Disclaimer—See Chapter One

A/N: I am so sorry for the late posting, but it is within a week, as promised:) I am just starting on chapter five, so will have to post this one a little slower than I normally like to do until I can get more chapters written. I'm having problems with Document Manager eating my punctuation, so I apologize if this chapter uploads strangely. Thank you so much for all your amazing support! Thank you so much blackpanther, FireFeral, hi, Donna Lynn, Jenn11, Rain, Cristina, CatJerica, Chris, Laura, Courtney, MariShal, Mayra, Rachel, Me, and Anne. I can't thank you enough for your encouragement! I hope I can accurately capture season two for you! Thank you!

Traveling Souls—Chapter Two

It was the kind of day that couldn't be ignored. Spring made its presence known with bright sun and balmy breezes, carrying the hint of meadow flowers and baby greens blooming all around sanctuary. Even Adam couldn't ignore its call, agreeing to the afternoon off with surprisingly little resistance. Emma loved picnics, it had become a tradition for them shortly after her and Brennan first arrived, and she had shared with them it was the best day of her life. Since then, no one could deny Emma her picnics. And so, as the cloudless sky stretched startlingly blue down around them, they found themselves atop the mountain, in a dimpled patch of land that was fairly flat.

"Come on, Adam!" Brennan called impatiently from where he stood on a makeshift third base. "Swing the bat already!"

"I'm waiting for the perfect pitch." With his usual concentration, Adam was a picture of intense study, gripping the stout stick they were using for a bat, while Jesse threw a large pinecone at him. His eyes narrowed for a moment, debating, before his shoulders relaxed. The pinecone sailed right past him.

"Adam!" Brennan whined, wiping the dripping sweat off his forehead, resting his hands on his knees. He'd been standing at third base for almost a half hour already.

"You know," Emma leaned over with a conspiring whisper to Shalimar, "I swear Adam is running the geometry in his head every time Jesse throws the ball."

"I wouldn't be surprised." Shalimar snickered as Adam let another one fly past him, and Brennan flopped to the ground with a groan. Shalimar took pity on him, tossing him a bottled water. He shot her a grateful look, twisting off the cap and guzzling it whole. She watched him drink, throat bobbing as his head tilted back, fingers drumming impatiently on his bent knees as yet another pinecone whipped past Adam's shoulder. She dragged her eyes back to her plate of food as she became aware of Emma's knowing gaze, laughing again as Emma's bony elbow dug into her sides and the redhead grinned with an infectious giggle.

"Like what you see?" Emma's elbow jabbed her again.

"Stop it," Shalimar swatted at her, "I'm just watching the game."

"Uh-huh." Emma lifted her camera as Brennan dragged off his shirt, wiping it across his damp brow. Sweat ran down chiseled abs as he stretched out on the ground, bunching the shirt up under his head.

"Wake me up when it's finally time to run," He sarcastically intoned as Adam's calculating eyes let another ball go by.

"So you wouldn't be interested in seeing this picture then, would you?" Emma continued, glancing sideways at Shalimar with a small smirk. "It's amazing the detail these zoom lens can capture."

"Nope." Shalimar decisively shook her head. "I couldn't care less."

"Ok then," Emma sing-songed as she set the camera down between them. "I'll just keep it for myself then."

Shalimar's eyes darted to the camera. "Fine."

"Fine." Emma parroted with a grin, glancing up as Jesse groaned, rotating his shoulder with a wince. "I think I better go convince Adam to take a swing before the guys gang up on him."

Shalimar chuckled in agreement as Emma stood to her feet, waiting until she was several feet away before snatching up the camera, tossing it back down with a pout as Emma immediately turned around and pointed back at her with a knowing laugh. Psionics. Who cares if she wanted to admire a good view? She was only looking, it didn't mean a thing. She snatched the camera back up, lips curling into a pleasant grin as she flipped through the last few shots. It didn't.

Whack!

The sound of an exploding pinecone brought her head back up, and she shook her head at Emma as she strolled back over to her with a pleased grin. Adam looked momentarily surprised at the hit, freezing for a moment until Brennan jumped to his feet.

"Run!" Brennan threw his water bottle on the ground, wildly gesturing at Adam as he ran toward him, "Run to first!"

Adam came alive, dropping the stick to the ground and taking off toward the base. Jesse frantically searched the ground, finally snatching up a chuck of the mangled pinecone and running after the older man.

