From jennyann@ix.netcom.com Sat Jun 15 14:03:35 1996 Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 07:44:40 -0700 From: Jennifer Lyon Reply-To: b5-creative@lists1.best.com To: b5-creative@lists1.best.com Subject: New Story: "Until the End of Time" Hi! I've written a lot of fanfiction, but this is my first attempt in the Babylon 5 universe. So please be kind!! The two-part episode "War Without End" was incredibly powerful, and I've been unable to get it out of my mind. So much was left unsaid. This particular idea literally woke me up out of my bed and sent me scurrying to the computer. So here is one of my favorite scenes from WWE1, expanded from the POV of one of the characters. Be kind, I'm still getting to know these people. :) And if there's any interest in seeing this scene from the POV of the other character, let me know. Thanks! -Jenny -------------- "Until the End of Time" A Babylon 5 fanfiction story by Jennifer Lyon Delenn stood in the spot from which John Sheridan had disappeared, his time-stabilizer shattered into pieces by the blast from the fusion bomb. He was gone, lost within the ravages of time itself, and she could not reach him. Could not help him - could not even afford the time to try. There was too much that must be accomplished before they could turn their energies to recovering him, if indeed they could recover him at all. That thought pierced her heart like a knife, making her stomach twist with pain and loss. Jeffrey Sinclair was right - the task at hand was more important than any of them, and Sheridan had realized that. Still, it hurt, far more than she had realized that it could. Even so, she knew well that their goal must be accomplished, or more than just one man would be lost. The cost would be beyond imagining, beyond her own comprehension. Only one man was indispensable now, and John Sheridan, however deeply she cared for him, was not that One. She heard the footsteps coming up quietly behind her, and even before she stole a short glance to confirm who he was, she had known. No one else could read her that well, not even John Sheridan. Sinclair stood a few paces from her, not speaking, offering her his support without a word. She was grateful that he would take the time from his own concerns for hers, and a part of her wanted to turn to him. But she was torn by the loss of the man who had come to mean so much more to her than she had even admitted to herself. When she did speak, her words felt like they came from a distance. "This was not part of the plan, I did not expect this. We cannot even know where in time Sheridan has gone." "He'll be all right..." Sinclair replied, but she didn't acknowledge him, too caught up in her own emotions to recognize the certainty in his voice for what it was...knowing, rather than reassurance. He didn't wait for her, instead he spoke again, shifting to the Minbari language with ease. "" His voice was tilted down for her ears alone, and it took a moment for the import of that simple statement to penetrate. When it did, she nearly gasped aloud, her entire body tensing as she slowly turned to look up into his eyes. His gaze was serene - somber but unafraid. He *knew*... She was shocked, startled, even though she knew she shouldn't be. He *had* to have known, most of it, at least. Or he would not have come to Babylon 5 when he did, nor been so determined in his pursuit of their goal. He *knew*... she stared anxiously up into his face, desperately trying to read past the tranquil expression. But she could not. Yet, in even as she stared speechlessly at him, he offered her a gentle smile and in a voice rich with concern for her, asked, "" "" she whispered honestly. Searching for words, any words, to express to him the emotions she couldn't even express to herself, she found herself limited to an offering of two. <"I'm sorry,"> she said, knowing that apology said too much and too little all at once, hoping that somehow he would read what she was trying to say in her eyes, if not in her meager words. And somehow, he did. Or perhaps, he had known all along. Or perhaps, this was again that extraordinary gift he had for seeing the universe through the eyes of others, of finding ways to broach the distance that stood between each person, each race, to the heart and soul of them all. To see the similarities that bound all sentient life together. Or perhaps, he simply understood *her* too well. "...." He offered her that comfort with gentle warmth, his brown eyes clear and untroubled as he met her anguished gaze. His voice was resonant with the acceptance she was still struggling to find. "All my life I've had doubts about who I am, where I belonged.." His gaze moved past her, staring out into the endless expanse of time itself as he continued to speak. "...Now... I'm like the arrow that springs from the bow - no hesitation, no doubts, the path is clear." His amber eyes focused on horizons that only he could see, he turned and gracefully lowered himself into the empty Captain's chair. As she watched him move, she felt her knees begin to buckle, her jaw drop open. He *knew*, she thought again. He *knew* it all. Of course he did, a small voice chimed in the back of her mind. *He* had to have known. He had always understand more than anyone expected, even himself. But this was different. Suddenly, she realized that *this* man was more than the Jeffrey Sinclair she had come to know so well. This man had his feet planted squarely and knowingly on a path that would take him past her, past them all, towards a destiny that would shine among the stars for a thousand years. Before he was done, he would carry forth the light against the darkness, driving the shadows before him like an avenging God. He would unify the galaxy, create a temple to the light that would hold for a milenium. And for a hundred generations to come, Minbari children, such as she, would worship his name. Valen. In the name of Valen... The so-familiar prayer formed itself silently on her lips, as for the first time she gazed at the strongly-carved lines of that very human face and *saw* - not the potential for greatness, but the actuality of it. For so many years, she had watched and waited as he stumbled along the way, step-by-step growing stronger, wiser, reaching outward towards understanding like a flower beginning to bloom. But now...now... Now writ in every curve and line of sinew and bone, reflected in those bright amber eyes, she could see image of what he was and would be come at long last to full fruition. 'No more doubts, no more hesitation, the path is clear.' The deep tones of his voice would ring in her ears for the rest of her life, this moment engraved in her memory for an eternity. She felt a sudden need to cast herself to his feet, to prostrate herself before those too-aware eyes, and honor him as she had been taught from birth to do. But she could also feel the eyes of the crew, especially those of the human ranger, Marcus, on her, and she knew the time for that revelation had not yet come. It was *his* right to choose that moment, his right to take his journey at a time of his own choosing, and to decide who would know and when. For the present, he had decided to hold his own council and she would obey. 'Understanding is not necessary, only obedience," the familiar Minbari refrain echoed in her mind and she couldn't help smiling softly. He was turning to listen to Lennier, and she was suddenly content again to watch - and wait. A role she was very familiar with. Still, it would not be long now, the time left to them was short, and growing shorter. But while there was time left to do so, she would walk at his side and follow at his command, honoring him silently, but no less fully, as she did so. Blinking, she looked up again, only to realize that he was watching her, again with that characteristic burning light of understanding in his eyes. It was as though he could see to the very heart of her; yet his regard was not invasive, but comforting, for that knowing was tempered by compassion and kindness. Her mouth widened again, broadening the curve of her lips, and he smiled in return. His expression lightened, and suddenly the grave image of her people's greatest hero gave way to the boyish good-humor of the human she knew so well. Her spirit soared in the sharing of that smile, and she found her own comfort in the knowledge that whatever his path might be - whatever glory awaited him in the far distant past - he was still her friend. And would be - until the end of time. ----------------------- -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- jennyann@ix.netcom.com Jenni10647@AOL.com http://members.aol.com/jenni10647/jgedrick.htm "Sometimes the need to mess with their heads outweighs the millstone of humiliation." Fox Mulder "The X-Files" "What's the going rate for putting an innocent man away for the rest of his life, Doctor?" Ted Hoffman "Murder One" --------------------------------------------------------------------------