A Heart Unburdened

This story is set between the season 4 episodes Endgame and Rising Star, but is a "What If" situation; in this case, what if Franklin had got back to Babylon 5 in time to prevent Marcus from dying, while also helping to save Ivanova's life.

So, with that mind, I hope I did a good job as this is my first B5 fan fic. Enjoy!

Babylon 5 and all characters belong to J. Michael Stracynski.

It was a moment of great stress that Dr Stephen Franklin was going through. Stress he'd rather not have to deal with, especially with Captain John Sheridan leading the resistance in the fight to free Earth from the fascist regime of Earth President Morgan Clark.

"Come on, come on! A man's life is at stake here...!" Franklin murmured under his breath. He'd just learned that his close friend, the Ranger Marcus Cole had hacked into his medical logs and learnt about a mysterious alien device he'd discovered being used on Babylon 5 three years earlier. It had the ability to heal, but it came with a cost; the life force of the user would be exchanged with that of the one being healed. And now, he feared that Marcus would use that very device to save the life of another dear friend; Commander Susan Ivanova, who'd been critically injured after a battle with some advanced Omega-class warships loyal to Clark. She'd been in charge of the resistance fleet while Sheridan had been imprisoned by Clark's government at the time, and now she only had days to live.

Franklin thought back to a previous conversation he'd had with Marcus just over a year earlier regarding Ivanova. What was it he said? Franklin thought. Oh, right...

"I sense in her a key as yet unturned." Marcus had said. Now, just over a year later, Franklin felt a twinge of sadness in his heart as he thought about his friend's words. Marcus had clearly developed feelings for Ivanova, and now he was going to sacrifice his own life for hers.

Not on my watch! Franklin vowed. He and Sheridan had agreed that the Alien Healing Device was too dangerous and had it locked away until a way had been discovered to control it so it wouldn't be as lethal as it currently was. As a doctor, it was his duty to heal the sick and make the dying comfortable in their last hours. But now, he was on his way back to the station to prevent a friend from making what he believed to be a reckless and foolish choice...

His thoughts were interrupted by the White Star jumping out of hyperspace, having arrived at Babylon 5. "At last!" Franklin breathed, feeling slightly relieved. It was as if God Himself had answered his wish to be at the station as fast as possible. As soon as they were cleared for landing and had docked into the station, Franklin started to run as fast as he could to Medlab.

Meanwhile, Marcus was leaning beside Ivanova's beside, attached to the Alien Healing Device. He was getting weaker by the second, and he could feel his life slipping away. But if it means she gets to live... Then it's a sacrifice worth making... he reasoned to himself. He thought back to the times he'd spent with her on the White Star. She was fearless, cool-headed and an effective tactician. He'd admired that about her, but he'd sensed in her that there was a part of her who secretly craved for the feelings of love, yet had been denied it many times. He thought back to the time they'd been on board the White Star and had encountered the Shadow fleet.

"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met." he'd said to her in the Minbari language. When Ivanova had asked him what it meant, he'd replied that it was only a greeting and that it meant: "My words are inadequate to the burden of my heart." He felt a soft smile creep across his face at that memory. Never had those words had a truer meaning to the situation he was now in, especially since before the accident that caused her life threatening injuries, Ivanova had revealed to him that she'd learnt a little Minbari since that time, thanking him for the kind words.

He remembered the determination in her eyes at the Battle of Sector 300, when the Omega-class destroyers were coming to attack, and had ordered their surrender, demanding to identify who she was. "Who am I? I am Susan Ivanova. Commander. Daughter of Andrei and Sophie Ivanov. I am the right hand of vengeance, and the boot that is going to kick your sorry ass all the way back to Earth, sweetheart! I am Death Incarnate, and the last living thing that you are ever going to see. God sent me." she'd said, her voice in an almost whisper that had sent chills up Marcus's spine. Now, that same woman was lying on a bed in Medlab, edging closer to death.

Marcus could feel the guilt of not protecting her from the oncoming debris of the destroyed enemy ships eating away at him, and now he had to make it right. He could feel his body getting lighter. This is the end... he thought, feeling at peace. "I love you..." he whispered to Ivanova. As his eyes started to flicker shut, he heard a voice calling his name... a voice that sounded just like Stephen's...

"Marcus! Get away from that device! Marcus? Can you hear me?! Marcus!" the voice called. As the voice started to fade, Marcus was slowly swallowed in darkness...

Franklin desperately removed Marcus from the device. "You're not dying here, Marcus. Not when I'm here!" he yelled, lifting his dying friend onto a nearby bed.

"Doctor, we're losing him! He's going into total metabolic shutdown!" one of the medics exclaimed as lights and sounds flashed regarding Marcus's life signs.

