Summary: Two hybrids meet by chance unaware of the past that surrounds them A/U

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Farscape

Rating: T+

Pairing: Scorpius/Sikozu, John/Aeryn Deke/Rylani

HYBRIDS:

PART II

Deke stretched out beside Rylani watching her sleep. Her newly shorn hair fell over her face in haphazard locks. If anything, the short shoulder length cut made the thick white streaks stand out even more. For the last three arns he'd been trying to figure out why a Charrid would go to the trouble of holding a knife to her throat if all it was going to do was take her hair as a trophy. He reached out to tuck some of her hair behind her right ear as he marveled at how peaceful she looked deep in sleep. Deke moved closer, his lips hovering above hers. Gently, he placed a kiss against them.

"You should let her rest."

Startled, Deke bounded out of bed, his pulse pistol in hand, aimed right at Scorpius. It took him a moment to calm his rapidly beating heart. Of course he would be here. Rylani was his daughter, he wanted to check on her. Slowly, he holstered his weapon. "I was concerned about her."

"I can see that," Scorpius responded with his hands clenched at his sides. He would refrain from harming the young man. After all, this was the male his daughter had taken an interest in. Rylani could do worse in this galaxy.

"This is… awkward," Deke scratched the back of his head. He felt like he'd just gotten his hand caught in the cookie jar (one of his father's sayings). In this case, said 'cookie jar' was in fact kissing Rylani, and getting caught by her father.

"Why?" Scorpius was having just the right amount of fun torturing the poor boy. He had to do something seeing as both his mate and child were unconscious.

"You're her dad," Deke pointed out. Now was as good a time as any, or so he thought. It was better to just get this out of the way, "I really like her. She's interesting, and strong, and brilliant." He looked over his shoulder at her on the bed, a smile curving his lips. No one in this universe compared to Rylani, and no one ever would.

"Do you think you're the first?" Scorpius asked.

"Oh, I'm definitely not the 'first'," Deke dead panned.

Scorpius narrowed his gaze, "Do you think she'll leave her life, give up her rank, to be with you?" When it came to Crichton, he knew how to read the human, to predict any response that would come from him. With Crichton's offspring, that ability to manipulate was harder to use.

Deke stepped in close to Scorpius, his voice low, "And so we've come to the point of our conversation where you assume I'm as arrogant as my father." The leather encased hybrid Peacekeeper Commander was a head taller than him. He had to tilt his head back to look at the intimidating father in the eyes. It was true that his mother's life had gotten better when she'd joined with his father. Aeryn Sun got the chance to be more than a trained killer, got to see how the universe worked, and she learned how to feel.

Scorpius was surprised, but he was careful not to let it show. The younger Crichton was either baiting him, or he really believed what he'd just said. He wasn't sure what it was at the moment. "When the time comes, are you going to let her go?"

"If that's what she wants…" Deke responded, not sure if it was the complete truth. He'd already let Rylani go once. If he could help it, he wasn't going to let that happen again. She made him feel alive. When they were together it was like some secret circuit was completed that had him functioning better and faster than before.

Scorpius nodded. He knew his daughter, and whatever she wanted, she fought like a demon until she got it. If she wanted this young man, there would be nothing he could do to stop her. Sikozu was right, he would have to stand aside on this. He stepped around the boy, so he could go and sit on the edge of the bed.

"Ok…" Deke placed his hands on his hips, taking the hint. He walked out leaving a father to watch over his daughter.

Scorpius waited until he heard the fading footsteps before he said to Rylani, "You can wake up now."

Rylani groaned, rolling onto her back looking at her father, "I thought I would wait until you two were done." She wanted to yell at both of them, but she also wanted to hug them both. Her father was being surprisingly mellow, more than she thought he would.

"I only said those things…" Scorpius started to say.

"I know," Rylani sat up, facing her father. When it came speaking about their emotions, she and her father didn't do very well at times. "What attracted you to mother?" she asked. In all her cycles of life, she didn't completely understand what it was that made her father and mother so enthralled with each other.

Scorpius stared at his daughter, not sure what to say to her question. It was something she'd never asked before. "Your mother was never afraid of me, or afraid of what I could do to her."

