DISCLAIMER;
ALL CHARARTERS BELONG TO JMS AND BABYLONIAN PRODUCTIONS. 'THE UNFAIRNESS OF
ORGASM' WAS WRITTEN BY JASON CARTER, NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED.
A moan, filled with obvious pain flowed
from Jason's lips as he tried opening his bloodshed eyes and he cursed the fact
that he had been drinking heavily the night before. Now, hours later, lying in
a warm bed Jason felt truly thankful that his brother hadn't locked him out
because he had been that late. ** I need some painkillers and more importantly,
some Alka Seltzer. I should have taken them before going to bed.**
But he had fallen asleep the moment his
body had hit the soft comfort of the bed. His head was pounding aggressively
and his upset stomach cried out with displeasure. He should have known better
than to mix all those alcoholic drinks. Thank God that his performance time was
set on 1400 hours. Hopefully his headache would be gone by that time.
Still trying to open his eyes Jason mused
about the fact that this bed was really awfully hard. Searching the surface
with his hands he reached the conclusion that he’d rolled out of bed during the
night and must have landed on the floor. Jason Carter was determined to stay
away from all alcohol this evening, **Except for beer perhaps,** he mused.
** What? ** His ranger training had made a
light sleeper out of him and the unexpected sound had been loud enough to
attract his attention. The weird thing about it was that he was supposed to be
alone in his quarters, so who was making this noise? Slipping his still closed
pike into his hand Marcus knew from personal experience that it could never
hurt to be careful. These were insane times.
He had just returned from a mission with
Susan during which they had discovered a hidden Vorlon fleet in hyperspace.
Sighing, the ranger remembered trying to tell her that she was the one he was waiting
for, but he had failed miserably; his courage had once more eluded him.
The ranger forced himself to refrain from
following up on that line of thought. There was something weird going on in his
quarters and thinking of the woman he secretly loved wasn't going to help him
concentrate on a possible attacker. Should he call for the lights? No, that
move would also give the unknown intruder an advantage. The moaning grew louder
and Marcus decided to take the risk.
" Lights, normal setting." The
darkness disappeared and he focused on the man huddled on the floor who was
clutching his head in pain.
" Stupid lights... I have got a
splitting headache... Kill those lights!"
The ranger rose from his bed, ready to open
his pike. Puzzled, Marcus realized he had no idea how this stranger had managed
to get into his quarters and he was resolved to find out. The stranger was
wearing blue trousers and a blue jacket. His face remained hidden underneath
dark hair. The voice sounded awfully familiar though in a very strange kind of
way... It sounded British, very British.
" Who are you and how did you get in
here?" Realizing he was in no immediate danger Marcus slipped his pike
underneath his cloak. Something told him that he didn't need it. What he did
need however, were answers. Looking at the door he saw no signs of forced
entry. Waiting for the stranger to answer him Marcus studied the man.
" I hate hangovers. I don't suppose
you have some Alka Seltzer? I shouldn't have mixed all those drinks... but they
always buy me beer and stuff... can't refuse them..." the stranger
whispered in a shaky tone.
" I really want some answers or I'm
going to alert security. I know for sure Mr. Garibaldi has his ways to make you
talk."
" Garibaldi? What...?" Was he
dreaming? That was it. It was just a nightmare brought on by the alcohol he had
consumed last night. " I stopped filming those episodes years ago... must
be my memory playing tricks on me." Raising his head Jason stared at the man
who had threatened to call Garibaldi and for a moment... and forgot to breathe.
Then Jason started to laugh. This was too weird. He recognized the man standing
next to him... It was Marcus Cole, clad in his ranger uniform. This was one
hell of an alcohol induced dream! " This is too much... Claudia is going
to laugh her ass off when I tell her about this dream,." he quipped.
" You still haven't answered my
questions." Marcus couldn't see the man's face and was getting annoyed.
About to call in security the ranger sucked in his breath when the intruder
raised his head to answer his question.
" I'm Jason Carter...” Jason stared at
the man in front of him, fighting the absurdity of the situation.
Marcus also realized the uncanny
resemblance. The stranger, this Jason, appeared to expect him to know that
name, but the ranger didn't. " You look like me," Marcus mumbled.
Jason shook his head in denial and
regretted it at once as his headache worsened. He decided against telling
Claudia about this dream. She would tease him the rest of his life with it.
"No, YOU look like me. I'm the original, " Jason corrected him.
