Woo Hoo! I got another update. That has got to be a record for me lately. Okay good news. The story is going to start moving a little faster now I hope.

This chapter is dealing with a lot of stuff and there is a lot of Jesse, Lexa, and Brennan in this chapter so I hope you like it. It's unbeta'd and I'm currently searching for a beta because mine have been really busy as of late, and I don't want to burden them any more. So anyone interested feel free to PM me!

Alright all the rest of the stuff is at the end of the chapter.


Chapter 7 - Making Up


"Well the good news is that all of your hard work wasn't a bust." Keith said as Shalimar walked into the office drying her hair. She was so glad to get the remnants of the blood, dirt, and grime off of her.

Keith eyed her arm with the knife wound. Her dark blue tank almost matched the colors her skin was turning around the pierced area.

Shalimar sighed before pulling the med kit out and handing it to Keith. He grabbed her hand wordlessly and pulled her into the living room and motioned for her to sit on the couch before turning on a few more lights.

"It's really not that bad, Keith." Shalimar said, trying to avoid wincing as he began to dab the disinfectant on the wound.

He looked at her with a humorless grin. "Just placate me then."

She sighed and gave up her argument. He had tended to several of her wounds by now and she realized that it was something that he needed to do. Biting her lip to avoid hissing as the sting of the antiseptic set in she patiently waited while he finished with the butterfly closures to keep the scarring to a minimal.

His lips lightly traced the top of her shoulder and almost caused her to jump out of her skin. Working his way up the side of her neck he reached for her face and pulled her in for a languid kiss. It rapidly spiraled out of control and Shalimar felt herself give into his attentions. Eyes fluttering shut as he caressed her body and she reached out to touch his.


Jesse and Lexa made their way to the ranger station the next morning. Thinking about how to get away with their plan Jesse had completely missed Lexa's last words. To be honest he wasn't even aware that she spoke until she elbowed him in the side and looked pointedly in his direction.

"What?" was all he could stammer as hazel eyes turned icy.

"I asked if you have given any thought to what we should do." She huffed before continuing down the road.

"I don't know, but it's getting old just sitting around and waiting for something to happen." He felt like they had this discussion a lot lately.

Lexa huffed. "Let's take a look at the board and see what it says. We can go from there. How long do you need?" Mischief sparkled in the depths of her eyes.

Jesse couldn't help but wonder if it was for him or if she was looking forward to flirting with the ranger some more. Trying to push aside the jealousy he contemplated her question. "At least ten minutes should be good."

As they rounded the corner by the station Jesse took to the trees and came around the back of the structure. He watched as Lexa almost sashayed up to the man and began to banter with him. The jealous voice in the back of his head seemed to have increased in volume. He looked away from the display that was making his blood boil and phased into the building.

Finding the connection he plugged in the laptop and began to download the latest messages and composed his note to Shalimar. He figured that tomorrow would be good. It would take him a little while to reach the establishment on the outskirts of town. Luckily the park office was attached to a small diner and he was hoping to be able to hitch a ride from someone heading into town. It had worked all the previous times in the past when they had needed to go and get supplies.

Lexa's soft laugh broke through his thoughts and he chanced a glance out the window to see her touching and smiling a soft smile at the taller man. Gritting his teeth he went back to work and completed his files. Phasing out the back and walking back to the other side of the bend he sat on a stump and waited for Lexa to join him.


The fake smile broke from her face as soon as she walked away from the man. Flirting was always second nature to her. Sex appeal was what she was good at, even if she hated it with a passion. She had seen Jesse look out the window at her and had immediately begun to paw at the ranger… Jim… Jack… Whatever his name was… Risking Jesse being spotted wasn't something that would work. Charming the block-headed ranger was the only thing she could do without being too obvious. Of course that included her having to accept a breakfast invitation from the bastard. Thinking about blowing him off was the first thought, but she couldn't if she wanted to keep using him for information and access.

Turning the corner she was met with a dejected looking Jesse sitting on a stump at the side of the dirt road. His entire countenance screamed distress, but she didn't know what to tell him. Their relationship had been so rocky for the past few months that she wasn't sure if it was worth pursuing. That or she was just being a chicken. Her ego decided to avoid the latter thought.

