TITLE: LET'S GO (1 of 1) AUTHOR: DAVID HEARNE CLASSIFICATION: Post-ep for "Jump the Shark" RATING: PG Send feedback to ottercrk@sover.net Website is located at http://members.dencity.com/hearne SPOILERS: For Season Three of "Farscape." That's right. "Farscape." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX She stood there, very aware of the details in her living room. She noted the blanket dangling off the couch and touching the floor; the symmetrical order of the window blinds; the Jose Chung novels on the shelves; the curve in the design of a table leg; the tassels on a rug; the glow of the lamps; the computer. Everything caught her attention except the phone in her hand. "Dana?" Dana Scully took a moment to respond. "They won't know what happens on the finale." "What?" Confusion mixed into the sadness of Monica Reyes' voice. Scully shook her head slightly. "I'm...I'm sorry. I just..." "No, I'm the one who's sorry. This is one of the worst things I've had to do." "Monica, I'm glad I heard it from you." She paused, then said, "Where are the bodies now?" "They're still..." Reyes cleared her throat. "They're still in quarantine. It'll be awhile before they can release them." "I understand." The longest pause in the conversation followed. Eventually Scully said -- "Again, thanks for telling me." "I'm coming over there." "I'll be fine." "I'm coming." "All right. I'll wait for you." The conversation was over. Scully hung up the phone and thought, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX "Oh my God! They killed Crais! This sucks!" "Ah, get over it, Langly." "Don't give me that, Melvin. I saw the look on your face. You were as shocked as I was." "Come on, they've been killing off people all season. Zhaan, the Crichton on Talyn..." "Yeah, but you knew that they were going to kill off TJohn. And they just killed Zhaan because Virginia Hey was tired of wearing the makeup. This was unexpected." "Oh, they'll bring him back. Just like with Aeryn." "I don't know, man. This has the feeling of something permanent. What do you think, Byers?" Byers smiled at his fellow Lone Gunmen. "I think it's just a tv show." Scully smiled as well. For several weeks, the Gunmen had come to her apartment in order to watch "Farscape." The ritual started when Langly called her on a Friday long ago. "Uh, Scully, how are you doing?" he had said. "I'm fine." Langly had paused, then said, "Mind if me and the guys come on over?" "For...what?" "Well, we can watch 'Farscape' if you've got the Sci-Fi channel." "What's 'Farscape?'" That started Scully's personal education about a strange little space opera made in Australia. Predictably the Gunmen knew all the details of the show. They tutored her on the aspects of Peacekeeper culture, the twinning of John Crichton, Scorpius' desire for a wormhole weapon, the soured romance between D'Argo and Chiana, the bad habits of Rygel XVI. She learned about Pilots, Scarrans, Nebari and all the other species in the Uncharted Territories. She had to admit that the show was entertaining, and she wasn't a fan of science fiction. It was hard to like the genre when your life *was* science fiction. Despite this, she could still enjoy the sometimes unruly and sometimes loving relationships between the characters. One episode had been uncomfortable for her, though. It was the story where John Crichton died. To be more specific, it was the death of a twin who had shared Crichton's life and memories. As his lover Aeryn cried and hugged his body, the Gunmen could sense Scully's unease. They watched her own eyes for tears. "It's okay, guys," she had said. "It's just a tv show." However, everybody had known what was on her mind. The Lone Gunmen had considered bringing an end to their Friday ritual, but Scully insisted on them coming back next week. She had grown used to this ritual. She enjoyed the consumption of snacks and the animated discussions of the Gunmen. She particularly liked the way they made fools of themselves over William. ("Hey, he smiled at me, man!") Besides, if they hadn't come next week, she would have missed the entertainment of a passionate debate over "Revenging Angel." ("That was brilliant. Absolutely innovative." "Are you high? They turned the show into a frickin' cartoon! Literally!") Most of all, she just liked knowing that they were there for her. She needed friends who weren't in the FBI. Over the past nine years, they had played the roles of faithful companions, digging into obscure archives for information, pulling off legally questionable yet morally necessary tasks, even risking their own lives. She still remembered the first day she met them. The encounter had left her feeling both amused and vaguely uneasy. Back then, they would have been the last people she would have invited into her apartment and allow to hold her child. Yet here they were now. Frohike and Langly were still arguing over a fictional character's death as Byers held William in his lap. Watching them made her happy, but also sad. Next week would be the season finale of "Farscape." After that, what then? XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX She sat on the couch, holding William and watching a blank television screen. She stayed motionless for a long time as her child slept. Then she stood up and went to her stereo. Holding William with one arm, she searched through her CD collection. She found the album Langly had given her. The gift had been prompted by a shocked inspection of her music tastes. "Crap, Scully, where are the Ramones? Instead you got...damn, the Eagles!" "That's kind of a childhood favorite," she had explained. Langly had shaken his head. "I need to broaden your horizons, FBI Lady." She played the CD now. William opened his eyes when the speakers came alive, but he didn't cry. He looked merely curious as a loud, defiant voice commanded -- "Hey-ho, let's go/ Hey-ho..." "Let's go," Scully whispered. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX