "Too late John, she's already been here." Aeryn still hadn't opened her eyes. "She...?" replied John. Aeryn cracked open an eye, "Yes, she. Her name is Dana Scully and she's with the...um...FBI." "John, do you know who she is?" Now Aeryn was sitting up in the tub awaiting John's answer. "Never met her, but I sure met her partner this morning. The guy asked me a bunch of questions about what happened in the garage the other night. What about you?" "Pretty much the same" said Aeryn. "What are we going to do? I know we don't know anything that's going to help them. Of course I didn't tell her about the creature that appeared in your father's living room, either. That thing... whatever it was no doubt killed DK." "I know, but it doesn't change the fact that DK and Laura are dead because of me." John was suddenly overcome by sadness over his friend's death. "John, don't...please don't blame yourself for this. We don't know if the Peacekeepers are behind the use of that creature or the Scarrans," said Aeryn trying to comfort John and alleviate some of the guilt he must feel. She wanted to reach to him physically, but knew he would probably rebuff any such advance sexual or otherwise. His resolve was beginning to crumble and he was trying hard not to look at Aeryn. "I think we should get the hell outta Dodge while we still can. It'll probably only get more tense around here from here on." Seeing her surrounded by bubbles was torturing him. All he wanted to do was apologize to her for being the cold, heartless bastard that he forced himself to become and to make love to her. "Well, we should tell the others to get ready," said Aeryn as she started to get out of the tub. "Could you hand me that towel?" He crossed the distance to the tub and opened the towel. In his mind, he told himself not to look. But he held the towel out so that Aeryn could wrap herself in it. However, his hands lingered a little longer caressing her shoulders. He had to pull away now or else he would be totally gone and his charade would be up. He could tell that his reaction or better yet, non-reaction to her nakedness hurt Aeryn. I promise, I'll spend the rest my life making it up to you, Aeryn. Just don't give up on me. "I'll go get dressed," said Aeryn as she stepped out of the bathtub, but avoided making eye contact with John. Now wasn't the time to go into all those feelings of pain and disappointment. There was a job that needed to get done with loading all their finds on this planet onto Moya and packing up their stuff. She knew somewhere deep down John still loved her and she was not ready to give up trying to break through the barrier he had erected. There would be time when they're safely off this planet to confront him about the extremes he was going in order to freeze her out, repairing their damaged relationship and maybe even discussing seeing a doctor to release the stasis so that she could give birth to their child. Epilogue FBI Headquarters "Thank you for your prompt handling of this case, agents." This was the first case that Walter Skinner has assigned to Mulder and Scully since his promotion to Deputy Director. Due to the sensitive nature of this crime, he had called them in on it. "Thank you," Scully replied. "So it's your assessment that Aeryn Sun and John Crichton are clueless as to who or what murdered the victims?" "No, I wouldn't say he's clueless at all" replied Mulder. "Quite the contrary, I think he knows a lot more than he's willing to admit." "Same here," said Scully. "They may not know exactly what killed them, but they certainly know that something is no doubt after them and it made the trip through that wormhole to find them". "You'll note in the report, sir, that I observed extensive damage at Jack Crichton's residence. I think they may have been paid a visit recently," said Mulder. Skinner's phone rang and he excused himself to take the call. "You're sure..." he was heard saying to the caller. Whatever the unnamed caller had to say didn't please him, Mulder and Scully observed. Skinner hung up from his call and returned his attention to the two agents. "Well, it seems that our subjects have fled". Neither Mulder or Scully were surprised by that revelation. In fact, the old admonition that law enforcement commonly gave to witnesses and suspects about not leaving town seemed pretty pointless with John and Aeryn. If there were ever two people who were flight risks, it was John Crichton and Aeryn Sun. They surely had the means to escape where no one could find them. "I'd say both your assumptions were right in that they know more than they're letting on or else why would they have left as suddenly as they did?" surmised Skinner. "They may have left, but something tells me this won't be the last we'll see of John Crichton and Aeryn Sun" said Mulder. "Call it a hunch". "Sir..." said Scully. She was also addressing Mulder, as well as Skinner as she hadn't revealed her off-the-record discussion with Aeryn when she wrote her portion of the official report. "At the end of my interview with Aeryn Sun, I tried to pin her on why she hesitated in the interview regarding the possibility of pregnancy and she confirmed in so many words that she is in deed pregnant. It was so obvious during the interview that she was protecting John Crichton protecting whatever relationship they have. We might be grasping at straws, but somehow their relationship and perhaps this child of theirs is of importance to someone out there. Agent Mulder and I just don't know how all the pieces fit." "I'd agree with Scully, sir. Mention Aeryn Sun and you'll definitely get Commander Crichton's attention." "So what do you propose we do now that they're gone?" asked Skinner. "Wait...and hope that whatever is hunting them has been destroyed and that if John Crichton and Aeryn Sun return that nothing else comes along for the ride." Fini
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