From r.owen@student.anu.edu.au Sun Aug 4 01:59:18 1996 Date: Fri, 2 Aug 1996 10:59:42 +1000 From: Ruth Owen To: b5-creative@lists.best.com Subject: New story: Curiosity - Spoilers WWE and beyond Spoilers for WWE and beyond The following story is based around one of the snippets shown by JMS at Comicon(?), where Sheridan and Delenn are seen kissing in a room with a group of White-Star type vessels in the background outside. The scene where they discuss the Minbari romantic ritual is also used. Just a little speculation to tide us over until they get around to showing the real thing. The text and description of the final 5 spoilers were found on the B5 spoiler junkies page (http://pages.prodigy.com/wildfoto/spoilers.html). Season 3 doesn't begin here in Australia until October, so I've been relying on The Lurker's Guide and the John&Delenn home page (http://www.speedlink.com/bbarrett/b5/index.html) to fill in some of the blanks. slush ahead. ########################### Curiosity by Ruth Owen (r.owen@student.anu.edu.au) Sheridan entered the observation room quietly, pausing just far enough into the room so the door would shut behind him. The room was dim, the lighting muted to the soft night-time glow preferred on the station. The dimness of the room only made the objects outside seem brighter. And what a sight - a fleet of White-Star class vessels hanging in the velvety night, touched by the rays of Irridani peeking over the horizon of the planet below - as if the galaxy was giving its blessing to the Army of Light. A fitting benediction indeed. As his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, they detected something much closer and an even more welcome sight than the ships. Ambassador Delenn. Her slim figure was almost obscured by the window brace she was leaning against as she regarded the scene through the window. Only the flash of color from her Minbari robes had betrayed her presence - color that was out of place in amongst the shades of black and gray that dominated the room. Sheridan smiled as he regarded her: Lennier had been correct in his guess as to the whereabouts of the enigmatic Ambassador. Moving silently, John crossed the room quickly until he stood no more than an arms length behind her. Delenn's posture was unusually pensive, the side of her head resting against the strut as if she no longer had the energy to hold it up herself. She appeared to be lost in thought, her eyes fixed upon the sight through the window. Or meditating, John thought. Either way the aura of peace she drew about herself was one he was loathe to disturb. Instead he stood there, letting her presence permeate his mind and soul. "A lovely sight, is it not," she said quietly without turning her attention from the window. John moved around her to sit on the frame of the window, his eyes playing across the fine features of her face. "Lovely," he agreed, his gaze still on her. A faint smile flitted across her face, and she turned her head to regard him. The warmth from her green eyes surrounded him as if it were tangible, and John reveled in the feeling. "You are not looking at the ships," she chided gently. "No," John agreed, smiling in return. "I see... things of beauty that are closer and mean more to me." In his mind he saw his future time flash - the cell; an older Delenn. And a son. He hadn't found a way to tell her about the vision as yet. Would telling her affect how things would turn out? Would she feel pressured to either conform to a preconceived idea of the future or to avoid it? These were questions that had rattled around in his head for days. Questions that he did not, could not answer. John became aware he was still staring at her and she at him. There was no hint of self-consciousness in her gaze. Just when he thought he'd started to get her figured out, she went and did something... unexpected. 'Hmm. Maybe something 'Minbari' would be a better description,' John thought. Such as surprising him the other day when she had suggested they spend the night together. 'All right John, more than surprised,' he admitted.... **** John had been trying to convince Delenn not to come. His attempt had been about as useful as trying to understand a Vorlon and twice as frustrating. If anything happened to her... "John, we've been over this," Delenn said in a tone that clearly indicated she would not be dissuaded from a course of action she had decided upon. "I should be there with you and the fleet. We're in this together." Her clear green gaze met his, full of resolve, determination and... something John didn't want to put a name to at that point in time, but which ignited a flame deep within him. He felt the irritation their argument had engendered begin to fade. 'Damm,' he berated himself. 