AN: Not sure what I think of this chapter and I'm sorry if I use a long time too update…

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"Hey. How are you feeling?" Shalimar said as she saw Emma walking slowly in the hallway.

"Better I guess. Adam says I'm strong enough to move back into my own room again."

"That's good."

"Yeah."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Emma, come on. If something is wrong I want to know it. Maybe I can help?"

"I don't know Shal, I just don't know how to control my new…abilities."

"Have you tried them already?"

"No, they just appear when they want to and I'm afraid I'm gonna harm someone."

"Then we'll just practise. I can help you with the feral part if you want to?"

"It's more the thermal part I'm worried about. If I move my hands around enough, things happen."

"Then let's practise."

"Dammit Shal, it's not that easy." Emma's eyes flashed yellow.

"Ok, ok, just relax. I'm trying to help here."

"I'm relaxed."

"Ehh, no you're not…exactly. Want me to help you to your room?"

"I don't need help to get to my room." Emma spat.

"Okay, you don't need to get angry, I'll just leave you alone since everything I say is wrong today." She started walking, but was stopped by Emma when she was about to move past her.

"Shal, wait. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I don't know what's happening to me."

"It's okay Emma." Shalimar looked at Emma and noticed the despair and sadness in her eyes and features. She wrapped her arms around Emma and embraced her in a warm hug. Shalimar breathed in Emma's scent and noticed it was a little different from normal, but in a way she still smelled good.

"I was going to take a shower."

"What? I haven't said a word to you."

Shalimar broke the embrace and looked at Emma.

"I…I just…I think I should get to my room and take a shower and relax."

Emma started walking away.

"Ok." Shalimar answered. "I'll see you later," she half shouted to Emma's back before she went to find Adam.

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"Adam, could I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." He turned and saw Shalimar's serious face.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"Can Emma read our thoughts?"

"No, but her original powers have increased severely so she could be able to feel what others feel so strong that she practically know what they're thinking. Why?"

"No reason, I was just wondering."

"Shalimar." Adam gave her his most stern look.

"It's just that when I was talking to her she knew what I was thinking…And she is a lot more sensitive and easily irritated."

"You have to give her some time Shalimar. It's because of all that's happened to her and her new powers."

"I know that, but I want to help her."

"Then you have to ask Emma how you can help her and the best way might be to give her some space so she can think about all this."

"Whatever." She turned and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?"

"To my room if I'm allowed," she snapped back at him.

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Shalimar closed the door and let out a frustrated sigh as she climbed into her bed.

Nobody understood how much she cared for Emma. She just wanted Emma to be fine and she had realised something when Emma got captured and everyone thought she was dead. When they didn't find Emma in the ruins Shalimar had felt how fear had struck her, fear of that Emma was gone and she didn't get a chance to tell her how much she really loved her.

And Adam kept making it clear that they shouldn't bother Emma with anything now, but when was she going to tell her then? What about the pain she feels every time she's close to Emma, because she can't tell her how much she really cares for her? What if Emma already knew and she didn't like it? She felt like she didn't know anything anymore and sometimes she just wanted to cry and make it all go away, back to how it was before.

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Emma stepped out of the shower and was drying herself of when she felt Shalimar's frustration. She tried her best to ignore it and kept drying herself. She was about to brush her hair when the frustration she was feeling changed to pain and despair.

"Christ Emma. Pull yourself together and focus."

She tried to shut the feeling out, but couldn't do it and she felt how tears started to form in her eyes. She wrapped the towel around herself and walked quickly out the door to her room and over to Shalimar's. She tried the handle and was grateful that the door was unlocked.

Shalimar was startled when the door opened, but relaxed when she saw it was Emma.

"Emma, what's wrong?" she said as she sat up in the bed.

"Nothing, I'm fine. I'm more worried about you."

"Me? Why? I'm fine."

"Come on Shal. I tried to block out your feelings, but I couldn't and I felt pain and frustration."

"I'm fine really." Shalimar lied and let her eyes move over Emma's exposed skin. She felt how her heart started to pound faster and looked away, ashamed of what she was feeling.

"Aren't you cold?" She said to the wall.

Emma looked down her own body and then back at Shalimar with a smile. "I was in a hurry."

"I'm sorry okay. You just go and get dressed and I'll try not to feel anything." Shalimar said sulky and turned around in the bed, away from Emma.

Emma let out a small smile as she walked up to the bed.

"Don't be such a baby, Shal. You promised me that we would tell each other everything, remember?"

