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Delenn sighed happily. She felt very wicked as she indulged herself in the Earth-custom of a bath of bubbles. It had to be wicked, she reasoned. It always felt so good.
The supreme leader of the Rangers sank just a little lower. She reached over to pick up what she would finally make time for.
"Relativity 8," she read aloud, but was interrupted at a signal from the door. "Come." Delenn ordered, but frowned at the disturbance.
"I thought I'd find you in here," John Sheridan, President of the Alliance accused.
Delenn chuckled at the devilish expression that crossed her husband's face. "This is my time, John. To be alone. To relax." She eyed him critically. "Unless there is an emergency..."
"It can't be time for us to be alone? For us to relax?" John suggested innocently.
She raised an eyebrow. "Now, John, you know that never happens. I have been trying to read this since before that last war and you always distract me."
He pouted playfully. "And that's bad?" John sat on the edge of the tub and absently splashed his hand in the water. "We could read it out loud -- together," he offered.
She finally nodded agreement and within a few minutes he was snuggled up next to her.
"You were right about this one," Delenn began.
"Hm?" John nuzzled her neck. "How?" he asked, not really caring.
"Cathy did practically write it by herself. Her work is everywhere," she exclaimed, then frowned. "But her stories are far shorter than I had understood from what you said."
John finally glanced at the Table of Contents. "Sorry," he said. "But it's been a long time since I read these." John returned his attention to more important things.
"She thanks Erin and Jane and Bridget and Maura and Gina, and of course Cathy, for writing," Delenn read, moving John's hand slightly from where it had wandered. "But I'm not sure if this is praise or... something else, for Jill." She shifted the booklet in her hand to a better position. "She seems to be ranting about Jill and anguish and that's not her style... then she continues with giant ghost chickens and waving grain and Jill again, handing her things to do that drove her insane." Delenn gasped. "Did Elaine go insane?"
John rolled his eyes. "Not literally, though if you read the Glossary from this one, you might think so. She really digressed and got..." John struggled for the word. "Strange." He moved to work on the other side of his wife's neck. "No, she lost it doing number 9," John whispered under his breath.
"I shall look forward to the Glossary, then," Delenn noted, not having caught her husband's last statement. "She also acknowledges Mark for his printer and being a nice guy, as well Cathy -- again -- and Barbara, for their proof-reading skills, though she does seem to think it necessary to be very clear to Barb that she's not being paid for this." Delenn tilted her head in confusion. "I thought that was part of their job? Why stress this?"
John shook his head. "Barb always insisted on dropping everything to make sure the proof-reading got done. Elaine just wanted her to remember this was not supposed to be work. It's a labor of love."
"Oh," Delenn acknowledged, still not sure she completely understood. "She also sets the record straight that their web site... John?"
"Ancient Earth technology for storing lots of unnecessary information," John supplied, wondering how she could be ignoring him like this.
"...Is not up and running? How can technology run, John?"
"Expression," he mumbled as he tried a new tactic.
"...right now, but should be soon. And then she thanks Michael in advance for his help... and... and... " She lost her focus, as she tried to finish the page. "John, you are being most distracting," she sighed.
"Sorry," he said without an ounce of sincerity in his voice.
"You promised," Delenn argued weakly.
"I lied." John grinned at his wife.
Delenn dropped the book outside the tub. "You will pay for this later, husband."
"Happily," John agreed, kissing his wife passionately.
Elaine Gustainis
ElGust@aol.com