Authors Note

This is my first ever Babylon 5 fic. I kept putting it off, until Kelly practically smacked me round the head and plonked prompts down in front of me (so thankyou Kelly!). It's my first for B5 so don't be too harsh please, I'm still learning the characters etc.

Hope you enjoy!

Delenn walked absently down the corridor, her stride parting the meandering alien delegates and human security jostling around her. Every so often, she was greeted by her title and, in turn, she responded politely. Her mind, however, was elsewhere, currently reflecting on a moment of lost opportunity back in the captain's quarters. They were so close, their lips almost meeting, eyes closing in anticipation, and then-

Crisis. Although her face remained passive to those who passed her by, a strong surge of feelings leapt up within her, an ache to be that close to him again, a need to see his face again. That smile, the way it lit his eyes up, glittering warmly in her direction. He respected her, cared for her more deeply than she could possibly imagine. They were both dancing the fine line between friends and something more, and finally when the opportunity arose to pursue this further, the moment was interrupted, shattered into pieces.

"Delenn." A soft voice broke her thoughts, for which she was partly glad. It was not good to dwell on moments of regret. Turning her body slowly, she saw Lennier, a shy smile on his face as he greeted her with usual Minbari custom. She brought her hands together and bowed slightly in reply, before carrying on walking.

"The Drazi Ambassador requested a meeting with you to discuss mediation of trade relations with the Brakiri," Lennier informed her, "what time shall I make the appointment?"

"Tell him …" Delenn started to reply, but her sentence soon trailed off when she heard a voice coming from the end of the corridor. It was strong and assured, a commanding voice, yet filled with softness that she had heard when they were together, which was becoming increasingly more frequent. Her gaze shifted towards the where the voice was emanating from, a smile appearing on her graceful features.

"I'll tell him that you are unavailable at this moment in time." Lennier finished her sentence, his face showing understanding. It failed to recapture Delenn's attention however, and he slowly backed away, striding back down the corridor he had used just moments ago.

Sheridan was going to turn that corner soon and Delenn stood, torn between two decisions. Should she go back the way she came and avoid him or should she interrupt and ask to speak to him? She wondered briefly whether he would even want to see her, to talk about what had almost conspired between them. What if it was an act of impulse, something that he regretted and was glad at the interruption? Those troubled thoughts were soon quelled, however, when she heard his voice rise in volume as he stepped around the corner, Garibaldi at his side.

"….just Vir's luck, he finally manages to get a wife and she turns out to be a narn-killing psycho," Garibaldi's voice drifted down towards her, followed by a sigh, "I'd hate to be Centauri. Did you see his wife though? I dare say many people would consider her attractive but I'm not one of them. I guess the killing would put a lot of others off."

Sheridan just smiled, shaking his head at the Chief of security beside him. After all the events of the day, John just wanted to sit down with a nice drink, a bit of food and have a nice relaxing evening-

With Delenn. His thoughts travelled back to her, no matter how hard he tried to rein them in. They were stubborn, bringing images of her to the forefront. That soft hair, that serene smile, the mischievous yet passionate gaze in her eyes when she has her heart set on something. The image came unbidden of her, leaning in so close, her eyes fluttering closed in anticipationas his face, his lips drew ever closer, so close and yet-

Garibaldi's link buzzed, bringing Sheridan out of his reverie. Quickly patting John on the shoulder, Garibaldi turned back down the corridor, shouting behind him;

"Got to go sort out a brawl between a Centauri and a Narn!"

Sheridan nodded in understanding and turned to continue up the corridor. He stopped, however, as he spotted Delenn. She too was standing, seemingly paralysed by the mere sight of him. It remained that way for a while, the two just staring, waiting for the other to move, to say something, anything.

"Captain." Her voice was soft, but carried down the corridor, the subtle lilt of her words like music to his ears. He had missed her so much, and it had only been hours since he last saw her.

"Ambassador," He acknowledged, making a clumsy attempt at greeting her in Minbari custom. She smiled, her eyes lighting up with amusement and affection. It is the thought that counts, as the humans say, Delenn thought, "was there something you wanted, or do you just like to walk the corridors?"

"I find it can be relaxing," she replied, her hand coming up to reiterate her point, "but also I was hoping to find you."

John seemed surprised. After their last moment together, he was uncertain whether she would want to see him so eagerly. Damn Ivanova and her timing, he thought bitterly, "Well what can I do for you?"

"Can we go somewhere more … private … to talk? I do not think I like the idea of talking here."

