Disclaimer—See Chapter One
A/N: Thank you so much to Courtney, Mxfan214, Tigereyes320, Kerry, Rain, ShalFan, Farah, Fiery Feral, Rachel. I'm so glad you are still enjoying the story! Mayra, thank you! Your review made my day as well! :) CatJerica, between us, I am exaggerating a bit for humor. :) Thank you for the feedback! Here's chapter three for you, I had to again rush to get it written, so sorry about that. I'll try to get the final chapter posted early in the week. Thank you!
"…And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof, the prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my hand, and was turning around, down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound…"
Twas the Chaos Before Christmas—Chapter Three
It was amazing what boredom at four am could drive a person to do. Brennan frowned darkly as he found himself standing on his head, legs wobbling above him as he struggled to keep balance. Across the room, Jesse was in much the same position. Lexa was slumped against the wall next to him, sound asleep.
"What's the time, Shal?" Jesse's voice was strained as he fought to defy gravity for a little bit longer.
"Going on three minutes." Shalimar announced, shaking her head as Brennan's legs kicked frantically as he tilted precariously to the right. He looked like a drunken grasshopper, she finally decided, a smile flitting across her tired face.
Mission accomplished. Jesse congratulated himself triumphantly when he saw her finally laugh. "So who do you think will fall first?"
"Hard to say." Shalimar murmured dryly, glancing between Jesse and Brennan. One was grinning like an idiot and the other was muttering death threats under his breath. All for her. She cringed, head pounding as she moved too fast, whipping around at the sound of a loud exclamation. Brennan was swaying dangerously, body finally betraying him as he crumbled to the ground like a limp rag doll.
"Ow." His strangled clamor ended with a whimper.
"Ha-ha!" Jesse exclaimed, kicking down from his headstand, "I win the bet!"
Brennan shook his head as he rubbed his elbow. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this."
"Well, it's working." Jesse shrugged with a grin. "Shalimar's still awake."
"Some of us are anyway," Shalimar groaned, frowning grumpily at Lexa as she snorted in her sleep.
"Hey, at least we're all here for you," Jesse countered, brushing Lexa's hair off her forehead with a small smile. He straightened back up, turning and holding out a hand to help Brennan to his feet. "You owe me, buddy," His grin widened as Brennan glowered. "I'll let you know when I decide what it will be."
"Yeah." Brennan grunted, clamping Jesse on the shoulder. "Take your time with that one." They smiled as they turned, stopping short at the sight of Shalimar leaning back against the wall, eyes closed.
"Shalimar," Jesse's voice immediately reprimanded her.
"What?" It took her a moment, but when she finally responded her voice carried her irritation.
"Open your eyes for me, Shal." Jesse showed no mercy.
Her eyes slitted open. "Happy?"
"Come on, Shal." Brennan kneeled down in front of her. "We're just concerned for you, you know that." He risked squeezing her knee, cutting them off from view with his body.
"I know." Shalimar finally relented with a sigh, resting her hand over his for a brief second. His eyes warmed at the touch, sending shivers down her back. "I'm still awake." She raised her voice, including Jesse as she stood to her feet. "I'm tired, but I'm still awake."
"You're almost halfway done, Shalimar." Jesse volunteered, looking at his watch. "Just need to make it until lunch time or so and then you can sleep the afternoon away."
Lunchtime? Afternoon? She made a strangled sound in the back of her throat.
Brennan chuckled at her expression. "You know Jesse, it doesn't make sense for all of us to stay up and lose sleep. Why don't you and Lexa go to bed, I'll stay up and watch Shal."
"I don't know," Jesse hesitated, hands on his hips. "I don't know if I trust Shalimar to behave herself."
"Hey!" Shalimar protested, mouth wide open in a yawn.
"Lexa's already out anyway."
Jesse followed Brennan's line of sight, chuckling. Lexa's head had fallen forward, and she slumped precariously. "Ok," he relented, pointing at Shalimar. "But you be nice."
Humph. She crossed her arms, pointed nail tapping deliberately downward.
