Sorry it took so long again, it's not easy when I have NO idea where this story's going. But I guess it makes it more exciting when I can change it up on you. :-)
* * *
Andy gave Loki a grand tour of Sanctuary as soon as they all got out of the Helix and Brennan tossed Loki a shirt to wear. She was showing him all the places Andy had wandered into since she was there. Lexa, Jesse, and Brennan didn't seem to mind. Shalimar, however, kept a very close eye on the oldest Burton. Standing on the second story loft, her brandy brown eyes preyed on the unsuspecting man. Her muscles tense, her senses attuned from a part of her that will always be part of an animal. Even though Shalimar just wanted to watch him, the hunter part of her was preparing to pounce. A new, close scent filled her nostrils as she heard soft footsteps on the stairs.
"You know, it's not polite to stare, Shal," Jesse began. He observed Shalimar's muscles relaxing a bit, and heard a sigh from her mouth, even though her back was facing him.
"I don't trust him, Jess. I don't think you should either," Shalimar stated. "Who knows what history he has with Lexa."
"Is it any of 'our' business?" Jesse inquired.
"Jesse, it's our Sanctuary, our home . . . we're not going to let just 'anyone' come in here, especially when he's Lexa's boyfriend," Shalimar knew the second the words flew out of her mouth, she wished she could grab them back up again.
Jesse just smiled, which surprised Shalimar. "No, he's not . . . and if Lexa trusts him, then why shouldn't we?"
Shalimar pursed her lips and looked to the sky. "Oh I dunno," she said sarcastically.
"Do I have to do this with you too?" Jesse sighed. "Lexa is part of the team and we should trust her judgment."
"I will when she stops keeping secrets from us," Shalimar said as she walked toward the stairs, before she descended toward them, she turned back toward Jesse's back. "She might be a part of the team, Jess, but she's not a part of our family." She walked down the stairs and Jesse just sighed.
'Why do I always get caught in the middle?' Jesse asked himself. 'Why am I the one that always defends Lexa?'
"Hey, Jess!" Brennan called from the ground floor. Jesse leaned over the railing, Brennan was holding a basketball with Loki at his side, both of them were looking up at him. "Wanna shoot some hoops with us?"
Jesse grinned, all his worries and thoughts were washed away as he clambered down the stairs toward his friend and the stranger. They all walked to the basketball hoop together while Shalimar and Andy watched with wonder. Andy didn't care that Loki was making friends with the two men that she admired after only a night, but she was wondering how he could play when their "Sanctuary" was only for a short period of time and beyond the mountain was a company that wanted them as guinea pigs.
Lexa walked from the rec. room to where Andy was watching. "What're you looking at?"
Andy didn't seem surprised at Lexa's intrusion. "Them," she moved her chin toward the three men. "Do you think we'll ever be safe, outside?" she inquired, turned toward her.
Lexa looked at Loki. "I don't know, I'm not going to lie to you . . . every company wants to make a leap in science. Adam Kane, have you heard of him?" she asked.
Andy's eyebrow creased. "The geneticist guy, that created us--created Mutants?" she asked, wondering if she's right.
"Yeah . . . " Lexa wanted to know how she knew that but went on. "Even though he's caused all this destruction in the balance of mankind, taking down Mason Eckhart, and all these bad people: he never really learned his lesson that he shouldn't have manipulated the genetic code of people."
Andy nodded. "So we'll be running for the rest of our lives?" Andy asked, trying to clarify Lexa's answer.
"I didn't say that . . . you and your brother are very strong mutants, and you'll be able to take care of yourselves. But to make sure that you won't be running . . . " Lexa took a step toward the direction of her bedroom. "I'm going to talk to the Dominion to make sure." Lexa walked away, leaving Andy to watch the basketball game.
Meanwhile, Shalimar was having her own speculating to do. Not watching the basketball game, but watching the stranger. Shalimar had a better look at him now, studying his movement and body language. Loki Burton was a tall man, not the Brennan towering type but he was tall enough to be threatening when he wanted to be. He was built and muscular, with protruding biceps and hard abs from the tight muscle shirt that Brennan had given him. His eyes were sapphire, and at that moment they were focused and determined. Shalimar saw no secrets or hidden agendas, unlike the first time she had looked into Lexa's eyes. Using her sense of smell, Shalimar picked up on sweat and blood. Only a hint of blood that was so small that Shalimar only got a little scent. 'Probably from those scientists', Shalimar excused. Loki had strong features in his face with high cheekbones and a nose that Brad Pitt would have been after. Tiny hairs that Shalimar zoomed in on, were sprouting from his face. 'Five o'clock shadow', Shalimar observed. His dark brown hair was scruffy and spiky in some parts that were completely natural, since Shalimar didn't smell any products. Which she doubted he had since he was in prison.
Shalimar turned away, in disgust that she was taken up in watching him that way. "Don't worry, Cowboy, once we get this straightened out: your ass will be back in Prison, "she said out loud.
Lexa walked in from her bedroom, taking a different route to avoid a discussion with Andy after this particular talk with the Dominion. Hearing what Shalimar had thought out loud, "don't be so sure of that, 'kitty'. As if Andy will ever allow it."
Shalimar didn't seem too surprised that she was there, only about what she said, so she changed the subject because she knew that Andy never would. "D'you talk to the Dominion."
Lexa smiled a little, recognizing she had won. "Yes . . . they don't know, or won't say, anything relating to Phoenix's missing computers. However, they were disappointed in our failure."
"Never the optimists, are they?" Shalimar inquired.
Lexa shook her head. "I think we're going to have to get Jess in this now . . . it's going to take a while, going through dummy corporations. No doubt Phoenix has another lab out there."