"What do you mean?" Rylani asked.

"I could have killed her without a second thought," Scorpius answered truthfully. "She knew it, and never feared it." Looking back on those times, Sikozu's lack of fear drew him at first. Then she began to impress him with other attributes; her intelligence was scintillating. Then as the days wore on, he found that he liked having her as an ally, and eventually as his paramour.

"Oh," Rylani mouthed. Her parents were completely dedicated to each other. They protected one another, and they fought like no other. It was strange to hear that, at one time, her father entertained the notion of killing her mother. Or at least, the thought had occurred to him.

"That was just one of the many reasons you mother drew my attention," Scorpius added. "Her intelligence was another, and her loyalty. There isn't one reason I could choose."

Rylani nodded, "She can match you in deviousness when she sets her mind to the task."

"Yes, she can," Scorpius agreed. "And so can you." He knew his daughter, she had untapped reservoirs of potential to be duplicitous. It was what she gained from him and from Sikozu. "You've met this boy before, haven't you?" Scorpius asked. He knew she couldn't keep a secret from him for very long.

Rylani looked away, her voice barely above a whisper, "Yes." She was still tired from using the radiation to kill that enemy Scarran, but for this, she didn't want to stay sitting. Getting up to pace helped to dispel the nervous energy building up inside her. "It was on Nor'taken three, while I was waiting for that Kalish contact of yours. I saw him in the distance, he was walking through the snow storm, and I knew he wasn't going to make it to safety. So, I went to help."

"You went to help?" Scorpius asked, watching his daughter pace. That wasn't an action he'd normally associate with her, as it wasn't in their nature. The only time they pretended to be of any use was when a situation could be beneficial to them.

"Do not judge me," Rylani said, her voice carrying and edge to it. She was already clueless as to why she helped. All she knew was that she did. "I pulled him out of the snow, warmed him up, and got his Prowler fixed," she said. Long ago she'd learned to pick her words carefully to keep her father from reading too far into what she'd said.

"You must have made quite the first impression for him to outright tell me that he likes you," Scorpius got up. His daughter eyed him, giving nothing away. He taught her too well.

"It's not every day a male meets a Kalish/Sebacean/Scarran hybrid," Rylani said. "As you have told me so many times, I am truly unique in this universe."

"You're trying to distract me, and for the life of me, I cannot figure out why," Scorpius stalked closer to his child. Reaching his hand out, he took a lock of her newly shorn hair, rubbing the mix of white and vibrant red between his thumb and fore finger. "I will find this Charrid, and I will kill it."

Rylani shrugged her left shoulder, "I'm not worried about it."

"You may not be, but there is cause for concern," Scorpius responded. In this moment in time, there was no advantage to be gained from keeping his child in the dark. "While we've been in Peacekeeper Territory, you've been relatively protected, but once we came closer to Coalition Space, your safety is threatened."

Rylani held her hands up, taking a step back, "For all the words you just spoke, you've basically said nothing." Her father had secrets, her mother had secrets; she knew that, but she never thought any of them would directly affect her. "Explain to me, simply and without a lot extraneous detail, why I am in danger." Rylani's voice dropped, dark and Scarran like.

"You are my child," Scorpius stalked close to her, but she refused to back down. "Because of that, a scientist wants to claim you, harvest your DNA, and conduct experiments."

"Get out…" Rylani snarled.

"Rylani…" Scorpius reached out, his intention was to place his hand on her shoulder, but she backed away.

"GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!" Rylani shouted. This was the first time she'd taken such a tone with him. This was also the first time she'd felt utterly and completely lied to by her father. He trained her, instilled in her disciplines that made her a force to be reckoned with. She'd fought for her place without even realizing that she had a bounty on her head.

CENTER CHAMBER:

Scorpius sat gazing out at the stars, not really seeing them, as his mind was awash with everything he should have said to Rylani. He wanted to be angry at her for not letting him explain. He wanted to reprimand her for taking such a disrespectful tone with him. Only, he couldn't. She was feeling betrayed, and it was because of him. Scorpius should have warned her of the danger she faced each time she left the safety of Peacekeeper Territory. Foolishly, he thought the rigorous training he put her through would have sufficed.