"Run, Adam!" Brennan screamed louder at him as Jesse gained ground.

"What did you do?" Shalimar nudged Emma as she sat back down beside her, laughing as the men struggled to run through the sloping meadow of knee-high wild flowers.

"Nothing," Emma laughingly denied, picking up her camera again, quickly framing a shot of Jesse airborne over a daisy. "I just reminded him that the loser had to scrub the dojo floor…with a toothbrush."

She grinned over her shoulder at the laughing feral as she snapped another picture. She would have another perfect day captured for her album. It was important to remember moments like this, the good ones, and share them.

"Come on," Shalimar yanked on her hand, pulling her along to where the boys were pettily bickering over whether Adam was safe at first base or not, "We better break it up!" They giggled as they ran together, tackling the unsuspecting male members of their team, rolling down the slope with shrieks of laughter.

"AHH!"

"Is that—?"

"Eww!"

Adam stood with hands on hips, rolling his eyes with amusement as they crashed into each other at the bottom, covering in goose droppings. It was hard to imagine at that exact moment that they were the heroes he knew them to be. Young people. He shook his head, following after them into the setting sun.

"Hey," Brennan knocked on Shalimar's bedroom door an hour later, peering in. "You clean yet?"

"Yeah," Shalimar laughed, prodding her discarded clothing with a booted foot. "But I doubt my clothes will ever be the same again."

"No kidding." Brennan wrinkled his nose at the smell as he came to a stop next to her. "Today was fun though."

"It was," Shalimar turned towards him with a smile, "We'll have to do that more often."

Brennan raised an eyebrow. "Roll down a hill covered in goose crap?"

"No!" She slapped his chest with a chuckle. "You know what I mean."

Brennan smiled down into her upturned face, heart picking up a few paces. She was so beautiful. Her smile lit her entire face, skin glowing with healthy vigor, damp hair falling down her slender shoulders in a glorious riot. Hesitantly, he reached out and touched a stray curl, slowly winding it around his finger. Shalimar froze mid-sentence, lips parted open in awareness. He couldn't help it, his thumb reached over, tracing her full lower lip with a gentle caress, shivering as her warm breath puffed against his skin. The smile slowly faded from his own lips, and without thinking, his head dipped down. He saw her eyes flutter shut, and closed his own, startled when her hands suddenly resisted against his chest. He opened his eyes to see an inscrutable expression flint across her face before her lips again curled into a flirty smile, taking a tiny step back. It was a defensive move, he realized suddenly, one he didn't even think she was fully aware of making. Disappointment flooded him, but he eased back, hiding it with his own teasing smile, and he felt her relax in their more familiar role. She was afraid. So he was he, he ruefully admitted to himself, suddenly unsure of what he really wanted. He didn't exactly have the best track record with women. And Shalimar knew that. He swallowed, taking another step back, putting safe distance between them.

He cleared his throat. "So, ah, you hungry?" He playfully patted his stomach. "I'm starving."

She looked relieved and smiled. "You're always hungry."

"What?" He held out his hands, "I worked hard in the game today. Sitting at third base took a lot out of me."

"Stop." She laughingly swatted at him, and he grinned back, looping a friendly arm around her shoulder, steering them toward the kitchen.

"Brennan, Shalimar." Adam's voice stopped them halfway down the hallway.

Brennan grimaced, making Shalimar laugh again. He grinned back, feeling good about making her smile. He loved to see that smile.

"What's up, Adam?" Shalimar turned, instantly recognizing his expression. "New mission?"

Adam smiled briefly at Shalimar, nodding as he flicked on a nearby monitor with a remote.

"Eckhart?" Startled, Brennan stared at the picture of their nemesis on the screen. Other than trying to frame Adam recently, he'd been very quiet. Too quiet. Brennan frowned, crossing his arms.

"I've been contacted by a new mutant asking Mutant X for assistance. He's been on the run since being released from stasis a few months ago." Adam turned to thoughtfully study the screen.

"And Eckhart wants him?" Shalimar's brow furrowed. "Do you think he's trying to reassemble the GSA?"

"I don't know." Adam spread out his hands. "But I'm hoping we'll find out more as soon as we talk to this mutant, so I want you two to bring him in." The screen changed to show an old brick building.

"Is that the place?" Shalimar studied it with interest.

"Typical," Brennan grumbled, "You'd think one of these guys would be a little more original. Why is it always a dark alley or abandoned warehouse?"

