A.N. I'm home! Yeah, no more foreign computers! Thanx so much for all your reviews people. I thought about taking some time off from writing until life quits being such a bitch, but then I realized that writing is probably the only thing that keeps me from crying at night so I'll continue as long as humanly possible.
Disclaimers: I don't own it, the great maker (JMS) does, simple and true. Spoilers warning first chapii, rated for mild language but nothing to terrible, so read on fellow adventure seekers! --
PostScript: To Ms. Hilary Weston, if you think yourself patient and brave then by all means pleaz be my beta. If anyone else thinks themselves up to it contact me via e-mail. Betas would be much appreciated.
Now… On With the Story!
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"Susan!" John Sheridan stepped into the reception area with Delenn at his side to meet a horde of eager welcomers, of which Susan was in the lead. He looked over her with a concerned air then gave her a tight brotherly hug. "I'm sorry about what happened. Are you okay?"
Susan wrenched herself from the bone crushing hug and smiled at him sadly. "I'm fine John, really. Congratulations by the way! I'm glad that you two finally got hitched. I thought it'd never happen." She laughed as she gave Delenn a warm hug then surrendered the newly weds to the persistent crowed behind them.
After the group reunion came to a close Susan walked with the Sheridan's to the Air hearts restaurant where they were meeting with friends for dinner. They talked quietly of everything as they went. They talked of the end of the war and the suicide of President Clark, the acceptance of the new alliance among Earth Alliance, and of many other things.
When they reached the entrance to Air Hearts John sent Delenn ahead to greet the others while he hung back with Ivanova. "Susan," He stopped her from entering by taking her arm and pulling her off to one side. "I have something for you."
He pulled a box from his uniform pocket and placed it in her hands. "I only hope you'll get the chance to appreciate it." Susan opened the box with a snap and fingered the cool metal bar inside.
"John, I…" Sheridan took the commander's bar from its place on her army of light jacket and replaced it with the captain's bar instead.
"Don't worry Captain," He laughed emphasizing the title. "You're just lucky I got the press off your back, for now. They were all but out the door when I told them no one was aloud to disturb you at this point."
"John, I believe there are a few people here who would like a word." Delenn's calm voice carried a hint of amusement as she took her husband by the hand and guided him into the restaurant. A very loud cheer irrupted from the room full of people waiting inside.
Sheridan's jaw nearly hit the floor when he realized just how many people had turned up for their welcome home party, nearly half the station by the looks of it. John turned to Ivanova who was looking extremely pleased with herself just imagining the expression on his face. "You planed this didn't you, Ivanova?"
"I plead the fifth." She laughed as they were both dragged off to joint the foray.
"Comman… uh, Captain. You haven't hear from Marcus have you?" Chief Allan asked as he was making his rounds of the tables talking to people among the crowds.
Ivanova's posture went ridged and she gripped her glass until the other occupants of the table feared it would shatter. "No, why?" She asked with a clipped tone.
Allen visibly flinched and stammered around for the right response. "Oh, well… I thought that maybe… you know." Susan stared straight forward with a stone solid expression, waiting.
"Okay, well… I gotta go so I'll see you all later." Zach concluded then beat a hasty retreat without another word.
"What the hell was that about?" Sheridan asked Susan as she shifted back into her relaxed mode.
"Has Marcus not been seen recently?" Delenn asked with a cool but concerned voice.
"No, I scared him off the other night and now he's been avoiding the real world ever since." Ivanova answered with a prickly voice. John raised his eyebrow in question to the others at the table but Steven quickly shook his head mouthing the word 'later' and all was dropped.
It was well past midnight but the party wagged on. And as the time past Susan found her thoughts drifting more and more to the ranger who so intently disturbed her pace of things.
A deep prickling sensation down her back caused Susan to turn her head to look behind her, knowing well and good she wouldn't see anything anyways. "Will you stop!" Michael insisted for the third time. "That's like the tenth time you've done that in the past three minutes!"
"I'm sorry." Ivanova apologized as she turned back around to face the table and her friends. "I keep getting the feeling someone's following me, it's really weird."
"Are you sure you're alright?" Steven asked from his concerned vigil across the table.
"For the millionth time, Steven, I am fine!" Susan gritted out between another shivering of sensation. John and Delenn were at the moment dancing out on the crowded floor, while Michael had run off to talk to his old security team. Lyta and Zach where occupied at another table and even Lennier and Vir were busy elsewhere which left Susan to her thoughts.
"Damn it! You stupid…" Susan fumed to herself as she got to her feet with purpose. She marched as dignified as possible out of the restaurant using her guiding cane and preying no one would be foolish enough to stop her.
It was a very good thing Susan knew the station so well, otherwise the task she'd set before herself would have proven much more difficult. Edging along the walls with her hand to guide her she made it to the nearest turbo lift and entered without encounter. The whole of the station seemed to be asleep or at the Sheridan's party so there was no one to disturb or be disturbed which Susan was very grateful for.
"Brown one." She called to the computer in the lift as it started its long dissent through the center of the station. Susan wasn't exactly sure where she was going; only that she had to find Marcus before she couldn't stand to be here anymore.
