From: "Becki H. Blumer" Subject: Fan Fiction Submission: On Winds of Time (15/15) Date: Sun, 02 May 1999 20:26:39 -0500 Meredith D. Holt cystal_lady3969@yahoo.com On Winds of Time: Chapter 3 Warnings; None Hello, IT'S FINISHED!!!! I finished the bloody thing at last...never been so happy in my entire life. I think. Anyway, thanks to all the patient people who helped in the birth of this baby...a long and trecherous journey to say the least. Thanks to Adam, Skyler, and Kendell. And also Xela99, and the ladies, for moral...or rather immoral support. Any comments go to crystal_lady3969@yahoo.com. Thanks! Love Always, Meredith Legal Disclaimer: JMS is the creator of this wonderful playground. I'm only enjoying his characters for a little while. Aleia, Elly, Wes, Anakin, and the gang are mine. Personal Disclaimer: As any one who took up this kind of project would be, I'm nuts. On Winds of Time by Meredith D. Holt crystal_lady3969@yahoo.com Chapter 3- I am Become Death Part 15 a- Echoes of Mercy Part 15 b- Amazing Grace Marcus crouched and held his breath, trying to still his heart and focus on saving Susan. But worry clouded his mind , and he feared he wasn’t going to be able to do this job right, not if she was in trouble. He glanced over at John, Lennier, Wesly and Michael, all loading guns and preparing for the assault of the area where the women were being held hostage. Michael was shouting orders to the security team, fastening his bullet proof vest the whole time. "Breathe, Marcus, remember to breathe." He heard a voice sing out behind him. He recognized the woman as Aleia’s friend, Ariana St. Peters. She too, wore a bullet proof jacket and was carrying a large, military style PPG. "Ariana, what the HELL do you think you’re doing?" Michael asked. "What else, helping you." She paused, taking in his expression, "Don’t look at me like that, Michael. Uriana is MY sister, the psycho-bitch that she is, and this is partially my fault for not realizing what she’s capable of. Either you take me, or you are going to have to deal with two crazy women." "Alright, alright!" John conceded. Ariana nodded, moving to stand by Marcus. They had to wait for the go-ahead from Zak. Suddenly, Michael’s link beeped. "Chief?" Zak’s voice came through in a hoarse whisper. "Yeah, Zak?" "You can move any time now, all clear." The link terminated. "All right, people! Let’s move it. Be extra careful, and if they kill any of the hostages, I’ll take it out of your hide!" Michael yelled out. Charging up their guns, they moved towards Gray 17. ------- The agonizing pain growing in her side was becoming unbearable. For the thirteenth time, Susan Ivanova wished she could move her hands. She swore she’d kill Uriana as soon as they got free. One, for putting a gun to her god-daughter’s head, and two, for the sheer inconvenience. She glanced over at Aleia, who was biting her lip, silent in her rage. But Susan knew, from the distant mind-whispers, that the Mother was communicating telepathicly with her young daughter. ‘Almost the Eleventh hour. Reckoning day is near, ladies." Uriana announced in triumph, moving the PPG from Sofie’s head to whack Delenn upside the head with it. But suddenly, things changed. There was a shrill alarm, and Sofie drove away from Uriana. Security guards flooded the room, among them, Susan dimly realized, Marcus Cole. She turned her back to Uriana, intending to shepherd Delenn and Sofie to safety. She could tell Aleia didn’t need help. The telepathy had just finished choking one of Uriana’s guards with her restraints. Suddenly, a voice cried out behind her; "Susan!" Marcus saw the blade Uriana removed, watched as the dark haired woman advanced on Susan, intending to stab and kill. "Susan!" he shouted, and drove in-between the intended victim and the perpetrator. He felt the cool knife penetrate the flesh in his back, and tried to block out the pain. He forcibly pushed Susan out of the way, collapsing on top of her as the pain overwhelmed him. He was dimly aware of shouting as he closed his heavy eyelids. "Marcus!" Susan was yelling at him, shaking him as she cradled his head in her lap. "Damn! Where’s that med-team!" John shouted. PPG shots where fired, and he heard the sound of a body hitting the ground. Some one, Ariana, yelled out; "She’s dead!" He took all of this in on a subconscious level, for all he could concentrate on at the moment was the severe pain, and feel of Susan’s hands as they tried to soothe his shaking. He realized he was going into shock. But there was an added vibration. She was shaking too, half from