Title: Remembrance, Resurrection and Renewal

Author: Third Charm

Fandom: Babylon 5

Pairings: Marcus/Susan, Marcus/Neroon, Susan/Neroon, Marcus/Susan/Neroon and Sheridan/Delenn - for now.

Story Type: Drama, Action, Dark Humor, Romance

Current Rating: M

Disclaimer: Babylon 5 and all subsequent major characters, plots, and ideas are the property of J. Michael Straczynski, Babylonian Inc. and Warner Brothers. The following story was written only for the purposes of entertainment. No income has been made.

Warnings: SO VERY AU and AT and going for broke! WIP, Combat, profanity, slash and dark themes.

Spoilers: You name it; it's in there.

Summary: Marcus is revived almost a year after saving Susan's life into what seems to be a bright future for everyone only to find that an obsessive and politically powerful stalker is after him and that all is not as it seems in the Universe. There are now new and more deadly players in the game of galactic dominance. And heroes long thought dead are once again found in the darkest of circumstances.

Acknowledgments: I must thank ckl for taking the time to beta read this story.

Author's Note: One Earth year equals 0.74 Minbari cycles. The Minbari words and phrases were found at the "JumpNow" website in John Hightower's Minbari dictionary, though not all are direct translations.


Remembrance, Resurrection and Renewal

Chapter One

Marcus cursed under his breath as he practically ran into what were now his new and had once been Delenn's old diplomatic quarters. As soon as the door slid closed and the newly installed Minbari gravimetric auto-lock activated, the exhausted Ranger collapsed against it. It took Marcus a full ten minutes to catch his breath and calm himself.

"God and Valen both damn that bloody, Clark-loving psychotic succubus! A man can't even eat with her around!" Marcus hissed aloud as he tiredly peeled himself away from the door and made his way to the lounge where he collapsed.

After some time of just laying against the lounge pillows and "vegging" as Zack referred to it, Marcus sat up and ran a trembling and exhausted hand through his already disheveled hair. Marcus then rested his elbows on his knees and hung his head in despair. The newly reactivated Station Ranger grimaced at his predicament. He was starting to believe that the Warrior Caste Leadership was right and that John was just continuing to bury his head in the sand.

Why him? What had he ever done to deserve this? Even the destruction of Arisia didn't merit this! By all that was held Holy, even mass murderers were given the merciful punishment of Death of Personality, a new personality and a chance to become worthy members of society, not this – this living hell! God and Valen, how had it come to this?

Marcus groaned in frustration over is lot in life. Ever since Steven had had an "eureka moment" and ended his nearly ten month long impersonation of a Rangercicle, and by the same token, ended John's dependence on Lorien's nanites to stay alive, he'd been dodging the "Babylon Bitch" as he'd dubbed her. Marcus shook his head at what he'd put up with so far.

Somehow, even though she'd had no right to enter, that bloody bitch Lochley had come into med lab and watched as Steven had revived him. Apparently, she'd been very "perturbed" to find out that "vital Station resources" had been used to preserve a "dead man" on the orders of a very "unstable" (And just look who was talking!) exiting Captain. Therefore, in her high and mighty opinion, such a breach of protocol gave her the right to butt in where she didn't belong.

So instead of seeing Susan's very angry face, or for that matter, any of his friends' and/or comrades' faces when he came out of cold storage, he saw the face of a very the disapproving stranger. Not that Steven had let her stay long. The irate doctor had unceremoniously kicked out the stranger and called in those that were closest to Marcus and still on Station.

At first, Marcus had been disappointed to learn that Susan was not there, but had understood after Steven had deemed him strong enough to know and explained just how close Susan had come to a complete breakdown after his "death". As his healing in med lab progressed, his very happy friends had filled him in as to what was currently going on. They'd told him what had happened while he'd been in his sub-zero sleep too.

And thank God and Valen he'd been revived! Poor Lennier had been within an inch of developing Vad'id Hael (Dark fire of the Soul) over his love of Delenn and the blind woman hadn't even seen it! It had taken only one visit where Lennier and Delenn had visited him together for Marcus to see what was coming. After a number of visits by Delenn and his hinting at the subject with his clueless and/or purposely self-blinded Entil'Zha (Ranger Commander) not getting the hints, a very frustrated Marcus had finally blurted out the problem in front of both her and the new President Sheridan.

