Hello all, and thanks to those who reviewed, your comments are a the bottom!

FFN is being a pain and won't let me bold or italicize like I usually do. I put a few more breaks in so hopefully it's okay to read still.

Just a note to say that this chapter is un-betaed, but I really wanted to get it out so as soon as I get the "clean" copy I'll fix any mistakes.

Second Note: For all of the shippers, my apologies for right now. I really hope that you don't hate Keith too much. He really isn't a bad guy, I'm trying to show how he got mixed up in all this and that he does have real feelings for Shalimar.

Oh, yes and as always, reviews are so addictive. I really love to know what you think, and if you feel the need to flame me, take it somewhere else and let it out. I don't flame anyone else when I review so I'd appreciate the same courtesy. Any constructive comments are always welcome!

Chapter 2 Sparks and Fires

"You're still up?" Keith asked from the doorway to the office.

Shalimar turned to look at him, she knew her eyes were slightly puffy from being up all night reading the Underground message boards, and tried to swipe away the tears building up in her eyes. She couldn't find her voice so she simply nodded.

Keith looked on for a moment before crossing the room to stand behind the chair before he leaned over and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He didn't say anything for a long while and just held her until she found her voice again.

Turning in his arms she looked at him before speaking. "It's bad Keith. Sanctuary was destroyed. I checked with some of the Underground online and two of them went there to check…" A small sob escaped her lips and she felt her hands trembling.

Keith moved her and sat then pulled her into his lap and held onto her tightly until she calmed and could continue speaking.

"…Devon said that it looks like the place was bombed. Most everything was destroyed and there were no signs of the team anywhere."

Hands deftly stoked her hair until she had calmed enough to turn her face to Keith's as he held both sides of her face before kissing her forehead softly.

"We'll find out what happened. I promise." His tone was reassuring and soft.

A bolt of fear and rage pulsed through Shalimar. "How, Keith?" She leapt off of his lap and began to pace the small room. "There are no leads for us to follow. All we know is that it had something to do with the Dominion. It's not like we can go knock on their door and say 'Hi we want to know what the hell you did with Adam and Mutant X' now can we? Basically we have to assume that we are both going to be treated like fugitives."

Hurt crossed Keith's features for a moment then he stood up and got in her path. "In case you've forgotten, I'm already a fugitive. They just think that I'm dead, for now."

The rage simmering in her stomach quelled as she looked into his eyes and realized that he was not the one she was mad at. Sometimes she wished that he wouldn't take all of her tirades as well as he did. Rarely would he allow his emotions to overflow like that, and when he did he usually stopped before he said things in the heat of passion. Sometimes Shalimar wanted him to pick the fight with her, she'd even baited him a few times but he never let the explosion come. She missed the volatile spark.

Turning and walking into the living room where she had more room to pace she saw Keith follow her and lean against the wall with a pensive expression. She knew that he was thinking hard about what to do next. Her brain felt foggy. She hadn't slept well in four or five days and it seemed to be catching up with her.

"I have a few contacts that I can call and see what exactly happened. We'll have to set up a meeting somewhere." Keith said softly, his eyes softened as he looked at her. She instantly felt remorse for her tantrum.

"Okay, who do we have to call?" Walking over to him Shalimar took his hand and squeezed it with an apologetic look on her face. "I left a message on the Underground board for them. Maybe that will net something as well."

"There's not a lot we can do right now, but it will be alright. I know your worried, but we'll try to do something." Keith said before gently kissing her on the lips and walking back into the office to retrieve contact information.

Shalimar still felt an overwhelming fear gripping her insides like a vise. Her fight or flight instincts were in overdrive, but she had no release. Making the decision that hovering would only make things worse she walked into the other room where her punching bag hung and began to beat it ferociously with her bare hands. The pain felt good for now and gave her something else to concentrate on.

After almost a half-hour of beating on the punching bag she looked at the clock and realized that if she didn't hurry she would be late for work. Rushing to the shower and cleaning up then dressing she found Keith in the office.

