From: Becki H Blumer Subject: Fan Fiction Submission: Ice Princess Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 15:07:25 +0000 Meredith D. Holt beckihblumer@fuse.net "Ice Princess" Warnings: None, yet anyway Ice Princess by Meredith D. Holt Hullo, This is another Marcus and Susan story I thought up. I hope you enjoy it. let me know if you like it. Also, is any one interested in me ever finishing 'On Winds of Time"? Comments are welcome. Email me at beckihblumer@fuse.net. of visit my website at http://expage.com/page/meredithb5. Love Always, Meredith Legal Discalimer: All people and places belong to JMS. All power and glory to him, all grief and lawsuites to my lawyer. Personal disclaimer: I am a hopless Irish romantic. You have been warned. Ice Princess by Meredith D. Holt Prologue: St. Petersburg, Russian Consortium, 2240 Gusty wind blew harshly on the nearly deserted beach, but that didn't stop it's remaining three occupants from their game. Ganya, the tall fair haired boy with a lopsided grin and charm enough for five children stood atop a hill of sand. "I'm king! I'm King Fire!" he declared loudly. His sister, Susan, standing below, didn't look all to pleased with him. The pale blonde with fiery eyes who was standing beside her climbed atop as well. "I'm Queen Volcano." Iris declared. Ganya looked down on his sister, crossing his arms and mimicking their father. "Susan, are you not going to climb onto our castle with us?" he asked. "Not unless I get to be royal too." Susan told him, effectively plopping down on the sand to prove her point. "Fine, fine." Iris said. Susan stood and climbed up to stand beside them. "I bet you can see from here to Geneva from this height!" the brunette said with awe. "Stupid! We're not that high up!" Iris said. Susan angrily pushed her and the blonde, who tumbled down the hill and back into the sand. Ganya laughed out loud. "Who are you?" he asked his sister. "I want to be a queen." she told him earnestly. "You can't." Iris said as she climbed back up. "You're always the queen!" Susan pointed out. "Of course, I'm older, that makes me a better queen." the other girl pointed out logically. Susan looked to her brother for confirmation, and he nodded his assent. "Come, come, Susan. You can be a princess." Ganya soothed her. 'Fine," but the child's eyes told you it wasn't fine. "I'll be a princess." "What are you Princess of, Susan?" Iris asked. "Ice. I'm the Ice Princess." --------- Present Day: 2262, Babylon 5. Susan Ivonava, Commander and second of Babylon 5 walked into the customs area of Babylon 5 looking for Zak Allan. The look in her eyes clearly warned any one to stay away from her. She scanned the crowd with her eyes, looking for the Security Chief, but no luck. She was about to leave, when something caught her eye. Marcus Cole. Not just Marcus Cole, his usual handsome self, but Marcus Cole holding the hands of two small girls. He was logging them through customs while the two girls looked on the mirade of bright colors and races that was Babylon 5 with wide eyes. Where could he have gotten those?, she wondered. Susan decided to investigate herself. So, straightening her uniform, she walked up to Marcus as he got out of line. "Hello Marcus." Marcus recognized the sultry voice of Susan Ivonava anywhere. It was like music to his ears. "Hi Susan." he thought, Actually, that was what she was thinking. "Who are these?" she asked softly, bending on her knees to look the girl's in the eyes. They each had a head of brown hair, one's was frizzy and short, the other's straight and long. Each had tan skin and heart shaped lips. But what Susan hadn't been prepared for was their eyes. Blue, like ice. "That's Elizabeth," Marcus was saying, touching the girl with the frizzy hair on the head, "and that's Emily." Emily looked straight ahead, while Elizabeth fastened her eyes on Susan. The older woman's brow furrowed in confusion. "Hi girl's, I'm Susan." she said softly. Both extended their hands. Their smiles were bright. "Hi, Susan!" that was Elizabeth, beaming with pleasure. "You're pretty." Emily said without preamble. "Thank you." Susan was touched. "You're pretty yourself." Emily giggled, still staring straight ahead. As she stood, she pulled Marcus aside. "They're not mine." he told her. "A friend of mine, and his wife, died recently on Minbar, the twins are their children." "Oh. What's wrong with Emily?" Susan couldn't help but ask. "She's blind." Marcus told her, staring into the indigo eyes he loved so much. "But she said I was..." "Pretty. She's quite right, you know. She sees through her sister." he saw confusion in Susan's eyes, 'They're telepaths." From: Becki H Blumer Subject: Fan Fiction Submission: 'Ice Princess" part 1 Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 15:00:46 +0000 Meredith D. Holt beckihblumer@fuse.net "Ice Princess" Warnings: None, yet anyway Ice Princess by Meredith D. Holt Hullo, This is another Marcus and Susan story I thought up. I hope you enjoy it. let me know if you like it. Also, is any one interested in me ever finishing 'On Winds of Time"? Comments are welcome. Email me at beckihblumer@fuse.net. of visit my website at http://expage.com/page/meredithb5. Love Always, Meredith Prologue: St. Petersburg, Russian Consortium, 2240 Gusty wind blew harshly on the nearly deserted beach, but that didn't stop it's remaining three occupants from their game. Ganya, the tall fair haired boy with a lopsided grin and charm enough for five children stood atop a hill of sand. "I'm king! I'm King Fire!" he declared loudly. His sister, Susan, standing below, didn't look all to pleased with him. The pale blonde with fiery eyes who was standing beside her climbed atop as well. "I'm Queen Volcano." Iris declared. Ganya looked down on his sister, crossing his arms and mimicking their father. "Susan, are you not going to climb onto our castle with us?" he asked. "Not unless I get to be royal too." Susan told him, effectively plopping down on the sand to prove her point. "Fine, fine." Iris said. Susan stood and climbed up to stand beside them. "I bet you can see from here to Geneva from this height!" the brunette said with awe. "Stupid! We're not that high up!" Iris said. Susan angrily pushed her and the blonde, who tumbled down the hill and back into the sand. Ganya laughed out loud. "Who are you?" he asked his sister. "I want to be a queen." she told him earnestly. "You can't." Iris said as she climbed back up. "You're always the queen!" Susan pointed out. "Of course, I'm older, that makes me a better queen." the other girl pointed out logically. Susan looked to her brother for confirmation, and he nodded his assent. "Come, come, Susan. You can be a princess." Ganya soothed her. 'Fine," but the child's eyes told you it wasn't fine. "I'll be a princess." "What are you Princess of, Susan?" Iris asked. "Ice. I'm the Ice Princess." --------- Present Day: 2262, Babylon 5. Susan Ivonava, Commander and second of Babylon 5 walked into the customs area of Babylon 5 looking for Zak Allan. The look in her eyes clearly warned any one to stay away from her. She scanned the crowd with her eyes, looking for the Security Chief, but no luck. She was about to leave, when something caught her eye. Marcus Cole. Not just Marcus Cole, his usual handsome self, but Marcus Cole holding the hands of two small girls. He was logging them through customs while the two girls looked on the mirade of bright colors and races that was Babylon 5 with wide eyes. Where could he have gotten those?, she wondered. Susan decided to investigate herself. So, straightening her uniform, she walked up to Marcus as he got out of line. "Hello Marcus." Marcus recognized the sultry voice of Susan Ivonava anywhere. It was like music to his ears. "Hi Susan." he thought, Actually, that was what she was thinking. "Who are these?" she asked softly, bending on her knees to look the girl's in the eyes. They each had a head of brown hair, one's was frizzy and short, the other's straight and long. Each had tan skin and heart shaped lips. But what Susan hadn't been prepared for was their eyes. Blue, like ice. "That's Elizabeth," Marcus was saying, touching the girl with the frizzy hair on the head, "and that's Emily." Emily looked straight ahead, while Elizabeth fastened her eyes on Susan. The older woman's brow furrowed in confusion. "Hi girl's, I'm Susan." she said softly. Both extended their hands. Their smiles were bright. "Hi, Susan!" that was Elizabeth, beaming with pleasure. "You're pretty." Emily said without preamble. "Thank you." Susan was touched. "You're pretty yourself." Emily giggled, still staring straight ahead. As she stood, she pulled Marcus aside. "They're not mine." he told her. "A friend of mine, and his wife, died recently on Minbar, the twins are their children." "Oh. What's wrong with Emily?" Susan couldn't help but ask. "She's blind." Marcus told her, staring into the indigo eyes he loved so much. "But she said I was..." "Pretty. She's quite right, you know. She sees through her sister." he saw confusion in Susan's eyes, 'They're telepaths." From: Becki H Blumer Subject: Fan Fiction Submission: Ice Princess part 2 Date: Sun, 21 Feb 1999 15:56:23 +0000 Meredith D. Holt DutchessPhantoms@hotmail.com "Ice Princess" Warnings: None, yet anyway Ice Princess by Meredith D. Holt Hullo, This is another Marcus and Susan story I thought up. I hope you enjoy it. let me know if you like it. I know this part is small, but good things