After the explanation that Sheridan demanded of what Vad'id Hael meant and the loud kafuffle that followed that explanation, a very grateful President Sheridan became his new best friend, John. To show his gratitude at having a potentially nasty situation nipped in the bud, the man always made sure that Marcus had something to stave off the boredom of being a temporary invalid. John also came visiting quite often after the situation with poor Lennier, who was now getting intensive counseling back at Temple, had been happily settled. Unfortunately, so had the new Captain of Babylon 5.

As Steven had informed his still Susan fixated and oblivious self, the Babylon Bitch had changed her mind in regards to him somewhere along the line. The doctor was sure that it had happened during all her very annoying and highly unsolicited visits to med lab. Now Lochley thought he was the cat's meow, even after the hell he'd brought down on her head, and was pursuing him almost to the point of felony stalking!

The situation had at first been funny to all of the old Babylon 5 Command Staff, their old execs and all the old Ambassadors and their aides. Everyone had yucked it up at his expense for weeks. Zack had even told him that "what was good for the goose was good for the gander too" and now he knew exactly what Susan had felt at times! After they had found out that she'd "accidentally" lost and/or blocked the first three messages that had been sent to the EAS Titan to inform Susan of Marcus's recovery, the situation had stopped being so funny to anyone. It had become very worrying in the very instant when they'd found out that Lochley had Marcus watched "for his own safety" due to his "still fragile condition" by one of her EA cronies almost all the time.

Delenn had been unbelievably angry when she'd found that out. After she'd sent a high priority signal via her Minbari diplomatic channels to Susan, the First Lady had stormed her way into the Council Chamber and confronted the psychotic witch in the middle of a full Council meeting. Lochley had pulled out all the stops in the following and extremely ugly cat fight and had brought up her status as the "first Mrs. John Sheridan" right in front of the entire League Council and fledging ISA. John had NOT been pleased. He stood with his now shell-shocked wife and coldly responded with, "A mickied drink, a drugged and drunken roll on Vegas Station and a worthless piece of paper that hadn't even lasted a day did NOT a marriage make!"

Needless to say, all political hell had broken loose that day and one major diplomatic incident had been born. Earth Dome had been dragged in at that point. So had the Minbari Marka'ri Minsa (Council of Clans) and the Grey Council since, under Minbari law, divorce did not exist. And the Minbari government had NOT been pleased, nor had Earth Dome, but unlike President Luchenko they had NOT been willing to negotiate the situation away.

Getting the Councils to understand that the marriage had been annulled, and what that meant, because John had been drugged and drunk at the time of the ceremony and consummation (And hadn't John earned one HELL of a interstellar rep for being able to "perform" in that condition?) and therefore did not know what he was doing had taken the patience of Jobe on Marcus's part. A very desperate John had begged Marcus, who had still been in a hover-chair and still recovering, to act as his and Delenn's Speaker the minute they'd been informed that the Marka'ri Minsa legal tribunal was charging them with adultery and bigamy. Since Marcus was both worried for his friends and bored out of his mind due to his stay in med lab, he'd agreed to the almost impossible mission of explaining an annulment to the Councils. Luckily for the Sheridans, Marcus's standing as both an Anla'Shok (Ranger) who'd fought Den'shah (duel to the death) to protect his Entil'Zha and a Warrior who'd literally given his life to a dying comrade hade made all the Clans and Castes willing to listen. After all, only a true Id'Minbari (Minbari souled human) would be so true and loyal to those he loved.

Once the Councils had been made to understand the situation and the Clan Leaders and Satais (Rulers)had had a good chuckle at John's youthful gullibility, Marcus had thought the subject was put to rest and was ready to breathe a sigh of relief. Then some bright eyed, bushy tailed, eager to please, over achieving young aide – and in Marcus's opinion, unrelenting bastard – that had studied the EA legal codes in way too great a detail brought up the subject of "date rape". When the Councils understood what that meant, they were howling mad and after Lochley's blood. To the Minbari, rape was even worse a crime than murder. It was the worst crime possible by their standards. Since John was now a Minbari citizen due to his marriage to Delenn, they wanted Lochley prosecuted under both EA and Minbari law for it. That was when Marcus had to explain the EA statute of limitations.