Pinching himself Jason realized that this was really happening.
Marcus helped him to his feet and walked
him over to the small bed.
" At least it's not a Minbari
bed," Jason sighed and sat down, clutching his head with both his hands.
" I'm not sure I have any painkillers.
In the meantime, you'd better explain what's going on," Marcus told him,
searching some cupboards.
Jason studied the quarters. Damn, it was a
perfect replica of the props used in filming Babylon 5. The only things missing
were the cameras and the director shouting directions at him. This was so
unreal. He was doing his best to convince himself that he was still asleep in
his brother's house, but he couldn't pull it off. His very hangover was proving
him wrong.
" Here, take these," Marcus said
in a calm tone.
Jason accepted the glass of water and the
painkillers. While swallowing the damned things he was once more reminded that
this wasn't a dream.
" I want an explanation," Marcus
told him in a demanding manner.
" Hell, I want one myself.You can't be
here." Jason studied his counterpart; lost for words.
" I'm still waiting," the ranger
reminded him.
" A bit irritated, aren't we? Well, I
would be frustated too... after all, you're still a virgin at 35," Jason
wisecracked.
" How do you know that?” Marcus stared
at the floor. This stranger appeared to know a lot about him, even the most
private stuff.
Jason was relieved when the painkillers
started to take effect.** This is good stuff! ** he thought, wishing he could
take a supply back home with him.
" How do you know that I am a virgin?
Nobody knows," the ranger said softly, taken aback.
Jason clutched his head again, determined
to find out what had happened. " Hey, perhaps that's why I'm here... to
get you laid!" he said grinning mischievelously. This was going to be fun
now he had decided not to worry about it any longer.** I'm going to change the
sexual status of my alter ego..!** he thought amused.
Susan Ivanova was mad, howling mad. C&C
had been a perfect example of incompetence today and she had been the one they
had turned to solve everything. She had just had it for today and needed some
vodka badly...** No, make that a bottle of vodka!** The Commander made sure
that she sat down in a dark corner in Earhart’s where no one would notice her.
The bartender brought her the bottle of vodka she had asked for and a shot glass.
Everybody stayed clear from her, sensing her foul mood. Susan smiled, being
alone had been her intention all along. She wanted to be alone....** No that
isn't completely true.** She just couldn't acknowledge the fact that she needed
somebody to talk to.
" You can't be serious, Jason. I can't
go to Earhart’s; it's for Earthforce only. If Susan is in there she will kick
me, us, out. Or even worse, space us," Marcus objected to the stranger's
plan in a firm tone.
" You really need a shag.
Susan isn't going to kill you..." Jason had had the most brilliant idea
ever. After he had slipped into Marcus' spare ranger uniform he’d shaved and
had looked at their reflection in the mirror. " Never knew I had a twin
brother!" Jason joked. There was no way Susan was going to be able to tell
them apart. Jason had to mentally prepare himself for the moment that he was
going to meet Susan, telling himself to remember that it wasn't Claudia,
playing Susan Ivanova. If only Claudia could be here as well.
Jason grinned and dragged Marcus along with
him. He had told Marcus that Sinclair had sent him through time on some mission
and that he was somehow related to the ranger thus explaining their
resemblance. Jason doubted that Marcus would be able to understand the truth...
Hello, I'm from the year 1999 and I played your part on Babylon 5... You died a
virgin and were placed in cryo. And I, the actor, never got over the fact that
I or rather you died a virgin!
" What are going to tell her? How will
you explain who you are?" the ranger wanted to know.
" I'm your long lost cousin... She
will be too baffled to question that explanation. We even have the same
accent... Don't worry that much, Marcus!" Jason said trying to make the
ranger relax. After one moment of gathering his composure Jason dragged him
into Earhart’s. They had no trouble getting in, which surprised Marcus. The
ranger noticed that they were getting a lot of attention; people were pointing
at them.
" Just ignore them." Jason
spotted Susan in the corner of the room and grinned, seeing her stunned look.
He was truly going to enjoy this. Susan would be a lot easier to handle than
Claudia, that was for sure. " My cousin and I will have some beer
please," Jason told the bartender and made sure that Susan heared the
words from across the room.
Marcus felt uneasy and poked the stranger
in his side. " I don't drink alcohol."
" You do. You just don't know it
yet," Jason wisecracked and handed him the glass. Marcus accepted it
reluctantly, watching Jason as the stranger emptied the glass in one go.
