The Rock

Writers: Cali
Date Posted: 31st May 2006

Characters: J'klin, Arilanna
Description: J'klin sees more than he's supposed to and has it out with Arilanna
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 11, day 22 of Turn 3
Notes: Follows 'Friends'

J'klin felt like a rock. He was sitting at one of the smaller tables in the dining cavern, towards the back where he was less likely to be bothered, and he couldn't make himself move. All he could do was sit there, stare at the wall, and review in his mind what he had seen a few minutes before.
**

He had gone up to surprise Arilanna with dinner, a skip in his step, he couldn't wait to see her. The last few sevendays since their reunion had been some of the happiest in a long time, and he had a plan to steal her away for the evening, just like he used to. He had been about to turn the last corner to her quarters when he heard a voice that made him falter. J'klin stopped and peered slightly around the corner, so he could stay out of sight. He saw U'kaiah walking out of Arilanna's quarters into the hall, and his blood turned to ice. He watched, unable to move or breathe as Arilanna and U'kaiah embraced. When they finally parted he saw Arilanna go back into her room and U'kaiah walk away; J'klin didn't miss him buttoning up his shirt as he did so. J'klin didn't even remember how he had gotten to the dining cavern. It didn't really matter to him, nothing mattered to him anymore. Arilanna had betrayed him with U'kaiah. She had claimed to be only _friends_
with U'kaiah, she had promised she wouldn't see him anymore, but she had lied. As far as J'klin was concerned she was no better than Felika now, in fact, she was worse. Arilanna _knew_ all the pain Felika and U'kaiah had caused him, but she hadn't cared.
**

"J'klin!" Arilanna said with a smile as she seated herself next to her love. "You look like you're in another world." He was still a rock, unable to make himself move, but he wondered how she could look so normal, like nothing had happened just a few minutes after leaving U'kaiah.

"I said, You look like you're in another world." Arilanna repeated, trying to catch his eye as she reached out for J'klin's hand. Her touch, her deceitful touch, was enough to shake him out of his immobile state as his hand flinched back. "Maybe I want to be." he stated in a monotone voice, as he kept his gaze on the wall.

Arilanna was concerned, he seemed distant, but told herself he must have just had a hard day at drills. She thought about holding off a few days before asking him to take her between to abort her pregnancy, but decided against it; she needed to get it done and the sooner the better. "Love, I need to talk to you about something..." The hand that she had moments ago touched clenched into a fist under the table. How could she call him that word... was she about to _admit_ to him she had been with U'kaiah? Was she about to apologize and beg for forgiveness? He wanted to yell at her, to tell her she could save her breath and he never wanted to see her again, but he couldn't move, he was a rock again. Some part of him wanted her to beg for forgiveness, some part of him wanted to forgive her and just love her. That part of him was holding the other part back and they were locked in battle, neither side holding more ground than the other; he was stuck. "I took a patient yesterday to get a pregnancy confirmed, and while I was there the dolphins told me I was pregnant too." She hadn't meant to blurt it out like that, it sounded so dismissive, and she knew it was more serious than that. She eyed him, wondering what his reaction would be to her out of the blue declaration. Pregnant... for a brief moment the thought that the child was _his_
entered his mind. He had often wished for children, and had told Arilanna so on more than one occasion, but then he realized the timing was off. They had only been back together for the last few sevendays, and she would surely be showing if it had occurred before their falling out. She must have conceived while they were apart. His thoughts immediately fell back to U'kaiah, about how he had stolen away Felika from him all those turns ago and gotten her pregnant. How U'kaiah had _used_ her and then thrown it back in his face. Arilanna was just like Felika, U'kaiah had done it again... J'klin felt something inside himself snap as he abruptly stood up; he was no longer stuck, forgiveness had lost. "J'klin?" Arilanna said surprised by his sudden movement.

"Don't!" he said coldly as he stared down at her, "I'm not doing this again. I warned you, told you to stay away from him..."

"What are you talking about, J'klin?" she asked, confused.

His chest was tightening and his heart was racing, but he ignored it, "Don't try and lie to me, I _saw_ you. I SAW YOU!" the last came out as a pained cry as he slammed his fist down into the table.

Arilanna jumped as the fist shook the table in front of her. She didn't know what J'klin was talking about it was starting to scare her.
She started to reach out to him but he stepped away from her, "Saw me do what? J'klin I don't understand what..."

"Fine, you want me to spell it out for you, I will. I _saw_ you with U'kaiah today, I _saw_ him come out of your quarters!" he accused. "What? No, I..." Panic started to set in as she tried to explain that nothing had happened with U'kaiah, that he had just been there for a massage, but J'klin interrupted her again.

"I don't want to hear your excuses and LIES!" he yelled slamming the table again. "You promised you would end things with U'kaiah, that you wouldn't see him again."

Arilanna shook her head and tried to explain again, though she couldn't hide her panic and fear in her voice, "J'klin, just sit down, It's not what you think."

J'klin backed up, he needed to get away from her, before she sucked him back in with more deceit, before forgiveness tried to take hold again. "No More Lies! You just stay away from me. I don't ever want to see you again!"

"J'klin! J'klin!" Arilanna called to him in vain as he ran out the door. Her breathing was rapid as she stood up from the table and started to chase after him. She had only taken a few steps though when everything started to become blurry. The last thing she remembered before blackness enveloped her as she hit the floor was that she _had_
to get to J'klin, she couldn't lose him again.

Last updated on the June 1st 2006

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