Setting of next scene: season 4, end of episode 11 ("Lines of Communication"). In this episode, Delenn has her first runin with the Drakh. Needless to say that the Drakh did not survive it! She decides that she needs to go back to Minbar, which is on the brink of civil war. At the end of the episode, she announces to John that she leaves the next day …

(This chapter will make clear why this story is T rated. Maybe even higher? Frankly, I have no idea what people reading this story expect or like, so I'm kind of anxious about this one as well as the next chapter ... but it made sense to me that this would eventually happen between our two lovebirds and this moment in the show seemed to make absolute sense.)

John really doesn't want her to leave. He gets it. He does. Delenn is needed back on Minbar and he needs to be 'dangerous' again, as she puts it. And she's right. It's easier to risk things when she can't end up in the line of fire. No matter how well she can take care of herself, and has even saved his life on several occasions, he gets protective like that of the ones he loves. And by God, he loves her.

She's different tonight, as if she's struggling herself with the prospect of being apart once more. There's no telling how long it will be this time, and like she's reminded him again, he only has so much time left. Twenty years may sound like a lot now, but time has a way of slipping through your fingers. It seems like such a waste to spend any of it apart now.

And that's exactly why she needs to go. They both have work to do. They can't lock themselves up in their quarters and pretend like the world outside doesn't exist anymore, no matter how badly he'd like to keep her exactly where she is right now, wrapped around him on the sofa in her quarters.

They had ordered in. He hadn't wanted other people around tonight. This was their night and he'd need the memory of her sweet face and her kisses for a long time before he'd see her again. He knows she feels it too. She is learning from him why Humans want to touch each other so much but she needs no coaxing tonight. Her need to be close is as strong as his. Maybe even stronger. He can't help wondering how close she is planning to get exactly …

They have not had any meaningful time together since that slightly confusing ritual in her sleeping quarters. It had been uncomfortable for him at first, touching her intimately and being touched by her while others were close enough to hear them. Still, they had gotten to know each other's bodies better, and had even stretched the limits of physical contact set by the Shan-Fall a little. Even then, he had needed her skin against his and he had wanted to please her, although the presence of the other Minbari just outside her bedroom had stopped them from getting too caught up in their passion. The Minbari had burst into song almost like clockwork whenever things heated up between them, and he knows that is how the ritual was supposed to work. He had given her pleasure with his hands and mouth though, and a few interesting accessories, like she had him. He had given her more than she had expected, because he'd given her a release and she had been like jello in his arms afterwards. She had whispered to him, you should not have done that, but he'd had no regrets and in the end, she'd slept soundly on his chest and had not mentioned it again. As far as they knew, the other Minbari are still unaware of what had happened. They had not started a song. He knows he was supposed to keep his hands outside her underwear but she hadn't stopped him and he hadn't wanted to stop. And when he'd asked her if it was okay, she had simply closed her eyes and nodded, letting it happen. As for him, her silent gasp as her body trembled, clenching around his fingers, has been seared in his brain forever.

Now, her hand has drifted underneath his shirt and she is caressing his chest. His skin burns where she touches him and he wants more.

Delenn finds herself needing. Needing more of him before she has to go. She has always prided herself in knowing what she needs to do and then doing it, no matter what. But it is getting harder for her because of him. It is another reason why she has to leave, she knows this. But knowing it is the right thing to do, does not make it less painful. It almost hurts physically to know she may not see him again for months after tonight. Maybe she will never see him again, because in this war, there are no guarantees. They have both played their part in the war against the Shadows and it is over. But their own worlds are in turmoil and John is a target of his own world's government, plain and simple. Maybe she is a target back home as well, she does not know for certain. She will need to find out once she is on Minbar again. But before she leaves, they have this one night together and she needs. Needs him. More of him than ever before. All of him.

They are lying close together on their sides, facing each other, stretched out on her comfortable sofa. It is better for him than her tilted bed. She does not remember exactly how they got here but it doesn't matter. John's warm skin is inviting and when he pulls her even closer to him, she can feel that he is as affected by their closeness as she is. Delenn pushes her hips against his and John groans.

"You're killing me," he says softly in her ear, and goosebumps break out all over her skin where his breath hits her neck.

"We cannot have that," she whispers. "It would be such a waste of this night."

"Yes, it would," John hums, his lips skimming the shell of her ear.

His hand caresses her back and drifts down to cup her butt. She returns the favor, squeezing John's butt cheek gently.

"I butt, you butt," John says against her ear, his voice a low rumble. Delenn laughs out loud. It had been such a silly yet liberating moment between them, all those months ago. A lot has happened since then. She almost lost him and she almost lost his love. But he has come back to her and wants to spend the years he has left in this life by her side. The sparkling ring on her left hand gives testament to that.

"I love you, Delenn," John tells her softly.

"And I love you. More than I had ever thought possible," she answers him truthfully.

They stare into each others' eyes for a few long moments, and then their lips find each other once more in a long, passionate kiss. There is an urgency in their kissing, almost as if their bodies fear it may be the last chance they have to be together. John's hands roam her body, eager to touch her and she knows what he is after. She is after the same thing, even if it makes her nervous. She has only just begun to understand the human side of her new body and even if John had been very pleased with the Shan-Fall ritual, she is uncertain if she will be able to meet his expectations. He has been married before, after all. And while her body is clearly willing, John senses her hesitation, like she should have known he would.