He turned and looked up at her as she entered with a small smile on his face. "I guess you're going to go to work?"

"I don't have to, but I feel like if I stay here I'll only drive you crazy." She sighed, perching on the edge of the desk.

"Go to work, Shal. I'll dig through some of the contact information that Adam left us and see if I can come up with anything." Keith's eyes looked into hers and she saw the honesty and truth that shown from within.

Letting out a melodramatic sigh and rolling her eyes, "I'll go, if only to keep you sane!" She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and almost froze when he put his hand behind her head and held onto her for a few seconds longer then she intended. When he released her she licked her lips and looked at him once more, noting the way that he always sought a connection with her, but for the first time it felt wrong. Deciding not to analyze the thought she gave him another quick kiss before telling him, "Call me as soon as you find anything."

His nod and hand wave told her that he would as she bounded out the door to work. The whole trip there she couldn't keep her mind off of the fact that something had made her feel guilty. She didn't know why or if it was just because of the situation. A part of her had almost expected to see a set of deep brown eyes looking back at her when she opened her own instead of the clear hazel that were actually in front of her. She tried to shake off the feeling and concentrate on getting to work before she was late.

"Brennan… Brennan… Hey sparky," Lexa tried again as she watched the dark haired elemental gazing at the dying flames of their campfire.

His head snapped around and he looked disoriented for a moment. She couldn't help but feel bad. She was actually surprised that he was still with them. Every morning she woke and waited with baited breath to see his sleeping bag empty and no sign of him, lately though he just looked like he had completely lost his way.

Blinking a few times in succession he finally answered. "What's up Lex?"

Jesse popped his head out of the tent and interrupted her. "This will work Lex. We just have to get up to the station and I can link into their connections. I should be able to bring it up then."

Brennan looked between the other two for a moment before uttering, "Huh?"

Lexa felt slightly exasperated. "That's what I was trying to tell you before you became transfixed by the dancing flames." She rolled her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "Jesse and I are going to head up to the ranger station and hook up to their satellite connection that they have and try to find out what is going on in the Underground."

"Do you think we have any hope?" Brennan's voice sounded flat.

"It's the best we can do. Winter is coming and I'm so not going to stay here in the freezing weather if I don't have to." Lexa put her hand on her hip and used the other arm to gesture to their campsite. "Are you okay looking after the place?"

Brennan turned around and stared off into the trees. She heard him say just loud enough for her to hear, "I'll be fine. I've already tangled with Bigfoot, the rest should be easy."

Jesse grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the conversation before she could ask anything else.

The walk to the station was almost three miles and gave them lots of time to catch up on stuff. Namely what was wrong with Brennan.

"He's been like this ever since we set up camp. I feel like we're living with a zombie." Lexa complained.

Jesse looked at her with a rueful smile. "Lexa, I don't think that he's trying to shut us out, but it's just been tough for him. Ever since Shal-"

"Don't even start with that!" Lexa felt herself snap as she interrupted him mid-sentence. "He's had plenty of time to get over that. She left us. That was her decision, and it wasn't like she asked any of us if we would care!"

Jesse glared at her for a minute before he stopped walking. She stopped a few steps away when she realized he stopped.

"You know what Lex; I let you have your cheap shots when she left. I even let you down her in front of Brennan in hopes that he would feel better. But enough is enough. She had a good reason for leaving. You don't know her. You never tried to know her. You were always locked up in the office talking with your Dominion contacts."

She stalked toward Jesse. "Oh what, so now this is about me? What the hell? She abandoned us, Jess. She left us all a few notes and a lot of junk in her room. And she left me with two despondent guys that were so hung up on her that they could barely get through a day without moping. I'm sorry if I don't have the time or the energy to feel bad that she's gone. Besides, Brennan went right back to whoring himself out a few weeks later."

