Disclaimer—See Chapter One
A/N: Here is the final chapter for you! I'm sad this story has ended, as this has been one of my favorites to write so far. I am working on a sequel to Things Best Known, so watch for Things More Beautiful; I hope to start posting it in a few weeks. I hope you enjoy this final chapter!
A/N II: Thank you so much to everyone who so faithfully reviewed. You give me the courage and inspiration to keep on going! Thank you to the following: Viviana, what can I say, without your "lectures" and honesty, faith and support, I think I may have given up—I owe you much and am proud to call you my friend—thank you!; Mari, my friend, I wish I could tap into that brilliant head of yours! I thank you for the ideas and enthusiasm; you challenge me to always do better! Thank you!; Rogue, your feedback was invaluable. I am still amazed at how you could always find things I didn't even know were there, I thank you; Fiery Feral, I can always count on you for feedback and encouragement, you're the best!; Mfkngst I love how you take the time for details, thank you!; Garfieldlady, thank you for your kindness—hugs!; Lady Elizabeth, you so patiently stayed with me despite all the cliffhangers(hee-hee), I thank you!; Shallan, you are the sweetest! Thank you for always telling me to keep going!; Paris, hey luv! Thank you for your amazing insight and feedback!; Fanofbuffy, you have so faithfully reviewed through every chapter, thank you!; Mayra, thank you for sharing your love of Bren and Shal with me!; Redhead2, thank you so much for your words of wisdom and encouragement!; Blackpanther, you have been so kind and sweet, thank you! ; Rain, thank you for always making me smile!; CatJerica, my fellow lover of cliffhangers, thank you for everything!; Blue Koi, I am so happy to meet another Roxton/Marguerite fan as well! Are you a member of TLW board? Maybe we'll run into each other there sometime (I'm smiley)! Thank you for your support and for always asking for more!; Kerry, I thank you so much for your feedback, you keep me encouraged! To all of you who took the time to leave such thoughtful and wonderful reviews: Sarinx, FunnyBabe, Ameriker, Sage360, Dagenn, Nautica7mk, X5-467, Nat, Deichtine, Regan, Mystic Flower Floating, June, GJ, Bri, Cristina, Isamktoul, Me, Asd, BS Fan, Mxangel, Tracey, Meg, Rachel, Francheska, Tikigurl293, Shado-Fox, and to anyone kind enough to review this last chapter—Thank you all so very much!
Things Best Known—Chapter Seventeen
Time together at Sanctuary was a sacred affair. She thought she knew it before, thought she understood the significance of time. But only now was she discovering its true sacredness; now she had lived it. To have time suddenly, unexpectedly almost snatched from you was to learn to find happiness and sweetness in each living breath granted. It was because of this new awareness that Shalimar made mental note of the occasion, of the hour at hand.
They sat next to each other at the dinner table, Lexa on her other side and Jesse immediately across from her. Today, for a reason very much known to her, she had sat next to Brennan and slid her chair close. She sat so close so that her thigh touched his, and the kindling warmth of it pulsated through her. Today, she was determined to savor each moment.
The past few weeks had been a blur save for a few vivid moments that stood stark in her mind. The feel of Brennan holding her in his arms as dust blew around them, kicked up by the engines of the helix as it landed nearby to take them home. Jesse's eyes as he sedated her to perform his second surgery in as many days; this time on her hand. Pain, vivid pain, exploded behind her eyelids the first time she tried to uncurl damaged fingers during the first of many therapy sessions. Lexa's scream of disbelief when realizing she had survived the experience unscathed only to come back with a very unromantic case of the chicken pox. The gravelly voice of their Dominion contact when he assured via conference call that Steven would no longer be a problem for them, ever. The protective stance of her family around her the first time they left Sanctuary. So many minutes blurred; so many moments defined. She wouldn't give them up for anything.
"So what should we do tonight?" Jesse's gaze swept around the table, hand reaching to stop Lexa from scratching again.
"No basketball," Lexa's firm tone stopped Brennan's hopeful look. "He's all mine tonight." Her fingers closed around Jesse's as they lingered on her arm, shooting him a wide grin.
"Movie?" Jesse smiled back.
"Pampering." Lexa countered, frowning in annoyance as his hand again stopped her from scratching. "Another dose of antihistamine, and then a warm, soothing bath in baking soda."
"Ah," Jesse's eyes sparked, "Immediately following by a full body Calamine lotion massage." His dimples deepened in tender amusement.
"Now you're talking," Lexa waggled her eyebrows as he outright laughed.
Next to her, Brennan rolled his eyes, and Shalimar bit her lip, stifling the urge to smirk. Her fingers gently stroked Brennan's knee. Muscles rippled and flexed under her hand as he subtly pressed his thigh more tightly against hers. She smiled when she felt his hand close around hers, carefully spreading each of her fingers apart as he slid his securely between them. She knew it was his way of reassuring her he would be with her for every step of her own recovery. She hated the weakness that still plagued her hand, but he never let her feel alone in her struggle, much the same as Jesse insisted on helping Lexa through her current plight. She smiled at them as they continued their banter across the table. Her family. She turned her eyes up to Brennan's. Her love.