Walking up to his side she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ready?"

The depths of the blue eyes that pierced though her soul almost caught her off guard. Pain, rejection, and some other emotion she couldn't name filled the azure orbs. As quickly as he had looked up he turned away and stood then began walking down the road leaving her to fall instep behind him.


Honey brown eyes cracked open as sunlight filled the room and warmed her face. Shalimar stretched languidly and closed her eyes snuggling back into the warmth of the embrace holding her from behind. Looking over her shoulder her eyes fell upon chestnut colored hair and confusion swarmed her for a moment. Reality set in quickly and she realized that she was in bed with Keith.

The dream had been so strange. She was lying in a forest looking up at the stars. The clearing that they were laying in provided soft grass as a bed. Why had she dreamed of mahogany eyes and dark hair?

This was the way madness lie. Sighing, she gently removed Keith's arm from her waist and tossed on a robe to ward off the chill of the morning. She needed time to dissect her thoughts.

Cup of coffee in hand she sat on the fire escape and watched as the morning commute began. Watching all of the people getting ready to start their day made her glad that she didn't have to go back to work for a few more days. A twinge from her right upper arm reminded her of another reason that not working at the dojo would be a good idea.

When she was finished her cup of coffee she decided to check the message boards. It had been a fight with herself over the past few days not to run and check them every five minutes. She could only hope that someone would get back to her.

Sitting in front of the computer she brought up the screen and began to search the posts. Most was all the same; lost New Mutants looking for assurances that they weren't alone. She only wished that she could assure them of such. Right now she would sell her motorcycle for a shred of hope.

That's when her eyes landed on the post. It was buried in with others of non-descript origin but she could swear that it was meant for her. It was simply labeled Shadowfox. Her heart was in her throat and her hand was shaking as she clicked on the post. There were silent tears that streamed down her cheeks as she found the first sign that her team, her friends, her family were alive and reaching out to her.

Shadowfox,

The place with the best cherry pie. Tuesday at one.

It was signed Kilo. Shalimar had to laugh at the name. Jesse and she had come up with code names so long ago. Hers had come easy, but his had been painstaking. In the end he resigned to her suggestion of Kilo because of his weight change ability. He had hated it, but it had been the best of all of them.

She would have to wait until tomorrow but she would be able to see him. She had until then to get some information together. Going there empty handed was not an option. They might not want her help anymore, but she'd be damned if she wasn't going to try.


Brennan watched through narrowed eyes as Jesse stomped back into camp and plopped unceremoniously onto the log by the dying embers of the fire. A rather pissed off Lexa followed the younger man a few minutes later. If the tension wasn't quite so thick he would have been tempted to laugh at the couple who were acting like teenagers.

As it was he was fighting with immature impulses of his own. Deep down he knew that Jesse was the most logical choice to send for a rendezvous with Shalimar. Jesse had been right when he said that Brennan might lose his temper or say things that could damage one of the only reliable sources they had left. A petulant part of him didn't care.

"Hey," Jesse said now moving to sit next to him.

Brennan was startled that he had been so absorbed in his own childish thoughts that he hadn't even heard Jesse cross the site to sit next to him on the table. He raised a brow at Jesse and looked pointedly toward the direction which Lexa had stormed off.

The blonde's smirk didn't meet his eyes. "Would you leave it alone if I said it was nothing?"

Huffing at the question, Brennan sighed before speaking. "Do you think it's wise to piss her off that much before we might have a way of getting out of here?"

Jesse's posture immediately took on a defensive nature as he sat back and folded his arms across his chest. "I just said the truth. It's not my fault she doesn't care about anyone's feelings but her own."

Brennan could only raise and eyebrow and hope that Jesse expanded on the rather vague reference. Lexa had never been very considerate of others. Granted she had gotten a lot better over time, but she had taken to a lot of her old defensive habits lately. The problem was that it was just causing more tension between what was left of their team.

Jesse sighed and slumped. "I still care about her. It's tough to watch her go so willingly to other guys and fawn all over them. I know that whatever we had isn't like it was, but I can't help but feel like there is still this spark between us."

