Here you go- this is one of the first key scenes I had when I started this alternate universe, so it's a favourite.

Ranger,

The first she knew about it was Marcus addressing Byron in less than friendly tones. "What's this? You starting some kind of fan club?" He snarled.

Ivanova had never heard Marcus so defensive, so white hot with rage. She was completely taken aback.

"I'm leaving now," Byron said, starring Marcus down calmly, "I have no desire to cause trouble." With a brief nod in Ivanovas' direction, Byron departed, knowing that drawing attention to himself was not a good idea.

"What the hell was that all about?" Susan asked before Byron was even out of earshot. Not that Marcus cared.

"I was about to ask you." He retorted, his voice not coming through as calm, cold and threatening. But almost on the point of anger simmering over the top and scalding them both.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked, feeling the volume of her voice rising whether she intended it to or not. It was bad enough when Michael or John interfered with her life, but she drew the line at Marcus. But more than that, she worried about what he'd seen? Would he manage to put all the evidence together? She wasn't comfortable with anyone knowing about her now not so latent telepathy, let alone one of her close friends. But she hadn't intended for anyone to find out about Byron- especially Marcus. She'd seen the Ranger enraged, she hated to think how dangerous he could be when jealous. But it was too late to stop- one of the darker aspects of humanity had already laid itself into the conversation.

"I suppose you've never heard of a cult of personality." Marcus commented as Susan picked her way across the Zocalo with Marcus hot on her heels. She stopped and turned to him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Marcus heard the annoyance in her voice, that she didn't seem to be able to recognise friend from possible foe at the moment and that her fallibility made her vulnerable. What the hell was she doing befriending a group of rogue telepaths? In her position it seemed pretty damn dangerous.

"I mean those telepaths follow him around like a roaming deity, and getting the captain to see things their way wouldn't do them any harm." He spoke his mind, aware that the thought had probably not even crossed her mind. What the hell was she doing meeting with their leader?

"What are you implying?" Her voice gaining an edge so sharp it might slit an interfering rangers' throat.

"That you need to be more careful." He simply added, as they finally made it out of the Zocalo and into the corridor.

Susan pressed the call button for the transport tube and turned to him again. "Why the hell are you watching out for me anyway?"

"Someone has to, and you're obviously not!" Came the retort, he was jealous. He knew he was jealous. He'd just never admit that he could be anything but objective. "That guy came out of no-where a few weeks ago and you're-"

"Having coffee with him." She cut him off as she stepped into the empty transport tube and requested the correct level.

"You were holding his hand!" Marcus accused following her. Susan noted to herself to get a tick sheet for the amount of qualities she'd found annoying in Marcus in the last two minutes. Nosey, Self-righteous, jealous, petty…

"That is NONE of your business." She snapped. Marcus knew he must have hit upon a sensitive point here. Something was going on. His stomach twisted, but his mouth kept going.

"Oh, I suppose he knows you better than I do then?"

"Maybe better." Susan murmured as the tube doors opened and she stepped out.

Marcus paused for a moment, absorbing what she had just said before following her. He caught up with her, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her around to face him.

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" He yelled, finding himself unable to contain his anger any longer.

She could have killed him for touching her. He had no right to be angry with her for socialising, and he certainly had no right to be grabbing hold of her.

"Whatever you want it to!" She remarked pushing him off her arm, thinking he should count himself lucky she hadn't broken it. "What are you? Ultra-paranoid? As I recall it's my life and I can do whatever with whomever."

She started to walk away again, in the direction of her quarters. Marcus followed again, not letting her escape from him of any of the overhanging issues the both of them had. Was she quite happy to ignore his feelings? Marcus supposed he'd have been stupid to think he'd be alright with that. That he'd be able to handle seeing her with other people. He'd already warned Lennier about similar dangerous promises.

"I've had enough of this." He commented, seeing the door to her quarters appear from around the corner.

"Good!" She just wanted rid of him. This conversation was pointless with Marcus in this completely irrational and state.

