Title: The Secret

By Morgana

Fandom: Babylon 5

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Susan Ivanova/Marcus Cole

Summary: Marcus discovers that he has the power to heal over people's injuries

Disclaimer: No stories or pieces of artwork archived here are meant to infringe upon the copyright held by J. Michael Straczynski, Babylonian Inc. or Time Warner Productions.

"Why is she coming here? To my knowledge she has never left her temple on Minbar," Lennier asked.

Lennier and Delenn were looking at each other in bafflement. They had just received the message that the high priestess of the religious cast was coming to Babylon 5. No reason for her visit was given and Delenn was restless and worried. " I do not know why. There was nothing in the message to why she was coming here. But it must be very important if she is willing to leave the safety and sanctuary of the temple." Delenn didn't like this one bit. There was this little inner voice that was telling her that trouble was heading their way.

" You wanted to talk to us?"

Delenn smiled when she saw John and Susan approach them. Delenn had asked them to be present when the high priestess was going to arrive.

" Delenn, what is going on? Why must the both of us be here?" Susan asked.

" I am expecting a very important guest and I think that I need to fill you in on the details."

Susan exchanged a glance with John. Who was coming to the station that they needed to be both present to greet this guest? Susan followed Delenn and Lennier to the docking bay area.

" What I am going to tell you might be hard to believe. I don't know how to explain all this myself. " Delenn took a deep breath and faced the two officers. " Last night I got a message that Ariel, the high priestess of the religious cast, has expressed a desire to come here."

John nodded. " So, she is important?"

" Yes, John. She is a clairvoyant, she can tell the future and every one of her prophesies have come true, " Delenn replied.

" But you are worried, why?" John knew her so well. They were engaged to get married and they were only waiting for this damned war with Clark to end to exchange their wedding vows. John would be glad when all those damned rituals were over and done with.

" Yes, she has never left her temple and... She is a Minbari not born of Minbari."

Susan raised her head, her interest aroused. She remembered Jeffrey going back into time to use that device which had changed him into a Minbari; Valen.

" She was born human, but she used the same device Sinclair and I used and she has now human and Minbari features, much like me. The religious cast refused to accept her in the beginning but the prophecies proclaimed by Valen convinced them that she was the priestess they had been waiting for."

" Must be something big if she decides to leave the temple now," Susan carelessly voiced her thoughts, not realizing that she was speaking aloud.

" My opinion exactly. That is why I asked the both of you to be here. I have no idea what her wishes will be," Delenn confirmed.

Susan felt uncomfortable without knowing why. " Is this... Ariel a telepath?"

" Yes... I do not know how strong she is...but she is a wise woman... I have never seen or met her before," Delenn said.

Now Susan knew why she felt this way. She hated telepaths. She realized that the shuttle had finished docking and the doors were opening. Susan tried not to look too interested when the first passengers emerged. They were definitely Minbari, some of them clothed in the traditional robes; others even wore veils, to hide their faces. They bowed gracefully and Delenn poked her in her side to return the gesture. Susan mentally kicked herself. She had to focus. The last person to set foot on Babylon 5 was completely covered in black robes, the face hidden by a dark veil. The Minbari bowed when this last person started to move. Susan instinctively knew that this had to be Ariel.

" I am honored to meet you, Delenn of the house of Mir," a female voice said.

Delenn answered the greeting in the same gentle fashion. " I greet you, Ariel."

The high priestess nodded. Susan wished she could see the face... She hated people who hid their faces.

" I will stay here for some time. Captain Sheridan, I would be most thankful if you could arrange for some quarters for me and my servant... the other ones will return to Minbar," the high priestess said.

Susan smiled when she caught the stunned look on John’s face. The high priestess extended her hand. John was obviously uncertain of how to proceed. Susan shrugged and John rescued the situation by kissing her hand.

" Ah, on old fashioned gentleman."

Susan could have sworn that the priestess was laughing underneath her veil.

" Is there anything else you require?" Delenn's gentle voice rang through the silence, which had fallen.

" Yes," the priestess said.

Several Minbari returned to the shuttle and waited for her sign to leave for Minbar. Ariel nodded. She didn't pay any more attention to them. Susan watched amazed as Ariel took off the veil. She stared into the face of a young woman, 25 at most. Delenn had been right. They shared the same mixed features of both races. Ariel's eyes were brown, almost golden and her hair was the blackest color she had ever seen. Susan wondered what her history was. John appeared to be stunned as well. Only Delenn seemed able to uphold her composure.