Brennan sensed Shalimar's emotional frame of mind and gave her fingers another gentle squeeze. "Since they're out of the picture for tonight," His eyes flickered to indicate Jesse and Lexa, "What do you say we go for a walk?"
Her eyes lit up at the thought, and she nodded eagerly. "Let's go."
Hours later, Shalimar laughed as she paused at the top of the mountain, glancing over her shoulder at Brennan laboring behind her. "Come on, slow-poke!"
Her eyes danced at him as he grumbled in response, pulling himself over the final bit of trail and collapsing in relief to the ground. His chest rose and fell in quick pants as he struggled to breathe normally. He cast his eyes upward, sucking in a deep breath at the sight before him. Shalimar's face was wreathed in happiness as she turned her face upward to the gentle cross-breezes that carried the fragrant scent of meadow flowers, stirring her golden curls into a riotous mass around her shoulders as it swirled around her. The full moon hung low and swollen in the darkening sky, framing her in shining, glowing light. She looked ethereal, beautiful, and he pushed himself up on his elbows as he stared.
"What?" She laughingly asked as she noticed his gaze. Her hand darted self-consciously behind her back.
He frowned momentarily at the movement, realizing she wasn't even aware of what she had done as she watched him expectantly, waiting for him to explain.
"Come here, Shal." His voice was deep.
Shivers ran down her spine; she loved when his voice took on that husky timbre. She kneeled down next to him, laughing aloud as his arms rose up and around her, pulling her down onto his chest.
"Much better," His chest rumbled beneath her, and she laughed again, resting her chin on his broad shoulder, tipping her head up to meet his smiling eyes. His fingers trailed up and down her back in a random, lazy pattern, and she sighed in contentment, settling more comfortably against him as their eyes silently communicated back and forth.
You ok?
Yeah, I'm good.
His hand finally settled in her hair, twisting silky strands around his fingers. Her eyes dropped shut as he pressed a long kiss against her temple, and her fingers dug into his shoulder as he moved down to her ear. His quiet chuckle vibrated pleasantly as she kicked off her shoe and ran a bare toe up and down his leg.
His hand untangled from her hair and traveled around to brush strands off her forehead, running lightly across her cheek in a tender caress before cupping around her neck and bringing her face forward, lips closing over hers. She kissed him back, deeply, fully, until they were both lost in the moment. They hadn't had much time together since returning home.
Gradually, the brightness of the moon was dimmed by gathering clouds, slowly closing off the clearness of the night. Lightening flickered from the swelling clouds, hinting of the gathering storm.
Shalimar had a vague sense of the hair on the back of her neck prickling from the change in atmosphere seconds before the first plump drop of rain hit. Startled, she pulled back, just as the heavens opened, and a deluge of rain poured down on them.
Brennan cursed as he jumped to his feet, pulling his jacket over his head in a futile attempt to stay dry. Shalimar laughed as he burrowed into his coat in misery, grabbing his hand and leading him back to the trail.
"Ready to run again?" She shouted above the pounding wind and rain.
"Very funny," he grumbled back, peering over her shoulder at the already muddy trail leading home. "Just what we need--more mud!"
She winced as he yelled into her ear, quite capable of hearing his voice in the din around them.
"Sorry," His grin flashed at her through the small opening he had left for visibility in his makeshift hood.
She shook her head in amusement, pulling him forward and down the hill.
By the time they reached Sanctuary, they were soaked and muddy. Lexa and Jesse were nowhere in sight as they ran breathlessly inside, finally skidding to a stop in the main living area of Sanctuary.
"Ugh!" Brennan shuddered as he pulled his dripping coat over his head and threw it on the floor. It landed with a loud splat on the clean floor. Shalimar raised an eyebrow at the muddy trail they had already tracked in. Oh well. They could take care of that later. She shrugged off her own wet coat, dropping it beside Brennan's before heading to her room.
Brennan trailed after her, vigorously shaking his head.
"Hey!" She protested as he showered her with droplets. She came to a stop in front of her room and pulled off her shoe, giggling as she threw its wet contents at him.
"Shalimar!"
She gleefully laughed as she quickly crossed into her room, closing the door behind her. She heard Brennan laugh as well, walking the short distance to his own room to change out of his wet clothes. She wasted no time in stripping out of her clothes, dropping them in a pile by the door so she could wash them later. She reveled in the feel of the water, and took a moment to linger under the pulsating warmth. Her hand ached slightly from being out in the damp cold, and she sighed as she arched her fingers, feeling the tendons pull in protest. It was slowly healing, but she was impatient, wanting full mobility to return. She rolled her shoulders, relaxing as she felt the joints click and settle. Finally, she stepped out of the shower, wiping the fog from the bathroom mirror as she reached for her blow dryer. She hated drying her hair; it always seemed to take forever. But this time, the warmth felt welcoming, and she took her time, running a brush through her thick curls at the same time. Finally, she snapped it off and absentmindedly reached for her lotion, rubbing it into her skin as she padded back out into her bedroom to get dressed. She paused in front of her underwear drawer to throw on a new pair and then crossed over to her closet. Her hands fell to her waist as she stared at her choices of clothing, pausing as her fingers brushed against a few raised bumps on her lower back. What the--? Chicken pox. Her heart slammed in dread.
