***************************Chapter 20
*************************************
The shopping trip was a success. Or so the girls told me. Personally, I couldn't understand why they needed half of the stuff they bought. They hit me up shamelessly for money when they started to run low, and since I'm such a sucker for a pretty face, especially after the previous night, I handed Kahlan my cred slip and told her to go nuts. Me, all I wanted was a few more shirts, maybe some comfortable shoes and a book or two. After I gave her the card, she, Mary and Shannon took off, dragging my poor unfortunate friend with them, determined to instill in him that most elusive of qualities in a man- fashion sense.
Since I knew that I'd have some time to myself, I went to the nearest kiosk and purchased a paper. I leafed through it, looking for anything interesting when I came to the LifeStyles section and found, much to my surprise, an article on my family. The reporter quoted several sources 'close to the family'. I was shocked at some of what I read. Apparently, since I had not been seen in public anywhere on Minbar or in Alliance space since I had joined the Rangers, the reporter speculated that I was under some type of protective guard and that my parents were terrified that someone was going to try and kill or kidnap me. I had a good chuckle at the thought.
As the night before last proved, any kidnappers or assassins would be in for a tough time trying to get through me and my friends. I was confident that the Ranger training was such that it would allow me to stand up to any attackers who had not undergone a similar regime of combat and strategy training.
The 'source' stated that I was a fearful, angry young man who wished to do nothing but stay out of the public eye. He also said that I was something of a playboy and that many of the female staff had fallen under my sway. I nearly choked. A bystander asked me if I was alright and I nodded, not trusting my voice. That was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard! The sum total of my experience with the opposite sex stemmed from the previous 2 nights adventures with Kahlan. Other than that, the only interaction I had had with any woman, human, Minbari or otherwise, was in the course of my daily life at home and my training at the Academy.
I folded the paper and went to look for my friends, eager to see what they thought of such ridiculous statements. I wondered, as I made my way through
the crowd, what kind of a person this reporter was to write such stupendous
lies and if there even was a 'source?' It also crossed my mind that perhaps
the article had been sponsored by political enemies of my parents. There was a pretty anti-Sheridan feeling to the entire article. Some of it came all but right out demanding that they both resign their posts and give them to some deserving person(read human) not a member of the current administration.
It didn't take long to find them. After all, they hadn't left more then ten minutes before. I found them in a gift shop, near the customs area. It was filled with Babylon 5 logos. Shirts, tea mugs, ballcaps, and even underwear were all proudly proclaiming themselves as coming from B5. There were dolls (action figures) of all the important people over the last twenty odd years. I spotted Mary and Shannon giggling over these while Marcel, holding several heavy looking bags and packages was standing next to Kahlen, who was leafing through the assorted books. Most of which were of the 'Unauthorized Biography' of so-and-so or the 'real truth behind the events of' such and such a time or place.
I snorted and turned my back on the useless and tasteless nicknacks and tried to find something of interest in the shop. As I leafed through the collection of modern novels I was surprised to find a book about me. I picked it up and stared at the cover. It showed me from before the Centauri incident. I was suprised to note the differences from the boy I had been to the young adult that I now was. I opened the book and there was a much more recent photo of me. It was of my last session with Derhan, right before I slipped on the tiny invisible patch of sweat. Looking at the picture, it was easy to assume that I was about to defeat the Minbari warrior. He was out of position, off balance, and his eyes betrayed his emotions. For the book to have this picture meant several things.
First, someone inside the training compound was leaking information, and second, it was very recently published. The second was a mild shock, but the first was a serious breach in security. No one, no one outside of the Rangers was supposed to know where I was. I walked to the counter and paid for the book. Looking around, I spotted a quiet corner and moved into the shadows, activating my link.
"Enthilza, Madam President." I called quietly into the device. "We have a problem." Taking a breath, I continued. "There's been a security breach at the academy." I wanted to say more, but I knew that I had said enough to get their attention and the rest could wait until we were all together and I could show them the book.
It didn't take long for my parents to get back to me and to direct us to a conference room. We stopped at our quarters to drop off the shopping bags. I had a bit of a surprise when I entered mine. Kahlan's things had been moved to my room and put away. Seconds after I noticed this, the door swooshed open and Kahlan walked in with her bags. She raised an eyebrow, much like my mother does, and smiled. She put the bags on the bed and started to rumage through the closets and dresser for her uniform while I finished pulling on my own.