The Councils, which were now extremely forgiving and protective of John because, of course, such a "horrid trauma" would give rise to the obvious psychological issues that had spawned "the Star Killer", then turned to the EA and demanded that Lochley be stripped of her Command and rank and be extradited to Minbar to face charges for an assault on one of their citizens. After all, the Minbari Federation was intelligent enough to have no statute of limitations on Capital crimes. And THAT was when Lochley had finally understood that she really was in trouble! Apparently, being convicted of rape was the one single thing in all of Minbari law thing the nullified Valen's Ban.

The snowballing situation had almost started a second Earth-Minbari War, ripped apart the fledgling ISA and stressed Delenn to the point that she almost miscarried. The Station had taken sides in what had become an interstellar tabloid battle of "he said/she said". Lochley and her supporters, who were mainly new EA attached relief crew, were outnumbered, out gunned and utterly reviled. They were hated both for not fighting Clark and for being so disrespectful of the First Couple. Then there was the fact that most of the old hands really thought that what she had allegedly done did amount to date rape. To make matters worse, none of the Ambassadors were willing to work with her and some even openly referred to her as the "Whore of Babylon" in front of the intergalactic press.

Marcus had to give the Babylon Bitch credit though. She'd fought like a hellcat through it all. Elizabeth Lochley entrenched herself, called favors from both Earth Dome and Earth Force and had somehow forced President Luchenko to back her position. The EA, Lochley and her Earth Force JAG rep maintained that no crime had been committed in the first place, and even if it had been, it hadn't occurred within the Federation borders and John hadn't been a citizen of the Minbari Federation at the time. Therefore, the Council of Clans' tribunal did not have jurisdiction to prosecute the so-called criminal case in the first place.

It hadn't worked. In the EA/Minbari Treaty of the Line, it clearly stated that the in the matter of an alleged crime against a citizen of the Minbari Federation by a citizen of the Earth Alliance, no matter the history of said crime, extradition was mandatory, and visa versa. After almost starting a new war with the Minbari over the issue, both Earth Dome and the Earth Force Joint Chiefs had seen that the Federation viewed the Treaty as ironclad and completely binding. Once they saw that Lochley was a lost cause, they'd jumped ship on her and left Captain Lochley to face the music alone.

In the end, Lochley had barely managed to keep her life, freedom and rank (and the rank was now very temporary), though not her post. The legendary John Sheridan was the only being in known space that could achieve that miraculous feat. He'd done it by using a classic military strategy; the three pronged attack. His first prong was doing the "let bygones be bygones" routine in the press. His second prong was heavily petitioning everyone and anyone on the Council of Clans to not prosecute because it would "conflict with his Christian Religious beliefs of forgiveness". Finally, the third prong was calling in favors with other ISA governments left and right to put pressure on the Minbari to listen to him.

That said, there was no way in hell that the wily politician in Sheridan was going to give up his new status as Minbari's Newly Found and Wounded Son by being so stupid as to say it hadn't been date rape, just youthful stupidity on both their parts. Politically, when it came to the Federation, it was better to be known as a "weak" rape victim than as "Sheridan the Star Killer". Even Delenn agreed with this stance and backed John one hundred percent. That went without mentioning the fact that she hated the Babylon Bitch just on principal. Or the fact that Delenn wanted Lochley filleted for messing with Marcus and Susan's communications.

What kept hammering the nails in Lochley's coffin though, was the fact that the ISA First Couple never publicly refuted the charges nor did they in any way defend her. They seemed to try and avoid the issue as much as possible and asked that the press let the past stay in the past. When directly asked if the charges were true, "no comment" came out faster than light speed. This of course had half the intergalactic press crucifying Lockley while the other half was saying that it must all be on big "misunderstanding". After all, no one was stupid enough to charge the Minbari Government with making false accusations.

The issue split the Minbari governing bodies as well. The issue in the Councils was split down Caste lines with the Religious and Worker Castes siding with John and saying that it was a Human matter and therefore the ISA President's wishes in regards to the charges should be granted. This said, they privately and urgently counseled him to change his stance for "his own good". John had even been visited on the Station by a delegation of Religious and Worker Caste Clan Leaders that included an Elder of the Family of Mir which had then oh so gently and sympathetically lectured him that, "One should of course forgive because doing so frees one's soul, but seeing his "attacker" brought to justice would also help heal the "old wounds to his soul" that forgiveness could not".

It had taken everything John and Delenn had in order to keep the proper mien though it all. John had thanked God and all of Creation that his family had come to see him and Delenn when this latest hell had broken loose. His very Christian and very experienced Ambassador of a father had been able to save the day with the delegation by thoroughly explaining the New Testament and how that Christian Belief had helped to "heal" his son in a way that the Minbari Elders could accept.

