Control
Disclaimer; okay, so unfortunately they don't belong to me. They belong to marvel studios I believe. Of course, in an ideal world Shalimar and Emma would both belong to me and I could carry out my perverted fantasies as and when I wanted. Sigh. One day……..
Part one.
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Emma awoke with a muffled scream. She blindly reached for the light switch, banishing the darkness to the furthest corners of her room. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm her breathing. Focusing inwards, she gradually felt her heartbeat slow, her breathing returning to normal. Thinking back to her dream, she shuddered, remembering the terror she'd felt when she'd been mentally invaded. The nightmare of the dreamscape she'd been trapped in haunted her, and the helplessness she'd felt when she'd been blinded unsettled her. Feeling the panic returning within her, she knew she wouldn't be getting back to sleep anytime soon. Grabbing her robe, she headed out of her room, moving towards the kitchen.
She silently padded down the hallway, taking care not to wake the others. Pausing briefly outside Jesses' door, she tentatively scanned him with her mind. He was finally sleeping peacefully. He'd had a really rough time after the dreamscape incident, afraid to sleep. Continuing along the corridor, she could hear Brennans' snores through his door. No problems sleeping here she thought, chuckling to herself. For once Adam was also in bed, rather than working in his laboratory. Thankfully, he hadn't been exposed to his fears in the dreamscape, and although he had other demons of his own he slept easy. Shalimars' room was in the opposite direction to where she was headed, and Emma felt no need to check on her. Also, the feral would awake at the slightest sound, so she didn't want to risk disturbing her.
The sleeping quarters were a fair distance away from the everyday living areas of the complex. She finally arrived at her destination, making herself a mug of warm milk, hoping it would calm her and help her sleep. She moved towards her favourite place in Sanctuary; the fountain. She found it a calming place to be, where she could gather her thoughts, clear her mind.
As she walked through the complex, she enjoyed the uncommon silence. Usually the sounds of the other team-members could be heard, or the noises of a variety of machines running. All that could be heard at this late hour was the low hum of the dim lighting, and she had to strain to hear that. Suddenly she heard another sound, louder, more persistent but with an irregular rhythm. Curious, she followed the sound back the way she had come, entering the main living room of the building. Moving further into the room, she saw the simulator was running. Odd. Maybe Adam was working with it and forgot to switch it off. But then….Adam wouldn't forget something like that, would he?
She walked cautiously to the stairs of the platform the simulator was supported on. Looking up, she jumped as a GS agent crashed down at the top of the stairs, before vanishing. Climbing the stairs, she paused halfway when she saw a large tangle of bodies engaged in battle. She stared at the melee, trying to see who was running the simulator.
Suddenly all of the GS agents flew backwards in all directions, as Shalimar leapt vertically into the air. Landing crouched; she readied for another attack. Looking truly feral; eyes flashed yellow, teeth bared, hair flying in disarray behind her; Emma felt a brief flash of fear at the sight of a barely restrained Shalimar.
Attempting to move to a more comfortable position, she slipped, her foot striking the step below. Hearing a low growl behind her, she realised Shalimar must have become aware of her presence. Before Emma could make another move, Shalimar had leapt gracefully onto the wall to the right of Emma, rebounding down to the floor to land at the base of the stairs.
Still in feral mode, lost in the adrenaline surge from the aftermath of her battle, she didn't recognise Emma immediately, assuming she was just another opponent to take down. Growling deep in her throat, she moved cautiously towards Emma, circling her yet never losing eye contact. Realising the danger she was in, Emma chose to stay motionless, maintaining the eye contact and trying not to let her fear show through.
"Shal, it's me, Emma. Remember?" She spoke softly, so as not to alarm the feral. "C'mon Shal, you gotta snap out of it"
A brief look of confusion passed over Shalimars' face, before she clamped down on the emotion and refocused on Emma.
"You're not Emma" she snarled. "Emma was….she was….she's…." her voice caught in her throat, emotion threatening to overtake her. Her fierce determination returned, her eyes flashing again. "You're just another one of Eckharts' agents, you're trying to trick me!" her pacing increased in speed, becoming more frantic. "I won't do it, I won't betray them!" She launched herself at Emma, tackling her to the ground.
Emma lay still, her chest heaving as she tried to control her breathing, her fear almost tangible, pinned by Shalimars' superior strength.
"Shal, it's me, I swear. You're not in the dreamscape anymore, remember? We stopped him, it's all over" Using her psychic abilities, she brushed across Shalimars' mind, sending messages of reassurance.
Abruptly Shalimar stood, releasing Emma. Slowly Emma stood, watching as a myriad of emotions flashed across Shalimars' face as she fought an internal battle. Finally a look of anguish and despair settled on her face, as she backed up into a corner, trembling. Hitting the wall, she slid down it to the floor, covering her face with her arms and curling up into a foetal position, still shaking.