crying, and half from an oozing wound he could see on her side. "Marcus, don’t leave me! Come on, stay with me here! This is NOT a time to disobey me!" she continued crying, and he tried to raise a hand, to stroke her cheek and tell her it would all be all right. There was more noise, and hands lifting him onto a med-cart. He heard Elly’s voice shouting orders along side Stephen’s. But he wanted to stay with Susan…. Darkness crept in, and he slipped into a fitful, drug induced sleep. Eleen Holt-stargate Franklin was administering the drug when she felt the flash of pain. She merely assumed the two babies in her tummy rolled over wrong. She continued to rush Marcus to Med-lab, with Susan on a cart not far behind. But when they reached the lift. She felt it again, her eyes attempting to roll back in her head as she felt her world constrict to the odd activity in her tummy. "Elly, are you okay?" Stephen asked. "Dear, I think…" but she didn’t finish the sentence, she collapsed in the lift, one of the nurses hurrying to steady her. "Dr. Franklin," Nurse Warren informed him, "I do believe your wife has gone into labor." "Impeccable timing." Her husband commented. Aleia saw Lennier before he saw her. Hobbling on her crutch, she made her way over to him. "Ally!" he said when he saw her, running over to her and gathering his wife up in his arms. "Oh, I was so worried about you!" he cried out. "I’m fine. You know me." She replied, choking on emotion. "Elly had her twins." He told her. "I heard. She named them Fay and Kathy." Aleia smiled. She was glad her sister had finally gotten her wish, two healthy children for her and Stephen to love. But that smile held a twinge of sadness, she knew she probably wouldn’t be able to have biological children with Lennier. a voice called out in her mind. She turned to see Sofie running up to her. Bending down, Aleia scooped up her little adoptive daughter, who was quickly followed by Anakin. "Hey, Doll. Feeling better?" she asked. Sofie asked, eyes filled with concern. "I’m sure she’s fine." Anakin responded. Aleia smiled at him over the plain of dark curls. She was so proud of Anakin, she couldn’t have wished for a better son, even if he really wasn’t hers. There wasn’t a more compassionate human in the universe than Anakin. Smiling, she turned to her husband. "Let’s go home." "Well, this is it." Ariana remarked as she and Michael stood in customs. Her transport, "Destiny", was due to depart for Minbar in ten minutes. "I guess it is." Michael said sadly. "I still don’t see why you’re doing this." "Michael," Ariana moved closer, removing her travel veil to look him in the eye. "I shot my own sister. Sure she was a traitor, threatening the lives of my best friend and her daughter, sure she was loyal to Clark, but I still shot my own blood. I see now why you broke from earth, and I want to help. I can do some good as a Ranger… I can atone for all the blood my sister has shed without need." "I know… I just wish you could stay." He said, looking at the floor. "When the time is right, Michael Alfredo Garibaldi, you will find your soul-mate. Never doubt that, never." And then she let the travel veil fall, concealing her face in yards of blue lace. "Goodbye." "Bye." Was all he could manage. Then she was gone. Susan Ivanova struggled to sit up on the med-bed. Her wounds had been bandaged, but that was what was making her uncomfortable. She kept thinking about Marcus. How it made her feel to see him laying there, motionless, the fear that had seized her when she feared he would die. What was it about Marcus Cole that attracted her so? She knew she’d locked her heart away for a long time, Ally and Elly had taught her to open it up again and let people in, people like Anakin, Sofie, Janice and ’Lyssa. But this was another matter, this was… it was love. She couldn’t deny that. A soft knock sounded on the door, opening to admit the very object of her attentions, as if summoned by her very thoughts. "Hello, Susan." He said softly, moving slowly, in light of his wound. He was holding something behind his back as he pulled up a chair and sat down next to her bed. "A lovely flower," Marcus said, bringing out a perfect, fully blossomed red rose, "For another lovely flower, who happens to be stuck in Med-lab." Susan blushed at his comment, taking the rose and inhaling it’s scent. "Thank you Marcus. I’ve always had a weakness for roses, how did you know?" "A little bird told me." He said softly. "Aleia?" "Guilty." He smiled. "She isn’t going to rest until everyone around her is safely married. She has some designs for John and Delenn." "I’ve noticed." Susan laughed, "Also Anakin and Gerra, Corwin and Alyssa… the list goes on." She looked into his green eyes, suddenly surrounded by him on all sides. It didn’t frighten her as telepathic things normally did, it was a comforting sensation. He was loving her without any words, it was pure, and perfect. Susan snapped out of it when she realized she was spacing out on him. "I have a confession to make." He said softly. "Yes, Marcus?’ "I love you." He looked relieved when she didn’t start screaming at him. She looked at him, reaching for his hand. "I love you too." She said softly. "Really, and truly?" he asked, as if he couldn’t believe it. "Really and truly." She replied, heart full of hope. He leaned closer, and she connected her lips with his. With that, Marcus and Susan shared their first, incredibly tender, soul-binding kiss. They were so wrapped up in each other, that they didn’t notice the dark haired little girl that scampered out of the doorway from where she’d been watching. *The answer to a prayer.* Three weeks had passed. Three weeks in which Michael worried constantly about Ariana. How was she doing in training? Was it too physically taxing? Did she miss him? So he decided to call and check on her. He was her friend after all. ‘Hello, may I help you?" the stern Minbari secretary asked. "Yes, I just wanted to make sure my friend, Ariana St. Peters, got to the Ranger Training Center Safely." Michael responded. "One moment." The secretary disappeared for a moment, before returning. "I’m sorry, there’s no one here by that name." Part 15b- Amazing Grace Holt-stargate Living Room- 2263 Aleia sighed, resting back against the cushions, still holding Estara and Celest close. Her memories were always treasured, and she knew she wouldn’t trade what she had here for anything in the world. The sound of the door in the main room opening jolted her from her revere, and gently laying the sleeping babies down, she closed the bedroom door and went to greet her husband. "Mama!" her eldest biological daughter, Cole, cried out, running to hug her mother. Cole was the miracle baby, born a month early, after two near miscarriages and starvation with her mother during the time Aleia had been held captive by Earth Force, towards the end of the war. Cole, sweet little Cole. Aleia held her daughter close, looking over her head to smile at Lennier. "Quite day, Ally?" he asked, coming over to put his arms around his wife and daughter. "Hardly," Aleia, once know as Sarah Cox, remarked, leaning into his touch. It hit her all at once… she’d ridden the winds of time to this place, of all the possibilities, might-have-beens and whens she could have landed in. She’d faced poverty, starvation, abuse, addiction and rape to get where she was today, and she wouldn’t take a moment of it back. She was better, stronger, more able then she ever could have been any other way. Holding her husband and daughter close, Aleia knew she was *exactly* where she was supposed to be. Cincinnati , Ohio- 2053 Somewhere in Union Cemetery, in the quite urban town of Landen, there is a small grave that marks the resting place of Sarah Aleia Cox, who disappeared when she was thirteen, one windy day in early October. Most people say she was carried off by a rapist, along with her brother, cousin and best friend, and that the pervert left her battered body where he knew it would never be found. But some, her mother, Hannha, her best friend, Roseanne and her cousin, Tyler, maintain that she is elsewhere. Sarah, they say, was never one to slip silently away, she always made her entrances and exits known to the world. They maintain that she was strong, that she wished for adventure and have no doubt that she went off to pursue it. Years pass, only Tyler remains. Roseanne moved off to Kentucky, and now runs a five star horse ranch, and Hannha Cox has passed on. Tyler Bryan Stamper still remains faithful in his belief that Sarah, Wes, Janet and Logan could ride the winds of time and come out safely on the other side. He died with that conviction still firm in his heart. Still more years have passed, and Sarah’s disappearance has become something of an urban legend. As part of a hazing ritual, college freshmen are dared to visit her grave, and ask her to take them with her. They should be careful what they wish for, because the winds of time are an unpredictable thing, opening and closing on whim, and leaving no trace at all. When will the winds open again? And who will they take this time? It could be YOU. After all, anything’s possible.