Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X or the characters, I just like to write about them.

~*~* Chapter 6 *~*~

~*~* Sanctuary *~*~

Jesse carried Shalimar into the lab while Adam and Emma supported Brennan.

Brennan watched as Jesse placed Shalimar gently down in the lab chair. She looked pale and very weak. Adam rushed over and started the scanner, after getting Brennan onto one of the beds. They all watched as the yellow beam ran swiftly over Shalimar's body. After the scan finished Adam pulled up the results.

"How is she?" Brennan asked quickly.

"It looks like she took quite a beating, but she'll be ok. Jesse could you move her to the bed, please. Brennan, you can sit in the chair now." Adam instructed.

Jesse gently moved Shalimar and Brennan got into the lab chair for a scan. After it finished, Brennan got right up and went over to Shalimar. Adam shook his head. "Brennan, I need you to sit down so Emma can help you."

What Adam had just said went right over his head. He was too caught up with hoping and praying that Shalimar would be ok.

Adam went over and touched his shoulder. "Brennan?"

"Huh?"

"I need you to go with Emma."

Brennan nodded and reluctantly left Shalimar's side. Emma gathered some instruments and helped Brennan back over and into the lab chair. Every now and again, while she was fixing a cut or healing a bruise, she would get hit with a whole bunch of emotions. Brennan's were strong, too strong for her to block. Emma was a little confused with what she felt. There was anger, worry, hurt, but underneath it all she felt an incredible love. She smiled, as she watched Brennan gaze at Shalimar. Somehow she already knew they loved each other. Shaking off her thoughts she continued tending to the rest of his wounds.

Emma finished and Brennan did exactly what she expected him to do. He jumped up and went right back over to Shalimar's side. "Is she going to be ok, Adam?"

"She'll be fine, Brennan. Don't worry about her." Adam replied as he finished wrapping Shalimar's ribs.

He sighed and shook his head. "How could I have let this happen?"

"Brennan, it wasn't you're fault and Shalimar's fine, so there's no point in beating your self up over it." Jesse said as he watched Brennan's worry start to turn into anger.

"I could have stopped him, Jess! I should have stopped him. Then Shalimar wouldn't have gotten hurt at all." He took one last look at her and then stormed out to his room.

They all shook their heads. "Emma, I need you to take care of Jesse and can you finish with Shalimar?" Adam asked. "I'm gonna go talk to Brennan." She nodded and walked over to her friend, as Adam walked out.

Emma smiled slyly at Jesse. "What?" He asked not knowing if he really wanted to know what was going through her head.

"Take your shirt off."

"Huh?"

"Adam said I had to take care of you and I can't get to that burn unless you take your shirt off."

Jesse smiled and pulled his shirt over his head with a groan as his muscles pulled. Emma just gazed at him for a minute before letting out a breath. Jesse laughed. "Like what you see?"

Emma smiled, "Very much." She kissed him and then started fixing up his wounds.

After she finished Jesse stood up and kissed her. "Thanks," He smiled. "Now let me see the marks on your shoulder."

"They're not bad. Its ok." she remarked quickly, suddenly embarrassed.

"No. Let me see them. What's Adam gonna say if I don't treat them and they get infected." His smile was so sweet she couldn't resist.

Turning around she felt his fingers gently touch her back. "Em, they're not too bad but they still need to be cleaned and bandaged. You're gonna have to take your shirt off, now, to let me get at them.

Not looking at him she slowly lifted her torn shirt off leaving only a pink silk bra. He sensed her embarrassment and worked quickly and quietly. When he was done she felt him putting something over her head. She was shocked to see his shirt being pulled down over her. The back was burned through but it completely covered her front. After putting her arms in the sleeves she stood up and turned to finally meet his eyes.

His heart skipped a beat when he heard her softly thank him. He started toward the door but then stopped. "Hey Emma?"

"Yeah?"

"Uhh...after you finish with Shalimar do you want to watch a movie or something?"

She smiled. "That sounds great."

Jesse returned the smiled and then left.

Shalimar woke up a few minutes later, just as Emma was putting everything away. She blinked her eyes a few times to clear her vision. "Oh, where am I?" she groaned.

"Hey, it's ok." Emma soothed. "You're back in Sanctuary."

Shalimar sat up quickly...a little too quickly. Pain shot through her body and a wave of dizziness hit her like a ton of bricks. Emma had to grab her shoulders to keep her from falling. "Easy does it, Shal."

"Where's Brennan? Is he ok?" Worry and concern filled her voice.

Emma had to keep herself from laughing. She felt the same worry and love that she had felt when she was with Brennan. "He's fine." She smiled, but her smile was a little too big and her eyes too bright as she tried to hide what she now surely knew.

"Emma?" Shalimar asked narrowing her eyes.

"Hmm?"

"What's up?"

"Nothing's up." She said innocently.

"Tell me."

Emma knew Shalimar wasn't going to give up until she told her. "Why don't you just tell Brennan you love him and get it over with?"

"What?" Shalimar looked at her friend trying to act completely bewildered. "I don't love, Brennan."

"You do too! Shalimar, you can't hide it from me, I'm psionic remember?"

"Are you reading me?"

"No, you're emotions are so strong they could knock down the Eiffel Tower."

"Sorry," Shalimar blushed and looked down. "I do care about him...a lot."

"Well then, tell him." Emma encouraged.

"I can't! What if he doesn't feel the same way?"

