HEAT

Disclaimer: You know I don't own them….geez! I'm starting to reference the third season of the show, so let me know what you

Jesse pulled Lexa from the door and down the corridor. Initially, she struggled to stay and listen some more, but he made sure to take her along. "Jess!"

"Let's go, Lexa." He replied flatly. Once down towards the arena, she finally snatched from his hold.

"Normally, I like when you get rough, but this isn't the time."

"Funny." He smirked. "But in case you didn't notice, we have bigger problems right now."

"No shit! The Dominion could be onto Adam and Vince!" She gasped before starting to pace.

The molecular leaned against a nearby seat, crossing his arms. "We don't know that."

"We don't know that? What do you mean we don't know that, Jess! When two people in a private conversation use terms like 'those people' and 'trying to save them', more than likely, the Dominion's involved."

"We don't know that."

The brunette turned, casting narrowed eyes at her teammate. "Jess…"

"Lexa…we don't even know if that was Adam on the phone. It could have been the Creator."

"No," She replied while plopping into one of the seats. "He has the Dominion do his dirty work."

"Well then there's still a chance that it was Adam and the Dominion doesn't know about the WWE at all." The molecular exhaled as he looked around the room. "Either way, we have to tell Shal and Brennan."

"Not yet." Lexa said. Looking up, she saw the pleading look on his handsome face. "Jess, Shal and Brennan are becoming connected to this 'life'. If Shal gets close to someone and she knows this, she may reach out to them."

"To see what they know. Right." He finished for her. "And Brennan's so into this…"

The woman bit her lip as blue eyes traveled the room in thought. "And that's our best cover right now…"

"What about Jordan?" The molecular asked. "She at least should know."

"You're right…if this is something, she's been doing for awhile, then we'll need to start covering each other." Jess watched the woman stand up, and proceeded to follow. "We'll, tell her in the morning. Right now, we need to leave the building."

Road life was the most difficult adjustment for the team. The long drives, endless flights and constant hotels, sorely made them wish for Sanctuary. It was such a downgrade to fly in public airplanes when they used to have their own. Nevertheless, the life was not without it's rewards. The show went everywhere in the continental U.S. and to major events around the world. This actually gave them time to check up on Underground mutants, adjusting to their own lives. It had been a long week of house shows and travel when Monday once again rolled around.

About noon, Lexa found herself submersed in prep work. It had been several days since she and Jesse listened in on Vince and they still hadn't told Jordan. The woman's gut was telling her to wait. There were things she just couldn't figure out and this group, hands down, were some of the strongest ferals she'd ever seen.

That scared the mess out of her.

Then there was the fact that Shalimar was truly connecting with them. Connecting! This bond that made them alike, was slowly pulling her from the team, and especially pushing her towards Hunter.

This was bad.

From what Jordan had told them, the wrestlers knew they were different but just not how. Adding in the fact that they'd probably drop if she, Brennan, Lexa or Jesse EVER used their powers in the open- Let's just say it was getting heavy.

Walking the new arena, Lexa began to play perspective. Obviously, her former teammate was closer to some of the athletes than others. Could they possibly know anything about her or mutants, for that matter? It was ironic enough that all these ferals were comfortable around a regenerative elemental (Who just happened to be a pyro-kenetic). There had to be an instance when she healed someone. The brunette bit her lip, till those blue eyes widened in realization. Turning around, she began towards the ring. Maybe, he was still there…

Shalimar stood ringside, stretching and ready to practice for her dark match with Trish Stratus. With everything going on, she found herself eager to get in the ring. The feral was deep in concentration when Brennan jogged up.

"Hey Shal," He grinned while sitting his bag down, before kissing her on the forehead.

"Hey Bren." She replied. "That's the most action I've gotten all week."

"Well, that's because I can never find you, miss WWE Diva." She chuckled as he sat in one of the chairs and pulled of his jacket. "I thought I'd come down and train with you. They just put me down for a match with Shelton Benjamin."

"Just now?" The blonde frowned.

The elemental stood, rotating his neck and shoulders as she watched. "Yeah. It was a last minute thing. Anyways, I've seen this guy work. He's agile as hell!"

"A feral?" The woman stood up, while reaching for her water bottle.

"What else." Brennan smirked. "Anyway, why'd you leave so early? The front desk said you caught a cab over here."

