Chapter 11

There was no reply from the Centauri.

Kratos came back and sat beside Mary, tail twitching. "Such a brave kitty, aren't you, lovey?" Mary teased.

Sheridan could only stare.

At that moment G'Kar appeared, cradling something in his arms.

"Mary Clarke, I saw the screaming young Centauri. Is this a bad time?" he asked politely.

"For you, G'Kar, never. For that dickhead Centauri, it's going to be a bad time for a very long time!" Mary cackled.

"Indeed. I do wish there was a camera in the area. I know of certain people who would pay a fortune to see that again," G'Kar said, amused.

Sheridan glared at him, not sure what else to do.

"And you must be Kratos, the feline I have heard my people talk so much about," G'Kar said to the cat, who started winding itself around his boots and purring.

"What can I do for you and who is your little friend?" Mary asked.

"I found this kitten earlier today and I have tried to take care of it, but I fear this is beyond my capabilities. Some people have expressed interest in him, and I suspect not in a good way," G'Kar explained, handing over the kitten.

Mary lifted the kitten up, who squeaked at her. She then turned it around, lifted the tail up, and said, "Nice set of testies there. It's a male." She turned the kitten around, looked at Kratos, who was sniffing the air curiously, and knelt down. "Whatcha think, Kratty dear?" she asked, letting the older cat sniff the kitten. Kratos gave a rumbling meow and started washing the kitten, much to his indignation.

"Is he hurting the kitten?" G'Kar asked worriedly.

Both Mary and Sheridan shook their heads.

"Kratos is giving the kitten a bath, whether the kitten wants it or not," Sheridan explained. "It's a sign of affection and acceptance."

"So Kratos has accepted the kitten?" G'Kar asked.

"Looks like it," Mary said. "If Kratty's accepted him then I guess that means I've got another traveling companion. The boys are just going to love me." She gave a mischievous grin. "I don't think Duncan has quite forgiven Kratty for stealing the meat in his steak sandwich when he was but a wee kitty. This should be fun."

It wasn't long before the North Star was ready to depart. In C&C Sheridan looked up as Delenn joined him.

"The North Star is about to depart," Sheridan said. "We're clearing her now."

Delenn nodded. "She said she's heading back to Earth, that she has to go underground for a while. I wonder what she'll do when she does."

"I don't know, but I'm sure we'll see her again and I'm sure she'll have some stories to tell."

"Babylon Control to North Star, you are cleared for departure," Ivanova said.

"Thank you, Babylon Control. Be safe and keep the light on," replied Mary.

"Will do, North Star. Babylon Control out."

And she was gone.

2281:

Sheridan was gone.

His White Star ship had been found in the Coriana system, empty, with no sign of anyone or any thing. All the airlocks were sealed, the shuttles were in place, and everything had been shut down.

Babylon 5 was also gone.

Having become a navigational hazard now that the majority of trade and diplomacy was bypassing the station, Earth Alliance had scuttled it.

The sun was rising on Minbar and Delenn was watching it, just as she used to do every morning with her husband, before he'd left.

As the sun came up, Delenn became aware of someone in a hooded robe standing next to her.

"Hello, my friend," the person said in perfect Minbari. Still, there was a trace of an accent, one Delenn was sure she recognized but could not quite place.

Hands came out and lowered the hood. It was Mary Clarke. Even after all these years, Delenn still recognized the Immortal. Her brown hair, streaked with red, was tucked in a bun at the nape of her neck.

"Hello, Old Friend," Delenn said, smiling at her.

"I was sorry to hear about John. He was a good man."

"Yes, he was."

"He has a place in our chronicles," Mary said. "He will be remembered, not so much as for what he did, but who he was as a person, because what he did was important, but who he was is just as important." She glanced at Delenn. "For some of us, he reminded us to not just survive, but to live."

"And he did."

"And so he shall." She looked back out at the rising sun. "I know I've been away for a while, but with the rebuilding of Earth after Clark and the Drakh plague, it's been a long road."

"You were needed on Earth, I know," Delenn assured her. "I'm glad you came."

"As am I. I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"I have a request, Mary, the last one I shall ever ask of you."

"For you, Old Friend, of course."

"I suspect it shall be many years before it is my time. When that time does come, will you stay by my side?"

Mary smiled. "I would be honored. Send a Ranger to a place called Joe's Bar, in Seacouver, Washington State, on Earth. I may not be there, but the message will get to me. If, for some reason, I cannot come, another will be with you in my stead, someone who knows."

"Thank you," Delenn said softly.

And Mary left.

As she passed through the halls, she passed by Susan Ivanova, who was now Anla-shok Na, or Ranger One. She nodded politely and Ivanova froze.

"I know you," she said, confused. "But I don't understand."

"Some things are best left to the Great Mysteries of the Universe," Mary said softly. "This... is one of them."

And with that, Mary continued on her way, leaving Ivanova to stare after her in silence.

Years later:

The Ranger had come to the bar and given the message. It was time.

The Rangers took Mary straight to Minbar, the transit time cut drastically by the new quantum space drives.

The other Minbari didn't understand why Delenn had asked a young human female to be there in the last moments of her life. As far as any of them knew, she had never seen or met this person. Yet Delenn greeted her like an old friend and the human spoke Minbari with a slight trace of an accent.

"I'm so tired," Delenn whispered.

"I understand, Old Friend. It's time for you to rest now."

"I miss John. Do you think I will see him again?"

"I do, and I think he's waiting for you."

"What's death like?"

"For you, love, it'll be like going to sleep after a long, hard day. You'll close your eyes and you'll wake up and find yourself whole and beautiful and young again. You'll see the friends and family who passed before you, the ones you've missed for so long, and you'll be able to hold them and talk to them again."

"What of you?"

"Me? I'll be here, where I've always been. I'll be watching, learning, and maybe guiding. I'll remember the wars, the sacrifices, the people, and the deeds. I'll remember it all, and if there ever comes a time when it's in danger of being forgotten or manipulated for the evil of others, I'll be there to defend it, to tell the story again, the way it was first written."

"Don't forget me."

Mary leaned close, holding her hand tightly, and smiled. "Delenn, Old Friend, that will never happen."

Delenn sighed. "It's getting darker."

"That's okay. Soon the light will come again; it always does."

"I can't see you anymore."

"I'm right here."

"John? Is that you?"

"Go to him, Delenn. We'll meet again one day."

Delenn smiled, seeing something beyond Mary's sight. "John..."

"Eternal peace, Old Friend, eternal peace."

End