" There is something else I require."

Ariel addressed Delenn, but Susan felt her eyes staring at her. She quickly threw up her barriers, afraid that this stranger was trying to scan her. But she felt nothing close to a scan.

" I understand that there is a ranger named Marcus Cole on the station?"

Delenn was surprised, she hadn't expected this turn to their conversation. " Yes, Marcus is the station ranger."

" I want him assigned to me for the next couple of days."

" As you wish." Delenn bowed slightly.

Susan saw the baffled look in the ambassador’s eyes. She was wondering about the same thing. Why Marcus Cole?

Ariel relaxed when she sat down. The journey had been tiresome and she wasn't used to traveling... not anymore any ways. She watched Mariak unpack and wondered why she had come here in the first place.... That wasn't true. She knew why. The memory of the intense visions flooded her mind. They had all been about one person. They had all been about Marcus Cole, giving his life force to the women he loved, Susan Ivanova. Ariel considered the Commander she had briefly met. She had felt the paranoia in her mind, the distrust, and the hurt. She understood why someone as innocent as Marcus Cole would fall in love with her. ** I am a hopeless romantic, that's it,** Ariel sighed and changed into more comfortable clothes. She didn't plan on leaving her quarters today and the robes were downright irritating. She changed into a black dress and sighed once more. She hated wearing black, but it was the traditional color for the high priestess. She knew it had been a necessity to become the next high priestess but she regretted leaving her former life behind. She shook her head, not wanting to remember those long years of searching and being lost in time.

" Holy One, the ranger has arrived."

" Show him inside, Mariak and then....leave us alone."

Mariak bowed and looked fondly at the woman she had served for 4 years now. Ariel recognized the kind stare and smiled in return. She moved to the sole window and watched the stars and planets, locked in their eternal game of watching the races die and are reborn again. She had lived too long, she wanted to rest, but there was so much left to do before she could return to her origin. She heard footsteps, silent and careful not to disturb her meditation. " Marcus Cole?" She didn't turn. Her mind silently probing his without him knowing it. Her visions had been right.

Marcus Cole wondered what the hell he was doing here. Delenn had assigned him to this high priestess from hell, hum Minbar. He corrected himself but he wished he were somewhere else and not in her quarters. Delenn had not given him any reason why he was assigned to her. " Yes, I am Marcus Cole." He resisted the temptation to add a really bad joke when she turned around. He knew that that ancient machine had altered her, but he had never expected her to be this young. He shivered when she stared at him.

" I am Ariel...and you aren't going to leave this quarters for the next couple of days."

She moved towards the couch and watched his shocked expression. It amused her to see him like this. He had no idea yet how grueling the next week would be.

" Why? What is going on?" Marcus wanted to turn and run. He felt like she was pulling all his strings. They were in a war with Clark and he wanted to stay near Susan to make sure that she was all right.

" Why don't you sit down? We need to discuss a lot of things...you don't even know..."

She ended that sentence in a strange way, like she wanted to add something but then refrained from doing so. He decided to take her advice and he sat down opposite from her, trying to put as much distance between them as possible. " What is it that I don't know?"

" Ah, are you sure you want that question answered?"

" Yes!" Marcus realized that she was trying to set the tone of the conversation and he hated not being in control.

" Do you remember falling out of that oak tree when you were 6 years old? You had a severe concussion and a broken leg."

Marcus stirred, how did she know about his fall? She must have checked his personal records, but he never thought that they would have made a note of something like that.

Ariel grinned and handed him some tea. She sipped herself, enjoying playing with him.

" I remember." Marcus bit his lip not to ask her how she knew about that. He wouldn't give her that satisfaction.

" Then you must also remember that you were up and running after 2 weeks. A fracture like yours should have taken 6 weeks to heal, not 2."

Marcus wanted to rise and run. He had the definite impression that he was being manipulated.

" Then there was this incident with Satai Neroon. Do you realize that you should have died? The trashing you received was brutal… still you are back at work in mere 2 weeks… Do you see a pattern here? I do."

Marcus stared at the floor, a bit embarrassed. " Stephen says that I have the hardest skull he has ever seen and that I am a fast healer."

" A fast healer?" She mimicked his tone. Ariel was tired of this game. She had realized by now that he truly didn't know what she was talking about. It was time for more drastic measures. She uncovered a tiny knife and rose to her feet.