Emma's hand moved up to Shalimar's chin and brushed the hair away from her ear. Then she leaned over and whispered.

"You can trust me, sweetie. I won't be angry. I'm worried because I care so much about you."

Emma's breath and the words sent chills down Shalimar's spine and she felt how she started to panic at the same time as her heart started to pound not only in her chest, but between her legs.

Did Emma already know? Was she playing with her?

Shalimar was afraid of the answer, but had to find out so she turned around and looked straight into playful blue eyes. Their faces were almost touching and both women could feel the others warm breath against their lips.

As Emma stood there, face so close to Shalimar, she felt calm for the first time since she got back. She wanted to kiss Shalimar, but felt Shalimar's confusion to all of this and she wanted Shalimar to admit not only to Emma, but to herself too that she liked her.

Shalimar broke their intense gaze and moved her eyes down Emma's neck. It was then she remembered that Emma still was in her towel.

"Oh God, you must be freezing," she said as she sat up.

Emma had totally forgotten that she was cold and almost naked.

"I'm not really that cold," she lied.

"Not cold? You have goosebumps Emma. You should get some clothes on."

"I was thinking more like, why don't you offer me to come into bed with you so I can warm myself?" she said with a sly smile. Emma was surprised at what came out of her mouth and so was Shalimar. Both women thought that it wasn't like Emma to be so forward or playful, but at the same time they both liked it.

Shalimar tried to say something, but couldn't so the two girls just kept staring at each other.

A knock could be heard and the door opened.

"Shalimar, I wanted to talk to you about-" Adam stopped mid-sentence at what he saw.

Shalimar in the bed with Emma standing close to her with just a towel around herself.

"Eh…Is this a bad time?"

"No," Shalimar said as she jumped down from the bed. "Emma was just coming by because I had some critical problems and she was just leaving to get dressed." Both girls avoided eye contact with each other.

"Yeah, I'll go now." Emma said as she hurried past Adam and closed the door after her.

Adam raised his eyebrows at Shalimar.

"What critical problems?"

"Emotional problems, private. Did you want anything?"

"I actually came here to talk to you about Emma."

"Okay, what is it?"

"I want you to talk to her about what has happened with her the last three weeks and help her if she needs anything. It's just that you're closest to her and she didn't want to talk to me, so I figured you could try."

"I think Emma will talk about what happened when she's ready Adam."

"Of course, but it mustn't take too long, because it's not good to keep something like this to yourself and it's even more important when Emma is a psionic. In the long run this incident can turn out really bad when it comes to her powers."

"Tell you what. Give her a week or two and I'm sure she'll come around okay?"

"Only if you promise me that you'll watch her closely."

"I will."

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As soon as Adam was gone, Shalimar walked out of her room and over to Emma's. As she was about to knock she noticed a weak smell of burnt coming from the room. Without thinking she flung the door open.

"Emma, are you okay?" she said, her voice almost panic.

Emma quickly emerged from the bathroom. "I'm fine."

"What happened?"

"Just a little book accident."

"What do you mean?"

"I was going to read a book and it just sort of started…burning."

"What?"

"But everything is fine now, really."

"What? It could have been dangerous."

"I told you that this was going to happen. It's gonna be fine once I get complete control over the powers."

"I don't like the idea of you hurting yourself. We should start training right away. I can take you to a safehouse so we can practise safely?"

"I don't know if I'm ready yet."

"Of course you are. You're gonna have to do this sooner or later and it's not as fun to do it alone as it is to do it with me."

"I guess you have a point."

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"Come on Emma, focus on the bottle."

Emma sighed. "I give up."

"No, you almost had it. Did you see how close you were to making it lift of the desk? You just have to concentrate."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Emma answered annoyed.

Shalimar walked behind her and placed her hands around Emma's sides, pressing her against her and leaning over to her ear.

"First of all you have to relax."

Emma closed her eyes as she felt the ferals breath against her ear and neck.

"Just relax and focus," Shalimar continued to whisper. "Nobody is pressuring you to do anything. It's just you, me and that bottle who really wants to be lifted of the desk."

Emma let out a barely noticeable moan when her whole body seemed to loosen up. Sometimes she couldn't believe how at peace Shalimar made her feel, but it sure was a good feeling to just let everything go and don't worry about anything.

Shalimar felt Emma relax in her hold and smiled to herself.

"Good. Continue to be calm and concentrate on the bottle."

Shalimar moved a few steps to the side as Emma slowly opened her eyes and let her gaze fall on the bottle, staring hard at it.

