Chapter 1 page 1

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Disclaimer: I don't own any of the stars or muppets of Farscape (thankfully)

I am simply borrowing them, and promise to return them after I'm through beating

them up! Eleanor and Acheran do belong to me and I will fight you in a ring

of death for them!

Spoilers: Up to SiW 2.

Summery: Eleanor Crichton has always had a special ³bond² with her older

brother, but since he was ³killed² she's felt incomplete. She's convinced he's

alive. Now, her life-long nightmare of a ³Dark Lady² who does harm to

Eleanor's family is now a reality, and is coupled with visions of a strange blue

Lady, who can reunite her with her brotherŠ

PG-13 for language

*************************************************

John Crichton sat on the rooftop of his home, staring up at the stars that

he hoped one day to walk among. He was well on his way, having been

accepted to MIT, he was packed and ready to go the next day.

There was a slight sound behind him, someone else was climbing on to

the roof. He didn't need to look to see who it was, nor did he judge by

sound. He was simply aware of her presence, as he had been since the

day she was born.

Eleanor, or Ellie as he called her, sat next to him, clutching the stuffed

rabbit he'd given to her for her birthday a few years ago. She was

ten, eight years younger than he was, but she acted much older.

Indeed, she wasn't a normal child by any rate. Quiet and often serious,

she didn't play much, instead she read books at an adult level.

She also had what some might call, a "sixth sense", in that she often

knew that things were going to happen, she could see things that others

couldn't. Most remarkably, she had an uncanny connection with her

brother. She could tell where he was always, and she knew what he was

feeling. as a result, they had formed a very close relationship.

Tonight, she could feel his exultation, but it was marred by her sadness.

She had never really been separated from him for any significant amount

of time, and it bothered her to no end.

"Eleanor," it was their mom, calling from below, "c'mon, its time for bed!"

John wrapped his arm around her shoulders and said, "Let her stay up, I'm

leaving tomorrow, I want to spend more time." Their mother smiled, nodded her

consent, and went back inside.

He chuckled, "Crap, its gonna be dull here if your going to bed this early! Honestly, you should

speak up for yourself."

She didn't respond, she just stared up at the stars. He looked at her for a

minute before pulling her closer into a hug and asking, "What's the matter,

Bright eyes?"

She smiled, "You're leaving, I won't see you anymore."

He smiled, "Sure you will, I'm only going to Boston. I'll be back in a year for

a break."

She smiled cynically, "It's gonna be a dull year."

"Don't say that. A lot can happen in a year. Did I ever tell you about King

Louis' horse?"

Her smile broadened, she loved to hear him tell stories, "No."

"ok," he said redistributing his weight, "King Louis has this horse-"

"Obviously," she giggled when he pinched her.

"Stop interrupting. So one day, this thief tries to steal it, but gets caught.

King Louis was going to have him put to death, but the thief begs him for his

life, and he says, 'Spare me, and I'll teach the horse to talk within a year.

If, when the year is up, the horse isn't talking, put me to death.' Louis

thought about it and accepted. Later, the thief's friend says, 'You can't make

the horse talk! You're as good as dead!"

"But the thief said, 'But in a year, a lot can happen. For you see, the horse

could die, king Louis might die, or I may die...." He looked down at Eleanor and

said, "or the horse may talk."

Ellie laughed loudly, John gave her close hug, "I knew you'd like that." He

kissed her head, and they sat there for hours talking and looking up at the

stars.

Eleanor wasn't usually bothered by nightmares. They came, were brief, and then

were gone. She knew that they were part of a natural dream state, and therefore

there was nothing to be feared in a bad dream.

Tonight, however, she tossed and turned, clutching tightly onto Gwydion, her

stuffed rabbit. She whimpered and moaned, mumbling in her sleep, "n-no,

please......"

*Eleanor stood in the doorway to her parent's bedroom. They lay there in perfect

contentment. Her eyes were drawn to directly above them, where a dark shadow

hung, like smoke. It swirled and morphed and then began to take shape. It

coalesced at the side of the bed, next to her mother. It had become a woman,

she had pale, almost perfectly white skin, with black hair that seemed like

liquid on her head. Her eyes were a sickening shade of green and glowed.

Ellie tried to move, but found her feet stuck to the floor. the woman looked at

her, and Ellie felt like a cold wind had just passed through her. The woman

sneered at her and then plunged a hand into her mother's stomach.

She tried to scream, but it stuck in her throat. The hand had passed into her

mother, like a ghost. Her mother, groaned in her sleep and shifted

uncomfortably, apparently unaware of what was happening. Ellie could see energy

passing from the woman into her mother, but it was dark, negative. Her mother

whimpered slightly, as if she, herself, was having a nightmare.

Finally, the hand withdrew, her mother lapsed back into a peaceful slumber. The

woman, once again turned her cold eyes onto Ellie and began to glide towards

her, her hand outstretched.

Eleanor squirmed, trying to break free, but it was no use. She could her the

woman's laughter and it chilled her to the bone. The woman was almost upon her

and she finally found her voice....

and screamed. *

"NOOOOO!"