Brennan could only frown at his friend. Sadly he knew the feeling. Unrequited love was a bitch. He had to admit that he was more inclined to believe that Lexa was just being defensive because she was out of her element and trying to keep a hold of her sanity. Everything she knew and was had a major upheaval and now instead of living a life of relative comfort she was stuck here with two guys roughing it in a forest.

The woman in question returned from the direction of the bathhouse and made her way toward them. Her eyes were avoiding Jesse's and out of the corner of his eye, Brennan could see Jesse staring at her unabashedly until she stopped in front of them and lifted her face.

"Are you going to try to take a look over the messages today?" Lexa's voice held a note of uncertainty and she was looking anywhere but Jesse.

"Yeah, I'll get to it soon." Jesse's voice was soft, but the pain from the earlier confession still tainted his voice.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Brennan said jumping to his feet and taking a hard look at each of his friends in turn. "If you guys won't mention the blue elephant in the room then I guess I'm going to have to!"

Two cries of 'Huh' and 'What' met him before he grabbed Lexa's arm and moved her to sit on the table next to Jesse.

"Now that I have your attention," Brennan began. "You both need to get your shit together and stop acting like the cast from some stupid teenage drama!"

It would have been hysterical to anyone else who knew the story to sit and watch the startled expressions of the man and woman seated at the table being berated by their friend. The sheer fact that Brennan could be more immature then both of them hadn't escaped his attention, but the friction had eaten away at him until he couldn't take it anymore. He had little left that he cared about now and he wasn't about to lose what little he had left, not without a fight.

"Jesse, have you tried to talk to Lexa about what you were telling me?"

A shake of his head was the only answer the younger man could form.

"Lexa, for all that's holy, could you stop pushing the only people left in your life away? I mean hell, what do we have left if not each other?"

Lexa's startled expression began to take on a peevish look and as she opened her mouth Brennan cut her off continuing with his tirade.

"No, we're it for right now." A soft prayer in his soul went out that it was a lie and soon they would have one more with them. "I know that you care about Jesse. I see the way you look at him, and I want to know what the problem is if you let your guard down just a little to let him in! What are you trying to prove? We know that you are a survivor. You don't have to prove anything to us."

Jesse had a small expression of triumph cross his features only to have it stricken at Brennan's next words to him.

"Jess, you need to get over some of the shit that Lexa does. She has been able to get you into that damn shack so that you can get everything uploaded and find out what's going on. It's the name of the fucking game. We are doing what we have to do." Brennan took a few steps away then turned around to the stunned faces. "I'm going for a walk. When I get back could you make sure that I don't need my knife to cut through the damn tension!" With that he almost ran from the campsite.

For a few minutes nothing was said as Jesse and Lexa could only stare in shock at the display from their, as of late, reserved friend and watched his retreating form. A few minutes later Lexa began to giggle and Jesse followed with a barking laugh until both of them were leaning against each other laughing harder then they had in weeks.

They knew that they had a lot to discuss but just maybe they could make a few repairs.


It was after dark when Brennan returned to camp to find Lexa and Jesse seated by the fire sharing a cup of coffee. He refrained from smirking that at least he had been able to do something right. All thoughts of relaxing were flown out the window at Jesse's serious expression and words.

"I told her about tomorrow. We're all going."


OMG! I haven't had a good cliffie in a while and missed it so much! So I'm hoping that I'll have the next chapter up soon. Feel free to harass me.

I'm so sorry to all of the S/B fans, but I didn't go into detail with the S/K scene for that reason. But you have to remember that they are still a couple and that they do care for each other.

Emma - You'll find out what happened to the meeting soon enough. I promised a bumpy ride, and trust me, you'll probably need a seatbelt! I did try to make a connection b/w Shal and Bren in this chapter. Small I know, but I hope it was adequate. I hope you liked the interaction in the chapter. I wanted to get the J/L thing rolling before too much more. Thanks for the review and I hope you like the chapter!

Clare - Thanks so much for the review. Usually my stuff reads faster, but I've been trying to put some extra info into this story which is slowing it down. I hope that the next few chapters start to speed up. Hope you enjoy it!