Babylon 5, Shadows of Conversation by DD Agent

Well, it's been a very long time since I have written fanfiction. My last fic posted was in October, and before that it was the summer. My muse has been on holiday, a very LONG holiday, but returned last week. It only seemed fitting that it inspired me to write a fic of the fandom I love above all others.

Plot: J/D fluff set during 3.05 "Voices in the Dark."

Spoilers: 3.05 and leading up to that point.

Thank you to Laurie who helped me out. Thank you my dear, there will be some AF related karma heading your way, xxx.

XxX

She hadn't been spying on him. She had been walking through the gardens when she caught sight of them together. He, so strong and bold in civilian clothes; she, beautiful and elegant in a small black dress. They had been dining at Fresh Aire, she was sure of it. They had been walking away from the restaurant when she had glimpsed them out of the corner of her eye. She had turned to watch them walk away.

It seemed that every conversation they had together now was to do with the ancient enemy. Just for once, she would like to have a conversation that didn't have the words "Shadows" or "a thousand years ago" in them. A normal talk, about anything and everything. His work, issues with the station, their past, and their society, similar to that time they went to dinner. They had dined at Fresh Aire too; stayed long into the night. Was it the blonde woman's choice to eat there, or was it his? She wore black, like she had that night. She made it look so comfortable, so easy compared to the long and intricate Human clothing she had chosen to wear to her first dinner with the Captain.

Were they a couple? Were they together? She hadn't seen her before on the station; the woman must be new to Babylon 5. Maybe she was an old friend, a friend from Earth. That was it; they were just friends out for a dinner to catch up on each other's lives. Her heart felt relieved, and she didn't know why. The Captain and her were not a couple; they were not intimate in the way that was traditional. Why should she feel such emotions at seeing him with another woman?

Maybe it was because she had considered that night special. She hadn't seen anyone that night, not in her minds eye. Her entire focus had been on the Captain, and his on her. For one night, she hadn't been the freak that many people considered her to be, but a woman having dinner with a man. She found she quite liked it. Her feelings were stirring again, a mix of affection and jealousy. Did he take every woman he met to Fresh Aire? Was their dinner together another 'date' in a long string of events? She didn't think so; the Captain didn't seem to have much of a social life. He also didn't seem the type to work his way through the female citizens of the Station, either.

But maybe that was just her heart talking, her heart trying to come up with reasons why he was with another woman out to dinner. Maybe because she felt more than she should when it came to John Sheridan.

He hadn't stopped thinking about her during the meeting. He was so glad when she spoke up about the Shadows, the passionate tone in her voice as she informed them of the war. She was so determined to fight and win, and he realised that was one of the things he so admired about her. When she spoke, he couldn't stop watching her. She was beautiful. So beautiful it hurt.

Julie Musante was beautiful too, he couldn't deny that. But she was beautiful like some snakes or some fish can be, just before they strike. Delenn was…breathtaking. That was it, breathtaking. Every time he saw her, the breath just went out of him. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest, his mouth felt so dry. He felt like he was a teenager all over again, in love with the most beautiful girl at school.

Love. Interesting word. He loved his Mother, Father, and his sister dearly. He loved Susan like a sister, sure. But Delenn? He didn't quite know if his feelings had evolved to that yet. Over the past year he had become her ally in the war against the Shadows, her confidante about things she couldn't tell Lennier about and most importantly her friend. He trusted her implicitly, and he was sure that if anyone would dare hurt her, they wouldn't make the same mistake twice in a hurry.

Ever since last night, when Musante had jumped him, he couldn't stop thinking about Delenn. In truth, he spent about twenty percent of his thoughts on the station; another thirty about the Shadows and the rest went on Delenn. The way her hair met her bone crest, something he just wanted to reach out and touch. The fullness of her lips, the depth of those eyes. Her voice was like chocolate, melting his brain till all he could think about was her. He didn't know exactly when Delenn had taken possession of most of his conscious thought, but it was something he was very pleased about.

He hoped that the information they had on the "President" would be enough to take him down. Or at least get rid of Musante for a while. He could use a break from the blonde haired temptress trying to seduce him. Around lunchtime he had visited the Zocalo, where one of the staff had told him what she had said about his actions the night before. It was true; he had used every excuse he could think of to get rid of her.