The woman lowered her gaze as she reached for a towel. " I figured you wanted to sleep in, since you had the night off. And I didn't want to wake you."

"It's no problem. I ran into Jordan and we rode over together."

That made her freeze. The woman exhaled as she began to roughly fold the towel before slamming it into the chair. "You spent the morning with Jordan?"

"Well, yeah. We caught breakfast in the hotel restaurant, then came on over."

"You seem to spend a lot of time with he lately…"

The elemental paused his stretches before, turning to look at her. "I wouldn't say that, Shal. J is helping the both of us get situated here. I guess it gives us something to talk about."

"I don't know, Brennan. It seems like all she ever does is talk to you."

"Well, can you blame her? You haven't exactly been an open invitation to the woman." He began. "Shal, she's one of us. She used to be part of Mutant X."

"Used to be, Brennan. Not anymore." The blonde was raging now; the heat in her nerves slowly began to climb. "She left, remember?"

"Yeah! Because of you and me! Remember? She broke it off with me, because of what was happening between us."

"And you don't think she's had time to regret that? You don't think she's plotted to work her way back into our lives? All she needed was a chance and Lex gave that when she picked up the damn phone!"

"Shal, it was our choice to come here. Lexa and Jordan didn't twist our arms. We needed a solution and it was the best one at the time. And how can you be upset? You're fitting in around here the most!"

"Don't put this on me, Brennan. I can't help-"

"No, you can't help how you are around a bunch of ferals when you are one. I get that, Shal. We're all mutants, and just like you have 'connections' to other ferals, just like Jess and Lex connect to each other, I have connections to other elementals. Jordan is that and I can't apologize for it."

Though she knew he was right, the woman still couldn't believe what she was hearing. His reading her like a book was starting to get on her nerves. "But you have a history with her!"

"And I have an even longer one with you! Our mutancy isn't the problem here. It's your faith in me. And you only question that because of Hunter."

She could have sworn he could see her ears perk up. "…What did you say?"

" I know you better than anyone, except maybe Jesse. I know how your feral side works, and how the human is always fighting it. In Sanctuary, there was no competition. It was just you and I. Now that we're here, that part of you is looking for something better. Even though you chose me before all this. Your heart loves me, but your feral is looking."

"Brennan…"

"You don't think I see how Hunter looks at you? Or your reaction to him? Hell, what is it going to take before you-"

"How about the same thing that's 'holding you back' from Jordan!" She snapped. "You think I don't see how you look at her, or the jealousy you get when Edge is around?

She's not even with him, and you want to rip his face off!"

"She's not with me, and you want to kill her!" He nearly yelled. It was a wonder no one around them had zeroed in on the argument. "Jordan is not the problem."

Her eyes cut away from him as arms folded across her chest. "…And neither is Hunter."

"Shal, you're a feral. If it weren't Hunter, it'd be Dave or Jericho. Hell! It could even be Edge!"

"I wouldn't do that to you!"

"No. Not the part of you that matters." Brennan exhaled while grabbing in bag before walking away. "Too bad, all of you doesn't think so."

They were still practicing when Lexa arrived, only now 'he' sat in one of the front rows, untaping his wrists. Walking over, she plopped down charmingly beside him, an innocent grin (well, innocent for her) spreading on her face. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." Edge smirked. Lexa watched as he sat back and at least gave Jordan credit for having good taste (if they were involved). He was a good-looking guy. His build was pretty much the same as Brennan's, except the blond was a good thirty pounds heavier in lean, surfer looking muscle. Still, there was something stoic about him.

"What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just bored."

He smiled at her before wiping the sweat from his face. "You're welcome to practice with me, if you want."

"No thanks, I'll leave the high-flying to you- I might break a heel."

"I get the feeling you're a little tougher than that." Edge replied. "So, what's up?"

"I was just coming over to be nosy." Lexa grinned. "You've been working with my girl, who I hadn't seen in a while. What's she been up to?"

"Shouldn't you ask her?"

"Yeah, but I figured there's something juicy out there she's keeping in. That, and she won't tell me everything."

"And I will?" He nearly laughed.

"Of course!" The brunette replied as she sat back. "Since when do 'you' resist a lady?" By now, he could tell she was fishing for something, and gave in.

"What's up?"

