A/N: Sorry it took so long...work/school/stupid...meh..

And he did. He was still there with his arms folded on the bed, head resting on his arms, and one hand still loosely placed over Shalimar's, when she woke up the following morning. He flashed her one of his brightest smiles and kissed her.

"I love you," she whispered against his lips.

"I love you too." He looked at her seriously. "Don't ever leave me."

"I won't." She met his eyes.

"Promise, Shal. Promise me."

"I promise," She kissed him gently.

"Good thing I hurried back, you look like shit, Bren," Shal commented as she swung her legs over the edge of her bed and laid a gentle hand on his hollowed cheek. It was the morning of her fourth day back at Sanctuary and she had finally managed to talk Jesse into letting her leave the lab with the stipulation that she had to have supervision at all times. Not that that was a problem, since Brennan hadn't left her side even to sleep. Brennan's condition frightened her to the point that she was, at this very moment, force-feeding him in the kitchen.

"Shal, I think I've eaten enough in the last ten minutes to last me all day. Don't you think this is a bit over-kill?" He laughed as she pulled out a yogurt for herself and salad for Brennan. He rolled his eyes; oh goody, more salad, he thought wryly. He noticed that as she walked she limped slightly; he knew that she was trying to hide it from him so he said nothing. She had a lot of pride, his feral.

"No," she replied bluntly. "It's not my fault you didn't eat for three weeks, so now that I'm back we need to get you healthy again."

"I told you I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." She raised an eyebrow in annoyance. "Stop arguing, I've seen you eat more than this during a football game."

"Yeah, but those are three hours long, not ten minutes." He replied with a grin.

"Shut up and eat." She glared and her eyes flashed golden.

"Yes ma'am," he said in defeat, eyes downcast and lower lip jutted out pitifully. She kissed his cheek and lips with a warm smile.

"Good boy," she pressed another kiss against his lips before taking a spoonful of yogurt and supervising his salad-eating closely. "Oh, by the way, I noticed the cuts on your arm." She commented offhandedly. Brennan nearly chocked on a mouth full of salad.

"Wh-what?" He coughed, taking a sip of water quickly, eyes watering. She eyed him sadly.

"I saw them and at first I thought that you'd been in a fight or something. So, I asked Lexa about it." She entwined her fingers with his. "She told me what you'd been doing Bren. Why?" Her brow furrowed. He raised downcast eyes to her face, eyes haunted and sad.

"Because you were gone and it felt like someone had ripped my heart from my chest and left me to die slowly and alone. You are my entire world, Shal, and losing you hurt so badly, you have no idea how alone and guilty and lost I felt. This," He held out his marred arm to her eyes. "This was the only way I could make it go away, however temporarily; it was the only way I could make the pain in my heart background to the pain in my arm. Do you understand what I mean?"

She nodded, eyes glistening with tears. "I'm so sorry Brennan." She whispered, gently stroking his cheek with her thumb. "I can't imagine what this must have been like for you. It was stupid of me to think I could fight all of those men alone. I'm sorry."

"It wasn't stupid, Shal, it was one of the bravest things I've ever seen." She eyed him. "Okay, it was a little stupid." She laughed and laid her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist possessively. He pulled her closer and pressed his lips into her forehead. "You're amazing," He whispered into her hair.

"I know," she sighed melodramatically. He laughed and shoved her playfully and she giggled. Brennan rolled his eyes at her and she laughed. He reached for her, trickery playing in his eyes, fingers wiggling, making as if to tickle her. She skipped out of his reach, gasped sharply, pain flashing across her features as it coursed along her side and abdomen and her legs gave out from under her. Concern flared in Brennan as he dove to catch her as she fell and cradled her in his arms, eyes anxious and fearful.

"Shal? Shal, are you okay? Do I need to COM Jesse?" He asked quickly, gently smoothing her hair from her face. She caught her ragged breath as the pain slowly ebbed.

"No," she gasped. "No, I'm okay."

"You just collapsed. I don't think that merits an okay."

"Brennan," she struggled to sit up. He placed his hands around her back and lifted her gently. She turned gingerly to face him. "Jesse said I'd be sore for awhile, I'm fine, I swear."

He frowned, "Having your knees give out from under you because of pain you're experiencing sounds a little more extreme than just being sore. I'm gonna have Jesse check you out, just in case." She glared at him and shifted, then gasped again, clasping a hand over her side. When she pulled her hand away, blood covered her palm and fingers and soaked through her t-shirt.

"Shit," Brennan breathed and scooped her up into his arms. "Jesse," he opened the connection on his COM ring. "Meet me in the med lab now, Shal's bleeding."

"What?" Jesse exclaimed. "How'd she manage that one?"

"Trying to force-feed me. I guess she over-exerted herself. But how is she bleeding, I thought you healed her."

"I did, but cuts that deep still need to be stitched sometimes."

"When'd you give her stitches?" Brennan frowned as he rushed to the med lab.

"Well, the cuts re-opened after her second healing. I though it had scarred and was done, but it had other ideas, so I stitched it."

"'Why didn't you tell me?" Brennan admonished him.

"I thought you knew. I figured Shal would've told you." Jesse explained, cutting the COM connection as they met outside the med lab. Brennan looked down at Shalimar. She shrugged painfully and smiled.

"I forgot?" She suggested vaguely. Brennan glared.

"Shalimar," he admonished her lying, voice hard.

"I didn't want you to worry. You had enough to stress about as it was. I didn't want you to freak over a few stitches."

He smiled slightly. "You should've told me."

"I'm sorry; anyways, now you know, don't you." She grinned as Jesse re-stitched her wounds.