"Ellie!"

She woke up, back in her own bed. She was breathing hard, and was covered with

sweat. John was sitting on her bed, looking thoroughly concerned.

"Hey, Bright Eyes....you ok?"

She sat up and threw her arms around him, shivering uncontrollably. He rocked

her gently, stroking her back and hushing her.

"There baby, you have a nightmare?"

What an absurd question. "Obviously...." she said shakily.

He grinned, "Well, at least your humors intact." He looked at her

seriously, "you wanna talk about it?"

She almost poured out the whole thing, when a voice in her head said, "No,

don't tell him. He shouldn't know." It was so gentle and soothing that, at

once, the horror she had just dreamed was ebbing away. Not forgotten, but it

had lost its edge.

"No, its alright," She actually meant it, much to her surprise.

"Ok," he said stroking her hair, "you want to sleep in my room? Keep those bad

dreams away?"

She nearly accepted, but then the inner voice rebelled. "You're too old for

that! Does he still think of you as a small child?"

She pursed her lips, she didn't want him to forever think of her as a baby.

"No," she said, "I'll be alright, it was just a nightmare."

"You sure? Sounded really bad."

"I'm sure."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Alright, bright eyes."

She threw her arms around him again, suddenly remembering that he was leaving

early the next morning, before she got up.

"I'll write to you, and I'll call."

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye."

She giggled, and he tucked her back into bed, and then he kissed her goodnight.

He turned to leave, and she called out to him, "John?"

He half-turned, "yeah?"

"I love you."

He smiled widely, "Love you too kiddo," and then he left.

Eleanor lay in her bed, strangely feeling comforted and safe. The voice in her

head began singing softly. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard,

and it took her gently off to sleep.

*"John Crichton will pilot a ship of his own design...." the TV blared over the

sound of her guests. Eleanor ignored them, sitting close to the set, watching

the pictures from Canaveral. Knots were forming in her stomach. She told

herself this was natural, John had spoken of a similar feeling when Dad went

out into space.

She was too young to remember those missions. But now she was 20, and watching

her older brother embark on a very dangerous mission. She resisted the urge

to "go out", in a mantel/emotional sense to him, fearing her presence would be

a distraction. Just her simple awareness of him was enough comfort for now.

Satellite pictures showed the Farscape module taking off from the mother ship.

She felt like she was going to retch, and she put her hand over her mouth.

Suddenly she felt her awareness shift, everything went black. She could see the

module, carrying on in its mission. Something was wrong, she could feel it. She

looked behind her and saw *her*. The dark woman from her nightmares. Acheron,

as Eleanor began to call her.

Acheron's eyes bored into her soul, and Eleanor suddenly felt weak and full of

dread. She felt a wave of energy tear through her as Acheron raised her hand.

Then, she could see the module again, just as it was hit by a radiation wave

and was sent hurtling through a wormhole.

She screamed as if she had just lost a vital part to her body. Indeed she felt

like her soul was being ripped apart, as John disappeared down the whole.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..."

*

"NO!"

She was sitting in her bed, panting, covered in sweat. It was till night time,

her clock said two in the morning. She slid out of the bed and staggered to the

bathroom. After splashing water on her face, she looked at her reflection.

"Goddess," she thought, "I look like crap..."

She went to make some tea. She had grown tall, almost 6', with hair and eyes

like her brother's. Her hair was long and almost perfectly straight.

When she sat down with the tea, she just stared fixedly at the cup. The same

nightmare, only it wasn't a nightmare, it was a memory. She shut her eyes and

let out a strangled sob. She had been told that she had fainted when the news

said something had gone wrong with the mission.

It was understandable, they said, after all, she and John had been very close,

especially after she had lost her mother years before, which was trying on the

whole family.

"So sad," she heard over and over again, "that a family should suffer so much.

It's just the two of them now, Mrs. Crichton had no other living relatives you

know."

Yes, she and John had been close. Closer than anyone, even their father,

could've known. She felt incomplete now.

What bothered her most was her certainty, that he was still alive.

The awareness of him had shifted, become more distant, but was not gone. She

hadn't told anyone, for fear of them thinking she was insane. Perhaps she was.

She had considered many times going into deep trance to find him, but she was

afraid that Acheron, whom she was convinced was not just a figment of her

imagination, would catch her.

Her resolve was weakening though. Especially after her terrifying visions of

her father's death. They were similar to her premonitions about her mother's

death. Last time she checked on him, though, he insisted he was in perfect

health.

She was still in deep thought when the phone rang, causing her to jump and

spill her tea. "Fuck...." she muttered as she stumbled over to the phone.

She picked it up in annoyance, "Yes?"

"Eleanor?"

She almost didn't recognize the voice, it had been so long since she had heard

it. "D.K? What is it, it's two in the morning."

"Yeah, I know, look," he sounded worried, upset, it caused the hairs on the back

of her neck to stand up, "You need to come down to Canaveral, now."

She said, very, very quietly, "why?"

He sighed and said nervously, "There's been an accident, your dad he's dying."

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