This is the last chapter. Its not really an ending because I am planning on writing a third part to this story. I wasn't going to but Mutant X still has to finish off the Dominion once and for all and Lexa and Jesse have to officially find out about Brennan and Shalimar. Its becoming a little more like the real show what with the whole oncoming war but I haven't even seen any of season 3 so totally not my fault.
I have many thank you messages, which I don't normally do but I've had some really good reviews this time round so I think you deserve it.
Firstly, thank you to everyone who reviewed at some point: Sunstar, PeTiTeCaT, Impulse 5, Mayra, Cristina. I love getting compliments and I love hearing that you're enjoying my story simply for the sake of enjoying a good story.
Secondly, thank you to those of you who reviewed more than once: Laily, Alex Flower, Amon-ra1996, CatJerica, Mutant X fan, Fiery Feral, canadian-chic14, deathlioness, prin69. Again, I appreciate that you follow the story and that you take the time to review everytime you read a chapter.
And thirdly, to my three most faithful reviewers. Vivianna: getting reviews from a fellow Bren/Shal shipper is always nice, atleast then I know I'm writing them okay which is always a priority. And I like how you pick out specific bits, it reassures me that you've really been paying attention. Mfkngst: you have reviewed every chapter for me and I really appreciate that. You always encourage me and fans like you are the reason I continue to write. And last but definitely not least, Love Conquers: you have been such a help to me. You have reviewed every chapter and you provide me with such helpful criticism. You always seem to enjoy my updates and you write about them with such passion. Compliments coming from a fantastic writer such as yourself are so encouraging. I also owe you a huge thanks for all the Mutant X updates, all the episode synopsis', all the Brennan/Shalimar emails you've sent me...thank you so much.
Thanks to everyone who read this, if I forgot to mention you I'm hugely sorry. Please review this chapter, its the last one and I would love you all for it.
I hope you all enjoyed this story, I enjoyed writing it.
'Hey,' she said quietly, reluctant to break the stillness of Sanctuary at night.
'Hey yourself,' he replied. He watched as she walked towards him, the sound of her shoes beating out a steady rhythm across the floor. As she moved closer he caught a whiff of her perfume, a mixture of smells, all of them mingling with each other and the scent of the garden. He had no idea how long he had been sitting there. Minutes had turned into hours and hours were gradually but surely turning into the middle of the night. He found it hard to believe that time moved consistently, that all minutes were the same length of time. When he kissed Lexa, when he even saw her out of the corner of his eye time faded away into the background, but those moments were gone all too quickly. And yet, when he was faced with the mortality of two of the best people he knew time slowed down, to the point where it almost stopped. Working on Shalimar had been too hard. He had known her for years as this tough feral, who could handle anything and although that position had been shaken many times since he had first met her he had still always seen her that way. In so many ways he was angry with her. He understood her intentions, she had wanted to be near Brennan but it didn't excuse all the pain they were all going through now. She shouldn't have hid it from him of all people. If she wanted to act tough she could do it in front of Lexa but not him, he didn't deserve that kind of treatment. They were family, whether or not they shared blood.
She sat down next to him. He was frustrated, she could sense that much. And she had a feeling as to why. Shalimar hiding her head wound to the point where it became almost fatal was bound to be tougher on Jesse than anyone else. But Lexa could empathise with Shalimar. She had just wanted to be able to help Brennan and Lexa had the distinct feeling that if she had been in the same position and it had been Jesse lying in the lab that she would have done exactly the same thing.
'I know you're angry right now,' she said, wrapping her arm around his back, 'and I know that talking is probably not particularly high up on your list of things to do. But if you do want to talk to someone, I'm here. And I'll be here until hell freezes over,' she said confidently. She stood up, glancing at his face as she did so. The corners of his mouth had lifted and the intense lines which had adorned his forehead were fading. She was glad to have helped but it had been a selfish move. She didn't like seeing Jesse unhappy, it had an adverse effect on her own emotions.
'Thank you,' he said as she began to walk away.
