Setting of next scene: during season 2, episode 19 ("Divided Loyalties"), after their cute talk at the newspaper recycler and near the end of their little chat in the garden. It doesn't add very much to that scene, but I need it in this story for future reference!

She's bounced back quickly. She always bounces back quickly and he admires her for it. There may be something to her rituals and meditation after all, because it's taken him longer than her to come to terms with the extinction of an entire race. But she is focused again, reading Universe Today to stay informed as he has just found out, and working hard to provide aid to the Narns now that their world has been conquered by the Centauri. She meets him in the garden, asking to meet him tomorrow to discuss food shipments to Narn but he's preoccupied with the situation that Lyta has brought to his attention. One of his own most trusted crew members could be a traitor. Not knowingly, but still. Hell, it could even be him! Wouldn't that be a cruel twist of fate? He could lose everything, just when they're about to get ready to face this new threat coming their way. He doesn't want to bore Delenn with the details but without knowing what he's so preoccupied with, she manages to cheer him up anyway. How can she not know what a butt is? And how the hell should he explain that to her? Like she's just said, the folks on Minbar hadn't thought it appropriate for one of the religious caste to learn about the more colorful aspects of the English language. So wouldn't it be equally inappropriate for him to teach her? It might be fun but he doesn't know Delenn well enough yet to be sure she'd appreciate it. Still, 'life kicking you in the butt' isn't that strange an expression, is it? He decides not to make a big deal out of it and settles for telling her,

"Well, you're missing out on a lot."

"So I gather," Delenn says. Then, she starts trying to use the new word and it's hilarious.

"I butt, you butt, he or she butts …"

He has to stop her but it's too funny.

Delenn likes to make the Captain smile. She has an idea by now that she's using the word all wrong but she enjoys how funny John seems to think it is. Laughter is good for the soul and she is happy to help him with that. He is grinning when he tells her she sounds like a motor boat.

"Motor butt? I do not think I like the sound of that," she jokes.

"Well, I don't blame you. I'm against the whole idea!"

"Then we are in agreement?"

"Abso-fraggin-lutely."

She will need to look that word up later but for now, she smiles and concludes,

"Well, there you see."

"What?" John asks.

"Something has gone your way today. It's the way the universe works. Wait just a little while, and the wheel turns."

Once more, her hand finds his hand, resting on his knee. It is that part of her again that keeps wanting to reach out to him. When John looks at their hands and back up at her, she doesn't pull away. Not this time, she has decided. Not when he didn't pull away the last time they held hands.

As if on cue, John's link beeps underneath her hand. He will have to respond so she has no choice but to retract her hand after all. He is needed elsewhere on the station and she needs to let him go. After a slightly awkward silence, she manages to give him a sweet smile before saying goodbye and retreating. She's getting better at this, she thinks. At least she didn't flee the scene like a frightened bird this time. She doesn't want to run away from what she is feeling this time, and she knows it is something she will need to think about. Just as soon as she can get that wide grin off of her face.

Setting of next scene: season 2, award-winning episode 21, "Comes the Inquisitor". Yikes …

(I am going to assume that you who are reading this, remember the episode. I am taking just a few scenes from it and will expand them a little while condensing others.)

A lot has happened in only a few days. They've lost Talia to the evil personality that the Psy Corps had implanted in her mind, but they were able to remove her from their midsts before she learned about their plans. Draal has aligned himself with them, placing Epsilon 3 and the Great Machine with all it's potential at his disposal. Since the Narn homeworld has fallen and is now under Centauri control, Babylon 5 has given G'Kar sanctuary. This will only increase tensions between Londo Mollari and the former Ambassador, who is now referred to as Citizen G'Kar. John's getting nervous about all these Nightwatch members among his security personnel, recruited by Earth to keep an eye on things on the station. And to top it all off, Delenn has introduced him to the Rangers, an elite force consisting of Humans and Minbari, who have been training vigorously and who are continuously on the lookout for any hostile activity on the rim and other sources of unrest in the galaxy. Delenn has transferred equal authority over the Rangers in their area of space to him and has vowed to stand by him in the days ahead, with the Rangers. All these developments have given John a new sense of urgency about the coming darkness she has been talking about. They are actually forming an Army of Light now.

And now this man is here to see Delenn. Sebastian.

He arrived in a Vorlon ship, which raises every single red flag John has. His brief conversation with the man hasn't exactly put his mind at ease. Delenn has asked him not to interfere, no matter what happens. He has secured an area in Grey 19 for them where they can be alone, but he's restless about it. He tries to go about his business as usual, but this man is in the back of his mind at all times. There's something off with him and he doesn't like it. He doesn't want him near Delenn at all but she herself has insisted that she needs to meet with this man, alone. Apparently, it's some kind of test by the Vorlons to be sure that Delenn is the right person for the job that lies ahead of them. John knows the Vorlons are important for the battle that is to come, but he doesn't trust them. No one he knows has ever even seen a Vorlon outside of those encounter suits they wear and even after two years on Babylon 5, Ambassador Kosh is still a mystery to all of them. John doesn't trust what he can't see, and he sure as hell doesn't trust this cold-eyed Human they have sent to talk to Delenn.

