"Susan," Garibaldi finally managed with an incredulous laugh, "Did you seriously knock him out?"

Through tightly controlled teeth, she replied, "It wasn't my fault Marcus didn't explain how the stupid thing worked."

Garibaldi began to laugh in earnest at this, which encouraged the rest of them to join in. Even Marcus couldn't help grinning until, of course, he caught the murderous looks he was being given by his significant other. The grin rapidly changed to a wince.

"Oh, come on Love, you have to admit it was a laughable situation."

"I don't have to admit anything."

"So that's what all this was about?" John asked, "That's what you were so unwilling to tell everyone?"

"Yes, actually," Susan replied stiffly, "I do have a reputation to uphold, you know."

She shot another murderous glare at Michael and Stephen as they started chuckling again. Heather's brow furrowed as she thought of something.

"Hold on, we still haven't gotten anywhere in the story, yet. Nothing has actually happened - other than Marcus being rendered unconscious, of course," she said, stifling a giggle behind her hand.

"Yes, where does this fit in with how you and Marcus got together?" Lise added.

"Well," she admitted with a sigh, "I guess it was important in that it was what made me realise I did have feelings for Marcus after all."

"You know, I could have told you that any time, Susan. I mean, it was fairly obvious. You didn't have to go and -" Michael cut off as Lise jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.

"Susan," Delenn soothed, "Why don't you continue the story from where Marcus left off?"

Sighing in resignation, she agreed.

"Fine. I'll tell the rest of the story. Can we try and keep the interruptions to a minimum, though? I'd like to get my quarters back to myself sometime tonight."

It took a few moments for Susan to realise what had happened. The sound of Marcus' pike hitting the floor and rolling a few metres before coming to rest snapped her mind back into focus. Marcus slumped to the floor, a thin rivulet of blood appearing where the extending pike had clipped the side of his head.

"Marcus?!" she cried in alarm.

She knelt down beside him, a wave of nauseous fear passing over her as she checked whether or not he was still breathing. The wave didn't abate when she felt the warm exhalation on her cheek as she leant over him, merely subsided a little.

"Marcus? Come on, Marcus, wake up," she urged him, taking up his hand and squeezing it gently.

When she received no response from the unconscious ranger, she slapped the back of her hand.

"Captain to Medlab. I need a med team now. I'm in Ranger Training room 2 on Grey 3," she snapped, her eyes never leaving Marcus' face.

"Captain, this is Franklin, what's happening?"

"Marcus had... a little problem with his pike. He's unconscious. Just get here now!"

The doctor's pause was almost imperceptible.

"Alright. I'm on my way. Franklin out."

She reached again for Marcus' hand and held it tightly between both of hers. Of all the dumb things to do... she chided herself grimly. How had it happened? One minute he was kissing her, the next... She sent a menacing glare towards the offending pike, before returning her attention to Marcus. He looked peaceful. Too peaceful, she thought, and she held her hand over his mouth and nose to make sure he was still breathing.

"Come on, Marcus, wake up. Don't do this to me. You're scaring the hell out of me!" she said, trying to keep the rising panic out of her voice.

She kept talking to him as she waited for the med team to arrive, the words coming automatically as she worked and reworked the incident over in her mind.

He'd kissed her. And as much as she didn't want to admit it, she'd kissed him back. Until you nearly killed him. She winced as the accusation filled her mind. It was true. Another few centimetres to her left, and the extending pike would have caught him beneath the jaw, snapping his head back and, in all likelihood, breaking his neck. She grimaced, trying not to think about how close she'd come to killing him. The thought of losing him filled her with an overwhelming dread. This man who'd risked his own life to save hers - who admittedly loved her and showed it by being there when she needed him - she couldn't deny that she cared for him, no matter how much she tried to convince herself that she didn't.

It was at this point that Marcus chose to regain consciousness. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked up through a haze to see Susan's worried face leaning over him. What had just happened came back to him in a rush as he saw relief spread over her features.

"Oh, thank God, Marcus. A med team will be here any minute. How do you feel?" she said, letting out a long, shaky breath.

"Well," he managed weakly through the throbbing pain in his head, "That was either a truly amazing kiss, or else all those rumours about your temper are massive understatements."

She couldn't help but smile at that. Trust Marcus to make a joke at a time like this. She hadn't even realised her eyes were filled with tears until one now escaped and ran down her cheek. This isn't my day, she thought as she ducked her head and swiped at her eyes with the one hand. First a brawl in the Zocalo, then an injured dock worker, then an exploding Star Fury, and now this happens. No wonder I'm crying.

Marcus saw the tear and, reaching up, took her hand in his.

"Susan? What's the matter?"

"Jeez, Marcus, you scared me to death. That stupid pike - I could've killed you!" she burst out, pent up anger and frustration working its way to the surface.

"But you didn't. It was an accident. I'll be fine," he reassured her, squeezing her hand.

She wasn't placated, though, and was about to respond when the med team came through the door. She jumped to her feet.

"Stephen! What the hell took you so long?"

Crossing to Marcus' side, the doctor knelt down beside him.

