"Is that all you needed, Adam?" Emma asked as she stood over the computer screen in the lab.

"Yeah, thanks a lot," Adam answered over the link.

"Anytime. So when are you guys gonna be back?"

"Actually, I don't know if we'll be able to make it back in tonight. I think we'll try for tomorrow."

"Oh. Is there anything else we can do?"

"Not at the moment, thanks. Just stay at Sanctuary in case I need you two again."

"Sure thing, Adam," Emma informed.

Emma sighed and turned around to the empty lab that surrounded her. She walked her way to her room to find Shalimar lying on her back on her bed looking very exhausted.

"Shal, you ok? Why'd you leave the lab like that?"

"Sorry, I'm just really tired. I haven't slept too good the last few nights it's like my dreams take even more energy out of me. I just don't feel good at all."

Shalimar's words and tone only made the psionic feel more concerned for her friend. She made her way over to Shalimar's side and placed her palm on the ferals head.

"You're burning up," she said as she felt the warmth beneath her hand. "I think you've got a fever."

"I think I might be getting sick. I've been feeling so weird lately."

"Maybe we should hook you up in the lab so we can monitor you. We could monitor your brain waves and your body's reaction and see if it's getting worse," Emma suggested.

"I don't think I wanna go through all that just yet."

"Ok, well, maybe I could go in and see if I cou-"

"No," Shalimar quickly protested. She couldn't imagine how Emma would react if she knew all the things that had been running through her mind. Emma reached out to take Shalimar's hand in her own to comfort her.

"Ok, you want me to leave you alone so you can get some rest?"

"No, I don't think I wanna sleep right now. Can we just do something to get my mind off this?"

"Ok."

Emma sat on the bed beside Shalimar.

"What would you like to do?"

"Doesn't matter," Shalimar said as she pushed herself up to lean against the wall behind her.

"Maybe you'd like me to disrobe so you can watch me strip or would that only make your temperature rise higher?"

"Strip?" Shalimar asked as she looked over to the psionic.

"What?"

"Didn't you say…never mind," Shalimar shook it off. It was beginning to seem like she couldn't even tell what was real anymore. She could swear she heard Emma say something that it turned out she'd never actually said. It was like her dreams. They were so real and so over powering Shalimar had to remind herself they didn't really happen. She knew if they kept proceeding the way they were she wouldn't know the difference between reality and fantasy anymore since she was beginning to find it hard to tell already.

"I asked you if you wanted to watch TV," Emma said.

"Oh, um, sure."

"Ok," Emma said and walked over to her dresser to remove the remote for the TV and came back to sit beside the feral. She took her hand in her own once more and noticed it too was warmer than usual.

"So is there anything on?" Shalimar asked.

"Um, I don't know."

Emma turned on the TV and began to flip around.

"I haven't sat down to watch TV is so long," Shalimar said. "I don't even know what's on anymore."

"Well, I don't think we've missed much," Emma said. She leaned herself back so she could lie right up against Shalimar and continued to flip through the channels. She turned and smiled sweetly at the feral.

"Cartoons are on."

"Not in the mood for that right now."

"Ok, let's see…um," Emma continued flipping through the channels finding nothing really interesting. "Junk…junk…seen it…rerun…boring…hate it…wouldn't watch it if you paid me…um…oh The L Word's on."

"Ugh, you know I hate that show," Shalimar said in a huff.

"Well, there's nothing else on. Besides, you've watched it before."

"And I only did that because of you and for you. I've never watched it alone and really don't wanna see it now. I just don't like it and don't wanna sit through it right now."

Emma sighed and changed the channel.

"Well, I like it. That Lara girl's really cute."

"I think she's obnoxious."

"Well, it's better than that Once A Thief you used to make me watch."

Shalimar rolled her eyes.

"I don't think so, hun."

"Anyways," Emma said as she continued to flip through the channels. "Xena's on."

"There's gotta be something better than that."

"How about this, Martial Arts channel. You like that."

"Ok, that'll do."

Shalimar managed a smile through her pulsing headache and rested her head on Emma's chest. She smiled as the psionic held her close and listened to her steady heartbeat which gave her comfort and seemed to somewhat calm her racing nerves. She quickly found herself getting lost in the moment and before she knew it she'd drifted off to sleep again in the psionics comforting arms.

"Hey, baby," Emma said as she stood on the beach in her black bikini.

