Chapter 17: Truth Be Told
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The snow had died down and the wind was starting to pick up. Shalimar looked at the sun that was starting to set. She could feel Brennan's grip around her waist loosen, it scared her that he might be dying behind her. She slowed down the sled slightly to get a better look around for some shelter. Her eyes flashed feral, trying to get a better look at what she thought looked like ice caves. She quickly turned the sled in that direction.
She slowly came up to the cave and sighed in relief. Shalimar parked the sled inside and shut it off, before taking off her helmet. She nudged Brennan slightly hoping he was just sleeping.
"Ya…huh…what?" Brennan jumped up from his slumber.
Shalimar giggled, "wake up sleepy head."
"Ya," Brennan rubbed his eyes, as Shalimar swung off the sled. "Thank god we stopped," Brennan huffed getting off the sled as well taking off his helmet.
Shalimar put her hands on her hips and cocked her eyebrow upwards, giving Brennan a pissed look. Brennan looked at her a nervous about what she was thinking, "what?"
"You don't like holding that close?" Shalimar asked trying to make Brennan squirm.
"NO!" Brennan put his hands up in defense, "no that was the best part!" Brennan put his hand on his forehead as he started turning bright red for his quick non-thought out answer. "I mean this backpack is killing me."
Shalimar smiled brightly and moved closer to Brennan giving a small giggle. "Here let me take that, you go sit down," she said holding out her hand to take the backpack from Brennan.
He slowly took it off and winced just enough to make Shalimar worry. "That thing is heavy. What the heck is in that?"
"You go sit down and I'll take a look," Shalimar told him.
He did what she requested and took a seat up against the ice wall in the cavern. Brennan watched as Shalimar knelt down a few feet in front of him and start taking out simple things. Shalimar huffed, "okay we got some dried food and power bars. A thermal blanket thing," she looked unenthused, "a box of matches, which is useless." Shalimar huffed.
"Is that it?" Brennan asked.
Shalimar looked in the bag, "no there is…paper?" She pulled it out and should it to him. "And…wood?" Shalimar pulled out small long pieces of wood that fix perfectly in the bottom of the backpack.
"They might have been stupid, but they were some boy scouts," Brennan said with a laugh. He gave a small wince from the pain that his lungs caused when he laughed.
Shalimar tried to look like she wasn't worried about his condition, even though she was petrified. "Here let me start a fire," that scared her even more.
Brennan could see the fear cross her face at the mention of fire, "Shal don't do it."
"What?" Shalimar was a little confused at his sudden statement.
"We'll be fine without a fire," Brennan told her, with concern for her written all across his face.
"No you have to stay warm. If you catch something, your body isn't strong enough to help you," Shalimar said as she started building the sticks in a tepee shape over some crumbled paper.
Brennan sighed and pushed himself away from the wall and closer to Shalimar. Her hands were shaking as she held the match, trying to get her confidence up to strike the match. She didn't even see Brennan getting close to her until his hand suddenly covered hers as she held the match.
She glanced up, tears welling up in her eyes. He just smiled at her, "let me do it." She looked back down at his hands on hers and slowly let go of the match. Shalimar moved back slowly to the wall where Brennan was originally, and watched him intensely as he lit the match and carefully put it down on the paper.
He slowly blew on the starting fire, and within seconds it was burning brightly. Brennan placed a few more sticks on top and moved back over to Shalimar.
She smiled as he slowly sat down be side her. "Are you okay?" he asked as she looked back at the fire.
"Ya…I'm fine," she replied as she looked back at him. "I should be the one to ask you that, you're the one that might have broken ribs."
"Na I'm fine," Brennan said trying not to show his pain as he repositioned himself.
Shalimar frowned, "here let me take a look." She told him.
Brennan huffed and reluctantly agreed and unzipped his jacket. He lifted up his shirt showed Shalimar his stomach area.
Her eyes widened when she noticed the amazingly large yellowish purple bruise across his upper abdomen. She reached down and gently touched the bruise with two fingers. Brennan took in a quick breath, not that it hurt but just that her touch sent shivers up his spine. Shalimar noticed his reaction and pulled her hand away think she was hurting him.