John stood outside the center chamber watching Scorpius brood. To anyone else, it would look like the hybrid was merely sitting in silence, but he knew better. On a ship like Moya, sounds carried, even the sound of an angry daughter yelling at her father. He knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of a child's wrath. Rather than say anything stupid, as he was known for, John went to sit across from Scorpius with the table between them.

Scorpius didn't take his gaze from the sight of the starts as he asked, "What do you want, John?" He was in no mood for the human to judge him.

John nodded, hearing the edge of annoyance in Scorpius's voice. He understood it. They weren't friends. They weren't allies. They had no benefit to the other anymore. Still, he asked, "How's your kid?"

On instinct Scorpius clenched his jaw. He never spoke of personal matters with anyone. It was information that could be used against him, against Sikozu, and Rylani. There would be nothing he wouldn't do to keep them from harm. Even if it meant remaining silent. And yet, he found his mouth falling open, his lips forming words, "She's angry at me."

Any one of a million sarcastic responses flew through John's brain, and more than a few of them wanted to jump right out of his mouth. He restrained himself, though. Now was not the time to antagonize Scorpius. John had nothing in his head to keep him from the half-breed's wrath. "Why she so steamed?"

"Those pirates that boarded," Scorpius glanced at Crichton, "they were after her, and I didn't warn her."

"Did you know before hand?" John asked. He had some experience in this. Deke was just as unique as Rylani.

"I knew of the potential threat," Scorpius stated. "The danger has been there all of her life, even before she was born." He'd done all he could to prepare her, to make her strong, and able to stand alone to face any threat. "I had the chance to neutralize the threat, but instead, I chose mercy."

"That's not a bad choice," John consoled. It was a new approach to a situation. Scorpius usually chose to kill those who were of no more use to him. This was a sign the man had grown; somewhat.

"Yes, it was," Scorpius looked at Crichton. "I should have eliminated the danger before it had time to regroup, before it had time to strike out at my child."

"As a father, you'll learn you can't always protect your child from harm." John replied. It was the cold hard fact of reality. "She's gonna get hurt in this life, she's gonna bleed. What's important is how you handle it when you see everything she goes through, and she's still standing. She may be mad at you now, but in the end she'll get over it."

GYM:

Rylani had to get rid of some of the anger she was letting fester in regards to her father. Viciously, she delivered punch after punch to the padded dummy. She felt the shock race through her knuckles, through her wrist, and up her arms. It didn't stop there. Drawing her left arm back, she slammed into the dummy again. The force of the blow knocked it over. Rylani roared with anger, her strength was the same as any pure blooded Scarran. She walked over to where the beat up piece of black workout equipment lay on its side, and she glared at it. Defiantly, she gave it a swift kick. It was then she noticed that Aeryn Sun was watching her. She backed away, feeling like a child being caught doing something she shouldn't have been.

Aeryn nodded, walking into the gym, "This old thing has been pummeled, kicked, and broken on more than one occasion." She bent over to pick it up. It would be bad form for a Peacekeeper Officer to ask another how they were doing, but she hadn't been one for a long time. "Are you alright?"

"I have hit harder objects than that dummy," Rylani replied. "Normally, I hit bulkheads."

"That's not what I meant," Aeryn pointed out.

"I know," Rylani nodded. She pushed her fingers through her newly shorn hair in frustration. "My whole life, I knew my father was capable of doing things, lying to achieve his own ends." She shook her head, looking away from Officer Sun when tears started to gather in her eyes. "Foolishly, I thought he'd never do such things to me."

Aeryn could hear the pain in the young woman's voice. It was the anguish of a child being betrayed by her father. She didn't know what that was like, personally. "Perhaps he was trying to protect you."

"Do you believe that?" Rylani asked, turning to Aeryn. "You knew him before, when he first met my mother. Do you believe he would protect me in such…?"

