Meredith D. Holt beckihblumer@fuse.net In the Shadow of My Dreams No Adult Warnings "In the Shadow of My Dreams" by Meredith D. Holt Hello, This my first fan fiction posted to the John and Delenn Story Book. My other story: "On Winds of Time" can be found at the Alternate Universe Today. This story is about John and Delenn's daughter Celest, who captians a White Star during the Ka War, which takes place in 2284. It does take place in an alternate universe, just warning you, but not so alternate as to scare any one. Contrary to popular belief I do NOT lurk in dark places, unlike some people I know, (Hint and a meaningful nod to Genisis Grace Heart). Any and All comments, baby kangaroos, tap dancing rodents, brick nightgowns and GENTLE criticisms to beckihblumer@fuse,net. So any way talk is cheep, and you are not paying me to babble, on with the show, odd as it is. Love Always, Meredith Disclaimer: I am not in charge, I will however inform you as to who is. JMS, WB and PTEN are. I do not mean any copyright infringement and most of these characters were born in JMS' head, they just occasionally run around in mine. There are however a few that WERE born in my head, namely: Celest, Yundle, Estara, Hannha, Aleia, Fay, Amia, Leslie, Anakin, Luc, Nic, Lizboth, Len, Stephen Jr., Gerra, Marc, Lucill and (horrific shudder, because the very thought that something this vile was born in my head makes me want to pwek. (Just Remember it was all Genisis Heart's fault)) Kathy. (Yeah, I know, the name doesn't sound all that scary, but does LONDO or ANNA sound scary?) Personal Disclaimer: I am, by definition, a hopeless Irish Romantic, which is a VERY dangerous combination, just ask Adam. I promise not to be mean to John or Delenn, simply because I can't bring myself to do anything to my favorite TV couple. I don't however guarantee that anybody else will come out of this in one piece, but I will tell you that Kathy was born in pieces and just glued back together (Mentally). "Live and Learn, Love and Die, All God asks is that we try, Its a daily battle true, but try is all you have to do, If we lived two thousand years, we still make the same mistakes, but that's a change you'll have to take" - Aleia Holt-Stargate, "I'm Cry'in, I'm Die'n", sung at the last public concert, given May 24th, 2267 at the "Tara" bar on Babylon 5. In the Shadow of My Dreams By Meredith D. Holt beckihblumer@fuse.net "A Personal Hell" Prologue- 2274, Tuzzenor, the Mimbari religious Caste Capital. A scream pierced through the pleasant dreams of Alliance President John Sheridan. He sat up in bed as he heard it gain volume, the shrieks of terror were merged incoherently with shouts of 'No, no, pleaaase, you can't, STOP!' John, now fully awake sat up in bed. Delenn was already tossing on her night robe. He realized who was screaming and bolted out of the room and down to hall to his daughter's room. There she lay, kicking and screaming, her eyes open, but seeing nothing. She continued to shriek and Delenn ran to the com screen by her bed. "Conrad," she addressed the Ranger who answered, "Fetch Aleia, Celest needs her." John looked down in utter horror at the hell his ten year old daughter had to endure. Delenn came to sat beside him as they waited for Aleia, he wrapped his arm around his beloved wife, holding her to him. A few minutes later, Celest was still screaming when Aleia chimed the door and Delenn led her into the room. Lennier's human wife sat down on the bed and took Celest's hand and then with the other she reached for Delenn's. Delenn's vision clouded over as she too entered what Celest was going through. *They were in their old quarters on Babylon 5, Celest was standing over the dead body of a young woman whom Aleia and Delenn soon recognized as the late Lise Hampton Garibaldi. ( Celest,) Delenn called to her daughter, (what's wrong? What happened?) ( I didn't do it mommy, Ms. Kelsey, she , she...) Celest trailed off and Delenn was thrust back into reality.* As Delenn attempted to focus, Aleia sat on the bed, still holding Celest's hand. her screaming had stopped now and Aleia eased her into the covers. Standing up she put her hand on Delenn's shoulder. "What did you see?" John asked. "She is still having the nightmare Kathy sent her." Aleia told him, her eyes brimmed with tears. "Still?" John asked, looking to his wife. "I saw it," Delenn confirmed, "Oh, John, what Kathy did to her, its its.." John reached to comfort his wife. Dr. Franklin's daughter, Kathy had turned 14 a few months back. It was then that she revealed in front of everyone her advocation of the darkness and her pocession of the Dark Necklace. The necklace had been the Shadow's, brought to Babylon 5 and sold to a woman who sold it to Aleia. Aleia had immediately recognized it as the one she had seen in a vision 7 years before. She had given it to Mr. Garibaldi, after informing him and John of what she had seen. In lock up, it had conjured up the spirit of the vengeful Psi Cop Kelsey. After brutally murdering Lise, Kelsey had died, and the necklace was lost. How Kathy got a hold of it was anyone's guess. Kathy had run away, but, out of newly formed spite for John and Delenn, she had sent their seer daughter a terrible nightmare. No matter what Aleia, also a seer, did, the visions persisted. ----------- Celest and Fay, Kathy's twin, were walking on a beach, Celest was now 12, Fay, going on 16. Hand in hand they walked on the white sands, until Celest broke the silence. "Fay, you know I don't blame you for what Kathy did, don't you?" she asked. "Yes, but it is good to hear you say that." Fay confided. "Good, I wouldn't want you to feel bad." "Celest," Fay said, plopping down in the sand, Celest following the suit, "I want to tell you that, that I am going away." "What? Why?" Celest asked her sister like companion. "Yundel and I are joining the Rangers, I feel like I have to make up for what Kathy is doing, joining the Rangers is good place to start." "Diddle it, Fay!" Celest jumped up and cried, "You and Estara are my best friends, I can't loose you! Its not your fault Kathy did all those things, every body knows it!" "Celest, please, I want to do this. I'll visit you and Estara every chance I get and I'll bring you presents. Promise." Fay told her. ----------- Yundel Travis Holt-Stargate of the third fane of Chudomo was a handsome young man. He had a head bone like his father, Lennier, and milk chocolate brown hair like his mother, Aleia, which covered the spot o his head where, had he been his father, he would have been bald. His call to serve had brought him to this White Star, to be a Ranger. His 3 years of training were up, he was eightteen and ready to captain his own White Star. He just wished, he wished that Celest had joined earlier, so she could be here with him, instead of on Mimbar in training. Yundel's casual affection for his younger "cousin" was now full fledged love and admiration. She didn't know it of course, he didn't have the guts to tell her that if she didn't marry him someday, then he could never marry at all, for her soul had so effectively enchanted his. He lie down on the Mimbari style bed at the end of another day. Next to him on the night stand, where a picture of his parents and triplet sisters, Estara and Hannha, along with another picture of Celest in a silver frame. It had been taken at her 17th birthday party, only about 3 months ago. She had seemed so grown up, her long black hair, cascading down her back from her bone crest. Her light blue eyes had sparkled and danced, complimented by the sky blue dress she had worn. He had given her a pair of crystal earrings and a crystal locket, both made out of crystal forged in the star fire wheel. It had seemed so right that his beloved should have something so powerful. Yundel laid his head down in preparation for sleep and picked up the silver frame, kissing Celest's image as he whispered: "I hope I can tell you someday." Just before sleep claimed him and he set it back down. --------- "The Call of the Stars" Present Day- 2284, aboard White Star 93: "The Cassiopia" My name is Celest Sheridan, yeah, I'm the daughter of President Sheridan and Entil'Za Delenn. One would think that after all they went through, battling darkness, the shadows and all, that we wouldn't have to be dealing with this again. But there it is. This time, its a little more personal. The war against the Shadows was against an ancient and deadly race. The Ka War, this war, is against my insane 'cousin' Kathy Franklin. She has been pocessed by a necklace that was once the property of the shadows. So now, here we are again. I stretch in my command chair, I've been sitting here for three hours, waiting for the reports to come in. According to our sources, Kathy is hiding on one of the planets in the Za'ha'dum solar system. It tracks. I sent some rangers down to scout it out, they should be back soon. I sometimes wish I could just kill Kathy and get it out of the way, but it isn't that easy. As much as I hate her sometimes, she wasn't always like this. She was nice, one of my best friends. Then she found that damned necklace. She ran away from home when she was fourteen, but left me nightmares as her parting gift. I sit there twisting the crystal ring on my shear gloved hands. I wear this ring because it prevents me from having visions when I look into reflective surfaces. It was a gift from my 'Aunt' Aleia when I left to take command of White Star 93. She gave me the gloves and the ring, along with a vile of liquid that could alleviate some of the post vision symptoms you can get when you have a really violent one. I miss Yundel, my husband of 5 months. We married right before I took this command. I worry about him all the time, and he about me. This stupid war is making me so afraid. But the visions are worse. Much, much worse. Aleia once told me that you can try to stop what happens, sometimes you succeed, others, you don't. Like with 'Aunt' Lise's death. Aleia saw it in a vision 7 years prior, and tried to stop it, but she failed. She did however stop Talia from dying at the hands of the necklace Kathy now pocesses. But then, the price for Talia's life, un beknowest to Aleia, was Kathy's sanity. I know how she feels. I