Title: A Sympathetic Ear
Author: Paradox761
Email: Paradox761@mail.com
Website: members.tripod.com/~Paradox761
(BtVS/Farscape, Chiana/Xander, John/Aeryn, slight B/X & B/R)
Disclaimer: Joss and Co. own Buffy; SFC, Jim Henson Productions, and Rockne S. O’Bannon own Farscape; and I own a steaming hot cup of jack squat. No copyright infringement is intended, blah blah blah, you know the rest.
Summary: Depressed about feeling useless and under appreciated, Chiana hides in Aeryn's Prowler when it suddenly launches. But when it passes through a wormhole that leads to Earth's past, John and Aeryn find themselves on a rescue mission, and John finds himself feeling a little nostalgic. But what happens when they run into the Hellmouth, and a certain blonde vampire slayer? Will John and Aeryn be able to find Chiana before the Initiative decides to dissect her? And what happens when Chiana finds something she never expected to find on such a strange, alien world. A kindred spirit.
Author’s note: Takes place in the Farscape universe between the season 2 episodes “A Clockwork Nebari” and “Liars, Guns, and Money”, and in the Buffy universe in early season 5.

"Chiana, do you read me? Pip, come in," John said, tapping on his communicator pin. But all that came over the channel was static. "There's too much interference."

"Probably from that dimensional tear," Aeryn said. "We should be getting closer." The pair was walking through downtown Sunnydale, trying to act as inconspicuous as possible. John was walking ahead when he rounded the next corner, and turned back so fast that he bumped into Aeryn. "What is it?"

"Well, I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is, I think I found your Prowler."

"And the bad news?"

Just at that moment, a large camouflage truck rolled by. "They found it first," John said.

Aeryn turned and watched the truck drive away. "Frell!" She turned back to John. "Do I even want to ask who they would be?"

"The military," John answered. Aeryn threw her arms up. "Aeryn, you have to understand, humans don't know anything about aliens. They're cautious, they're scared, they're..."

"Stupid," Aeryn supplied. John just grimaced. Not so much upset by what she said, but by that it was true.

"Well, at least they didn't get Chiana," John said.

"How do you know that?"

"Because there would be a bio-hazard truck or something to transport her," he said, looking around the corner again. Aeryn followed his gaze and for the first time saw the group of trucks and military personal gathered around a building that looked to be in ruins.

"Oh, frell! Look at that building."

"Your Prowler couldn't have done that much damage."

"Unless the crash caused some other kind of explosion."

"We don't even know that it crashed. If the power source that we're reading is a closed dimensional tear, then it wouldn't have had any effect on the Prowler, it would have just landed."

"John, look at that building. It's obvious that something blew up. Maybe the reason they didn't find Chiana is because she was blown to bits."

"They didn't call in a truck that big unless your Prowler was still in one piece," John replied. "And take a look at that building and tell me what you don't see."

"What are you talking about?"

"There's no fire, no smoke, no heat distortion. Something in that building did explode, but it didn't happen tonight. It couldn't have cooled down that fast." Aeryn just frowned and nodded slightly, her way of telling John that he was right. "Chiana probably took off when she heard the trucks. Smart girl."

"She always was one for self-preservation, I'll give her that."

"Come on, she couldn't have gotten far. She's probably hiding in someone's backyard," John said. He started forward again, heading for the next block so he could double back without the military seeing him.

"Wait a minute, what about my Prowler?" Aeryn insisted, pointing in the opposite direction where the truck that drove by them was heading.

John gave her a look. "Chiana first, then your Prowler."

Aeryn gave a defeated look and sighed. "Fine, let's go."

*

Buffy was rounding the opposite corner when she caught sight of the high school and stopped dead in her tracks. Giles, Willow, and Tara nearly ran into her from behind. They all stared slack-jawed at the sight before them. Buffy hardly noticed the man and woman in black brushing past them on the sidewalk. "I don't believe him!" Buffy growled.

She started toward the high school with anger burning in her eyes. Giles stopped her with a hand on his shoulder. "Buffy, wait. I don't think barging up to them and demanding answers is a good idea. Freedom of Information Act withstanding, the military doesn’t tend to be too forthcoming with things like this."