Marcus did the same thing and was thinking how small she was compared to him.

" Give me your hand!"

Marcus obeyed her without knowing why. Her hand felt warm against his and he was startled to feel his alarms kicking in when he felt the cold steel of the knife in his flesh. " What?" Marcus wanted to jerk back his hand but she owned a hidden force and he couldn't move it.

" Close the wound, Marcus!"

His head shook in denial. Why was she doing this to him?

" You can do it, Marcus."

She then took the next step and Marcus didn't realize that she was no longer speaking to him.

< Concentrate on the wound, Marcus. Use your mind to make it heal. Just look a the broken energy pattern and let the energy flow towards it... yes that is it.>

Marcus wasn't able to resist her and followed her every instruction. Yes, it was true. He saw the damaged energy pattern and he started to rebuild it, slowly... unaware of what he was doing.

Ariel smiled at him. < Marcus, answer me>

" Yes?"

< Not that way>

Marcus felt hypnotized when he watched the skin close again. Not even a scar had stayed behind.

< Marcus...do you realize what you just did?>

" No, it is impossible, that wound needed stitching. It was deep and bleeding, not to mention it hurt."

< Marcus, I know that this is hard for you to accept but you have telekinetic powers. You are able to use those powers to heal yourself... and others.> She felt the disbelief in his mind. He was the reason why she had come here. She was going to help him to train these powers.

< Am I a telepath?> Marcus cringed when he realized that he had spoken to her mind.

" You are."

Marcus was desperate, he knew how much Susan hated telepaths and now it appeared he was one himself.

Susan Ivanova was irritated and filled another shot glass with vodka. It was the hour of the wolf and she was alone in her quarters, drowning her fears with alcohol. She didn't expect to hear the door chime and caught herself hoping that it was Marcus Cole." Enter." She felt disappointed when Lyta Alexander entered her quarters. The telepath was going to leave for Mars very soon, to join the resistance fighters.

Lyta's face was troubled somehow and she peeked inside to see if she was welcome. " Susan? Can I talk to you?"

" Why not, got nothing else to do. You want one too?" She waved with the now empty glass.

" No, thank you."

" Please sit down." Susan watched the telepath sit down and wondered what the hell Lyta was doing here at 0200 in the morning. Susan waited for Lyta to make the first move.

" I need to talk to you....I know you aren't thrilled to be a telepath Susan.....but I can pick up your annoyance without even trying. You have been in this foul mood for one week now. What is going on?"

Susan pushed the almost empty bottle away from her. She had drunk too much. Her head was throbbing and she was thinking of stuff she wanted to bury deep inside her. She felt bad that Lyta had been disturbed by her mood swings. " I don't know what is going on.....I always forget that you know that I am latent....I should be more careful."

" Susan. you can talk to me. In a couple of days you are going to lead the forces into battle against Clark. You need to be focused. If I can help......?"

Susan pulled her legs close to her body, resting her head on her knees. She had lied to Lyta. She knew what was bugging her. " I miss him."

" You miss...who?" Lyta was trying to figure out what Susan meant.

" I miss Marcus, his babbling, annoying me. Making stupid jokes and unbelievable charts ...... he hasn't been around for a week now."

" You miss Marcus? I always thought that you disliked him. You had me fooled....what chart?" Susan pointed to the wall. Lyta rose and pulled some piece of paper from behind the cupboard. " Where do I fit into the great order of things?" Lyta read the title and smiled. She suddenly realized what was going on. She pushed the chart back behind the cupboard and looked at Susan. Lyta sat down next to her. " You love him?"

Susan stared at her, not knowing what to say. " Love? I don't know. I promised myself that I would never fall in love again after what happened with Talia. I never realized that I missed him till he was assigned to that Minbari priestess."

" Have you told him of your feelings?" Lyta couldn't help smiling. Susan Ivanova was in love and she was having trouble coming to terms with it.

" Yeah right....Oh, Marcus....I am in love with you.... The guy is a virgin, waiting for someone special coming along. "

Lyta placed a gloved hand on Susan's. She wasn't sure what to say after that revelation." You should tell him, Susan"

" But I am afraid."

" Afraid? Commander Ivanova afraid? What are you afraid of?"

