Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own any of the ones you recognise.
Author's Note: I'm kind of sad to see this story come to an end, as it was my very first one and I've got rather attached to it, but it's time for it to finish now. Hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Here goes nothing!
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Chapter 24: Misunderstandings
Rosa tossed and turned in her nightmare-ridden sleep. Images of a bloody, dead Brennan haunted her dreams as tears continued streaming down her face.
She awoke with a start and sat up suddenly. There was someone near, she could feel it. A muted grunt caught her attention. She wiped her face of tears and determined to find the intruder. The least she could do was perform this final favour for the people who had taken her in, before she had killed one of their best friends.
She crept silently out of the room she was currently in and peered down the corridors. The echo of the silence seemed to deafen her. As she stalked the area, her attention was drawn to a room off to her left. As her eyes g became accustomed to the darkness, she could see that the room was empty except for a bed in the centre. Curiosity getting the better of her, she entered the room. There seemed to be a body lying on the bed. Could this be where they were keeping Brennan's body? And what for?
As she reached the bed, her heart seemed to contract as she saw it was in fact Brennan. She stood frozen to the spot, looking at his swollen features and watching his eyelids for any flicker of movement, knowing there would be none. As she stood staring at him, she caught a glimpse of his chest rising and falling. She turned her attention to his chest, searching for the same movement again, hoping she hadn't imagined it. There it was! He was alive!
Elated by this discovery, she placed her hands on his chest, as if in a dream, and directed her healing energy towards him. As she watched his body for further signs of life, a hand gripped her shoulder and flung her to the floor.
"Shal!" she cried. "What are you doing?"
"I knew I didn't trust you," the feral spat back at her. "What are you trying to do? Finish him off?"
"But, he's alive," Rosa tried to explain.
"I know that, and I was right about you after all. Adam thought I was being paranoid when I told him I was going to keep watch over Brennan whilst you were still in Sanctuary."
"But Adam said he had sustained severe injuries," spluttered Rosa.
Shalimar's eyes flashed yellow as her rage escalated. "That doesn't mean that he's dead. And you knew that as well as I do. You were just trying to finish off the job you started earlier. Well, news flash, you're gonna have to come through me."
Shalimar struck quickly and hard, slamming a heel against Rosa's head. Rosa scrambled up from the floor, still trying to explain, but she was silenced once again by the impact of Shal's fist against her jaw and another kick in her stomach. Shalimar's strikes were rapid, unyielding and very efficient, and soon, Rosa was lying on the floor. She raised a hand and shot a stream of fire towards Shalimar, but the feral was fresher than Rosa was and she stepped nimbly out of its way.
"Shal," she called out, her voice merely a whisper now, as she tried to explain yet again.
"Shal, what's going on?" came a groggy voice from behind them. Immediately, Shalimar froze and turned around. As Rosa looked up from her prone position, she saw that Brennan was sitting up dazedly in the bed.
"Bren," she whispered. "You're OK."
"Rosa?" he asked as he focused on the girl on the floor.
"Don't believe it Bren. She's a manipulative, evil bitch. She was trying to kill you," Shalimar explained heatedly to Bren as she stepped between him and Rosa, prepared to defend him to the death.
Tears coursed down Rosa's face as she sobbed with the relief that Brennan was alive, and partly with the thought that he was never going to forgive her or trust her again. She curled up instinctively into a ball on the floor, as much to try to stem the emotional hurt as the physical.
"What's going on in here?" came Adam's voice from the doorway. Through her pain, Rosa saw Adam, Emma and Jesse standing in amazement at the door. Emma ran over to the console as Jesse and Adam approached Rosa cautiously.
"Rosa, what's the matter? What's happened?" Adam asked a sobbing Rosalie as Jesse picked her up off the floor.
Shalimar cowered next to Brennan as she slowly realised that she may have been wrong about Rosalie. She wasn't sure, but she had never seen such strength of emotion from Firefly, even when she had been lying to people. "It was me," she said. "I thought she was trying to kill Brennan."
"Adam!" Emma called from the console. "I think you should come and see this."
As Adam hurried over to her, Jesse put Rosa down on a bed, and held her hand reassuringly.
