Disclaimer—See Chapter One
A/N: There are small references to a character and events from "The Shock of the New" and "Deadly Desire" in this chapter. They are very slight, but are the main premise for the motivation in this story. This is the second to last chapter, only one more left after this one! This chapter should answer all your remaining questions and hopefully tie up most of the loose ends. I hope you enjoy it and I hope you enjoy the outcome of the action part of the story! The last chapter is more of an epilogue, and I will post it in a few days. (CatJerica—Good question! I wondered the same thing! To have her completely communicate with the snake would be a bit anti-climatic, but I didn't want to dismiss the idea completely either, so I tried to compromise with the line, "her eyes flashed golden in a defensive mechanism as she stared back, willing him [snake] to understand her plea." Other than that, I just kind of ignored it! J And by the way, I love your "Dun, dun, dun's!") Thank you all again so much!!
Of Wind and Wood—Chapter Fifteen
"Brennan!" Shalimar screamed in the confusion of the storm-wracked cave. He lay terrifyingly still in the dim light. Forgetting the snake, forgetting Gary, forgetting her own injuries, she scrambled forward to kneel beside him. He was partly on his right side but twisted, lying almost face up.
Her hands fluttered across his body. "Please be alright!"
A few feet away, Gary moaned and moved slightly. If he wakes up…Shalimar sucked air through her teeth. She didn't have time for this! She scampered back over to him and yanked his belt off. Pulling his arms behind his back, she reached for his feet with her other hand, ignoring the shooting pain in her arm and wound the belt twice around his ankles and wrists, jerking it tight and fastening the belt. Not very secure, but she was in a hurry.
She crawled back over to Brennan. A glistening flash of red showed that blood slicked his upper torso. Her head spun as she leaned over him; there was so much blood. She put a shaking hand on his neck, feeling his warm skin and finding a pulse. His eyes were shut, long lashes over lean, tanned cheeks.
She grabbed his shirt with both hands and tore it open. A button pinged off her forehead. The bullet hole looked so small. It was just above his left collarbone. He won't die, not from that wound. Not unless he bleeds to death. She had to get help.
Her eyes flew to his face, and her heart jumped. His eyes were open. "Brennan?" Her voice was a cracked whisper.
He grinned crookedly. "You can rip up my clothes anytime."
That destroyed what little composure she had left, and she sucked in a harsh breath, beating her fists futilely into his chest. "I thought you were dead!"
He made a small noise in his throat and pulled her close with his good arm and his mouth came over hers. Discomfort, pain, fear, any awareness of her surroundings--all disappeared in the passion that poured through that kiss. Bonelessly, she sank down beside him, feeling the reassuring warmth of his solid strength all along her side. He rolled over so she was cradled in his arms, half under him. Something warm and sticky dripped on her face. With her body humming to his kisses, it took her a second to focus on that, then she struggled. He made hushing noises and rained quick kisses along her neck that threatened to melt her all over again. She fought for focus.
"You're bleeding all over my face!"
"So?" He bent to kiss her again, the stubble of his day-old beard rough against her neck.
"And Gary, he—"
"Gary!" Brennan went rigid and sat up abruptly. His eyes swept the cave, noticing his bound feet. "You did that?"
Caught in their gaze, Gary lay perfectly still. Shalimar stared. He's not in the same position and-- "His hands are loose!"
Gary lunged towards the gun. As he moved, something slid aside with a quick, fluid movement that caught Shalimar's eye. She focused on that spot and saw the snake. It fled a few feet and then reared defensively, poised to strike. Brennan was struggling to his feet, heading for Gary. The rattler was between them.
"No! The snake!" Brennan hesitated at Shalimar's cry, and she lunged forward to grab at him. "There. It's there! The rattlesnake. He wanted it to kill me!"
Dark brown, almost black, it gleamed dully, swaying. Completely oblivious, Gary continued to hitch his way closer to the gun, and to the snake. Cursing them at the top of his lungs, he jerked forward, kicking at the belt around his feet.
"Gary! Hold still!" Brennan's bellow made Shalimar's head ring. Gary was only inches from the gun. He grabbed at it and rolled to face them. Shalimar felt Brennan's body bend, then jerk as he threw something hard. Even while the rock he had thrown was in the air, the snake struck, hitting the barrel of the gun. Gary screamed, and Brennan's rock smashed into the ground, driving an explosion of dust into the air. A quick gleam of dark liquid movement fled from the dust. Shalimar kept her eyes on the snake until it disappeared in another puff of dust behind a rock in the back of the tiny cave.
"Gary, are you hit? Did it strike twice?" Brennan's voice was amazingly steady.
"I don't know!"
"Throw the gun away so we can come help you."
Gary swore on a sobbing gasp, and the gun flew out of the dust cloud, creating another of its own as it hit. Shalimar could just see Gary, eyes shut and paper pale, lying flat on his back covered in dust. She knelt down over him. Brennan stood above her, feet planted, with the gun firmly in his hand. He loomed out of the dust fog, tall, solid, and bloody.