When the lift doors opens she stepped out and almost immediately tripped over some piece of debris or another. Cursing loudly she wondered whether she should have asked someone along when another shiver ran up her spin. More intense this time, it felt like trouble.
She turned in the other direction and found the sensation strengthen noticeably. "Great!" Susan bit out to no one but herself. "Not only am I trying to find my way through down below like this, apparently I've become a living compass!"
Suddenly a loud crunching noise sounded from somewhere above and a loud flop signaled the action of something large hitting the ground. Susan was just about to duck for cover when she heard an all too familiar voice.
"Agh… well that was fun!" He stood to dust himself off but stopped when he finally realized the company he held.
"Susan! What the bloody hell are you doing down here, alone?" She was caught off guard for a moment, but quickly found her voice.
"I could ask you the same thing! Not only have you been avoiding me and the rest of the world but you came down here without warning anyone first. What if something had happened to you? No one would know where to look if…" She was cut short of her tirade when one of Marcus' hands clamped tight around her mouth while the other grabbed her by the waist and pulled her behind a towering stack of crates.
"What the hell!" She seethed when he released her from his iron grasp. He put his fingers to her lips which only furthered her fury but kept quiet with the thought that he would have good reason for such actions agents her.
"I saw a few shifty people in the Zocalo this morning and started tailing them after I caught a snippet of their conversation. I don't know who they are or where they came from, but they most definitely are not friendly people. My guess is that they're Clark's people and they're after Sheridan and Delenn."
"And why didn't you get security?" Ivanova asked with a 'no duh' tone in her voice. "It kind of is their job to protect people around here." She made sure that every bit of annoyance she felt was relayed with her words.
"Look!" Marcus spat turning to face her head on. Her eyes met his though unseeing and held every bit of anger he heard in her voice. "What ever's got your knickers in a bunch you can stop blaming on me because I had nothing to do with it!"
"Nothing to do with it! Marcus, you are it!" She used her free hand and reached out grabbing him by the collar of his clock. "You've been avoiding me! And now you're making every one worry about you! Now you're making me worry about you!"
A soon as she'd realized just what that statement implied Susan released him like hot coals. She hadn't mint to go quite that far and dearly hoped she wasn't blushing as deeply as the heat in her face implied.
"Well… I…" Marcus, stunned at what he'd just heard tried to find the right comeback but found no words at all. A loud pop in the hallway around them caused them both to jump out of the stupor of the moment.
"What happened?" Ivanova demanded as she attached herself to his clock so she wouldn't lose him.
"The lights went out; I can't see a damn thing!" Marcus proved his point by immediately running into something painfully. "Ouch!"
"Hah." Susan laughed dryly, "Welcome to my world!" Another pop and cash made her ears ring as Marcus pushed Susan down to the deck and dodged behind an empty crate as someone nearby opened fire on them.
"Dear, there's someone at the door!" Marcus said sarcastically as the PPG wielding attacker continued to shoot at them.
"Here!" Susan un-holstered her PPG and held it out for him to take. Marcus grabbed it quickly and began returning fire. She heard a body drop and assumed by the quieting of fire that only one remained.
"Susan, look out! To your left." Marcus shouted as another volley of fire sizzled over her head hitting an uncovered maintenance panel. The panel flared up momentarily with intense heat and flame before burning itself out. Susan tried to shield her face but was caught by the fierce heat in a dizzying sweep.
Taking Marcus' warning she swung out hard to her left with her guiding cane and felt in contact with force against someone a few feet away. She rolled away and came up on her hands and knees behind Marcus. Carefully, Ivanova removed her hand from over her eyes.
She was staring down at the hand that braced her to the deck holding the cane. The emergency lights must have turned on because everything had a reddish glow. She looked up cautiously and took in the view. Everything was either double or triple image and very blurred, but definitely visible.
"Marcus. Where are you?" She looked around the dim hall. Marcus lay on the deck behind the crate where he'd taken refuge clutching a bloody wound on his shoulder. There was a great many fumbling noises from where the attackers had stood their ground and Susan quickly pulled her PPG from Marcus' grasp.
Raising her gun to the man across the way she found three of him staring back at her. He was fumbling for a recharge cartridge for his gun and was swiftly making progress. –Damn it!- Susan screamed to herself, intense panic welling inside her already frantic mind. –Which one do I shoot!- She stood for a second then randomly fired at the right image of the man.
Nothing. The assailant was now charging his gun and taking aim. -Now or never, Ivanova! - She told herself pushing past the fog of panic and dizziness in her mind and fired on the left hand figure. The sound of a body hitting the floor was the last thing she heard before Susan herself rendered herself to unconscious sleep.
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A.N. waves a tiny green flag w/ a shamrock on it Hurrah. I did it. Sorry it's been such a long time come'n people, but I had to evacuate the island due to Hurricane Rita so I've been short a phone plug lately. This story was actually a lot shorter than I thought. I guess the chapii length makes up for that, eh? Only a chapii or two more to go. Yea. Now, review, or I'll… post anyways, but review, damn it! Pleaz?
Ranger Hikari