Emma shook her head, she was going to tell her that Brennan felt the same way, but decided she should let Brennan do that. "Are you blind!? I thought ferals were supposed to have super senses. I don't need to be a psionic to tell he cares for you, Shal. Have you seen the way he looks at you and how protective he is of you?"

Shalimar blushed again. "I guess I need to talk to him, huh?"

Emma smiled and nodded. "I think he's in his room, but you might want to change before you go see him."

Shalimar looked down and noticed she had next to nothing on. "Yeah, I think you might be right." She laughed.

"Come on. I'll help you to your room." Emma took Shalimar's arm and helped her off of the bed.

"Ok, but then you'll tell me why you're wearing Jesse's shirt, right?"

~*~* Brennan's room *~*~

Shalimar stepped up to the door and listened as Brennan and Adam continued their conversation turned argument. Brennan yelled about not being able to protect her and Adam tried to tell him it wasn't his fault. When she heard Brennan yelling again she shook her head and slowly pushed the door open. Leaning against the frame she waited for one of the two men to notice she was there.

"Brennan, Jake was out of his mind. The trauma from watching his sister die drove him mad. He blamed you and wanted you dead. As for Shalimar, if she had listened to me and not took off on her own she might not have been hurt as badly. Therefore it was no fault of yours that she got hurt."

"Adam, I don't care whose fault it was. I should have been able to keep her safe!" Brennan pounded his fist against the wall and put his head down. "She would have been safe from all this if she had never known me. It would have been better that way."

Adam was about to speak again when they heard someone say, "That's not true."

Brennan snapped around when he heard the voice. He found Shalimar leaning against the door for support. "Shal!" He ran over and gathered her into his arms, but was careful not to hurt her.

Adam smiled and patted their shoulders before leaving.

"Shalimar, I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Brennan. Nothing that happened was your fault."

"But it was. If I had taken Jake down when we were at the club maybe none of this would have happened and..."

"And if you had tried, you might be dead right now." Shalimar cut him off.

He sighed and walked back over to his bed, then plopped down. Brennan gazed at her, she looked so beautiful.

"Brennan?"

"Yeah, Shal?"

She walked over and punched him hard in the shoulder.

"OW! What was that for!?"

"That's for knocking me out in the garage and taking off."

"Oh, listen, I'm sorry about that too. I didn't hurt you did I?"

"Not too badly."

Brennan nodded and smiled. "Good."

Shalimar sat down next to him and took his hand. "Ya know, I'm happy I know you and I don't want it any other way."

"Shalimar, I want you to be safe, out of harms way. You can't be if you're around me."

"Brennan, I'm a new mutant, there is no 'out of harms way' for me. You know that. It's part of who we are and what we do." She lifted his chin so he would look at her and smiled. "Thank you for doing your best to protect me." She leaned over and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, but she let it linger a little too long to just be something between friends.

When she pulled away she gave him a soft smile and stood up. "Well, I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing." Shalimar headed for the door, but stopped right before she stepped out. Biting her lip, she debated on whether or not to ask him the question that she desperately wanted the answer to. "Hey, Brennan?"

"Yeah?"

"Was what Jake said true?

"About?"

"About...umm, you being..." She shook her head. "Never mind." She started out the door and frowned, but stopped and turned when she heard Brennan speak.

"About me being in love with you?" He asked as he stood and walked over to her. She blushed and gave him a small shy smile, then put her head down.

"You know it is." He continued as he lifted her chin.

"Really?" She asked hopefully.

"Yes, really. Come here." He reached out and enveloped her in his arms. Shalimar smiled and relaxed as he held her. "I really do love you, Shal and I would like to try something between us."

She looked up with sparkles in her eyes. "I'd like that, too."

Brennan leaned down slowly and gently covered her lips with his own. Shalimar's heart raced and all the pain she was in seemed to diminish as she kissed him.

As Shalimar pulled away from the kiss she heard Brennan give a soft moan. "I think I'm gonna go to bed now." She told him as she started out.

"Wait," Brennan grabbed her hand. "Stay with me." Shalimar looked at him a bit shocked. Suddenly he realized what he had just asked. His face turned red and he started stuttering. "I mean...well...I uhh..."

Shalimar smiled and placed her fingertips gently over his lips. "I'll stay."

Relieved, Brennan let out a breath and led her over to the bed. He climbed in after her and shut the lights off. "Shalimar, I'll never let anything happen to you, again." He said as he wrapped his arms around her and placed a tender kiss to her neck.

She smiled at his soft touch. "Brennan, I know that if you could have, you would have stopped him, but you were tied up and soaking wet. I know you would never let anything happen to me." Shalimar snuggled deeper into his embrace and relaxed. "Oh, wait." She sat up as Brennan reached over and turned the light on again. Unlatching the chain from around her neck, she took Brennan's ring. "You put it in my hand before you left and I kept it on my chain so it wouldn't get lost." She handed him the ring and watched as he put it on.

Smiling, he lay back down and pulled her gently along with him. Once again turning the lights out, he pulled Shalimar close to his chest.

"I love you." She said softly as she closed her eyes and tangled her fingers with his.

"I love you too, Shal." Brennan closed his eyes and held Shalimar close as they fell asleep in each others arms.

~*~* And they lived happily ever after! That's it, all done. I'm in the process of writing another story, but it's nowhere near finished. Hope you liked this one and thank you muchly for all the reviews! *~*~

~*Fiery Feral*~