Disclaimer—See Chapter One
A/N: I managed to finish a very long chapter six, so am now starting chapter seven. I'm slowly getting there. :) I thank you all so much for your feedback and comments! You inspire me to keep going, thank you! Rachel, Kerry, Marie Crosby, MariShal, tunder28, Courtney, Mxfan214 thank you so much for your encouragement! Blackpanther, I think a few of your questions will be answered in this chapter, or at least hinted at. Thank you! Susie, their time will come…eventually. :) Thank you, your reviews make my day! Mayra and CatJerica, I love your insights, they always challenge me. Thank you so much! Rain, I love how you notice the details. It gives me a thrill to know someone is noticing. :) Thank you! This chapter is a little different because nothing really happens. I debated for a long time whether or not to even keep it or merge it with another, but in the end on the advice of my wonderful betas, left it alone. Although not much happens, I needed it because it sets a lot of the subtle groundwork for different things in both the emotions and tone of the story as well as for parts of the various plots I'm attempting to weave together. So I hope you still enjoy it despite its weaknesses! The next chapter picks up the action again. Thank you all so much!
Traveling On—Chapter Four
He was all alone.
The thought hit Brennan as soon as he opened his eyes, blinking blearily in the early morning light. It was the second morning in a row he had woken up early. He groaned, pushing himself into a sitting position, resting his head back against the headboard for a moment, waiting for the last foggy tendrils of sleep to clear. For a moment, he had a fleeting thought that maybe she was sick again, but when he turned his head, the bathroom door was open, darkness staring back at him. He slumped back against the headboard, yawning widely, eyes drifting back shut. He awoke with a startled jerk sometime later, realizing he had dozed off sitting upright. He careened his neck, working out the kinks from his awkward position, eyes scanning the room to see he was still alone. A glance at the clock told him morning had come, so he forced himself to get up, yawning more as he padded toward the shower. Shalimar's clothes from the night before were still scattered on the floor of the bathroom, her perfume still lingering faintly on the air, and he couldn't help but grin at the reminders. She had followed him automatically into his room last night, rather than stopping off in her own, sleeping in one of his shirts and using his toothbrush when she thought he wasn't looking. He wondered what Adam's reaction would be if they combined rooms, wincing slightly at the thought of that conversation. Maybe it could wait a bit longer. He methodically stripped down, stepping into the shower, thoughts drifting pleasantly to the previous night and the way she had filled out those clothes, the soft white blouse teasing him as she danced closely against him. He frowned, briskly rubbing shampoo into his head as he remembered the chilled way she had suddenly looked at him, pulling out of his arms and stumbling back to the table. She hadn't said much, in fact she had been rather quiet the rest of the evening as they returned home, tired and disappointed at the waste of time the mission had turned out to be. Jesse hadn't been contacted, Emma hadn't sensed anything out of place, and Adam had said they would talk more about it in the morning. He glanced at the clock once more as he stepped out of the shower, quickly pulling on his clothes. Adam would probably be calling for them soon, and he wanted to find Shalimar first. Although she hadn't said anything, and although she had claimed she was just tired last night when he questioned her in the quietness of his room, he couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened. It couldn't be that bad, he reasoned as he left his bedroom, wandering the hallway, otherwise she would have told him.
It didn't take him long to find her.
He had only taken a few steps when the thought occurred to him to check her room. He turned, making a beeline back down the hallway. Her bedroom door was closed, and he knocked softly as he turned the handle. The door opened easily in his hand, and he poked his head inside the darkened room, almost missing the huddled lump up high on what he secretly thought of as her cat bed. Raised to shoulder height, the small bed reminded him of a cat perch he had seen as a child in one of his foster homes. The pampered cat would lie in the high window seat for hours, blinking lazily as it surveyed its world from above. He had never asked her about it, but decided Adam must have had something similar in mind when he designed it for the feral. He grinned, shaking his head as he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.
"Shal?" Her back was to him, but he saw her stir lightly at his call. Her leopard print throw was drawn up to her chest, the slim line of her shoulders outlined in the dimness. "You ok?" He stepped up to the bed, resting his elbows against it. More like a narrow shelf, there was no way his lanky body would fit up there. He was glad Adam had seen fit to at least put a more traditional bed in his room, even if it was on the small side. He reached up, brushing her hair off her face as she shifted slightly under the blanket, glancing back over her shoulder at him. He was startled to see trace tears on her cheeks, her eyes dry, but red. "What's wrong?"
She silently shook her head, turning back away from him. His hand brushed through her hair, one, two, three times as he waited in the heavy silence, but still she didn't speak. He sighed, dropping his hand to her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Are you feeling sick again?"
After a moment, she shook her head.
It wasn't much, but it encouraged him. He tried again. "Look, if you needed some space, it's ok, I really don't—"
"No."
Her whispered word cut him off. Ok. He furrowed his brow, chewing his lip, hoisting himself up onto the bed after a slight hesitation.
He was right before; he didn't fit.
"Brennan, what are you doing?" In a tangled midst of arms and legs, Shalimar's voice huffed in irritation, finding her face smashed against his shoulder. One of his legs was dangling off the bed, and if he pressed any harder, she was going to go down over the other side. Her eyes narrowed, not caring he couldn't see them, quickly deciding that if she fell, he would be going down with her. "Brennan!"
He could feel her lips moving against his shirt, her annoyance clear in the mumbled word. "I'm trying to get you to talk to me," He reasoned calmly, as if the explanation would make their present position make all the sense in the world. He ignored her huff of disbelief, turning his attention instead to his dangling leg. It was growing numb. If he could just move a tiny bit to the left... He shifted forward, freezing as Shalimar suddenly clamped onto him, the weight of her teetering body pulling against him. Or maybe not. He eased back, deciding his leg could just wait.
They laid in silence for a moment.
He tried for nonchalance. "So what do you want to talk about?"
She snorted against his shoulder, laughing despite herself. "Idiot."
He grinned in triumph, managing to wiggle his fingers as they were squashed against her back. "Yeah, but I'm your idiot."
Just as quickly, her laughter faded.
His heart thumped in sudden fear. "Shal?"
"It's nothing, Brennan." She wiggled against him for a moment, somehow managing to sit up.
He sat up as well, narrowly missing banging his head on the ceiling.
"Careful," She automatically cautioned, turning and sitting cross-legged on the end of the bed.
"Yeah." He grunted, pulling her pillow out from under him as he hunched his body down as far as he could, the top of his head still scraping the ceiling. "How can you stand this?" His brows arched upward, indicating the setup of the bed.
"I love it." Her smile transformed her face.
He shook his head in acute disagreement. "We really are different sometimes."
"Yeah."
They fell quiet again.
He watched as her finger traced the bold patterns of the printed quilt. "Talk to me, Shalimar." He finally broke the silence.
She sighed heavily, finally glancing up at him. He was shocked at the lines of deep guilt etched into her face. "Last night shouldn't have happened, Brennan."
He shook his head not following. "Last night?"
"At the club, we let ourselves get distracted, we stopped watching Jesse."
"So?" He still wasn't following. "So we danced a little. Emma was still there. And besides, Jesse's fine. Nothing happened—"
"But it could have."
It was her quiet tone that finally clued him in. He turned, sliding down off the bed. Her body turned toward him naturally in question, and he stretched up, catching her legs, tugging her forward until she sat on the side of the bed, legs hanging over the edge. He sighed, gently pushing her knees apart as he stepped between them. She stiffened slightly, but he pretended not to notice as he reached for her. "Tell me what happened last night, Shal."
She visibly shuddered as his fingers slid against her jaw, eyes falling shut as his large hands framed her face. "I don't know, Brennan." The words came out quickly, in soft puffs of air, and he strained to hear her. "There was someone there, in my head, he knew I wasn't watching as I should have been, he took control of me, taunting me, taunting all of us."
"What?" Brennan's voice rose as he shook his head in confusion. "But that's impossible, I was with you the whole time—"
"It was just like with Ashlocke."
"But Ashlocke's dead, he can't—"
"I know." Her voice was a whisper, trembling, tongue darting nervously out to lick her dry lips. "But that's what scares me."
"Shalimar." He sighed her name, pulled her into a hug. She resisted for only a moment, slumping against him as his arms circled her waist, pulling her closer. He ran his hands up and down her back in soothing circles, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Honey, it can't be Ashlocke, you know that, right?"
She sniffed, nodding against his chest. "But it can be someone like him."
The words brought dread to his heart, chest constricting painfully, numbly, as her arms rose to wrap around his neck, her nose cold as it pressed into his neck. He took control of me… The words stabbed over and over in his brain, and he shuddered, involuntarily tightening his own hold on her, clutching fistfuls of her hair, eyes burning as he stared across the room. Never, Shal, never again.
"Why didn't you tell us last night?" It was a few hours later, and Jesse stared at Shalimar in disbelief as she related her experience. "Better yet," He continued before she could answer, "Why didn't Emma sense any of this?"
"Emma?" Adam gently prompted the redhead as all eyes turned to her, and she stayed silent.
She finally looked up, eyes conflicted. "I didn't sense anything." She turned towards Shalimar in anguish. "Shal, I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault." Shalimar quickly shook her head, reaching out to the psionic. "Don't even go there."
"Shalimar's right, Emma." Jesse came up behind her, squeezing her shoulders. "The important thing is that she's ok, that we're all ok."
Adam watched thoughtfully as Jesse reassured them, glancing over at Brennan as he felt the elemental's eyes studying him.
"Adam, what do you think?" Brennan spoke up when he saw their mentor turn toward him.
"I'm not sure," Adam crossed over to his computer, pulling up the known mutant database. "But I do know there have been only a few times recently when another psionic has been that powerful."
"You mean only one other time, Adam…" The silence was heavy as Emma's voice trailed away, eyes darting over at Brennan.
"You mean like with Alex." Brennan finally broke the silence, voice tight.
"Yes, like Alex." Emma quietly agreed, hand rising as Brennan's lips pressed into a flat line. "Look, I'm not saying it was him. I'm just saying there must have been someone blocking me, someone very strong."
"So you sensed nothing unusual?" Adam asked again, glancing up from his search.
"Not really," Emma shook her head, searching to explain. "Just the normal emotions. There was one time, but it went away as fast as it came, so I dismissed it."
"What?" Adam watched her more intently. "What was it?"
"It was just a passing thought, more of a feeling really, of…of emptiness, blankness." She shrugged in frustration, unable to explain. "In a crowded room like that, it's hard to distinguish a separate thought. I don't know, it was so strange, but it was like for a moment, out of the barrage, a single impression stood out. But there was no emotion to sense, almost like---"
"Like someone was pretending to be human?"
Brennan started at Shalimar's whispered words, remembering all too painfully the last time she said them. He stared at her, trying to understand, but her eyes were looking past him.
Adam fingers had stopped their typing at Shalimar's words, also remembering another conversation. His head slowly lifted, gaze locking with the feral's.
"What are you saying, Shal?" Brennan's eyes shifted between hers and Adam's, not liking the sudden undercurrent. He had a sudden sick reminder of when Shalimar had forced the truth about Alex out of the man. "Shal?"
"I'm saying that this person, whoever he was, is just like Michael, or maybe even a little like Ashlocke." She took a step closer to Adam. "And I think this mission is related to Dr. Shaw, but that Adam already knew that."
"That doesn't make sense, Shalimar." Jesse pinched his nose, struggling to follow the shift in conversation.
"You mentioned the buyers were selling some kind of list, Jesse, and I finally realized why that sounded so familiar." She crossed the rest of the way over to Adam, searching the older man's eyes as he steadily held her gaze. "A list, Adam. You told me the night we got back from the underground facility that you were following recent activity, something about a list of names. I asked you then if it was connected to the research, but you didn't answer."
"He still hasn't answered even now." Brennan's words were quiet, bitter, understanding flashing across his features. "Is Shalimar right, is this connected, Adam?" He clenched his fists, anger brewing beneath the surface. "Did you know the danger we might be in last night?"
"I suspected, yes." Adam answered just as quietly.
"But you didn't think it prudent to warn us? To tell us?" The elemental gestured wildly, quickly losing control of his temper.
Adam stood to his feet, voice calm. "I did warn you. I told you several times in fact to stay alert, to pay attention, but yet you chose to ignore my warnings."
Brennan glared, arms crossing tightly across his chest as he struggled to regain control.
"I didn't tell you any details because I still do not fully know what is going on here." Adam's voice momentarily slipped its tight reign, showing emotion. "Is this related? Yes, I suspect that it is related. But until I have concrete facts, hard evidence, I am not going to worry my team needlessly." His gaze moved around the room, landing intentionally on each one of them before settling back on Brennan. "It's my job to worry about things like this. We've had this discussion before, Brennan. There are some things a leader must shoulder and some things a leader must share. It is my decision when and where to do so."
"It's ok, Adam." Jesse finally spoke up. "We believe you."
Emma nodded as well, leaning back into Jesse's chest. She smiled in agreement, but the expression did not quite reach her eyes.
"Thanks for telling us, Adam." Shalimar blew out a nervous breath, relieved and fearful all at once. There was enough to worry about without more secrets tearing them apart. "Brennan?" She turned pointed eyes onto the tall man.
Brennan struggled silently for a moment, jaw flexing in frustration, before finally nodding.
"Good." Adam closed the subject, turning back to his computer. "Now, let's find this guy, shall we?"
She was sitting cross-legged on her bed when Jesse found her. He stood in the doorway, watching Emma as she kept her eyes closed. He eased into the room, closing the door behind him as quietly as possible. His socked feet slid silently across the floor as he crossed the small room. He knelt hesitantly down beside the bed, unsure if he should disturb her or not.
Her face was serene, hardly moving as she concentrated, and he shifted uncertainly. "Emma?" He finally ventured to whisper her name as time passed.
She didn't move.
"Emma?" He finally tried again, a little louder.
To her credit, Emma kept a straight face, pretending not to notice Jesse. Teasing him was so much fun. She held still as Jesse pushed off his knees, sitting on the bed beside her.
He reached out a hand, pausing. She didn't blink, didn't move; she was impossibly still. His brow furrowed. "Emma?" He touched her arm.
"AHHH!"
He jerked violently at her sudden scream, falling back, heart pounding in shocked confusion as she leapt to her feet. It took him a moment to realize she was laughing. He narrowed his eyes, leaning forward to rest his elbows against his knees, willing his heart to settle back down in his chest. He squinted as he glanced back up at her. "Oh, that is so not funny."
"Sorry." Her eyes danced, and she sidled up to him, unable to resist his pout. "Did you need something?" She ran her hands along his arms, up to his shoulders, stepping between his legs as he parted his feet on the floor to make more room for her.
He didn't even skip a beat, brow quirking irresistibly.
"You."
He knew he got her when he saw the flush that spread from her forehead to below the neckline of her shirt. His mouth quivered as he gently pulled her to within an inch of his body, wrapping his hands around her hips, laying his head against her ribcage.
They were quiet for a moment, enjoying the feeling of being together
His lips curved into a smile, breaking the silence. "Gotcha ya." He felt the quick rush of air that she exhaled stir the hair on his head before she splayed the fingers of both hands gently against his scalp. He looked up at her, and she tilted her chin down to look him squarely in the eyes, one eyebrow slightly raised.
"So what are you going to do with me?"
He laughed, wrapping one hand around the back of her knee, gently pulling her leg up and over his. She placed her hands on his shoulders to keep her balance, smiling back when he brought his other hand to the back of her other knee, drawing her up and into his lap.
"This is…good." Her voice was breathless as she looked down at herself straddled across him. When she finally brought her eyes back up to his face, he saw that she was grinning.
He laughed, grinning back, chin dipping and smile smoothing into one of gentle tenderness for her. He stared at her for a heartbeat, expression growing more serious.
"What is it?" She ran a hand down his cheek.
"Sometimes I think this must all be a dream," His voice was hoarse, and he shrugged, embarrassed to admit his thoughts. "I'm afraid to blink, to open my eyes for fear it will all disappear."
"Jess," She smiled, tugging his chin back up. "If this is a dream, then let's never wake up."
Her smile was contagious, an answering grin tugging on his mouth, left dimple flashing in reply. He leaned forward, capturing her lips, flooding her with overwhelming emotions.
She gasped, arms tightening around his neck, kissing him back with everything she had to give. And for a brief moment, she hid nothing.
Shalimar hit a key, pausing the search on the computer, pushing back to rub her eyes. Two hours of watching faces flash across the screen and still nothing.
"How's it going?" Brennan glanced up at her sympathetically from where he sat at his own terminal across the desk from her.
"Not so well." Shalimar groaned, throwing him a frustrated look. "I wish I could remember more." She turned tiredly back to the computer, resuming the search function, staring blearily. "It would be a whole lot easier to find this guy if I knew what he looked like."
"Just keep trying, maybe something will stand out to you yet."
"Yeah," She grumbled, resting her chin on her hand.
"Well, that's it for the blue-eyed ones." Brennan pushed back from his own computer a moment later. "I've checked for any psionics known to have gray eyes and blue eyes, none of them look violet to me." He made a face, nose wrinkling. "How can someone have violet eyes anyway? Isn't that purple?"
"I don't know, they were just…violet, ok?" Her voice reflected thinly veiled impatience. She could feel his eyes on her, but kept working, glad when he stayed quiet. They kept working in silence for another half hour, and she could continually feel him watching her. Finally, she glanced up, catching him looking away hurriedly, trying not to be caught. "Ok, what?"
"Hmm?" He glanced over, feigning innocence.
"Was there something you wanted to say?"
He hesitated, debating.
"Never mind." She plopped her chin back in her hand, going back to ignoring him, glaring at him a moment later when she felt his eyes on her once more. "What?"
Brennan scooted his chair back from the table, standing, moving around so that they were on the same side. He leaned up against the desk about a foot away from where she sat, looking at her seriously.
"What?" She was beginning to feel self-conscious.
His head dipped in an unconscious effort to bring his eyes more level with hers. "What you are thinking, Shal?" He leaned more fully against the table to better see her face.
Her eyebrow shot up in response, defensive. "Why do you keep asking me that?"
He shook his head, refusing to back down. "Because I know you, you're worried, and not just about this mission." He held up a finger as she opened her mouth to retort, "Or this psionic, or Adam."
"What? That's not enough for you?" She folded her arms, feeling unnerved that he could read her so well, shifting as she felt his steady gaze on her.
"You're worried about us." He finished gently, stepping closer, head dipping to come even closer to her level.
She stilled, unprepared for the onslaught of emotion at his words. She glanced at him, and it was like sticking her finger into an electrical outlet, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end, eyes involuntarily darting down to his mouth. Damn it. Her eyes darted away.
"You're worried that we can't make this work, that we've already let ourselves get too distracted, and that it could be too dangerous for the team, or for one of us."
Her head snapped back up to his, eyes wide.
A sideways grin tugged on his lips at her expression. "What, I can't feel the same way?"
She smiled despite herself, staring into his eyes, watching as his features softened, and he suddenly looked less sure of himself.
"Shalimar…we can figure this out, right?"
Her eyes closed at his whisper, resolve weakening as he bent closer yet, inhaling his scent. She gave a tiny nod, eyes still closed, hand pressing against his chest to stop him when he tried to kiss her. "First we have to discuss the rules."
"The rules?"
She opened her eyes to find him easing back, settling against the side of the desk. "We can't let this interfere with work," She looked down, fingers twisting in her lap.
"Shal," His deep voice interrupted her. "Despite what it may look like at times, I do agree."
A pleased smile tugged at her lips, but when she looked back up her eyes were serious. "I just don't want there to be any misunderstandings."
"Neither do I." His voice was hoarse, and she recognized the emotion.
"And we have to be honest with each other, Brennan, it's the only way we can keep what we have now."
He was studying her intently, nodding in agreement. "Anything else?"
She worried her lower lip between her teeth, thinking. "Anything else?" She echoed dumbly, suddenly finding her eyes back on his full lower lip. "No, I—I think that's it."
"Ok...good." When he realized she was done with the rules, one corner of his mouth lifted in a smile.
She smiled in return as her gaze shot to his. "Good." Her heart suddenly awoke in her chest, thumping in slow, deep throbs. He leaned slowly forward, making his intentions known. Of their own accord, her eyes fluttered shut, leaning forward to meet him, flying open when he stopped her a second later with a whisper.
"Shal, your search? Did you finish it?"
"Hmm?"
"The rules?"
She was watching his lips move; it took her a moment to understand. "Oh, ah, yeah." She flushed, turning back to her computer, conscious of him as he settled down next to her, patiently waiting, Frustration soon returned as face upon face flashed before her. "I don't think we're going to find him this way, Brennan."
"Why?" He was solely her teammate, interested in her answer.
"For all the mutants Adam has in here, he didn't know about Michael. And if Michael's not in here…"
"Then this guy probably isn't either."
"It was weird, Brennan. It was like they were almost the same, but yet he was different as well." She shook her head. "He was so cold, so strong."
"We'll find him, Shal."
She smiled at him, turning back to her computer, leaning back in her chair a few minutes later.
"Are you done?"
"Yeah." She paused, brow quirking, eyes darting to his. "I think we're both done working now."
He couldn't help it. Her hesitation contrasted by the brave arch of her eyebrow was just too irresistible. It brought out all manner of testosterone driven urges. The urge to protect, the urge to meet a challenge.
The urge to pursue.
His voice was low and persuasive when he gently commanded her. "Come over here, Shal."
Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she stood, straightening up as he stepped closer to her. His hands came up to her face, and her chin tilted upward at the gentle urging of his fingertips. She could feel his breath on her face, holding still as he dipped his head down to her height.
"You're ok with this?" He paused, lips pressing gently against hers as soon as she nodded. For a few moments, they lingered, neither moving, not wanting to break the gentle kiss. She drank in his tenderness, heart stopping, then slamming madly as his fingers pushed into her hair, drawing her closer to him. She arched up on her tiptoes, pulling his head back down when he would have ended it, lips claiming his once more.
The sound of someone clearing their throat behind them broke them apart. Shalimar whirled around to see Adam standing in the doorway. Her heart slammed again, though she wasn't sure why. She glanced at Brennan briefly then looked back at Adam, realizing that their leader looked resigned.
"Am I interrupting something?"
"No," They both spoke quickly, simultaneously.
Adam sighed, glancing at his watch. "Can I see you both in my office for a moment?"
"Yeah." Shalimar watched as he turned and headed down the hallway, glancing back at Brennan who only shrugged. They followed him wordlessly.
"Why do I feel like I'm going to the principal's office?" Brennan whispered to Shalimar as they hesitated outside Adam's office.
She elbowed him, not responding.
He glanced at her warily, not liking the look in her eyes as they entered the office, sitting in the chairs in front of his desk.
Adam stared at them a moment, taking his time before speaking. "I was coming to see how the search was going, but I want to discuss something else first." He paused, staring down at a spot on his desk. "What I saw is none of my business, and I want you to know I will not interfere with your private affairs." He shifted, glancing up at them. "I understand also that because Sanctuary is both your work and your home, it brings an added challenge for each of you."
"Adam," Brennan leaned forward in his chair, quick to defend. "You don't—"
The older man held up his hand, "I am not going to ask you any questions about your relationship or about what I saw just now. However, I must ask that you keep it separate from your work. If ever something of this nature were to happen while on a mission, it could put the entire team at risk."
"We agree, Adam." Shalimar's cheeks burned in embarrassment as she stared at the ground. "We already talked about that."
Adam watched her steadily for a moment, nodding, changing the subject.
Shalimar faintly heard him asking questions about the search, listening to Brennan's answers and Adam's calm voice as they discussed the next steps, but when the meeting ended and they stood up to leave, she realized she hadn't heard any of it.
"Shal—" Brennan tried to feel her out as they headed towards the kitchen for supper.
"Not now, Brennan."
He was frustrated to hear the tightness back in her voice. He grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop, but when he looked into her eyes, she relaxed a little, laying a hand on his arm.
"It's alright, Brennan, just not right now, ok?"
She walked away before he could determine her words, sighing heavily before jogging down the hallway after her.
That night, he held her tight in his arms, burying his face into the warmth of her hair as she lay with her back pressed into his chest. He whispered reassurances as she clenched his fingers, eventually drifting off to sleep.
When he awoke, bright light streamed in under the door, casting deep shadows across the room. He yawned, stretching lazily, raising his head up as he heard his door creak open a moment later. The bright light became overwhelming, blinding him, and he squinted against the onslaught.
"Brennan."
He froze, not recognizing the voice that called to him, sitting up against the headboard in shock at the strange woman standing in his doorway, awkwardly catching the blanket with one hand as it pooled around his waist, gathering a swirl of defensive electricity with the other. He licked his lips to demand who she was, but she had turned before he could voice his thoughts, disappearing in a swirl of long dark hair and intense blue eyes. Instinctive sparks died on his fingers, brow furrowing as he looked around his room, noticing a torn, dirty pair of jeans on the floor. A few things in difference places. Was that blood? He blinked, trying to understand, when his next thought struck him even harder.
He was all alone.