saw Fay's near death months before it happened, even warned her. But in the end, I could not stop Kathy's attack on Fay's ship. Kathy MEANT to get her twin sister killed. Now poor Fay is dependent on a life-diamond implant. A smooth diamond inbeded in her upper chest. We discovered them on the Vorlon homeworld and Fay was the first victim to receive one. I miss my whole family. That's why I'm out here, to end this awful war of Kathy's and go home. To Yundlel, and my best friends Fay and Estara. To my Mother, and my Poppa and to Aunt Aleia and Uncle Lennier, and to Aunt Susan and Uncle Marcus. I want to spend some time with their children Marc and Lucill. I want to visit Talia and Michael and their little daughter Amia, I want to see how Lise's daughter Leslie has grown and visit my cousin Anakin and his wife Gerra, and their five kids. I left so much behind, especially my brother David. I'll admit, sometimes I envy him. He was prophesied 3 years before he was born. Me? Only Aleia knew about me. He is the next in line for Entil'Za and me after him. But I love him anyway, especially because he was smart enough to marry Estara. When this is all over, I am going to settle down and raise my family, train rangers at the academy, and learn how to be the next Entil'Za. I just want the hurt and terror to go away... "Captain Sheridan." a ranger interrupts my thoughts. "Yes?" I ask him. "We are getting a coded message. It's from Empress Franklin." he tells me. "Track that message!" I yell at him. "I cann't Sir, its coded." he tells me with regret. "Very well," I tell him, "Show me." As the screen folds down, I see Kathy for the first time in six years. Her fire red hair is twisted up on her head and her pale complexion is further increased in severity by the black gown she is wearing. She looks like her mother, my 'Aunt' Eleen. Only her black eyes identify her as Kathy Annabelle Franklin. Around her neck in the hated Dark Necklace. "Hello, Captain Sheridan." she says, her voice dripping in malice. "I see you are looking for me?" "Yes," I tell her, my voice carefully even, "We are." "Well, you'll not find me! Not here anyway." she tells me haughtily. "Ms. Franklin." I say to her, "If you would merely stop sending your ships after civilian transports.." "Enough!" she interrupts "Those transports were attacked because they ALL must know my terror! The whole UNIVERSE will know the Shadow terror and bow before the Empress of Darkness!" she shouts at me, her eyes burning with insanity. She really IS crazy. I had believed that the necklace made her do things but, Kathy, this shell of Kathy was really insane. Before I can formulate an answer, she goes on. "A little taste of my terror for your crew, COUSIN dear, I trust the nightmares are still there for YOU." she baits me, but I evenly reply. "Your concern is noted, but not appreciated." "Shut UP!" she screams. "I just wanted you to know, *BOOM*!" the screen winks off and suddenly I realize something. "Elliot," I speak to my second. "Get us out of here, NOW!" He turns on the thrusters, as the planet below reading's sky rocket. I feel a surge of guilt as I realize the few rangers down there will now be called on to die for the One. Tears roll down my cheeks and angrily I wipe them away. I can't show weakness. We speed into the jump-gate just as the planet goes fusion and explodes. (Someday, Kathy.) I think,(Just you wait.) --------- "Reflections of My Hell": Epilogue- 3419- on the vessel: "Pandora" somewhere near Earth Kathy Annabelle Franklin had been in exile for 1,135 years. Now sitting aboard her personal miniature Shadow vessel, the Pandora, she was ready to face the universe again. At 1,159 years of age, so looked barely over twenty, thanks to Shadow technology. After waiting so long, she was finally ready to reintroduce her terror to the galaxy, starting with a bombardment of Earth. Her traveling companion, the only other being on the vessel, fastened her brown eyes on Kathy as she gave her report. Her short red hair bobbed as she enthusiastically reported that Earth was with in 2 hours and they had yet to be picked up by scanners. The Humans were first ones now, along with the Mimbari and Narns and the few surviving Centari. They had come along way, but Kathy had darkness on her side. She and her companion, who was as of now, 1,195 had been altered so that they would never age. Kathy remained 21 and her companion 37. "Kathy, we are almost there," her companion told her with unabashed joy, "I CAN'T wait to start!" "I know, Anna, I know." [End'] Ps. I am planning another story which will tell of Lise's demise, called: "Heart of Darkness, Heart of Stone." and another one concerning Aleia's eldest daughter called Sofie's Christmas Memories. Any and all votes to my email adress. Its my mom's actualy and she reads my mail so choose your words carefuly. "If that doesn't work, tie me to the bed post!" - Eve6, "Inside out" "Its a Russian thing, when we are about to do something really stupid we like to catolog the full extent of out stupidity for future refference." -Susan Ivonava, A Voice in the Wilderness Part 1