" I needed that," Jason sighed
and beckoned the bartender to refill his glass.
Marcus sensed that he was being watched and
turned about to look right into the eyes of Susan Ivanova. Bolts of electricity
spread through his body upon seeing her. This Jason was going to ruin the small
chance he had with her, but Marcus had no idea how to get rid off his
lookalike. Defeated, the ranger sighed and sipped cautiously from the beer. It
didn't taste that bad.
" Come on. You're a man, empty
it!" Jason exclaimed.
Marcus was getting desperate, so he drank
the beer and then slammed the glass onto the counter; glad it was empty now.
" Give him another one."
" NO!" Marcus told Jason, but the
stranger only laughed. Marcus tried telling the bartender not to refill the
glass, but the man behind the counter ignored him and exchanged an approving
glance with Jason. Marcus knew he was in trouble.
" You want her to be interested in
you, don't you? And by the looks of it she's dying of curiousity."
Marcus had to agree with him. He had never
seen Susan this amazed before.
Susan couldn't believe her eyes... and
looked at her bottle... she'd only had two shot glasses of vodka and already
she was seeing ... not one ranger, but two of them? Was God really this cruel?
It was a full time job to shut Marcus up and now there were two of them? Her
eyes stared at them and then she caught one of them saying that he wanted to
order beer? Marcus never drank alcohol. She had to find out what was going on
and after grabbing her bottle of vodka she walked over to them.
Jason grinned, noticing the strangled look
on Marcus' face. This was a perfect plan which would bring the two of them
together. But he would need some help from Stephen and Garibaldi. Now that he
had accepted the fact that he was on Babylon 5 Jason focused on the ranger and
was amused to see him struggle for breath the moment Susan moved to stand next
to him.
Marcus felt her body heat as she leaned
over to check the content of his glass.
" Beer? " Ivanova asked.
" Of course," Jason replied,
noticing that Marcus wasn't capable of speech so he decided to jump in there.
Susan gave him a questioning look. The game was afoot and he was going to make
her suffer. " Hello, darling. I'm Jason, a cousin of Marcus."
" I thought you had no family
left?" Susan asked the ranger, who was still staring at her. Susan raised
an eyebrow realizing something was wrong, very wrong. It was only then when she
realized that this Jason had called her darling. How did he dare to call her
that? She wanted to shout at him for his impertence, but then he took her hand
and kissed it. Speecheless she glared at him.
" Marcus told me a lot about you.
You're gorgeous. He's right when he says that you're the most beautifull woman
he has ever seen," Jason complimented her and watched her reaction. He had
to use all his discipline not to burst out laughing. Marcus spat out the beer
he had been drinking and the liquid ended up on the floor.
Susan however raised an eyebrow and stared
at Marcus. She had taught herself some Minbari and had discovered the true
meaning of those words he had spoken to her a long time ago.
Marcus was contemplating murder just to
get rid off this irrating Jason Carter, but reconsidered and drank the rest of
the beer; starting to feel the effect of the alcohol and everything became
blurry. The bartender filled his glass once again; Marcus had reached a point
past caring. Raising his glass he saluted Susan, who promptly joined him,
drinking straight from the vodka bottle.
Jason watched them and was satisfied for
now. He leaned closer to Susan to make sure that she was the only one hearing
his words. " I do hope you won't keep him waiting much longer. He's
desperately in love with you and the poor guy is still a virgin..."
Susan quickly took another sip and
continued to stare at Marcus. She pulled Jason closer and whispered into his
ear, " He's in love with me?"
" Don't tell me you didn't know that.
He told you on the White Star. He's is so shy..."
Susan swallowed some more vodka. She'd
suspected that Marcus loved her since she'd returned those roses to him.
Perhaps the time had come to face reality, but she was afraid to getting hurt
again. The thought that he was still a virgin intrigued her however. This
babbling ranger had never before made love to one? She tried denying her
arousel but to no avail. Damn Jason for confronting her with the truth!
Jason had done his evil deed and was now
searching for another victim when he spotted Garibaldi and Stephen Franklin
entering Earhart’s. Those were just the two people he needed.
" Excuse me… " Jason
bowed slightly, grinning brightly. Marcus tried to keep him from leaving, but
Jason didn't pay him any attention; he had a job to do. " You're on your
own now, Marcus." Jason quickly shut up; he'd almost called the ranger
Marcus Pole...
