| Title: Bibbidi-Babylon-Boo Author: Lady Starblade -- [email protected] Rating: PG Category: General, Humor, Romance Disclaimer: I do not own any of the established characters or the setting of this story. The original characters and the interpretation of this fairy tale are. I make no money....which is a shame considering how much time I spend writing! <g> Author's Note: Written for the Thud Pillows "Rewrite a fairy tale" challenge. Dedicated to Michelle, for without her plea for more fic, this might never have been finished. So this story is her fault. <g> Summary: The story is 'Cinderella.' The name of the place is Babylon 5. ******************** "Whose idea was this again?" "The Captain's, of course. He always gets these strange ideas, you know." "Well, if he keeps getting great ideas like this, I say let him!" Sabrina Harris couldn't help but roll her eyes at her two companions. The redheaded Allison Carpenter and sandy-haired Kelly Novak looked enough alike to pass for sisters. Both were ensigns in EarthForce, one a communications tech, the other a Starfury mechanic, and they both were vivacious social butterflies. Which made Sabrina wonder how she had ever gotten to be such good friends with the two of them. She was a head shorter than both of them, dark haired, dark eyed, and a mere maintenance worker. Add on her rather shy personality, and she marveled at how well they got along. "What do you think, Bri? Matches the hair!" Snapping her attention back to the present, Sabrina inspected the dress Allison was holding up with a critical eye. Finally shaking her head, she said, "Too red. Doesn't go with the hair." Allison sighed and deposited the dress back onto the rack. "And I thought this party was supposed to be fun and relaxing." Kelly laughed at her friend. "It will be. It's the preparation that kills you!" The trio of women was scouring the Zocalo, the large open market housed inside Babylon 5, in search of the perfect evening gowns. Technically, only Allison and Kelly were looking; Sabrina had already decided not to attend the planned event. In celebration of the anniversary of Babylon 5's coming online, Captain John Sheridan had decided to hold a formal dance two days from now. It was a chance to dress up and show off, and the Earthforce personnel were jumping all over it. "I still don't see why you won't come," Kelly said as she pushed aside several dresses in bright pastels. "All station personnel are invited. And it'll give you a chance to get out of that damn jumpsuit. Do you sleep in that thing?" Looking down at her dark blue work jumpsuit, Sabrina shook her head again. "No, but it's serviceable, and I never know when I'll be called in to scurry around a slimy duct or something like that. Besides, I'm not going because, one, I don't like fancy affairs, and two, I have shift, remember?" "But your shift doesn't start until midnight. That gives you four hours at the dance." Allison broke in as she assessed a sky blue dress. "And you can't tell me you wouldn't mind dressing up and letting him get an eyeful!" Sabrina smiled. "You two are just too much. I am not going to do this...I have a job to do." Having heard this excuse before, the two women looked at each other and shrugged. "Well Bri," Kelly said, "It's you and your man's loss!" "I haven't the slightest clue who you might be referring to." And Sabrina knew that they didn't know exactly who, but they never gave up trying to find out. After all, she remembered always wanting to know who had a crush on whom. Now she knew what it was like on the other side of the coin. Seeing that her friends were completely engrossed in their hunt, Sabrina wandered toward the back of the store, eyeing a set of boots that looked to be her size. She could use a new pair; she was starting to wear holes in the soles of her old ones.... "It's not quite right," came a gruff male voice from the other side of the shoe rack. One that she vaguely recognized. "Come on, John, it looks fine." Now *that* voice she knew. "It's just not right, Michael." Peeking through the gap between shelves, she saw Captain Sheridan in front of the large mirror outside the back dressing room. He was examining his reflection and apparently not liking what he saw. Sabrina agreed that the black jacket and silver shirt looked perfectly fine, but the Captain disagreed. "No, I think I'll keep looking." Sheridan finally declared. The other man threw up his hands in mock disgust. "I don't believe this. I found mine