"Get up, get up, get up," she whispered and the bottle started moving.

"Come on Emma, keep focusing, you almost got it."

Slowly the bottle moved a few centimetres above the desk.

A few hours later Emma managed to move several bottles at once.

"Good, you're starting to get it now," Shalimar said as she walked around in the room.

Emma looked at her and the blonde noticed her expression.

"What are you gonna do?" The feral said suspiciously.

"Nothing."

"You should concentrate on the bottles."

"It's not actually that hard once you've gotten them of the ground."

"You're not gonna do what I think you're gonna do right?"

"And what would that be?" Emma smiled innocently.

"Bottles, me, bottles."

"Oh yeah, now that you mention it, I think that was a good idea."

"No Emma-"was all the feral managed to get out because Emma had already sent the bottles flying towards her. Shalimar ducked to avoid getting hit by any of them. She barely got time to get up before Emma attacked her, throwing punches at her in high speed. Shalimar blocked several of them before catching Emma's hands, holding the still in a firm grip.

"Someone's full of energy."

"Well, I can't be the only one training."

"You're not the only one. While you're training to control your abilities I'm training my patience."

"Aww, is the feral bored with me?"

Emma laughed and Shalimar did the same.

"Don't worry, you're not that bad."

Shalimar was still holding Emma's hands in front of her. Suddenly she felt her chest getting warm as if she was heating up and she released Emma's hands and quickly threw of the shirt she was wearing.

"Jesus Emma, are you trying to kill me?" the feral said annoyed.

"What? No, I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

Shalimar sighed and calmed down. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound angry. It's just, your shirt doesn't almost get set on fire every day."

"I'm really sorry." The brunette felt at the verge of tears and Shalimar regretted what she had said and silently cursed herself for upsetting Emma when this was such a hard time for her.

She stepped closer to Emma and lifted her chin, making their eyes meet.

"It's okay, really. We should practice that gift so you don't have to worry about setting things on fire."

It was first now Emma took real notice of that the feral stood in only her bra and she couldn't stop her eyes from travelling to the blonde's chest. She saw that Shalimar was getting red as if she was badly sunburned.

"I hurt you," Emma said sadly as she let her fingers trail softly over the redness.

Shalimar's breath caught in her throat and the soft touch sent tingles along her skin.

"It's nothing," she breathed out heavily. "I'll be fine."

Emma felt the ferals hot breath on her chin and it sent chills down her spine. She looked up at Shalimar and their eyes connected their faces only centimetres apart.

"Shalimar is everything okay?"

Both women jumped away from each other, startled.

"Shalimar?"

"Yeah, we're fine Adam." Subconsciously she placed an arm over her chest.

"Good. Just wanted to make sure nothing had happened to you two since you've been gone a while."

"No, we're fine, but we might have to stay and practice more."

"Oh okay."

"Actually Adam, I don't feel so good. I'm kinda tired so we'll come home."

"Okay Emma, I'll see you guys later."

Shalimar looked at Emma with a stern expression.

"You know we need to get your thermal powers under control. I only put that off because you said you wanted to start with something easier and less dangerous, but that is the most important ability you need to control."

"Look, I'm tired and you can't expect me to get everything right away. Do you have any idea how hard this is for me?"

Shalimar's expression softened. "No, I don't. I'm sorry."

Emma turned away from her and the feral sighed as she went to get her shirt she had thrown away before walking back over to Emma. She carefully laid a hand on the brunettes shoulder, slowly turning her towards herself.

Tears were slowly running down Emma's cheeks. "Hey, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to be rude or sound angry." Shalimar embraced her, trying to give some comfort.

"I didn't ask for this." Emma said weakly.

"I know sweetie, but we'll find a way to get through this."

They pulled away.

"The things they did to me, I can't even remember everything. I went in and out of consciousness and there was always some kind of pain even though I don't know if it was physically or mentally."

"I'm so sorry," Shalimar whispered, feeling guilty.

"It's not your fault Shal. And you got me out remember?"

"I still feel like I should have done something sooner. I mean, they had you for three weeks Emma and that's three weeks too much."

"I didn't really have any sense of time when I was there. How did you manage to find me anyway?" Emma asked curious, starting to feel better now that she could talk to Shalimar about what had happened to her.

"Oh you know…I went back to the ruins, ran into some of Eckhart's agents and let them take me to the hideout."

Emma laughed. "You make it sound so easy."

"That's what I'm here to do. Now, let's go home so you can get some rest."

"Okay."

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