Susan couldn't keep it all inside any longer. She had never confided in anyone before and she had to go all the way now. She knew Lyta wouldn't go away before all in the open was. " I couldn't stand to see the loathing in his eyes when he finds out that I am latent....."

Lyta nodded, she knew of Susan's fear of Psi Corps and telepaths in general. " Do you really think it will bother him that much?"

" I hate being a latent." Susan reached for the bottle once more, but Lyta pushed it out of her reach.

" Alcohol isn't going to solve your problem. You need to tell him."

Susan stared at the floor. She knew Lyta was right.

" You know, there is a war going on and all of us can die fighting Clark. You can die, Marcus can die.....do you want to leave this unspoken? "

" I know. I know!" Susan forced back the hot tears that were trying to break through.

Ariel observed Susan Ivanova pace the room. The Commander had rushed in here and demanded to be heard. Ariel had been waiting for her to show up. The Commander looked like she hadn't slept lately and Ariel knew why. " You wanted to see me, Commander?"

" Yes.....I want to speak to Marcus Cole."

" I am afraid that isn't possible, Commander. He is resting at the moment."

Susan was about to explode. " Resting? He hasn't been out of your quarters for 8 days now....he must really be exhausted." Susan couldn't hide the sarcasm in her voice. She didn't want to hide it. She was trying to look right through the door to see what was happening on the other side. " You get him in here. I don't care how you do it." Susan was losing her patience. She wanted to throw things at the priestess.

Ariel was enjoying this little show of impatience. She knew that the Commander had a temper. Although Marcus had told her, she herself could see the fire burning inside Susan. Ariel felt that it was time to act. She rose from the couch and stared right into Susan's blue eyes, which reminded her of burning lava. " I am not a soldier......you can't give me orders.....Marcus will join you on the White Star when you go to fight Clark. But till then, he is staying here with me."

Susan was thunderstruck, did that woman have the guts to defy her? Susan stared into Ariel’s golden eyes, which were sparkling with........laughter? She was actually lost for words.

Ariel used that moment to lead the conversation into the direction she wanted it to go." So, tell me, why are you afraid to use your telepathic powers?"

Susan was stunned....She’d felt no scan.....how did she know that she was a latent?

" I don't need to scan people to see they are telepathic, Commander. I know you are a latent."

Susan wanted to leave and slam the door behind her shut. But she halted, when she realized that someone else now knew of her secret.

" Don't worry, I am not going to tell anyone. But it is a pity that you allow your fear to rule your mind."

" It is my mind, it is my business Stay out of it!!" Susan turned her back on Ariel and left the room, slamming the door hard on purpose.

Ariel grinned, that woman had one hell of a temper. Well, she had one herself. Susan Ivanova was going to confront everything she was running from. Ariel would see to that.

Marcus heard the argument taking place in the other room. He had been sleeping when he recognized Susan yelling at Ariel. He didn't really know what to do. Ariel had told him to meditate before leaving him and he had fallen asleep while meditating. The bed was far too comfortable to keep focused on the mantras. He had given in to sleep quickly. His heart missed a beat when he heard her confession that she was a telepath. Great, that was going to complicate things even more. It had never crossed his mind that she could be a telepath. Hell, he hadn't even known that he was one himself. Bloody Minbari.... He saw the door open slowly and sat upright in the bed. He was tired. He had been here for one week now and Ariel had shown him how to use his telekinetic powers. He had been relieved when he found out that he couldn't scan people, the core of his powers were healing capacities. By

rebuilding the energy structures he could heal people. He had discovered that the use of his powers left him weak and tired. Ariel had brought him little creatures that had been injured and he had been able to cure them. He wasn't happy about having these powers, but he did value them. He could help a person, which was something he liked.

" You heard her?"

" Yes, it would have been impossible to miss that conversation."

" Did you know that she was a latent?"

" No, I never suspected her to be one." Marcus sat on the edge of the bed, Ariel sitting next to him. He didn't know why, but he felt comfortable being around her. She seemed to be genuinely interested in him and that wasn't something that happened very often.

" She misses you."

Marcus stared at the wall, not sure how to respond. " I wonder why, she usually tells me to shut up and get lost."

" She likes you very much....you know that, don't you?"

Marcus shook his head in denial. " Like me??? No way....she needs someone to be her emotional punching bag.....and I didn't mind being one." Marcus suddenly realized what his words might imply.

" You love her, you should tell her."

