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.

Xander walked down the sidewalk, putting himself in between the street and Chiana, to keep the passing cars from seeing her. Thankfully it was getting late, and the streets weren't very crowded. A million thoughts ran through Xander's mind. What if he couldn't protect her? What if Riley found her and they had her dissected? He couldn't protect her from an entire army. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to her. It was odd, he didn't even really know her, yet he felt strangely protective of her. She reminded him of himself a little bit, as weird as that sounded. The way she carried herself, body language said a lot. She was brave, even if a little scared. There was something in the way she looked at him, almost like she understood him. It was something Xander wasn't used to, people understanding him. Usually no one bothered to take the time.

Chiana walked down the sidewalk, hiding behind Xander every time a car passed, and wondering again who this man was. She had never seen a Sebacean so concerned for someone else, especially a non-Sebacean. She had never seen one who was so caring, so vulnerable and yet so brave. The predicament he had described to her earlier, about being the 'Omega' of his particular group of friends, it seemed to describe her own situation in a way that she never could before. The feeling of uselessness, the fear. Fear of staying, fear of leaving. Fear of her feelings for her friends, fear of the feelings they have for her, or a lack there of. But he pressed on. He didn't leave them, something inside of him wouldn't let himself abandon them, even if they didn't need him. He was there because he loved them, and that was enough. But why couldn't his friends see him? Why couldn't they see how special he was, how much he cared about them, how much he would risk for them? That kind of loyalty alone should be worth more recognition than apparently he had received. Admittedly, there were still a lot of things that Chiana didn't understand, like what exactly this group of people did. But she understood Xander. And the more she thought about it, the more she understood her own situation as well.

Chiana was lost in thought when she glanced up and saw something that caught her eye. There, hanging from a pole attached to a nearby building, was a large cloth. It had red and white stripes, and a square of blue in the corner, covered in white stars. She stopped dead in her tracks as the realization hit her as to where she had seen that before. On the side of Crichton’s module, and the sleeve of his flight suit. "Oh, I am such a frelling moron!" she whined to herself. "The wormhole. I was so busy screaming I forgot about it completely. This isn't a Sebacean colony, it's Earth." She turned to Xander who was looking at her strangely. "And that's why you're so nice, you're not Sebacean, you're human. Oh god, John. That means that he's home, he made it. Dren! I mean, I'm happy for him, but I don't want him to leave. He's my friend, and he's important to us, all of us. Aeryn is going to be crushed. What am I saying, this is Aeryn I'm talking about. She'll probably either go with him, or kill him." Xander just kept staring at her as she kept pacing and talking to herself. He was trying to get her to keep moving, but she wasn't paying any attention to him. Finally, she whirled around so fast that Xander jumped. "Oh frell! That means that those weren't Peace Keepers, they were Earth's military. Which from what John told me, is even worse. At least for those of us who like to keep our internal organs internal."

"Look, I'm sure whatever it is you're talking about is very fascinating, but we have to keep moving. We're vulnerable as long as we're on the street like this," Xander said.

"Right, of course, I'm coming," Chiana said, following Xander again.

Xander just nodded and continued to lead the way. They rounded the next corner together and came almost face to face with a very large truck as it was coming down the street, flanked by several jeeps. "Shit!" Xander exclaimed. He grabbed Chiana and pulled her into the doorway of a nearby storefront. The small convoy turned the corner and continued on it's way. Xander watched it, making sure it was out of sight before they moved out of their hiding place. "That's a big truck," he said to himself.

"Aeryn's Prowler," Chiana said. "Frell! Now she's really going to kill me."

"Okay, new plan," Xander said. "We need someplace that Riley doesn't know about, or at least someplace that he won't tell them about." Xander seemed to think for a moment. "Okay, let's go."

*

Buffy busted through Giles' door. "Xander, we have to...Xander?" She looked around the living room to find it totally empty. No Xander, no unconscious alien on the couch. Giles, Willow, and Tara jogged up behind her as Buffy looked in the kitchen.

"You know Giles, you have a car, why do we still have to walk everywhere?" Willow asked, out of breath.

Giles seemed to think about it for a minute, catching his own breath. "Bloody hell," he muttered to himself.

Buffy walked back in the living room from the kitchen. "They're gone," she said.

"Do you think we're too late?" Tara asked.

"I don't think so," Buffy said. "Xander wouldn't have gone without a fight, and there aren't any signs of a struggle. He probably heard the trucks and decided to take her someplace else. I hope she woke up, otherwise he'd have to carry her."

"But where would he go?"

"We'll try his place first," Buffy said.

"I'll stay here," Giles said. "No sense in letting the Army wreck my flat looking for an alien who isn't here. Call me if anything happens."

"Right," Buffy said. "Let's go."

Willow sighed. "Great, more walking."

*

"Dawn."

"Xander, what are you doing here?"

"It's kind of a long story, can we come in?"

Dawn paused. "Why, do you have to be invited?" she asked. She'd been wary when it came to issuing invitations ever since the incident with Harmony.

"No, Dawn. I'm not a vampire," Xander said, stepping inside. "And she's not a demon, she's an alien."

