Chapter 4
"Why were we called here so urgently, John? Is there something wrong?" asked Delenn, as soon as the doors had shut behind her and Marcus Cole. She looked around his quarters for any clue as to why she and Marcus had been strongly urged to come here immediately. There did not appear to be anything amiss, so far. Neither she, nor Marcus had heard of any major events that required their attention. She was beginning to be more puzzled than alarmed.
"Ah, Captain, are you sure that you want me around, sir?" asked Marcus in his British accent. He had also observed nothing wrong and was starting to think that maybe he had not really been included in the Captain's invitation.
All eyes turned towards Ivanova as she stepped from the kitchen area with what looked like a tall glass of orange juice. She did not verbally acknowledge Delenn and Marcus, simply nodding her head at each of them slightly. She took a large gulp of her juice and sat down on a sofa, staring blankly at the closed door leading to the bedroom.
Sheridan sighed. He really couldn't blame her and he probably could do with a stiff drink himself. He doubted that glass contained only orange juice but he wasn't going to reprimand her right now. She had told Corwin to call her if there was any need but they had both set all other affairs to the side for now. This new situation was undoubtedly enough to deal with for the rest of the day, though Sheridan had a feeling it would probably take much, much longer than that.
Delenn and Marcus both turned towards him with even more questioning expressions. He sighed and wondered how he could go about telling them about Iona, Will and DJ without sounding absolutely insane. He opened his mouth to speak and then shut it again. He stared at them for a little longer causing Delenn to start becoming very worried and confusing the life out of Marcus.
Delenn was just about to speak when the bedroom door opened and Iona walked out. She looked at them and they stared at her in shock.
Iona felt like screaming in sheer frustration but settled for a sigh. She was thirsty. She looked at Sheridan, "May I have something to drink please?" she asked.
Sheridan gave up and decided to let her do the explaining, he got her a glass of water and decided that he had missed his chance to be a proper host and ask his new guests what they wanted to drink. He gently led Delenn to the sofa and sat down beside her. Marcus followed with a gaping jaw and sat down next to Ivanova which was the only other available seat. Iona had resumed her former position of watching the bedroom door.
"Draal sent me here from another universe. An alternate timeline which has significant differences to yours. Myself and my younger siblings were sent here for our safety," started Iona.
"Why were you sent to us specifically?" asked Delenn calmly, she had recovered her composure and was wondering why Sheridan was radiating so much unease. This did not sound like a very exciting or disastrous situation. She also wondered at Susan's sullen silence. She immediately felt compassion for the young girl and her siblings.
"Um, the reason that they're so nervous is that my name is Iona Sophie Ivana Sheridan and I'm the daughter of Susan Ivanova and John Sheridan in my universe. My half siblings are William Jeffrey Cole, who's the son of Susan Ivanova-Cole and Marcus Cole. And Delenn Jenna Sheridan, daughter of Delenn and John Sheridan. He's four and she's just three. They're sleeping and I asked that you be here so that I could explain things to you before they wake up. I'm afraid we haven't got much time. The sedatives our Dr Franklin prescribed for them are only going to last about three quarters of an hour now.
I'd like to tell you as much as possible about them before they wake up so that when they do, it'll be easier for them. We didn't have much time to explain to them anything and they are really smart but the concept of alternate realities is not really within their sphere just yet," continued Iona in a rush.
Delenn turned to look at Sheridan and he nodded. She could tell that he believed Iona. That meant that she would too. She trusted his judgment. But it was extremely startling all the same. A daughter with Susan and her daughter as well. She would never have imagined such a thing. And yet, they were here.
Marcus' jaw fell agape once more. The Captain and Commander had a teenage daughter? And he was married to Susan and had a son? Sure it was in another universe but he would never have even dared imagine the possibility even in his wildest dreams. Married to her and with a four year old son. In Valen's name. His universe had just been turned topsy-turvy. He didn't dare glance at Susan beside him. No wonder she wasn't talking at all.
"Right, now you're all here. May I please tell you what you need to know so that when Will and DJ come running up to be kissed and cuddled by their parents, you don't scare them off and scar them emotionally forever," said Iona, somewhat impatiently. She was getting tired and it was just as difficult for her as it was for them.
Ivanova looked up as she sensed Iona's thoughts and felt ashamed at her thoughtlessness. Of course, Iona must be very tired and frightened herself. She was barely an adult yet and she had so much responsibility already. It must be hell for her.
"Yes, Iona, we're listening," spoke Susan, in a gentle tone that none of the adults had ever quite heard from her before. They could not believe she could sound so tender.
Iona responded to that familiar, reassuring tone and the soothing touch on her mind. It strongly reminded her of her mother. This Ivanova looked exactly like her, except for the absence of the ring on her finger. Iona shut her eyes for a second, she missed her mother desperately. She took a deep breath.
"Okay, so they've both been born and brought up on Babylon 5. They live with both their parents and we need to figure that out. They're really close, DJ adores Will and pretty much follows him everywhere. Will's pretty good with her and is quite protective over his 'little sister'. Their godparents are the other's parents.
They both speak standard English and Minbari fluently. That's because they have been taught everything together. They both usually stay with whichever of their parents who are not involved in something that excludes the presence of children. So apart from some lessons with Lennier and Brother Theo, they usually are with whoever is doing paperwork or with me, or with Marcus plotting mischief, or with Dr Franklin or with Mr. Garibaldi or sometimes even Lieutenant Corwin," narrated Iona.
There were amused grins across the room at the thought of Corwin babysitting.
"Will loves peanut butter sandwiches and hates apples. He's an absolute bundle of energy and his nickname among the adults is usually 'the little terror' but that seems to be expected considering who his parents are. He's usually cheerful, good-natured and a lovable little fellow. But if he ever gets worked up about something then Uncle Stephen says that's when he's exactly like his mother. He has had tantrums like you wouldn't believe. For someone so little he has a good set of lungs on him. Fortunately for everyone they are far and few in between. The last one he had, it was because he got sick and both his parents had to be away at the same time. I can't remember how it started but he screamed himself hoarse and refused to swallow his medicine until his father came back hours later. That was about four or five months ago now. He's been fine since.
DJ, is usually an absolute angel. However she does tend to spend most of her time with Will and follows what he does quite willingly. So while she's actually quite even-tempered and gentle, you usually don't realize it when she's with Will. She's always kept up with him and that probably requires a lot of energy.
She's incredibly smart for her age and is basically learning at the same rate as Will, which is fair enough because they're actually only eight months apart in age, just born in different years. She eats most things but in small, dainty amounts.
She can be really quiet while Will seems to be quite unable to sit still for any period of time. She's definitely her parents' daughter and her nickname is 'the little princess'. I don't think she's ever had a tantrum. Not to my knowledge anyway.
They're both fantastic kids and they're great to have around. They love and adore their parents absolutely.
But the last time they saw them," Iona's voice faltered.
Susan took Iona's hand and gripped it gently as she felt the wave of pain come over Iona.
"The last time, we saw them," said Iona slowly with a shudder. She stopped.
"It must have been very difficult for you," said Delenn kindly.
Iona only nodded with her head down. Her eyes were shut and they were brimming over with tears that she refused to let fall just yet. Not right now. She had to be strong.
"It's alright. We can guess what it was like. You don't have to tell us right now," soothed Susan gently.