"Brennan!" She called in panic, wrenching open her door and running into the hallway. "Brennan!"
He had just stepped out of his own shower, and paused only to throw on a robe before running through the door, eyes wide in fear at her tone. "Shal?" He met her in the hallway, grasping her by the elbows. "What's wrong?"
"Brennan, look!" She turned around and presented him with her back, peering over her shoulder in attempt to see for herself. "What is that?"
It took him a moment to figure out what she was talking about, until she drew his eyes downward. His heart settled back in his chest as he saw the raised bumps. He kneeled down, fingers carefully feeling the red dots.
She was twisting impatiently. "Brennan? What is it?"
He didn't answer as instead his eyes were distractedly taking in the tiny pink hearts scattered adorably across her backside; he smiled. Now that he had gotten over his initial feeling of fright, he was noticing for the first time that she was scantily clad.
She sensed his shift in emotion and blushed in sudden awareness that she was standing in the hallway in her underwear. In those underwear. She knew she should have done laundry the other day.
"I don't know, Shal." He finally stood up. "It looks like something else was unable to resist that appealing skin of yours tonight."
"What?" She shook her head in confusion, torn between the desire to run and hide and to get some answers.
"Bug bites," he explained, grinning, "It's just a few bug bites, probably from up on the mountain."
"Oh." She had the grace to look embarrassed. "I'll just, ah, go get dressed now." She inched her way back to her room freezing in humiliation as Jesse suddenly came tiptoeing out of Lexa's room. He halted mid-step, eyes bouncing around, not quite sure where to look as he took in long legs and tiny pink hearts. Shalimar's horrified expression finally brought him back to his senses, and he spun around, just as Brennan shrugged off his own robe and wrapped it firmly around Shalimar. His hands kneaded her shoulders reassuringly as he spoke.
"It's ok, Jesse, you can turn around now."
Jesse turned back around, unsure of what to say, until Shalimar's giggle emboldened him again.
"Not a word from you," She pointed at him as he opened his mouth, shaking her head in wry laughter.
Wisely, he snapped his jaw shut and continued on his way. His voice floated back behind him once he was safely past them. "Nice hearts, Shal!"
"Jesse!"
Brennan's grin widened, and he followed her as she stalked back to her room, pausing in the doorway to watch her. For some reason he had always pictured her as a black lace kind of girl. He couldn't help but laugh at her chagrin.
Shalimar turned a deeper shade of red, slamming the door in his face. It opened a second later as she stuck her head back out. "You know, Brennan, I have those kind too." She waggled her eyebrows at him before disappearing back behind the door.
Brennan's mouth fell open in surprise at her words, slamming shut again as her laughter drifted through the door. How the hell did she do that?
He went back to his own room to finish dressing, coming out to find Shalimar already clothed and cleaning up their muddy prints. "Here, Shal, let me help."
They made quick work of mopping up the mud and soon settled down on the couch, drinking tea. Feeble light from a table lamp flickered, casting shadows. Quietness settled over Sanctuary, and Shalimar sighed.
"Are you tired?" Brennan looked at her in concern.
"No."
They were silent for a moment again.
"Are you?" She smiled slowly.
Their eyes locked.
"No." His lips curved upward. "Shalimar?" He went to her and gathered her up in his arms.
"Wait, Brennan," She stopped him as he turned toward the bedroom. "Our coats."
"Our coats?" It took a moment for her words to register. "What about them?"
"I just want to put them away."
"Now?"
"Yeah," She smiled up at him beguilingly, "I want to hang them up." She shrugged sheepishly. "It tells me we're home."
He smiled tenderly, moving a few steps forward to their discarded coats and bending down so she could pick them up. He carried her to her bedroom, the door closing behind them with his kick. Darkness fell as he turned off the light.
"Shalimar?"
"Yeah?"
"You know I love you, right?"
"Oh yeah, I know." She smiled widely, arms tightening around his neck.
Their laughter was quiet, joyful; finding comfort in things best known to them, in places most familiar to them, in arms strong and sweet. The blanket was warm on top of them, the colored squares of her quilt hidden in the night. And on the door, still swinging from the jolt of Brennan's boot, hung two coats, side by side.
The End!
"Will you seek afar off? You surely come back at last. In things best known to you, finding the best or as good as the best. In folks nearest to you, finding the sweetest, strongest, lovingest. Happiness, knowledge, not in another place, but this place—not for another hour, but this hour." --Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass