Disclaimer—See Chapter One
A/N: I'm so sorry again for the delayed update! I am writing as much as I am able, but it's just not quite fast enough. Sorry about that! Thank you all so much for your patience and for your comments! Tunder28, Mxfan214, Rain and Mayra (I'm so glad you guys are liking Emma! She is the one hardest for me to write! Thank you!), CatJerica, Blackpanther (Hope you're surviving school! Thank you!), EternalFire-angel. Susie, I'm so happy you're still reading! I was afraid I had lost you. :) Hope your holiday went well , and thanks again for everything! Adele, thank you! I hope all your questions will be answered eventually:) Fiery Feral and Redhead2, I can't thank you both enough for all your encouragement! I have loved reading all your thoughts all at once. :) I'm so glad you were able to get caught up! Thank you so much! I tried not to leave you with too much of a cliffhanger on the previous chapter since I wasn't sure when I would be able to update next, and I swear that was my intention this time around as well. But one of my betas was able to read this chapter for me before I actually posted it, and said I was being mean. Oops. :) So I will do my best not to leave you hanging too long. I'm only about halfway done with the next chapter, but I'm writing whenever I can. In the meantime, here is the next one finally for you. I hope you enjoy! Thank you!
Traveling On—Chapter Ten
Adam was dying.
Shalimar couldn't take her eyes off the man who had become her surrogate father over the years, could smell his blood even through the thick glass she stood behind, forehead pressed against the blue-gray tinted window, biting her lip so hard she bled.
She didn't notice.
She could hear the worried voices vibrating through the glass, Emma as she stood with hands on either side of Adam's face, bending over him, soothing him, and Jesse as he muttered under his breath, not at all sure if what he was doing was helping or hurting. She closed her eyes, inhaling the pain, barely feeling Brennan's hands as he squeezed her shoulders from behind and buried his face in her hair.
Only recently had Adam begun working with Jesse one on one, showing him more than the basic medical skills they all knew, teaching him on simulations. While the technology in Adam's lab ensured precision diagnostics and virtual assistance, Jesse had yet to work on a real person.
Two gunshots wounds to the chest were hardly the scenario he would have chosen to start with.
His hands shook as he bent over the deceptively small holes in Adam's chest. The blood had been cleaned away, the stench from the discarded tshirts and gauze used to staunch and then clean the blood still burning in his nostrils. He was fortunate the bullets had gone cleanly all the way through; he could use the dermal regenerator on the entrance and exit wounds. Adam's right lung had been penetrated, collapsing shortly before they got him back to the lab. The second bullet had torn through his shoulder, ripping muscle, but missing the vital artery. His skin was dry and loose, and in some places on his face, Jesse could see lines of broken capillaries under the skin and faint bruising. The computer beeped, telling him that Adam's heartrate was too fast at 110 and his breath was coming in short, rapid pants. He had slipped into shock and his skin temperature felt cool, although he was running a low grade fever according to the scan. He had managed to get him intubated and a single chest tube inserted under local anesthesia. He didn't know what had been worse, cutting the incision between the ribs or placing the tube into the space between the inner lining and outer lining of the lung. When the suction began, he had turned away, gagging. The IV needle had been easy after that, giving Adam back vital fluids from so much blood loss. Initially, the diagnosis had been severe dehydration, respiratory distress and potential renal failure. But Adam's machines had worked their magic, his body remarkably strong, stubborn. Emma worked hard to keep all of them calm, and when Jesse finally turned away pale and shaken, she had wrapped her arms around him from behind, sinking to the floor with him, stroking his back when he began to retch.
Just a few days ago, Adam had been the one working to repair the damage done to his lungs; the irony of the role reversal wasn't lost on him now.
"You did it, Jess." Emma whispered soothingly in his ear. "Adam will be so proud of you, we all are."
"I don't think I have the stomach for this," Jesse groaned self-deprecatingly.