ten minutes after we walked in. You on the other hand...." "But," Sheridan responded, tongue firmly planted in cheek, "I am the Captain, after all. I have to set a good example." "Of what, a clotheshorse?" Security Chief Michael Garibaldi wisecracked. Sabrina had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep the laugh from getting out. She was fairly sure the station could suddenly start spinning like a top and she would neither notice nor care. There was something about Michael Garibaldi that completely captured her attention. In the year she had been on Babylon 5, she had never actually met him or exchanged words with him, but somehow she had managed to develop quite an infatuation with the Security Chief. "Now now, Michael," Sheridan continued while examining his reflection one more time, "there's something to be said for making a good impression." "Ohhh...." Garibaldi intoned in realization. "I see." Sheridan spun so fast Sabrina was surprised his momentum didn't carry him all the way around. "You see what?" he asked in a wary voice. Garibaldi buried his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. "Oh, nothing." But the expression on his face, raised eyebrows and pursed lips, told a different tale. The pieces clicked in. Could this have something to do with Ambassador Delenn? It was no secret the two had been spending an awful lot of time together. The thought of a moonstruck Captain combined with Garibaldi's smug look brought on another laugh. And this time, she didn't manage to keep it all in. The sudden bark of laugher caused both men to turn in her direction. Thankful for the cover of the rack, Sabrina turned and walked swiftly back to the front of the store towards her friends. But not swiftly enough to miss a voice. "You're in for it now." Garibaldi warned in a cheerful tone. Sheridan sighed. ** "Here's the problem, Ambassador." Sabrina said, sliding out from underneath the reclamation unit clutching a handful of something green and slimy. Minbari Ambassador Delenn wrinkled her nose slightly at the unappealing mass as Sabrina got to her feet. "I'm not quite sure what this was...." "I believe it is the remains of last night's meal." Delenn said, the grimace out of place on her normally serene features. "Well, next time, make sure it's in smaller pieces before you put it in the recycler. As this is, it's a little too big to make it through. Shred it up a bit, and the unit shouldn't jam up. Watch." Grasping the lump with both hands, Sabrina pulled apart and fed it back into the recycler. It whirred happily and sent the waste down towards the bowels of the station. "And there you go." "Thank you very much, Miss....." Delenn trailed off, the question clear in her voice. "Sabrina Harris, maintenance worker extraordinaire," she replied as she replaced the cover and began to screw it back on. "Thank you, Miss Harris." Delenn said with a smile. "No problem, Ambassador." Out of the corner of her eye, Sabrina caught sight of a lovely dress in hunter green velvet hanging on the wall. Remembering the conversation she had overheard yesterday, she casually remarked, "Are you looking forward to the dance tomorrow night, Ambassador?" "Yes, yes I am. Although I am afraid I do not know how to dance very well." Sabrina smiled as she replaced the last screw. "I know what you mean. I can't dance a lick either." "A lick? Is that a kind of dance?" "Oh, no....it means I can't dance very well at all." "I see. But you will be attending as well, true?" Finishing with the cover and repacking her tools, Sabrina shook her head. "No, I hadn't planned on it." "But everyone is looking forward to it. And I'm sure there are some who cannot dance a 'lick', either." Sabrina thought about shrugging off with 'I have shift,' but something about the Ambassador's friendly, open expression asked for the truth. "I....I don't have a dress, and besides, I'm not good in social situations....I...." Not quite sure how to articulate herself, Sabrina averted her eyes and closed her tool case. "Hiding away will not make your difficulties disappear. Surely if I can manage it, so can you." The Minbari's eyes lit up. "We could help each other. I am not familiar with the human concept of 'dressing to the nines.' And I am sure that we could find suitable attire even on short notice for you." Sabrina could no more ignore Delenn's enthusiasm than she could a hull breach. She responded to Delenn's smile with one of her own. "Okay, Ambassador, you've convinced