Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Summary: Sequel to Empty. John puts his affair in order.
The President of the Interstellar Alliance walked easily through his home that early morning, refusing to let others see what he was now sure of, that his time left was limited. He was not sick or greatly weakened he thought gratefully, and his son was now eighteen, an adult and a ranger. He worried about the alliance though, Delenn would have to be president, there was no way Susan could succeed him. Susan, still sitting up in the room he had brought her to eight years before. He was on his way to her room, just as he went every morning before breakfast with his family. He knocked as he had everyday he had been home in the last eight years and the nurse admitted him. The bed had already been made and the room was clean. The curtains were open so as to allow the bright Mimbari sun into the room. Susan sat in the rocking chair as always. Her hair had grown out in the last eight years and was a shining red auburn, which fell in loose curls to the middle of her back. Her lack of memory caused her no pain. She was at peace as ever now, forgetful of the many demons in her past. She was ageless. She was in her late forties but looked to be only thirty. She wore a baby blue full length gown which matched the sapphire of her eyes. She was beginning to be able to remember a bit now, things from one day to the next, her own name, the nurse's name and who she was, a bit of daily routine.
He went up to her and she rose now. She was much stronger than she had been eight years ago. He would have a cup of tea with her. She no longer drank coffee or vodka, perhaps because she did not need them. He wondered how many more times they would have to repeat this ritual. He wondered if she would mourn her at all. If she would remember him at all. She smiled at him as she always did and together the two of them took opposite cushion seats at the low Mimbari table. The nurse knelt between them, pouring tea. John spoke to Susan now about work and she would nod at the appropriate places. She would remember things that he had said before about the situation but not that he had told her.
He finished his cup of tea. He still hated it, kissed her cheek and said good bye. As he was at the door, he was shocked to hear her Russian voice, " John?" She had yet to remember John's name. He turned rapidly, barely keeping from running over and hugging her. He couldn't believe it. But Stephen had said that if she remembered anything, they must not act surprised.
"Yes, Susan," he said, approaching her.
" Will you come again later?" she asked. It was as if she was reading his mind, he thought . He nodded smilingly, not wanting to speak if his words turned out to be a lie. He didn't want that to be the only thing she remembered of him.
He returned that evening and Stephen was with her. Stephen always came to see her, both to monitor her condition and to visit with her. The examination was over and he sat at the table with her, playing verbal games with her to help strengthen her memory. Stephen rose when he entered and allowed John to approach Susan. He lay a flower he had picked for her and a small hand carved chest, so small that it fit in her palm, in her lap. She smiled sweetly at him and played with the objects for a moment before laying them carefully on her table, lifting up the silk and needle and threads that lay at her side now. She sewed now. It was such a meek un Susan like thing that it always wounded John, but it gave her peace and so she must be allowed it. She was embroidering the silk. There were several pieces like that folded away. Each would be covered in embroidery, each neatly hemmed and each a different color, covered in silk threads of different, exotic colors, sewn with a silver needle, part of a silver set of needle which fit in her silver sewing kit the size of a cigarette case, one side needles, a few pins, thread looseners and scissors, the other full of long spools of thread. The thread was wrapped around pieces of silver which fit in the case. It was matched with an ivory sewing frame. The cloth she sewed at was a yard wide and a yard long. It was beautiful, half covered in embroidery, but try as he did, as with all her other pieces, John could not understand the point, could not see what she was making. The nurse came up to Susan and lead her to her rocking chair and Susan allowed her self to be lead away, content as a small child. The nurse settled her in, laying the sewing case in Susan's lap and handing her her the frame. Susan went back to work stitching silver thread into the blue cloth. She bent her head gracefully over it, looking chaste and sweet oblivious to John whispering to Stephen, oblivious to Stephen nearly collapsing at the thought of John's death being imminent, oblivious to Stephen scanning John and confirming John's suspicion. As the two men grieved together, she started humming a Russian song which she could not remember was one her mother used to sing to her.
Michael and David had to be summoned. He had already arranged his will. His large savings and pension would go to David and Delenn, as would the house. Susan was supported by the large funds left her by her father and Marcus as well as by the profit's the businesses she inherited from them both continued to provide. He was executor of her affairs and since her needs were so few and her funds so many that even after the best care for her there was so much money left. He gave most of it to charity, sold most of the businesses, keeping one or two. He had sold most of her homes, leaving just two, and a large fund in case of emergency. She would be cared for, and there were many who would care for her. Delenn, for his sake he hoped, David because she was the woman whose arms he would run to as an adolescent, despite the fact that she couldn't remember him, she was kind to him always, Michael and Stephen because they loved her like he did. But who could he leave the burden of her everyday care. The nurse cared for her, but someone had to run her affairs, someone had to sacrifice time and attention for her. Delenn? She wasn't really capable of handling the business details, Stephen and Michael were as old as he was, and he knew it would be so painful for them. That left only his heir.
David arrived that day. It was lucky because John had already planned to leave the next day. The few things he would need to survive the next few days packed with the few things that meant a great deal to him. John had already drawn up all the paperwork, to make Delenn president, to hand over all of his assets, to manage Susan's affairs. It was an odd thing. When David was born, if Susan had not been in a psi corp camp, he would have wanted her to be his godmother, yet at his deathbed, he was almost making David Susan's godfather. Not really, he knew, David would be the one to manage her affairs, the paperwork, the finances. The nurse took care of everything else.