He manages to focus on business for a while and tries to help G'Kar in any way he can to maintain his position as the spokesperson of the Narns on Babylon 5. When John walks towards his quarters later in the day, he suddenly hears someone calling his name, and a very agitated Lennier comes running towards him.

"Captain! Captain Sheridan!"

"Mr Lennier, what can I do for you?"

"Defy Kosh," Lennier gasps, slightly out of breath. "You're the only one who can. You're the only one he'll listen to!"

Before John can ask what this is about, Lennier explains.

"It's Ambassador Delenn … the … the inquisitor … I think he's killing her!"

John is on the move in an instant and makes his way to Grey 19 as fast as he can. If Lennier thinks the inquisitor is killing Delenn, it must be very bad.

After opening the large, round door, he sees Sebastian leaning over Delenn, who is lying on the floor in the middle of the room, crumpled and helpless. He doesn't know what's wrong with her but he knows he can't bear to see her like this.

"And the final player in our little drama arrives," Sebastian says solemnly, his back still turned to John.

"Leave her alone!" John orders, his PPG in hand and charged.

He wants the creep away from Delenn right now but suddenly he's hit against the wall by fire coming from the man's cane. The next thing he knows, he's tied up with manacles of some kind and being interrogated. Sebastian says he and Delenn are linked at the hip. That he's just as bad as she is. John has no idea what has been going on between Sebastian and Delenn. The inquisitor is asking him questions about all the people who are affected by the decisions he makes, and sends jolts of incredible pain through his body by waving his cane. John has no chance to say anything between the lashes of pain. The inquisitor must have already made up his mind about him. Is this what he's been doing to her, too?

And then Delenn cries out,

"Enough! Your quarrel is with me! You were sent to investigate me! Let him go. If you want to take someone, then take me!"

She has gotten back on her feet and stumbles towards both men slowly. John insists that she just leave. He desperately wants her out of there, no matter what this man does to him after that, but Sebastian has new questions for her.

She would trade her life for the Captain's? What about her destiny, he asks Delenn, taunting her. Is that destiny not worth one life? What about her great cause?

"This is my cause!" Delenn screams. "Life! One life or a billion, it's all the same!"

The inquisitor seems stunned. He is standing between two people who would willingly die alone to save one another. Whose sole motive is to protect, whether it be many or just one.

The inquisitor waves his cane and suddenly he is gone and so are their manacles. They don't know what happened but they fall into each others' arms, needing to make sure that they are both alright. Then, the door opens and they start to walk towards it, still holding each other tightly. Sebastian appears again outside the door and he finally concedes that they, both of them, have passed the test.

"How do you know the chosen ones?" Sebastian asks, then continues to answer his own question. "No greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for his friend. Not for millions, not for glory, not for fame... for one person. In the dark. Where no one will ever know or see. I've been in the service of the Vorlons for centuries, looking ... Diogenes with his lamp looking for a man willing to die for all the wrong reasons. At last, my job is finished. Yours is just beginning. When the darkness comes, know this: You are the right people, in the right place, at the right time."

And then, he leaves them alone.

Delenn holds John a little tighter. She hadn't understood the test during the long hours that man was questioning her; torturing her; but she does now.

"What did he do to you, Delenn?" John asks her softly, and his tender voice is like music to her ears.

His arms are still around her and she feels strangely safe now. It's a stark contrast to the long hours she's spent in this barren room, alone, cold and in the dark, both literally and figuratively.

"It does not matter now," she tells him but John doesn't give up that easily.

"Yes, it does," he insists. "I'm taking you to Medlab and after you've been checked out, I'm taking you home. If he did anything I can charge him with, you need to tell me and I'll do it!"

He is slightly agitated again and she finds it endearing. She knows now that he gets that way when he is concerned about her. She does feel weak physically but she suspects that the manacles have not actually damaged her system. They have only given her pain. Still, it may not be a bad idea to have Dr. Franklin check her out. And John too. He doesn't think it's necessary because he was only interrogated for a few minutes, but he will humor her as long as she is checked out too.

Stephen Franklin is a little shocked when he sees Delenn so disheveled but she does not wish to talk much about what has happened to her. The doctor recommends food and rest and lots of liquids.

"If you can, take a few days off," he adds.

John chuckles next to her and she pokes him in the ribs gently with her elbow. He knows she won't take time off. It is not in her nature and he's exactly the same, so he can't blame her.

"I'll see to it that she takes at least the night off," John promises and Delenn sighs demonstratively.

