By: lornein
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine.
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It was amazing how beautiful the world looks when you're in love. You pay more attention to every single detail around you, looking at things with a whole new perspective and things always look cheerful. You associate every single tid bit happening around you with the person you love and you end up recollecting all the precious moments you had spent with that person. That was exactly how Brennan Mulwray was feeling. Although it was cold, freezing actually but still he felt none of it. All of his body was tingling with a gentle warmth as he held on to the hand of the woman he loved. She smiled at him tenderly, enough to melt his bones and make him want to take her in his arms but he smiled back and turned his mind back to their actual objective of coming to that particular place.
It was nothing special. Just a small park and an even smaller bench that sat at the middle of the park. Shalimar could remember all of the times that Emma and her had come here. Usually when one of them was upset or needed to talk, they would sit here for long minutes before actually starting a conversation. Shalimar still could feel her presence, as if Emma was waiting for her to start a conversation. She felt hot, acid tears stinging her eyes and looked back into the face of her emotional support. She immediately felt a warm hand trace gentle circles on her spine as she was pulled into an even warmer hug.
"I…I am sorry Bren. I had no right of dragging you into-" Shalimar was cut off as gentle lips kissed her ear before whispering.
"Ssshhh…it's okay. I am here because I want to. Besides I have already given you the permission to drag me wherever and whenever you want me. Remember?" Brennan asked again, his lips drawing slight patterns on her neck as he used his fingers to dry her tears.
It was Shalimar's turn to smile now. She took his hand and gently kissed the palm before answering him with a question, "You do know what you are to me right?"
Brennan looked into her eyes and her smile, "Your personal slave?" he carefully tried to lighten he situation.
She kissed him again before answering, "That too. But you are known as something else too." Shalimar smiled at him.
"And what would that be?"
"The man I love." She answered before drawing him in another kiss that left them both breathless.
"I love you Shalimar." Brennan answered between short breaths.
"I love you Brennan. Okay before we get too sappy, let's head back to sanctuary. They'll be wondering where we disappeared."
"You're right. But I just can't stop saying it. I guess it's just that all these feelings have been bottled up inside me so long that they tend to burst out at odd moments. I love you…oops there I go again." Brennan said as he tried to grab her.
"No more now mister. We'll see how many times you can say those words tonight, after I am through with you. For now, let's get back." Shalimar almost shrieked as she quickly moved aside before he could grab her.
***
"So far what do we have Jesse?" Shalimar asked as she looked through some of the emails from the various safehouses around the country.
"We have what we had before, nothing." Jesse chuckled before getting back to work.
"Very funny buster. You do realize that we have to find Adam. By the way, what are you working on?" Shalimar put an arm around his shoulders.
"Just some new identities for those two mutants that wanted to be placed underground."
"What are they?" Shalimar asked.
"Well, Samantha here is a Psionic, not too sure what her powers are though. And Chris is a elemental-molecular hybrid, thermal elemental and super speed. They are currently at safehouse 113. Hey Shal, could you do me a favor and drop off these ids at the safehouse?"
"Sure. Hand them over when you're ready." Shalimar looked at Jesse's face. He looked tired and worn out. He hadn't shaved for a few days and dark circles were starting to form under his eyes. Shalimar felt sorry for him and ashamed at her own attitude.
"Hey Jess." She licked her lips before carefully choosing her words as Jesse looked into her eyes.
"What is it Shal?" he was immediately concerned.
She smiled at his attitude before continuing, "I am sorry for the way I have acted the past two weeks. I guess I wasn't ready to accept what happened. I will understand completely if you would like to stop looking for Adam. But Jess…I can't help but think that he is still out there, what if he's lost and doesn't remember anything? You remember the time that the Griffin character got to him don't you? What if the same thing happened again?"
Shalimar looked into Jesse's face for confirmation but instead Jesse pulled her into a hug.
"Shalimar, you remember the time when we first met? I was scared and confused and had no one to turn to. Do you recall what you said to me then?" Jesse gently pulled away from the hug as he urged her to continue.
"Yeah, you were so young and you wouldn't even eat or sleep. You clung to your laptop like a security blanket." A fond grin formed on Shalimar's face as she remembered the past.
"That's right. And that day you said to me to never be scared, to take life as it comes. Because after every night, there is another sunrise, and every sunrise brings new hope, and there is always hope for a new beginning. You pulled me through Shal. You were my sunrise. Don't ever say sorry for feeling what you are feeling. I will be there for you till the end of days, if it's the last thing I do." Jesse's eyes shone as he spoke to her.
"And Shal?"
"What honey?" Shalimar asked sensing how vulnerable Jesse felt at that moment.
"No matter what happened, he's still Adam. I am confident that he will find a way to get back to us. Meanwhile you have to be strong, since I am supposed to be your little brother, you have to be strong for the two of us." Jesse smiled at her blinking away his own tears. Shalimar laughed out loud for the first time that week before pulling Jesse into another hug.
"Any room for your real 'honey'" Brennan's voice from the doorway signified that he had heard the entire conversation.
Shalimar's face brightened up hearing Brennan's voice. She pulled away from Jesse and kissed him on the cheek before opening her arms to Brennan.
He swiftly pulled her to him and she buried her face in his chest.
Shalimar gently tilted her face upwards to meet Brennan's lips. He gently threaded his fingers through her hair as their kiss deepened.
"There is always room for my real honey." Shalimar whispered as they parted reluctantly.
"Eeeww you guys. Are you two on a sugar high or something."? Jesse tried to sound disgusted but the happiness that he felt at the sight of his two friends together contradicted his tone.
Brennan and Shalimar shared another kiss before Brennan answered him, "Fall in love Jess, then we'll see how you handle a sugar high." Shalimar nodded as she rested her head against Brennan's shoulder.
"Eh…we'll see Bren. For now, Shal I'm done with the ids. Will you take them?" Jesse waved the two cards in his hands.
"Sure Jess. Safehouse 113 right?"
"Right." Jesse said as he handed the ids to Shalimar.
"You want me to come with you baby?" Brennan asked as he helped Shalimar put on her coat.
"No way buddy. You're on research duty for Adam today. Get to it. Chop, chop." Jesse made a funny gesture with his hands earning a laugh from Shalimar and a scowl from Brennan.
"I'll see you tonight." Shalimar said out loud as she leaned in to kiss Brennan. Then toning her voice down for his ears only she whispered, "You better be ready for tonight. Can't wait till you see me wear what I bought yesterday. It's almost nothing." She raised her eyebrows at him as his eyes danced with mischief.
"Good. Can't wait."
Shalimar gave him one of her sexy grins before turning on her heels and walking out of the room.
"You are so whipped." Jesse said as he noticed the expression on Brennan's face watching Shalimar leave.
"Shut up Kilmartin. Don't make me hurt you." Brennan let small sparks dance on his fingertips.
"Oooh I am shivering, get to work you lovesick puppy." Jesse gave a small laugh before he left the room.
"Yeah, lovesick is the word." Brennan quietly muttered to himself with a grin spreading from ear to ear.
***
Shalimar entered the numeric code on the keypad for entrance to the safehouse.
"Hey." She simply said to the man who was moving so fast that he was almost blurry. He came to a halt at once and sat down in an instant on a nearby sofa.
"You must be Chris. I am Shalimar." She said as she herself sat on a chair and extended her hand.
"That's me. I heard about you from Lexa, you're a feral right?" he asked as he took her outstretched hand.
"That's right. Isn't there supposed to be another person here? A girl." Shalimar looked around.
"Yeah, Sam, um…I mean Samantha. She was.. um… feeling a little sick, so I told her to get some rest." Chris fumbled with his words.
"Is everything alright? Is there something I can do?" Shalimar was concerned about the sick mutant.
"No..um… no. This has happened before. She gets better in a few days."
"What has happened before? I was told Samantha was a Psionic, is it her powers?" Shalimar was puzzled at Chris's words.
"Yes and no. You see Samantha has some unusual powers. By mutancy she is a Psionic precog and telempath combined, but we have been told that she is a powerful medium as well." Chris hurriedly finished his words.
"A medium for what?" Shalimar was lost.
"A medium is a person who can act as a bridge between the human world and the spirit world. The barriers separating her from the two worlds are very thin." Chris said again.
"You mean ghosts? She sees dead people?" Shalimar formed a smile on her face.
"Not ghosts Shalimar, spirits. It's the essence of a human being still left in the mortal realm. Samantha can act as a tool for that essence to communicate with the living, breathing world around us."
"Riiight. Okay so why do you guys want to be placed underground? New mutants hardly want that anymore since the downfall of the GSA." Shalimar looked to change the topic.
"Don't believe me if you don't want to, but it's true. Anyways, as you asked, I want to start afresh with Samantha. Too many people know what she is and what she can do. I am afraid that she won't survive much longer if all the attention continues." Chris sounded sad to Shalimar.
"Why is that? As you told me, if you believe she has all those powers, you guys can make a fortune. Although that does have the possibility of exposing mutants. You are making a good choice Chris." Shalimar said as she tried to weigh the pros and cons.
"Yes, but what you should know is that everytime Samantha's powers as a medium are utilized, it takes a lot out of her. She almost died the last time she did that. I am scared that she won't survive much longer if the same situation persists."
"I am sorry. Here, we made you new ids. There is some cash in here too and an address. Check in with us when you reach your destination." Shalimar said as she handed over the packet to Chris.
"Thanks Shalimar. Thanks to Mutant X." Chris stood from his chair.
"No problem. I hope you and Sam find what you're looking for." Shalimar gave Chris's shoulder a squeeze before turning to go out of the door.
"WAIT…you're Shalimar Fox." Shalimar stopped where she was abruptly before turning back. She looked back to find a small, almost fragile girl looking at her with piercing blue eyes. Her long blond hair was disshelved and she was shaking uncontrollably.
"Yes, that's me. Are you okay?" Shalimar asked as she saw Chris running to the girl's side.
"You are the one. Shalimar Fox from Mutant X. It's you she wants to talk to." The girl almost screamed as she tried to break free from Chris's gentle grasp.
"Who wants to talk to me? What do you mean?" Shalimar asked confusedly.
"What does the name Emma de lauro mean to you?" The girl was almost frantic now.
"Emma…" Shalimar felt a shiver run through her as she heard her dead teammate's name.
***
"Any luck yet?" Lexa asked as she went to stand beside Brennan.
"Don't tell me that you care Lexa." Brennan didn't remove his eyes from the monitor.
Lexa gave a snort, "You know me well. I was actually wondering if you'd like to have an encore of last week? You know at the club?" She asked toying with his shirt sleeve.
Brennan didn't even feel sorry for her as he jerked his hand back from her and moved away. Lexa frowned as she noticed his actions, then her frown deepened as realization dawned upon her.
"Is it because of Shalimar?" She didn't feel the need to be answered.
Brennan knew that he had to end it once and for all. He looked towards her with apathy in his eyes before continuing, "That is irrelevant here. You're a friend Lexa, but that's what you'll remain, always."
Lexa didn't say another word, she silently left the room as Brennan breathed a sigh of relief.
***
"Emma…" Shalimar repeated feeling lightheaded.
The girl called Samantha had come to stand beside Shalimar and took her hand.
"Don't be scared Shalimar. Emma has been contacting me for a few days since we arrived here. She wants to talk to you." Samantha said carefully leading Shalimar to a nearby sofa.
"But…but Emma's dead. The dead don't contact people." Shalimar was bewildered.
"Yeah…but my luck has it so that they do contact me. Do you want to talk to her Shalimar?" Samantha asked.
Shalimar was still trying to take it all in. Was she dreaming, was this reality? She had no precise answer at that moment, but every fibre in her being was vibrating. She was feeling nauseous.
"Shalimar." Samantha repeated her name, "Do you want to talk to Emma?"