Emma carefully moved towards her, reaching out to her. Shalimar shrunk further back into the corner, looking at Emma with unshed tears shining in her eyes. Kneeling down close to her, Emma held out her arms, watching Shalimars' reaction. After a moment's hesitation, Shalimar crawled into her embrace, nearly crushing Emma as she clutched at her tightly. Holding her by the back and head, she mumbled into Emmas' hair.
"I'm sorry….I'm so sorry….I didn't….didn't mean to…." Once again her voice caught, stopping her anguished cries.
It suddenly struck Emma that she didn't know what had happened to Shalimar in the dreamscape. Sure, she'd been in with Shalimar briefly, but she'd been in the dreamscape for hours before Emma had reached her. Shalimar had been there for everyone else when they'd been describing their experiences and talking about their fears, but she'd never spoken about her own experiences.
Maintaining contact, Emma stood and part-guided, part-carried Shalimar over to one of the couches. Sitting down, she pulled Shalimar down next to her, guiding her down so that her head was resting on Emmas' lap. Cradling Shalimar, she murmured words of comfort and support, gently stroking her hair and arm to soothe her. Eventually she seemed to calm, her sobs reducing to the occasional sniffle, until she finally fell asleep.
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An hour or so later, Emma awoke from sleep to find Adam kneeling beside the couch.
"Everything all right?" he asked softly, indicating towards Shalimar. Shrugging, she replied.
"I'm not sure yet. I'm going to try and talk to her later, see if she'll tell me what happened" she paused to look at Shalimar, who was still curled up on Emmas' lap. "Could you help me move her to her bed, so she can get some proper sleep?"
Adam nodded, bending down and gently lifting Shalimar off from Emma, who slowly stood and stretched out. Moving quietly they headed towards Shalimars' room, pausing briefly while Emma opened the door to the room. Walking in, she pulled back the bed covers, then re-covered Shalimar once Adam had laid her down on the bed. Turning to face Emma, he spoke softly. "I'm going to the lab for a few hours if you need me"
Emma nodded. "Sure. I'm gonna stay here for a while, make sure she's settled, then go back to bed myself." Adam crept out, closing the bedroom door softly behind him. Turning back to Shalimar, Emma tucked the covers around her chin, tenderly stroking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Giving her a soft kiss on the forehead, she turned to go, when she felt a hand grab hers. Turning back, she saw Shalimar had her eyes half open, staring at her.
"Stay….please….there's room" she mumbled. "Please? I….don't want to be alone." She looked down at the floor, hating admitting weakness to anyone, not wanting Emma to see how desperately she wanted her to stay. Moving back to the bed, Emma took off her robe and climbed in, glad she'd decided on wearing pyjamas tonight. She turned to face Shalimar.
"Alright? You okay now?" Nodding sleepily, the other woman reached for her hand, grasping it tightly before falling back to sleep. It didn't take long for Emma to join her.
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Emma slowly woke in the morning, with the feeling that something was amiss. Opening her eyes she remembered that she was in Shalimars' room. Shalimars bed in fact.
Attempting to turn to locate Shalimar, she suddenly came to the realisation that she couldn't move; she was being restrained. Looking over her shoulder she could see Shalimar spooned up against her back, her arms wrapped around Emmas' waist, leg draped over Emmas. Emma tried to shift, to move to a more comfortable position. Not that this position isn't, um, comfortable Feeling Shalimar moving slightly, she stopped to see if she had woken up. Then she felt Shalimar snuggling back into both the bed and Emma.
Turning in Shalimars' grip, she stroked her long hair, watching as Shalimar let out a soft sigh in her sleep, then began to quietly purr in rhythm with Emmas' caress. Curling up into Shalimars' embrace, she laid back down, head cradled on Shalimars shoulder, falling asleep with her soft purrs in her ear.
Shalimar awoke soon after, confused briefly by the presence of another person in her bed. Even more so by the fact that they were curled in her arms. Using her heightened senses, she realised it was Emma, and relaxed. Shalimar then noticed that she and Emma were sleeping in a more than friendly manner. She could feel that their legs were entwined; one of hers on top of Emmas', resulting in Emmas' knee being slightly between her thighs.
They were face to face, mere centimetres apart, Emmas' breath tickling the hairs by her neck. Bringing her hand up, she brushed away the annoying strand of hair, unconsciously returning her hand to the small of Emmas' back. Jerking her hand back as though burned, she clenched her eyes shut. Okay Shal, these are *not* thoughts to be having about one of your best friends. One of your *straight*, female best friends Moving her hand, she picked up Emmas' hand from her hip, attempting to move it from her body.
However, the movement caused Emma to stir in her sleep. Pausing in her movement, Shalimar laid completely still, waiting to see if Emma had awoken. Muttering in her sleep, she re-wrapped her arm around Shalimars' waist, pulling them closer together and nuzzling back into her shoulder. Shuffling around a bit more, in an attempt to get comfortable, she kicked her leg out, then moved her knee higher up Shalimars' thigh. Gasping slightly, Shalimar gritted her teeth to keep from moaning out loud.