"Gary," Shalimar pushed his eyelid open. The pupil was huge, but it contracted to the light. "Did you get bit? Listen to me, if you had, you would feel it. Is anyplace on you numb, burning, or hurting?"
Gary was still for a minute, then he shook his head. "I don't think so." His chest rose and fell in a deep gasp, but he made no attempt to sit up, frozen in shock.
Brennan crouched down beside them, "Shal, we've got to get you help."
"Me? You're the one who just got shot." She put her hands over Brennan's and held them tightly. "You've got to be hurting worse than I am."
"In that case, let's stagger out of here together," He chuckled as he jerked Gary to his feet none too gently. He didn't resist. His face looked blank in the uncertain light. "Are you sure he's not snake bit?"
"He'd be sick by now." Shalimar shook her head in disgust.
Outside, fresh cool wind met them. Rain splattered lightly down upon them. With the rough footing, it was all they could do to stay on their feet. Prodding Gary down the slope ahead of him, Brennan slipped in the mud and fell. The grunt of pain and the slowness with which he got to his feet spoke volumes, but he kept the gun out of the mud and pointed at Gary. Shalimar's head was pounding, and she felt as if her legs belonged to a different person. If Brennan can do it, so can I. She determinedly plowed ahead, head spinning.
"Sit down," Brennan waved the gun at Gary. "You too, Shal. You're weaving on your feet."
"But we have to hurry." She was seeing double.
"And having us pass out will help? Sit."
She sat and bent over, waiting for the dizziness to recede. As soon as the worst of it passed, she looked up. Brennan's torn shirt hung open to the waist. His chest was slicked with new blood. The fall had obviously restarted the bleeding.
"Brennan, put a pressure bandage on that. You're losing too much blood."
He grinned at her. "Feeling a bit better now?"
"Yes, and you need help. Sit down."
He insisted on staying on his feet, focusing on Gary, as she ripped up his shirt to make a bandage. Under her hands, she could feel that he was shivering in long spasms.
Gary muttered something just as Shalimar finished tying the pressure pad in place.
"What—did—you--say?" Brennan kept his eyes on Gary, gun ready in his good hand. Each word was carefully articulated with a pause between, as if he was finding it difficult to speak. He swayed on his feet, then sank down onto his heels.
"Brennan!" She sank down beside him, head whipping up at the sound of footsteps. Gary was running away. Shalimar bit her lip for a moment, then let him go, turning back down to Brennan who was struggling to get back up.
"You've got to lie down and get your head low. Quit moving, you're bleeding too much."
He nodded just as his knees buckled and suddenly his full weight was on her shoulders. She sank down with him.
"Brennan?" He didn't answer. Frantically she felt for a pulse. It was there, but too fast. Using all her strength, she rolled him over. The wound was bleeding again. With both hands, she put pressure on the opening. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her breath came out in ragged sobs, waves of emotion washing over her. She touched his still face, traced his cheek with trembling fingers, blinking back tears. She had never felt so alone in her life. The spinning in her head was getting worse. She swayed to one side, and her hands slipped off the wound. Grimly, she hauled herself upright. I've got to keep the bleeding stopped. I won't let him die! I won't! Her fists closed on the pad of cloth, and she pressed them down to maintain pressure on the wound. Her cheek dropped onto his chest. The ground and sky seemed to tip and whirl drunkenly around them. Jesse? Her last coherent thought as her eyes slipped shut was shock that Jesse seemed to be suddenly standing over them.
Shalimar stared at the ceiling as awareness came slowly back over her. Where am I? Blearily she tried to bring things into focus, and she sat up with a jerk. Brennan! Pain shot through her, but she stayed upright, waiting for the dizziness to fade. But the room continued to spin and pain hammered her head. She sank back down on the bed and shut her eyes until the pain began to recede. She could remember people's hands picking her up. Being carried and then…the helix? Could that be right? She forced her eyes open and realized she was safely back in the lab at sanctuary.
"Hey." Suddenly Jesse was at her side, hands gently stilling her weak thrashing. "Shh, Shal. You're ok now, just relax."
Her eyes bounced around, trying to focus on his fuzzy face. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She whimpered in fear and frustration.
Jesse sensed her distress and clasped her hands, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Hey, hey," he soothed, "It's ok." He waited until she finally stopped trying to fight him, eyes huge in her pale face as she stared up at him. He carefully reached behind him with one hand and grasped a glass sitting on the edge of a nearby table, placing the rim near her parched lips and allowing a tiny amount to drip into mouth. She eagerly responded, and he tipped the glass again, allowing another tiny sip. She whimpered again as he pulled the glass away.
"No, Shal," he whispered, stroking her hair back from her forehead, "That's all I can let you have for now. You'll get sick otherwise."
Her eyes glared back at him.
"Thata girl," he chuckled softly, "that's what I like to see."
Her eyelids dropped shut again against her will. She sensed Jesse standing to leave after a few moments, and wanted to scream, to kick, to do anything to get his attention, but her body wouldn't move. What about Brennan? But Jesse's footsteps softly carried him away.
She didn't know how much time had past when she woke up the second time. Her eyes carefully opened and blinked, testing for pain. Her head still pounded, but the spinning was mercifully gone, and her limbs responded sluggishly to her brain's command to move. She slowly sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the lab bed. The floor was cool against her bare feet as she took a few shaky steps, pausing to glance into a small mirror lying on the nearby table. Her reflection jerked her to a stop. Her hair stuck up in filthy clumps all around a bandage. One eye was ringed with deep purple. She touched her hair, grimacing as she found it stiff with old blood. She heard footsteps behind her and began to speak as she gingerly turned around.
"You couldn't have at least washed my hair, Jess—"
Brennan stood before her, pale under his tan and with one arm in a sling. Shalimar staggered backward and plopped on the bed.
"Brennan?" Her voice came out in a squeak.
The bed dipped as he sat beside her, his strong arm coming around her as she suddenly began to choke back sobs. "You're ok?"
"Hey, what's this?" Brennan tried to turn her head towards him, but she resisted so that his kiss landed on her ear.
Her words came out in jerks. "You were losing so much blood, and then Jesse didn't say anything about you, and I couldn't see you, so I thought—" She gulped. Her nose was running, and she had no tissue. She twisted away from him and stumbled to grab the tissue box on the table. "Sorry," She mopped at her face.
Brennan followed and held her tight. This time she didn't resist. He stood like a rock, holding her. The weight of his arm around her, the feel of his strength surrounding her was wonderful. She turned her face into him, breathing in his warmth. For a long time, they stood like that.
He lifted her face and kissed her lightly, then smiled and touched her hair. "You look amazing."
"I know," she chuckled, "I just discovered my reflection before you came in." She hesitated. "Brennan, what was Gary trying to do?"
His smile faded and she felt him stiffen slightly.
"Brennan?"
He led her back to the bed and sank down with her.
"What happened?"
He sighed and glanced away, eyes hard. "It was my fault."
"What?" She tried to search his face.
He shrugged and met her gaze for a brief moment, expression unreadable. "Turns out it's just another case of my past coming back to haunt me."
"Brennan," She lifted a weak hand, cupping his cheek. His eyes dropped shut, and she felt him shudder as he leaned into her touch.
"I almost got you killed, Shal."
"Brennan," She turned his face towards hers, "Brennan stop. Tell me what happened."
He spoke with his eyes still closed. "Gary is Tony's brother. He blamed me for his brother's death and wanted revenge."
"Oh, Bren," Her thumb stroked his pale cheek.
His eyes opened and met her, and she sucked in a breath at the pain registered in them. "Apparently he was working for a credit card company and couldn't believe his luck when the credit request for our trip came across his desk. He felt it was fate giving him his chance to avenge his brother's death." She stayed silent, holding his gaze with a tender look. He sighed again before continuing in a dull tone. "So he got himself signed up as a guide and watched me, waiting for a chance to kill me. When he saw you, he decided that—that hurting you would be better. He wanted me to feel the same pain he felt when he lost Tony." Brennan pulled away from her embrace and stood up, arm wrapped around himself as he began to pace the lab.
"But why hurt the others?" Shalimar's eyes kept pace with him.
"They were accidents, he claims. Said that Ben had a crush on you and so spent a lot of time watching you. He stumbled upon Gary spying on us through our tent one night. He said the lantern gave off just enough light so he could see us." His voice trailed away as he shuddered. "He watched us, Shal. All night."
She flinched, but didn't speak, waiting for him to continue.
"When Ben confronted him, threatening to tell you, he killed him, then decided to make it look like he sabotaged the boat. Figured it would be easier to kill us on foot." He paused, hand tiredly rubbing the back of his neck, "So he staged his own disappearance and waited until he could catch you alone. He knew about my powers, Tony had told him, but he didn't know right away about you. He kept trying to get close to you, but you kept hearing him, until that night you were so drugged. He would have killed them all, one-by-one, if that's what it took to get to me." He leaned against the table, burying his face in his free hand.
Shalimar came up behind him, wrapping both arms around him as she pressed herself into his back. "I'm sorry, Brennan."
He groaned and turned around, sliding into her arms and burying his nose into her hair. The smell of blood made him feel sick, but he held onto her as she snuggled deeper into his chest. She pulled back as a thought suddenly struck her.
"How did we end up back here?"
Brennan gave a wry snort. "Jesse. Turns out I at least did one thing right. He heard me when I was trying to call for help after you disappeared. He and Lexa got there just in time to find us and catch Gary. They sent in help for the rest of the group as well."
Shalimar ducked down to meet his eyes as he stared at the floor. "Brennan, you did nothing wrong. You have to stop always blaming yourself for the actions of others. With all we've been through, we've learned that if nothing else."
Brennan stared at her for a long moment and then he moved, his lips on hers in a desperate kiss. They ended with his good arm around her and her head leaning on his chest. She sighed as she reached up and touched his cheek gently. "No matter what we go through, as long as we're together, we will rise up again, stronger than before."
He nodded; his eyes so tender she wanted to weep. "Together." His smile warmed her as he lowered his head to kiss her again, and she happily met him in a long kiss that made her dizzy in a way that had nothing to do with her head injury.
There really was no place like home.