"We've been avoiding this, and I wanna get it out in the open."

She was spitting fury. He wanted to discuss what had happened, just because he felt like she should have some sort of loyalty to him. That he had saved her life and he could hold that over her whenever he found it necessary. That was unfair. She had never asked him for anything, he just came across as far too willing to give, and now that he wanted she was reluctant to give in return. He had backed her into the worst of corners. For the first time it occurred to her that if he was as selfless as he claimed he'd of left her alone.

"What?" She asked, knowing that she'd probably regret the next comment as soon as she had said it. "You gonna throw yourself off the upper level of the Zocalo to show how selfless you are?"

That hurt, he'd admit that. But he wasn't going to let her sideline him by getting him angry.

"If it'd make you happy!" Marcus replied without thinking about it too much. Susan opened the door and entered.

"Yes it damned well would." She replied, hoping that would get rid of him. Instead he entered her quarters after her.

"Get out!" She yelled, leaving the door open so he wouldn't have too much trouble finding it.

"No." he resolved, folding his arms, as if to plant himself firmly where he was.

He was so god-damned stubborn. Two people this strong willed could guarantee a major altercation coming.

"OUT!" She screamed, considering reaching for her PPG.

"Are you going to keep yelling at me with the door open?" He asked as calmly as he could manage in his present state. For no particular reason his heart was racing.

"Well we just walked through half the station- why not let the rest hear?" She added, seeing him reach towards the door to close it.

"Well bugger you then!" His voice began to rise in volume again as the door closed and he turned to her.

"Bugger you too- now get out!" Came the reply, trying to approach him more on his own level. "OUT!" She yelled again, not used to people defying her orders, even Marcus who'd usually respect her wishes.

"SCREW YOU!" he yelled, loosing sight of everything but the fact he was right.

"You…" She spat the words out, the volume and intensity of her voice rising as she continued, "are the most…annoying, nosey, self-righteous---" She searched for the right word, but failed to find one she deemed adequate. "…Virgin I have ever known!"

"GOOD! I'M GLAD WE AGREE ON SOMETHING!" As he shouted the last word it was as if something inside him gave way. He felt sweat on his back turn cold and his head become light and disorientated. His vision faded and guts twisted, then he fell forward and everything turned black.

It was like watching a bird fall out of the sky. One minute flying and hopping between air currents, the next hurtling downward. For a second, Susan stood too shocked to react. The moments seemed to go very slowly, as she saw his legs give way and he fell forward, hitting the floor but his head being saved by more or less landing on his arm. Then time seemed to return to what it had been before.

And as it finally occurred to her what had happened, her eyes widened. "Oh my god."

She knelt beside him, rolling him over to see if he were unconscious. He seemed to be out cold. Susan patted him on the face, praying for a response, calling out to him. "Marcus? Marcus?"

Nothing. She raised her link to her mouth and had her other hand ready to activate it and call med-lab when a clammy hand weakly grabbed her wrist.

"Don't…" he began, unable to finish on his first attempt. "Don't bring Stephen in to this."

His eyes slitted open, older than she knew them. Pain lurking within, just beyond the surface. But also pride.

"You just collapsed." She mumbled.

"If you do…" He began before inhaling sharply, "I can kiss the Rangers goodbye."

Why did he let this happen? He should have been more careful, he should have at least not aggravated his condition- but she'd assumed he was over this a month ago. If he was like this he should probably still be in med-lab. But as it was he was lying on the floor of her quarters gasping for breath and secrecy.

The anger of a few moments ago was converted to a different direction now. "Why the hell didn't you say anything?"

"For that reason." He mumbled before appealing to her directly. "Please, as a friend?"

Susan considered for a moment. If their positions were reversed (Not that it would ever happen), would Marcus turn her in? Let them take her commission? Her livelihood? Her life?

"Alright." She agreed, hearing him sigh slightly with relief. "C'mon, I'm not leaving you lying here." Susan reached across to his shoulder to try and raise him up, but he jerked with pain, causing her to fall back drastically.