"Brennan, you seem to be fully healed. How do you feel?" he asked the elemental.
Bren stretched and walked around in amazement. "I feel great! What happened?"
"She healed you," Shalimar explained sheepishly. "I didn't realise Rosa, sorry," she apologised meekly as she went over to her and stroked her arm. "Did I hurt you much?"
"It's nothing I can't handle," Rosa whispered, trying to reassure Shal.
Adam ushered Jesse, Shalimar and Emma out as he tended to Rosa's wounds, but Brennan insisted in staying.
"I'm so sorry," Rosa sobbed. "I didn't mean... I never would..." Brennan held her hand as Adam fussed around her.
"I understand Rosa," he whispered.
"How can you?" she insisted. "I nearly killed you. I probably would have succeeded if the others hadn't come in when they did."
He kissed her hand tenderly as he continued. "I think I know you well enough to understand what happened. Firefly was a terrible person. No one could have stopped her." He paused and she saw the sincerity in his eyes. "Rosa, I don't want to lose you."
Fresh tears stung her eyes as she accepted this explanation gladly. She didn't want to lose him either, not after everything they had been through together. The relief flooded her body. It was the first time in her life that she could see a future for herself and now, all she needed was...
"Rosa?" came a female voice from the door. Rosa turned her head and blinked as she saw a petite brunette standing there.
This couldn't be happening. Life couldn't be turning out this perfectly. It was against everything she had ever come to believe. Was it Misha standing there, free from all brainwashing and all GSA influences? Misha approached the bed, raising a hand cautiously to greet her sister affectionately. A flash of silver caught Rosa's attention. Misha was wearing a comring.
Rosa lay back as Adam tended to her injuries. She was finally free from Firefly, Brennan, the only man she'd ever love, had confirmed they had a future together, and her own sister who she'd thought she had lost to the GSA was part of the team. As her eyes closed peacefully, a rush of calm contentment spread through her body like honey.
Things were looking up.
THE END
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Any ideas whether you'd like to see a sequel? Or is it just me who's become attached to Rosalie?
Author's Note: I'm kind of sad to see this story come to an end, as it was my very first one and I've got rather attached to it, but it's time for it to finish now. Hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Here goes nothing!
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Chapter 24: Misunderstandings
Rosa tossed and turned in her nightmare-ridden sleep. Images of a bloody, dead Brennan haunted her dreams as tears continued streaming down her face.
She awoke with a start and sat up suddenly. There was someone near, she could feel it. A muted grunt caught her attention. She wiped her face of tears and determined to find the intruder. The least she could do was perform this final favour for the people who had taken her in, before she had killed one of their best friends.
She crept silently out of the room she was currently in and peered down the corridors. The echo of the silence seemed to deafen her. As she stalked the area, her attention was drawn to a room off to her left. As her eyes g became accustomed to the darkness, she could see that the room was empty except for a bed in the centre. Curiosity getting the better of her, she entered the room. There seemed to be a body lying on the bed. Could this be where they were keeping Brennan's body? And what for?
As she reached the bed, her heart seemed to contract as she saw it was in fact Brennan. She stood frozen to the spot, looking at his swollen features and watching his eyelids for any flicker of movement, knowing there would be none. As she stood staring at him, she caught a glimpse of his chest rising and falling. She turned her attention to his chest, searching for the same movement again, hoping she hadn't imagined it. There it was! He was alive!
Elated by this discovery, she placed her hands on his chest, as if in a dream, and directed her healing energy towards him. As she watched his body for further signs of life, a hand gripped her shoulder and flung her to the floor.
"Shal!" she cried. "What are you doing?"
"I knew I didn't trust you," the feral spat back at her. "What are you trying to do? Finish him off?"
"But, he's alive," Rosa tried to explain.
"I know that, and I was right about you after all. Adam thought I was being paranoid when I told him I was going to keep watch over Brennan whilst you were still in Sanctuary."
"But Adam said he had sustained severe injuries," spluttered Rosa.
Shalimar's eyes flashed yellow as her rage escalated. "That doesn't mean that he's dead. And you knew that as well as I do. You were just trying to finish off the job you started earlier. Well, news flash, you're gonna have to come through me."
