Hey ya'll! Thanks to everyone's who's reviewed! This is more of an info chapter, things'll get movin' in a chapter or two. And i tried desperately to separate the two sections of this chapter and i am at a loss at how to do it bc it keeps deleting everything i put there. AHH! so if anyone has any suggestions they will be well recieved. Ali

Chapter 7

"Hey, how you feeling?" Shalimar gently touched Sheridan's hand when the younger woman slowly opened her eyes, trying to focus on Shalimar's face.

"Well," Sheridan rasped. "You didn't kill me while I was unconscious, that's always a good thing, but you brought me to a hospital, what's the deal?"

Shalimar was silent, an inquisitive look on her face.

"Okay, we can play this game if you'd like," Sheridan smiled and closed her eyes. "Collapsed lung huh? Doctors say everything's okay, which means that somebody needs to take away their licenses pronto, because I am anything but okay. Jesse went home, Brennan's trying to argue his way to a discharge. He's not doing very well, by the way," Sheridan joked.

Shalimar let out a short laugh and leaned back in her chair. Sheridan shifted painfully over onto her side to face her. Her brows were knit with amusement and Shalimar had the distinct feeling that Sheridan was picking apart her mind. When Sheridan didn't say anything, Shalimar felt the need to break the increasingly uncomfortable silence. "How is it in there?"

Sheridan chortled loudly. "Fascinating, actually. But you don't really know that's what I was doing."

"True," Shalimar agreed.

"So, why am I alive?" Sheridan inquired.

Shalimar tipped forward in her chair, "Seems like something pretty stupid to admit if you were planning to hurt us."

"If I was normal, yes," Sheridan nodded.

"Are you trying to earn our trust or what?" Shalimar growled in frustration.

"True be told, I don't need your trust." Sheridan fiddled with her IV. "Not that I couldn't have it if I wanted it. The only thing I've really ever been trusted with is killing somebody. I had an under 24 hours policy, you know." Sheridan grinned wickedly, her eyes sparkling.

"I'm sure you did," Shalimar was less than amused.

"I really don't remember what happened at the Dominion. I know that sounds impossible, but being a precog, I don't really live in one time. So things that I remember could be premonitions that I had before any of this happened," Sheridan explained.

"We've met up with another precog," Shalimar began.

Sheridan cut her off. "Oh, I am very aware of your life. Bishop, Gabriel, even Emma. Bishop is psychotic, in a way that has nothing to do with being a psyonic. He chooses to let his abilities control him. I am able to retain control most of the time." Sheridan attempted to sit up in her bed. Shalimar immediately rushed over to help. "Thanks. Look. Obviously I can't be Dominion anymore. If they're trying to kill me, I betrayed them somehow; I'm a threat."

Shalimar stood to pace the room, on the fence as far as her opinion of Sheridan. The psyonic watched her lazily from the hospital bed. "So, you ready to go?"

"I thought you said that Brennan was having trouble getting your discharge," Shalimar reminded her as Sheridan pulled the IV from her vein.

"Well, let's just say his problems are over." Sheridan struggled to her feet.

"Why don't you sit down," Shalimar gestured to a wheelchair. "I'll push you."

"Yeah, right," Sheridan guffawed. "So you can push me down the stairs. I don't think so."

"I would never," Shalimar feigned hurt and wheeled Sheridan out the door.

"Ready Brennan?" Sheridan smirked slightly as they passed the frustration and confused elemental.

"Yeah." Brennan fell into step beside Shalimar. "It was so strange. They were adamant about keeping you here, and then suddenly they just handed over the papers."

"Very strange," Sheridan deadpanned as they headed out the hospital doors.

later

"We're back!" Shalimar called into the seemingly empty Safehouse. When no answer came, Shalimar shrugged her shoulders, "I guess they went out or something." She and Brennan headed off to the kitchen hand in hand, giggling about some random subject.

Sheridan waited until they were out of site before gliding herself over to the bedroom. She mutely pushed open the door and slid over to where Lexa was curled up in the middle of the bed. She peered expectantly into Lexa's tear-stained face.

"Damn," Lexa sniffed, burying her face in a pillow.

"Yeah, I'm good at finding people. Surprising skill for an assassin to have," Sheridan said sarcastically. "So, I'm not going to ask you 'bout Jesse, but I am going to ask you what the deal is."

"What are you talking about?" Lexa grumbled, rolling over onto her back.

"You were Dominion too," Sheridan raised an eyebrow. "The fact of the matter is you have complete and utter trust in me. Even Jesse doesn't have that. I know you must have broken out of the bitch agent mold because you're in love with Jesse."

"No arguments there," Lexa stared up at the ceiling, her response soft.

"What did I do to deserve your trust?" Sheridan questioned.

"You're like me," Lexa replied. She could sense Sheridan's confusion at why that was a good thing and sat to face her. "I have a feeling you didn't become a Dominion assassin because you wanted to. Who was it?"

"My parents," Sheridan admitted. "They were normal and didn't know about my mutation in the beginning. Innocent. They didn't understand why Genomex was still so interested in me after they had fixed my disorder. When I was a teenager, fourteen, they began to threaten death on my family if I didn't help them. So I did, of course, even though I knew the outcome, I thought I could prevent fate. After they killed my parents, the only revenge I could get was killing a bunch of them and jumping ship. The Dominion just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Though this doesn't sound that remarkable to you huh?"

Lexa smiled sardonically. "Nope. Same story, different family member."

"So, Brennan and Shalimar?" Sheridan grinned, glad to share some gossip.

"Yeah?" Lexa looked at her in surprise. "Good for them. It's about time."

"One could say the same about you and Jesse," Sheridan pointed out.

"Three years is a tad longer than one," Lexa objected.

"Not when you feel the same way that they do," Sheridan replied. "Besides, weren't you the one to push Shalimar to go for Brennan?"

"It's kinda creepy that you know that," Lexa grimaced.

"What can I say? I'm a psychic," Sheridan shrugged.