Part 3: Enter Stage Heart She woke the next morning with a smile on her face, having been contented by dreams that had filled her sleep the night before. She had been almost reluctant to allow herself to finally wake up, but she knew that he would be there when she opened her eyes. "And she lives," she heard Marcus laugh from the doorway. He was already up, and dressed for the day. She lazily turned over and looked at the chronometer that was on the dark night stand. "Great," she exclaimed jumping out of the bed. "I haven’t slept in this long since, since, I don’t know when. Usually I’m up by five thirty, my shift starts at six." She proceeded into the other room, stopping only for a second to smile at him as she passed by. he was speaking to himself again. Following her in he set his hand against her relatively bare back as she rifled through her suitcase. Turning Susan then found both his arms wrapped around her, gently holding her back. "Marcus?" she asked, drawing in a deep breath. "Shhhhh," he gently quieted her removing one hand from her back, and placing it upon her lips to silence her. He brought her in closer, embracing her both tightly, and lightly. She leaned her cheek down, against his shoulder, and took equal comfort from the long moments they stood there. She pulled her head up, and pushed away just enough to place her lips tentatively upon his. Her lips parted gently into a smile, and her tongue slipped out between her lips, then tentatively she brazed his lip with it. She could feel him shudder beneath her hands, and then she gently parted his lips with her tongue. They began their tender exploration of each other’s mouths slowly at first, as if learning to predict each other’s every motion. Then it turned into something filled with a frenzy of passion as they learned of what reactions they could come by with each of their own motions. The door chimed, forcing them to break their heated kiss. Reluctantly they did so, and still holding onto each other they called open the door. They looked at each other for a moment, their lips were red, swollen from the kiss, and their cheeks were flushed from the heat of the moment, but they didn’t seem to care anymore. Rick Juno walked in, and looked at the two in shock. "I was told it would be hard as hell to keep the two of you from killing each other, now I find out that it’s just going to be hard as hell keeping you from kissing each other," he laughed. "You know I wouldn’t have thought the way you acted yesterday." "Well, had you been here last night you would have thought otherwise," she told him, placing a hand around Marcus’ neck. Rick looked at them curiously, and raised his eyebrows accusingly. "Not that, let’s just say we finally admitted some things which we should have an awful long time ago." Marcus drew her a little closer into his embrace, and then after holding her there a second let her go back into her suitcase. "Will we be joining you lunch still?" "I don’t think they’ll let you not join us. You really warmed up to the crew," he answered. They all knew that at least half of the members of the Resistance, and only a few others were spread here and there. "I’ll get going then my friends. You obviously need time to get yourselves ready," with that the short man left the room, leaving the two lovers in their own little world. "I have to go change," she told him, heading towards the washroom. As she left, he walked back into the bedroom. He fell onto the large bed silently, content, and excited. he started to tell himself. Then as if out of nowhere, a conflicting thought came into play. She soon emerged from the small room wearing a cream colored shirt that fell loosely in front of a dark pair of chocolate slacks. Sitting down beside him, she gently placed her hand upon his. It was a simple gesture, one which in itself, in different context could have meant anything. Now though, at this time, here, paired with the gentle look they shared, it spoke of their long running feelings, and new found relationship. He gently reached out and brushed a stray hair from her cheek, and into place behind her ear. He gently shook the sleeping form beside him, and whispered into her ear, "Susan, it’s time to wake up. We arrive at Proxima in less than an hour and a half." The figure stirred, and turned over to look up a him. She lazily opened her eyes, squinting at the bright light in the room, then her glance focused in on her companion. "Fine, I’ll get up. How long did you say we had?" she quizzically asked. "Less than an hour and a half," he returned placing his hand on her cheek, and smiling down at the woman who rested in those soft satin blankets. "God, this trip passed quickly," she reflected, remembering all that had happened to them. He had removed the surveillance device that first night while she had slept, and turned it into the Ship’s Captain. The three days had passed unusually fast, a fact which probably had something to with the leisurely nature of this section. They had had to do some finalizing of their plan, but that had maybe taken two hours, the rest of the time they had spent doing other things. "{Er kahn ni sotto mi fanick,}" he told her in Minbari. She had learned quite a bit already, and though she couldn’t understand what he said, he knew that she would soon find out. "{Lapp ki nu sante?}" she asked in return. It was the first full sentence she had learned. It was simple, useful, and meant, ‘What does that mean?’ "It means prepare yourself, for it is time to leave," he chided, shaking his head at the commander, who was now sitting up amongst the gray blue bedding. The look she gave him was best described, as indescribable, filled with gentle annoyance, and heartfelt merriment. It was a look he had seen in her face many the time, and he knew it meant that enough was enough, and that he better get out while he had the chance. "Right then I’ll be going now, I assume you need some time to change." "Yes," she stated slipping herself out from under the covers. She was once again wearing her black nightgown, and couldn’t help thinking, she laughed to herself, she had known what this nightgown could do when she had chosen to take it along. It didn’t take her long to change into her violet dress which she had worn to dinner that first night. They were ready to go within a half hour of docking, and he placed their bags by the door to their quarters. She was sitting on the couch, and had her head turned to the stars outside the window. "What are you thinking about?" he asked returning to where she sat, and placed a hand tenderly upon her arm. Turning her head to look at him she smiled and answered, "Oh nothing much. I guess I’m just thinking about the mission. God Marcus, I’m scared. We already know that Clark’s onto us. Earth still has control of Mars, there is so much that can go wrong." Her eyes were starting to fill with unshed tears, and he felt her pain hit his heart. he told himself sitting down next to her. He wrapped her in a gentle embrace, and she softly cried a storm upon his shoulder. "Susan, we are going to be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise. Besides, we aren’t gathering information about Clark, our mission has to do with the Shadow War, we are trying to find out what the people know about it. We are finding out what they know about us. Don’t worry." The door chimed, disturbing their moment and tearing them away from each other. Wiping a tear from her cheek, and gathering her composure Ivanova called out, "Open." A bellhop looked at them, he was young, innocent, and his uniform was wrinkled. "Can I take your bags?" he asked them. "We’ll take care of them, thank you anyway," Cole told him smiling politely. The young man left, leaving the two of them together once more. "Susan, we should go, we only have another fifteen minutes before docking," he suggested taking her hand. The other transport took but three hours to complete. The trip between Proxima and Mars was relatively uneventful. They were required to remain their seats the entire time, except for the hour and a half in which lunch was being served in the main dining hall. The ship was a standard transport, much like the one they had been on before, only this time due to the length of the flight, they were not permitted the same luxuries. "Now arriving at Mars. Prepare to disembark," came a booming voice over the com system. They lined up with the rest of the passengers, and leaned together to reassure themselves that they were still together amidst the chaos. The ship rocked gently as they landed on the red planet. They watched as the door opened a meters few meters in front of them, revealing the large customs area of the colony. They slowly disembarked, making their way through the rushed line, and entered the beautiful dome. "Love," Marcus started, "So do you like it?" His question was soon answered with her smile, and a gentle squeeze of his arm. She had latched onto it during the commotion, and had held on tightly to it, so as not to be separated from him. He placed a hand on hers, and returned her generous grin. It had been the first time he had called her that, and he had been afraid at first of what her reaction might be, but she seemed not to mind, and he continued, "We are finally here. So Mrs. Prue, what do we do first." She leaned closer into him, and brushed her nose softly against his ear as she whispered, "I believe we settle in. Then, who knows, maybe a walk in the garden, we have a day or two before we have to get to work. We can’t arise suspicions." She gave him a coy grin, and gently kissed him right there, as they waited in the customs line up. He responded immediately to her touch by wrapping his arms around her, setting down his suitcase, and pulling her more intimately towards him. She melted at this further touch, and the kiss deepened. "Ma’am, Sir, can I see your identicards?" a customs officer not that much older than Garibaldi asked them, after clearing his throat, causing them to separate. They handed him their fake cards, and he commented, "Oh newlyweds, no wonder. Have fun, enjoy your stay." End part 3 Part 4: Climbing Walls They looked around, a massive expanse of flowers, and bushes. Grass covering the ground, an endless green plain, broken only by the gray, gravel paths which winded their way through the gardens. A massive painting in one end looked out at them, a giant harbor, splashing waves, truly beautiful. "Welcome, to the Hearts Gardens," she turned around to face him. He had been trailing her all the way to the beautiful sanctuary, watching her every motion, expressions on her face. She had expressed a side of her he had never seen before. She was truly enjoying herself, being whisked away from her usual stern demeanor, and revealing a much more relaxed commander. "Yes, there beautiful." Reaching out she took his hand, and they began to wander about the paths aimlessly. "You know, I think that I am going to enjoy this trip." "Well you better, from what I understand you have been running non stop for over seven months, you deserve a bit of a break," he told her nonchalantly. "We do have a mission here you know," her voice was suddenly stern, her face had it’s usual stone look, and she gave him a cold look. "Ah yes, but that can wait. The garden beckons," they continued to