Shalimar struck quickly and hard, slamming a heel against Rosa's head. Rosa scrambled up from the floor, still trying to explain, but she was silenced once again by the impact of Shal's fist against her jaw and another kick in her stomach. Shalimar's strikes were rapid, unyielding and very efficient, and soon, Rosa was lying on the floor. She raised a hand and shot a stream of fire towards Shalimar, but the feral was fresher than Rosa was and she stepped nimbly out of its way.
"Shal," she called out, her voice merely a whisper now, as she tried to explain yet again.
"Shal, what's going on?" came a groggy voice from behind them. Immediately, Shalimar froze and turned around. As Rosa looked up from her prone position, she saw that Brennan was sitting up dazedly in the bed.
"Bren," she whispered. "You're OK."
"Rosa?" he asked as he focused on the girl on the floor.
"Don't believe it Bren. She's a manipulative, evil bitch. She was trying to kill you," Shalimar explained heatedly to Bren as she stepped between him and Rosa, prepared to defend him to the death.
Tears coursed down Rosa's face as she sobbed with the relief that Brennan was alive, and partly with the thought that he was never going to forgive her or trust her again. She curled up instinctively into a ball on the floor, as much to try to stem the emotional hurt as the physical.
"What's going on in here?" came Adam's voice from the doorway. Through her pain, Rosa saw Adam, Emma and Jesse standing in amazement at the door. Emma ran over to the console as Jesse and Adam approached Rosa cautiously.
"Rosa, what's the matter? What's happened?" Adam asked a sobbing Rosalie as Jesse picked her up off the floor.
Shalimar cowered next to Brennan as she slowly realised that she may have been wrong about Rosalie. She wasn't sure, but she had never seen such strength of emotion from Firefly, even when she had been lying to people. "It was me," she said. "I thought she was trying to kill Brennan."
"Adam!" Emma called from the console. "I think you should come and see this."
As Adam hurried over to her, Jesse put Rosa down on a bed, and held her hand reassuringly.
"Brennan, you seem to be fully healed. How do you feel?" he asked the elemental.
Bren stretched and walked around in amazement. "I feel great! What happened?"
"She healed you," Shalimar explained sheepishly. "I didn't realise Rosa, sorry," she apologised meekly as she went over to her and stroked her arm. "Did I hurt you much?"
"It's nothing I can't handle," Rosa whispered, trying to reassure Shal.
Adam ushered Jesse, Shalimar and Emma out as he tended to Rosa's wounds, but Brennan insisted in staying.
"I'm so sorry," Rosa sobbed. "I didn't mean... I never would..." Brennan held her hand as Adam fussed around her.
"I understand Rosa," he whispered.
"How can you?" she insisted. "I nearly killed you. I probably would have succeeded if the others hadn't come in when they did."
He kissed her hand tenderly as he continued. "I think I know you well enough to understand what happened. Firefly was a terrible person. No one could have stopped her." He paused and she saw the sincerity in his eyes. "Rosa, I don't want to lose you."
Fresh tears stung her eyes as she accepted this explanation gladly. She didn't want to lose him either, not after everything they had been through together. The relief flooded her body. It was the first time in her life that she could see a future for herself and now, all she needed was...
"Rosa?" came a female voice from the door. Rosa turned her head and blinked as she saw a petite brunette standing there.
This couldn't be happening. Life couldn't be turning out this perfectly. It was against everything she had ever come to believe. Was it Misha standing there, free from all brainwashing and all GSA influences? Misha approached the bed, raising a hand cautiously to greet her sister affectionately. A flash of silver caught Rosa's attention. Misha was wearing a comring.
Rosa lay back as Adam tended to her injuries. She was finally free from Firefly, Brennan, the only man she'd ever love, had confirmed they had a future together, and her own sister who she'd thought she had lost to the GSA was part of the team. As her eyes closed peacefully, a rush of calm contentment spread through her body like honey.
Things were looking up.
THE END
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Any ideas whether you'd like to see a sequel? Or is it just me who's become attached to Rosalie?