"Shalimar," Brennan reprimanded her again, but she continued smiling. He rolled his eyes at her as Jesse finished.

"Okay, Shal, now, no excess movement for a while, two weeks at least and that's non-negotiable." Jesse said. She glared, golden-eyed and fierce.

"Shal." Jesse's voice held a rare edge and a reprimanding tone, glaring back in a no-nonsense way.

"Okay, okay." She sounded disappointed, raising her arms in mock surrender.

"Don't worry Shal; I'll take care of you. I'll be your own personal slave 'til you're fully healed." Brennan swore, not knowing what he was getting himself into.

Shal brightened visibly. "Hmm, that means I get to veg in front of the TV and watch whatever I want." She grinned wickedly. "This came with some perks after all." She grinned. "Come on, slave-boy, to the living room." She giggled as he gently picked her up into his strong arms and strode out the door.

"Thanks Jess!" She called back over her shoulder, waving happily. Jesse smiled to himself and went to find Lexa.

"Oh Brennan!" Shalimar called sweetly, giggling as he trudged piteously into the room looking annoyed and forlorn.

"Yeah?" He quirked an eyebrow, arms akimbo.

"Such disrespect!" Shalimar gasped with a laugh. "That's no way to speak to your master, slave-boy." She grinned wickedly as he sighed in irritation and came slowly to attention, looking bored.

"Yes ma'am, Shalimar ma'am." He gritted sarcastically. She laughed again, taking pity on him, and reached a small, delicate hand out for him, tilting her head beckoningly.

"C'mere," she smiled warmly. He brightened visibly as he sat down on the edge of the couch and placed a kiss on her knuckles. She placed her hand on the back of his head and brought him down for a gentle kiss. He smiled against her lips, eyes glowing with love and a hint of a darker desire.

"Yes master?" He whispered as he kissed her again, and then moved his lips down to her neck. "How may I serve you?" He placed feather-light kisses along the side of her neck and throat. She sighed and mumbled something incoherent as she leaned back her head to give him better access to her neck. "What was that?" He tangled his hands into her hair and moved his lips across her collar bone and slid his other hand along the small of her back. She moaned softly and pulled him to her lips again, kissing him fiercely.

"You're free." She whispered. "I release you." She said, deepening their kiss.

"You haven't released me yet." He breathed suggestively

"I will." She grinned, running her hands over his chest.

"You will," he growled and pulled her tank top over her head, his soon following.

Lexa and Jesse entered through the garage door after returning from mall, Lexa looking incredibly pleased with herself and Jesse looking as if he'd never leave Sanctuary again. She had bought quite a lot and had made Jesse be her baggage carrier for nearly four hours. She'd, to Jesse complete confusion, managed to buy seven dresses, six skirts, thirteen shirts and several skimpy pairs of pajamas and lingerie. He was exhausted and all he'd bought was a replacement shirt that'd been ruined the day they'd been kidnapped; unfortunately, blood just didn't come out.

"How can you possibly buy that much clothing? Where do you put it all?" He asked her wearily.

"I'm a girl," she stated, as if that explained everything. "I would've brought Shal but you've condemned her to bed rest until Tuesday, so don't blame me. And as to where I put it all, Shal and I turned one of the spare rooms into a walk in closet." She smiled. He rolled his eyes as they rounded the corner into the living room. Lexa gasped and clapping a hand over Jesse's eyes, shielded hers, and turned back in the direction they'd just come from.

"What? What's wrong?" He tried to turn around but she gripped his arm tightly and wouldn't let him. "Ow," he flinched as her fingernails dug in. For a minute he though there was something seriously wrong before her thinly veiled laughter reached his ears. "Lexa! What are you laughing about?"

"No-nothing," she laughed hysterically for several minutes before managing to get control over it. "It's just," another giggle slipped out. "Sorry, it's just... I don't think Shal did much resting today." She burst, once again, into gales of laughter.

"What do you mean?" He again tried without success to turn. "Lexa!" He whined. "What the hell?"

"I seriously just saw a naked ass." She giggled, keeling over in suppressed laughter.

"What?! You mean they-,"

"Uh-huh."

"On the couch-,"

"Uh...huh..." she gasped, tears running down her cheeks.

"Aw, that's nasty man." He wrinkled his nose in disgust. All Lexa could do was nod vigorously. Jesse glanced down at her hunched form and grinned, picking her up into his arms. "Let's saw we go christen the dojo mats?" He grinned suggestively. She nodded, still laughing to hard to talk. Without a word and being careful to keep Shalimar and Brennan's naked sleeping forms out of his line of sight, he whisked her off to the training room.

Lexa and Jesse walked into the kitchen the next morning to find Shalimar and Brennan already there. Jess and Lexa glanced at each other and bit back laughter. Brennan frowned at them in confusion.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing," Lexa answered sweetly. "So, what'd you two do yesterday?" Shalimar blushed lightly and squeezed Brennan's hand beneath the table.

"Uh, not much, you?" Shal replied.

"Shopping, I bought some of the cutest stuff, you've gotta see it. Oh, and speaking of seeing," she glanced with a snort of laughter at Brennan. "That's um...an interesting little scar you've got back there, Bren." Jesse bit back laughter as Shalimar and Brennan's jaws dropped and their eyes widened.

"Wha-, how did you- Shit." Brennan sputtered.

"Yeah, I mean, the couch guys? That's so gross. We sit there." Shalimar flushed deeply at Lexa's words as Jesse gave up trying to restrain himself and burst into gales of laughter. Brennan turned a bright red and kicked Jesse beneath the table.

"OW!" Jesse exclaimed with gasping chuckles, kicking him back. "Jerk!"

TO BE CONTINUED...

A/N: only like one more chapter to go!!