They had dinner together, John, Delenn, David, Michael, Stephen and Vir. Susan had been brought down as well, but she was uneasy in the company of so many people. She sat at John's side allowing him to guide her through dinner, barely picking at the food. She was beautiful John decided. The nurse had dressed her in a new evening gown. It was human style, silk, in dark navy blue, with thin straps and a simple floor length cut. There was a gauzy trail that went down to her hips and was decorated with matching stones. She wore a diamond set of earrings and a choker. Her hair was loosely dressed. She looked so young and innocent. John felt like a father abandoning a little girl into the world. She sat next to him, trusting him throughout the evening to take care of her. His heart ached to leave her. He wondered what would happen to her. Michael, Stephen and Delenn were old, they might die before her, unlikely as it was with her in her sick state. David loved her, he knew, but he didn't know her like they did, couldn't love her as they did. He would marry and his wife would not want Susan in her house, they would have children, and Susan would become nothing more than a burden to David, someone he looked out for because he would promise. Oh, John thought, he couldn't bear that for Susan, but there was no choice. He was the only one.
They were up late that night. He would only have a few hours of sleep, because he must wake early to take care of something. At the end, he didn't sleep at all, pulling himself out of bed at dawn and showering. When he came out dressed, Delenn was already up and ready for him. She did not question him as he went to wake David, following him instead. He did not protest her presence, he would need her as witness should ever David forget his duty.
David too was dressed and sat quietly as if meditating. He rose to see his parents and lead them both to sit.
" David, son, I am leaving now. We will never see each other again. It is the day I have been dreading for the last twenty years, the day I have been dreading since you were born. I love you, I would give anything to have more time with you and your mother, but there is nothing I can do. There is something you can do for me though."
David sat with his head drooped to hide his tears, as befit a ranger and a man. He looked up now. " Anything Dad, anything."
" You will take care of you mother of course, comfort her and see to her needs." David nodded here. John took a deep breath and continued. " And you must look after another, the woman who would have been like a mother to you if fate had been kinder to her. You must see to Susan. There isn't much to do, you will have to look after her finances, see that she has everything she needs and maintain her standard of living. You will have to see to her businesses, but I have left instructions and Michael can help you in the start. You will keep the nurse on and if for some reason she must be replaced you will see to that. You will bury Susan as if she were your mother when she dies, but most importantly, you will love her."
" You will visit her everyday, though she probably will not remember it, you will see to her even when you are married, in love, with children, you will not ignore her. She will always have a place in this house. No matter how important things are in your life you will care for her, and if God willing, one day her memory returns and her injuries recover, she will stay here as long as she wants, and will take over the presidency from your mother."
David nodded, choked up at the thought of losing his father. John knew that his son did not really hear him. " Come." he said as David and Delenn followed him into Susan's room. This was the first time someone had come with him. As always, Susan was awake and dressed, sipping tea at her table as the nurse sat silently beside her. She rose to see him and smiled. He took her hands in his own and kissed her as he always did, leading her to sit. Then he looked into her blank eyes and said. " Susan, I know you will not remember this, but this is the last time we will ever see each other again. Twenty years ago I nearly died. Lorien, the first one saved me, but I only had twenty years. That time is up now and I must leave. I leave you to David's care. Stephen, Delenn and Michael will be here as well. You won't be alone. If someday you remember something, I am giving David a letter to give you. I want you to know that I have loved you as a sister and I have done everything as best as it could have been done. I have missed you Susan, there are days I need you and it is like you aren't here." he hesitated, knowing the clock was ticking, " I have to go now, I love you, be at peace, and may God stand between you and harm in all the empty places where you must walk."
He looked at her face and he knew she hadn't processed what he had just said. He look a minute to ask the nurse to care for her as she always had and to thank her for her service. He kissed Susan again and left slowly, David and Delenn following him.
John handed over his parents rings, a folder containing his Earthforce promotion certificates, his dog tags and rank bar, a folder containing all the paperwork which represented his wealth and another folder containing the paperwork for Susan's businesses and up keep. He looked his son straight in the eye and said, " This is you inheritence." He held his son for several moments. " I am proud of you David. I love you." He handed David a leather bound diary. " This is the letter for Susan, I meant it to be just a letter, but so much has happened, a diary was more appropriate. You must never read it. Keep it safe and give it to her if she ever becomes capable of receiving it." He hugged his son good bye and spent several minutes with him before asking him to give Delenn and John a moment alone.
"I wish I didn't have to go, but because I do I just want to say again, I love you."
" I know, I love you."
" You will watch out for them."
" Yes, I will try."
" That is all I ask."
They sat silently and watched the sun rise together. Time was running out. Finally he rose, bid good bye to Delenn and walked away. As he looked back he could see Delenn watching him and a solitary figure in an upstairs room whose empty gaze rested on him.
Author's note: Please read and review. I am sorry so many of you did not like Empty but I am continuing this regardless. For those of you who did like Empty and do like this, I am thinking of writing a sequel to this to make a trilogy. It will be from either Delenn or David's point of view. So please review and tell me first what you think of this, second if I should write a sequel and third, if you think I should write a sequel whose point of view should it be from.