Okay, so I'm a little bit delayed with this update but I've been super busy so you're lucky that you're even getting this.

Thanks for the continued reviews, I really do appreciate them.

Shalimar raised the mug to her parted lips and gulped down some of the now lukewarm coffee. She grimaced at the taste and immediately placed the mug back on the table. She swallowed the bitter liquid quickly before turning her attention back to the surface in front of her, completely covered with papers; maps, graphs, emails; lots and lots of paper. She was feeling a little overwhelmed but being in Boston, so close to where her daughter was being held made her feel more able to deal with it. Brennan sitting in a chair next to her, asking all kinds of questions and getting aggravated when he didn't get the answers he wanted made her feel a lot more able to deal with it.

Jesse had picked them up a mere half hour after she had called him. Things had been tense between the three of them. Brennan obviously wasn't too good at waiting for things to happen, always wanting to rush in without a second thought as to what the consequences might be; Shalimar just wanted Taylor back and although she had fully considered the consequences she was willing and prepared to forget about them just to see her daughter again, to hold her; Jesse on the other hand had always been more patient. If he was going to do anything it was going to be the right way. He had planned everything fifteen times over, looking at the situation from every possible angle just like he always did.

But the minute Jesse had looked into Shalimar's eyes he had forgiven her. Many would have called him gullible for believing that she wasn't going to get him to give them a lift back into the city just so the pair of them could take off all over again, but he knew Shalimar. Some things didn't change and her eyes had always told him everything.

In comparison to everything else that seemed to have been happening recently the drive into Boston had been surprisingly like old times. Shalimar had sat in the passenger seat with Jesse driving while Brennan hung on the backs of their chairs. Shalimar had fiddled around with the radio, finding a station playing a song that she liked before screwing around with it some more once the song had ended. The guys would tell her to cut it out but typical Shalimar she had growled playfully under her breath before turning the volume up. They had talked about the most random of subjects, most of which weren't memorable enough for any of them to remember. It was the fact that they were all talking and bickering and laughing like old times that mattered immeasurably.

When they finally reached the city, the sun had shown its face over the horizon. It was blindingly bright and the sky had gradually changed from deep blues to dusky pinks to a light pure turquoise. Shalimar had watched the progress of the sky from night to day and she had felt herself gradually becoming more tired. She wasn't completely nocturnal but she was still more adapted to the dark than she was to the day and everything that was happening was catching up with her, her energy levels starting to run low. The food that she and Brennan had bought in New York had long since given her whatever boost it was going to and she was absolutely starving.

Jesse had pulled up outside a hotel. It was big, expensive and imposing in all its grandeur. The valet drew up smoothly, smiling cheerfully at everyone in the vehicle and they had sent some pretty strong withering looks, attempting to send him a message that he seemed incapable of receiving. Eventually they had managed to make their way past simpering staff, who were far too happy to be human towards the dining room. Brennan and Shalimar had both ordered everything, very aware of the fact that the CIA was picking up the bill. Jesse had chosen to be a little more restrained. He wanted to check on Lexa but didn't really want to leave Brennan and Shalimar alone. He could sense how much they wanted to get moving on finding Taylor and getting her back. He understood their frustrations and he also understood exactly what he could do to help alleviate them to some extent. He had requested every single piece of information on the location of Taylor and on the possible people who were holding her. There were three possibilities as to the people who had taken Taylor hostage. Jesse had put together rap sheets for all of them complete with colour pictures.

'Kaden Nolan,' Jesse said as he placed the rap sheet in front of Shalimar and Brennan. 'He's a freelancer but he's definitely worked for the Dominion before and they seem to place a lot of faith in his ability to get the job done.'

'He hasn't been convicted of anything?' Brennan asked.

'None of the people the Dominion look to will have ever been convicted of a single crime, not a parking ticket or overdue library book. The Dominion will either use their influence to wipe anything, or that particular criminal will be too good at their job to get caught in the first place.'

'Next,' Shalimar said, impatient to get moving. She was done with drinking coffee and talking about doing something.

'Raven,' Jesse replied, placing another sheet of paper in front of her.

'Let me guess; she does the work of the Dominion as her day job but is still hoping that she can leave that life behind in favour of a pop career and a seven figure movie deal?'

Shalimar and Jesse both turned to look at Brennan. He smirked at them and they both turned back to the paper, Shalimar taking the opportunity to elbow him lightly in the ribs.

'She's incredibly dangerous, an employee of the Dominion, very important in the great scheme of things and very high up in the organisation. The CIA is sure that she's done this kind of thing before, kidnapping people to tip the tables in the favour of the Dominion but we've never been able to track her down.'

Shalimar nodded, not really listening. 'Next?'

'Last but not least, Daveigh Ryder. She's a CIA defector. It appears that a few years ago she became attracted to the Dominion, not because of matching ideologies but because of the money they were offering. She's now a key agent, one of the most important and presumably looking for some kind of promotion right about now.'

'Which do you think is the most likely?' Shalimar asked.

'They all have certain attributes that make them perfect for the job. Kaden is incredibly smart and he's a telepath which would instantly recommend him. But he tends to make himself present at the events he plans and causes, and that doesn't scan with Taylor fighting. He could have subdued her and saved himself a lot of trouble.'

