Title: Second Chances Pairing: Marcus Cole/OC/Susan Ivonova

Series: Babylon 5

Rating: 12 Type: Fanfiction

Summary: Marcus Cole died for the cause... or so he thought...

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Babylon 5 characters or anything from the universe of Babylon 5. I am just taking the characters and playing with them a while – promising to restore them whole and unblemished! Thanks to the makers of Babylon 5 for creating these toys for me to enjoy. Please don't take any of my playing as having any bearing on the actual series. Enjoy.

()()()()

Somewhere in this muddled up universe, Marcus Cole believed everything made sense… It had to, didn't it?

That would explain why so many wonderful and terrible things could happen to so many undeserving people.

Marcus had experienced plenty of the terrible things in his relatively short life… but, was glad to think that this time the universe had flipped and offered him a chance to look upon existence from the other side of the pool.

Because, sometimes you had to go through the bad times to truly appreciate the good ones. And sometimes, in the grand scheme of things… the universe must think it owes you a break or two.

And this time, Marcus Cole was receiving his reward.

She tasted like strawberries and salt; fruit from the lip balm she wore and sodium from her tears upon seeing him again.

Of course, he had been hoping Susan's first reaction wouldn't be to burst into tears and slap his face after he had reverently whispered her name… but then she had crossed the distance between them and began this whole thought process by sealing his lips to hers.

He wondered if this was the right way to go about things, as her hands wound their way up into his hair. She hadn't seen him since the whole 'dying' incident… she probably felt indebted and he wanted to discourage any of those thoughts.

She owed him nothing as he would gladly die for her over and over again.

Though it was nice that the first time wasn't quite as permanent as everyone had thought…

Still, he considered, she must be pretty messed up by the whole situation and he should probably try to politely disentangle her from this thrilling embrace rather than let her coax his mouth open to deepen the exchange.

Unfortunately, Marcus found his body had other plans as his nerve endings fired at Susan's invitation and his arms shot up to press her closer and let her in completely.

What was left of his rationale grinned, thinking that he had never been able to deny her anything before, so his submission now wasn't so surprising… But then his higher brain functions just shrugged and went on a mental break and his body took over.

Besides; the universe owed him one… didn't it?

()()()

Light… there was too much light.

Made it hard to…

Wait, why is there light?

Marcus blinked and squinted against the bright interloper.

He felt tired and heavy… which was a surprise, as his brain reminded him that he really shouldn't be feeling anything at all.

Didn't he die? He was fairly certain he had.

He struggled to recall what had passed before he opened his eyes, but it was there in a hazy background.

Susan had been injured with no chance of survival. But he had found a way… it was what he always did. Marcus was good at finding secrets. And this one was a beauty; an alien healing device that transmitted his life's energy to Susan.

The universe needed her more than it needed him anyway; that had been his overriding thought. It stopped him considering his cowardice in choosing not to live without her. So he had carried out one, final, act and hooked them both into the machine.

She had looked better from the moment he'd thrown the switch. Susan had been so badly broken that when she was connected to him colour immediately began to flood into her skin and he had watched her, for as long as he could, while she grew stronger.

The last thoughts he had were of his love for the woman lying in his arms and how dying was actually quite easy for him… it felt just like going to sleep.

Which was another reason the light beaming into his eyes at that moment was quite the rude awakening.

He had died… hadn't he?

Not being able to see anything beyond the blanket of white, he tried to steady his breathing enough to hear the voices in the room.

"He's completely severed from the cryo-tube now," a young voice was saying over his head, "all life support connections are gone. So, he's on his own."

Cryo-tube? It made sense… he had died, or whatever that machine had done to him. So that had preserved him like a leg of lamb. Charming… he griped internally, it's getting to the point where people can't even rest in peace.

"I am preparing to seal the siphon," a woman was saying, "this will give out a momentary spark of bio-energy, so I would suggest all humans stand clear."

Humans? Marcus thought, sounds a little ominous… he was on Babylon 5, wasn't he?

"Alright. Clear the table and watch those readouts," a familiar voice ordered.

"Doctor Franklin," the younger accent interrupted, "I think he's coming round…"

A snort sounded, "Oh yeah. He just would at the most awkward bit, wouldn't he?"

Marcus felt his eyes roll. It was good to hear his friend's voice, but typical it would sound so exasperated with him.

If he hadn't had some form of tube down his throat he might have bitten back with a sarcastic remark, but he chose to remain silent instead.

"Doctor," the woman's voice rang in reminder.

"Yes, ok. We're good to go Ambassador."

Ambassador, Marcus thought. She hadn't sounded like any of the VIPs on station. Was she a new arrival or a new race?

"Stand ready…"

Which was a good warning, as the next moment a balloon of warm, red light pulsed out of him and tingled over his skin, settling into a pleasant sizzle… which had to be a good thing, didn't it?

From the sound of the heart monitor above his head, his muscles took an instant turn for the better as the dull tempo began pounding out a steady and strong beat.

"Get a cart in here!" Stephen hollered, "Ambassador?"

Marcus felt his chest clench… he hadn't died for someone to have another person die for him… but after a moment he heard a feather-thin voice confirm.

"I'm alright…"

Thank God.

Medics rushed around him then and he heard Franklin give orders to sedate him, which was probably for the best.

Dying and living again? It had been a long day…

()()()

"Well," Stephen Franklin had said as he entered the MedLab cubicle to find Marcus fussing about the nurses and asking for his clothes, "why am I not surprised?"

"Stephen," Marcus found a great joy in his friends name and was eager to catch the other man in a bear-hug, mostly to reassure himself that this wasn't some cruel trick of the afterlife…

Despite Stephens feigned disapproval, Marcus was comforted to feel the doctors tight embrace as the man said, "Almost lost you there, you idiot."

Marcus laughed, releasing, "A man's got to do what a man's got to do."

"Right," Stephen sniffed back the emotion, "How did that work out for you?"

"Died," Marcus nodded with a shrug.

"I know," Stephen agreed, "I signed the PM." Then something snapped in the medic and he pointed at Marcus with threat, "Don't you ever go doing that to me again!"

"Can't promise it," Marcus grinned, "Where is everybody, by the way?"

Stephens smile dropped, "Let's go have this conversation in your cubicle."

Well, Marcus thought, that doesn't sound good.

()()()()