"Why didn't you tell us this sooner, Adam?" Emma questioned after hearing his explanation dictating the team was all infected by a psionic.

"I didn't want to jeopardize your working together until I could come up with a way to reverse it. I need to study the exact effects a little more and I should be able to determine what would reverse it soon enough."

"Yeah, well I don't believe it," Jesse declined.

"I'm afraid you've all been affected," Adam reminded. "Including you, Jesse."

"And clearly Shalimar has too," Emma said softly, her pain somewhat evident in her voice.

"No that's the thing she isn't."

"What do you mean she isn't, Adam?" Emma asked. She didn't believe the feral was acting that way out of her own free will. Either that or she didn't want to believe it.

"I ran a test on everyone just to be sure. Shalimar is not affected but Brennan is."

"So she's just using him?"

"I really don't know. It's Shalimar's business. I do know that Brennan, you, and Jesse were all affected and currently remain so."

"I don't think so, Adam," Emma protested. Her instincts told her something wasn't quite right and she was never one to doubt herself so quickly regardless of what anyone else said. Especially now. "I'm not affected by any psionic I would know it. Shalimar is acting strangely this isn't like her."

"Emma, I ran the tests-"

"Well, run them again," she ordered before storming out of the lab and down the hall. She passed Shalimar's room and the sounds of passion she heard from within only further annoyed and upset her. She barged into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her and collapsed on her bed, tears instantly flowing as hard as they could.

Adam stayed in the lab looking over his test results and Jesse headed to the dojo to work out his frustration of seeing Brennan and Shalimar together. It was quite apparent that no one in Sanctuary was very happy about the couple.

A few hours later, Emma still lie on her bed. She hadn't left since slamming the door and preferred the solitude of her bedroom. Her face still held the saddest look it ever had. She heard a knock at the door and instantly turned herself over to her other side, as if to turn her back on whoever it was. The knocking continued and Emma almost cringed when hearing Shalimar's voice through the door.

"Emma? You in there? Emma?"

Emma cringed and tried to blink back the last few tears that remained in her blue eyes.

"Emma? Can I come in please?"

"What do you want, Shal?"

Shalimar took the words as an invitation and stepped into the bedroom closing the door behind her.

"If you came to ask me for some condoms I'm sorry I don't have any," the psionic harshly stated.

"Emma, I think we should talk."

Shalimar sat herself on the bedspread beside the psionic who still kept her back to the feral.

"About what?"

"Why are you so upset? You never said anything to me about having feelings for Brennan, Emma, or I never would've-"

"It's not that, Shal."

"Than what is it?"

Emma instantly regretting her last statement knowing now she'd have to give another explanation. She knew the feral would think she really had no reason to be upset and she tried her best to think of an acceptable excuse.

"You just took off in the middle of our meeting when we were planning an important mission."

Emma turned herself over and was surprised to sense regret from the feral beside her.

"I know and I'm sorry. Is everyone very mad at me?"

"Well, they're not happy. Why did you do that?"

"Actually, I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"It was weird it was like one minute I was thinking clearly, like myself, and the next I just wasn't."

"You think it has anything to do with fighting those psionics?"

"I don't know but it definitely wasn't natural. At least I don't think so. I'm fine now but when we were in the lab I got so consumed with instincts I couldn't focus on anything else. It was kinda like a dream. Like I was doing it and I kinda remember it all but not the way I should, ya know?"

"Yeah. I think you should talk to Adam and have him check you out."

"Yeah I'm afraid he might."

"Oh, the psionic affects you mean."

Emma lowered her gaze upon uttering the words. She knew Shalimar wondered if she was infected and she hated having to confront her with it.

"Yeah. He said the whole team was infected. Clearly Brennan is. I don't know what affected me today but he told me I wasn't infected and I don't think I am. I think that was something else."

Shalimar paused, questioning whether or not to quiz the psionic about her feelings. Did she really want to risk any more confusion between them?

"So what about you?" she finally asked.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, hoping she might be able to dodge the unwanted discussion.

"Are you…infected?"

"I don't think so. I don't remember my feelings changing at all."

"So you're not…in love with me too?"

Emma swallowed, hoping the feral didn't notice her increasing nervousness.

"No," she denied, knowing full well it couldn't be any more of a lie.

Shalimar remembered the note she'd read earlier and knew the psionic was most likely lying. All of her friends weren't themselves due to the effects of the psionic.

"It's all my fault," Shalimar acknowledged, shaking her head to show how displeased with herself she was.

"What are you talking about?"

"You all were infected because I let my guard down and left myself open to that attack. If I hadn't you all would've been able to focus better in your fighting and wouldn't have let yourselves get infected like that. I'm sorry I let you all down," she explained. She knew the reason she'd let her guard down was she'd been too distracted by Emma to fight properly. She'd spent the whole mission looking out for her friend, terrified something might happen to her, to let herself concentrate on her own safety and now felt it had put the whole team in danger as they were now all infected by the psionic's powers.

"It's not your fault, Shal. You stopped those guys from attacking me. If you hadn't I could've been really hurt," she informed, taking the feral's chin in her hand and smiling to reassure her friend. "You didn't let anyone down."