Marcus watched Jason heading over to
Stephen and Garibaldi. The mayhem this man had started was still growing and
the ranger wondered what he had gotten himself into.
" Stephen, I want to make an
appointment for a physical. I am seeing double," Michael Garibaldi wiped
his eyes as he spotted the two identical looking rangers.
Stephen looked in the same direction and
was upset to discover that he was having the same problem. " I think I
need to make one myself..."
Stephen poked Garibaldi in his side when
one of the two rangers made his way over to their table, carrying two glasses
of beer and one orange juice.
" Ah, gentlemen! Please allow me to
introduce myself. As you can surely tell I'm related to that pain in the arse
over there. I'm Jason... " He put the glasses down on the table and pulled
up a chair.
" The resemblance... I can’t tell you
apart," Stephen said honestly and accepted the beer, trying to stay calm.
Two of them?
" Don't worry too much... I come
bearing gifts," Jason quipped and watched them emptying their glasses. The
OJ had been meant for Garibaldi, not wanting to tempt the Chief.
" Where do you come from? Marcus
never told us..." the Chief wanted to know.
" Aha, that's a long story and I like
telling stories, but I need something to drink first," Jason said and
gestured the bartender to bring more drinks.
" You may look and talk like him, but
at least you don't seem to be such pain in the ass," Garibaldi cringed
when he pondered the presence of this new nag on the station, but decided that as
long as the stranger was entertaining he could put up with it.
" Glad you like the drinks, but as I
was saying..." Jason continued.
Stephen was in shock; he had tried several
times to get a word in there, but Jason didn't give him any chance at all. And
he'd thought Marcus had been hard to shut up! It was nearly impossible to
silence Jason.
" As I was saying. I need your
help," Jason babbled on, knowing they would play along, at least Garibaldi
would.
After Jason had told them of his plan the
Chief chuckled. ** I'm going to enjoy playing this trick on Susan and Marcus.**
"
Count me in." Garibaldi had to time making that remark in the second Jason
needed to breathe.
Jason looked at Stephen and smiled. "
Come on, Stephen, this is your perfect opportunity to get some long overdue
payback... Remember the time that Marcus got you locked up with all these
parasites crawling around? You thought he had told Mr. Garibaldi here where the
two of you were going..."
Stephen nodded. Jason had a point
there." Count me in as well."
" Great, lets get the virgin ranger
laid," Jason quipped.
" Virgin? He's a virgin?"
Garibaldi grinned as well. This was going to be so... cruel and so much fun.
" Yeah, lets get him laid!"
Marcus was too intimitated to look at Susan
who had become very quiet during this last hour. She seemed upset for some
reason. Taking hold of his fifth pint of beer Marcus realized he had never
before drunk this amount of alcohol. Susan's vodka bottle was half empty. The Commander
had done some serious drinking herself. Marcus closely observered Jason,
Garibaldi and Stephen leaving Earhart’s, laughing and making faces at each
other. His instincts told him that they were up to something. And to be honest,
Marcus was afraid to find out what that was. As he downed his pint he felt
Susan's eyes on him. He decided to stop drinking alcohol. The beer was making
him feel even more depressed. Susan was so close and yet so far away.
Ivanova realized that she'd had enough for
the evening. The vodka didn't taste as good as it normally did and her heart
told her that it had something to do with the ranger standing in front of her;
Marcus looked lost and sad. This silence was contrary to the way he normally
behaved around her. An inner voice told her that she was the reason why he was
in this peculiar mood. She realized something else as well. ** I don't want him
to feel this depressed.**
The Commander believed every word Jason had
said. She had known the truth for some time now. She had to decide where to go
from here... give him his chance? Risk getting hurt again? Was he worth it? But
then again, she had never before met someone like him. Someone who kept his
promises, who made her a stupid chart, sent her flowers.... Marcus had always
been there for her. Perhaps she should try one more time. What good was being
alive without hope, was her life worth without love? Her heart had already made
the decison for her and she couldn't ignore it any longer. She had ignored its
words for far too long.
By this time Marcus was convinced that
Jason was an evil demon, sent to make his life even more miserable. He had not
been able to hear the words Jason had whispered into Susan's ear, but her
expression had definitely changed after that. The cold, hard- nosed Commander
he was used to, seemed to have mellowed quite a bit and she smiled shyly at
him. The ranger had never seen her look shy before and it cracked his heart in
two. Having no idea what was going on made him feel very uncomfortable and
Marcus decided to retreat to the safety of his quarters. But first he was going
to change his access code so Jason couldn't get inside again. That would teach
this Jason character to treat him like this!