Shalimar looked across at Jesse. She wasn't sure how much Lexa had told him about Taylor's father but he seemed oblivious to anything he might have said. Clearly it had been an innocent remark, he didn't know about Taylor's elemental abilities. But it brought back to Shalimar's mind the fact that she had to tell Brennan at some point, a fact she didn't really want to be reminded of.

'Raven's faithful to the Dominion and would definitely do anything to maintain their particularly good view of her. Her past experiences would also recommend her. Her mutant ability can't hurt either,' Jesse said, not noticing the change in Shalimar.

'Which is…'

'She's a teleporter but again that doesn't explain the cars since she could have gone into the building and then snatched Taylor and made her way up to Boston without any other mode of transportation.'

'So it looks like we're facing Daveigh Ryder?' Shalimar asked, forcing herself to pay more attention to the conversation and less to her own thoughts.

'She fits,' Jesse replied. 'There's one other thing that would make her perfect for this job,' he continued, looking at Shalimar, concern evident in his eyes.

'She's a fire elemental,' Shalimar said quietly, reading the look that Jesse sent her.

'So we think its Daveigh,' Brennan said, reaching under the table for Shalimar's hand. When he found it he clasped it tightly, understanding her intense fears.

'We have a whole file, most of it garnered from her days working with the CIA so if you want some light reading then I would suggest going through it but honestly there's nothing new in there that will help us in any huge way.'

He watched them both react to everything he had told them. They needed to be alone, they needed to process all of the information they had just been given. His motives for leaving the room were not entirely selfless. He needed to see Lexa. He would always act like the world didn't phase him, like he was strong and capable of dealing with anything but he was as weak as the rest of the human race. Physically he could take on a hell of a lot of people successfully but more often than not he would admit that he just wanted to crawl up into a small ball and shrink away from the rest of the world. Lexa made him feel stronger, less helpless in a world where he didn't ever make the decisions, others made them on his behalf without asking him what his opinion was.

He stood up from his seat, and, taking one last look back at the couple left the room. He walked across the carpet, thick and cushioned under his feet and pushed the button on the metal panel next to the lift. He watched as the individual numbers were illuminated as the elevator made its slow way down through the floors. Eventually it reached the ground floor and he heard a piercing ding as it arrived. As the doors slid back he saw the one person he needed at that moment. Her face lit up as she saw him and he stepped towards her, into the elevator, their lips meeting, hands running across each others faces, their bodies pressed tightly against each other.

She opened her eyes and looked around but there was only darkness. Nothing appeared in the gloom to illuminate anything. She could hear vague, muffled noises occasionally sounding out in the space around her but nothing close up. She blinked, scrunching her eyes together until spots and flashes danced in front of her. She opened them, concentrating as hard as she could to try and gather enough strength to force her eyes to do what would normally have been considered impossible. She felt the world around her begin to change and everything lit up as if a light bulb had been suddenly switched on. But within seconds a searing pain ripped through her nerves, shredding them all across her body. She let out a sharp cry before collapsing back against the chair she was tied to. She breathed deeply before her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She passed out, a dull ache flowing through her body.

'We ready?' Lexa asked. She pulled her leather jacket on and looked around her at the group of people facing her.

'Yeah,' replied Brennan, on behalf of all of them. He looked across at Shalimar. She was putting on a brave face, he could tell. But it was one hell of a face.

'Lets go,' Shalimar said, as strongly and as confidently as she could. She was worried beyond the telling of it. There were so many things that had the potential to go wrong with this mission. What if she screwed it all up because she was scared of fire? What if everything went wrong due to something completely out of her control?

Lexa looked across at Jesse. He was worried and she knew that Shalimar was causing a whole ton of that worry, for all of them. 'You heard the woman,' Jesse said, his voice rising above the slight rustle of sound. Everybody looked at him and he would have blushed, thus shattering his masculine image forever but after only a few seconds everyone turned away from him and started making for the back door of the hotel. There were cars and trucks parked outside, all of them waiting to take the team to the site where Taylor was being held.

The only people left in the foyer were Brennan, Lexa, Jesse and Shalimar. They all looked at each other. It had been a while since someone had sounded the battle cry that would lead them into a fight. It had been a long time since that kind of fight had even presented itself. They could all feel the adrenaline punching its way through their veins, coursing along, filling them with energy that was going to be much needed.

Without so much as a word being exchanged they all turned. Shalimar grabbed Brennan's arm and held him back as Jesse and Lexa carried on moving.

She breathed deeply, in and out, in and out, forcing her lungs to fill with air. She needed to be calm for the next few minutes. But she knew that she was asking something impossible of herself. Even if her lungs were being stable, she couldn't guarantee that her brain would allow it to stay that way.

'There's something we need to talk about,' she said, not daring to look him in the eye.

'What?' Brennan asked with a frown.

'There's something about Taylor that you should know,' she replied, her heart quickening in pace.

He looked down at her. She was deliberately avoiding eye contact and that scared him. He lifted her chin with his fingers until her eyes met his.

'What is it?'