"We're on it." Shalimar nodded at Adam, gesturing to Brennan with a toss of her head.

"But I'm hungry," Brennan complained, trailing after her.

Shalimar laughed at his petulant tone, "Come on, big baby, you can eat when we get back."

Adam shook his head as their voices disappeared down the hallway. As the faint roar of the helix was heard, he pointed the remote back at the monitor, staring as a new picture emerged. His fingers tightened on the remote.

"Hey Adam!" A shout of laughter and approaching footsteps told him Jesse was just around the corner. He quickly flicked off the screen, pushing his shaking hands into his pockets.

Brennan cast his eyes around the looming space of the warehouse, struggling to adjust to the dim lighting, glad that Shalimar at least could see where they were going.

"Oh, gross." Shalimar suddenly pawed the air in front of her.

Brennan shuddered in understanding as he felt fine strands of spider webs clinging to his face and clothes. "Stand still, Shal." He blindly reached out, sweeping the silken strands from her hair before running his hand down her back, pulling away handfuls of the sticky stuff.

"Thanks." Shalimar spit a clingy blob out of her mouth, making a wry face. "I walked right into that one."

Brennan laughed. "And here I was just feeling comforted by the fact you could see in this hellhole."

"I can," Shalimar defended, "Your loud breathing was distracting me."

"Oh really?" He took a step closer.

"Yeah." She raised her chin with a grin.

His eyes twinkled evilly. "First geese, now spiders. I just can't take you anywhere without getting dirty, can I?" His fingers found her elbows in the dark. "Looks like we'll have to give you another shower when we get home."

"Uh-huh," She narrowed her eyes at his insinuation, daring him to go further. It was a dance they always did. Two steps back, one step forward, one steps back, two steps forward. Giving and taking, testing and learning, but never really knowing. It was the not knowing part that terrified her.

Brennan slid his fingers up her arms, cupping her shoulders, sensing she was still with him. She didn't move, didn't speak, and he ran his finger gently along the edge of her scoop-neck shirt, tracing her exposed collar bone. What are you doing? His mind screamed at him, knowing he was pushing the line, but his fingers didn't listen. Her eyes suddenly flared, golden yellow slits, and he froze.

"I-I'm sorry—"

"Shh!" She yanked on his arm, indicating silence. "Someone's here."

His expression fell flat, easily switching into professional mode from years of practice. Sparks flickered from ready fingers as his neutral eyes scanned the cavernous space. "Show yourself." He exuded authority, tone demanding obedience.

Nothing happened.

Two fingers tapped his elbow, and he nodded imperceptively, understanding immediately that Shalimar was going to circle around. She slipped away, darkness rapidly swallowing her, and he stood firm; waiting.

"You asked for help?" He tried again.

Still there was only silence.

"We can help you," He shifted slightly looking over his shoulder, tone softening. "Don't be afraid."

"I'm not."

Startled, Brennan jumped slightly when a figure suddenly dropped down a few feet in front of him. He stared, trying to feel him out.

The man stared back.

He stood easily the same height as Brennan, arms crossed, brows raised in a haughty air. Even in the darkness, his eyes were piercing, drilling deeply into Brennan.

"You're not Adam Kane."

Brennan's own brows rose at the man's angry accusation. "Look, you asked for Mutant X to help you, and we're here. What do you want?"

"Not you."

Brennan's temper flared at the man's insolent tone. Blue electricity charged, dancing confidently on his fingers.

A hiss, a flicker, and orange flames danced on the fingertips of the man across from him.

A fire mutant, just great. Brennan growled lowly, hoping Shalimar was far enough away. If she wasn't, no way in hell was this guy getting anywhere near her. His other hand circled and rose, fully charged.

The mutant matched his movement.

They stood in standoff, blue and orange flickering and sparking in the darkness.

"Your move." The man finally spoke.

Heavy breathing was the only sound in the ensuing silence.

Brennan took a step forward.

"Stop it!"

Shalimar suddenly dropped between them.

Brennan's first thought was that she was trying to protect him and a wave of frustration and tenderness washed over him. It took him a moment to realize her defensive stance was not turned away from him, but toward him, and that her glowing eyes were not turned away from him, but were focused on him.

"Shal?" He took a step back, startled, but her eyes had already turned toward the other man with a softening gaze that brought a twist of sickening fear to Brennan's stomach.

He knew that look in her eyes. It was only supposed to be for him.

And the silence roared.