Emma chuckled softly, tangling her fingers into his. His hands were still shaking, and she tugged gently, raising them to her lips, pressing soft kisses on each knuckle. When she lifted her eyes, she met his, seeing the haunting fear still lingering with the relief, concern washing over him as he turned his attention to her next. Silent tears filled her eyes, dripping down her cheeks at his look. "I'm ok." She shook her head slightly.
"Emma—" Jesse's mouth opened, then closed, jaw working silently. "Out on that boat, when you…I was so scared—"
"It's ok." She caught his face, framing it with both hands.
"No," He gripped her fingers desperately, suddenly struggling to rise. "You don't understand, you were seizing. We need to examine you—"
"I know." She interrupted him, allowing him to lead her to an empty lab bed. She sat down, staring at her hands. "But the scans won't show anything."
Jesse watched as her fingers fiddled with the hem of her shirt. He noticed they were trembling. "Emma, what happened?" His stomach soured as he began to understand. He clutched her shoulders, bending his face to make eye contact. "What did he do to you?"
She rolled her eyes upward, trying to stop the tears, smiling when he thumbed them gently from her cheeks. "I recognized the blankness from the club this time, so I knew he was close, but he got to me before I could stop him."
"He must have known you had the power to keep them from getting Adam."
She made a helpless gesture, closing her eyes. "A lot of good I did."
"Hey, stop." Jesse slid his hands back up her shoulders to frame her face. "You were amazing, you saved us again."
She smiled slightly at his words, wincing at the pull of bruised muscle. She had struck the side of her face when she collapsed, and a deep bruise was beginning to well. Her hair had dried in limp tangles, and mascara was smudged under her red eyes, swollen with emotion. Jesse shook his head in silent awe. "Look at you," He breathed, gently tugging on her chin when her head dipped down in embarrassment. "I've never seen anything so beautiful."
She huffed, arms wrapping around his neck as he pulled her into his arms, burying her face into his shoulder, breathing in his comfort. She could almost forget the darkness when she was enveloped within his arms.
"We'll get this guy, Emma." Jesse pulled back, jaw set in determination. "He won't hurt you or Shalimar anymore."
She nodded, thinking of something else. "Jesse, there's more. I—I think I recognized him." She stopped abruptly when Brennan and Shalimar walked into the lab, glass doors sliding shut with a quiet swoosh behind them.
"One of the mutants?" Brennan had only caught her last few words, only half paying attention as he crossed over to Adam's side. He had filled Shalimar in on everything she had missed that morning while they had waited through the long night, watching Jesse work. Brennan bowed his head, remembering his anger at the man who now lay still before him. "How is he?" His voice was hoarse.
"We'll have to watch him closely." Jesse cleared his throat, watching as Shalimar cautiously bent over the chest tube. "But he's stable, resting. I'm hoping his lung will re-expand enough so I can remove the tube tomorrow."
"Do you think we should've taken him to the hospital?" Brennan still worried about their decision.
"It's too risky; Eckhart would've been on him in a minute." Emma wiped the back of her hand across her face, drying the remainder of tears. "Besides, Jesse is doing an incredible job."
"We saw." Shalimar turned from her silent inspection of Adam to look at Jesse, a sudden smile transforming her face. "You saved his life."
"Looks like there's a lot of that going on lately." Brennan clasped Jesse's shoulder as he walked past him to stop in front of Emma. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm ok." She smiled at his concern, resting a hand on his arm.
"I'm glad." Brennan's voice was hoarse as he looked down, feeling Shalimar's hands on his back as she joined them. Out on that boat, it had been like seeing his nightmare come to life. He shook his head, still feeling the fear and horror deep within his bones. Emma's look grew questioning, but he shook his head, pushing the feeling further away, smiling back at her. He didn't want anyone else to know about his dreams. He cleared his throat. "So what were you saying about recognizing someone?"
Emma's smile faltered, and the question grew heavy on the air.
"You saw him too?" Shalimar was staring at Emma, expression strained.