Shalimar looked up to the blue eyes searching her face. She felt the psionic's body calling out to her own she reached down, taking Emma's hand in hers. She contemplated kissing the woman but before a decision could be made she was already halfway there, awaiting the psionic to complete the connection.

As Emma's face slowly traveled closer to the feral, Shalimar suddenly realized what she was doing. She couldn't let herself take advantage of another one of her friends while they were under the influence of the psionic. Soft lips just barely brushed the feral's. The soft breath of the psionic on her lips snapped the feral back into reality and she pulled herself back just as Emma pushed herself closer to the kiss, missing the feral's lips.

"I need to talk to Adam," Shalimar concluded. "I think we have a problem."

"You bet we do," a familiar voice agreed from the door.

Emma and Shalimar turned to see a clearly angered Brennan, wearing nothing but a pair of tight, blue boxer briefs, standing in the doorway with his arms folded across his bare chest.

"What are you doing whoring your way through Sanctuary?"

"Brennan, I don't know how much of that you saw but nothing happened," Shalimar tried to explain, wondering why she was even doing so.

"Maybe I should go get Jesse and we can all have a grand ol' time together," he sarcastically shouted.

"Don't be ridiculous. He's infected by the psionic anyway."

"What? So you've been going around with Jesse too?"

"No and I think we should-"

"Yeah whatever I'm getting to the bottom of this right now."

Brennan stormed from the room and Shalimar looked back to Emma before leaping from the bed to follow the disgruntled elemental. Emma headed out her room and did the same as her and Shalimar reached the living room in time to see Brennan holding Jesse up against the wall by his throat.

"Brennan, man what the hell's going on?" Jesse asked in shock.

"Why don't you tell me?" Brennan shouted, his face only a few inches from Jesse's.

"Brennan, put him down you're acting crazy," Shalimar instructed.

"You shut up. Tell me what you've been doing with my girl!" he ordered Jesse.

"What are you talkin' about?"

"I'm not your girl, Brennan."

Shalimar and Emma turned as Adam entered the room, shocked at the display he saw there.

"What is going on in here?"

"Jesse's been sneaking behind my back with Shalimar!"

"No. All we did was kiss, man."

Emma and Adam turned to Shalimar at the news. Shalimar rushed to Brennan and grabbed his arms from Jesse's neck as Jesse phased himself free at the same moment.

"You kissed him?" Brennan asked, clearly displeased to hear it.

"He kissed me and it's none of your business."

Jesse looked to Brennan and whipped off his tank top. Brennan shook his head and quickly turned to Jesse, his fist making a hard contact with the molecular's face, tossing him back into the wall.

"Brennan, what the hell are you doing?" Shalimar yelled, instantly rushing to Jesse's side.

"Emma, what's this about?" Adam asked the psionic who still stood in shock at the whole display.

"The psionic affects I think. It has them acting crazy."

"Jesse, you ok?" Shalimar asked, placing her hands on his shoulders in comfort.

"Yeah," he asked, holding his jaw.

Jesse thrust himself at the elemental, tackling him to the ground. The two began wrestling with one another and Brennan kicked the molecular off him. Both men stood to their feet and Jesse attempted to charge Brennan once more. Seeing this, Brennan quickly threw him an electric bolt, which was phased by Jesse, causing Emma and Adam to dodge to the floor to narrowly miss it as it struck the wooden table behind them destroying it. Jesse stepped to Brennan again, massing his arm and punching him, knocking the elemental off his feet.

Shalimar decided she had to take things into her own hands and quickly stepped herself between the feuding mutants.

Brennan queued up another charge as he shook his head and tried to allow himself to see straight. He launched the bolt forward and Emma looked up from the floor as Shalimar turned around.

"Shal!"

Emma scrambled to her knees and tackled the feral's legs as Brennan's charge flew by her to hit a massed Jesse. Shalimar tumbled to the floor along with the psionic.

Adam rushed to her side to ensure her safety and helped her up, leaving Emma to stand up on her own.

"Shalimar, you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Adam," she informed, looking to her upper arm to see the scrap from Brennan's charge.

Shalimar turned to help Emma to her feet and looked back to Brennan who was also beginning to stand up.

"Hey!" she yelled and stood between him and Jesse again. "Both of you stop this right now!"

Brennan stood up and frowned in anger at her.

"Get out of my way, Shal."

"Stop acting like a child, Brennan."

"What are you in love with him?"

"No but you're both acting like assholes!"

"Go ahead and move, Shal, I'm not afraid of him!"

Brennan placed his hands on the feral's shoulders and attempted to push her fiercely aside. She quickly threw his hands off her and punched him across the face, sending him falling to the floor. She turned to see a smiling Jesse stepping towards them and thrust her fist forward giving him the same treatment.

Both Brennan and Jesse looked up from their positions on the floor at the feral standing between them, her face showing how angry she was.

"What is wrong with you?" she shouted down to Brennan.

"I was just tryin' to give him what he deserved."

"And what next huh you gonna attack Emma?"

Shalimar sighed and turned back to Adam.

"Come get me when we're ready to go on the mission," she informed and turned to leave the room. "Oh and, Adam, check my tests again," she said looking down to Brennan with a glare, "there's gotta be something wrong with me." She stormed off to her room leaving the others to clean up the mess they'd made, or she'd made since she wasn't even sure anymore.