'I should know better by now than to look into her eyes.' The eyes were always said to be the 'gateway to the soul', and it seemed to be perfectly true in Delenn's case. Such a beautiful soul shining through those calm eyes. And how could he refuse her anything she wanted when she looked at him like that? Delenn seemed a little flustered by the strength of his gaze upon her. She stood close to him, but not so close it could be misinterpreted by others. "And..." she began, dropping the volume of her voice a little, to a level John always found incredibly hypnotic - not to mention sexy - "Afterward when we finish with this, we will spend the night together." John was positive that his jaw had it the floor and bounced a few times for good measure. Spend the night... His eyes widened. Was she propositioning him? Delenn seemed to be more aware of the nuances of human speech and behavior than she sometimes let on, or she had been doing some research into the subject - 'or my jaw hitting the floor gave it away,' John considered - for she blushed a delicate shade of pink "Not like that," she qualified, then paused, as if arranging her thoughts. "When Minbari become close like we have become close, it is tradition that they spend three nights together. The male sleeps and the female watches." He let out the breath he had been unaware of holding. 'Alien Interaction 101: never assume,' he thought with a little regret. "Watches *what*?" He was proud of the fact that the question came out intelligibly, considering the fact that his psyche was still whirling. Delenn, meanwhile seemed to have recovered her equilibrium and graceful poise. "During the day, we all put on the face we think will do us the most good," she explained in a serious tone. "But at a certain point in your sleep as you relax, your true face is revealed. If the female approves of his true face she will stay two more nights and continue to observe." "Hmm," John murmured, intrigued. An interesting custom. Although he wasn't sure if he'd get much sleep knowing Delenn was sitting there watching him. "What if she doesn't like what she sees?" he asked to divert his attention from more... dangerous... thoughts. "Then they go their separate ways," Delenn stated, her expression and voice matter-of-fact. "Oh." It seemed you only got one chance in this Minbari ritual, and you couldn't control the circumstances. John wasn't sure if he like the test. What if you had indigestion or a cramp in your leg that caused you to appear in an unfavorable light? "If he insists she stay one more night, she can leave when he falls asleep, file a complaint with the elders and cut off his um... his... access to her family," Delenn explained further. John repressed a start at her words. He almost thought she had been going to say cut off... something else. OK, those were the negative aspects... But what if things went all right? "Uh...What if she *does* like what she sees?" he asked tentatively, not really sure if he was ready to hear that answer yet. An enigmatic smile from the Minbari Ambassador: "Later. History awaits."**** Was it later now? John thought, emerging from his reverie. Would she like what she saw? The trembling of his insides made him feel like an inexperienced teenager again, with a crush on the cute girl who sat across the room from him in class. But it was more than a crush - his feelings for the petite woman before him went far deeper than a few idle teenage daydreams. He wanted to know her inside and out - not just her body, but her heart, mind and soul. He wanted to gather her in his arms and never let go. Protect her, cherish her, spend the rest of his life learning her secrets. Tentatively he reached out a hand to her, not touching but requesting. After a moment her hand was placed in his. His thumb gently caressed the back of her hand, memorizing the feel of her soft skin, the play of the muscles beneath the skin. Slowly, as he had done once before he raised the hand to his face and pressed his lips upon it, his gaze never faltering. With infinite grace, Delenn pushed herself away from the strut and stepped closer, the hem of her robe brushing his shin. Waiting. Examining. John's arms moved of their own volition, pulling her into an embrace. Her head and hands rested against his chest, one of his arms wrapped around her waist and the other in her hair, they stayed like that for what seemed an eternity, drawing comfort, warmth and strength from the other: two people in their own private universe. John sighed, resting his face against the top of her head. The last woman he had been embraced like this had been the Delenn of the future. This Delenn, *his* Delenn, felt the same and yet different to her future self. He inhaled the scent from her hair, which remained the same. Wildflowers and pine? The threat of the shadows was momentarily washed away by the simple sensation of holding the woman he loved in his arms. Drawing back a little, he disengaged his hand from her hair to gently run his fingers from her temple, along the side of her jaw to the point of her chin. With infinite care, he tilted her head back so he could look into her eyes. Trust and love shone forth. The memory of a kiss had burned itself into his brain - the one he had shared with her in the future. He didn't know whether Minbari kissed, or whether it was something Delenn had learnt, but it had been one of the most... significant, passionate, wonderful kisses in his life and he desperately wanted to repeat it. The aborted kiss, interrupted by Ivanova, seemed to have occurred a lifetime ago, yet it had been in reality only a few weeks. Slowly, so she could stop him if she felt uncomfortable about it, John lowered his head, at the same time tilting hers to the side. His eyes remained locked upon hers until he became too close and simply shut them. A scant millimeter from her lips he paused. 