"I mean it, Shal." Jesse's voice was muffled as he bent to hoist Lexa over his shoulder. "Be good!" His voice trailed after him as he walked off.
Finally. Shalimar turned away from Brennan with a wicked grin. This was going to be too easy. She sank down onto the couch, looking up at Brennan as he walked up behind her.
"You ok, Shal?" His hands fell on her shoulders, rubbing gently. "How's the head?"
"I'm fine, Brennan." She leaned into his touch. "No side effects at all. I really think Jesse's being overly cautious."
"I know, but we just want to be sure." He bent over her, pressing a kiss to her temple. "We can't risk anything happening to you."
"Yeah."
Brennan smiled as her lower lip pushed out, looking dangerously close to a pout. "Hey, come on." He bent further over, capturing her pouty lips in a kiss, attempting to cajole her into a better mood. "You heard Jesse, already halfway over with; you'll be sound asleep before you know it."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, only nine more hours to go."
"Shal." He gave her shoulders a final squeeze, coming around to sit beside her.
She shrugged, leaning forward to make room as he sat down in the corner of the couch, immediately settling back against him as he opened his arms to her. She was so tired. She dropped her head against his chest, breathing deeply as his arms closed her in, wrapping her in comforting warmth. There was something about him that soothed her like nothing else could. Even before they had gotten together, she had been drawn to him. Something deep within her recognized him; she couldn't explain it, but she had a strong sense of coming home when she was near him. Their connection could not be denied; though exhausted beyond measure, her heart picked up a beat as his hands gently stroked her back. Her eyes burned, and she closed them with relief, body finally relaxing under his gentle ministrations. She knew she could easily get him to let her sleep.
"Feel better?" His voice murmured to her after long moments.
"Hmm," she hummed softly, not moving, blissfully drowsy.
"Shal," He shook her a little, "Stay awake for me."
Her brows drew together in annoyance, and she shifted slightly, digging in deeper.
"Shalimar," Brennan jostled her again. "Come on."
She growled lowly in her throat, irritation returning full force. So much for letting her sleep. Her eyes felt gritty as she cracked them open, the feeling of warmth quickly dissipating as tiredness set up a dull ache of pain in her temple. As much as she loved being with him, she couldn't handle this anymore. Unbeknownst to him, her eyes narrowed, glowing with the fierce determination of the exceedingly desperate.
"Wake up, Shal." Brennan shook her again, fingers wrapping in her hair and giving a quick tug of impatience. He was tired himself, and not in the mood to fight at five o'clock in the morning. Why did she have to be so obstinate? He tugged again. "Shalimar!"
"What?" She suddenly shot up, scowling at him.
His own temper flared. "Will you just stop?"
"I'm not doing anything!"
He raised his eyebrow.
She gritted her teeth, glaring. "Fine."
"Fine." He crossed his arms, glaring back.
Silence stretched between them, both too stubborn to be the first to relent.
Brennan leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, kneading his forehead; frustrated. Shalimar was the most stubborn creature he had ever met. Of all the women in all the world, why did he have to fall in love with this one? Love. He stiffened, eyes closing. He hadn't been able to say the word out loud yet. If they weren't getting interrupted, they were fighting. The past two weeks had been a roller coaster of emotions, full of headstrong, frustrating, overwhelming, breathtaking emotions. He couldn't remember when he had ever felt so alive. He sighed, forcing his irritation aside. They were both just overly exhausted he finally decided, glancing over at her, stricken when he saw silent tears coursing down her cheeks.
"Shal?" Guilt struck him, and he berated himself for losing his temper. "Come on, Shal, please don't cry." He reached over, pulling her close. She stiffened for a moment before giving in, pushing her nose into his shoulder as his arms closed around her.
"I'm sorry, Shal." Brennan whispered into her hair.
She sniffed, pressing her face closer against him as she sensed his emotions beginning to waver.
"I can't stand it when you cry." Brennan continued, hands stroking her hair. "You know, this is actually pretty silly. It's been hours and you feel fine."
