Okay - here it is, the too long awaited update. My apologies, I wanted to get this done last weekend, but time and my muse were so not cooperating, so as a compensation, I've made it a long chapter.
I know I said I was making this the last chapter, but I lied, so sue me. Better yet don't waste your money on a lawyer and just give me spiteful IM's. Good news is that there is one more chapter, and possibly an epilogue to follow.
Special thanks goes out to Sara, Stephanie and Rachel for all their help and coaxing with the story!
Griffbear - Thank you so much for your patience. I really am shooting for quality here, so it's good to know I'm achieving the quality if not the timely portion.
Kai0707 - Sorry to make you wait so long. I have already been working on the next chapter so I will hopefully have it done in less then 2 weeks. I'm glad the emotions came across as clear as I wanted them to. Brennan's a great character to play with when I need to use a bottled emotion approach. I really hope you like this chap!
Victorwebsterx - I'm so glad I you printed it out. I actually thought about doing that when I'm done and putting it in a fancy binder. I hope you like the upcoming chapters.
Sbfangal - Sorry this took so long to get out. I really wanted to have it done sooner, but time constraints on my PL were horrible. I really hope I get the emotions across in this chapter as well as the last. Be patient, the Journal bit is coming, I promise! Oh, and your english is better then some of the people that I work with, and they were born in the U.S.
Stephanie - Thanks so much for reviewing. I'm glad you like the story and it's kept your attention. My apologies for the lengthy time b/w updates. My PL is hell sometimes. Thanks so much for your compliments. I really do want to put out good fics for the fans to read so I hope the delay is worth it.
Stormchilde - Here ya go sweetie! I baked a cake the other day, but cookies do sound good. Hmmmm, maybe that will be on the menu tonight! LOL, I hope that the next update will be soon.
Mileykapri - Thanks so much for reviewing! I'm glad that the story has kept your attention. As a rule, I really don't do the pregnancy thing in my fics for several reasons, the most prominent being that I find it to be an easy out when writers want to cause conflict. I do break my rules when I feel like it, so maybe there more like guidelines, but anyway... Probably no pregnancy. I hope that you don't hold that against me too much. I'd love to keep you as a reader.
I was looking over my hit list and chapter 23 had 121 hits when I posted this. I'm begging, please with promises of smut or whatever else (Include whatever else you may want in your review) would make you want to review. Before you ask, I don't have money, so please don't ask. If I did I'd have time to write my book that I've had ideas for.
I really didn't write an extensivly smutty part to this story, but with some coaxing I might be inclined to elaborate a little for my website version.
That's all done and said... On with the story
Chapter 24 - Safe Haven
Dinner was a quiet affair that night. Most everyone grabbed plates of leftovers and shuffled off to their perspective corners. Brennan was seated in the corner alone flipping through some topics on a vid-screen; Beau, Angel and Lexa were discussing the idea of visiting Haven and seeing what was there; and Jesse sat with his feet propped on the coffee table watching Lexa intently as she spoke with the other ferals.
"Your food's going to get cold before you decide where you want to sit." Ian's voice teased her from behind.
Shalimar knew he was there but turned her head slightly to acknowledge his presence in the kitchen doorway, he was holding a plate in his hands. Before she could respond he tipped his head to the side to indicate for her to follow him and moved back into the kitchen and sat at the island table.
She looked up into Ian's emerald green eyes and noted his light brown hair that was about the same length as Brennan's when they first met, but laid flat with his bangs almost touching his eyes. He had softer features, but was definitely an attractive man. She felt like she knew so little about this man that had risked his life to save all of theirs. She couldn't bring herself to get personal with him right now though. Another glance at the door told her why… Brennan. She had too much on her mind to envision adding any more thoughts.
"I'm impressed by the fortitude that you have all shown." Ian said interrupting her thoughts before taking a draw from his beer.
Shalimar's smile didn't reach her eyes and she busied herself with taking a bite of her sandwich.
Ian didn't let her avoidance stop him. "I mean it Shalimar. You have all been through so much, and you are only stronger because of it."
