Disclaimer—See Chapter One

A/N: A little bit more will be revealed for you in this chapter…but still not quite everything! I also wanted to give Bren and Shal a bit of a break from all the angst, so no cliffhanger this time! :) So I hope you enjoy it! (Lady Elizabeth—thank you so much for all the reviews from my other stories. I can't believe you read them all in one day! I about fell over in my chair when I saw so many reviews in my inbox—I loved it!) Thank you everyone so much!!

Things Best Known—Chapter Eight

His words echoed through her mind long after he said them. I'm doing this for you. She couldn't remember ever feeling so conflicted before as she stared at his blood on her hands. His blood. She was angry with him for hurting her, and so she had hurt him instead. She hadn't meant to, and she winced as she heard him hiss in pain through the half-open bathroom door.

"Brennan, I'm sorry."

He turned from rising out a cloth in the sink to see her leaning against the frame of the bathroom door. He could see the pain and confusion in her eyes, and suddenly he was tired of it all. To hell with the Dominion.

"Shal, I can't do this anymore." He turned back around to drop the cloth over a towel rack, missing the flash of panic on her face.

"Don't give up on me, Brennan."

Surprised, he turned back around to face her again, heart breaking at the fear he saw. "Never," he whispered, beckoning her closer with his finger.

Her brow wrinkled in confusion, but she complied, sighing as he gently took her hands in his and led her to the sink. He grabbed a bar of soap and methodically scrubbed each of her fingers, the palm of her hand, her wrist. She shivered as his fingers brushed against hers, marveling at the feelings his simple touch could evoke within her. Finally, he seemed satisfied with his work, drying her hands, and then lifting them to his lips, kissing her palm and then each knuckle. They were silent, staring at each other until she couldn't bear the emotion in his gaze. Her eyes dropped shut, and he sighed.

"Come on." He drew her with him over to the bed, sinking down to the floor and leaning his head back against the mattress. She sat cross-legged next to him, watching as he drew his knees up and dangled his hands over the edges of them.

She loved his hands. They were large and strong, able to wield such great power or gentle strength. She watched as he absentmindedly flickered sparks between his fingers, struggling to gather his thoughts. He had the rough hands of a street fighter; the bent, bulging knuckles evidence of his aggressive start in life.

The quiet hiss of air through clenched teeth drew her eyes upward, landing on his face; waiting.

He didn't look at her.

"I didn't want this mission, Shal. I actually turned them down at first." He laughed bitterly. "But you don't say no to the Dominion for long."

She frowned, suddenly not sure she wanted to know what he was hiding.

"He's sick, Shalimar." He abruptly turned towards her, grabbing her hands in desperation.

"Who--?" Her eyes searched his, not understanding.

"The mutant. The one the Dominion is so afraid of, the one I'm supposed to find through Allie." He shook his head, staring at her intensely. "He's a psionic. And he's a—a collector." He spat the word out with disgust.

"A collector?"

"You have to believe me, Shal. The man has a sick obsession, and I couldn't let him near you."

"Brennan—wait. What are you talking about?" She tried to follow his odd rambling, wincing slightly as he tightened his hold on her fingers.

"Shal, you have to understand…he's taking ferals. You are a feral. I couldn't risk—" His voice broke and his eyes bore into hers, shocking her with their deep emotion. "I couldn't risk losing you."

Understanding hit her with a sudden rush, and she leaned slowly, deliberately into him. He shuddered, wrapping both arms around her, pulling her tight against him.

"I'm not going to let you do this alone." She whispered into his neck, fingers digging into his shoulders. "You don't have to protect me."

"It doesn't matter now anyway." He pulled back and gave her a sad, meaningful smile. "It's too late."

"What's too late? Brennan, I don't understand."

His hand rose and he tenderly stroked her cheek, running the pads of his fingers over her face as if to memorize it. "He knows you're here."

She gasped as awareness suddenly struck her. "You didn't want her to know my name."

He nodded, watching her reaction.

"And I told her." She bit her lip, turning her head away.

"Don't Shal." He gently forced her chin back to him, ducking his head to capture her downward gaze. "It's not your fault."

"I should have listened to you, trusted you more."

"Why," He snorted in derision, "I wouldn't have trusted me either after everything you saw…er, thought you saw."