"Damn it! We have to save him!" Franklin yelled in frustration. Desperately, the medics worked to save the Ranger and bring him back from the brink of death. Franklin cast a glance at the unconscious Ivanova. He couldn't help but understand why Marcus had resorted to using something as dangerous as the Alien Healing Device. I can't believe I'm doing this... he thought, sitting down next to Ivanova's bedside. "Sorry, Susan... But I can't just let Marcus's job be unfinished." he sighed quietly, hooking himself up to the device.

A few hours later, the medics had finally managed to get Marcus in a stable condition, but now he needed rest. Franklin, feeling exhausted from giving Ivanova some of his life force, watched over his friends as they recovered from their ordeals. He heard Ivanova mumbling in her unconscious sleep and went to see if she was alright. "Marcus!" she yelled, almost screaming, waking in a start.

"Hey, it's okay. You're safe, Susan." Franklin soothed, hurrying to the panicking commander's side.

"Marcus... Where is he?!" Ivanova asked, looking as though she'd been plagued by a terrifying nightmare.

"Marcus is okay, he's just resting." Franklin replied, not wanting to stress her even further.

Ivanova calmed for a moment, but her calmness quickly turned to anger. "When he wakes up, I'm gonna kill him! What the hell was he thinking?!" she exclaimed.

"Well, please try not to kill him just yet. That's something I wanna know as well." Franklin chuckled, feeling slightly relieved that being close to death hadn't changed her much as far as he could tell.

"I mean it, Stephen! Of all the craziest, stupidest things he's done, this is at the top of the list! How the hell did he find out about that device?!" she demanded.

"He must've hacked into my medical logs. All the information I have on the device was logged on there after Sheridan and I locked it away after we agreed it was too dangerous to be used again." Franklin suggested.

Ivanova groaned in frustration. "Typical. This is... This is the kind of stupid thing he'd do..." she muttered softly. She looked up at Franklin, looking anguished. "I was at peace, Stephen. I'd already resigned myself to the inevitable... And then that son of a bitch decides to be all heroic and act like the knight in shining armour, without even knowing the consequences!" she croaked, sounding as though she was close to tears.

Franklin sat next to her and held her. This was Ivanova; a strong, independent woman who never went down without a fight. But he'd never seen her look so... vulnerable. "I know..." he sighed soothingly.

Ivanova shook, tears silently falling down her cheeks. "I could feel my body getting lighter, like... like it knew my time was coming to an end. Then, out of the blue, I heard this voice saying; 'I love you'. For a moment, I thought: Is this God? Did God come to help ease my spirit at the end? I could feel myself smile a little, because He sounded British, like in those old movies back on Earth. But then, my body started to get heavier, and I suddenly felt stuck, as though I was balancing between life and death..." she whispered. "I saw his face, Stephen. I saw Marcus's face. He was smiling at me... telling me to not give up. I tried to reach for him, but I couldn't move! I couldn't move...!" she sobbed, breaking down in the doctor's arms.

Franklin rubbed her back soothingly. "It wasn't your fault for not being able to move. Your system was in shock from the injuries you'd sustained in Sector 300. You can't blame yourself, Susan." he began, trying to find the right words to try to comfort her.

"But do you know what the sad part of this is? I-I knew... I knew he was in love with me..." Ivanova wept. She wiped some of the tears from her face. "He'd given so much, and wanted so little in return, but I-I kept pushing him away. After losing all those dear to me, I just decided that love only brought me pain and misery. Then-then Marcus came along... Part of me knew he'd never hurt me, but..." she began, trying her best to regain her composure.

"Susan, you were just afraid of getting hurt again. Marcus probably understood that. Maybe... Maybe that's why he did what he did? He probably wanted to at least try to help you heal from the pain of what happened to you in the past. Maybe show you that love doesn't have to be associated with pain." Franklin reasoned.

Ivanova shook her head wearily. "All love is unrequited, Stephen. All of it." she whispered softly, looking emotionally exhausted from everything that had happened.

Franklin looked over at Marcus's bed. Part of him understood why Ivanova had kept pushing him away, but part of him hoped that they would finally talk about where they stood once Marcus had woken up and Ivanova had recovered emotionally. But for now, all he could do was just holding the exhausted commander and ensuring that she was okay.

Sometime later, Ivanova fully recovered, but had soon found out that Sheridan had resigned from EarthForce, in exchange for amnesty for her and the rest of the crew in regards to their actions as part of the resistance against the Clark administration. As his last act as an EarthForce officer, she'd been promoted to Captain. Now, she'd been offered the position of commanding officer of a ship in the new Warlock class called the EAS Titans. She was looking out of the observatory deck when someone put their hand on her shoulder causing her to quickly turn, drawing her PPG.