"Emma" she said quietly, but urgently. "Emma! Wake….up!" Eventually Emma opened one eye, looking at the woman in front of her.
"Why'd ya wake me up?" she groaned sleepily, closing her eyes and burrowing her head into the crook of Shalimars arm and the pillow. Shifting her position again, her leg pushed further between Shalimars. Biting down on her lip, Shalimar suppressed another moan, clenching her eyes shut. When she opened them again, she was face to face with Emma, who was giving her a look of concern.
"Shal? You okay?"
"Uh huh. But d'ya think you could maybe move your leg? It's….um….somewhat….distracting." Unable to look Emma in the eyes, she flushed and looked away. Grinning to herself, Emma trailed her hand down from Shalimars' hip, along her leg, until she reached the point where they met.
"D'ya mean this leg?" she asked, watching Shalimars' reaction. Unable to speak, Shalimar just nodded sharply. "So….in what way exactly do you want me to move it? Like this?" Slowly, she moved her leg up and down the inside of Shalimars' thigh, watching as Shalimars' breathing sped up. "….or do you mean like this?" she asked, abruptly pulling her leg away and breaking the contact, delighting in the whimpers the action caused. She was amazed at the control she had over the woman in front of her, simply by the merest touch. "You want more?" she whispered into Shalimars' ear.
Without warning Shalimar grabbed Emmas' shoulders, forcing her onto her back on the bed and straddling her stomach. Leaning down, she nipped her earlobe.
"Much more" she replied throatily, kissing her way down Emmas' neck. This time it was Emma who reacted, arching up underneath Shalimar, gripping her shoulders. Running her hands up behind Shalimars' head, she pulled her down so their lips were millimetres apart. Looking up, she made eye contact with Shalimar, then closed the distance between them, softly grazing her lips with her own, before pulling her down further and increasing the pressure, then separating; asking for more by opening her mouth slightly, running her tongue along her top lip. Leaning up to meet Shalimar halfway, her weight propped up on her arms behind her, she trembled as they kissed again, tongues intermingling briefly before Shalimar withdrew again.
Letting out a frustrated groan, Emma decided it was time to re-gain control. Using a move she remembered from training, she flipped Shalimar onto her back, pinning her arms together above her head so that she was laid out along Shalimars' length. Leaning over her, she smiled triumphantly, watching Shalimar under her.
Looking up at Emma, Shalimar tested her strength, attempting to move out of her grip. She was impressed at how firm a grip she had on her. Looking up again, she saw Emmas' victorious smirk, and felt a wave of fear wash over her. Closing her eyes to suppress the feeling, she saw herself back in the dreamscape; could feel the chairs restraints clamping down on her, once again saw Eckharts' triumphant face as he forced her to watch them torture her team-mates for information.
Staring down at Shalimars' concentrated face, Emma suddenly felt fear emanating from her friend, becoming terror and anger. Shalimars' eyes abruptly snapped open as she looked wildly around her, her breath coming in short gasps.
"No!" she squirmed under Emmas' grasp, fighting to get away. "No, you can't! Stop!" Lost in her memory, she threw Emma off of her, then ran out of the room. Stunned, Emma sank down beside the bed. Shit. What have I done?
Running along the corridor, Shalimar headed for the garage. Grabbing her motorbike, not bothering with the helmet, she sped out of the garage. Pulling over a mile or so along the road, she pulled off her silver ring, putting it in her pocket to stop her friends tracing her. Looking behind her, she stared at the place she called home before heading off again.
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Sitting in her own room, Emma lay on her bed facing the wall. She knew that her team-mates were worried about her, but she also knew that talking to them was something she really didn't feel like doing. Once again, Adam opened the door to her room, peering inside. One of the many advantages of her abilities was the power to alter what people could see. Which is what she'd been doing every time someone had come looking for her. She watched as Adam entered the room, waiting for him to leave as he had the other times that he'd been to check on her.
"Emma? Emma, we know you're in here. We traced your ring signal." He paused, looking round the room and sighing.
"Emma, please, stop hiding. We just want to know what happened. We're worried."
Curling up against the wall, she stopped altering his mind. Adam jumped as she appeared right next to him.
"Jeez Emma, you're enough to give a man a heart attack, you know that?" Staring at her for a while, he scrutinised her appearance. "You ok?" She nodded, not looking at him. "You've been crying, haven't you?" Once again she nodded. Sitting down next to her on the bed, he drew her into a hug, stroking her hair with his free hand. "Want to talk about it?" She shook her head, holding onto him tighter, fighting the return of tears. "Ok. But if you do, you know where we are, alright?" She nodded, and he stood up, heading towards the door.
As he was about to leave, Emma looked up. "How's Shalimar?" Adam suddenly looked nervous, uncomfortable.
"We don't know. We can't find her, and she's taken off her com-link." Emma buried her head in her hands. "Her motorbike's gone too. Jesse and Brennen are out looking for her in the Double Helix. Don't worry Emma, I'm sure she's fine, and the guys will bring her in." With that he left the room, leaving Emma alone with her fears.
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