"Who do you think did this?" she asked as she began to undress.
"My mom." I stated. "This is the sort of thing she likes to do. Quiet, sneaky, and embarrassing as hell to bring up. Remind me to tell you about the time I found some interesting books in my room one day after my mom walked in on me in the bath."
Kahlan chuckled at the mental picture my comments gave her. "That must have been horrible for you. Poor boy." She reached over and ruffled my hair, also carressing my crest.
I shivered at the contact, reminding myself that she probably just forgot that Minbari head crests were extremely sensitive to the touch. And that, despite the demands of my body, we didn't have time to pursue the reactions her touch was causing in the rest of my body.
I grasped her hand and stared into her eyes. "Kahlan, as much I like that, you should remember that Minbari crests are extremely sensitive and we don't have time to continue what you're making me want to continue." I placed a chaste kiss on the palms of her hands and released them. Grabbing the paper and book from the desk, I motioned for the door. "Now let's go find the others and show these to my parents. Someone's managed to get a spy into our training grounds and that's a security risk I'm sure they want to squash." I ignored the cute pout on her face and gave a gentle slap on her ass. "Get going, girl."
Kahlan jumped at the slap and mock glared at me. "Oh, I'm so going to get you for that, Daveyboy. Your ass is mine."
I gave her a grin as we left the room. "Only if I can have yours, lover."
Kahlan smirked and gave me a short, passion filled kiss. "You could have taken it any time since the day we met, lover."
Laughing we nearly ran into Marcel as he leaned against the wall near Shannon's room. Seconds later, Shannon came out, wearing the jeans and pullover sweater with the B5 logo that she'd bought.
We reached the office with plenty of time to fill our friends in on what my mother had done. On the way there, my dad had commed us and told us that everyone would be there, since this was a major security issue. He also mentioned that he'd hold off on assigning punishment duty until we returned to the training center.
At least one good thing came out of the whole incident: Kahlan and I were together. Though I wondered how Mary would take it. I always suspected she'd had a bit of a crush on me, but she's always been more of a sister to me than a potential mate. Hopefully, she'd grown out of the crush by now, and if not, she'd be able to handle the new relationship.
The shopping trip was a success. Or so the girls told me. Personally, I couldn't understand why they needed half of the stuff they bought. They hit me up shamelessly for money when they started to run low, and since I'm such a sucker for a pretty face, especially after the previous night, I handed Kahlan my cred slip and told her to go nuts. Me, all I wanted was a few more shirts, maybe some comfortable shoes and a book or two. After I gave her the card, she, Mary and Shannon took off, dragging my poor unfortunate friend with them, determined to instill in him that most elusive of qualities in a man- fashion sense.
Since I knew that I'd have some time to myself, I went to the nearest kiosk and purchased a paper. I leafed through it, looking for anything interesting when I came to the LifeStyles section and found, much to my surprise, an article on my family. The reporter quoted several sources 'close to the family'. I was shocked at some of what I read. Apparently, since I had not been seen in public anywhere on Minbar or in Alliance space since I had joined the Rangers, the reporter speculated that I was under some type of protective guard and that my parents were terrified that someone was going to try and kill or kidnap me. I had a good chuckle at the thought.
As the night before last proved, any kidnappers or assassins would be in for a tough time trying to get through me and my friends. I was confident that the Ranger training was such that it would allow me to stand up to any attackers who had not undergone a similar regime of combat and strategy training.
The 'source' stated that I was a fearful, angry young man who wished to do nothing but stay out of the public eye. He also said that I was something of a playboy and that many of the female staff had fallen under my sway. I nearly choked. A bystander asked me if I was alright and I nodded, not trusting my voice. That was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard! The sum total of my experience with the opposite sex stemmed from the previous 2 nights adventures with Kahlan. Other than that, the only interaction I had had with any woman, human, Minbari or otherwise, was in the course of my daily life at home and my training at the Academy.
I folded the paper and went to look for my friends, eager to see what they thought of such ridiculous statements. I wondered, as I made my way through
the crowd, what kind of a person this reporter was to write such stupendous
lies and if there even was a 'source?' It also crossed my mind that perhaps
the article had been sponsored by political enemies of my parents. There was a pretty anti-Sheridan feeling to the entire article. Some of it came all but right out demanding that they both resign their posts and give them to some deserving person(read human) not a member of the current administration.