Shalimar walked over to the psionic and felt the hot sand beneath her bare feet as she walked across the beach towards her.

"I've been waiting for you," Emma said and threw her arms around the ferals neck.

"What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you," Emma answered and kissed the feral softly on the neck. She let go of her hold and walked to sit in the sun chair she'd placed in the sand not too far away. Emma laid herself out and Shalimar searched her body with her eyes as she watched the psionic breath in and out slowly making her chest rise and fall. Shalimar walked over to stand beside her. She looked down at herself and soon noticed she wasn't wearing anything at all. She reached down to pick up the blue towel from the back of the chair but Emma quickly grabbed it before the feral could get to it.

"If you want something of mine you have to ask first."

"Um, can I borrow your towel?"

Emma turned her sunglasses down a bit to look the naked feral up and down.

"If you rub this lotion on me. I don't wanna get burned."

Emma reached beside the chair to hand Shalimar a bottle of suntan lotion. Shalimar took it and knelt in the sand beside the psionic.

"I'm waiting," Emma said somewhat impatiently.

"Aren't you gonna turn around?"

"After you do my front I will."

Emma smiled and arched her chest forward and slightly off the chair. Shalimar couldn't wait to reach out and rub that beautiful body presented before her but moved slowly as she squeezed the lotion into her hands. She set the bottle back down and brought her hands up to rest on Emma chest. Shalimar slowly began to rub circles on the psionics flawless skin and watched as she smiled at her touch. Emma's nipples were quickly becoming visibly hard as she lay beneath the hot sun soaking up the rays that beat down on her body.

Shalimar could feel herself starting to sweat as she continued to rub lotion all over Emma's awaiting body. She gently let her hands travel down the psionics arms and back again making sure every bit of the white lotion was rubbed into her smooth skin. She let her hands travel further down to the psionics belly and felt her draw in a breath as her hands brushed back and forth across her belly button. Shalimar rubbed long and gentle and brought her hands down to trace the line of the psionics bottom piece of her suit and rubbed her as close as she could get without entering the garment. She used every bit of willpower she could muster up to avoid plunging her hand into the psionics lacy slip of material as she outlined it with her finger tips, lingering as long as she could over her flesh.

Shalimar headed downwards to rub the lotion into Emma's relaxed thighs that she could see were already beginning to tan under the hot sun. She rubbed as slow as she could and smiled as the psionic sighed in response to her efforts.

When Shalimar had finished with her task, Emma smiled and sat up so she could begin work on her back. Shalimar eagerly made her way to stand behind the psionic and proceeded to rub the lotion over her shoulders and collar bones. Once she started touching the psionic she never wanted to stop and wished she could freeze the moment in time and experience it for as long as possible.

Shalimar slid her hands slowly down Emma's sides and sprawled her fingers when she reached the bottom of her bathing suit. She then slowly dragged her hands back to their original position on the psionics neck and rubbed the remaining lotion on her thumbs into the back of her neck. As she saw the last bit that remained on her hands she trailed them down the middle of Emma's spine until she reached the fabric that blocked her path once more. She would've continued rubbing if Emma hadn't slowly began to lay back down forcing Shalimar to move her hands from her way.

"Thanks," Emma said in a smile of gratitude as she made herself comfortable on the chair once more. She reached her hand out to extend the towel to Shalimar.

"Anytime," Shalimar said and took the towel from the psionic to wrap it around her naked, sweaty body now glistening in the light of the sun.

"Um, Emma," she slowly began and hoped her voice didn't sound too nervous.

"Hmm?" Emma asked without moving a muscle.

"I was thinking maybe we could go swimming together. You know, skinny dipping. You like that."

"Hell yeah," the psionic said as she looked from under her glasses. "I love that."

Emma jumped from the chair and began to remove her bikini to join Shalimar in nudity.

"And then maybe we could, you know, have even more fun," Shalimar grinned at the psionic who just looked at her with a mixed face. Shalimar couldn't tell if it meant she wanted to or just wasn't up for it.

"Well, Shal, I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"It's not like you love me, Shal. I mean, we're not together. We can have some fun, but there's a limit."

Shalimar was shocked to hear Emma suddenly seeming to change her mind right before her. Emma removed her bikini bottoms and turned around to face the water.

"Wait, I thought-"

"I'm not yours, Shal. So I guess you'll just hafta drool on, dream on, and move on," Emma said before playfully running down the beach to splash into the water that awaited her.