SHALIMAR'S END

Jesse found Emma hidden in one of the nooks of Sanctuary, knees up to her chin and eyes as blank as he remembered Shalimar's once being, a long time ago.

Kneeling in front of her, Jesse lifted her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. She focused on his face for a moment and then pulled away. He sighed and took a seat beside her.

"She's fading Emma. She needs you to be there for her."

"It wasn't supposed to be like this Jesse. We were supposed to be together, a family. They can't leave me like this."

"Adam's working to save the baby, Emma. But he can't do it if Shalimar doesn't hold on. She needs you Emma, to help her hold on." Emma stood in one movement, stepping out of Jesse's reach and hovering there a moment.

"She was Shalimar's dream, Jesse. I don't know if I could do it without her. The baby's probably better off"

"No Emma!" The edge of sharpness, harshness in Jesse's voice made her stop. "You can't do that to her. She needs you. We can help you through what comes after that. We will, you won't have any choice in the matter. But for now all you need to do is go and sit by the side of the woman who loves you as she lives through the one thing she's been striving for her whole life. Don't make do this alone when you had the chance to be there."

Jesse's hand on her shoulder was a force, pushing her onwards. She hesitated in the doorway and Jesse allowed her the time to look on. Adam glanced up at her, acknowledging her with a nod before turning back to what he was doing. A screen had been erected around Shalimar's lower half, hiding her away as Adam worked. Shalimar was still, very still, her arms limp at her sides, her face relaxed. Emma couldn't hold back a whimper. She was too late. Shalimar was

But a flicker of eye-lids stopped the thought in its tracks. Their eyes met and Shalimar smiled. A hand uncurled from her side, beckoning Emma in. Even the simple effort of holding her arm out seemed too much, as Shalimar's hand trembled as Emma took it, taking it to her lips to kiss it softly.

"Hey." Came the soft murmur. "Where'd you go?"

"I got a little lost, that's all. I'm here now."

"Good." She paused for a moment, closing her eyes as if she would fall asleep. She opened her eyes again with visible effort and there was a tiredness hidden in their depths. "Oh Emma, I'm so sorry." A shudder ran through her and her eyes closed once more, her arm becoming a dead weight in her hand. Adam called for Jesse's help as he and Brennan began to hurry in their actions.

"Shalimar?" Emma asked, voice wavering. "Oh Shalimar, don't do this to me." She begged. "Please don't" Brown eyes reappeared.

"I'm sorry." The voice was almost inaudible now, a ragged whisper. "I'm just so tired." She seemed to come back into herself a little, looking up and around her self. A spark reappeared in her eyes, no longer dulled by tiredness. "That's not right." She whispered, stronger than before. "Adam, that's not right." She was struggling upright now, taking both Emma and Brennan to hold her down. "What isn't she crying?" She sobbed. Emma looked up to find Adam stood by the secondary scanner, the incubator positioned beneath the beam. He didn't seem to hear Shalimar, or if he did he was ignoring her. Emma's heart skipped a few beats. No not after all this

There was no noise from the heated box as the beam scanned.

"Adam?" Emma's voice was nothing but a whisper as she struggled to breathe in the consuming silence. Jesse and Brennan shared a glance. Even Shalimar had stilled, slumped back on the bed, her eyes following Emma's face for any sign any sign.

Adam bowed his head and - against all of their expectations - reached down into the insulated box and pulled out a bundle of blankets, bearing them with an air of ceremony back to the couple.

"She's fine Shalimar, better than I ever could have expected." He offered the bundle to her and Shalimar looked up at Emma, the joy rolling out and around her in waves which almost forced Emma to close her eyes with their brilliance.

"Help me? I'm not sure I'm strong enough to hold her?" She asked, almost ashamedly. Carefully Emma reached around Shalimar, putting her own arms under hers and together they looked down on the face of their child as Adam placed her safe in the cradle of her mother's' arms. And she smiled up at them, knowing nothing of the salty drops falling on her soft, soft skin.

"Shalimar?" Two pairs of tear-streaked eyes met Adam's smiling ones. "Do you see this?" He was pointing at a print-out and Shalimar spent a moment trying to focus on what was displayed there.

"No," She replied, giving up and laying back, "Explain it to me anyway." Adam frowned his concern before returning his attention to the piece of paper. "This gene sequence here I would have expected to be feral, it's not. It's been replaced by a psionic sequence. And here," His finger moved further down the page, "And here," He pointed out the third altered sequence. He paused. "She's going to be able to have children of her own, Shalimar. I didn't do this, it happened naturally through the combination of your genes. At some point in the future you may end up with grandchildren, maybe even great grandchildren." Shalimar sighed softly, smiling in indescribable joy. Adam looked up, frowning again. "Emma, if you wouldn't mind taking her?" Nodding, Emma gently kissed Shalimar on her forehead and lifted the tiny child from her arms. "I'm going to do two scans, the second will be a stabil"

"Ah, ah." She interrupted. "No more" She waved her hands in an all-encompassing gesture. "Fussing." She finally decided on.

"But"

"There are things that need saying right now. I'm not going to be able to say them trapped under a field, even if it does mean that time is short."

"But Shalimar"

"Adam. You see that over there? That's my child and the love of my life. I don't need any longer. I've done everything I ever set out to do. Thank you for making it possible." Adam opened his mouth as if to object again, but simply nodded instead.

"OK then." He bent and laid a kiss on her cheek. "Ok." He repeated, stepping away.

"Jesse, where did you go?" Shalimar called.

"I'm here." He took her hand and she smiled up at him unfocusedly.

"I needed to tell you something."

"What was that?" He asked when she didn't go on.

"I love her, and I'll love her forever. I haven't forgotten what you told me all that time ago. I love them both more than anything, more than anything, you understand? It was the right thing to do." Jesse couldn't reply, simply nodding as best he could through vision clouded by tears.

"I know Shal. I'm so sorry I didn't realise straight away. I'm so sorry"

"It's your turn now, to go out there and find your someone." She smiled absently. "Come here." She said, kissing each of his tear stained cheeks. "Now stop being such a cry-baby and send Brennan over here." Brennan appeared at her side a moment later. She beckoned him down, taking hold of his shirt collar as soon as he was near enough and pulling herself up to kiss his cheek. Holding him where he was she looked into his eyes unfocusedly. "You will look after them, understand? You will keep them safe."

"Always." He promised.

This settled, she turned back to Emma. Moving back to her side, Emma lay the wriggling child between them and leant over to kiss Shalimar gently. Shifting so that she could reach over, Shalimar traced the tiny features of the baby, smiling as her finger was grasped tightly.

"She's so beautiful." She murmured softly.

"Of course she is, she's ours." Emma smiled, pushing away her tears. She was gratified to see Shalimar smile in reply. "What's her name?" Emma asked, realising that as yet she had none.

"I'm too tired to think of names. You decide." Emma thought for a moment.

"Sandra." She said eventually. "You, young lady, should be called Sandra." The baby giggled and both parents smiled at the first sound their child had made.

"Sandra." Shalimar whispered. And in that breath she died.