'If Ivanova interrupts...' The thought remained unfinished. The touch was so gentle as to barely be there. Then John applied a little more pressure to her lips, moving slowly so as not to startle her. He used his hand on her jaw to direct the tilt of her face, as her lips began to mimic the movements his were making. 'No, Minbari probably *don't* kiss. Or at least Delenn hasn't,' he concluded. But she was learning fast. John's hand moved back around to tangle itself in her hair and he pulled her a little closer to him. He could feel her heart rapidly beating against his chest. Her hands slid from their resting position on his chest around the back of his neck, entwining themselves in his short hair. John suppressed a moan as her thumbs caressed the sensitive skin on the back of his neck. It felt so good, so *right*. His tongue traced her lips but did not press for entry. Delenn made a barely audible noise, her hands tightening around him and John smiled into the kiss: it was a rare thing to see the cool, poised Minbari Ambassador so... passionate. All too soon, he lessened the pressure on her lips, and with a series of soft kisses withdrew a little. Her eyes were still closed, head tilted back, her mouth red and swollen from the kiss and she was breathing rapidly. John drew in a ragged breath - it was very arousing to see her like that and know he had caused it. At the sound of his breath, Delenn opened her eyes to stare back up at him. She cleared her throat. "I have always been... curious about that human romantic custom," she said with a sparkle in her eyes as she traced a gentle finger over his lips. "I think I understand now why humans like it so much." John grinned down at her, and moved his hand to still her fingers on his lips, bestowing a small kiss on each one. "So is it a human custom you think you would feel comfortable adopting?" His tone was light-hearted, but the question was only half in jest. He knew from her reactions she had enjoyed the kiss, but Delenn remained Minbari to the core, despite the changes in her body. Her way of life had not dramatically altered, as if she somehow had to appear more Minbari than her people to make up for the differences in her appearence. A mischievous look crossed her face, one that was totally unexpected. "Hmm," she pretended to consider the idea. "I think that the custom is... worthy of further study." John broke into a full smile, and leant forward to briefly recapture her lips. "Tell me," he murmured as he distributed soft kisses over her face. "When is this best time to hold your Minbari romantic ritual?" Delenn pulled away enough to look at him. "There are some... preparations I must complete in advance," she advised him. "Would tomorrow evening be acceptable?" If her face was any indication, she wanted to move forward with this relationship as much as he did. "Tomorrow evening would be more than acceptable," John agreed, "Barring any emergencies, that is." He brought her hand to his face and deposited a kiss in her palm. He knew that if he started kissing her again, he would not want to stop, and this was neither the right time or place for her to learn about one of the more intimate aspects of being human Regretfully he released her from his embrace and took a deep breath to try and slow his racing heart. The kiss they had shared had demonstrated to her in a human fashion how he felt about her. Now John found himself wishing he knew what the Minbari equivalent would be so he could honour her in the manner of her own people. He had seen exchanges of many types between the Minbari on Babylon 5 in the two years he'd been there, and most of them involved a formal bow of some type. He recalled her saying goodbye to Draal once when they had gone down to the planet below, and wondered whether that action would be appropriate. Moving his right hand, he laid it on her chest near her collarbone, moving her right hand to a similar position on his own chest. Delenn's eyes widened a little in surprise, as she covered his right hand with her left and bowed towards him Their foreheads met for several seconds before they straightened. John breathed a mental sigh of relief, and made a note to do some serious research into Minbari customs and rituals soon. Arm in arm the pair exited the room, leaving the fleet of the Army of Light to circle around the station unwatched and temporarily forgotten. END ================================ "Yisterday I couldnt spell Ingineer. Today I is one" Ruth Owen r.owen@student.anu.edu.au