amble their way through the paths. Soon though, they sat down on an empty bench, both leaning against the other. He slowly placed his arm about her back, and turning she nuzzled her face into his neck. Gently, hesitantly they kissed. A soft tender, feather light touch at first, gaining intensity as it continued, until it became a heated fire. Then as they broke off, the wandering began once more. They walked through the paths of a rich enchanting garden, through a storm of brilliant colors. Turning towards him, they both smiled, and then they moved closer. A flash of light from in behind him caught her eye, causing her to turn her head sharply at it. Then, it was gone. "What is it," he asked worriedly, placing his hands on her shoulders. She fell against him and looked down, at the freshly cut grass. "Susan, say something, what is it?" he was growing even more concerned with each passing moment. "Oh, nothing. I don’t really think it matters. The light caught on something or another, nothing unusual. Now where were we?" she answered with a sly smile as she placed her arms around his neck. He laughed lightly and as their faces moved closer together he answered lightly, "I haven’t the slightest idea my dear." Just as their lips touched, the light shone again, once again stopping them. "There it was again. I think," she began. She pulled herself from him, and began approaching the spot where she had seen it. "Damn it!" she hissed. Turning she ran as far away from the spot as she could, and he just watched her. Passing him, she took his shoulders, and pulled him to the ground behind a large rock. They could the thundering roar of the explosion, and could feel the giant winds pulling them from their hiding place, and the fiery heat burning at their skin and clothing. Soon the tempest died down, leaving them lying, against each other, burnt, and in pain. She lifted her head slightly, leaning cautiously over the burnt figure beside her. "Marcus!" she cried, shaking him gently when he didn’t answer to her calls. She took one of his blood soaked hands, and held it to her face, "God, just wake up already! I need you, don’t die on me now. We only just started to love each other, you can’t leave me here, I’d die." She was crying over the limp body of her beloved. End part 4 Part 5:Epilogue She opened her eyes, to take in al that was around. She had passed out shortly after the bomb had gone off, shortly after she had seen him lying there. Now, she was surrounded by bright lights, and unhappy nurses. She was lying on a medical bed, linked to nearly every type of equipment they had in that Medlab. she silently screamed. Then she looked over, across the aisle to the man laying about a meter and a half from her. she wished he would reply to her, but knew he couldn’t. His gray-blue eyes opened slowly, and his head turned. "You’re looking at me. Why?" he hazily queried. "I thought you were still unconscious," she began shaking her head, her forehead quickly covered in lines of worry. "No, I woke up a little over a day ago, though they wouldn’t let me leave this place," he told her, smiling at the sight of the woman he felt so much for. "A little *over a day ago* ! Marcus, how long have we been here?" she exclaimed, her mind a mess of confusion. He stood up, out of the confining bed he had been placed in. He was attached to no gadgets, except for one intravenous, and he stepped beside where she lay. "Five days. It seems the blast got us pretty good," he began taking her hands in his, "We are going to be fine. It took some time to convince the doctors we were who our identicards said we were, but after a while they just gave in. Susan, I love you." His last words were soft as a whisper, but they rang through her heart like a loud siren’s scream. "I love you too. Marcus when I thought you were dead, I… I… I was torn, a wreck. Never do that to me again, you here. I don’t want to lose you, we have a war to fight here, remember. Besides *I* need you, if not in my life, for the ride home. We are in this together." Her eyes were glazed over with tears as she continued, "Promise me something. When we get back to the station we have to go out sometime. No work, no war, just for a few hours, just to be together. Can you promise me that?" His hands tightened around hers as he reassuringly squeezed them nodding. "Of course I can. Besides no one can turn down a date with the most beautiful woman in the entire galaxy." She laughed lightly, and chided, "Now don’t you go that far. Though," her voice trailed off. "Then it’s decided, we leave back in two days, and when we get back, we get to go out sometime. Sound about right?" he asked smiling with a wide grin. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly, then she wrapped her arms about his neck and deepened the kiss. Sitting up, he sat down and they held there for a long while. "Well Mr. Prue, looks like our honeymoon wasn’t that bad after all," she laughed. "{Nuh san, Felani. En Eleez meh dran.}" he whispered into her ear as he tried do untangle his hands from her long dark hair. "My words are inadequate to the burden of my heart," she recited from memory. "It should have donned on you by now that some of those words just don’t fit in," he smiled, rubbing his cheek against the hair behind her ear. "What does it mean then?" she asked. she was yelling at the top of her lungs in her mind. "You are the most beautiful woman I ever met," he pulled away and looked into her blueberry eyes. Then she smiled, Leaning forward she kissed him passionately, and all their fears, all their defenses shattered. They were right were they needed to be, in each other’s arms. End Part 5