She wasn't sure if it was his words or her thoughts but suddenly she dropped her eyes and stared at her plate as she answered. "We aren't as strong as we used to be." Her voice was low and somber. "In the past we wouldn't have been separated from each other like this."
"You're all still here aren't you?" Ian's voice held no sign of a jest.
She wondered if he was baiting her. She decided to bite; maybe an outsider's perspective would be helpful. If not she could totally disregard it. "That's not what I mean."
His expression turned grave, "I know exactly what you meant." His face and tone then softened, "You are all still here under this roof, and that speaks volumes in and of itself."
Shalimar took a deep gulp of her beer and started to argue, but he cut her off before she could get a word in.
"I'd be more worried about everyone here if they didn't have their personal crises going on right now." His lips slightly upturned, "The six of you have been to hell and back almost literally and you are all still standing and still care for each other. That speaks volumes about how good you guys are as a team."
Shalimar listened to him and let his words replay in her mind a moment before answering, "We might not be a team anymore." She tried to keep the distress and moroseness out of her voice but was pretty certain that some had seeped through. Her eyes drifting down in sadness, "Who knows what will happen when we make our decisions. I'm not even sure I want to stay with the team, but it's all I've had for over ten years now. I'm not sure what else I could want to do with my life."
He reached across the table and took her hand firmly, causing her to look at him again. "That's why we wanted everyone to have some time to think about it. Who knows if we can ever rescue Adam, but you have to decide if you want to continue being a member of Mutant X." He glanced toward the door, "So does everyone else in that room out there."
"What if my decision affects someone else's?" her plea was out before she could stop or censor it.
He looked at her with knowing eyes, "Brennan is a big boy and he has learned to live with his decisions. I think you need to have more faith in him."
"I have faith in him, but what if we aren't together because of my choice? What if I choose the wrong thing?" Her words echoed in the silent room. For a moment she wasn't sure if she said them, but Ian's look confirmed her fears. It was the root of her problem. She didn't want to choose wrong and lose her love, a part of her that was just starting to reconnect itself and make her whole again.
Ian was silent for a long time. He took the opportunity to drain the rest of his beer and get both of them another. She looked at it for a moment before opening it and taking a deep draw from the bottle. Ian simply mimicked her actions.
"Did you tell him what you want?" His voice was low and calm. It felt like a soothing balm to her irritated emotions. "I'm sure he's not happy with the options, but we all have decisions to make. If he chooses to let his heart lead him would it be such a bad thing?"
"I don't know," her voice rang with honesty.
Brennan watched as Shalimar walked back into the kitchen with Ian and felt a small stab of jealousy. He ignored it. This afternoon's revelations had confirmed what was going on between him and Shalimar. There was no reason to be jealous; he just needed to keep repeating those words to himself.
He had never been a jealous type of guy. Of course he had never committed to anyone for a long period. The problem seemed to lie in the fact that his feelings for Shalimar ran deeper then he ever thought was possible. It was a thrilling and harrowing feeling all at once. There had never been anyone for him to have a reason to feel jealous. Repressing his emotions for the past few years had been easy. Every time someone accused him of fretting too much over Shalimar he was able to blow it off. Now that everything was out on the table between them he wasn't sure how he managed to keep everything so boxed up.
A glance back at the kitchen door had him thinking about the time he spent with Shalimar. It was such a vast contrast to his relationships of the past. The flame that was missing from his life came to him in the form of a blond feral who had taken his life by storm. Part of him regretted the three years they spent circling each other, but he was unable to regret it if the culmination was that they appreciated each other that much more.
He turned his attention back to the vid-screen and called up the information that Adam had given them. He needed to know what to do. He had always been good at planning for himself. That was before he was part of a team, a family; he had more then himself to think of now.
A part of him wanted to be on his own again. He only had himself to look after and he only had to plan for himself. It was a lonely road. The responsibilities were infinitesimally less, but he didn't think he had had half as much happiness alone as he had with Mutant X. Being a part of this team completed him in a way he never knew was missing.
Looking through the files on their genetic structure and what tests Adam had performed in their time at Sanctuary his thoughts turned to their Expiration Dates. No one knew how much time they had left, but for the New Mutant population that time seemed to be cut even shorter then average. Adam hadn't included their dates in the material and it was frustrating. To be honest Brennan wasn't sure that he wanted to know how much longer he had, but at the same time he felt like a choice had been taken away from him. Isn't that what started half of his fights with Adam in the first place?
