Title: Gifts
Author: Third Charm
Fandom: Babylon 5
Pairings: Marcus/Neroon.
Story Type: Seasonal Fluff
Current Rating: T
Disclaimer: Babylon 5 and all subsequent major characters, plots, and ideas are the property of J. Michael Straczynski, Babylonian Inc. and Warner Bros. The following story was written only for the purposes of entertainment. No income had been made.
Warnings: AU and AT, not beta read, slash.
Spoilers: None really.
Summary: The most precious gifts are those given from the heart.
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.
Gifts
The precious crystal framed portrait sat on next to the golden colored box it had been delivered in, with the facets of the frame casting prisms of colors against the gold in the firelight. It was a beautiful portrait of a Ranger in a sun-dappled garden, reclining against a tree trunk and lost in an ancient and leather bound volume. The serenity and beauty of the image were enough to bring tears to the eyes of those who gazed at it, but it was not the image that affected the recipient of that precious gift so.
No, what bought tears to the eyes of the man that was the subject of the painting was the card that had come with it. The Ranger continually ran his fingers over those words, wanting a tangible connection to them even as he reread them again and again. It was
those words, painstakingly and precisely hand written on the ancient paper, that the Ranger treasured beyond all else, for they spoke from the heart of the one he held dearer than his own life.
Marcus,
Gifts are sometimes so unexpected. Your understanding is one such gift. Gifts are sometimes enlightening. Your faith is one such gift. Gifts are sometimes empowering. Your respect is one such gift. Gifts are sometimes treasures beyond compare. Your trust is one such gift. Gifts are sometimes miracles wrought by the Universe Manifest itself. Your love is one such gift. And gifts are sometimes nothing more than the most closely guarded dreams come true. Your passion is one such gift.
That we have come together to become one, that you have consented to be my beloved mala (spouse), that you have given me all of these parts of you and yet still more has made me the richest being in the universe, my One. I thank all that is held Holy that you have come into my life. Your love, your faith in me, and your devotion all humble me while at the same time making me a stronger person. You make me want to be a better person, a better Minbari, a better Warrior and a better leader of all our people.
It is for you that I wake every morn and it is for you that I want to change the Universe into a better place. I had this image painted of you from a still I had taken clandestinely so that you may see the beauty that I see when I behold you with my eyes. It is that peace, that serenity and happiness that was wrapped around you and captured in that moment that I wish with all my heart that I could gift you with for always, and it is that peace that I will always strive for. I love you, my heart, and may this tiny moment of captured peace always remind you of our love.
Happy Christmas Beloved,
Neroon
"Oh God, Neroon, you're one sappy bastard of a Minbari and I love you all the more for it," Marcus Cole choked out before wiping his eyes and practically falling into the Warrior's waiting arms.
End