Sorry, the last chapter was so short and crappy. The site wouldn't let me (for some reason that I'm sure would be clear to Bill Gates but since I'm blonde…not me) upload all of what was intended to be my next chapter. Anyway, this was supposed to be part of the last chapter but better late than never.
Thanks again for all the reviews. I can't tell you enough how much I love them. They make me feel like its all worthwhile – said as a solitary tear trickles down her cheek.
I hope you like this chapter…I'm sorry if the story is quite slow…I can't change that…just the way it turns out.
Have a nice day.
Brennan continued to look on as Shalimar stood in the middle of the alley. In complete contrast to a few minutes before she was standing, steady as a rock. But still there was no change in her face. Normally her eyes would have started flashing feral a long time ago or the corners of her mouth would have turned up into a sly grin as she thought of all the fun things she would do to get revenge.
But this time was different, Brennan knew that. And it hurt that he couldn't help her. Atleast the world had stopped disappearing. Or he thought it had. He couldn't be too sure. But if it had that meant Shal had gained some kind of control over this place. Which had to be a good thing.
***
Emma sensed a change. She couldn't be certain but there wasn't so much sadness in the air. It had been overpowering before but it seemed to have calmed down now.
She walked over to where Jesse sat and slid down the wall into a sitting position next to him. She was getting vibes coming off of Jesse, so powerful they seemed to come from every single pore in his body. And they weren't happy vibes either. She knew he couldn't handle it for much longer, just watching as Gabriel stood there, laughing at all of them, especially Shalimar. Jesse was fiercely protective of her when he needed to be, and he depended on her for advice that only she could give. He was desperate for her to come back and tell him that everything would be okay, that she was going to be fine.
Jesse turned his head to look at Emma as she slipped her hand into his and squeezed. It was a small gesture but he knew that she cared and that was something that would keep him from attacking Gabriel…for now.
Adam had been leaning against one of the skyscrapers watching his children support each other. He had always had Shalimar to do that for him. She had been with him from the beginning and he hadn't realized till she'd gone how much he relied on her. She had always been so sure of herself, so confident in a way that could easily have become cocky but which rarely did. Shalimar knew what she could do and she did it with an attitude that was irresistible even to the villains. When Adam had first found her he had realized this, not because he was a genius but because her body language, the way she talked and her eyes had told him.
His head quickly swung round to look to his right, the direction Shalimar had gone off in. He held his breath as he looked at her. She was walking towards the group and as she got closer Emma and Jesse stood up to await the verdict. But Adam already knew what she was gonna do…not exactly but then Shalimar had always been unpredictable.
Brennan walked behind her and as he walked forward he checked out Gabriel's face to see if there was any fear, any worry, anything displayed on it. He didn't get too much time to look, as Shalimar was pretty much 'girl on a mission'. She wasn't stalking up to her opponent as she would normally have done but she was walking with a purpose and even Emma couldn't tell what that purpose was. She looked around her trying to figure out Shalimar's emotions from the landscape but nothing had changed. If Shal was angry there would be lightning, thunder, something along those lines. If she had given in they wouldn't be there any more, and Emma thought she might just have picked up on either one of those if they had happened. But they hadn't and Emma didn't know quite what to make of the situation.
Jesse was just glad when he saw that Shalimar was back. He had been worried about her and where she had gotten to. He knew Brennan would look after her but that only eased Jesse's mind marginally. He needed to see her to make sure that she was okay. Or, atleast as okay as could be expected. He was curious as to what she would do next, not worried like the others. He had known her for a shorter amount of time than Adam but he'd been in the toughest of situations with her and had seen her at her best and her worst. This occasion was gradually climbing the charts.
Emma had let go of his hand when Shal and Brennan had come back but feeling like they both needed the support he reached over and took her hand into his again. She didn't look like she noticed but inside Emma felt a glow of warmth run through her body.
Shalimar had got to where Gabriel stood. He looked around trying to detect something of her emotions. As he realized that nothing significant was going on in the sky a lazy, smug smile spread across his lips. He looked like the cat that got the cream. He hadn't counted on Shalimar being such a good actress. She fully intended to blow his mind…in the literal sense.