" Sorry, Susan, but I'm not used to
drinking this much and it would be best if I headed back to my quarters now...
I hope I can find my way back." Marcus avoided her eyes and started
walking, only to find that he was swaying on his feet. This couldn't be
happening to him!
Susan eyed him with obvious concern. She
knew that he didn't normally drink and the revelation brought on by Jason was
still haunting her. How would it feel... making love to Marcus? The vodka made
it hard to suppress her true feelings for him... She loved him... wanted him. "Perhaps
it would be best if I accompanied you to your quarters. Looks like you're
drunk." Susan smiled while taking his arm to steady him.
Marcus cringed when she touched him. She
had never been this close to him before and her fragrance was intoxicating him
swiftly. " I..." Marcus realized that he was speechless. ** I don't
want her to see me like this; drunk. But this could be the chance I've been
hoping for, perhaps there's a way to tell her that I love her. **
" That would be very kind of
you..." he said softly. Marcus almost tripped over his own two feet when
Susan dragged him to the exit, ignoring all the looks they were getting. Marcus
held onto her...His stomach was in the middle of doing somersaults and his head
was spinning like crazy. The ranger had no idea where she was taking him. It
frightened Marcus that he had to rely on Susan to take him to his quarters.
Susan was having a really annoying
discussion with her inner voice. It was telling her that the time had arrived
to stop pretending that she didn't like him and she was trying hard to shut it
up, which wasn't working. In the end she sighed and gave in. Her gaze drifted
to Marcus' face. His eyes were half closed and she could almost feel the desire
in his mind, now that all his barriers were down.
** Damnit, Susan, get out of his mind!**
She was angry at herself; she hadn't planned on peeking inside his mind like
that. But it was true... true love and she had no chance fighting this. The
choices offered to her were downright painful; give in and risk getting hurt
again or staying away from him and damning the both of them to a life of
unrequited love. Her heart urged her to make the proper choice and for once she
listened to it.
Marcus felt her tugging at his sleeve. He
had no idea what was going on, he only wanted to sleep.
" Marcus? What's your access
code?" she asked. ** And where did Stephen, Michael and Jason disappear
to? Why do I have this feeling something bad is going to happen?** she wondered.
Marcus heard her question at last... but
what was his access code? He had changed it only yesterday... before Jason had
shown up. ** Think !**
" I think it's Booji." he said at
last.
Susan grabbed his waist as he started to
sway on his feet once more. " Booji? " She remembered the joke he had
made while trying to figure out how to get the First Ones to co-operate with
them. She punched in the access code and was relieved when the door opened and
peeked inside. She knew about Michael's ideas of practical jokes and she was
distrustful of this situation. It seemed safe though.
The lights were on and she saw the bed at
once. She led him there and forced him to lay down. He was instantly asleep and
had curled himself into a tight ball. Susan sat down next to him, too tired to
make it back to her own quarters. Laying down next to him Ivanova cradled him
in her arms, smelling the male scent of him as she buried her face in his hair.
Marcus... he was the last thing she thought about before falling asleep that
night.
Jason was very pleased with himself, very
pleased indeed. Garibaldi had installed a tiny camera inside Marcus' quarters.
They were going to make sure everything went right. Jason suspected that
Marcus' would need to return to his quarters; the beer would make him feel
tired. No surprises there.
" Here....." Stephen threw him a
can of beer.
Jason managed to catch it. Garibaldi missed
catching his canned orange juice and it rolled underneath the bed. Jason couldn't
help laughing... the look on Garibaldi's face... Slapping himself on his knees
he realized that Garibaldi was throwing dirty looks at him.
"
Sorry...." Jason tried to behave himself, but the beer and the idea of
peeking into Marcus' quarters were too much.
" So, why are you doing this to him?
This was your idea after all?" Stephen was amazed he'd managed to get a
whole sentence out in the open, expecting Jason to mouth off again. But Jason
was staring at the Babscreen.
" Come on... Marcus is a virgin... an
engineer, a ranger... He's 35... lets get him laid!" Jason was enjoying
his beer. The grin was echoed by Garibaldi.
" I never thought he was still a
virgin...That big mouth of yours reminds me of him. He can be hard to shut up
at times... But you're even more annoying!"