come in small packages. But then again, so do tiny stupid creatures, i don't know, you figure it out. Comments are welcome. Email me at DutchessPhantoms@hotmail.com (yes, It's changed). of visit my website at http://expage.com/page/meredithb5. Love Always, Meredith Legal Discalimer: All people and places belong to JMS. All power and glory to him, all grief and lawsuites to my lawyer. Personal disclaimer: I am a hopless Irish romantic. You have been warned. Ice Princess by Meredith D. Holt DutchessPhantoms@hotmail.com They were good kids, Marcus couldn't complain about that. Elizabeth and Emily were quiet children, most of the time they sat on the floor playing with their dolls. Occasionally, one would wake in the middle of the night, wanting her mother. Marcus felt sorry for them, he knew how it was to lose some one like that. He only hoped he could help them heal, when he had only begun to heal himself. "Please, Marcus!" Emily whined. Elizabeth added her own voice to the protest. They wanted sweets from a sweet shop they were passing in the Zocolo. "Please, please, please, please, PLEASE!" "No." Marcus sighed, trying to sound authoritative. "Oh, come on, Marcus." some one said behind him. It was Susan. "What did you want?" she asked the twins. "Lollipops." Emily answered. She liked Susan alot. "Alright, Lollipops it is." Susan smiled. She'd heard the children whining all the way across the Zocolo. Genuinely liking the twins, she'd come over to see what the ruckus was. She paid the cashier and handed the girl's their prize, to which they chorused a thank you. Only then did she turn her attention to Marcus. He carefully masked his surprised expression. "What are doing today?" she asked. "We were supposed to be grocery shopping." Marcus said, looking at her intense blue eyes. "Well, mind if I tag along? I have a bit of time before my next shift." Susan asked. "Please!" Elizabeth asked. Marcus looked down at her, he'd LOVE to spend the day with Susan. They stopped by several shops, picking up groceries, and some things for the girls, before Susan had to report for duty. She quickly gave the girls a hug and trotted off. As Marcus led them back home, Emily seemed in turmoil. Little did he know she was in the middle of a heated argument with Elizabeth. *I like her alot* Emily sent. *Me too* Elizabeth thought back at her twin. *Then why don't you like my idea?* *Cause, well, okay. I guess everybody needs a Mommy.* *Good.* Emily smugly thought back. Then she fumbled for Marcus' cloak and tugged. "Marcus?" Emily asked in a small voice. "Yes?" Marcus looked down with kind eyes. "Can Susan be our new Mommy?" Elizabeth asked. *Oh, damn.* Marcus though. *Valen, why me?* From: Becki H Blumer Subject: Fan Fiction Submission: Ice Princess part 3 Date: Sun, 28 Feb 1999 20:24:56 +0000 Meredith D. Holt beckihblumer@fuse.net "Ice Princess" Warnings: None, yet anyway Ice Princess by Meredith D. Holt Hullo, This is another Marcus and Susan story I thought up. I hope you enjoy it. let me know if you like it.I'm sorry this part took so long, but I was trying to finish the 'Crimson Unicorn" and start "Unrequited". By the way, does anybody like that one? Did every one hate the end of "Crimson Unicorn"? Comments are welcome. Email me at beckihblumer@fuse.net. of visit my website at http://expage.com/page/meredithb5. Also, thanks to emily and Morgana for their encouragement, and to Skyler, my loyal beta reader and phyciatrist. Love Always, Meredith Legal Discalimer: All people and places belong to JMS. All power and glory to him, all grief and lawsuites to my lawyer. Personal disclaimer: I am a hopless Irish romantic. You have been warned. Ice Princess by Meredith D. Holt beckihblumer@fuse.net "Can we wait till we get back home to discuss this?" Marcus asked. The girls nodded, but they didn't look to happy about it . Finally, the reached his small domain. Marcus reminded himself to petition for bigger quarters, two small six-year olds couldn't possibly grow up comfortably in here. "Marcus?" Elizabeth demanded his attention. "Yes." Marcus sighed, sitting down on the bed, letting the girl's climb up into his lap. "We want Susan to be our new Mommy, she'd make a real good one, and we promise we won't ask for sweets if you let her be out Mommy." Elizabeth, always more outgoing, was trying to make a compromise. Why couldn't they understand that it wasn't that simple. "It's not that simple, love. A Mommy and Daddy have to love each other." Marcus protested. "But you love Susan!" Emily piped up. Damn, why hadn't he remembered he was dealing with little lie detectors here? "It's still....she doesn't love me back. I know that she likes you two, but can't you guys just be friends for now?" he asked. Emily began