John breaks off their intimate kiss and rests his forehead against hers. He closes his eyes. He needs a moment to regain his composure. He doesn't understand Minbari boundaries completely yet. He knows what he'd want, but he doesn't know if Delenn is ready. He isn't sure which ritual is next for them at this stage in their relationship, and what she would be comfortable with.

He clears his throat and he feels Delenn tense in his arms. She has to know what he's going to ask her next.

"Delenn, tell me something."

"What do you want to know?" she asks him softly.

"How many more rituals do we have to go through before our wedding night?"

She blinks a few times and he sees the meaning of his question sink in. He holds his breath while he waits for her answer, and lets it out slowly when she reaches up to caress his cheek. Why is he suddenly this nervous?

"As you know, we have many rituals for romantic relationships," Delenn answers.

"Hm," John nods.

"But after the ones we have already performed, the first three movements of preparation, there is no specific order to the ones that still remain."

"There isn't?"

"No."

Her green eyes sparkle and he tries to understand what this means for tonight. For right now.

"So we can just pick one?"

"Yes. Or … we can skip all of them."

John's face lights up instantly.

"Now that is interesting!"

Delenn laughs and it helps quell her nerves a little bit. She understands what John is asking her and why. He wants her as badly as she wants him.

"We will need to revisit the remaining rituals at some point," she tells him seriously, but she can't suppress a smile.

"Of course we will," John says quickly, and his eagerness is endearing.

"But not tonight," Delenn says quietly.

"Not tonight," John repeats.

He pushes himself up on one elbow and Delenn turns on her back. Looking up at him while biting her lip, she seems vulnerable now, and John feels the need to check once more if they're really on the same page.

"I want to make love to you, Delenn," he tells her softly. "To express my feelings for you by loving all of you as completely as I can."

She takes a deep breath but doesn't look away. There is a sea of calmness in her eyes suddenly - of absolute certainty when she tells him,

"I want the same."

John lets out a sound resembling a growl and it makes her giggle. Her face turns serious again when she reaches for him, grasping his shoulders and pulling him down against her. She meets him halfway while he rolls on top of her and fuses her lips with his once more.

They don't speak much after that, communicating only with their bodies anymore. They stand up together and their clothing ends up in a messy pile on the floor next to the sofa, one item after the other. When Delenn makes him sit down again and pushes him on his back, he gives her all the controls. All he wants is to make her happy and they'll go at her pace. When she climbs on top of him, straddling his waist, he reaches up to cup her firm breasts. Delenn lets her head fall back and closes her eyes, giving him full access to her upper body. She moans when he touches her and rocks her hips against him. Her slender form is beautiful and he wonders if she knows. The bone crest on her head looks like a crown and he loves how royal it makes her look.

"My queen," he whispers and she smiles widely at him.

Delenn splays her hands on his chest and leans forward slightly, creating a delicious friction for herself between their naked bodies.

"My Captain," she whispers.

"Forever in your service," John tells her and she believes him.

She does not feel ashamed, naked in front of him. It is quite possible that he knows her body better than she knows it herself. He is a Human and he knows how to please her. Her body has changed more than she had realized and it all feels completely new with John. But maybe that is because she loves him. When she leans down to kiss him, he wraps his arms around her and flips them over. She is now underneath him, her breasts pressed against his chest and his lower half trapped between her legs. He kisses her again and she closes her eyes, and when his mouth starts making a trail down her chin and neck and further down, she arches into his touch.

Being with John feels like dancing. It is a dance of love and they discover even more centers of pleasure than during the Shan-Fall while their love manifests itself physically. They change positions a few more times and John is careful when their bodies finally merge. But she is ready for him and they move fluently as one, breathing each other in and finishing their dance in an explosion of passion that rocks them both to the core, body and mind.

Utterly spent and still catching his breath, John draws patterns on Delenn's back lazily. She is draped on top of him, a sheen of sweat covering her fair skin. He's pretty sure she told him once that Minbari don't sweat so this must be her human side coming out. She's warm but he knows they will cool off soon, and he pulls a purple satin sheet over them both that happens to be there very conveniently on the backrest of the sofa. He can't remember now if it was always there or not. It doesn't matter one bit to him either.

She's amazing. He has no other words right now. No one knows her like this but him and he's proud of that. They all see her as this poised, thoughtful, wise and well-spoken lady; a strong and engaged leader; a proud Minbari. And she is all of those things. No one knows how tender she can be; how she moans under his touch; how she whispers encouraging words in his ear in Minbari in the heat of passion. How she loves, with every fiber of her being and how she shatters into a million pieces when she comes undone. He is covered in those pieces of bliss now and he never wants to move. He is hers completely and he will miss her even more now that they have finally become one.

He turns them on their sides when he feels her falling asleep in his arms and she moves easily with him, curling into his side contently. He relaxes on the comfortable sofa. He feels utterly complete and soon sleep claims him as well.

I'd love to know what you think of this chapter!