"Well…how'd you two meet?"

The large blonde sat back, scratching the hairs on his chin. Though Lexa knew the answers to some of her own questions, tossing them in would only get her more. "She came on about a year ago." Edge began. "I remember because it's hard for new blood to mix in around here- wrestler or otherwise. Jordan just seemed to ease in and make friends- especially with the guys. You know how it is with a pretty face."

"Obviously. So you met right away?"

"Kind of…She was on the production staff and I was just coming back from being out with my surgery. Anyway, I was in the ring practicing with Jericho one night, when I just looked up and…there she was. I was so caught off guard; Chris hit me with a baseball slide. Knocked me clear out the ring."

"Ouch!" Lexa frowned. "That's just ridiculous."

"Well, it knocked me out. When I woke up, they were both over me. And the pain was everywhere, I mean ringing in my head. I knew I fucked up my neck again." Lexa sat back, suddenly knowing where the story would go. "Well, Jericho was apologizing and J was trying to calm him down. Next thing I know, she's crouching down beside me and telling Chris to get a bottle of water or something."

"What?" Lexa' brow rose. "There was no one else around."

"No. We usually work out in an empty arena and that's if we get to the city in time. I don't know what happened." His frown let her know he wasn't aware of her mutancy (at least not then)."And I guess I passed out again. Cause when I woke up, it was gone. No pain- nothing. I mean, I'm usually a quick healer, but it was like the injury just -faded."

"…I guess that made you two pretty close."

"Yeah," Edge replied. "We got to know each other pretty quick after that.

Lexa continued with her questions. "Have you had another major injury since then?"

"Just the normal bumps and bruises."

"…So what about Hunter?" The man's look suddenly changed at her question. "I mean he and Jordan seem to talk a lot."

"That's because of Dave." He replied, referring to Batista. "He and Jordan are close- like family. And since she's cool with Dave, Hunter's cool with her. He's chummy with anyone who'll be an asset. J is just civil or something."

"…Has he ever hit on her?"

"No," The man exhaled, almost thankfully (which made Lexa smile).

"Have you?"

The large wrestler looked at her, knowing he wouldn't answer. "When do I get to ask the questions?

Lexa knew she owed him at least a few answers, and since she knew just how to dance around the truth, gave in. "Jordan and I have been friends for years. We kind of kept each other out of trouble, if you know what I mean."

" So you worked together before?"

"Yeah, but that was a lifetime ago." She replied. "Or so it seems."

"I bet." Edge grinned while interlacing his fingers in his lap. "She and Shalimar seem kind of-"

"On and off?" The brunette interrupted. "Believe me, I know."

"What's it got to do with him?" He asked, while pointing a long finger past them. The woman's head turned to see 'him' talking to his girlfriend in an apparently serious conversation.

"I'll be honest. J and Brennan have a little bit of history together. They were pretty close once."

"And still are." He added.

"They have… soft spots for each other."

"Where does Shalimar come in?"

"She'd known Brennan for a lot longer than Jordan or me. I think if J hadn't come along, they'd have been together a long time ago." Lexa signed, knowing it was more than that. Their elemental mutancies caused a bond much like that between these ferals. Jordan understood things in a way that Shalimar just couldn't. Needles to say, it bothered the woman. "What can I say? Brennan and Jordan weren't together that long. And a little after that, she- well, she moved away." The brunette replied while catching herself.

"So she knew they'd end up together."

"Hey," Lexa said. " If a woman wants to, she'll recognize when something's over.

It's the getting ready for it that sucks."

"That's the thing." Edge replied. "I don't think they're over. And I bet Shalimar doesn't either."

Shalimar had long since walked off from Brennan, completely pissed at him for their earlier 'conversation'. How the hell could he be so indecisive? Ever since coming to RAW, the elemental had done nothing but train and talk to Jordan. It was like he had something to prove now that they were surrounded by ferals. Honestly, she couldn't blame it on him. Her actions (or more so reactions) were enough for the man to be angry.

The woman couldn't help being attached to the others; they were after all, like her. And for the most part, it was a sense of family. But that wasn't the issue- and she knew it.

The problem was Triple H, or more so that he wasn't a problem for her.