Her heart fluttered at his words. She was so close. She hid a smile of triumph against his chest. At long last, she would get to sleep. Her exhausted mind grasped desperately at the thought, real tears of relief prickling her haggard eyes.
Brennan pulled back, hands framing her cheeks, thumbing away the new tears. "Why don't you go lay down for a little while at least. I can wake you up in a little while."
Sleep! Her heart leapt, and she fought to keep a smile off her face. "Thanks, Brennan." Her voice held real gratitude, and Brennan fairly melted at the look in her eyes.
"Shalimar Fox!"
Jesse's stern voice broke them apart, and she sprang back to the other side of the couch, looking up in frustration as he rounded the corner. "I heard that."
"What?" She pasted on an innocent expression.
"You are not going to sleep yet." Jesse shook his head at Brennan. "And you, you might as well go to bed for all the help you are. I'll keep an eye on her. I've got work to do anyway."
"She's really tired, Jess." Brennan looked hesitantly at Shalimar.
"It's for her own good, Brennan, you know that." Jesse reminded.
"Yeah." Brennan sighed, running a hand through his hair when Shalimar mewed in exasperation. "I'm sorry, Shal, but Jesse's right."
She frowned grumpily at him, nerves frazzled as dreams of blessed sleep fizzled and died.
"Be nice to him, Shal," Brennan whispered as he stood up and pressed a kiss against her hair.
She watched him leave with narrowed eyes, waiting until he was gone and summoning up a big breath. "Jesse," She started, turning to him with large, tear-filled eyes.
"Don't even try pointing those doe eyes at me, Shalimar," Jesse sternly crossed his arms, "Brennan may be weak when it comes to you, but I am not. I've had years of experience building up a defense."
She glared at him.
"Now come on," He cheerfully ignored her, knowing how truly tired and desperate she was, "Step away from the couch. There are too many pillows and soft things. You can come to the lab with me and help me work."
She growled, pushing off the couch and following him in defeat.
Eight more hours to go.
Her eyelids gradually grew heavier as she stared at the computer in front of her. She glanced unobtrusively at Jesse; he was engrossed in something, attention fully on his computer. Humph. She turned her back, closing her eyes.
"Shalimar."
She squinted her eyes back open with a groan.
Six more hours to go.
Like a cat on edge, her hair stuck out in odd angles, evidence of multiple attempts to lay her head down. How did he always know? She glared at Jesse's back with bleary-eyed annoyance. She could happily kill him for a few hours of sleep. He chuckled, talking under his breath as he typed; immersed in one of his chatrooms. With whisper-soft movements, she eased out of her chair, eyeing the doorway to freedom.
"Shalimar."
She plopped back down with a glower.
Jesse shook his head, looking up at her. "Come here, Shal." He held out his hand. She eyed him suspiciously, but crossed the room over to him. He pulled up another chair next to his, waiting for her to sit down. With a few clicks, he opened a new window on his computer, and Shalimar gasped when pictures of her and Jesse in their gawky teenaged years suddenly appeared on the screen. Despite everything, she chuckled at the sight.
"Look at you," She leaned into him, "I forgot how skinny you were."
"Yeah," Jesse laughed, "I forgot how big your hair was back then." He glanced over at her wild hair, "Kind of how it looks right now." He grinned as she slapped at him, pulling her into a side hug.
"Show me more." Her eyes were dull with fatigue, but they showed interest for the first time in several hours.
Jesse settled her back against his side, clicking on more pictures.
She laughed softly, laying her head on his shoulder, sighing. "Love you, Jess."
"Love you too, Shal." He pressed a kiss into her hair, feeling a sense of pride when this time her eyes stayed open, wondering how long he could keep her interest. His eyes strayed to the clock, swallowing hard.
Four more hours to go.
At nine o'clock, Brennan reappeared, slightly taken back by the hunched shoulders and open desperation on her face as she huddled miserably across from Jesse. It was amazing how much better he could feel after even only a few hours of sleep, but he didn't dare voice his thoughts aloud as Shalimar looked at him with hollowed blankness. He cringed, forcing a smile.