me." ** Earhart's, the station's officers' club, and the surrounding area were abuzz with people and activity. Nattily dressed men and women swirled around to the jazz music coming from the band. Laughter and smiles were abundant, and the general atmosphere was light and celebratory. Three people who were not dancing stood in a loose knot near the entrance. "John, you're fidgeting," Commander Susan Ivanova said out of the corner of her mouth. "No, I'm not," Sheridan responded with a slightly incredulous look. "Yes, you are." That declaration was delivered in stereo, coming from both Ivanova and from Michael Garibaldi, who was standing on the other side of Sheridan. Outnumbered, Sheridan lifted his chin and looked back towards the door, pointedly ignoring his command staff. Garibaldi and Ivanova exchanged a 'what-are-you-going-to-do' look behind their Captain's back. At that moment, Ambassador Delenn made her first appearance of the night. She was beautifully decked out, her hair swept up into a complex pattern on top of her head. Sheridan's face immediately broke into a gigantic smile as he started towards her. The two officers left behind looked at each other again. For all the master strategist Sheridan was, he sometimes wore his emotions on his sleeve. After faintly hearing the two exchange complements on the other's attire, Garibaldi cast his eyes upward. "Good. She likes it. He spent enough time picking it out." Oddly enough, the dark green of Sheridan's suit shirt almost perfectly matched the green of Delenn's dress. "Come again?" Ivanova asked, picking at something that had attached itself to her red skirt. "Nothing. So, how about that...." Starting to turn away, Garibaldi noticed somebody who had been standing directly behind Delenn. Now that the Ambassador had moved, the person was in full view. "Who," he asked as he stopped in mid turn, "is that?" "Who?" Ivanova asked, trying to follow Garibaldi's gaze. "Her!" Garibaldi couldn't imagine that Ivanova didn't see right off the bat. He had never seen her before; he would have definitely remembered her. She was on the short side, only slightly taller than the petite Delenn. She was clad in a royal blue, off the shoulder gown with a floor sweeping, billowing skirt. Most of the woman's dark brown hair was coiled into two braids that wrapped around her head like a coronet. A few wavy tendrils snaked around her face and shoulders. Garibaldi found himself wondering if that hair felt half as silky as it looked. Large dark eyes highlighted a sharp-featured face that currently wore an expression of nervousness. "The woman in the blue?" Ivanova's question interrupted Garibaldi's inspection. "Yeah." Ivanova shook her head. "No, I don't recall ever seeing her. But it looks like they know her." Two women, a leggy redhead and a willowy blonde, separated themselves from the crowd and made a beeline for the mystery woman. Garibaldi couldn't hear what they were saying, but the dark-haired woman broke into a smile that made him let out his breath in an explosive gasp. �Damn,� he thought, �she's beautiful.� "Michael, you're staring." Ivanova's voice was full of repressed laughter. She elbowed him lightly in the side. "Go on, get over there before some other guy notices her." "Right," he replied absentmindedly as he took a step forward. Two steps away, he stopped and looked back at Ivanova with a narrowed glare. Ivanova just winked and mouthed, "Good luck!" She then seemed to melt back into the crowd. ** Sabrina folded her hands in front of her to keep them from returning to her hair. She felt as if her entire body was tensed up and humming. Now that Delenn had gone with the Captain, she stood alone, feeling very exposed and out of place. "Bri?" She turned slightly to see Kelly and Allison coming toward her. "I don't believe it!" Kelly said. "It is you?" "Who else would I be?" Sabrina replied, smiling with relief at the appearance of her closest friends. "Wow, you guys look great!" "Us?" Allison said with widened eyes. "Look at you! There is a woman under all that work grime!" Sabrina waved both her hands. "I guess so...it was more Ambassador Delenn's work than mine." "Ambassador Delenn? What does she have to do with it?" Kelly questioned. "It's a long story. I promise I'll fill you in later, all right?" After the others nodded, she continued, "So what...." She suddenly realized she didn't have their attention any longer. Instead, they were staring at a point behind and a little bit above her. She