Title: How Much is that Mutant in the Window?

Author: Sarge

E-Mail: Shalimarfox2@aol.com

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After all four of them were in the Double Helix, they took off to the latest site where the new mutants had been taken. Landing, they all got out and began to search the area.

   "Why don't we pair up and spread out," Brennan suggested. "We'll be able to cover more ground and find out more information quicker."

   "Ok," Jesse replied. "Why don't you and Shalimar go check out the other site where the victims have been taken from while Emma and I check this place out?"

   Brennan nodded. "Does that sound good to you two?" he asked Emma and Shalimar.

   Both the girls nodded.

   "Ok. Well, we'll see you guys later," Brennan said as he and Shalimar headed to the other site.

   Once they arrive, they immediately began to check everything out.

   Walking down an alley, Brennan suddenly felt Shalimar stiffen beside him. "What is it, Shal?" he asked as he scanned the surrounding area.

   "Someone's watching us. I can feel it," she replied and just as the words were out of her mouth, they were surrounded by about fifteen men.

   Brennan frowned and then looked over at Shalimar. "Why does this always happen to us?"

   "You got me," she replied with a shrug.

   "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" one of the men said as he stepped forward.

   Brennan raised an eyebrow in question. "You know, maybe you could tell us that because my friend and I were just having a nice little walk and then you guys showed up," he stated.

   "Yeah, sure you were," the man replied. "Now, why don't you two come with us peacefully and neither of you will get hurt."

   Shalimar gave him her best 'eat shit and die' look. "How about you all run along and none of you will get hurt," she suggested as she flashed her feral eyes.

   "Yeah," Brennan agreed as he created as ball of electricity in each hand.

   The man smiled and turned to look at his men. "It looks like we've got a feral and an elemental on our hands." Looking back at Shalimar and Brennan, his smile disappeared and a frown replaced it. "You two will sell nicely." With that, all the men started closing in on the two Mutant X members.

   Shalimar quickly took a fighting stance while Brennan set his two balls of electricity flying into two of the men, knocking the out immediately.

   As three men approached Shalimar, she launched herself into a flip over their heads and landed behind them. When they turned around to face her, she landed one quick roundhouse kick to all of them and knocked them all down. Quickly glancing over to see that Brennan was doing ok, she turned to the leader and started walking toward him.

   Just then, two men stepped in front of the leader.

   He smiled, saying, "You see, I also have a feral and an elemental on my side." As he said that, the man on the right flashed his feral eyes while the man on his right brought his hands together to create something that stopped Shalimar dead in her tracks. It was fire.

   The leader smiled at her reaction. "Yes, you see, the difference between you elemental friend and mine, is that mine is a fire elemental…and we all know how much feral's hate fire," he sneered.

   Shalimar was so frozen with fear that she didn't even notice the two men that were creeping up behind her. It was then that Brennan suddenly shouted, "SHALIMAR!! LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!!"

   Snapping out of her daze, she turned just in time to block one of the men's punches that was aimed at her head, but in doing so she left herself wide open for the other man's attack. Seeing his opportunity, he swung a metal pipe that he had found towards Shalimar's exposed side and when it connected, he grinned as he heard the satisfying crack of her ribs breaking.

   Screaming out in pain, Shalimar immediately grasped her ribs and dropped to her knees in agony.

   Brennan saw it happen and quickly started running toward her, but so blinded by his need to protect Shalimar, he didn't even notice the man coming up behind him with piece of wood. The last thing Brennan remembered before everything went black was him calling out to Shalimar and seeing her look at him with a pain-filled expression on her face.

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   Groaning, Brennan slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He seemed to be in a cell of some sort. Sitting up, he grabbed his head as a wave of pain coursed through it. Just then, he heard some soft whimpering coming from behind him. Slowly turning around, he saw Shalimar lying in the far corner with her back to him. His pain forgotten, he immediately rushed over to her.

   "Shal, are you ok?" he asked as he carefully rolled her onto her back.

   She looked up at him with pain etched across her face and then shook her head. "My ribs…are…are killing me…and I..I can't breathe," she whimpered between strained breaths.

   Brennan's eyes grew wide with concern. "Oh God," he said as he gently lifted Shalimar's head and placed it into his lap. "We have to get you out of here."

   "Yeah…no kidding. We have to…do it soon…be-…because I'm not sure…how…long I'm going to…last," she got out slowly, her breathing becoming more labored.

   "Don't talk like that, Shalimar. You're going to be fine," he told her as tears began to well up in his eyes. I can't lose her now, he thought to himself. Not when I just figured out that I'm in love with her. It was at that moment that he realized that he hadn't told Shalimar that he loved her yet. Looking back down at Shalimar, he noticed that her eyes were closing and her labored breathing was beginning to slow.

   "Shalimar, don't close you eyes!" he ordered, but it did nothing. Shalimar kept her eyes closed. "Dammit!! SHALIMAR FOX, OPEN YOUR EYES NOW!!!" he yelled and thankfully this time she did.

   "Can't…hold on…much longer," she whispered as her breathing continued to slow.

   "You have to, Shalimar! I can't lose you. Not now…Not ever! I love you!!" he confessed as much to his surprise as to hers.

   "You do?"

   "Yes Shalimar. I love you with all my heart and not being with you is driving me crazy," he said. "And if you die, I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm not sure if I'd be able to live with myself if you were gone."

   Tears began to well up in both their eyes.

   "I…I love you…too…Brennan," Shalimar declared with a small smile.

TO BE CONTINUED!

(A/N: Hehehe! What can I say? I'm a sucker for Shal/Bren sappiness!!! Well, PLEASE tell me what you think!! REVIEW!!))