"We got here as soon as we could," he replied evenly, as he and the two assistants got to work. "Marcus, good, you're awake. Now what have you been doing to yourself?"

"I... had a little accident with my pike," he replied, struggling to a sitting position and catching the confused look Susan shot him as he did so. "I was showing the Captain a few of the more advanced techniques and I... got a bit carried away."

If the doctor detected anything strange about this shallow explanation, he didn't show it.

Shaking his head and chuckling slightly he said, "Marcus, I've told you before that thing's dangerous. I just hope this has proved it to you. Well, I want you to come back to Medlab so I can run a proper scan, but I think you'll live. You know, you've got one of the hardest heads I've ever had the pleasure of treating. Now, can you stand? Or shall we use the stretcher?"

"I think I can manage, Stephen."

Susan stepped over to his side and offered him her hand.

"Here, Marcus, let me help you."

When he was standing, she took his arm to steady him.

"Why didn't you tell the truth?" she hissed at him.

"There was no harm in it," he shrugged, "I just thought it would be easier for us both."

She looked up at him, a strange expression on her face.

"Well... Thanks. Hey Stephen," she said, turning away from him. "Can you help Marcus back to Medlab? I have to get back to work and make sure Corwin hasn't blown anything up."

"I'll come and see you later, okay?" she surprised herself by saying.

He nodded and she left.

"Well, after that," Susan continued, "I guess I came to the conclusion that maybe getting involved with Marcus wouldn't be such a bad thing after all."

"Oh no you don't, Susan, you can't just finish it like that!" Heather spoke up rather emphatically. "You and Marcus have been stringing this story out all night. You're not just going to end it like that. What happened when you went to see him later?"

"Details, Susan, we need details," Lise joined the effort.

Susan sighed irritably.

"Come on, love, this next bit's important. Do you want me to tell it?"

"No! If you tell it, we really will be here all night. Alright, I suppose what happened that night is part of the story too. But that's it. After that, it's finished. Agreed?" she demanded of the group.

They nodded meekly.

It had just been such an awful day. Susan wanted nothing so much as to be able to go back to her quarters and sleep till it was over. Stephen had contacted her on the link and told her that he was keeping Marcus in Medlab overnight to ensure no complications developed. She'd had to work an extra few hours after her shift had ended to make up for the time she'd spent with Marcus, so it wasn't until late that she entered Medlab.

When she arrived at his bedside, she saw that he was asleep. She was instantly reminded of that time - seemingly an age since - that she'd first visited him after he'd saved her life. She didn't want to wake him, so she turned to leave, but just like that other time, he opened his eyes.

"Hello. Sorry, I must have dozed off."

"No, Marcus, I didn't mean to wake you. I can go if you want."

"No, that's alright. I'm not really tired - there just isn't that much else to do around here but sleep. You know, I think they engineered it that way," he whispered in a conspiratorial tone.

"Well, don't let Stephen know you figured it out or he'll be forced to kill you," she whispered back.

He smiled. "Pull up a seat, you look tired. Rough evening?"

"Oh... You know... Not too bad. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Susan, really. They're only keeping me here for observation, it being a head injury and all."

"You know, Marcus, I feel really terrible about that -" she would have continued but Marcus interrupted her.

"No, it was an accident. Besides, I should never have grabbed you like that in the first place - probably came as a bit of a surprise."

"Well I shouldn't have pushed you away like that. I mean, it's not like you attacked me or anything."

He was about to protest again when he broke off and smiled in spite of himself.

"We're quite a pair, aren't we?" he said with a laugh, "Neither of us willing to let the other take the blame. Just noble at heart, I guess."

"Noble?" she scoffed, "Stubborn more like it."

"But noble has such a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

Susan sobered at his words and smiled somewhat wistfully.

"Hmm. Noble at heart. I think that term is best applied to you, Marcus, not to me."

He opened his mouth to speak but she ploughed ahead, thinking she would never say it otherwise.

"No, Marcus, listen. I want you to know that I'm not very happy with the way I've been acting lately. I've been awful to you, when all you've been to me is a friend - don't argue, it's true," she snapped as he opened his mouth to speak. After a moment of hesitation, though, she reached out and took his hand. "I guess I was concentrating on what the ulterior motives might be for your actions, rather than just appreciating that you were there to do them at all."

She shook her head slightly, thinking that what she had just said probably didn't make much sense. She couldn't help but smile ruefully, thinking about what she was trying to say. Looking up at Marcus, who was watching her with an odd expression on his face - as if she'd lost her mind, in fact - the smile turned into a chuckle.

"Ah, Hell. I really hate having this kind of conversation."

"You know, I couldn't tell..." Marcus said with a smile of his own. "I'm sorry, am I allowed to talk yet?" he continued innocently when she shot him a threatening glare. "Look, what exactly are you trying to say?" he asked finally.

A feeling of panic struck her - what was she trying to say? She'd thought she'd come to a conclusion that afternoon while waiting for the med team to arrive. But that moment of surety was gone. She didn't even know what she'd been so sure of. Her thoughts returned to that instance when she hadn't known whether he was alive or dead. That feeling of terror and dread returned. Oh God, I could have lost him, she thought. Her eyes widened at the powerful swirl of emotions she was feeling. She moved off her chair and, coming to sit beside him on the bed, put her arms around his neck.

