Chapter 4:

Cerulean Eyes

A new mutant injures Shalimar. The secrets she keeps may kill Mutant X, or be the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. Pairings: Brennan and Shalimar

Disclaimer: the characters of Mutant X do not belong to me, unfortunately.

Shalimar woke early the next morning feeling better than she had in years. She didn't want to open her eyes, afraid that the healing that she had experienced the night before had been nothing more than a magnificent dream. Sunlight glinted behind her lids, announcing the dawning of the day, so she reluctantly opened her eyes. The sun had just risen, blinking behind the trees. Hesitantly, she turned her head away from the sun. It didn't hurt. With mounting incredulity, she moved each of her limbs and finally, stretched. Only the bruised muscles of her stomach made any kind of complaint.

Shalimar's mouth opened in a silent gasp of delight. Just as the man had implied, every part of her body, including the ribs under the retained bruise, had been completely healed. With mounting excitement, she ran her hands over her body, feeling the smooth, scar-free skin. She sat up, an exclamation of delight on her lips, when a movement nearby checked the sound. Brennan lay on the couch next to her bed. His arm was thrown up over his head and his mouth was open. He was asleep. Shalimar studied his face. There were lines around his eyes and mouth that hadn't been there when they had first met. His features had always been chiseled, but much of the boyishness had been beaten out of him more recently. His face could still hold the boyish charm and mischievous light for which he was so famous. Now, as he slept, Shalimar could se the man behind the mask of immaturity.

Shalimar mourned the wrinkles, but, where she had found the boyish Brennan attractive, she found the man more compelling. The strength of character that had been expressed over the last few days drew her as no amount of flirtatious teasing had been able to. His attention and sincere regard had made her more comfortable than anyone else. She felt close to him, more so even than Jesse now, whom she had known for longer.

Slowly, Shalimar pushed the bedclothes back and swung her feet to the floor. She remembered the identical motion only about thirty hours before and closed her eyes at how different it felt. She stood. It was nearly impossible to put into words, even in her own head, what was different between this day and the one before, but there was no pain, no hopelessness, and no fear. She felt as though she could have run up the wall and flipped. In fact, she thought, she probably could, but she would wait for more appropriate surroundings. She walked into the bathroom, having to concentrate on not skipping. Her reflection stared back at her, joyful, shining, and unbruised. Quickly and quietly, she went to the bureau and pulled on a pair of wide-legged, black sparring pants and a tank top. She twisted her hair into a knot and left her room, leaving Brennan asleep on the couch.

Barefooted, she padded down the halls, feeling as though she could fly. Her pace picked up until she was fairly flying. She reached one of the sparring rooms and was barely out of breath. The run had been a good warm up, she decided, and began to stretch. She was careful of the bruise on her stomach as she stretched and twisted her body to limber up after almost a week of bed rest. She was surprised to discover that the bruise was nearly painless.

She started doing combinations on a convenient heavy bag, going through her most rigorous routine. She was nearly through her second round when she heard the first signs of the other occupants of Sanctuary. Knowing it was only moments before she, and her miraculous recovery, were discovered, Shalimar went into her last combinations with an enthusiasm that bordered on ferocity before working through her cool-down. She was on the floor when the shouting started.

She could here him, frantically calling her name; both over the com-ring and echoing down the halls. He was trying to simultaneously call for her and apprise Adam of the situation. Adam couldn't get a word in edgewise. Shalimar stifled an inappropriate giggle, activating her com-ring and gave them her location. Only seconds went by before Brennan burst into the room, sweating as though he had just run for miles, which, considering Sanctuary's size, it was possible he had. Emotion had overcome common sense. He swept her up into his arms, headless of the wounds he didn't know had healed. Shalimar made a small noise of protest as his arms crushed around her bruise. He immediately released her with wide-eyed apologies, his eyes nearly as frantic that he had hurt her. She gently removed his hands and turned to face Adam, Jesse, and Emma who had only been moments behind Brennan. They were stopped dead by the sight of her, uninjured and standing before them. Brennan, still at the forefront, dropped to his knees, running his hands over her hands and arms, not believing the evidence before him. Adam, too, for got decorum and took her face in his hands. Shalimar suddenly felt like the latest edition of something or other the way they all stared at her. Her feral instincts enjoyed it, however, so she didn't complain. It took long minutes of hands, exclamations, and some tears before they were satisfied that she was healed. Adam was especially curious as to why the healing had not included the bruised abs. Shalimar began to explain, but Brennan interrupted.

"Why don't we all adjourn to more comfortable surroundings and let Shal tell us everything in order." It was a sound suggestion and Shalimar was grateful. They retired to one of the common rooms and Adam indicated a chair for her. Then he sat down and stared at Shalimar. Brennan handed her a water bottle and a towel, then he sat down and stared at her. Having gotten everyone's attention, Shalimar began.