to cry. "I want my Mommy." she sniffled. "There, there." he smoothed her hair, not really knowing which woman she was talking about. He picked them up and plopped them down on the two little cots set up in the corner, then sat down himself and hugged them. He wished their mother was here, he could imagine how hard it must be on them both. "It's just gonna be the three of us for now, okay?" "Okay." the twins chorused, but their hearts weren't in it. ---------- 3 weeks later "Aw hell!" Marcus threw his hands up in frustration as he left Entil 'Za Delenn's office. He had an assignment, normally something he liked. But it was a dangerous one, that required his presence on White Star 34 for two weeks. He couldn't take the twins with him, so he had to find some one to watch them. Zak couldn't, he had too much on his shoulders already. John was the leader of the army of light, thus ruling him out, on the same note Delenn was Entil 'Za. He couldn't ask Lennier, or Lyta. Leaving.....Susan. he thought. He had desperately tried to move the twins away from thinking of Susan as their mother, which he knew they wanted to do. That was hard because the three were such good pals, and now if he left them with her, he'd only be re-enforcing that idea. Marcus sighed and straightened his uniform. May as well get the dirty deed over with now. He rang the chime. "Yes?" came Susan's disembodied voice. "It's Marcus, can I see you?" he asked. The door opened to reveal Susan, currently in the process of taking her hair down. "Marcus, how can I help you?" she said without turning from the mirror. "I need to ask a favor." he began, but she interrupted him. "You want me to watch the twins while you go on a mission for Delenn. I'd love too, they're great kids." she laughed when she saw his expression reflected in the mirror. "How did you...?" "Delenn. She called me a while ago and asked for you. I think you've been set up, Ranger." "Oh. Damn Minbari and their assumptions." Marcus grumbled, then remembered his manners. "Thank you, Susan. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find any one." "It's okay. Listen, drop them off around eight teen hundred and I'll have dinner ready. Anything they like in particular?" "Na, I'm sure what ever you come up with is fine." Marcus said. Then; "Thanks again." As he retreated. "Are we REALLY gonna stay at Susan's for two WHOLE weeks?" Elizabeth asked as they walked down the hall towards Susan's quarters. "Yes." Marcus said, slinging the travel bag over his other shoulder to avoid a muscle he'd pulled while training some cadets yesterday. "Does this mean she'd our Mommy?" Emily whispered to her sister. "I heard that." Marcus sighed. "No, it means that she's baby-sitting you." Emily groaned, but they remained silent the rest of the way to Susan's. Elizabeth quickly pushed the door chime. "Yes?" "It's Elizabeth, and Emily, and Marcus." Elizabeth informed Susan. The door slid open, and a delicious aroma welcomed Marcus and the girl's in. "Dinner's on the table, girl's." Susan told them as she wiped her hands on her apron. Marcus had never seen her look that.....wifely before. Frankly, it scared him. "Hi, Marcus." Susan said softly as she took the girl's travel bag from him. "Is this all they have?" "Yeah, Derek and Airyka weren't that rich, and most of their stuff was burned in accident." Marcus explained. Susan merely nodded and set their stuff by the bed she'd set up for them. "Be careful, will you?" she asked softly as she got closer. Marcus mind of a whirl of confusion, why was she so close? Did she...? "Um, sure." he said simply. Then Susan's expression changed. "How does the woman...you want a relationship with feel about the girls?" "Um..." " he wondered. "She'd okay with it, I think she likes the twins." "Good." Susan said as she turned away, she didn't want Marcus to see her pain. It wasn't his fault she'd fallen in love with him, unicorns and all. "Well, bye." "Bye." Marcus said and walked away, confident that Susan was only concerned for the girls. Susan heard the door closed and wiped her tears on her apron, she didn't want Elizabeth and Emily to see her like this. So consumed by her pain was she, that she didn't notice the little child with frizzy brown hair in the corner. Elizabeth wondered why they were playing such a stupid game with their feelings. She quickly scrambled back to the table when Susan got up. *What happened?" Emily demanded. She hadn't touched her plate because she couldn't see it with out Elizabeth. *He thinks she only cares about us, she thinks he loves some one else. This is a really stupid game.* Emily's sister sent. *Yeah, a stupid game. How do you win it anyway?* "I dunno, Em, I wish I did, though. I don even know the rules.*