Marcus was appropriately startled by this sudden chain of events. Nevertheless he returned the embrace, lifting one hand up to hold the back of her head. He still wasn't completely sure what was going on, but after a few moments of silence she drew back slightly.

"Well, this has got to be the stupidest thing that has ever happened to me," she announced, not looking him in the eye.

He smoothed the hair off her forehead.

"What would that be?" he asked, hoping the answer would shed some light on what she was thinking.

"Well, the fact that I had to almost kill you before I realised -" she broke off suddenly.

"Realised what, exactly?"

Still unwilling to say aloud... whatever it was that she was feeling, she placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed him instead. He immediately brought his hands up to cup the back of her head, his fingers entwined in her hair.

After a moment, though, she pulled away. Where the hell did that come from? she asked herself, turning her head so she didn't have to see the confusion in Marcus' eyes over her sudden withdrawal.

"Susan?" he asked cautiously, "Are you alright?"

No reply. She just sat there looking very disconcerted.

"Susan?" he called softly again, and reached up to brush her cheek.

At his touch she flinched slightly and stood up. "Look, Marcus," she began, "I'm a bit... overwhelmed by all of this. I might call it a night - let us both get some rest."

Marcus couldn't believe she was simply going to leave after what had just happened. He wasn't going to lie here and watch while she ran away from him again.

"I'm not just going to let you act as if nothing happened, you know," he said matter-of-factly as she reached the doorway.

She froze, then turned halfway back towards him.

"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously.

"You know perfectly well what I mean," he said, irritation clouding his even tone. He stood up off the bed, trying not to feel awkward in the loose, standard issue Medlab gown and pants, and approached her. Exasperated, he continued. "For Heaven's sake, Susan. You know how I feel. And I know how you feel - I saw it in your eyes. Why do you keep denying it?"

Her eyes flashed dangerously.

"I'm not denying anything. This is all your fault anyway," she turned on him suddenly.

"My fault?" he replied indignantly.

"Yes. All of it. I mean, would it really have been that hard to tell me not to shake that stupid pike of yours? And you wouldn't have been hurt at all if you hadn't come around pestering me today. Not to mention how all this started in the first place - all the awkwardness, and the tiptoeing around each other. Did I ever ask you to risk yourself like that? Did I ever even give you the slightest encouragement beyond friendship? What reason -"

"Well I couldn't just let you die, could I?" he burst out loudly, then his voice dropped to little more than a whisper. "Susan, sitting and watching you slip away - it was killing me! How could I not have tried to save you? Don't you know how much I love you? I love you so much I can hardly breathe sometimes..."

He lifted one hand and lightly touched her cheek. The sincerity of his words touched her.

"I know," she said simply in reply.

Everything he'd said was true, she realised. She also realised that, had their positions been reversed, she might have been tempted to do the same - to sacrifice herself for him.

"I know, Marcus," she repeated softly, "And I can't help thinking that maybe I love you too."

It felt wonderful to say those words to someone again. Despite the fact that she still harboured mixed emotions for him, she'd meant what she'd said. And it felt wonderful.

"... And after that, I took her in my arms and I never let her go!" Marcus concluded with a flourish.

"Well, that was a lovely story Susan, Marcus," Heather told them after a moment of silence.

"Shame it was so long though..." John added with a grin.

"Hey, I would have been happy giving the short version - you were the ones who wanted all the details," Susan retorted indignantly.

"Susan," Delenn's calm voice broke in before the two friends could start arguing again, "It has been a wonderful evening, but it is very late. It is past time we were going."

"Yes, I suppose so," agreed John.

Then followed a round of similar statements from the others.

Susan smiled graciously. "It's been lovely having you, but hurry up and get out. Some of us have a station to run tomorrow," she announced with aplomb.

So after a few more minutes of last minute chatter and promises to see each other that day, the crowd dispersed until Susan and Marcus were left alone once more.

They collapsed on the couch - too worn out to move into the bedroom and content just to sit together quietly for a few moments. After a while though, Marcus picked up his wife's hand and kissed it lazily.

"Come on," he said, climbing to his feet, "Let's go to bed."

"That would require some form of action on my part," Susan protested sensibly.

"Unfortunately, yes it would. But I also know if you don't get some sleep you'll be scarier than a Shadow on stims tomorrow, and we don't want that now, do we?"

She glared up at him, deciding whether or not to be obstinate. Finally she sighed.

"Slave driver," she grumbled as she stood up and entered the circle of his arms.

"Lights, ten percent," she directed and looked up at her husband in the darkness.

"Do you know how much I love you?" he asked seriously.

The darkness partially hid her wry smile as she replied. "Well, I guess if I don't by now, then I never will," she said, and headed into the bedroom.

Marcus stayed where he was. "You know, that wasn't quite the answer I was hoping for..." he called after her, before sighing and following her out of the room.

the end

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