got the feeling someone was right behind her. Holding her breath, she turned around and glanced upward to see.... ....Michael Garibaldi, dressed in dark red and black, looking at her with an admiring, friendly expression. Her first gut reaction was to turn and run. But her feet refused to cooperate, leaving her frozen in place. Her second thought was that he wanted to talk, not to her, but to Kelly or Allison. But when she sidestepped to the left, his eyes followed her, and they took on a quizzical look. "Uh Bri, I think he wants to talk to you." She stood unmoving and unblinking, caught between flight and flight. She settled on just standing and staring, certain that she looked idiotic. In the silence that followed, Allison and Kelly exchanged an unspoken message. "Well," Kelly drawled in her accent, "we'll be leaving you two alone...." With matching Cheshire Cat grins they quickly removed themselves. And that left Sabrina standing and staring. Garibaldi, on the other hand, held both of his hands up in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture. �It�s okay. I�m told by some pretty reliable sources that I�m actually a pretty nice guy.� �Pretty reliable?� Sabrina asked, trying to shake off her paralysis. �Not completely reliable?� He shrugged. �I suppose I can round up some references�.twist some arms�.dispense some bribes�.� The smile in his eyes transferred itself to his mouth. She laughed and shook her head. �No, that�s all right, I�ll take your word for it.� Rocking back on his heels, he added, �That�s usually the first mistake.� �I don�t doubt it.� Garibaldi stuck out his right hand. �Michael Garibaldi.� �Yes, I know,� she replied as she shook the offered hand. �You don�t live over a year on Babylon 5 and not know who you are.� �My reputation precedes me.� �Unfortunately for you,� Sabrina returned with a smile. He eyed her carefully and decided she had recovered from her initial shock. �Would you like to dance?� He gestured towards the floor filled with couples. Her nervous expression returned. �I have to warn you, I have two left feet.� �And I have two right feet. Together we�ll manage.� �Well, if you�re brave enough, then so am I.� ** The atmosphere had quieted somewhat later in the evening. Sabrina had long since abandoned her shoes and was now standing with Garibaldi on the now-sparsely populated dance floor. They weren�t actually dancing, but simply swaying to the music. His arms encircled her waist, hands joined at the small of her back. Her arms reached up around his neck, her hands joined at the nape. �I keep worrying I�ll step on your toes or something,� Sabrina said quietly, looking down at her stocking clad feet. �I�m more worried about stepping on your toes. I don�t want to smash them.� �Hmmm, your caution is appreciated. Then again, it�s a moot point considering our feet aren�t even moving.� Garibaldi looked down as well. �So they aren�t. We can fix that�.� Suddenly, he grasped her arms and swung her out into a twirl. Sabrina let out a surprised laugh as she spun, her skirt swirling around her legs. Reversing the spin, Garibaldi guided her back into his embrace. Catching her breath as she rested her hands on his chest, she remarked, �Glad you got that out of your system?� �Quite.� Sabrina laughed as her eyes trailed over Garibaldi's shoulder to the wall chronometer. It read 00:01. One minute past midnight. "Oh, hell," she hissed, the smile dropping instantly from her face. "Oh, hell," she repeated. Pulling away, she shuffled quickly back toward the bar in quest of her shoes. Garibaldi trailed after her. "What?" he asked in a confused voice. "What's wrong?" "I'm late...." she mumbled. She snatched at her shoes and turned back to him. "I'm really sorry, but I have to go....now!" Glancing at the chronometer again, she cursed under her breath and half-ran out of Earhart's. Skidding slightly on the slippery floor, she dove for the lift. Dammit, she had to get all the way to her quarters, change, and report for shift. Spinning as the doors closed, she saw a severely puzzled Michael Garibaldi on the other side. The doors clunked shut, and Sabrina leaned back against the back of the lift. "Blue 91." Rubbing her forehead, it dawned on her what she had just done. "Way to go, Harris," she bitterly remarked to herself. "That's the way to make a great impression." Just then, she noticed she only had one shoe in her hand. ** Susan Ivanova walked into the security office to find Michael Garibaldi slumped