Cringe fest ahoy! Sorry *grins* I was young and stupid. *frowns* hell, I still am...
by Lindy
Part 6
Three weeks had passed since Garibaldi's successful heist on the Psi Corps. Ivanova was awake and, though shaky, entirely compus mentis. She was returnning to her old self, beginning to badger Stephen to pronounce her fit for duty. Franklin knew, however, that while physically she was practically recovered, the emotional wounds had not yet begun to heal. She had recieved many concerned visitors, each of which brought the old Susan closer and closer. The one person who hadn't visited Susan, however, was the one person Stephen felt she really needed to see. He had explained to her that Talia was restored; she had mutely nodded and changed the subject. Stephen sighed. There were issues there that needed to be dealt with.
Susan left MedLab and returned to work. Slowly the station approached something like normality. One night, Garibaldi, finishing a duty shift, stopped by a small cafe in Zocalo. There at the bar, he spotted a solitary blonde figure hunched over a drink. Her shoulders shook slightly. Garibaldi laid a hand on her arm.
"Ms Winters"
She raised her tearstained face
"Oh, Michael. I don't think I can stand it any more. I mean, I know I can't push her to talk to me or anything, but to see he... so miserable, I just wanna hold her, to make it alright... but she just looks through me like I'm not there... and to know it's my fault... I did these things to her..."
She looked down at her late as a fresh wave of misery washed over her.
"Talia, I... I don't know what to say, except that... it wasn't you, you had no knowledge of what that thing in your body was doing. Blaming yourself isn't going to help Susan. And, well, there's really nothing you can do to help her until she's ready to come to you. And she will, Talia. Just give her time"
She odded, a little calmer.
"Michael", she said with more composure, "part of the what Kosh did was to unify me with... her" she shivered. "I have all her memories, of all the terrible things she's done... she'll always be a part of me, of what I could be... How can I even think of asking Susan to live with that?" she loked up at him with distressed eyes.
Garibaldi swallowed.
"Talia, I think that Susan only survived what happened because she had her memories of you to hold on to. She needs you, more than she knows. Don't let your own feelings of guilt destroy her now"
He squeezed her shoulder in a gesture of support to lessen the severity of his words, and left the bar.
A lone figure watched the interaction from a dark corner of the room. She saw the Security Chief leave. She saw the blonde signal for another drink, and smiled for what felt like the first time in months. Talia, drinking??! Without considering too much what she was doing, Susan moved towards the telepath. Touching her, she spoke quietly,
"Talia" The blonde woman froze. For long minutes she stayed still, hardly breathing, then she turned. Susan felt a pain in her chest as she recognised the pain in those green eyes, little realising the same look was in her own.
"Susan" she uttered, her voice barey above a whisper.
They stood for what felt like hours. Finaly Susan offered her arm to Talia, who slipped quickly from the barstool, leaving her glass untouched on the counter.
They lay, that night and for many nights thereafter, simply holding each other close and tight. Hour after hour, waking up in turn screaming as the nightmares plagued them, comforting and soothing, feeling the pain gradually lessen as each came to terms with who she was and the things that had happened.
It seemed to be unwritten between them that, as with the first contact, it had to be Susan who would make the first step back towards achieving what they had once shared. When this tentative approach came on night as Susan lay cradled in Talia's arms, the blonde woman knew instinctively that it was she who needed to develop it, to give her entire self to Susan, to heal her.
Talia slipped off the couch to kneel on the floor at Susan's feet. Her hair was tied back from her face, she as free of make up and wearing a simple shirt which fell to her mid thigh. She looked, to Susan, like nothing less than an angel. Her eyes were huge as she held Susan's hand to her face, resting her forehead on the palm. The room was silent, a singing in Susan's ears seemed to match the huge swell of feeling in her heart. Slowly, so slowly, Talia moved up her lover's body, touching in wonder as she discovered her anew. She gently unbttoned the Commander's shirt, planting feathery kisses on the skin she revealed. S sighed deeply, her hands rising unbidden to stroke the fine golden head. She could see the scene as if from above, saw herself lying on the same couch from which she had been abducted so many weeks before, and for the first time it did not seem to matter.
"Talia..." she sighed deeply, her head falling back.
The telepath raised her head from caressing Susan's breasts, moving upwards to her face. Their eyes locked in a moment of understanding and their lips met in a sweet and caring movement that Susan had been dreaming about for two years. She was relaxed, Talia carefully exploring her lover's mouth, sucking on her lower lip. Susan felt her body responding to Talia's touch and pulled her closer in a silent request to increase the pace. They moved together in purely physical pleasure, Talia knowing instinctively she had to prevent her mind reaching out to Susan. She moved down her body kissing behind her ears, her throat, the hollows of her neck and shoulder. She paid careful attention to each breast, sucking each nipple to standing firmness. She ran her hands lightly down Susan's sides, feeling her shiver under her touch and cry out softly as she found the hollow of her back. Pushing gently upwards, Talia dipped her head to kiss and nuzzle at her navel and the sensitive insides of the bones of her hips. Susan was moving rhytmically now under Talia's touch, her hands running through the telepath's hair, caressing her ears, moving back to entangle in the golden strands. Talia moved lower, inhaling the amazing scent and hearing Susan give a low cry as she felt Talia's lips upon her, gently moving and guiding her response from nameless desire to a rhythm of pleasure. She sobbed in ecstasy as Talia enclosed that spot with her mouth, sucking hard then filled her with one, two fingers. She was close, so close to that state of bliss where she had not been for so long. She felt Talia's arm snake around her thigh, holding her close, and she slid headlong over the edge hearing a roaring in her ears and a voice crying out
"Talia!... oh, Talia..."
When she could again focus she raised her head and found T looking at her. Tears were running down her face and she was crying and laughing at the same tim. Susan touched her own face to feel the same wetness and she too laughed as she reached down, pulling Talia to her. She touched the face pressed to her, the words rose unbidden but herartfelt to her lips,
"I love you, Talia Winters"
She heard the voice in her mind, now filling her not with fear but with indescribable joy.
*I've always loved you, Susan*
The End