" Oh, Susan... I love you and by the way I am a telepath?"

Ariel heard the bitterness edged against himself. " How could she blame you for being a healer, when she has telepathic powers herself?"

Marcus was still in denial. He was desperate to change the subject. " You said that I was going to accompany her on the White Star in the war against Clark?"

" You are. You will leave here tonight. Your training isn't complete, but as long as you try to meditate and keep practicing all I taught you....you should be all right. " She looked in his eyes and told him one more thing. < You can always call me, this way. No matter where I am, I will hear you.> She gave him a gentle kiss on his brow. The next couple of days were going to be grueling for him, but she knew that she had meddled enough into these matters of fate. " I will tell Mariak to pack your belongings."

Marcus felt alone when she left him. His thoughts wandered off to Susan

Marcus felt like walking over hot coals when he faced Susan Ivanova, seated in the command chair. She didn't say anything to him when he came aboard. There was only a deadly silence to welcome him....He could see that she was mad at him. He had no idea how to bridge the distance between them. She seemed to be further away then she had ever been and he lost all hope of telling her about his feelings. She told him to set course and he obeyed, translating the order into Minbari.

The awkward situation was getting to him, hours later. But he lacked the courage to address it and the worst thing was that his mind was trying to reach out for her, rebelling against the cold and angry feelings emanating from her. He remembered everything Ariel had told him and kept his distance.

These last hours had been hell. He had talked her into getting some sleep and he had let her sleep into his watch. She had been furious with him and then the strangest thing had happened. She had thanked him for telling her that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Apparently she had taught herself Minbari or had forced Lennier in telling her what the words meant. He thought that the last option was probably true. He was touched nonetheless and he been speechless for a moment. He was sure that his reply had been incoherent, at least it seemed so to him.

He knew that they were walking into a trap, but Susan stayed in control till the last moment. He shivered when she delivered her speech. He knew now why she frightened him " I am sent by God....."

Marcus swallowed when she gave the order to open fire. The next moments were mayhem, the attack seemed to be having effect and they were winning. Marcus smiled at her, the battle seemed over, the victory hers.....only hers. He was paralyzed when he saw the debris coming their way. He tried to warn her, but it was too late. The debris ripped the bridge apart. He fell to the floor, trying to stay away from all the debris around him, the electricity, the fire....he imagined hell would be like this. He could only think of Susan. **Please let her be alive**

He couldn't see, the smoke darkening his view, the screams of people in agony filling his eyes. There was only one way left to find her. He used his mind to trace her whereabouts. She was trapped underneath all the debris, but she was alive..... Marcus had no idea how he managed to get her away from under the debris, but he carried her to one of the escape pots, trying to get away from the ship that was about to explode. He watched the White Star ripping itself to pieces. His heart felt the same way. Susan was alive, in his arms, but he could feel that her mind wasn't conscious. Tears swiftly followed the revelation that she was mortally injured.

" I am so sorry, Marcus. But there is nothing I can do to help her. The only thing I can do is to lessen her pain."

Marcus felt Stephen's hand on his shoulder, trying to offer him some comfort. But it didn't work. He stared at Susan. She had been transported to med lab. The Minbari doctors had told him that she was dying...she would be dead in less than one week. Marcus had wept icy tears when he realized that he was going to lose her. Susan had been drifting between consciousness and sleep for 2 days now. He didn't even know if she realized that he was sitting at her bed, holding her hand, telling her that she would be all right. All his hopes had been focused on Stephen to bring her back. But now the same Stephen Franklin was telling him that he had to let her go.

" Marcus, she will slip into a coma in a couple of hours.....I am not even sure if she can hear you now, but if there is something you want to tell her........you have got to do it now."

Marcus knew what Stephen was referring to, but he couldn't say the words. Not now, not like this.

" I will leave the two of you alone......" Stephen fled out of the room. He couldn't hide his tears any longer. He hated feeling this helpless. He had become a doctor to save lives, not to see people die.

Marcus caressed her fingers. No more words came over his lips. There was nothing left to say. In his despair he tried to reach out to Ariel and he shivered when he heard her voice inside his head.