"I knew it!" Dawn exclaimed, looking at the chalk white woman as Xander ushered her inside and closed the door behind them. "I knew you were right, Xander. Because you're always right. Well, that and because Buffy told us that they found a space ship."

"That must have been what was in that truck," Xander said. "I figured as much, there's probably a Hasmet team walking through Giles' apartment with giger counters as we speak."

"What's going on?"

"Riley called in the cavalry," Xander said. "I guess he missed his old buddies."

"That's what Giles said he would do," Dawn said. "Oh, Buffy must be real pissed."

"Where is Buffy?"

"They went looking for Riley."

"And they left you alone?"

"Hey, I don't need a babysitter. I'm not a kid anymore, you know."

"I know, Dawn. Look, I just need to stay here a little while. I'm betting that Riley has enough class not to hand over his own girlfriend to the ET brigade out there." He glanced at Chiana. "I'm hoping she'll be safe here."

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

*

"I think I'm picking up a signal," Aeryn said as she and John walked down the sidewalk through the small residential neighborhood they found close to the building where they assumed Aeryn's Prowler had landed.

"I thought there was too much interference," John said.

"There was, but the closer we get to Chiana the stronger the signal is."

"So you're saying she's close."

"Very," Aeryn said, looking at the sensor device she was carrying. "I'd say...she's in that building right there." Aeryn started for the building when John stopped her.

"Whoa, Aeryn, slow down. You don't speak English, remember? What are you going to do, kick the door in?"

"Something like that."

"Why don't you let me handle it, okay."

Aeryn grimaced and motioned for him to go ahead. John walked up to the front door, Aeryn standing right behind him, and knocked. The door opened to reveal a man with dark hair and dark eyes, and a small-framed girl standing behind him.

"Yes?" the man asked.

"Uh, hi," John started. "We were just looking for a friend of ours. She uh, broke down not to far from here and we think she might have stopped her to uh, use your phone or something."

The man just looked at John strangely. "No, sorry," he said.

"Are you sure? She has white hair and she's uh, really pale."

The man's eyes got wider when he said that, but he didn't say anything at first. "Sorry, I haven't seen anyone like that."

"All right, my turn," Aeryn said, drawing her blaster. Xander didn't understand her words but he knew a weapon when he saw one. She pushed her way inside.

"Hey!" Xander protested.

"Well, at least we know they're not vampires," Dawn muttered.

John looked at her oddly as he entered as well. "I'm sorry about this," he said to Xander. "We just came to get our friend, and we'll be on our way."

"Right, your 'friend'," Xander said. "Do I look stupid to you? Riley sent you, didn't he? I guess I over-estimated his decency. Well, I'm not going to let you hurt her."

John and Aeryn exchanged puzzled glances. Xander looked determined. Dawn just looked scared. "I don't know who Riley is, but I assure you, we don't want to hurt her. We're her friends," John said. He turned to Aeryn. "Aeryn, put your blaster away."

Aeryn grumbled and re-holstered her weapon. "I don't understand, I thought you said that humans of this era were frightened of anything different than them, why would he be protecting her?"

"As a group, they tend to be panicky and paranoid, but individually," John paused and smiled. "They just might surprise you."

Xander looked back and forth between Aeryn and John, but especially at Aeryn. Her language wasn't the same as his alien, but it definitely didn't sound like anything of this world. And if she wasn't human, then there was a good chance that they were telling the truth. "You're an alien too, aren't you?" Xander said, looking at Aeryn. He turned back to John. "What about you?"

"I'm human," John answered. He held his hand out. "John Crichton."

Xander paused a moment, thinking about his options. Then he reached out and shook John's hand. "Xander Harris. I'm sure there's a real interesting story to go along with all of this. I'd like to hear it."

"I'd like to tell you, but how about you tell us where our friend is first."

Xander thought for a moment, then glanced sideways to Dawn. "I guess I don't really have a choice," Xander said. They were armed, and he wasn't. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stop them from searching the house and finding her. Xander walked over to the hall closet and opened it.

Chiana walked out of the closet timidly until she saw John, then her whole face lit up. "John!" She ran to him and jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms and legs around him.

John laughed as he staggered back a few steps. Aeryn just frowned and rolled her eyes. "It's good to see you too, Pip," John said.

"Oh, I thought I might never see you again! Then when I realized this was Earth I thought I was dead for sure, especially with the military out there chasing me. But Xander hid me and he took me here and…"

"Whoa, slow down there," John said, letting her down. "Start at the beginning, what happened?"

"The Prowler landed in some bombed out building, and when I tried to figure out where I was, I ran into this woman and I...well, I passed out. When I woke up, I was with him," she said, indicating Xander. "Then the army showed up and he said they would be looking for me. I thought they were Peacekeepers, I didn't even realize I was on Earth until I saw a flag on the street like the one on your ship, I thought it was a Sebacean colony or something. I'm going to miss you by the way, but I'm glad you're home."

"Not exactly, Pip. Turns out that that wormhole has a time distortion. This isn't my Earth, and I'm not staying."

