Thanks to all of you who have reviewed the last few chapters. Despite my inability to update when I sayI will I hope you review again.
Laughter filled the air of Sanctuary, it soaked into the walls which had heard no sound in so long. Music lingered as a background to the eventual reunion of family. The sound of glasses and cutlery clinked out in the near darkness. The halls were illuminated only by the dim lights set into the walls. The sound of water trickling into the pool added to the gentle swish of the leaves of a plant, sat in the direct flow of the air conditioning.
Taylor watched from the upper floor, hidden from the view of the adults. She had been ordered to go to bed by her mother but she couldn't sleep, the nocturnal instincts of the feline becoming stronger by the day. She had crept out of her room onto the top level, overlooking the main room of Sanctuary and had sat, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as the Mutant X team shared what could possibly be their last night together. She watched until sleep overcame her and she could keep her eyes open no longer. She smiled as she saw her mothers head drop onto Brennan's shoulder. His arm moved up her back and around her, pulling her closer and with a wide grin Taylor stood and walked back to her room, happy in the knowledge that she might at last get that normal existence that had so far escaped her.
Shalimar's ears twitched at the tiny patter of feet behind her. She smiled as she heard the sound of a bedroom door quietly sliding closed. Looking across at Jesse and Lexa and feeling Brennan's heat radiating onto her own body she felt completely at peace. There was nothing that could ruin this moment, it was all hers and she was going to treasure it for ever. It would be the one thing that she would think of at night when she was happily stuck in that phase between sleep and awake; the next time she had an argument with someone she would think of this and it would make her smile; and tomorrow, when she went to face her own destiny she would hold it close to her, never letting it out of her sight because if she did lose track of it she knew she would lose her hope as well.
He held the glass of wine up to his lips and stared, unashamedly at the couple in front of him. There had been a time when he had been beyond jealous of them. They had this epic love, one of the kinds that people would write books about and form movies around and hear in the lyrics of songs. He had never had that kind of love, had never experienced its power and it had made him envious of them. But that time had passed. He had realised that there was more than one kind of love in the world, there were millions, none of them less worthy of books and films and songs than the epic variety. What he had with Lexa was beautiful in its own way. They trusted each other so completely and they never found that they were at a loss for words with each other and, the fact of the matter was that he had never met anyone who made him feel so alive. She didn't complete him because he was whole already but she made him want to be a better man which he figured was as good as. He reached out for her hand, gripping it tightly, knowing that she was as happy as he was.
'We should probably get some sleep,' Lexa said, her voice expressing the contentment they all felt.
'Yeah, we got quite the day ahead of us tomorrow,' Brennan answered, regretting slightly that he had raised that issue at all. It was real and they all knew it was coming but there was no need to think about it anymore than they had to. Tomorrow was a new day and a new life.
'Lets go,' Shalimar said, pushing herself off the couch with a groan. She turned around and hauled Brennan up to a standing position with her.
'You guys coming?' she asked, looking down at them.
'I'm just gonna tidy this stuff away,' Lexa replied.
'Goodnight,' Shalimar said, walking from the room with Brennan close behind her.
'Do you think they'll be okay?' Jesse asked after they had left the room and were out of earshot.
'Its taken them a long time to get here,' Lexa replied. 'If the thought of all the years wasted doesn't make them value what they've got then I'm pretty sure Taylor will.'
Jesse smiled as he carried two of the wine glasses through to the kitchen. He placed them down on the counter and turned in time to see Lexa through the doorway pulling her hair up into a high ponytail, tendrils of dark hair hanging down her back. She stretched her arms above her head, her eyes closed before picking up the remaining glasses from the table and bringing them through into the kitchen.
'What?' she asked with amusement as she caught him looking at her.
'You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen,' he said in wonderment, as if only noticing it for the first time.
She looked down, never having been too good at accepting compliments, especially not when put so frankly and sincerely. Raising her eyes from the ground she walked across the floor towards him, each step taking far too long as far as they were both concerned. She reached her hand out and placed it over his heart, feeling the pulsing beat against the flat of her hand. He raised his hand and placed it underneath her chin, lifting it up till she was looking into his eyes and then leant downwards pressing his lips against hers, gently, softly, without any kind of presumptions about where it would lead.
Gradually it became deeper, both of them reaching for each other, wrapping themselves around each other. He was pushed against the counter behind him, her arms tightening their grip around his neck, standing on tiptoe. Their bodies melded together, both of them seeking solace from each other in a way they had never needed to before, both of them desperate for the touch of another human being who was sharing what they were feeling, both of them feeling love that would never be destroyed even if their bodies were turned to ash.
Shalimar smiled to herself as she looked down at the sleeping girl. She was so peaceful, lost in whatever world her mind had decided to create for her that night. Her breathing, slow and steady reassured Shalimar, put her mind at ease. She had always been so worried that Taylor would hate her for ruining her life, that she would be angry at the thought that she was so very different from everyone else but Taylor had embraced her abilities, her gifts. She had delighted in them almost, her young age providing innocence through her lack of experience. There were so many things that Shalimar did and would regret in her life but raising Taylor to know exactly where she came from was not one of them. Shalimar had told Taylor about Brennan, Genomex and the Dominion, she had tried to keep back as little as possible. One of the things Shalimar did regret was what had happened since she had been dragged back into her old life. Taylor had been placed in all kinds of danger and now she might have to suffer more because the next day both her parents were going into situations which could get them killed.
Shalimar ran her hand through Taylor's blonde hair, staring down at her, drinking the sight of her in.
'We should get some sleep,' Brennan said, kneeling down on the floor next to the bed. He didn't want to leave Taylor either, he would have stayed watching her all night just to make sure that she didn't want for anything. But he hadn't been wrong when he had said that the next day would be difficult and tiring and they would all need to be completely focused. And he knew Shalimar, she couldn't focus on only half a nights sleep.
She stood up, taking one last look at Taylor before turning and walking out of the room, stopping at the door as Brennan stood up and placed a single kiss on the girls forehead. She leant against the door frame, taking in the scene, enjoying the relationship that seemed to be unfolding between Brennan and Taylor.
As he turned to face her their eyes locked. He walked towards her, each step causing her heart to jump that little bit higher. As he reached her his hand took a hold of hers, pulling her gently with him. The door slid closed behind them as they walked along the hallway, both of them relishing the normalcy of walking along the corridors of Sanctuary. Shalimar may not have been there in a long time but it was still home and she felt more comfortable inside the rock than she ever had anywhere else.
She felt a thrill of nervous emotion shoot around her body as they reached her room. She wasn't entirely sure how this was going to work. She knew what she wanted and she had the feeling that Brennan wanted it too but it seemed wrong, it felt like the wrong time. She was tired, she needed to sleep and she wanted to sleep with him.
'I'll see you in the morning then?' Brennan asked, looking down at Shalimar's upturned face.
'Don't go,' she replied quietly. She saw the look in his eyes change and opened her mouth to clarify her intentions but just as he always did he pre-empted her.
'We'll sleep,' he said, his hand grazing against her cheek.
She smiled before sliding the door open with one hand. She walked through and he followed, both of them sucked up in the darkness of the windowless room.
Night and silence settled over Sanctuary like a cloud, covering everything within and without the mountain. Movement ceased as the team slept, each of them caught up in the world inside their minds, the occasional flutter of covers the only thing to break the atmosphere that descended upon the inhabitants, all of them trying to stall the inevitable showdown.