< You know you can save her.....you will be drained and exhausted for days, but you can do it. Repair the damaged energy structures and she will be fine. I taught you how to do it. Trust yourself, Marcus. You can do it.>

Marcus had not considered using his 'gifts' to bring her back, because he thought that his powers were too insufficient to do something that dramatically. But her reassurance was all he needed. Marcus realized that Susan would never want to see him again after this. He needed to get into her mind for his powers to work and he was sure that she was never going to forgive him for that. But the important thing was that she was going to live. He could go on living without her as long as he knew that she was well. Marcus placed his hands on hers and stretched his mind to find hers. He experienced the pain and chaos inside her mind as his own. He tried to calm her, but the pressure inside her head was almost crushing him. He forced himself to concentrate on the damaged energy lines as Ariel had taught him. He had to work slowly. He had never before tried to heal a human being, not including himself, for he hadn't know that he was using those powers to heal himself. The damage was severe, but as he continued to work on reconstructing the energy lines he felt her mind begin to stir. His first reaction was to withdraw, but he wasn't done yet with the reconstruction. He used all his strength to finish the job.

< Marcus? Is that you? What are you doing inside my mind?>

He felt her outrage, pain and finally her puzzlement. < I am sorry Susan, but this is the only way I can help you. Please, I am almost done.> Marcus ignored the questions that came flowing towards his mind and sighed when the last torn line was restored. He felt how weak he was and he realized that he needed to get out of med lab as quickly as possible, before she would wake up completely. She was going to throw him out of an airlock. He collected the little strength left in him and ran...

Susan had no clue what was going on. The last thing she remembered was floating towards this dark, silent place when she suddenly felt warmth pulsating through her. The warmth felt kind, gentle and filled her entire body. The pain was driven away and she surrendered herself to that warmth. She had never felt this warm, cared for, and the pain became non-existent. She was almost lulled into sleep when she felt a presence in her mind. It felt familiar and she recognized him at once. Marcus? Why was he in here? How could he be in her mind? She had seen him sit at her bed these last days. She had seen him cry, she had even felt the touch of his fingers, stroking her hand.

< Marcus? Is that you? What are you doing inside my mind?>

< I am sorry Susan, but this is the only way I can help you. Please, I am almost done.>

Susan suddenly felt a rush of strength inside her body and her mind and acted immediately. She forgot about the pain of her shattered body and forged her way into his mind. There were no barriers, he had probably never learned how to build the shields to keep another telepath outside. When she looked into his mind she saw it all: his youth, the loss of his brother and Hasina, the penance he wanted to do for their deaths.....then she saw herself. It was the first time they had met and she saw how he fell in love with her, head over heels in love with her....she started to feel guilty about doing this, but there was no longer a way back for her. She had to go all the way. She shuddered when she felt his fear while fighting Neroon and the strange relief when he expected Neroon to kill him, the disappointment when he woke up in med lab. She moved through his memories, she stopped when Ariel came aboard. She witnessed his horror when he found out that he had telekinetic powers....his despair when he realized that she would never accept his love...She forced herself to get out of his mind, angry at herself for trespassing into his mind.

When she was fully connected with her body again she no longer ached, all her pain gone..... She tried to look at Marcus. He looked pale and was stumbling over his feet when he ran from the room. Susan tried to follow him, but the headpiece and several tubes prevented her from leaving. Marcus' absence left her with a startling loneliness and she knocked over a tray to get Stephen's attention.

Stephen got goosebumbs all over his body when he heard that startling sound. He knew right away that it was Susan and he rushed to her room, afraid that she was in pain somehow. The sight that greeted him completely stunned him. Susan was busy ripping the tubes apart, struggling with her headpiece. She had managed to get off the respirator and was coughing before addressing him.

" Don't stand there, Stephen......help me, damnit!"

Stephen was speechless, what was going on here? " Susan? You can't be moving. You are paralyzed."

" Yeah, right Stephen. Get your ass over here and help me lose this headpiece. It is killing me....jeez, doctors."

Stephen moved over to the bed. Susan yanked off the headpiece, handed it to him and walked over to the closet. She pulled out some sweats.

" Susan.....?"

" I will explain this later. You better ask Zack to get some search parties together."

Stephen placed the headpiece on the floor, stared at the empty bed. Susan had disappeared into the bathroom. The med gown came flying towards him and he picked it up from the floor to put it on the bed. " Search parties? Who is missing?"

" Marcus is.....Come on, I will explain everything to you as we go along. He already has a head start...."

Stephen was amazed to feel the strength Susan used to drag him with her.