Jesse's eyes turned to the ground, but she didn't miss the hurt in them before they did. "She was all I had for the longest time. I can't deny her the normal life she had wished for so often." He turned his eyes back to hers with determination brimming, "but it hurt Lex. I guess you'd have to have a heart to know how it feels to be broken though." He brushed past her and continued walking.

Lexa knew what pain was about, and she was about to remind him of her brother when she caught a movement in the trees. She felt the heat in her hands and then a wave of sorrow crash over her as she realized that the figure walking away from her was Brennan.

Walking back to the campsite Brennan realized that he had been so wrapped up in his mind that he didn't notice what else had been happening. Lexa's remarks cut, but not nearly as bad as realizing that the three of them were falling apart.

A few weeks after Shalimar left he tried to find a replacement. It started with every pretty blond that he could find. Then it moved on to anyone who was the polar opposite. It took him a few months to realize that he needed to stop trying to find a replacement and try to rediscover who he was without Shalimar. He felt like he was just starting to get back on track with his life when everything was pulled out from underneath him. Now he wasn't even sure what to do.

He had followed Lexa and Jesse shortly after they left to see if they could find another pot or jug while they were out. Now he wished that he had just stayed and stared at the fire.

Walking back to the campsite, Brennan dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Sitting on the log by the dying flames he opened it and read the words that he had memorized by heart.

Brennan,

I'm not sure what I should say, but I just wanted you to know that you mean a lot to me. I hope you don't hate me too much for leaving. I almost had my shot at a normal life over two years ago, but it fell apart. I've got the opportunity again and I need to try. I wish I could tell you more.

You need to know that no matter what happens I'll always care for you. When you first joined Mutant X we started to get closer. Sometimes I felt like I was missing jokes that you and Emma would share, but then you guys probably felt like that with Jesse and me. As time went on we grew closer. I'm going to miss having you to talk to and argue with. You are one of the only people that would fight both verbally and physically with me and not be afraid. For that I thank you.

I'm sorry if my leaving hurts you. I really do love you and want you to be happy. Sometimes I think you have changed the most out of all of us. You have become one of the strongest of the team and my best friend. I'll try and contact you when I can. I'm not sure how soon that will be, but just know that I will. I'll explain everything to you then.

Forever,

Shalimar

His thumb traced over the last few words. He wanted to be able to let her know how much she meant to him. He had always thought that he would have more time, but it ran out before he had a chance.

Folding the note back up and placing it in his pocket he went about cleaning up the campsite and washing the dishes from breakfast.

Review Notes:

Oh yeah and don't forget to hit that little button that says review! Thanks in advance!

kai0707 - Thank you so much for the enthusiasm! I really appreciate the kind words. My muse told me to tell you that she's working on the shippyness, but it's gonna take some time so please be patient. I hope that it works out ok!

Griffbear - Thank you for the review and the kind words. To answer your question, yes this story starts off about a week after the finale. I'm going to be taking some liberties with this story as in things that happened without Shalimar in the last episodes. Adam is being held by the Dominion and the Creator, Mutant X is hiding out, but still trying to figure out what is going on. I'm trying to keep the timelines between both Shalimar and Mutant X concurrent so that there is less confusion. Hope that answers the question, if not just tell me I'm a dummy and ask again! LOL

Rachel Fox Mulwray - Kisses and Hugs to you to sweetie. Glad you liked the beginning to this. I'm not sure how long it will be, but hopefully I won't take too long to complete it. TTYS!

Jess - Thanks so much for the review and the kind words. I'm going to try to get out a chapter a week, but sometimes RL gets crazy and I can't , but I'm working on the next chapters now!

sam - Really glad you like it so far. I really want this to go Bren/Shal, but it's going to take a few chapters to get there, so please be patient. The J/L dynamic is still there, although I altered it slightly. I figured with everything happening, I'd make them a little more at odds, but I hope you can still see the passion b/w them in the next chapter. It's just in a little different form.