"You're his flesh and blood," Aeryn stated vehemently. "There isn't much Scorpius wouldn't do to protect those he holds dear. You and Sikozu are the only ones that mean anything to him." She'd seen it in the conference room. She'd seen the way Scorpius looked at his child. He was no longer the monster the galaxy feared; at least not when his daughter was around.

Rylani knew Sun's words to be true, but that before she learned there was target hanging over head, and all because she had been given life. "I am unaccustomed to being…"

"Rylani," Sikozu called her daughter's name. It earned her a suspicious look from Aeryn. "Come with me."

Rylani nodded, solemnly obeying her mother. "Have you spoken to father?" she asked, averting her gaze. Right now, she felt as if she were no more than five cycles old.

"Not yet," Sikozu replied to her daughter. With her good hand, she reached out to Rylani, tucking a short vibrant red strand behind her ear. "But, from your anger a microt ago, I can tell you have." Knowing Scorpius as she did, he must have told Rylani exactly why she was sought after by Keerza without bothering to explain beyond that. The man she belonged to had his own way of handling situations. Sikozu shook her head at that thought.

"I have the feeling that he has left out a few key details," Rylani took a step back from her mother, crossing her arms over her chest. Then again, she brought it on herself. She told him to explain without too much extraneous detail.

"You know about my past, your father's…." Sikozu started to say.

"Of course, you made sure of it. Father made sure I used that knowledge to make myself strong." Rylani cut in.

"We did not want you living in fear," Sikozu stated. "Scorpius thought, and I agreed, that we only tell you what you needed to become a strong soldier, a capable fighter, and an amazing woman. As long as you stayed in Peacekeeper Territory, and some parts of the Uncharted Territories, you were safe from Keerza."

Rylani started to pace back and forth in small, tight lines. "Does this mean the same target that hangs over my head, is over you and father?"

"Yes, it always has been," Sikozu confirmed. "It's because Scorpius and I are a mated pair. Our DNA is perfect for each other in such a way that we create the strongest of offspring. You, Rylani, are a being this universe has never seen." She made a move closer to her child. "Your father and I took a calculated risk in searching for the scientist that made me. She knew more about hybrid genetics than any other. We needed to know if your Scarran and Sebacean DNA would be at war with each other."

"You wanted to know if I would be confined to a cooling suit?" Rylani asked.

"Yes," Sikozu nodded. "We had no idea how perfect you would be. Our need for reassurance was what drove us to seek out my creator. We never thought she'd go this far, but now that we know just how desperate she is, we can take steps to make sure she never lays a finger on you."

If there was any anger residing inside Rylani, it was gone now. She went to her mother immediately wrapping her arms around her. "I should have another conversation with father." She let her mother go.

Sikozu cupped Rylani's face, her thumb stroking back and forth, "You and your father can be so alike at times."

"How do you put up with us?" Rylani joked.

"I love you both," Sikozu smiled.

CENTER CHAMBER:

Scorpius thought about what Crichton had said. Some part of him knew the human's words made sense, but another part of him wanted to be defiant and find a way to ensure Rylani came to no harm for the rest of her life. Just then, a familiar scent filled the air around him. Rising to his feet, he turned to find Rylani standing in the open hatchway. He opened his arms to her, and waited to see what she would do.

Rylani didn't hesitate. She crossed the room and stood before her father. There would be no apologies; not in their family. Without much debate, she wrapped her arms around her father, resting her head on his chest. All she knew was that she didn't want to feel anger towards him. She knew what he was life, a secretive Peacekeeper Commander. It was practically apart of his DNA. The soldier that was she was knew there was a reason for him keeping information from her. As her mother explained it was to keep her from living a life of fear. But that wasn't her. Even if she had known. Rylani was too much like her father.

Scorpius held his child in silence, his eyes firmly fixed on the open hatchway of the center chamber. He hadn't liked the feeling of being at odds with his daughter. She'd never raised her voice to him before, and she had seen do some truly terrible, necessary things in the past. This, he knew, was different for her. This time he had lied to her. And damn that John Crichton. The human had been right. As a father, he only wanted to make his child as strong as possible. Except, keeping vital information from her had put her in unknown danger that she couldn't have fought against. Being a father was harder than running a secret Gammak Base.

TBC….