To her surprise Brennan quickly reached up and gripped her wrist, she let him do so and didn't move. She looked down at her hand and she allowed him to bring her hand down closer to his abs. Shalimar just watched their hands, until Brennan had placed her hand completely on his bruise.
He grinned at her as she looked at him with a confused look on his face. "Your hand is warm," he told her and she just gave a small laugh.
Brennan shut his eyes as Shalimar carefully started rubbing his abs, "Brennan I need to tell you something," Shalimar finally said. Brennan opened his mouth to say something but Shalimar cut him off, "but don't say anything until I'm done, k?"
"All right," Brennan agreed keeping his eyes closed.
"When they took me away and I thought you had died…I didn't think I was strong enough to keep going," she started trying not to break down in tears. "Then I met some of the other mutants, when they took me to another cell. They helped me realize what my life would look like with out you in it…and…and I didn't like what I saw." Shalimar explained.
Brennan opened up his eyes and saw that Shalimar's tears that she was trying to hold back were beginning to fall down her cheek. He lifted up his hand and wiped them away and smiled as she looked at him. "You remember the conversation we had in the car before we were kidnapped?" She asked him.
"Ya I remember," Brennan answered. 'Of course I remember you broke my heart that night.' He said to himself.
"Well I was lying; I was scared and nervous after what Adam had told me." Brennan looked up at her. "I want…I want to try something between us," Shalimar finally got out.
Brennan smiled, "really?"
Shalimar nodded yes, and was going to say something when Brennan lips were suddenly upon hers. Shalimar just melted into his kiss letting everything go. Brennan wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer as she began running her fingers up and down his chest. Their once simple soft kiss was about to turn into a full-fleshed make out session when the two heard someone clear their throat behind them.
The two quickly jumped apart and Shalimar turned around and saw Ashley standing over by the sled. Shalimar smiled, "Ashley!"
"Did I come at a bad time?" Ashley asked after seeing what they were doing.
"No," Shalimar replied. "Oh Ashley this is Brennan, Brennan this is Ashley she is the one who helped us get out." She explained standing up and helping Brennan to his feet.
"I can take you two only so far, you'll have to take the snowmobile the rest of the way," Ashley explained.
Shalimar grinned, "I don't care just get us out of this hell hole."
Ashley just laughed. "All right come here," the two slowly moved over to her, "okay take my hand Shal, and Brennan, you take hers." Ashley insisted, and then touched the seat of the snowmobile.
Within seconds they found themselves on top of a hill looking down at a small town in the valley. Shalimar looked amazed at the view they were seeing, "where are we?"
"Canada," Ashley replied, "now just follow the trail and it leads you right to the town. I've reserved a room under your name at the bed n' breakfast there, so you can wait for your friends to come and get you."
"Thank you Ashley, for everything," Shalimar told her.
"Na it was nothing," Ashley replied. "All right it's time for me to go."
"Wait," Brennan stopped her. "Why don't you come with us, we can put you in the underground."
"No that's okay," Ashley smiled. "But thanks."
Shalimar just looked at her, "what about Riley, Shannon, and Vince?"
"Oh they're safe don't worry," Ashley answered.
"Where are they?" Shalimar wanted to know, so she could thank them.
"Well actually that's a secret," Ashley grinned. "But I can tell you that the only mutant they'll be seeing is Hugh Jackman," Ashley gave Shalimar a wink.
Shalimar thought for a second and realized where they were, as Brennan just looked utterly confused. "If you see them could you tell them thanks for everything?" Shalimar asked wrapping her arm around Brennan's waist.
"Sure thing," Ashley agreed.
Shalimar was going to tell her thanks once again when she suddenly disappeared. "Where'd she go?" Brennan asked.
"To her friends," Shalimar told him. "Come on lets go."
TBC
A/N: Sorry about Wednesday everyone but my lap top was giving me MAJOR problems, so I couldn't update on Wednesday, but I did post 2 chapters on Friday…LOL! Hope you guys like it, don't forget to Review!