"There's only one person I want answers from right now," Buffy said. She turned and stalked towards the high school, Giles, Willow and Tara close at her heels.

A soldier who looked to be on guard duty stepped up when he spotted Buffy and the others coming. "I'm sorry Miss, but this is a restricted areAAAHHHH!" His cry of pain came when Buffy grabbed his outstretched arm and wrenched it up behind his back. She tossed him aside, hard enough to cause him to roll about ten feet away. Buffy kept going without even looking back.

"Sorry," Willow said to the soldier before following after Buffy again.

She spotted Riley standing next to a truck talking to someone, who from the look of his uniform, appeared to be the one in charge here. "Riley!" she shouted with enough venom in her voice to make a grown man wet himself.

Riley turned. He turned back to offer some explanation before heading over to Buffy and the others. "Buffy," he said.

"What the hell is going on here?" Buffy asked.

"A recovery operation," Riley answered.

"After everything we've been through with these people, how could you call them here?"

"This isn't the Initiative Buffy, this is the Army. They've had extra terrestrial contact protocols before either of us even knew what a demon was. I thought they would be better suited to handle this."

"You call this circus 'handling it'? Why don't you just declare martial law?"

"What would you have done? Buffy, this is an alien, not a demon. It isn't your job to handle it."

"Who the hell are you to tell me what my job is! You had no right to do this!"

"What was I supposed to do! Follow you around and be your sidekick! I'm sorry Buffy, but I can't do that anymore."

"So that's what this is about," Buffy said. "You still can't deal with the fact that I'm stronger than you. Well, you're supposed to be my boyfriend, not my sidekick. I never asked for you help."

"But you never acknowledged it either, Buffy. You never acknowledge anyone's help, or anyone's sacrifice. Do you know what I gave up to stay in Sunnydale?"

"I never asked you to sacrifice anything for me!"

"Don't you get it, Buffy? That's the problem. You never asked me for anything. You never needed me. Not as a sidekick, and not as a boyfriend." He paused. "The closer I try to get, the more you push me away. You never let me in."

"I gave you everything I had to give," Buffy said. "If that's not enough..."

"Don't turn this on me, Buffy," Riley interrupted, his voice oddly calm. Like a weight had been lifted from him. "This is your decision. Either you want me in your life, or you don't." He paused. "Either you love me, or you don't."

The silence that followed was palpable. Giles, Willow and Tara seemed very interested in their shoes and had been since the argument became personal. Riley had said what he had to say, and seemed to be waiting for Buffy to reply. Waiting for the words that he had yet to hear. Buffy was just in shock. Riley's words sinking in, and her own mind asking her questions that she had thought she already knew the answers too. But suddenly now she wasn't so sure.

"What did you do with her?" Buffy asked after a moment, deciding to go back to the original topic.

"Who? The alien?" Riley said. "They're sending a bio-containment truck to transport it."

"You told them where she was!"

"Yes. Buffy, you don't know anything about this creature. She could be dangerous."

"What exactly about her is dangerous? The way she passed out from fright, or the way she laid on Giles couch, unconscious? I would have thought that you'd be a little more open-minded by now, Riley. Not everything that looks different than us is evil." She turned to Giles and the others. "We'd better hurry, maybe we can beat them back."

Buffy walked away without looking back, Giles and the others followed her. Riley turned and started walking back to the officer he had been talking to.

"What was that about?" the officer asked when Riley walked back up to him.

"Nothing, Colonel," Riley said. "Just some civilians." He paused, looking back at the departing Buffy. "Nothing you need to worry about," he lied.

*

"Buffy," Giles said, trying to catch up with her as they headed back to Giles' apartment. "You know, Riley may be right."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Buffy said. She stopped and looked at Giles suddenly. "About what exactly?"

"About the alien, of course."

"Oh, of course."

"She could be dangerous, Buffy. We really don't know anything about her."

"I know," Buffy said. "But I just have a feeling." She paused, like she was having trouble explaining. "It's just, there are two kinds of beings in this world, or out of this world as the case may be. Those I fight, and those I protect. I just can't shake the feeling that she's someone that I should be protecting. I just hope it's not too late."

"Xander's with her," Tara said.

"That's right," Willow said. "He'll protect her."

"But what if he can't?" Buffy said.




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