From: "Becki H. Blumer" Subject: Fan Fiction Submission: Celeste (1/1) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 20:05:57 -0500 Meredith D. Holt beckihblumer@fuse.net "Celeste" Warnings: Rated PG for violence Hullo, This is the first part of a new series I thought up. Really, this is a prequel. It will be a Marcus and Susan story, later down the road, but I need to get some other things in line first. Enjoy. Please, if you like this, let me know, my email is at beckihblumer@fuse.net. Thanks to Kendell, for beta-ing and being there. Love Always, Meredith Legal Disclaimer; JMS owns all, except: Celeste, Erika, Scott, and Tiffany. Personal Disclaimer: I'm twisted, what was your first clue? Celeste Meredith D. Holt beckihblumer@fuse.net Captain Celeste Chudomo of the EAS Demeter let out a tired sigh as she let the door to her quarters close behind her. Oh, but it was good to be home. She let the long, silky, unfitted purple robe that served as her uniform slide off her body and let out another sigh, this time of relief. Her nerves, however, still jumped when she heard her command bar click against the deck as it followed her uniform to the floor. *Geeze Cellie,* she thought at herself, *Little jumpy, ain't cha?* It had been like this for the past few weeks, ever since they left the transfer point off Io for the Rim. It was almost like something dark was on board, and Celeste, try as she might, couldn't find it. As she leaned back against the counter, she upset a bottle of vodka sitting there and it smashed to the ground. Celeste jumped and cursed. The minute she took off her command bars she was always as clumsy as a kid learning to walk. Her mother, brother, and great grandmother (when she'd been living) always called her Pup. Clumsy little Pup. She began to pick up the pieces of the bottle, clumsily cutting her delicate fingers on the jagged pieces. Maybe she should just put her uniform back on and go join Erika for drinks in the mess hall. But then, maybe having her uniform on wouldn't help this time, since she knew that Scott would be there. Scott Hartigan worked navigation, and Celeste liked him a lot. Just as a friend, mind you, but she always was clumsier then usual when around him. Oh, when she was on her shift, Celeste was the picture perfect captain. But when in the mess, or on break, she was Pup again around Scott, even if she was still wearing her command bars. With another sigh Celeste picked her uniform up and put it on the chair. She would take a shower and then join Erika, affectionately nicknamed 'Wolf', for drinks. Besides, she smelled like sweat. She brushed out her damp, jet-black hair, Celeste slipped her uniform back on and looked around the room. Something wasn't right. She just knew it. So she left with out turning the lights off, she didn't want to be greeted by a dark apartment when she came back. "Hey, Cellie!" Erika yelled out across the bar in the mess hall. Celeste spotted her and sat down. "Hey, Wolf." Celeste said as she took a stool. Erika Browning studied her friend, Pup had been at it again, judging by the scratches on her fingers and hand. Celeste covered them self-consciously. "I had a bit of an accident...." she was about to elaborate, but then she spotted Scott Hartigan across the room, looking handsome as usual in his blue uniform. Erika merely smiled and watched her friend watch Scott. Ltd. Commander Scott Adam Hartigan was handsome, of the tall, dark variety, like the kind you saw in the movies., but he still managed to pull of this little school boy look, like a kid who had yet to learn the facts of life quite yet. Though, Erika could assure you Scott was very much aware of those facts. The ship's resident Ranger tapped the Captain on her shoulder to stop her from starring at Scott too long. Startled, Celeste fell off the stool. "Pup strikes again," Cellie said softly as she got back up. The crew had gotten used to ignoring things like that. Cellie only looked at Scott a moment longer, just long enough to watch him walk over to the head science officer, Dr. Tiffany Snow. With a grunt, she turned back to Erika. "Girl, you have got to get over this." Erika advised her friend, pushing back a lock of brown curls. "Get over what?" Celeste asked. "Over that fight." "Oh, yeah." The fight. One day last week, after a few too many drinks, Erika had dared Celeste to say something to describe Scott in obscene terms. Heaven help them, but as Cellie took up on the dare, Scott walked in and heard them. He'd called them perverts, and things hadn't been the same since. Cellie had a feeling it had to do with the darkness she felt on the ship. "Come on, Cellie, maybe you should go home, everybody knows what happens when a guy goes to 'talk' to Tiffany Frost." Erika stifled a giggle. Celeste didn't look too amused. "Come on, Wolf, you know he's not like that, he's a Christian. 