" Do you think so, Mr. Garibaldi?
Perhaps I can distract you while waiting by reciting some poetry I have been
writing? I will start with :
The
Unfairness Of Orgasm.
Your
screaming tears
the
plaster off the walls
Your
head explodes
and
thoughts are lost in heat.
But
when I shoot
the
contents of my balls,
I
still can hear the traffic
in the
street.
Garibaldi no longer had any control over
the contents of his mouth and the orange juice went flying through the room.
Jason had to duck or it he would have been
hit." I always thought poetry would be lost on you," Jason chuckled.
Stephen sat down and Jason handed him another beer.
Garibaldi wanted to throw a punch at him,
but was stopped when the screen showed some movement. They watched Susan and
Marcus enter the room and go to sleep.
Marcus woke up several minutes after he had
closed his eyes. He was totally baffled to find Susan Ivanova in his arms. She
was asleep; her body molded against his.
The ranger was still sleepy, but the realization that the woman he loved was
resting in his arms made him suddenly feel very much awake. Smoothing back her
hair he made sure that she was resting comfortably in his embrace.
"
You will never know... how much I love you," he whispered in a broken
tone. Marcus closed his eyes again as slumber claimed him once more and didn't
see Susan opening her eyes, staring at him.
There was puzzlement in her eyes as her
fingers caressed his face. " But I do know, Marcus... "she mumbled
softly. Susan kissed him, hesitantly, but he didn't wake up. Relaxing in his
embrace the Commander snuggled up to him. Boy, was he in for a surprise when he
woke up!
" You owe me 50 credits,
Michael," Jason quipped; he'd won his first bet. To him it had been no
surprise to see Susan lie down and cling to Marcus for the rest of the night.
" Damn, I'm never again going to bet
against you for the rest of my life. You've an advantage here; you know Marcus.
He's your cousin," the Chief told him.
Jason looked at the credit chips. He had
only seen them as props before. Slipping them into one of his pockets he
focused on another victim. Well, Mr.Garibaldi wasn't going to place anymore
bets. That left Stephen as his next victim. " Stephen?..."
Marcus was the first to wake up in the
morning. The computer had woken him.
" It is 0600 hours and you have one
message from Lennier," the computer told him.
" Shut... u... up, stupid
ma...chine," Marcus stuttered and tried opening his eyes. Thankfully no
headaches bothered him, but there was something warm in his arms that hadn't
been there before. With tremendous effort he managed to open his eyes and
slammed them tight shut a second later. ** I'm having illusions of grandeur
again.**
" Good morning., Marcus."
It was Susan's voice and it sounded
unusually chipper.
" What...?" Marcus felt her move
in his arms. What was she doing here?
" Marcus, are you alright? Hangovers
can be hell," she told him.
" I'm fine," ** I'm only
wondering how you ended up in my bed!** Marcus was trying hard to understand
what was going on. He had drunk too much beer because of that irritating Jason.
The ranger also remembered Susan's offer to walk him home. But why was she
here, still in his arms?
" You don't remember that much, do
you?" Susan watched him amused. He was trying to remember what had
happened. Susan felt comfortable and safe in his arms and decided to stay
there.
Marcus was afraid to ask why she was still
here, afraid, to shatter this lovely delusion.
Susan saw his hesitance and decided that it
was time to make the first move. " You whispered something into my ear
while we were still asleep. Remember?"
Marcus shivered slightly as memory returned
to him. He had told her he loved her, being convinced that she was asleep and
couldn't hear him. " You’ve heard my words?" he asked dismayed.
" I was awake, of course I did,"
Susan heard the fear in his voice.
Marcus swallowed hard. Why had she not yet
dragged him out of the bed to kick him out of an airlock? ** I have to do
something, but what?** The ranger felt paralyzed.
Marcus?" Susan raised his head
slightly so he had to look her in the eyes." Why didn't you tell me sooner
that you love me? You could have told me on the White Star. You aren’t
embarrassed to tell me that you're a virgin, but you can’t tell me that it's me
you've been waiting for?"
Marcus was lost, staring into her warm,
blue eyes. There had never before been such kindness and warmth in them and he
savored this feeling; trying to memorize the expression in her eyes. " I
... know about your relationship with Talia... The way you discovered that she
was a Psi Corps plant... I can sense the hurt deep inside of you and I don't
want to hurt you more. I know that you can't bear the feeling of being hurt
again," he explained in a hurt tone.