On the other hand, the Warrior Caste was incensed by the idea of a Warrior, any Warrior, being so shamefully used and wanted the matter to go to tribunal. The Warrior Caste Clan Leaders believed that it was Sheridan's "shame" at not noticing the drugging of his drink and then not being able to defend himself because of his drugged state that was causing him to try and avoid tribunal. The entire leadership of Caste had counseled John to take his case to tribunal. In the Caste's eyes, there was no dishonor in being victimized, but there was dishonor for any Warrior in avoiding a righteous battle, which they saw this matter as. Even the new Wind Sword Clan Leader had commed Sheridan to try and convince him to not let his "shame" stop him from facing down this Mora'dum (Death of Fear).

Luckily for the embattled Captain of Babylon 5, The Warrior Caste had been outvoted and Lochley escaped with her hide intact. Her career though, was a lost cause. After the prominence of the scandal in the interstellar press, the Federation's adamant refusal to acknowledge her status as the Captain of Babylon 5 and the unbelievable pressure from everyone else in the ISA on the EA, Lochley was being recalled to Earth.

Marcus snorted at what he had been told was the wording of that recall notice. Corwin had memorized it when it had come in and then shared it with all of the available old crowd. From what it had said, if Lochley wasn't forced to retire from Earth Force in the same manor as John had been once she got back, Marcus would eat his own denn'bok (Minbari pike) with hot sauce on it! Anyway, the bitch's replacement had been chosen by the ISA this time around and they hadn't given a damn about smoothing any EA and Earth Force ruffled feathers. Lochley's ignominious exit was now only days away.

In the mean time, the scandal was still front-page news all over known space and the psychotic woman was still stalking him. For whatever reason, Lochley didn't blame him for her problems and in her warped mind thought that "they still had a future together". As Marcus counted down the days until her replacement arrived and she was booted off the Station with all the proper procedures and regulations, he was in escape and evade mode on his own.

John and Delenn had left for Minbar in order to go into maternity seclusion and to avoid the press. They had taken Steven with them because of Delenn's and the baby's precarious health. Michael had had to go Mars because of an emergency with the board of directors of EGI. Lyta was too busy helping her new "friend" Byron in getting the rogue telepaths settled to be of any help. Londo was on Centauri Prime trying to clean up a scandal almost as bad as the whole Lochley mess (It was only getting the bottom half of the front pages, not the headlines.) that one of the younger courtiers had started and G'Kar was in seclusion meditating on his religious writings. Everyone else was trying to hold the Station and the ISA together during this storm.

Marcus was pulled out of his musings by the comm. going off. He slowly and wearily got up and went to answer it. The face that he saw as he turned on the now heavily secured BabCom unit made him sigh in relief.

"Oh thank God and Valen it's you, Susan! Thank you for not missing the check in call. How long before you get here?" Marcus immediately asked.

"We're still three and a half days out, Marcus." Susan answered. "How are you holding up?"

Marcus shuddered. "Not well, Susan. Not well at all. Can't your people pull any more power out of your reactors?" he asked desperately.

Susan sighed in frustration. "I'm already redlining the engines to get the constant speed that we're getting now and my engineering team is cursing me to hell and back. No matter how powerful she is the Titan will never match a White Star in speed, dushanko moi (my soul). Just go to ground until I get there and personally kick her insane, Clark-loving ass off of my – our Station."

Marcus took a shuddering breath and sent a desperate and pleading look to the woman he'd given his life to and still loved. "I don't know if I can keep evading her, Susachtka. And I'm starting to think that she's hired some slicer to try hack my auto-lock. Well, it's either that or I'm getting paranoid and/or losing my mind."

Susan ground her teeth in frustration and rage. No matter how much he annoyed her, Marcus was HER Ranger and the Whore of Babylon was so NOT getting another notch on her bedpost! And definitely not at the expense of a virgin!

"Get Zack to bunk with you, and if he can't, get one of your Ranger buddies. Don't leave your quarters even if the effen' Shadows return and under no circumstances are you to let that insane bitch anywhere near you! You'll either go down the same damned and ugly road as John did or end up having to kill her to keep her off you. And we REALLY don't need the stink that will raise with the EA and Earth Force."

Marcus shuddered again and nodded. "Please, please hurry, ah'fel (my love). I really don't want to be that psychotic bitch's latest victim."