From: Becki H Blumer Subject: Fan Fiction Submission: Heart of Darkness, Heart of Stone, part 1 Date: Sun, 07 Mar 1999 17:55:45 +0000 Meredith D. Holt beckihblumer@fuse.net Heart of Darkness, Heart of Stone Adult Warnings: Some language "Heart of Darkness, Heart of Stone" by Meredith D. Holt Hey, This is something like the 8th story I'm submitting, so I guess I'm on a wild writing kick. Whatever works, eh? Oh well, on with it. Any and All questions, comments, complaints, concerns or doubts about my sanity to beckihblumer@fuse.net. This story is set in an alternate universe, in-between two of my other stroies. This comes AFTER 'On Winds of Time' and BEFORE 'In the Shadow of My Dreams'. If you don't want to play the confused game for the first 4 or 5 paragraphs you read, then I might suggest reading: 'On Winds of Time' to clear up some confusion, although this story can stand on its own, but not all that well, mind you. Thanks to Genesis, Stephy, Brit and Em, my Gutter Club beta readers and sisters of Bwaw. Off with your head and on with the show! Love, Meredith Legal Disclaimer: I am not JMS, and I am not responsible for Babylon 5, but I did create some of the circumstances in this parallel universe and I did create Cole, Jessica, Leslie, Estara, Yundle, Hannha, Sofie, Kathy, Fay, Marc, Lucill, Anakin, Amia and Stephen Jr. Personal Disclaimer: I am a hopeless, Irish romantic and this is not a good combo, ask my friends. Heart of Darkness, Heart of Stone By Meredith D. Holt beckihblumer@fuse.net Part 1: Chaos of the Heart ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Looking back, I guess that maybe Babylon 5 was really the last, best hope, for peace. But when you're living on the legendary place, you don't see it that way, it's just HOME. Babylon 5 lasted longer then anyone ever expected, eleven years, now that's an accomplishment. But what most people have a tendency to ignore is the personal dramas, the little wars and love stories that break out every day. What is to follow is an account of our time on Babylon 5 written by my half-sister and me. We have sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, no matter WHO or WHAT it hurts. Because time is short, and growing shorter. -Cole Holt-stargate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cole is right, the truth has to be told, even if the people who were involved don't want it to be, because the truth is, Cole and I are the legacy of those mistakes, and those events. And you know what? We were LIED to, to protect us from hurt, and from the past. But if the past repeats itself, like Uncle G'karr used to say, then how are we not to repeat their mistakes if we don't even know what they are? I don't blame my mother, or my father, but I do blame one person: Alfred Bester. I will always love my mother, because she TRIED to love me. No one has ever succeeded, except Demetri, and he is dead, so I'm all alone, with a barrel of relatives who would rather ignore the whole thing, BUT I AM A RESULT of that thing, so I guess they want to ignore me too. But they can't. This story starts on Mars, but my sister Cole told you, its an account of our time on Babylon 5, not any place else. What I don't remember, Cole plucked from my sleeping father's mind or from my mother, but she knew, so she's mad at me. I don't care anymore. -Jessica Garibaldi ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2261-Mars colony, Edgars industry medical labs. A young, female doctor approached Mr. Garibaldi as he came through the door. She was a bit frightened by him, but he didn't seem to take advantage of that, he just looked around a bit. He was bloodied, and breathing hard as he coughed before asking her a question; "Is she ready?" he asked of the doctor. "Yes, she came out this morning. Why?" "I have to go, now. I'm taking her with me." he stated, broking no question. "Alright," the doctor said as she went through the door to the other room, then returned to Garibaldi caring a small bundle. Garibaldi could have left the child, could have pretended that it wasn't there, and if he had, maybe he could have forgotten the entire incident with Alfred Bester. But the baby was a result of that, and she was also Aleia's baby, and thus, Garibaldi had to treasure her, as he had treasured Aleia, before....thoughts broke off there as the doctor handed the child to him, which cooed and burbled in his arms. She was very small, and he wished he could send her to Babylon 5, to Aleia, who would have probably wanted to breast feed. But he was in enough hot water as it was right now. "What's her name?" the doctor asked, interrupting his thoughts. "Jessica, Jessica Sarah Garibaldi." He told her as he turned to leave, then dashed out the door. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My father had me born from the strands of DNA from both him and my mother, Aleia D. Marie Holt-stargate, while he was under the influence of Mr. Bester, who had reprogrammed him. He wasn't about to leave me, even if I was a reminder that while he was under that control, he tried and failed to rape Aleia. That's right, my being born was supposed to be a revenge, but it turned out to be....I don't know, I don't want to know. -Jessica Garibaldi ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Babylon 5- 2262 Michael Garibaldi answered the door chime to his room, to reveal Aleia Holt-stargate standing there. "Michael," she spoke first as she waltzed in, "I heard what happened, with Bester. I'm, sorry. I know it doesn't do much, but I'm sorry about what I said. I guess, I was mad at you. But I should have been mad at Bester." "Aleia," he said, coming a bit closer, as he watched her steel herself not to back away, "Its okay, I understand. Nobody knew Bester was