"Yes…oh yes Samantha. Can you make it happen?"
"Ofcourse. Just take my hand and concentrate."
Shalimar took Samantha's hand and closed her eyes. In her mind, she pictured Emma smiling and laughing as she used to, in her most innocent way.
ZAP
Shalimar felt a flapping sound near her ear as she opened her eyes. To her utter surprise she found herself in the same park that she and Emma had been to numerous times and where she took Brennan only earlier today. She found that she was sitting on the same bench that they always sat on. Moreover, Shalimar sensed a presence. It was her, no mistake about it. She was here. Shalimar turned her head to observe all directions but did not come across anyone.
"Relax Shal. I am here." Shalimar's eyes widened as she heard the all familiar voice speak to her.
"Emma…Emma. Is this a dream?" Shalimar's voice became choked.
"Nope. This is really me Shal." There was a streak of laughter in the voice.
"Where are you? I can't see you." Shalimar looked in all directions again.
"Sorry, but there are some disadvantages of being dead. You won't be able to see me, but I'm here." Emma's voice was calm.
"Oh god, I am so sorry Emma. I am sorry that I couldn't protect you. I am sorry that you had to die." Shalimar felt tears stinging her eyes again.
"There was nothing you could do Shal. Death can never be altered." Emma sighed.
"I miss you so much. How am I supposed to go on without my best friend huh?" Shalimar absently rubbed off her tears.
"You will move on. And you will get married, have children and be happy. Then one day when you leave this world behind, you will see me again. But until then, I will be watching over you Shalimar." Emma's voice was deep and soothing to Shalimar.
"I told Brennan that I loved him. We got together Emma."
"Good, Brennan loves you too. More than anything. Now do you believe me when I say you guys were soulmates from the beginning?"
"Yeah, you were always right. About everything." Shalimar's lips curled in a small smile.
"What about Adam, Emma? Will we see him again?" Shalimar asked.
"Adam's not dead Shal. As for whether you'll see him again, I don't know but don't give up on him." Emma's voice was fading.
"I won't. Are you happy where you are now?" Shalimar desperately wanted to cling to Emma's presence.
"I am content Shal. Being a guardian angel for you three isn't an easy job though."
Shalimar smiled before continuing, "Will I ever see or hear you again?"
"As I said, one day, but not now. Good bye Shalimar."
ZAP
"Hey are you okay?" Shalimar could hear Chris's voice surrounding her as he supported an unconscious Samantha in his arms.
"What? Huh?" Shalimar opened her eyes again to find herself in the all familiar safehouse.
"I said are you okay?" Chris asked again as he laid down Samantha on a couch.
"What?…Oh, I am fine. How is she?"
"She'll be okay in a minute."
"Take care of her Chris, she's precious." Shalimar said again as she turned on her heels feeling more happy than she had felt in a long ,long time.
***
"Oh my god. I still having a had time believing this." Brennan ran his fingers through Shalimar's golden locks as she laid her head on his bare chest.
"Yeah, but it happened Brennan. I am happy that it happened."
"Me too. Hey Shal, did Emma say anything about when you would be getting married?" Brennan asked, as he flipped them over and buried his face in her neck, raining small kisses on her.
"No, but I am open to ideas." Shalimar ran her hands over Brennan's back.
"I'd say very soon." Brennan said again as they started a dangerously slow rhythm.
Shalimar pulled Brennan's mouth to her own and sucked in his lip. He ran his hands over her body before entangling them in her hair. Brennan looked in to her eyes as he felt their combined release and moaned a broken echo of her name as she did the same with his.
"Why do I forget everything when I am with you?" Shalimar asked she felt Brennan exploring her face with his gentle lips.
"I don't know. I'd say the same reason why I forget everything when I'm with you."
As they kissed Shalimar knew that a new beginning was coming, they had left a fallen teammate behind and were still looking for a missing leader, but in the midst of all the catastrophes, there was still hope.
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I wrote this because so many of you asked me to do a sequel and I love all you guys:-):-)…This was long and took me some time. Tell me your opinions!!