"Good morning, Shal."
Daggers shot out of her eyes in response.
"I thought we could go out for breakfast." Brennan tried again. "By the time we got back, you could go to sleep."
She blinked slowly.
"Good idea, Brennan." Jesse spoke up, pushing back from his chair. "It will help make the time go by faster."
"Exactly." Brennan smiled encouragingly.
She debated making a run for it. She could outrun both of them…find a warm, quiet place...if only she was awake enough to move.
"Almost done, Shalimar," Jesse gave her shoulders a squeeze as he walked by her. "I'll do a quick scan when you get back, and we'll see how things look."
She withered, head falling on the table. She was never going to get to sleep ever again.
Desperate times called for desperate measures, Brennan decided as he pulled into a little diner that was cheerfully decorated with tacky Christmas decorations. Anything and everything big and plastic was planted around the restaurant, blinking holiday lights enough to blind them as they walked inside. Brennan held open the door for Shalimar, eyes narrowing in on a plump Santa waiting in the corner; the reason he chose this particular restaurant.
"Look, Shal." He gently steered her with a hand on her shoulder. "Santa's here."
She huffed under her breath, but still her hand rose up to smooth down her crazy hair, smiling back as Santa heartily greeted them with a wave. Brennan chose a booth that allowed her to face the Christmas cheer, sliding into the seat opposite her, smiling as the tired lines on her face softened as she relaxed. Though she looked half-dead, she was still amazingly beautiful, and Brennan felt again the wonder of the past few weeks. He held out his hands across the table, patiently waiting for her eyes to focus back on him, and for her hands to slip inside his own.
"How are you holding up?" His eyes searched hers with concern.
"Not so well." She blinked sluggishly back at him, sniffling. "I think I'm catching a cold on top of it all. But this helps, thank you."
He squeezed her hands. "Just a few more hours to go and then you can sleep all you want."
She frowned morosely. "I can't believe I'm going to be sleeping Christmas Eve away."
"We'll wait for you, Shal, for however long you need to sleep." He lifted her hand, pressing a kiss into her knuckle. "If I have to bring all this to you, I will."
Her eyes instantly teared up, and she blinked rapidly, hating how overly emotional she was when she was exhausted. His thumb picked up a soothing caress against her palm, and she turned her gaze on the man before her. Snow fell softly in the window behind him, and in her blurry-eyed state, the bright Christmas lights seemed to cast him in a glowing spotlight just as The Hallelujah Chorus suddenly sounded. She stared at him, saw his mouth moving, but heard no sound. A hand bumped her shoulder, and she blinked, startled as she realized a buxom waitress stood impatiently next to her and a radio was playing softly in the background. She glanced back at Brennan just as the bright, gaudy lights behind him changed from white to red, giving him a garish sunburned look. You're losing it Shal. She chuckled at the contrast, rubbing her tired eyes.
"Pancakes or waffles?" Brennan prompted again, giving her a concerned look.
"Oh, ah, waffles," She quickly decided, glancing up at the waitress, "Belgium waffles, with lots of strawberries and cream."
The sugar temporarily revived her, and she felt better as she watched Brennan finish his breakfast. Her eyes drifted over his shoulder to where Santa still sat, a toddler crying on his lap as a harried mother tried to snap a quick picture.
"What do you see?"
"Huh?" She focused back on Brennan.
"What do you see?" He smiled as he indicated his head behind him. "When you look at him, what are you seeing?"
She shrugged, blushing, a little embarrassed to be caught staring at Santa Claus.
Brennan grinned, reaching for her hands again. "Tell me."
"I know it's just a man in a red suit, but it represents childhood to me." She looked down, struggling for words. "My Dad used to take me to visit Santa Claus before…well, before."
Brennan squeezed her fingers in understanding.
"I like to remember," She shrugged again, "When things were simpler and happy."
"Are you happy now?" Brennan asked after a pause.
Her lips curved into a tender smile that lit up her eyes. "Oh yeah."