She smiled slightly at his correction. "It's ok, Brennan." Her hand rose to curl over his as he cupped her cheek. "I can help you now."

He raised his brows in defeat, accepting her statement.

"Besides," she continued with a small smirk, "How do they know I'm feral?"

"He knows."

The finality of his tone caught her off guard, and her eyes darted to his, waiting for more. But he didn't elaborate, choosing instead to break the moment by rising to his feet, pulling her up with him.

"How about some coffee, hmm?"

"I still have questions."

"I figured you would." He kissed her wrist again. "But if we're going to talk all night, I'd like some coffee. How about it?"

After a moment, she nodded, following him over to the tiny kitchenette, a luxury in the modest hotel room.

"Need some help?" Her voice was filled with amusement; Brennan was not known around Sanctuary for his cooking skills, or even for his ability to make a decent cup of coffee for that matter.

He shot her a mock glare as he fumbled with the filter. "I got it."

"We should tell Jesse I'm here," She mused, opening the small mini-bar and studying its contents with interest.

"Yeah," Brennan nodded in agreement, guessing over the amount of grinds to dump in. He poured in one instant package, glancing over to see Shalimar still studying the mini-bar. He shrugged and tore open another packet. "But let's do that later." He hit a few random buttons on the machine, straightening up and facing Shalimar as she pulled her nose out of the tiny bar. She held up a small box of microwave popcorn in triumph.

He laughed at her, tugging it out of her hands, tossing it over his shoulder, and drawing her into his arms.

"What were you saying about later?" She murmured as he began to kiss her neck.

"Do you realize," He pulled back to meet her eyes, "This is the first time we've been alone since we kissed that we're not really fighting."

She bit her lip, fighting a smile. "I'd say we have a lot to make up for."

"Hell, yeah." He framed her face with his hands, leaning in for a slow kiss.

She fought to catch her breath as he finally drew back, nostrils flaring as she caught a whiff of brewing coffee. He bent down to capture her lips again.

"Hey, Bren?"

"Hmm?" He nibbled along her jaw.

"I'm hungry."

"Me too," He huskily agreed, tightening his hold around her.

"No," she laughingly corrected, "I mean I'm hungry."

He pulled back with an offended pout. "You're thinking about food right now?"

"Can't you smell that coffee?" Her eyes twinkled up at him.

"Coffee? Now?"

"Yeah, you're the one that wanted it in the first place." She laughed at his expression. "Come on. I promise to make it up to you after I eat."

His eyes sparked. "Ok."

She chuckled at his prompt reply, laughing out loud as he turned back around and eagerly snatched up the box of popcorn, ripping it open in his haste.

She picked up a cup off the tiny countertop and pulled the fresh pot off the machine, hesitating as she noticed its thickness. Her eyes widened as she poured a cup, bringing it to her nose and sniffing it.

"What's wrong?" He noticed her hesitation.

"Ah, nothing." She took a gulp, gagging. "Hot," She waved a hand in front of her watering eyes as he turned back towards the microwave, satisfied with her answer. She quickly spit out the coffee into the sink as he studied the microwave for a moment, finally hitting a button. The appliance roared to life, and he smiled.

"Now," he stalked towards her with determination. "That buys me a few minutes while it pops, and I intend to make the most of them."

She looped a finger around his belt as he stopped in front of her, yanking him against her. "I like the way you think." Her arms rose around his neck as his head dipped down and tasted her lips.

She reminded him of dark chocolate and rich coffee, and he slated his mouth over hers, deepening the kiss.

The merry popping of corn kernels was the only sound in the room for long moments as they kissed, locked in each others arms. Time stretched and the kernels grew quiet, but the hum from the microwave continued.

Shalimar moaned, lost in an overload of emotion as Brennan continued his slow assault on her senses. She was dizzy, the room dipping and swirling, and then suddenly standing still as new sensations took over, calming and confusing her all at once. She became faintly aware of his fingers rising under the hem of her shirt at the same time as her sense of smell suddenly screamed for her attention. She couldn't help it; she giggled as they pulled back at the same time in awareness as the microwave finally beeped.

"Brennan!"

"What?" He feigned an innocent look.

Their shoulders shook simultaneously in laughter, releasing the last traces of pent up tension and emotion as the pungent smell of burnt popcorn wafted over them.