"It's just me. You should watch where you're aiming that thing!" Marcus exclaimed, backing off from her a little.

Ivanova sighed and put her PPG back in its holster. "You're an idiot, do you know that?" she asked, looking irritated.

"Well, I try my best. Life doesn't always have to be serious." Marcus beamed, smiling his trademark mischievous smile.

Ivanova rubbed her eyes in frustration. God, this man can be irritating! she thought. She then looked at him with a serious expression. "Stephen told me what you did for me when I was in Medlab." she began calmly.

Marcus rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I... see. Listen, Susan. I couldn't bear to just watch you suffer any longer. I didn't want to watch you die before my eyes." he began, looking a little sad.

Ivanova sighed once more. "Then I guess I owe you something..." she began, moving closer to him. As soon as she was close enough, she punched him in the gut, winding him.

Marcus's eyes widened in shock as Ivanova hit him. Bloody hell, that woman can punch! he thought, having been almost knocked off his feet. "Alright, I guess that I deserved that..." he croaked, clutching at his stomach.

"Damn right, you did! What the hell were you thinking?!" Ivanova yelled angrily. "That device had been locked away for a reason! I'd made peace; I was ready for the end. But then you decided to be the hero of the day and almost kill yourself!" she exclaimed. "Didn't you at least think about how I'd feel, knowing you'd died because of me?!" she demanded.

Marcus gingerly straightened up, rubbing where Ivanova had punched him. "You're right, I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry." he apologised.

"You're sorry? Sorry for putting me through the stress of thinking I'd lose someone dear to me again?! Sorry for making me think you were gonna die?!" Ivanova yelled, her voice almost breaking.

Marcus looked stunned at Ivanova's reaction. Not once had he seen her cry, it just didn't seem like her. But here she was, getting emotional because of him. "Susan, I really am sorry. I wasn't thinking straight. Seeing you lying on that bed made me think about my brother... How I failed to save him when the Shadows attacked." he began. He reached out to her and stroked her face. "I feel guilty for not protecting you in time before the debris of the Omega-class warships crashed into the White Star...and thought that maybe I could make it right by giving my life for yours." he explained.

Ivanova turned away from him, trying to stay composed so she wouldn't appear weak in front of him. "You still shouldn't have done that." she replied quietly.

"I know... I care about you so much, Susan. I couldn't let the person I loved more than anything die because of my mistakes." Marcus sighed. "I... understand if you don't feel the same way. I just needed to get it off my chest before I lost the chance to tell you." he added. He turned to walk away to leave her to her thoughts.

Ivanova closed her eyes and sighed sadly. "Her name was Talia." she announced suddenly.

Marcus paused and looked back. "Susan?" he blinked, confused at what Ivanova said.

Ivanova turned to him again. "Two years before you arrived, there was... someone very dear to me on board the station. She... was a telepath. At first, I didn't trust her, as she was a member of the Psi Corps. But, over time, we grew close. Really close." she began. "I thought that maybe, maybe she wouldn't hurt me like the other times love hurt me. Then... Then Lyta arrived on the station. She said one of the staff was an unwitting sleeper agent for the Psi Corps. A code was required to activate the sleeper agent." she explained.

Marcus listened closely, already having a feeling about what she would say next. "So...what happened?" he asked gently.

Ivanova looked saddened as she continued. "Lyta used the code on all the staff... including me, even though I was reluctant about it and didn't want to be scanned in the first place. The last person she checked was Talia..." she sighed. "The sleeper personality took over, effectively killing the Talia I knew. This new Talia, or 'Control' as Lyta called it, was heartless and cold towards me when I talked to her. It was at that moment that I knew I'd lost Talia forever... And the sad part is, I think I loved her." she finished.

Marcus felt heartbroken after hearing Ivanova's story. "Susan, I... I had no idea." he began, trying to find the right words to say. "Does... anyone else know?" he asked.

"Only Delenn knows about it. I told her last year during the Minbari rebirth ceremony she hosted after we broke away from Earth." Ivanova replied.

"Well... I'm glad you told me. I know it must've been hard to talk about it. If there's anything I can do to even try to make this up to you, just tell me." Marcus sighed, smiling gently at her.

"As long as you don't pull such a stupid stunt like that again, I'll think about it." Ivanova began. "Otherwise, next time, it won't be your stomach I'll be aiming for." she added, with a smirk on her face.

"Yes, well, note taken. If there's anything I've learned while I've been on Babylon 5, it's that you're always right." Marcus nodded.

"So, you've heard of the B5 mantra?" Ivanova asked, slightly amused. "Well, at least you'll remember to take it seriously." she added.