'Sides, he's the only guy or person for that matter, who treats Frost like a person." she reasoned. Wolf brushed it off like Cellie was in denial. Shaking her head, she took Erika's advice and headed home. Cellie hadn't realized what her subconscience had been doing until it was doing it. And by then it was too late. *Great, Cellie,* she thought as she slipped off her uniform and changed into her comfy blue robe, *You went from scared out of your wits to horny out of your mind!* Oh well. Celeste poured herself a glass of vodka and picked up her guitar. She began to strum a little melody. She had always just played it for the warm up, never really sang it because she hadn't understood. She sang it now; " Could you ever forgive me for dried kisses when I'm gone? Could you ever forgive me for rose petals on the lawn? They gleam brightly in the twilight before dawn, Can I ever confess the love I've hid from you so long? Do I don't think I can, and I doubt I ever will," Never understood the song, always just played it. "Gather the petals from the lawn and sit them on your window sill," Mama had called it Celeste's song because she'd played it so well. *You never knew how right you were, Mama.* "Be still, my love, Be still." she finished. Celeste had tears in her eyes by the time she was done. She started to wonder if Scott had really been out to make an invite to Tiffany. *Na , Cellie.* she thought. Suddenly, little alarms were going off in her head. The kind she got when they were chasing raiders in open space, or like the time Alexa had fallen in the lake when they were little, something was wrong. She looked down, on the couch beside her, she must not have noticed it before. It was a glass Minbari fire lily, her favorite flower. It was done in black and gold, and there was a note scribbled next to it. It read. *Oh, God no.* Celeste thought. Only one person had hand writing like that, only one person called her sweetheart. She looked around the room frantically. All the shadows seemed alive and moving. One of them was larger then it should be. *John* "Did you miss me, Sweetheart?" he asked aloud. The face of her ex-boyfriend was before her. His choppy, spiky brown hair stuck out and his cold brown eyes looked at her with lust. He grabbed her arm, hard. "Well, Celeste, did you?" "You're hurting me. Stop it." she seethed. He seemed not to notice and momentarily moved from her field of vision. Cellie felt something cold and slimy wrap around her neck. Wire. John pulled it hard and Celeste tried to fight for air as well as her freedom, but she'd been caught off balance. Blood was drenching the guitar now as she felt a cold knife penetrate her flesh. "Are you sorry yet, Sweetheart?" John asked harshly in her ear. Celeste was still struggling, although her mind was now a mess of confusion. *Comon Cellie, you're a soldier, you're a soldier's grand-daughter, you can get outa this. The guitar, one chance, the guitar. Get it- God, Scott, hurt so bad. Scott- comon Cellie, get the guitar.* Hands free she tried to reach for it, but the pain was so much, too much. She was covered in her own blood now. "Are you sorry? Comon, sweetheart, I wanna see you bleed. Who's sorry now?" John was shouting at her. Celeste could feel her mind dissolving. *Erika, are you- can you- find me. Time short. Scott-God, never ment to offend you. Scott. Comon Pup, get the guitar. Too late, hurts so bad. Scott.* Celeste's head slumped into the couch as she felt her mind go blank, it was like she was made of fireflies. She had the weird image of herself in a straw, and a hungry God sucking on the other end. Oblivion was calling her. Celeste closed her eyes to the world and the angry face of her once love. Though her last image was of her family back on Minbar, Celeste 'Pup' Chudomo's last thoughts were of Erika and Scott. She'd sure miss them. She barely registered the sound of the door opening. Then Celeste heard voices. Scott and Erika. "Comon! Pup, comon Cellie! Breath, fight!" Erika was crying. Celeste managed to open her eyes a bit to see John being taken away, and Scott was bent over her, his hands were covered in her blood. God, she must look like hell. Oblivion called again. Somewhere, out of the corner of her eye, Celeste saw another man. John had only been the dusk, darkness had come. She wanted to tell them, but she could not. If only she could warn them..... The man in the shadows laughed at her. "Cellie!?" Erika again. *Sorry, Wolf-sorry. Scott, you never knew...can't- Scott.* And Celeste knew no more.