But as he thought of that, he came to a startling conclusion. If Delenn just said the words, three simple words (I want you), then he wouldn't have been able to control himself. He found it very hard to do anything when Delenn was close to him.

It was a few days later, and Musante had been forced off the station. Sheridan didn't think he had ever been so happy. He knew Garibaldi hadn't, and even Susan was less cynical than usual, but he thought that had more to do with the incredible weight that had been lifted. They had proof, pure solid proof.

Sheridan didn't believe anything could make him happier, until he bumped into Delenn in the Zen Garden. She was wearing her light pink dress today, and her hair was lightly curled at the end. She gave a small smile, which he returned in earnest. Two Brakiri left the garden, so all that remained was he and she, and their thoughts.

"Hello Delenn."

"Hello John."

"How are you? Good I hope," John asked, trying to smile his way out of a paper bag.

"Yes, I'm fine, as are you I hope? Has anything interesting happened of late?" Delenn inquired politely. She wanted to genuinely know how he was, but she also wanted to know about the blonde woman she had seen. Her stomach was tying itself in knots in anticipation.

John wondered whether to fill her in on the information they found on Clark, but he didn't want to talk about that in such an open space. After all, there was still Night Watch milling around and they could easily report back to Earth.

"No, nothing much. Had to deal with the political officer Earth sent me, but apart from that it's been pretty quiet."

"Political officer?"

"Yeah, someone to help with my lack of political awareness, apparently. You may have seen her around: Julie Musante, blonde hair, scheming expression. I have never met a more disagreeable woman in my entire life, and I've worked with some of the most arrogant and obtuse people that Earth Force has had to offer. I couldn't go down and see Draal on Epsilon 3 because she wanted dinner; I had to send Ivanova. Thankfully she left today, I have more important things to do then stave off her damn advances," John explained, and was met by one of Delenn's beautiful smiles. She almost looked relieved.

"Delenn, is everything alright?"

Delenn motioned for them to sit on one of the benches. He sat closer than necessary; he needed to feel her warmth. The threat of the Shadows and Earth was becoming ever more present, and just being close to her made him feel like he was alive, and there was something out there worth fighting for. But now something concerned him more, and that was Delenn and the expression she had.

"I was taking a walk the other evening, and I saw you come out of Fresh Aire with a tall blonde woman. I was intrigued about her identity, and you provided me with answer," Delenn said. It wasn't a lie as such, she had been wondering about the mysterious blonde she had seen with the Captain. John's face immediately paled. He got the impression that Delenn might have thought that he and Musante going out to dinner was the beginning of a new relationship. He didn't want her thinking that at all. He knew that Musante was going to come back and bite him on the ass, but he had no idea it would be so soon.

"That would be Musante. But we're not involved, although she did…" John grasped Delenn's hands in his own and looked into those foam green eyes, ignoring the memory of the farce that was their kiss. "Me and Julie Musante are not a couple, I swear."

"I didn't think that you and her were involved, I believed she was a friend from Earth coming for a visit. I was just wondering why you didn't introduce us, unless you were worried about her meeting me," John immediately shook his head, even though he knew she was joking with her words. He hated the looks some of the people on the station gave Delenn; he never wanted her to feel unwelcome or unwanted on his station. She smiled at him, and both began to relax in each other's company.

Overall, he felt like a complete idiot. John might have just as well announced to Delenn that he liked her, liked her more than friends were supposed to. He had just wanted to make it clear to Delenn that he wasn't seeing anyone, especially Musante, and he had overdone it. "Believe me, if she was a friend from Earth you would be the first person I would have introduced her to."

Neither of them made any effort to remove their hands from the other. Deciding that he may as well go the distance now he had made a complete fool of himself, John began to speak.

"Would you like to go to dinner again tonight Delenn? I know this great little place off the Zocalo," John asked, as Delenn raised her eyes to his again. Musante was instantly forgotten; all that remained was she and he. Both of them liked that feeling. A Centauri entered the Garden, and the two sprang apart and stood up like two school children caught kissing behind the bike sheds. John let go of her hands as soon as he had entered, and both of them missed the warmth that the other had given.

"It would be my pleasure, Captain," Delenn replied, smiling gently at him.

"Will you let me pay the entire thing this time?"

"Only if you insist."

He walked her out of the garden, and later that night they met for dinner. Over their meal, they talked about anything and everything. Reflecting back later that night, both realised that the war and the Shadows hadn't been mentioned, not even once.