Tears were trying to surface in her eyes.
He cared so much for her... it frightened her at the same time. ** Marcus knows
me so well. It's true. I'm afraid of getting hurt again.** Susan realized that
he would never hurt her. She was the most important thing in his life. ** I
have to burn all these bridges behind me and I must look towards the future.**
Doing that scared her, but by looking into his eyes Marcus gave her all the
courage she would ever need.
"Marcus... I can't deny it any
longer. You made me talk to my heart once more. I thought it had died with
Talia, but I realize that it didn't. I'm in love with you too, Marcus,"
she admitted while looking into his eyes.
" I think we should give them some
privacy at this point. Seems so me that you won another bet, Jason."
Stephen terminated the connection to Marcus' quarters the moment Susan kissed
Marcus passionately and the doctor threw Jason some credits. He should have
listened to Michael. Jason had won over 100 credits this evening!
" You don't play fair, Stephen,"
Jason was a bit disappointed to see the screen turn black once more. He glared
at Michael who had fallen asleep in his chair.
" Another beer?" Franklin asked.
Stephen was amazed when Jason shook his head in denial.
" I think I had enough. I still need
to find a place to sleep tonight. Marcus isn't going to let me in."
Stephen nodded. " You can take the
couch, as long as I get my bed. I hope we'll be able to sleep." Stephen
pointed at Michael who had started to snore terribly.
" I'm so tired that I can sleep
anywhere, anytime." Jason moved over to the couch and rested his exhausted
body. He was almost asleep when he heard Michael talk in his sleep.
" 35 and still a virgin."
Jason chuckled and surrendered to sleep.
Jason woke because somebody was shouting at
him, urging him to wake up. It took him a moment to recognize his brother's
voice. " I'm awake," he mumbled. As his brother moved away from the
door he stretched lazily. Opening his eyes he was relieved to have no hangover.
He looked at the time and almost jumped out of bed. It was 1330 and he was going
to be late again for his gig at the convention. After grabbing some towels
Jason showered quickly. It had been such a vivid dream that he was able to
recall everything about it. After tossing the towels into the laundry basket he
got dressed.
As he checked the time once more it was
1400 hours. Jason still wondered why the audience put up with him, being late
every gig. He combed his hair and almost forgot his little black bag before
running over to the car which was going to take him to the hotel. Waving at his
brother he finally calmed down. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep
on Stephen's couch, then he had woken up in his brother's house.
Jason decided to drink less this evening and
he wasn't going to tell anyone about this dream he’d had. The car stopped and
Jason ran towards the entrance of the hotel, receiving some cheers in the
progress from fans who were laughing at him for being late again. Jason walked
into the crowd and managed to get on stage. He was surprised to see that they
were showing some kind of trailer which he had never seen it before. The weird
thing about it was that he was playing a part in this trailer.
Marcus was sitting in the command seat on a
White Star and Jason almost choked when Susan Ivanova walked over to the ranger
to hold his hand. The trailer ended and Jason was truly confused. He didn't
remember ever acting that part. Hearing the announcement he faced the fans who
seemed to be eagerly awaiting him. Jason felt that the safest thing to do was
to let the audience ask questions.
" Hello Jason, so how does it feel to
be the main character in Crusade?"
Jason was baffled, he hadn't been cast for
any part in that spin off!
" I wanted to ask one more thing,
" the fan added, " How did it feel to play that love scene with
Claudia in which you actually got laid?"
Now Jason had to sit down on stage. This
was too much. Was he still dreaming?
" Let me see if I can answer that one
for you. It looks like you left Jason speechless, which is something to
remember because it doesn't happen that often," Claudia said, while
walking onto the stage, grinning at him. " I think it was the best idea
Joe ever had. Joe originally planned to have Marcus die a virgin and then put
him into cryo. But I'm glad that he decided not to pursue that plot line.
Marcus losing his virginity to ME, which was a much better idea. Marcus and
Ivanova were the best choices to star in Crusade and as we know the Crusade
episodes are being aired in several countries."
Confused, Jason clutched his head; he was
losing his grip on reality.
" Hey, Jason, look on the bright side,
you won't be unemployed for a very long time.. neither will I," Claudia
wisecracked.
Jason stared at the last picture of the
trailer, still visible on the screen. It showed Marcus and Susan sharing a
tender kiss...Was Marcus grinning at him?
The
End