Marcus had dragged himself to Down Below. He felt like he had just received another trashing from Neroon. But he knew that his body was going to recover in the end. He needed time to rebuild his lost energy and that would take days. He was no longer able to walk and fell to his knees. He crawled into the darkest corner of Gray 17. He was sure that nobody was going to search for him down here. After Garibaldi's little adventure the section had been closed. He had cracked the code a long time ago and that came in handy now. He managed to pull up his legs and wrapped his arms around his cold body. He was trying to stay awake as long as possible. He was determined to get a shuttle to Minbar in a couple of days when his body had recovered enough. He remembered how Susan had recoiled when she realized that he was inside her mind. He clung to the fact that she was alive and would make a full recovery. He had seen Susan opening her eyes. That sight would never leave him and it gave him the will to go on. He rested his weary head on his knees and pulled his cloak closer.....trepidation grew stronger and he closed his eyes when he fell asleep.

Susan was shouting at the security guards. Zack Allen had not yet recovered from her unexpected appearance moments ago and he was afraid that some of his men had to check into Med lab should she continue to act like this. They had been searching for one hour now and there was still no trace of the runaway ranger. Zack looked at Stephen for support, but the doctor was still trying to deal with the information given to him by Susan. He rubbed his temples. He never suspected Marcus having telekinetic powers, although the startling recoveries the ranger had made had stunned him. It would explain a lot......but it didn't explain why Marcus had run. Susan had told him that Marcus had been literally drained from healing her injuries and Stephen was worried for his friend.

" This is madness, we are never going to find him, if he doesn't want to be found." Susan knew him too well. He would hide some place they would never think off, but where?

" Perhaps I can help?"

" Lennier?" Susan spun around and looked in amazement at the Minbari. Lennier had made no sound while sneaking up to her. " I didn't even know that you were here."

" Delenn sent me when she heard that Marcus was missing. I understand that he .....helped you recover.?"

" That is one way to put it." Susan turned around, suddenly realizing that Lennier knew what Marcus had done. " How do you know....?"

" There are advantages to being part of the rangers.....I know what occurred and I want to offer my help to find him."

Susan sighed, she should have known that Delenn would discover everything in the end. " I don't know where to search......Zack, you are doing a great job, but...."

Zack appreciated her attempt to apologize to him and he was even more determined to find that irritating ranger.

" Commander, did you search Gray 17?"

Susan listened and wondered why Lennier brought up that dreadful place.

" I found him there once, when he was trying to hide from Delenn."

" He was trying to hide from Delenn?"

" She wanted him to participate in a rebirth ceremony......he hates them."

" What are we waiting for? Lets move!"

Susan, Stephen and Lennier separated from the search parties and headed down to Gray 17.

Marcus woke briefly when he heard footsteps coming his way. Not now, he couldn't risk being discovered. He tried to get to his feet, but his body was experiencing some shut down to hold onto the little energy he had left. Marcus moaned and started to crawl over the floor without any real destination. His mind tried to reason with his heart. He should allow those people to find him, to ease the healing process. For a moment he longed for a warm bed, not a hard Minbari bed, but a comfortable bed.......perhaps even a four-poster bed. His laughing was drowned in bitterness. He stopped crawling as his body started to feel paralyzed from the cold. He could feel how he drifted off into sleep again....he vaguely registered some voices in the background.

Susan suddenly halted when she heard the mocking laughter in the darkness. She recognized the sound and urged her friends to follow her. " He's close."

Stephen was running after her, blind in the gloomy darkness. So this was the place where Marcus had fought Neroon? He shivered and wondered how Marcus was doing.

" I can see him!" Lennier pointed to the back of the corridor. His eyes had no trouble piercing through the dark and he led his friends to where the fallen ranger was.

" Marcus?" Susan knelt beside him. His body felt cold. She pulled his head into her lap and smoothed back the raven locks from his face. She registered how Stephen told med lab to prepare med lab one.

" We have to get him back to med lab at once."

Lennier nodded and he signaled Stephen to support Marcus' other side. Marcus was mumbling something incoherent. Susan watched him and gingerly reached out for his mind. She didn't want to intrude, she just wanted to make sure that he was all right. The impression she got from his mind was one of utter exhaustion. Marcus' feet dragged over the floor as Lennier and Stephen carried him towards the lift. Once inside, Stephen used his override abilities and made sure that this elevator was going straight to med lab.