back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. "You look like hell." Garibaldi looked at her through his fingers. "Thanks. I'm so happy to know I'm surrounded by caring friends." Perching on the edge of the desk, Ivanova leaned forward. "How late were you up last night?" "Late enough." With a grunt, he sat up and turned back to the console. Then Ivanova spotted the shoe next to the console. "Michael, is there a reason you have a woman's shoe on your desk?" She watched his eyes jerk to the shoe and then up to her. "Yeah," he replied after a moment. "I'm trying to figure out who goes in it." Ivanova crossed her arms. "Ahh, the mysterious woman in blue, is it?" Raising his eyebrows as he returned his attention to the screen, Garibaldi answered, "Could be." She tried not to laugh at him. "Why Michael, I do believe you're infatuated!" She couldn't be sure what he mumbled under his breath at that point, but she was sure it was physiologically impossible. Taking pity on her friend, she slid off the desk edge and walked around to stand behind him. "Had any luck?" "I'm feeding the computer a few parameters; she works on the station, she's been here at least a year, she's not Security, and I'm pretty sure she's not a commissioned officer. And I've got a nickname, "Bri." "Hmm, that should be enough to go on." Ivanova said as she leaned in to get a closer look. "I hope so. Computer, begin search with listed parameters." The console beeped and began searching the station personnel files for a person matching the criteria Garibaldi had punched in. "So," Ivanova remarked quietly. "What are you going to do when you find her?" The question seemed to take Garibaldi somewhat aback. "I'll.....figure that out when I do find her." The expression on his face did not encourage further inquiry. Ivanova held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, okay, close enough. You do like her, though." It was a statement, not a question. Casting a sideways look in her direction, he gave in. "Yeah. I like her a lot." A smile started by pulling up one corner of his mouth, then spread into a genuine smile. Ivanova shook her head while allowing a faint smile of her own to play across her features. In her mind, few others deserved happiness more than him. And if this Bri could bring it to him, she supported him wholeheartedly. The computer let out a loud beep. "Match to input parameters found." The screen lit up with a face. "Sabrina Harris. Sabrina. Bri." Garibaldi breathed as the information scrolled across the screen. There was no doubt in his mind this was the same woman he had danced with last night. The face that stared back at him was noticeably different; the dark hair he had so admired was pulled back skin-tight, the expression was a bit frightened, as if she'd rather be anywhere but in front of a camera. But it was her. There was no doubt at all. "Works in maintenance, quarters in Blue 91....." His voice trailed off as he committed the words to memory. "Looks like you found your Cinderella," Ivanova commented as she clapped Garibaldi on the back. Reaching behind her to the desk, she scooped up the shoe and handed it to him. He looked first at the shoe, then back to the screen, then slowly took it. Repeating herself from the night before, she said, "Go on, get over there before some other guy notices her." His fingers tightened slightly around the shoe. "Yeah." Ivanova smiled and left the office. ** Sabrina rolled over at the sound of the door chime. She groaned and pondered covering her head with a pillow and waiting until they went away. She was certain it would be Kelly or Allison, possibly both, fully prepared to grill her about every detail. Normally, she would go along with it, but she was too tired. After all, she had only gotten off of shift three hours ago. She didn't think she could take her two bubbly friends on such little sleep. Besides, even she hadn't figured out what exactly had happened last night, except that she had made a fool of herself. The chime came again, and Sabrina surrendered. Dragging herself out from her covers, she groped for her robe. "Lights, low." In the dim light, she located the garment and threw it over her shoulders. She ran her fingers through her hair, grimacing at the small snarls in it that she knew were going to turn into huge knots if she wasn't careful. Shoving the hair back, she shambled to the door and pressed the control, her eyes closed to lessen the impact of the bright hall lights. She heard the door slide aside and she began, "Look guys, I know you want to hear everything, but now is not the time..." ** In his life, Michael Garibaldi had known several women who had the supernatural talent of waking up looking fresh and perhaps only slightly rumpled. Sabrina Harris was not one of them. The hair that had been carefully styled now tumbled wildly around her head and shoulders. Combined with the squinted eyes, she more closely resembled a grumpy lion than Cinderella. ��.to talk.