It didn't take long to find them. After all, they hadn't left more then ten minutes before. I found them in a gift shop, near the customs area. It was filled with Babylon 5 logos. Shirts, tea mugs, ballcaps, and even underwear were all proudly proclaiming themselves as coming from B5. There were dolls (action figures) of all the important people over the last twenty odd years. I spotted Mary and Shannon giggling over these while Marcel, holding several heavy looking bags and packages was standing next to Kahlen, who was leafing through the assorted books. Most of which were of the 'Unauthorized Biography' of so-and-so or the 'real truth behind the events of' such and such a time or place.
I snorted and turned my back on the useless and tasteless nicknacks and tried to find something of interest in the shop. As I leafed through the collection of modern novels I was surprised to find a book about me. I picked it up and stared at the cover. It showed me from before the Centauri incident. I was suprised to note the differences from the boy I had been to the young adult that I now was. I opened the book and there was a much more recent photo of me. It was of my last session with Derhan, right before I slipped on the tiny invisible patch of sweat. Looking at the picture, it was easy to assume that I was about to defeat the Minbari warrior. He was out of position, off balance, and his eyes betrayed his emotions. For the book to have this picture meant several things.
First, someone inside the training compound was leaking information, and second, it was very recently published. The second was a mild shock, but the first was a serious breach in security. No one, no one outside of the Rangers was supposed to know where I was. I walked to the counter and paid for the book. Looking around, I spotted a quiet corner and moved into the shadows, activating my link.
"Enthilza, Madam President." I called quietly into the device. "We have a problem." Taking a breath, I continued. "There's been a security breach at the academy." I wanted to say more, but I knew that I had said enough to get their attention and the rest could wait until we were all together and I could show them the book.
It didn't take long for my parents to get back to me and to direct us to a conference room. We stopped at our quarters to drop off the shopping bags. I had a bit of a surprise when I entered mine. Kahlan's things had been moved to my room and put away. Seconds after I noticed this, the door swooshed open and Kahlan walked in with her bags. She raised an eyebrow, much like my mother does, and smiled. She put the bags on the bed and started to rumage through the closets and dresser for her uniform while I finished pulling on my own.
"Who do you think did this?" she asked as she began to undress.
"My mom." I stated. "This is the sort of thing she likes to do. Quiet, sneaky, and embarrassing as hell to bring up. Remind me to tell you about the time I found some interesting books in my room one day after my mom walked in on me in the bath."
Kahlan chuckled at the mental picture my comments gave her. "That must have been horrible for you. Poor boy." She reached over and ruffled my hair, also carressing my crest.
I shivered at the contact, reminding myself that she probably just forgot that Minbari head crests were extremely sensitive to the touch. And that, despite the demands of my body, we didn't have time to pursue the reactions her touch was causing in the rest of my body.
I grasped her hand and stared into her eyes. "Kahlan, as much I like that, you should remember that Minbari crests are extremely sensitive and we don't have time to continue what you're making me want to continue." I placed a chaste kiss on the palms of her hands and released them. Grabbing the paper and book from the desk, I motioned for the door. "Now let's go find the others and show these to my parents. Someone's managed to get a spy into our training grounds and that's a security risk I'm sure they want to squash." I ignored the cute pout on her face and gave a gentle slap on her ass. "Get going, girl."
Kahlan jumped at the slap and mock glared at me. "Oh, I'm so going to get you for that, Daveyboy. Your ass is mine."
I gave her a grin as we left the room. "Only if I can have yours, lover."
Kahlan smirked and gave me a short, passion filled kiss. "You could have taken it any time since the day we met, lover."
Laughing we nearly ran into Marcel as he leaned against the wall near Shannon's room. Seconds later, Shannon came out, wearing the jeans and pullover sweater with the B5 logo that she'd bought.
We reached the office with plenty of time to fill our friends in on what my mother had done. On the way there, my dad had commed us and told us that everyone would be there, since this was a major security issue. He also mentioned that he'd hold off on assigning punishment duty until we returned to the training center.
At least one good thing came out of the whole incident: Kahlan and I were together. Though I wondered how Mary would take it. I always suspected she'd had a bit of a crush on me, but she's always been more of a sister to me than a potential mate. Hopefully, she'd grown out of the crush by now, and if not, she'd be able to handle the new relationship.