Shalimar frowned. "Well, if you want to interrupt their game . . . "
* * *
Andy gave Loki a grand tour of Sanctuary as soon as they all got out of the Helix and Brennan tossed Loki a shirt to wear. She was showing him all the places Andy had wandered into since she was there. Lexa, Jesse, and Brennan didn't seem to mind. Shalimar, however, kept a very close eye on the oldest Burton. Standing on the second story loft, her brandy brown eyes preyed on the unsuspecting man. Her muscles tense, her senses attuned from a part of her that will always be part of an animal. Even though Shalimar just wanted to watch him, the hunter part of her was preparing to pounce. A new, close scent filled her nostrils as she heard soft footsteps on the stairs.
"You know, it's not polite to stare, Shal," Jesse began. He observed Shalimar's muscles relaxing a bit, and heard a sigh from her mouth, even though her back was facing him.
"I don't trust him, Jess. I don't think you should either," Shalimar stated. "Who knows what history he has with Lexa."
"Is it any of 'our' business?" Jesse inquired.
"Jesse, it's our Sanctuary, our home . . . we're not going to let just 'anyone' come in here, especially when he's Lexa's boyfriend," Shalimar knew the second the words flew out of her mouth, she wished she could grab them back up again.
Jesse just smiled, which surprised Shalimar. "No, he's not . . . and if Lexa trusts him, then why shouldn't we?"
Shalimar pursed her lips and looked to the sky. "Oh I dunno," she said sarcastically.
"Do I have to do this with you too?" Jesse sighed. "Lexa is part of the team and we should trust her judgment."
"I will when she stops keeping secrets from us," Shalimar said as she walked toward the stairs, before she descended toward them, she turned back toward Jesse's back. "She might be a part of the team, Jess, but she's not a part of our family." She walked down the stairs and Jesse just sighed.
'Why do I always get caught in the middle?' Jesse asked himself. 'Why am I the one that always defends Lexa?'
"Hey, Jess!" Brennan called from the ground floor. Jesse leaned over the railing, Brennan was holding a basketball with Loki at his side, both of them were looking up at him. "Wanna shoot some hoops with us?"
Jesse grinned, all his worries and thoughts were washed away as he clambered down the stairs toward his friend and the stranger. They all walked to the basketball hoop together while Shalimar and Andy watched with wonder. Andy didn't care that Loki was making friends with the two men that she admired after only a night, but she was wondering how he could play when their "Sanctuary" was only for a short period of time and beyond the mountain was a company that wanted them as guinea pigs.
Lexa walked from the rec. room to where Andy was watching. "What're you looking at?"
Andy didn't seem surprised at Lexa's intrusion. "Them," she moved her chin toward the three men. "Do you think we'll ever be safe, outside?" she inquired, turned toward her.
Lexa looked at Loki. "I don't know, I'm not going to lie to you . . . every company wants to make a leap in science. Adam Kane, have you heard of him?" she asked.
Andy's eyebrow creased. "The geneticist guy, that created us--created Mutants?" she asked, wondering if she's right.
"Yeah . . . " Lexa wanted to know how she knew that but went on. "Even though he's caused all this destruction in the balance of mankind, taking down Mason Eckhart, and all these bad people: he never really learned his lesson that he shouldn't have manipulated the genetic code of people."
Andy nodded. "So we'll be running for the rest of our lives?" Andy asked, trying to clarify Lexa's answer.
"I didn't say that . . . you and your brother are very strong mutants, and you'll be able to take care of yourselves. But to make sure that you won't be running . . . " Lexa took a step toward the direction of her bedroom. "I'm going to talk to the Dominion to make sure." Lexa walked away, leaving Andy to watch the basketball game.
Meanwhile, Shalimar was having her own speculating to do. Not watching the basketball game, but watching the stranger. Shalimar had a better look at him now, studying his movement and body language. Loki Burton was a tall man, not the Brennan towering type but he was tall enough to be threatening when he wanted to be. He was built and muscular, with protruding biceps and hard abs from the tight muscle shirt that Brennan had given him. His eyes were sapphire, and at that moment they were focused and determined. Shalimar saw no secrets or hidden agendas, unlike the first time she had looked into Lexa's eyes. Using her sense of smell, Shalimar picked up on sweat and blood. Only a hint of blood that was so small that Shalimar only got a little scent. 'Probably from those scientists', Shalimar excused. Loki had strong features in his face with high cheekbones and a nose that Brad Pitt would have been after. Tiny hairs that Shalimar zoomed in on, were sprouting from his face. 'Five o'clock shadow', Shalimar observed. His dark brown hair was scruffy and spiky in some parts that were completely natural, since Shalimar didn't smell any products. Which she doubted he had since he was in prison.
Shalimar turned away, in disgust that she was taken up in watching him that way. "Don't worry, Cowboy, once we get this straightened out: your ass will be back in Prison, "she said out loud.
Lexa walked in from her bedroom, taking a different route to avoid a discussion with Andy after this particular talk with the Dominion. Hearing what Shalimar had thought out loud, "don't be so sure of that, 'kitty'. As if Andy will ever allow it."
Shalimar didn't seem too surprised that she was there, only about what she said, so she changed the subject because she knew that Andy never would. "D'you talk to the Dominion."
Lexa smiled a little, recognizing she had won. "Yes . . . they don't know, or won't say, anything relating to Phoenix's missing computers. However, they were disappointed in our failure."
"Never the optimists, are they?" Shalimar inquired.
Lexa shook her head. "I think we're going to have to get Jess in this now . . . it's going to take a while, going through dummy corporations. No doubt Phoenix has another lab out there."
Shalimar frowned. "Well, if you want to interrupt their game . . . "