Marcus felt how he was dragged into the elevator. Bugger, they had found him. He needed to find a better hiding place in future. Lennier had told them of course. Wait a moment, Lennier wasn't supposed to be on Babylon 5. He was baffled when he felt Susan reaching out to him with her mind. He wanted to tell her that he was going to be all right and that he would disappear as soon as possible, saving her the embarrassment of having to face him. But he had no more energy left and he drifted into unconsciousness when they placed him on a med lab bed.

Stephen was determined to check on the ranger and he hooked him up to a monitor to see if everything was truly okay.

" How is he?" Susan had thanked Lennier for his help and the Minbari had left med lab to report to Delenn and Sheridan, who both were worried for their friends.

" I don't know.....I never treated a telekinetic before. But the readings only show severe exhaustion. Seems he is asleep and my guess is that he will need a lot of sleep to recuperate. You can stay with him if you want to. Otherwise I am going to get a security guard in here to make sure he isn't sneaking out of med lab again."

" That won't be necessary.....I will stay with him." Susan looked into Stephen’s knowing eyes and pulled up a chair. She watched Marcus' pale face and stroked back some hair. He stirred in his sleep, but didn't wake up. Susan resisted the temptation to look into his mind again. She was content holding his hand and looking at his eyelids, which were fluttering...., he was dreaming. Susan left the room after a couple of hours to join Stephen for dinner. Stephen had learned his lesson and asked a nurse to watch Marcus while they were gone. Susan and Stephen discussed everything that had happened and wondered how to proceed once Marcus would wake up. Susan was in a hurry to get back and Stephen walked her back, eager to get some sleep He decided to stay in Med lab and sleep there, just in case something went wrong with Marcus. The nurse told them that Marcus had been asleep the entire time. Susan pulled up another chair and made herself comfortable, resting her legs.

Susan woke during the night when Marcus started talking in his sleep. She gently took his hand into hers and felt how cold it was. He was shivering slightly and she went to get another blanket from the nurse.

Marcus had been waiting for her to leave the room to make his move. When he woke the first time he saw Susan sitting next to his bed. He sighed. They had found him. He wondered though why she was sitting with him. He muttered something in Minbari and closed his eyes quickly when she opened hers. Her touch seemed to burn his flesh and when she left the room, he decided that the time had come to leave. He managed to get his feet on the floor, but the room was spinning at an alarming rate. He felt so bloody weak, but he had to make a run for it now. He stumbled over his feet and had to reach for the wall to support his drained body. He was so concentrating on his weakened state that he didn't hear Susan come back again.

Susan kicked herself mentally when she saw him standing propped up against the wall. She should have known that he would try a trick like this one. " So, Marcus, where do you think that you are going?" She saw him freeze, swaying on his feet when he recognized her voice. Susan dropped the blanket and made her way over to him. She steadied him and led him back to the bed. " You get into bed and rest....."

Marcus remained quiet. He was waiting for her to yell at him.

Susan realized what he was probably thinking and tucked him in, collecting the blanket from the floor and adding it to the other.

" Susan, I'm sorry."

" What for?"

Susan sat on the side of the bed, caressing his face. Marcus wondered why she had not yet kicked him out of her life. " I .....you must know by now that I am a telepath..."

" So am I." It took all her courage to acknowledge that fact to him and she saw the wonder on his face. " You saved my life, Marcus. Thank you."

Marcus nodded, what kind of game was she playing with him?

" Marcus?"

" Yes?" His voice wavered when she leaned over him, brushing his lips in a teasing way.

" Don't ever run away from me like that. I WILL find you."

" Why?" Marcus barely managed to get the word out in the open as her lips returned, capturing his and deepening the kiss. He felt her tongue begging him to open his mouth and he whimpered when she started to explore the softness of his mouth.

< Because I love you.>

Susan’s eyes stared at him, pleading with him. She had decided that it was time to get rid off all secrets in their lives.

< Oh, Susan....I love you too.> Marcus felt her body close to his, her mind wrapped around his and he realized that besides accepting him being a telekinetic, she loved him as well......and she had come to terms with the fact that she was a telepath herself. It was more than he had dared to hope for.

< Don't ever leave me, Marcus.....>

Marcus tried to answer her that he would always be there for her, but desire clouded his mind and the only way left to answer her was by showing her how much he loved her.......

Stephen silently turned away when he heard Marcus whimper, giving in to Susan’s kiss. He couldn't help grinning.

The end