"Really!" Chiana said excitedly. "I mean, oh, I'm sorry John."

"It's okay," John said. "I'll get there someday."

Xander looked on, first with a smile, then with a shocked expression as something began to dawn on him. "I guess they really are friends," Dawn said.

"I guess so," Xander muttered. "Uh, excuse me, if I may interrupt," Xander said, addressing John. "You can understand her?"

"Yeah."

"And she can understand you?"

"Right again," John said. "We have what we call translator microbes in our brains, it let's us talk to each other even though we're not speaking the same language."

"John, are you sure it's wise to tell him that. What about not alternating the timeline?"

"I think it's a little late to hide things from him," John said. "Besides, I'm on the other side of the planet in this time, so there's really no chance of me causing a paradox."

"Back to the translator thingamabobs," Xander interrupted. "You mean, she could understand me the whole time?" John just nodded. Xander looked at Chiana and she smiled at him. He suddenly found his face turning very red. "Oh, god, that is so embarrassing."

"No," Chiana said. "John, translate for me." John nodded and Chiana stepped forward and took Xander’s hand in both of hers. "Xander, I want to thank you for everything you've done for me. I'm a total stranger to you, and yet you risked your life to help me. There aren't many people in the universe like that, believe me. And I want you to know that I understand how you feel, more than you could know. I feel like that sometimes too, like I'm the most useless member of the group, like I don't have anything to contribute and that I'm never appreciated when I do. But thanks to you I've come to understand something, and you have to understand it too. You have to know, that no matter how they treat you, and no matter what they say or don't say to you, that you are special. You are valuable. And if they can't see that, they you have to show them that. Demand their respect, because you've more than earned it."

Xander looked at Chiana while John translated her words. John's own tone seemed to change, as he too was thinking about what she was saying. But Xander didn't really notice, he's eyes were locked on Chiana as his mind absorbed the words. "I don't know what to say," Xander finally said.

"Then don't say anything," Chiana said. John translated, and Chiana leaned forward and gave Xander a gentle, sweet kiss on his lips. "Thank you," she said again, softly.

"What's your name?" Xander asked.

"Chiana," John said.

"Thank you, Chiana," Xander said softly. After a moment or two, he turned to John. There was a twinge of sadness in his voice as he spoke again. "So, I guess you guys will be leaving now."

"Not just yet," John said. "There's the small matter of the Army having something that belongs to us."

"A ship," Xander said with realization. “I thought as much.”

Chiana turned to Aeryn at that moment, expecting to see anger in her eyes, but instead she saw something else. "Aeryn," she said in greeting.

"Chiana," Aeryn returned. Her voice was flat, but not stern like it usually was. It was almost...thoughtful. "I want you to know," she paused. "That I'm glad you're all right."

"You are? You mean, you're not mad at me?"

"Oh, I'm mad," Aeryn corrected, her voice showing anger for a moment, but only a moment. "But uh, I'm glad you're alive."

Chiana was speechless for a moment. "Thanks," she said finally. "I'm kind of happy about it too."

John looked on, smiling. "Imagine that," he muttered to himself.

Xander and Dawn just looked on with puzzlement. "Uh, okay. I'll take your word for it," Xander said. “So, about that interesting story you were going to tell me.”

“Okay, here’s the short version. I’m an astronaut from the future. I got shot through a wormhole and ended up on the other side of the galaxy. I ended up aboard a living ship, helping a group of fugitives escape from a tyrannical group that call themselves Peacekeepers, who happen to look just like humans. We escaped, and now we’re running through an area of space called the uncharted territories. I’m also being hunted by an insane military commander who’s after the wormhole technology that got me there in the first place. I’ve been there for about two years now, and I’d like to go home.”

“This is the short version?” Dawn asked.

John smiled. “We found a wormhole that led us here, unfortunately this isn’t my time so I can’t stay, or I’ll run the risk of changing the timeline and causing a paradox. Chiana accidentally launched one of our smaller craft and got drawn into the wormhole, and crashed here. We came looking for her, and I think you know the rest.”

Xander nodded. “And now the Army has your ship,” Xander finished. “You’re going to need help getting it back.”

“Okay, now I’ve got a few questions,” John said. “How is it that you don’t seem at all shocked by that wild story I just told you?”

“In this town, nothing shocks me anymore.”

“Vampires are real, you know,” Dawn said.

John looked puzzled. “It’s kind of a long story,” Xander said. “That’s the short version. Anymore questions?”

“How did you end up with Chiana? What exactly happened?”

“My friend Buffy saw her outside of where she crashed,” Xander started. “She scared her, and Chiana passed out. We thought she was…well, a demon. But we figured out she was an alien and Buffy’s boyfriend who used to be with the military, called in the Army. So I brought her here, this is Buffy’s house. I’m hoping that dickless won’t turn in his own girlfriend. Ooh, Dawn, do me a favor and don’t tell Buffy I called him that.”

“Called him what?” Dawn said with a smile.

Xander smiled too. “Good girl.”

“So, can you help us get our ship back?” John asked.

And that was when the door burst open.




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