� He debated whether or not to announce himself or allow her to figure it out. The decision was taken out of his hands when one of her eyes cracked open. �I said�� her voice trailed off and both eyes widened as she realized exactly who her caller was. �Oh.� �Hi there. I�m sorry I woke you up�.� Sabrina waved her hand slightly. �That�s okay. I�m awake now.� �I believe this is yours?� She looked at the shoe in his hand. �I wondered what happened to that.� �I think you dropped it when you beat it out of Earhart�s last night.� She assumed an embarrassed smile. �I�m sorry about that. I just realized that I was late for shift and I had to go.� �I hope you didn�t get into any trouble.� �Nah, I was the only one to show up during the first hour of shift. I was the only one who didn�t get into trouble.� �Well, um, I suppose you want this back.� Garibaldi held the shoe out towards her. Sabrina�s fingers closed around it, lightly brushing his fingers in the process. �Thank you.� �You�re welcome.� After a few seconds of silence, he continued, �I�ll let you get back to sleep.� He then turned to go. �Michael,� she quickly said, not realizing she had used his first name until it was too late. He stopped and turned back. �Yes, Sabrina?� She repressed a pleasurable shiver at the way he said her full name. But she forgot exactly why she had called out. �I, uh�� She scrabbled through her brain searching for something intelligent to say. �I�m sorry about last night.� �That�s the best I can come up with?� she mentally added to herself. �I�m not. But if you feel that badly about it, I know how you can make it up to me,� he said with those trademarked raised eyebrows. Sabrina responded with an arched eyebrow of her own. �Oh? And that would be?� �Have lunch with me in the Zocalo? I know this great little hole-in-the-wall place that serves the greatest�.� Garibaldi was cut off by her laughter. �You don�t have to talk me into it. The answer is a definite yes. But I�m going to beg a couple more hours sleep. I�m not the best company on three hours sleep.� He made a sympathetic face. �I didn�t mean to wake you up.� �Hey, you�re going to make it up to me, right?,� she asked. �Absolutely.� She smiled again, her entire face brightening. �Do you know you have a beautiful smile?� The comment, made in a serious tone of voice, brought a red flush to Sabrina�s ears and cheeks. She immediately dropped her eyes, pretending to examine the hall floor. Fingers gently curled around her chin and lifted her gaze back to his face. �You are beautiful.� Sabrina had always wondered what it would be like to kiss Michael Garibaldi. But nothing that she had imagined could compare to the reality. Her free hand came up to touch the side of his face as she felt his fingers slip carefully into her hair. Only the fact that they were practically standing in the hallway kept her from coming closer, from arching against him�. They broke away from each other, hands dropping back to their sides, yet their eyes remained locked as Sabrina tried to remember how to breathe. His voice huskier than before, Garibaldi continued, �I�ll come back for you a few hours�.say about 2.� She nodded. �Yeah, okay.� �See you then, Sabrina.� With another quick smile, he stuck his hands in his pockets and strode back down the hall toward the lift. Just before he turned the corner, he glanced back to see her scratching the back of her head with a bewildered smile on her face. ** The door automatically slid shut behind Sabrina, which was good because she would�ve forgotten to shut it. With one hand on her cheek, she slowly made her way back towards her bed. She stared at the rumpled bedclothes, wondering if she had indeed dreamed everything. Then she looked at the shoe clenched in her hand. Suddenly, she felt laughter bubbling up her throat and bursting out in a delighted squeal. She spun around and flopped spread-eagled back onto the bed. Grinning at the ceiling, Sabrina said, to no one in particular, �Bibbidi-bobbity-boo!� END |