Emma's eyes were dark, searching the feral's for a silent moment. "Yeah." Her head nodded in a quick jerk.
"It's not him." Shalimar's jaw flexed stubbornly.
"Ok, what?" Brennan could feel the hesitation and dread coming from both of them. "What is it now?" He glanced at Jesse, but the molecular looked as confused as he did.
Shalimar and Emma exchanged heavy glances.
"Brennan," Shalimar turned toward him, hand on his chest. He recognized the gesture as one meant to calm him, soothe him.
It had the opposite effect.
"Shal," His fingers dug into her shoulders, eyes pleading with hers. "Please."
She knew he couldn't handle what he perceived to be any more secrets. She nodded and felt the immediate relief in his grip. "Earlier today…out on the boat, I saw Alex."
"What?" Brennan's hands dropped abruptly, stumbling back slightly, remembering. "You said his name before you passed out." He looked at her almost accusatory.
"He was standing in the doorway of the compound, shading his eyes with his hands. And then he was in that other boat." She spoke quickly. "Brennan, he—he was holding a gun."
"No." Brennan stopped moving, arms crossing defensively.
"I saw him too, Brennan." Emma closed her eyes at the pain she knew her words caused. "Only he..he had violet eyes."
Violet eyes. Brennan didn't know whether to laugh or cry in disbelief. "You're trying to tell me that Alex is this psionic? The insane psychopath that's been haunting Shalimar and attacking us?"
"That's impossible." Jesse spoke up for the first time, shaking his head. "Eye color aside, it had to have been some sort of illusion."
"I agree." Shalimar took a step toward Brennan again. "I've known Alex longer than anyone. I don't believe it was really him, it can't be."
"No, of course not." Brennan still hadn't moved, muscles coiled as he crossed them tighter. "My brother would not hurt any of us."
"Emma?" Jesse prompted the redhead in the ensuing silence.
She winced when she felt all their eyes on her. She took a breath, opening her eyes, finding Brennan's as they bore into hers. "I don't want to believe it either, I just know that I saw him, talked to him, and that they—they felt the same."
"What do you mean?" Shalimar's voice was gentle, ignoring the glare Brennan turned on her.
Emma had the inane urge to scratch her nose, the itch growing as everyone stared at her. "All that time that Alex was with us, I was never able to read him, get a hit off of him. He said it was because he had learned to keep up tightly controlled walls, and I believed him." She pinched her nose instead, struggling to explain. "And then in the club and at our other encounters with the psionic, I couldn't sense him, only a strange sort of feeling of emptiness, blankness, that I've learned to associate with him." She lifted her head, finding Brennan's hard gaze again. "It wasn't until I actually saw him that I made the connection."
"Which was what?" Though his tone was soft, it was edged with steel.
"That the feeling I got from the psionic was the same I got from Alex."
A muscle jumped in Brennan's jaw as he regarded her silently. He turned and walked away without another word.
Shalimar stared after him, at the lab door as it swung shut.
"I'm sorry." Emma sank onto the bed, covering her lips with shaking fingers.
"You didn't do anything wrong." Shalimar reached for her, clasping her trembling hand in both of hers for a brief moment before slipping out after Brennan.
"Hey, it's ok."
Shalimar heard Jesse reassure Emma as she strode down the hallway after Brennan.
"Brennan!"
"Not now, Shalimar." He didn't stop walking.
"Brennan, wait!" She caught up to him, grabbing his arm.
"I can't do this right now, Shal." He spoke tersely, pulling his arm out of her grasp.
"Too bad." She stepped in front of him. "Because we are."
He glared down at her, turning away from her with a frustrated sigh. "I said no—"
"Brennan, stop." She moved with him, hands pressed into his chest, not letting him turn away. "Just stop."
He shook his head, mouth working silently, struggling for control. "Damn."
She closed his eyes at his whisper, sighing.
He spun abruptly, fist ramming angrily into the wall. "Damn it!"
She watched as he leaned forward, bracing his arms against the wall. "We'll figure this out Brennan. One way or another—"
"One way or another, we lose." He groaned, chuckling disparagingly. "Don't you get it, Shal? It's like some cosmic joke. We stop some horrific possibility of the future from happening only to find out my long lost brother is the cause."
"We don't know that for sure."
"Yeah," He straightened; face set as he brushed past her. "But I'm going to find out."
"Brennan—"
"Let him go, Shal."
She frowned, glancing over her shoulder at Jesse as he came up behind her.
"He just needs some time to blow off steam, you know how he is." His arm stole up around her shoulder, offering support.
"Yeah," She sighed, leaning her head against him. "That's what scares me."
"Hey, it'll be ok." He kissed the top of her head gently.
It was the same thing she'd heard him tell Emma. She smiled, arm snaking around his waist. "What would we do without you, Jess?"
"Lucky for you, you'll never have to find out." He grinned, laughing as she playfully slapped his chest. "Come on." He turned her around, walking her back toward the lab. "Let's take a look at that head of yours."
"I'm fine," She automatically protested.
"You were hit in the back of the head by a tree," Jesse's brow arched in reminder. "Humor me."
Shalimar let Jesse fuss over her, waiting to find out that Emma was alright as well before shuffling her way back to her room. She was tired, hungry, and sorer than she wanted to admit. Though the blood had been cleaned and soiled rags removed, she could still smell it sickening the air, could smell Adam's unconscious fear as he struggled for breath against the foreign object shoved down his throat. She passed Brennan's room for her own, stopping short outside her door.
He was in there.
She hesitated, blowing out her breath before opening the door. She wasn't in the mood for more arguing. She was too tired. The room was dark, and she blinked, adjusting her eyesight to the dim light. She heard him breathe, heard the rustle of sheets as he sat up from her high bed, legs swinging over the side. She closed the door, leaning against the back of it as she watched him, mildly surprised to find no smell of alcohol on him. It was what he normally did when he stormed out in anger. Never enough to lose cognizance, just enough to dull the pain. She didn't think she'd ever actually seen Brennan drunk. He wouldn't allow himself to give up the control, even for a few hours.
He seemed to read her mind, squinting at her as he held his head in his hands, back rounded inches below the ceiling. "I couldn't leave." He slipped down from the bed, catching the blanket as it almost fell to the floor, walking straight up to her. "I couldn't leave." He repeated hoarsely, eyes searching her face.
She went into his arms with a sigh.
He led her to his room.
In the shower, she closed her eyes and leaned against his chest. The hot water felt wonderful as it sluiced over them both, warming her chilled skin. He carefully soaped her hair and body, then rinsed her gently. She tried hard not to let him see how weak she was, but her knees buckled as he toweled her dry.
He swore and picked her up.
After he tucked her in bed, he slung the towel he'd used on her around his naked hips and sat down beside her. She searched his face. With everything that had happened…last night…today… They'd reached a turning point, she suddenly realized, there was no going back. She closed her eyes at the thought.
She felt his hand lightly stroke her temple.
"Shal? Please don't shut your eyes, you're scaring me."
She opened her eyes and met his worried gaze, managing a small smile to reassure him. "I'm ok, Jesse scanned me, and I don't have a concussion. I'm just…tired."
"Yeah." His fingers slid down to her chin, outlining her jaw.
They were silent a moment.
"You hungry?" Brennan stood abruptly.
"Starving." She smiled at him, sitting slightly up, holding the blanket to her chest, watching as he padded across the room. He seemed oblivious to the fact that he'd lost his towel and if anyone came in, they'd see a very naked Brennan. She bit her lip despite the throbbing in her head. She should have known he would be an exhibitionist.
"Here." He returned a moment later, handing her a shirt.
She pulled it over her head, taking a moment to press her nose into the soft cotton, welcoming the scent of warm Brennan. She felt enveloped in a cocoon of his smell, wearing his shirt, laying in his bed. She lifted her head as she heard the door swing softly shut, brow furrowed. He returned a few minutes later, carrying toast and tea. She was relieved to see he had taken the time to pull on jeans and a shirt before he left. She smiled at his offering of food, curling up beside him on the bed and watching him as they ate ravenously. He didn't say much, and she didn't either.
She was having a hard time keeping her eyes open and laid back down, settling her cheek on the downy pillow. Her eyes drifted shut, and then she must have dozed off because the next thing she heard was the snick of the door.
He was letting himself out.
"Brennan?"
He came back in and closed the door, crossing to her side of the bed.
"Can't sleep?" He brushed the damp hair off her forehead with his fingertips.
"Not really." She pushed back the covers and sat up.
"Want me to get you anything?"
She studied his eyes. The expression in them was preoccupied. His mind was somewhere else. Her gaze fell on his body. He was wearing a dark jacket. "Where are you going, Brennan?"
"Oh, just…" He trailed off and looked at her a little more fully.
She looked back at him and waited.
He licked his lips, then sighed. "I'm going to go try to buy a gun."
"No."
"Shal, that compound was surrounded by water. You know we'll have to go back there." He frowned, looking away. "I was useless today, Shalimar, dripping wet."
"No," She reached out, linking her fingers with his and tugged. "That's not our way."
"I have to be able to defend—"
"No."
He looked at her for a long moment, conflicted and finally sighed, letting her pull him down onto the bed beside her. They lay in silence, lost in thought until Brennan finally spoke. "I've been thinking about it, Shal. Maybe it really was Alex out there."
"What?" She turned toward him in surprise.
"What if he was there undercover, only pretending to be on their side?" He ducked his head and looked at their intertwined fingers, rubbing the band of her ring. "He could have followed Eckhart there."
"Ok." She nodded slowly. "So why the change in eye color? Why the shooting to kill?"
He shifted restlessly. "I don't know, Shal. I don't know what's going on. But I just can't believe he would willingly…" He shook his head, leaving the sentence unfinished. "But if he does, if he touches any one of you—"
"I know…" She whispered. His eyes were shot through suddenly with a dark emotion she wasn't sure she wanted to categorize and she trailed off. He was very much on the edge, she realized. Desperate, dangerous. They were the eyes of a cornered male who would protect his own or die trying. She understood better than anyone, her expression growing more intense, squeezing his fingers hard. "I know."
His eyes met hers, and they stared at each other, the tension thick in the air between them, then she nodded slightly and he nodded back.
He dropped his gaze and reached out, stroking the curve of her waist, covered with the soft cotton of his shirt. His hand moved down to the hem but didn't lift it, just brushed warm across her thigh.
All at once he stood and started shedding his clothes. She took a deep breath of relief, the tension in the air dissipated abruptly as if it had never been.
He turned out the lights and crawled beside her, wrapping his arms around her. He pulled her against him, fitting her close against his body with a sigh. She could feel the strain in his muscles. Today had been too close a call.
Yet again.
She hugged him a little tighter, startled to feel him wince. "Brennan?" She pulled back a little from him and gave a tiny gasp. In the dimness, she could see the skin of his shoulder was an ugly purple and green. She hadn't noticed it before. He must have taken the brunt of the tree across his shoulder. "Brennan." She softly reprimanded, turning him around, examining him. She probed as gently as she could through the swollen skin at the bones beneath.
He craned his neck to look at it. "It's fine." He reassured, though she could see he was trying not to flinch as she pressed along the line of his clavicle.
The tree would have killed her, she realized in sudden certainty. She raised her eyes to his, but he made no comment, just looked at her. Her eyes dropped to the angry skin of his shoulder again, then fell lower. She examined the skin of his back and turned him to check his ribs and stomach. He grunted when she pulled at the waistband of his boxers, but allowed her to push them down as she checked his back again. She let out a breath, relieved there didn't seem to be any other injuries.
"You're ok."
"Yeah."
Suddenly she wanted to forget, just for a little while, and make him forget everything as well. She sighed, running her fingers along the line of his jaw as he turned back toward her, hands sliding down his chest. And then his hands were on her upper arms, pulling her to him and his mouth was on hers. But even as she heard him moan into her neck, even as her legs wrapped around him, she knew without having to see that there was a sadness in his closed eyes that she couldn't erase.
He awoke to the sound of the breaking rain. Even in the deepness of their mountain home, he could hear it clearly. The storm had continued throughout the night. Brennan sat up, groaning as he rolled his sore muscles. A quick glance over his shoulder told him Shalimar still slept. Her face was flushed, hair fanning wildly across the pillow. He leaned over her, running his fingers through the tangled mass, loving the thickness as he pressed his nose into the top of her head. He nuzzled her temple, pressing a long kiss to her forehead before gently untangling himself from her. He paused to shrug on his shirt and jeans, making a mental note to get his belt back from Jesse when they hung lowly. He tugged them back up as he slipped out the door, padding barefoot down the hallway. He made a beeline for the lab, resting his forehead against the glass when he found Jesse slumped sound asleep over his keyboard. Emma was curled up on one of the lab beds, and Adam lay silently. A glance at his monitors told him he was lost in the land of drugged sleep. Brennan was glad; he knew the older man would be hurting when he awoke. He watched them a few more minutes before shoving off the glass, getting a bottle of water from the kitchen before settling in front of one of the computers in the rec room. His fingers tapped the mouse, waking the screen saver, startled to see the grainy picture of Danny still open on the screen, the one he had opened yesterday morning before all hell broke loose. He thought a moment, typing in a single word.
Naxcon.
He quickly found the company's website again, chewing his lip as he studied the brief biography given on Shalimar's father. When he had told her about his dreams, he had purposely left out the name of her father's company. He knew Adam had planned to have her go there undercover, but he didn't like the idea. They still didn't know how the company was connected to Haines or the list or to Danny for that matter. Adam said Haines had been driving a company car. He rapped his fingers on the desktop. How the hell did Alex fit into all this as well? He rolled his shoulder, wincing at the stiffness. It was all getting too damn personal. First Shalimar's father and now his brother. He moved the mouse again, enlarging the small picture of the gray-haired man that was her father. There was little resemblance between them. He sighed, dropping his head into his hands.
Back in his room, Shalimar stirred restlessly in sleep. Her fingers twitched spasmodically, back arching for a moment, whimpering, before calming again, eyes rolling beneath their lids, seeing another childhood that wasn't her own. A lanky dark-haired boy running as fast as his skinny legs could carry him, a tow-haired boy and another with large glasses running beside him, glancing over their shoulders at a burly man waving his fist in anger. Three boys, scrambling down a manhole, the grated cover sliding back in place just as the man stormed past. Shalimar rolled in her sleep, kicking off the covers, still seeing a small round face with owlish glasses peering out at her through the grate, the image boring into her eyelids.
Brennan tiredly rubbed his eyes. He was exhausted and should be resting. The storm raged outside, and he glanced up as he felt the electricity surge in response under his skin. He frowned, flexing his fingers. It was still dark, but morning wasn't far off. It would be another long day, and he couldn't afford to be distracted. He narrowed his eyes at the picture. Shalimar rarely spoke of her father and only then it was with pain in her eyes. He wouldn't let anyone hurt her ever again, not even her father. He sniffed, finally closing the picture and finding the contact information on the site. He tore the paper label off his water bottle, scribbling down the phone number and shoving it into his pocket as he turned off the computer. Overhead lights flickered as thunder rumbled lowly in the distance, and his system cried out in reply. He glanced briefly both ways, tossing the empty bottle into the air and frying it with a crack of satisfaction.
It was hours later when Shalimar awoke. A moody glance at the clock told her she had overslept, and she turned her head to see Brennan was still sleeping, dark hair sticking up in messy spikes as he hunched under the covers. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. Stretching her arms over her head, she arched her back.
Ouch.
She winced, lifting her hair where it was stuck to the back of her neck. Her skin was covered with a thin film of perspiration. She squinted at the clock for a moment, willing the hands to turn back, to give her more time, groaning when it only ticked forward in baneful ignorance. She slapped it face down, stumbling into the bathroom and twisting on the tap in the tub. Blessedly hot water streamed forth, and she padded back out into his room, finding the shirt he had loaned her last night and slipping it over her head before sneaking down the hallway toward her own room. She returned a moment later, dropping in a handful of bath salts into the steaming water before she slid down into it with a grateful sigh. She had dreamed about his childhood again. She frowned, mind touching on him briefly then slipping to nothingness as she relaxed back and let the water rise to her chin. She shut her eyes and drifted back to a half sleep. Finally, feeling half human again, she sat up and sluiced herself with the fragrant water, then rose from the tub and dried her hot skin, her movements as languid as the air around them. She dressed slowly in front of the mirror, moving closer to stare at herself. There was a graze on her cheek and a large, ugly bruise marked the skin over her lower left ribs. She didn't remember how it happened or even feeling it last night. But now it was sore. She wiped her hand across the fogged mirror, reaching for Brennan's comb.
Shalimar.
The comb slipped from her numb fingers and clattered loudly to the tiled floor.
You can run but you can't hide.
She gasped, stumbling backwards as the mirror fogged back over with each ragged breath she heard in her ear. "What do you want?" She clung to the edge of the sink.
"Shalimar, you ok?" Brennan stirred awake in the next room.
I know everything about you, Shalimar. The institution. Your time on the streets. I know how wild you can be.
She paled at his words, tongue darting out to lick suddenly dry lips. "H—how?" She jerked, knees buckling as handwriting slowly began appearing across the fogged up mirror, one letter at a time.
I AM HIM.
"Shal?" Brennan appeared in the doorway, scratching his chest as he yawned.
The words burned into her eyes, fingers digging into cold porcelain. She whimpered, reaching up a quick hand and smearing them away.
The day will come eventually.
"Shalimar?"
Brennan's hand on her shoulder startled her, and she jumped, whirling around.
He was gone.
"Hey, you're shaking." Brennan was still talking, his chest rumbling beneath her ear as he pulled her into his arms. His body was still warm from the bed, and she sank into him. Her pulse raced beneath her skin and she realized her teeth were chattering.
"What is it?"
Her eyes were stinging. "He was here."
He looked away. "Alex?" He whispered.
She avoided his gaze as well. "Yes." She hesitated briefly, clearing her throat. "No."
He hugged her tighter, hands rubbing up and down her arms until she stopped trembling. Finally he pulled back. "Let's get out of here, Shal."
Her face wrinkled in confusion. "What?"
"I need to get out of here." He shook his head, and she felt his frustration. "Let's—let's take a walk." He turned, collecting his clothes and starting to put them on.
She decided not to question him, following him out into the bedroom, sinking down onto the edge of the bed to watch him. She glanced uneasily around, on edge. How had he gotten to her inside Sanctuary? She bit back a groan, feeling her one safe place slipping away.
"Can you hand me those?" Brennan pointed to his pants that were lying in a tangled lump at the end of the bed.
Distracted, she lifted them to him by the legs. As he took them from her, his wallet fell out onto the bed. The scrap piece of paper he had tucked into his pocket slipped out as well, but he had turned and didn't see it fall. She reached for it, intending to hand it to him, but the writing caught her eye.
Her father's name and phone number.
Her father.
Why the hell would Brennan be contacting her father? She narrowed her eyes, immediately trembling. With everything else that had happened today, it was too much. Her voice came out like smoke. "Brennan."
He looked over at her, startled by her voice, only to be confronted by pure betrayal in her face. He saw her fingers clench around the paper and closed his eyes.