"I think you're going to have to." Marcus uttered, before feeling his body subjugated with pain start to shake.

Every time she was convinced he'd fallen asleep he cried out again. She sat on the floor a few meters from him, watching, keeping her distance.

This was a bad idea. She should have called Stephen in. She should have let him handle this- but now she couldn't. Now she was reduced to a painful position of guardian, only able to watch while he endured, over and over. Breath after breath, compounding into groans, moans and finally cries.

He prayed he'd pass out. He couldn't focus to meditate his way out of this. He just wanted darkness to take him, but found himself held by the un-merciful grasp of light. He was drenched in his own sweat, but he was also shock ridden at how easily this had happened. He was weak, and he was purposeless to the alliance. Not pride, nor An'la'shok training could halt the flow of bitter tears that started silently falling. Ashamedly, Marcus covered his eyes, trying to hide the fact he was crying.

She'd seen the first tears fall from his eyes, but his hand covered the rest. Susan felt completely helpless. There was nothing she could do. She couldn't clap her hands and make it not so or give him anything to take the pain away. She bit her lip and swallowed hard. She wished a black hole would swallow her up and spare her this.

Then a moment later she heard him. She hadn't been intentionally scanning or anything; she just heard his voice clear in her mind.

Nice one Marcus. You really fucked things up for yourself, and no amount of offhanded humours going to get you out of this. Why did I argue with her? What did I go and have to be such a nosey prick for? Because that's what she thinks you are- a Prick. A complete utter Moron.

He groaned again, and his rambling mental monologue paused.

Oh my God I want to die.

She didn't want to hear any more. She glanced over at Marcus, who inhaled sharply and nothing more. She couldn't help him. What was she expected to do? There was nothing she could do for him.

And suddenly she thought of Byron. Of Byron holding her, she hadn't remembered. Byron had held her and kept her calm while she was drifting in and out. She barely knew Byron, and he had taken her in, protected her, literally and mentally held her.

Damn everything else, Marcus was her friend and she cared about him. She shouldn't have held back any kind of support in the first place. He'd needed her and she'd sat on the other side of the room, cold, unfeeling. It didn't matter that Marcus was in love with her, what mattered was she should be reaching out and hadn't been.

Susan knelt beside Marcus, who didn't acknowledge that the light his eyelids were hiding from was being partially eclipsed. She placed her hand on his wrist and he shuddered ever so slightly.

"Marcus?" She called to him, seeing the damage up close. He made no real response to her.

Susan slid her hand up his arm and squeezed his shoulder. She called to him again, lightly, with sympathy.

He swallowed hard, still weeping silently. "I'm sorry." He croaked, able to say little else. He wasn't too sure what for specifically.

"It doesn't matter." She whispered, knowing that with recent events she had one thing to prove to herself. That she was still human. Susan laid her hand on the back of the palm he had covered his face with. She clasped her hand around his, cold, clammy, feverish. He tried to resist as she pulled his hand away from his face, unmasking where tears had fallen. But in his weakened state it was useless to try and stop her.

Marcus lay, completely dead to himself. He couldn't bring himself to move at all. He was numb with the odd pallet of emotions mixed together. He did feel however, a hand slide behind his head, then an arm under his shoulders. With great discomfort he was sat up, then with the most gentleness that human error can offer, he was lent back downward slightly, but this time his head came to rest on Susan's shoulder, while she clasped him loosely around the chest and waist. She could feel the pain as it spasmed through him and he jerked slightly.

The torture from within his own body was inescapable, Susan likened it to watching a man being beaten and only able to stand and do nothing. But every blow he took was for her, and what he endured, she would hold him for. And when the sharp breaths became all out cries again Susan tried to help with a gentle "Shhh," in the ear. After hours had passed into the long abyss of gone, his head finally dropped and resigned itself to an exhausted but hellish sleep.

(Dont'worry… I won't leave you on the edge for too long)