She told them everything, from the first moment the intruder entered her room to allowing him to heal her. Then she stopped. She suddenly felt embarrassed and guilty about the mode of healing. There was no reason, she assured herself, for these feelings and there may be a valuable clue within her testimony, but still she hesitated. Finally, with the curious gazes of the others on her, she recounted the healing in detail, leaving nothing out. When she got to the part about the kiss, she stared at the floor and met no one's eyes, fearing the gaze of one. Only a mutter and a growl punctuated the story. It was enough to bring just a hint of color to her cheeks. She ended her narrative with her inability to stay awake and the impression of wildness that he left. Adam immediately began picking her brain on impressions, stray thoughts and implications that he made during the encounter. He was especially intense about the reason for leaving the bruise and the stranger's repeated declaration of responsibility for the accident.

They talked for hours. Jesse got up once and brought back sandwiches for everyone. After having lived together for so many years, they were all pretty good at ordering or making food for the whole group. At another point, early in the discussion, Emma left to return with a pencil and paper. As Shalimar spoke, Emma began to draw and scribble. After a few minutes of that, she gave up drawing and simply scribbled, remarking only, "He clouded your mind's vision, and he did a damned good job. How did he get into Sanctuary?" This last comment was more to herself more than anyone in particular. Adam answered anyway.

"He walked in the front door," Adam sounded exasperated. His mighty computer had been foiled. "Whatever ability he has to cloud the mind extends to the electric mind as well. I've done what I can to get the surveillance cleaned up, but the best I've been able to do is get a outline of the individual that infiltrated Sanctuary. "Emma, have you come across any psychological residue?" Emma looked as chagrinned as Adam sounded.

"There is a residue, but…" she shrugged. "It doesn't feel right. Without Shalimar having met and communicated with him, I would never have noticed him. Not only is it barely discernable, but also I would have said it was neither male nor human. I can only tell that it came and went. The only other impression I got is the feel of a cage, which is why I didn't think I was human. It doesn't even line up with Shalimar's impression of the intruder."

Shalimar scented the air. There definitely had been something foreign in Sanctuary but, like Emma, she couldn't get a bead on it. Then she thought of something.

"When did you come to my room, Brennan?" she asked. "I saw you on the couch in the morning, but you couldn't have been there during the healing last night." Brennan shifted slightly looking uncomfortable.

"I don't remember," he said, squirming like a guilty schoolboy. "I remember going to my room to sleep, but feeling uncomfortable. I dozed for a time and then woke and every nerve quivered. It was like the old days when I repressed my electricity. My body felt like it was humming with electricity. I got up and went out into the common area. The next thing I remember is waking in Shal's room with the bed empty. I saw nothing or, if I did, I can't remember it."

Adam gestured to Emma and she thrust her mind into Brennan's, hunting for the memories that he had repressed. Brennan tried to relax and make Emma's job easier, but his nerves started humming. He could feel electricity crackling at his fingertips and balled his hands up into fists to keep from accidentally setting off a charge. Emma, knowing that the risk had intensified, sent calming thoughts into his brain, trying to help him regain control. Brennan's power paid no heed to Emma's soothing. It seemed Emma was aggravating the situation, so she pulled out quickly. Brennan stood, radiating electricity. Adam stood, too.

"Brennan," he admonished sharply. "Control yourself! You are stronger than this! You control your power, not the other way around. Get a grip on this or it will consume you!" There was real fear in his voice as he finished that did nothing to calm the nerves of the others. Shalimar, who knew nothing of Brennan's magnification, launched herself at Brennan. Jesse gasped as Shalimar gripped Brennan by the collar and, using their momentum, threw him nearly across the room. Brennan rolled across the carpet and was on his feet only a moment after Shalimar.

"Shalimar! No!" Adam cried. "His power has intensified! If he hits you with a blast, he will kill you!" None of the others wanted to see a teammate killed, especially by one of their own. Shalimar growled a laugh and launched herself at Brennan again. He, in turn, threw himself to the side to avoid her, trying to concentrate on neither being attacked by her or killing her with an electronic charge. His face was a mask of concentration.

"I could kill you, Shal!" he rasped through a throat as tight as the rest of him. "I don't know how to control power like this. Please don't do anything that will draw fire!" Shalimar laughed again, her smile ferocious.

"You can try to kill me, but I don't think you will succeed. You haven't hit me yet. Now is not the time to start. Aim at me, discharge, and then get yourself back under control. I promise, you wont hit me." And with that, she hurled herself at him again, this time aiming for his shoulders. Her hands and then her feet landed on his shoulders, driving his head into her abdomen. The blow knocked the breath out of Shalimar, making her head spin and her vision darken. Unaware of her pain, Brennan aimed, closed his eyes, and fired. The blast crashed into the wall, reverberating through the Sanctuary and knocking out all the lights in the place. Emma screamed and it was echoed by another scream that faded into the dark.

Thank you to everyone who has written and I hope that you enjoy this new chapter. I would love any reviews or requests for more (dialogue, action, romance, fill-in-the-blank). Please read and review. Thank you.