controlling me, except maybe Sofie." She smiled at him, in her little way and he took her hand and pulled towards the bedroom. "I want to show you something." he told her. As they walked, he began an explanation; "Aleia, when I was under Bester's control, I got mad after the almost-rape. I was mad at you for marrying Lennier and not me. So, I kinda thought, that if I had something that would tie you to me and not Lennier, then you'd be hurt." When he finished, they were in the bedroom, Aleia looked a little nervous, considering the last time she'd been in here. But then she saw a crib at the end of the bed, and peered inside. There in lay a little baby, perhaps a few months old, with a tuff of blonde hair, and brown eyes. Aleia smiled as she reached her hand down and let the child grab hold of her finger. "What's her name?" Aleia asked. "Jessica Sarah Garibaldi." Michael told her. "She's beautiful. But Lennier isn't going to like this very much, you know. He is still mad at you, even if he understands. Did I tell you I had a baby while you were gone?" she asked him. Michael's brow creased. "No? Boy or Girl?" "Girl, her name is Cole." "Really? Swell." Michael said, but from the looks of it, he had something on his mind. "Michael, Babylon Control to Michael?" Aleia said, waving a hand in front of his eyes. "Oh? yeah." he said as he straightened and lifted Jessica into Aleia's arms so she could hold her, "I though that we should discuss a living arrangement for Jessica." "Oh? I thought that you wanted to keep her?" Aleia asked, not looking to pleased with that, "Though I'd like to raise her as well." "Yeah, so I thought that well, look Aleia. You've got a steady family, and a spouse, plus all sorts of aunts and uncles to take care of Jessica, and I'm still trying to sort out MY life. So I thought that you could take her on the weekdays, and I'll have her on the weekends." He said, still looking at the child. "That could work." Aleia said as she began to gently rock Jessica. "I'm sure that Cole will love a sister her age, and I know Sofie will be just peached to death with another little sister so soon." "Good. Ummm....I kinda wanted to tell 'ya. Lise and I are gonna get married. She's moving here in three months, and she'll run Edgar's Industries from here." Michael told her. "So then, Jessica will have a stepmom?" "That's right, we'll just be one, big, happy family." Michael said with a smile. ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` But we weren't one big happy family, we were divided. Lise never did like me, for I suppose to her I was an expression of Papi's love for Mere. On the same take, Pere never truly tried to love me. In fact, my existence cause a division between Mere and Pere, that took along time to heal. -Jessica Garibaldi ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pere was always so calm, that's always the way I remember him, and will always remember him, though he has yet to pass beyond the veil. Growing up, sometimes I wonder why Jessica and I, even our big sister Sofie never questioned that while my Uncle Mickey was just that, an uncle, Jessica called him Papi. But I suppose that in the long run, it was best that Pere left. For how could my mother have become so strong? -Cole Holt-Stargate ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sofie had been sleeping in the other room beside her little sister Cole, when she heard soft, muffled cries. She tried to shake Cole awake, and still not wake up her aunts and cousins, but she failed. It was the week end, so Sofie got more room in the king bed that the cousins shared because Jessica was at Uncle Mickey and Aunt Lise's house. She crawled over Kathy and Fay, Elly's kids, and then Annie Stacy. She gently pushed open the glass door and walked out into the main room. There on the floor lay her Mere. She was crying hard, and broad casting every though she had. *Mere, what's wrong?* Sofie asked, directly into her mother's mind, for Sofie couldn't speak. "Oh, baby." Mere said as she pulled Sofie into a hug. Sofie didn't remind her Mere that she wasn't a baby anymore, that she was eight years old and Jessica was the baby, because she knew that it would hurt. "Sofie, Lennier, your Pere, he went back to Minbar to join the rangers. He isn't gonna be around anymore." she told her adoptive daughter. Later, she put Sofie back to bed, and went to work at the bar she sang at. She dressed in a rather flamboyant red dress and roused Jan and Lyssa so they could leave. She cried silent tears as she walked, and they fell to the deck. ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` I remember that the next day, Mere came over to Papi's and told him about Pere. Lise and Papi had a big fight after that. I remember feeling really bad, like it was all my fault. A year old and I felt bad. Mere later explained to me that the reason my memory goes back so far is because of my telepathic ability, though I am only a P2. The rest of the year, Mere spent in pregnancy, with the triplets. Pere came home after 6 months and told her he'd be with her forever and never leave her again. And he didn't. I wish Demetri had lived, so I could know that kind of love. -Jessica Garibaldi ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next major thing to happen shook us all to the core. I was three at the time, same as Jessica, and the Trio was only a year old, along with Celest, John and Delenn's youngest daughter. But all of us, Kathy, Fay, Sofie, even Anakin, who is 18 years older than me, Annie Stacy, all of us, were hurt by it. Leslie, Lise's daughter was about a year old, and now she doesn't even remember she HAD a mother. Its really sad. - Cole Holt-Stargate ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~