"Of course I will. You've always been the kind of leader that demands respect, on and off the battlefield." he replied. "And besides, I would rather be eaten by a pak'ma'ra than do anything to disobey the Babylon 5 mantra." he added. The two started to laugh at Marcus's joke as both were feeling more relaxed now than they were earlier.

Once she'd calmed down, Ivanova then became serious again. "I know it wasn't an easy choice for you to make to try to save me. You're lucky Stephen got here when he did, or you might've... But, I just want you to know that, even though it was the most stupid thing you've ever done, I appreciate what you did for me." she began. "And, I just want you to know that..." she continued, before pausing, as if to consider her options.

"Know what?" Marcus asked, not sure what she was doing.

She swallowed hard. "Ah, what the hell..." she muttered to herself, before pulling Marcus into a deep and passionate kiss.

The Ranger gave a muffled yelp, having not enough time to react. Is this real? Or did I really die? he thought as his head started swimming with different emotions. Shock, surprise... and happiness. Once he'd got used to it, he started to kiss back, his hand running through her hair.

A few minutes later, they broke the kiss, needing to come up for air. "How was that as a thank you?" Ivanova asked, grinning at Marcus's reaction.

"Well... it was... unexpected." Marcus began, clearing his throat, a small flush on his cheeks. He didn't want to admit he had at times dreamt about this very situation.

"Marcus... I always knew you loved me. You always give so much, yet expect so little in return. I knew you would never hurt me, but..." Ivanova began.

"Susan, you don't have to do this..." Marcus began to protest.

"No, I have to. I came close to losing you today. I can't go through that again." she interrupted. "I was just afraid to let you see the more vulnerable side of me. It's a Russian thing. We hate letting other people see us at our lowest." she confessed.

Marcus sighed and caressed Ivanova's face. "Susan, you will always be strong to me; vulnerable or not. You're not alone anymore. Sheridan, Delenn and the others; we're all here for you." he soothed.

Ivanova smiled, feeling touched by Marcus's words. "You're right. Thank you, Marcus. I think I really needed to hear that." she acknowledged.

"You're welcome." he replied. He started to walk away, but then paused. "Oh! Before I forget; congratulations on the promotion, Captain Ivanova." he beamed. "If anyone deserves a promotion more than anything, it had to be you. After all we've been through for the last couple of years, you deserve it." he added.

Ivanova smiled more, secretly feeling glad that Marcus had found out about the promotion. "Thank you. It's a shame that John had to resign from EarthForce. But, seeing Earth free from Clark's regime was worth all of it." she replied. Marcus nodded in agreement and then walked out of the observation deck, leaving Ivanova to her thoughts.

Later that evening, the station was celebrating the victory against Clark. "I admit I have never seen the station so full of life." Lennier observed as he and Franklin watched the festivities.

"Well, Earth's free from Clark. Mars finally has its independence. There are a lot of reasons for everyone to celebrate at the moment." Franklin replied.

"Indeed so." Lennier nodded.

"Hey, have you seen Marcus? I haven't seen him since this morning." Franklin asked.

"Ah, I believe he said that he and Captain Ivanova were planning to spend the night together before she leaves for the EAS Titans." Lennier replied. "He seemed to have a strange look in his eyes as well, as though Ivanova had promised him something." he added.

Franklin almost choked on his drink at the Minbari's words. "W-Well, I'm sure they'll be fine. Oh, there's Garibaldi!" he spluttered, quickly darting off before Lennier could ask any questions.

Lennier watched him go with a confused expression. "Humans really are a strange race... I should discuss this with Delenn upon her return." he muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, in Ivanova's quarters, she and Marcus were in bed together. Their clothes were strewn all over the floor, having been unable to wait upon their arrival. They were wrapped in each other's arms, having enjoyed a romantic moment. "Well, how did I do?" Marcus asked, stroking Ivanova's hair.

"In all honesty, not bad for a beginner." Ivanova replied, her hand resting on Marcus's chest. "But with a lot more practice, I think you'll be an expert in no time." she added with a teasing smile.

A faint blush brightened Marcus's cheeks as he smiled bashfully. "I wanted tonight to be special."

"Well, you certainly didn't disappoint." she smiled. She sighed. "I really am gonna miss this place."

Marcus continued to stroke her hair. "Well, you should get some sleep. Wouldn't want you to be late, would we?" he grinned.

"Yeah, yeah." she replied, waving her hand casually as she settled into his arms. She looked up at him. "I love you, Marcus Cole. I mean it." she smiled.

Marcus smiled back, kissing her on the forehead. "I love you too, Susan Ivanova." he smiled back. He watched her fall asleep and gazed at the ceiling. He felt light, as though the weight he'd been carrying since the death of his brother had finally been lifted. And as he fell asleep with the woman he loved, he knew now that his heart was now a heart unburdened.

The End