Chapter 7

The moment the hologram of Adam had explained what he meant and then spoke the phrase that released the memories he had kept from them Shalimar had flown from the room. Brennan had stormed out the back door while Lexa had slammed the front behind her. The hologram had disappeared saying the second message was locked into Jesse's old comm ring and they could access it when they felt ready.

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Jesse sat at the computer alone and completely dumbfounded. A year. One full year gone. Changed at least. Altered. Now there were two sets of memories floating through his mind. Some had been left alone but other memories had been erased completely. Conversations skipped. Images fuzzed wherever the girls were concerned. How could they not have known. How could he not have realized.

He hung his head and sat with it resting in his hands. Images flashed through his mind. Memories that he now knew were true.

FLASH

Lexa collapsed back on the bed as a small shrill cry resonated in the room. He stroked the sweat streaked hair back from her face and neck as she closed her eyes a small smile on her face. A person in scrubs tapped him on the shoulder as he turned around just as the doctor finished wrapping the baby and depositing it in his arms.

Slowly he sat in the chair beside the bed where Lexa lay and pulloed a corner of the recieving blanket back in order to show her the child's face.

Lexa opened her eyes and gazed at the child and then looked up at him and smiled. "He's beautiful. What should we call him?"

He looked down at the now sleeping infant. "How about Iain? Iain Michael."

Lexa reached over and stroked her son's cheek. "Welcome to the world Iain Michael Kilmartin."

END FLASH

Jesse stood up so fast he kncoked the chair over. Lexa. He needed to find Lexa. They needed to talk. Now.

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Lexa stood still, took aim, and fired. The bullet flew from the gun and took some of her frustration with it as it tore through the center of the target at the other end of the field. How dare he! How dare Adam take a year of their lives from them! And how could he take her son! Her son. Her and Jesse's son. She fired again this time striking over three inches away from even the edge of the target. She cursed softly under her breath when a memory resurfaced as she began to load new rounds inot the pistol's chamber.

FLASH

She had been working out with Shalimar in the Training Room when Adam had walked by laughing like a loon when Shalimar asked him what was so funny he just shook his head and commented that maybe Lexa would like to go check on her husband in their room.

Thinking to herself that there really hadn't been much to laugh about lately what with all the new trouble they had been having recently she had gone to see what had Adam in such a good mood. At the doorway of her and Jesse's room she stopped and smothered a laugh with her hand. Iain was laying diaperless in the middle of a blanket spread on the bed and Jesse was using a washcloth to wipe at something on his shirt while talking to the squirming infant.

"Bet you thought that was funny didn't you. Daddy finally figures out that you are crying because of a dirty diaper and then when daddy manages to get the diaper off you pee on him. Real funny kiddo."

She couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.

Jesse's head swung around. "Oh so you are just gonna stand there laughing at me. You could help you know."

She stopped laughing and walked over and picked up a clean diaper and laid it across the front of her son's groin.

"First off, always keep a clean diaper over him so what just happened doesn't happen again..."

END FLASH

Lexa took a deep breath and bent down to pick up the bullets she'd dropped. Slowly she unloaded the other rounds that had actually made it into the pistol's chamber and put them back into the box and walked over to the counter where she dropped off the gun and box with the waiting attendant. She should find Jesse. They needed to talk.

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The music blared in the background but up at the bar Brennan didn't hear even a single guitar riff or drum solo. He slumped over the counter and with his head in his hands he tried to count the number of empty shot glasses in front of him. All his life when he'd have a problem he would end up going to a bar. It never failed. Always a bar. This bar was nice and dark. His type of place. He knew that from now on if he had another problem he would always came back here. Hell he'd live here if they'd allow him and if he knew that Shal wouldn't kill him. He was toasted. Completely gone. The shot glasses kept swimming in and out of his vision. The alcohol wasn't doing anything to help him solve his problem either and this time Shal wouldn't be coming to drag his ass back home to dump him in a cold shower to wake up. Shal. His Shal. They had a baby. A daughter. A girl. He had a baby girl. A baby girl with Shal. With his beautiful Shal. His wife.

FLASH

He stood still, so still, almost like a statue. His face was even starting to turn a little white as his stomach turned into a million tiny knots. He was so nervous inside that he was considering jumping over the railing and out the window until Jesse, who covered up a laugh with a cough, elbowed him in the back as the music began and Lexa walked forward in a light blue dress to stand next to Jesse.

Then the march began and Shalimar came down the asile. She was beautiful. More than that. She was like an angel. A vicious angel he was reminded later on when he playfully paused a few seconds before saying 'I do' and her eyes flashed golden as her fingernails dug into the skin of his arm. Laughing Adam told them to hurry up with it because it had been so long coming and the minister nodded and told him to kiss his bride. He smiled and turned Shalimar around to face him and when she wouldn't stop laughing he resorted to desperate measures.

"Hey, you just promised to obey me. So as my first command I demand you stop laughing so that I can kiss you." he said in a mockingly serious tone.

Shalimar's face turned to stone. "I did not promise to obey you," she swiveled on her foot to face the minister, "I did not promise to obey him did I? Tell me I didn't."

The minister shook his head no and she turned back around to yell at him for making her believe that she had but before she she could get the words out he swooped down and capturered her lips in a deep kiss.

He pulled back gently and looked into her eyes, "I love you Shalimar."

She smiled with a sleepy look on her face, "I love you too, Brennan."

"So when's the honeymoon?" Jesse asked and then yelped afterwards when Lexa smacked him upside the back of the head.

"Moron."

END FLASH

Brennan picked himself up off the counter and motioned to the bartender.

"Water. Lots of water."

For the next hour he drained glass after glass of water until he found himself shockingly sober. I need to get home. Need to go home to Shal. She won't be there. She'll be out. But where? Brennan stood up so fast he practically knocked over the entire row of stools at the counter when his toppled to the floor. I need to find Shal.

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To Be Continued in Chapter 8...

sorry about the Cliffhanger folks-but i did say that was what was going to happen now didn't i? who's wondering what's going on through Shalimar's head right now...and what does Adam tell them in the second message? only i know...