"I was just about to hit a few balls, but I can always do that later. My quarters are closest."

Delenn nodded in compliance and they set off down the corridor. As they made their way to his quarters, Delenn's curiosity got the better of her.

"'hit a few balls'"? She asked, her eyes travelling over his face as she waited for him to answer. There was so much for her to learn from humans, and she hoped that she would be able to pick it all up quickly enough.

Sheridan just laughed, his eyes crinkling in amusement. She seemed so naive, too naïve to be on Babylon 5, but then he had to remind himself that she could handle her own. The Vorlon Inquisitor and a knife in the back proved that much.

"Yeah it's a game called baseball where …. Err … well it …." He was finding it difficult to put into words what the game was about, "…. it is good fun and a way to relieve stress."

They reached his door and Sheridan stopped to slide his identicard into the slot. Delenn let her hand gently rest on his back, and he relaxed into her touch.

"We have our own ways of relieving stress," Delenn softly informed him, entering the room as the door slid upwards, "we meditate."

"Does it work?" John asked, shrugging off his uniform jacket. Delenn moved around the room, taking note of everything that she did not notice the last time she was there. She wanted to savour the memories. The quarters were distinctly human, she surmised, her gaze switching from the visual screen that displayed "Babcom" to the bowl of oranges sitting on the kitchenette table.

"Usually," she replied absently, "for most things."

"You wanted to talk?" Sheridan asked, moving over to the kitchenette, intent on trying to find something.

"Yes. I wanted to talk about what happened …. earlier."

John stopped in his search, tensing up slightly. He knew how he felt about her and she knew how much he cared for her, how scared he was of losing her. Did she know how much he was kicking himself for waiting so long to kiss her, only to have the moment ruined?

"I might have some flarn left over from dinner if you want some."

Delenn's eyes widened in surprise. She remembered the taste of the flarn he had made especially for her. John Sheridan was many things, but a chef was not one of them.

"No thankyou." She said quickly, and he looked at her questioningly, "Lennier is making something as we speak and I would hate to upset him by refusing his dinner."

Sheridan nodded at her excuse, accepting it without question. Minbari never lie after all. I am not lying, Delenn assured herself, moving over to the couch and settling herself on the edge, just omitting certain truths as the humans say.

As she looked over at him, John moved back into the centre of the quarters.

"Listen, about earlier Delenn. I didn't mean for things to go so far, I-"

"You did not mean for it to happen?"

Delenn looked confused, her mouth open, her mind searching for words to remedy the situation. He didn't want to kiss her?

"No, I didn't mean that," John said quickly, slowly grasping Delenn's hands and pulling her up off the couch. She remained submissive, allowing it, and was pulled to her feet in front of him, "I meant that … I didn't mean to rush this, to rush us. I thought you might not want to-"

"John …" Delenn sighed, feeling relief spread through her. She brought her hand up to his face, caressing his cheek. John closed his eyes slowly, just revelling in the sensation of her soft hand against his skin. When he opened them again, Delenn's gaze met his. There was awe written on her face, a sense of wonderment at the feel of such intimate contact. Slowly, however, her hand dropped and he immediately missed the warmth of her touch. Instead, her hands settled on his chest, feeling his heartbeat underneath her palms.

This seemed familiar to John, but this time he was not going to muck it up, or have it ruined in any way. Slowly, with deliberate care, he placed his hands on her waist and brought his face slowly down to hers. His warm breath tickled her cheek and Delenn felt her heartbeat quicken. This was it. This was the moment.

His lips were just inches away, and her eyes fluttered closed. Time seemed to stand still between them, both of them waiting, wanting so much to let their lips meet and to meld together. It was their time. Just as Sheridan inched his face closer to initiate it, however, Delenn pulled away slightly.

"John, wait," she whispered, her eyes opening slowly.

"What?" John asked, confused at her sudden retreat. Did she not want this now? Instead of answering his question, however, Delenn turned her head slightly to the side and spoke in a clear voice;

"Off."

The visual screen turned to black and Delenn smiled at him, beckoning him closer once again. He smiled and laughed softly, before pulling her to him again.

"So we cannot be disturbed." Delenn sighed, before pulling his lips down to hers. They were warm and inviting, drawing her in and not letting her go. Not that she wanted to part from him. This time, they were not going to let the opportunity pass by. They were not going to be disturbed. They were not going to wait any longer.

A/N

Prompts :

Oranges – check

Flarn – check

"I dare say many people would consider her attractive but I'm not one of them." – check

Please don't be too nasty, but constructive criticism is more than welcome!