"It's good advice, Ambassador," Dr. Franklin assures her.

"I know. Thank you, Doctor," she tells him, smiling.

"Okay, let's go," John says decisively and he holds out his arm. "The doc orders rest, food and liquids. Now the resting part is up to you, but I'm taking care of the nutrition part."

Delenn takes a breath to respond but John cuts her off.

"And I'm not taking no for an answer. Doctor's orders."

She finally gives up and loops her arm through his. She will not admit it easily, but the extra support is welcome for now. She still feels weak and her legs are wobbly. If John notices, he doesn't say anything and she is grateful.

Back in her quarters, John makes sure she drinks enough and while she attempts to fix her messy hair in her bedroom, he orders something called pizza to be delivered to them. She likes it. They sit at her high table across from each other and once she has finished a slice, John finally asks her,

"Tell me what he did to you, Delenn."

She starts shaking her head even before he has finished asking the question.

"You heard him, John. We passed the test when he was convinced we aren't just having delusions of grandeur. I did not know that was what he was after. That must be why it took so long. But it is done now."

"Did he hurt you?" John insists. "Like what he did to me?"

"Yes," she says quietly. "Every time I gave a wrong answer."

"And how many times was that?"

Delenn takes a deep breath and breathes out slowly. She wants to forget about the whole thing and look forward, not back.

"It does not matter."

"It matters to me!" John says vehemently. "By God Delenn, if he touched you …"

"He never touched me. Just through the pain givers."

John can tell that Delenn is trying to shut him down, but he doesn't want her to go through everything on her own. She needs to talk about these things, to share her feelings with someone. And he wants to be that someone. Not Lennier or anyone else. Him. He wonders if he's being selfish, pushing her to talk. If it's just because he wants her to start relying on him, if only for a small part. Just when he thinks that maybe he should stop pushing, Delenn speaks again.

"Every answer was wrong."

She picks up a second slice of pizza and takes a bite. John lets the meaning of her words sink in. Every answer was wrong so the guy must have been hurting her the whole day. No wonder Lennier thought he was killing her.

"I did not understand the test, so how could I pass it?" she adds.

"He never explained what he was after?" John asks.

Delenn shakes her head.

"No. All he did was question my motives. His goal was simply to make me admit that I was somehow wrong."

"About what?"

"Everything."

John reaches out to her then and wraps his fingers around her free wrist.

"That must have been hell."

"Yes."

"I want to charge that … man with assault," he says, and Delenn can tell that he is trying to contain his anger.

"Please don't," she asks him. She puts her slice of pizza down and covers his hand, that is still holding her wrist, with her own. "I could have taken the manacles off at any time. I underwent this inquisition willingly."

"To appease Kosh," John spits. "What's the big deal with him, anyway!"

"John. The Vorlons are crucial in the battle that is ahead of us," Delenn cautions him. "We cannot have them doubting us."

"Yeah well … I can't have them torturing you either."

Delenn smiles and looks down at their joined hands. She caresses the back of his hand and glances up at him.

"I am touched by your concern for my well-being, Captain. But there are bigger things to worry about than our own lives. That was the whole point of this inquisition."

"You're no better than I am. You know that, right?" John asks her, and his words surprise her very much.

"What do you mean?"

John rubs the inside of her wrist gently with his thumb.

"You were ready to die out there and throw it all away … for me."

His last words are soft, almost reverent, and Delenn has to look away. He is right and even though that very decision had made her pass the test, she has to wonder if it had been her innate drive to save any life that had made her make that choice, of if there had been another element to it. An element that she sees reflected in the Captain's eyes very clearly right now. The inquisitor had spoken of love and they had both remained silent. It was an unspoken truth between them and she did not know what to say. She knows she would have said and done the same thing if Sebastian had held someone else captive, because life truly is her cause. Always has been, always will be. But for John, it would not have been difficult at all to give herself up. Maybe that is because he is so much like her, despite all their differences.

"You would have done the same thing for me," she says quietly.

"Yes. I would have."

They are silent then, both very much aware of what is growing between them but unable, or maybe afraid, to put it into words just yet. John isn't sure if he should ever say anything about it. Maybe it's better not to, because they have no idea if they're even going to make it out alive once the ancient enemy returns. He smiles inwardly. Ancient enemy. He's even beginning to think like she talks now.

When they finally finish their pizza and he has made sure she has another drink, he leaves her so she can rest. She promises him she will try to sleep and he will just have to take her word for it. He can't very well stay to check on her, can he?

John smiles when he turns to face her at her door and she can see his hesitation. He does not seem to want to leave. And she finds that maybe she does not really want him to leave either. Once he is gone and her door has closed, she closes her eyes and shakes her head. They need to stay focused on the task ahead. They do not need this distraction right now. And yet, when she is finally in her bed, she remembers what it had felt like to have his arms wrapped around her and she finds herself smiling again.

To be continued.