"Me too." He looked away after a moment, unable to bear the emotion in her eyes. "I've never been happier."
His soft confession touched her, and wordlessly, she stood up, sliding into his side of the booth and kissing him gently. His arms rose up to circle around her, holding her close, until the waitress appeared beside them, clearing her throat in disapproval.
"Let's go home, Shalimar" Brennan spoke quietly, resting his forehead against hers.
"Alright," She stood up, fighting a yawn as lethargic muscles protested the movement. Brennan smiled at her as he dropped a handful of bills on the table, wrapping his fingers around hers as he led her back to the car.
The drive back was quiet, and Shalimar's lids again grew heavy as she rested her head against the window. The snow fell heavier now, and evergreens bent in the weight of it. By the time they pulled into the garage, she was fighting to stay conscious, almost dizzy with the effort of it all. She started when she realized that they had already parked and that Brennan was waiting, holding her door open. She turned her head, staring at him with bleary eyes. Brennan's breath puffed against her cheek as he bent over her, unbuckling her seatbelt and sweeping her up in his arms. She heard Jesse's voice murmur as Brennan carried her down the hallway, heart pulsing with relief when he bypassed the lab and headed straight to her room. His arms lowered her, and then she was wrapped in blissfully soft comfort, her familiar pillow cuddled under her head.
"Sleep now, Shal." Brennan's lips brushed against her, his hands squeezing her shoulders before tucking soft blankets under her chin. She sighed, curling into a ball. Finally. She knew no more.
It might have been hours later or just minutes later, Shalimar wasn't sure, when faint voices permeated her dreamless sleep. She peered open one eye, head tilting when she realized one of the voices was Brennan's. It was Christmas Eve. Her eyes popped open at the thought, and she sat upright, glancing at the clock. It was just after eight o'clock; she had been sleeping for almost nine hours. Her head was heavy, tiredness lingering in her temple, throat sore, and nose stuffy with the start of a cold, but the anticipation of the evening drew her out of bed anyway. She padded down the hallway, yawning as she followed the voices, stopping short when she heard her name.
Around the corner, Brennan stared at Jesse. "You want me to wear what?"
Jesse smiled calmly. "Come on, man. A bet is a bet."
Brennan groaned. "You know how stupid I'll look?"
Jesse laughed. "That's the idea. Besides, you won't be alone. Come on, it'll be fun."
Shalimar grinned, sneaking past them as Brennan continued to grumble. Leave it to Jesse to find something that Brennan really hated. She couldn't wait to find out what it was.
Jesse chuckled to himself as he walked away from the pouting Elemental, congratulating himself on his brilliance. He stepped into his room, laughing again as he saw the bright red costume sitting on his bed. Wait until the girls saw this. He whistled softly as he pulled a bushy white beard out of a bag.
An hour later, Shalimar stepped out of the kitchen, not quite able to stop another yawn as she sniffled and headed towards the Rec Room. The Christmas lights were on, and soft music was piping in from somewhere. She breathed deeply, disappointed when she was too stuffed up to smell the pine scent she loved so much. She hated being sick. She frowned as she rounded the corner, laughter suddenly bubbling out of her as her eyes were immediately drawn to the tree, and the man sitting beside it.
Clad in a bright red suit, sat Santa Claus, mistletoe dangling above his fluffy hat.
Brennan. She suddenly knew what Jesse's bet was. Senses dulled, she tiptoed up to him, furtively glancing around to make sure the room was empty before tapping him on the shoulder and twining her arms around his neck, planting a big kiss on his surprised lips. She could hear the clicking of Lexa's heels approaching, so she drew back quickly, bringing his head down to whisper in his ear. "Meet me in my room tonight." She flashed him a flirty smile before twirling off in a cloud of golden hair, not realizing her mistake.
The room was silent for a moment as Santa stared slack-mouthed after her, hands finally rising to tug on his beard. The fluffy white piece fell from limp fingers to the floor, revealing the shocked face of one Jesse Kilmartin.