"What aren't you telling me?"
"Shal, I'm sorry." He reached for her, but she jerked back.
"Tell me."
He sighed, leaning back against his desk, still holding his pants. "Jesse found out that the Haines'car was actually a company car, from Naxcon. Adam wanted us to go there, but we got sidetracked when you found Dave and we ended up at the Marina."
"Naxcon…" Her voice trailed off, eyes focusing past him. "That's my father's company."
"I know." Brennan turned and pulled on his pants. He felt vulnerable enough without being unclothed. He could feel her eyes watching him.
"What else?" She spoke again suddenly.
"What?" He spoke too quickly.
"You're hiding something from me."
"No—"
"What else!"
She was seconds from erupting. He shoved his hands into his pockets, shoulders hunched. "In my dreams, Shal, Adam and Emma were killed somehow at Naxcon."
She stared at him.
He could almost feel her receding from him. "Shal—"
Her eyes met his again. "Why didn't you tell me before?" She asked in a raspy voice, her tone half hurt, half accusatory.
"Because I wasn't sure. I'm still not sure. I don't really remember. They're just dreams, Shalimar."
Her face soured. "They weren't just dreams before. You said you never followed up on Danny and horrible things happened. You believed in them then. And when I asked, you told me there weren't any other clues or anything else in them!"
He was starting to get irritated by her instant anger. "I didn't want to upset you, alright? Not until I knew if it meant anything."
He'd chosen the perfect sore spot.
She lifted her chin and centered her stare on him. "So it's ok for you to keep secrets, but not for the rest of us."
"That's not what I meant."
"But it's exactly what you've done."
"Shal—"
"You should have told me, Brennan."
He saw her hands ball up into fists.
"Shalimar, how do we know any of it is real?" He looked at her, exasperated. "How do I know what I'm seeing is anything but horrors born out of a terrible experience?" He waved his hand in the air. "How do I know you wouldn't go off and do something crazy—"
"He's MY father!"
"Which is exactly why I didn't want to tell you until I was sure!" He yelled back.
Her face contorted in frustration. "You lied to me."
"I was protecting you!"
"You were patronizing me!" She took a breath, forcing herself to lower her voice. "When someone else keeps a secret, they're lying. But when you keep a secret, it's for my own safety?"
"That's different."
Their words came quick and loud.
"—You're rationalizing to the point where you're lying to yourself—"
"—Running off into danger and jumping to conclusions before you know what's going on—"
"—It's not your job to protect me from—"
"—from yourself?"
"Damn it, Brennan. It's my decision. It's my father!"
"And it's my dream!"
She scowled. "You can't protect me all the time. If we are to have any chance at all, Brennan, you have to stop doing this, you have to let me go."
"You want to go?" He growled, lowering his voice. "Then go."
She took a step toward him. "Brennan—"
He turned abruptly, bending over his desk, tired, angry. "Just GO."
She made a soft sound, expelling her breath in a rush. Her arm hung protectively around her stomach, and she turned from him quickly, nearly running out of the room.
The door slammed shut between them.
It occurred to him as he suddenly turned, face stricken, that this was exactly how his dream had ended.
Only this time he was wide awake.
He collapsed weakly on the edge of chair and bent over, elbows upon his knees, head down, groaning. No, no, no, no. It wasn't supposed to be like this. How had he managed to screw things up so badly yet again? Sometimes love isn't enough. He winced, remembering, the words seared into his soul. He was a fool. He groaned, pushing up off the chair, storming through the doorway, stopping dead in his tracks as an eerie rasping filled Sanctuary.
Jesse and Emma burst from the lab, and Shalimar froze in her escape, turning slowly back around.
The four members of Mutant X stared at each other, faces strangely drained of color as every computer in Sanctuary flickered madly, screaming back at them.
"…So I have seen, so shall it be…"
In the lab, Adam's eyes suddenly flew open.
It had begun.