'Think nothing of it,' she replied as she coyly looked over her shoulder. She smiled at him before making her way back to her room. There was a hot shower waiting with her name on it. The room was silent except for the constant whir of the air conditioning. Brennan had lived with it for so long though that it had become part of the background noise, he didn't notice it anymore. He knew that if it was one day turned off he would miss it, the world wouldn't feel the same. And in that way it was a slightly unflattering metaphor for Shalimar. She played loud music and she ate Mexican food which stank the whole building out and she never tidied up after herself. But he missed her already. The music and the food and the mess were part of who she was and they had become a part of what Mutant X was. He missed her turning the radio down when he asked her to but only after she had pretended to not be able to hear him at first; he missed that she always offered him food even when he had a plate full of it all to himself; and he especially missed the mess, the fact that he had to clear up after her all the time like she was a child who needed to be taken care of.
He hated himself for not taking care of her. He knew she couldn't stand his overprotective attitude towards her because she could take care of herself as she frequently reminded them all, it was frustrating to her but he couldn't help it. The fact that it was purely selfish had probably never even crossed her mind. She assumed he did it because he didn't trust her but it was really because he couldn't stand seeing her like this, lying in the lab at Sanctuary, her face pale, her pulse weak, her eyes closed, looking for all the world like she was asleep. But Brennan knew the truth, he knew how fragile she was, how delicate. He was probably the only one who did, the only one who ever really got to see Shalimar's vulnerable side.
He blinked, his eyeballs burning from lack of sleep. He raised a hand and rubbed them, trying to alleviate some of the pain he was experiencing. He ran his hand across his forehead and through his disheveled hair, keeping his eyes closed. As his hand dropped to his side he opened them and saw two chocolate brown irises looking into his own, concern etched into them. He gasped and raised his eyebrows, a million thoughts running through his head, the primary one being that it wasn't real, he was imagining things, seeing what he wanted to see and in a minute he would wake up to discover that he had done a Sunset Beach and it had all in fact been a dream.
She looked at his careworn face. It looked like the number of wrinkles across his forehead had increased ten fold whilst she had been asleep. She lifted her arm from the lab chair and raised it to his face, her fingers brushing against day old stubble. The roughness felt good, it made it all seem a little more real, although the pain in the back of her head was doing a pretty good job of that.
As he felt her skin make contact with his he let out a deep sigh. She was really awake and he was really there. He grabbed her hand with his own, not wanting her to stop. As he did she let out a sob, tears filling her eyes until they spilled over the edge. She had been so worried that he wouldn't be awake when she woke up, or that Jesse and Lexa would have been forced to break the news that Brennan was gone to her. Her chin crinkled as she closed her eyes and felt the tears fall from beneath her lashes, dripping down onto the bed beneath her. He reached forward and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her into a tight hug, feeling her tiny frame close against his own, wrapping his arms around her back, engulfing her.
She pulled back from him and looked into his dark brown eyes, the ones that had comforted her so many times, through so much. She placed both her hands on his cheeks and smiled slightly, her eyes shining. She pulled him towards her and pressed her lips against his own, relishing the touch as they kissed. She felt him kiss her back and as he did she wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him yet closer. She lay back down on the bed and pulled him down with her, both of them choosing to ignore their own pain against Jesse and Lexa's advice.
After forever seemed to have passed they pulled apart, gasping for breath, leaning into one another.
'So, how badly do you think Jesse and Lexa are going to kill us?' Shalimar asked.
'What for? Undoing all their good medical work or not telling them about us?' Brennan answered, chuckling as he did.
'Both,' Shalimar replied with a giggle.
He brushed his thumb against her cheek, enjoying the appearance of colour to her previously pallid skin.
'How about we don't tell them?' he said.
'About what?' she replied coyly.
'Both,' he said, causing them both to laugh, releasing a large majority of the tension which had built up over the past couple of days.
'I just don't wanna ruin this,' he continued more seriously. 'I don't wanna let anything external become a factor in this thing we have, even if it is them.'
'I know what you mean,' she said quietly, nuzzling into his neck. 'You think they're gonna tell us about them?' she asked, walking up behind Jesse as he looked through the glass to the lab.
'I don't know,' he replied, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, feeling her damp hair seep through his top.
'You know what we have to do if they don't, right?'
She looked up at him, a smirk and raised eyebrows adorning her face.
'I have no idea what you're talking about Lexa Pierce,' he replied, feigning innocence as they turned around and he took her hand leading her away from the lab. 'But we could definitely have some fun with this,' he said, the mock innocence gone, both of them laughing, lost in their own world.