Shalimar knew she'd have to address it sooner or later and the fact that it wasn't sooner had Brennan pissed. He understood her feral attraction; in fact he was painfully aware of it, mush like she had been with he and Jordan. Shit! She thought. She just had to pop up again!

Shalimar needed to vent. To hit or kick on anything which she could picture her teammate. But the better part of her knew it wasn't Jordan's fault. The woman had known what was there between the feral and Brennan, and broke up with him because of it. She let go of what she loved because theirs was simply stronger. And it hurt her, enough to where she left the team. Honestly, Shalimar had hated causing her pain, especially after what they'd been through. But absently, the feral wanted to hate her for the pain she caused Brennan, even if it did lead him to her. But times changed. She and the elemental had finally gotten together, only to endure more destruction. Damn! She thought. Maybe I do need to vent.

Covering a short distance, the blonde made her way to the gym, which at this hour was surprisingly empty. She took a direct route towards the punching bags, when her senses froze.

He was so strong…

Turning, she caught site of Hunter and Dave, doing reps on the weight bench. This instance had been so intense because both of them were there. The men were chuckling in low conversation when she walked over. Inwardly, the woman cursed herself. "Hey."

"Hey, Shal." Batista grinned while standing up. Hunter made sure the weights were secure before sitting up on the bench. "How's it goin'?"

"Good. I heard you guys have a match tonight?"

"Yeah." Hunter smirked as he stood up. "I get to kick Batista's ass."

"Whatever." The larger man grinned. "Don't let this punk fool you. He's been crappin' his pants al day."

"I believe you." The woman replied, causing Dave to snicker as Hunter's eyes went wide. Shalimar only smirked when realizing that she was indeed flirting. "I knew you were scared."

"Funny, Fox." Triple H said. "I owe you one, for that."

"Hey," Batista chuckled as he grabbed his bag. "She's got back up if you get stupid."

The woman smiled as Hunter rolled his eyes. "Thanks Dave. I'll keep that in mind." She waved as the large man walked off, leaving her alone in the thick space of Hunter's energy. The woman folded her arms, watching as he slowly drank from an emptying water bottle. His eyes never left her. "So…" She began while walking around.

"I saw you and Brennan down by the ring earlier." He smirked. "You two looked serious."

"We were." The woman rolled her eyes as she sat down on a nearby bench. Hunter moved to stand in front of her while playing with the bottle cap.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really…" She exhaled. "I'm sorry. I guess its just personal."

"I understand." Hunter replied as he sat down beside her. His large arm and thigh, just barely brushed her own, making the woman light headed. "Its not uncommon."

"…What isn't?"

The man watched her run a hand through her hair. Gold locks rippled through her fingers, making his itch. "The stress- on you and Mulwray. Relationships take a serious hit when someone takes on this life, even the strong ones. And it doesn't fare much better when both people are part of the business."

Shalimar frowned at his last statement. "Why is that?"

"Because both people know what really goes on. I mean, life on the road, groupies, partying. There's no way to shield some one else if they see it first hand." Shalimar began to fiddle with her fingers in thought, when a hand came down on her shoulder. It took all of her to suppress the trembling. "You love him, don't you?"

"…What?" She managed while standing up. Hunter sat back amused for a moment at her reaction to him.

"Brennan…you love him. Right?"

"Of course I do! It's…It's just that I used to think we were so much alike and now, all I see are the differences."

The large man stood up, and walked towards her. Reaching out, a hand slipped over her hair, stroking softly. And for once, the energy that had her nerves racing seemed calming. Her eyes slipped closed as lashes fluttered. Inadvertently, she purred and her ears swore they heard his in reply.

"Shalimar…" Hunter whispered, while turning her to face him. "You're not just seeing that he's different. It's something you've known for a long time." Now she knew he was too close. Standing in front of her, his scent invaded her nostrils, undeniably male and mingled with sweat. And the hand that was once on her shoulder, stroked her arm slowly, igniting every nerve in her body. "He's nothing like you…"

"Or you…" She managed, knowing the boldness in her words. A smile dared to play on his lips as the woman found her self-breathing heavily. And her eyes so desperately wanted to go gold. His beat her to it. "…But you knew that."

"I did." That was all the man managed. Pulling her close, their lips eased into one another before crashing in a desperate kiss. And the betrayal she'd known was in her heart suddenly shadowed with animal lust.

It was too late for any of them.