"Hey there big guy," Lexa's voice held a falsely cheery note as she broke his concentration from the screen in front of him.
He looked up at her and knew that his skepticism was written across his face.
She threw her arms up, "Alright fine, I just want to talk." She said taking the seat opposite him.
His voice sounded slightly harsher then he wanted it to, "About what, Lex?"
"I'm not trying to start a fight," she put her hands up in defense. "Geez, can't we call a truce for a few minutes? I just wanted to let you in on the discussion that we were having over in the corner. I figured you might like to know." Her voice held only frustration, "We were discussing going to visit Haven and see what the place was like and basically check it all out."
Brennan looked at her for a moment, "Is that an invitation?" He countered his words with a smirk to let her know that they were on even ground for now.
Lexa seemed to accept his treaty and then changed her expression to one of mock impatience, "Are you going to answer?"
The thoughts of what this could mean flew through his mind, but in the end the idea that going was not committing to anything had him agreeing to take the drive. He looked up at the brunette and nodded, "Yeah, I'm in."
"Okay we're leaving by seven tomorrow morning." The grin that spilt her face at his reaction was expected, and he turned his attention back to the vid-screen and stabbed at the food on his plate rather then to argue with her.
Shalimar's words reverberated through herself as well as the room, a soft sad echo of her soul. Brennan was the biggest part of her life right now. Shalimar's heart and mind were warring so badly that she couldn't even figure out which one wanted what.
Ian looked at her with understanding. Shalimar was happy for that; she didn't think she could deal with it if he pitied her. He looked as if he was about to speak when a knock at the door interrupted his actions.
"Shal? Ian?" Lexa's voice called from the other side of the door as she pushed it open.
Shalimar schooled her face to an impassive expression and looked up to meet Lexa's half-smile. "Whatcha need Lex?"
"If you're up to it, we're going to go and visit Haven in the morning." Lexa said as she sat down on Shalimar's right and stole a carrot stick off of her plate.
Shalimar smiled at Lexa's actions and saw the small smile returned by Lexa. "I think I'm up to it." Shalimar turned her focus back to Ian, "Do you want to come?"
The look of piqued interest on Ian's face spoke for him before his mouth could answer, "Yeah, I'd love to go."
"Okay, we leave at seven tomorrow morning," Lexa said standing and walking back out the door.
The door swung back and forth on its hinges, giving small glimpses into the adjoining living area. Shalimar watched as the door swung wide enough for her to catch a glimpse of Brennan. He was still staring intently at the vid-screen and she wondered if he had agreed to go as well.
The sound of Ian's beer being replaced on the table brought her back to the interrupted conversation.
She turned her head to meet the emerald eyes once again, "So what your saying is that I should make my decision and if Brennan wants to follow me, let him." Shalimar asked before taking another long pull from her beer.
"In so many words, yes." Ian relaxed back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm beginning to wonder if you're using your decision as an excuse," he chided lightly.
Shalimar's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?" There was an edge to her voice that she couldn't avoid.
Ian looked straight into her eyes, "I think you are looking for an excuse if everything goes south. You're scared," he said pointedly.
"Like hell I am," Shalimar knew she sounded like a petulant child, but at this moment she didn't care. "I love him and I don't want him to make a choice he's unhappy with."
Ian's green eyes twinkled, "You're afraid that if you take a chance with him that he might hurt you." He put up a hand to stop her immediate refute. "What's the longest relationship you have ever had, Shalimar?"
She stopped to think. She had been committed to Adam and the team for a very long time, almost eleven years. There just hadn't been much time for a social life. It had been so long since she had been in any kind of committed relationship, the last long term one was with Zach. Shaking her head she looked up at her table mate, "What does that have to do with anything?"
Ian stood up and put his dishes in the sink and stopped to look at Shalimar as he walked toward the door, "It has everything to do with it." He squeezed her shoulder softly and walked out of the room leaving Shalimar to sit in the kitchen alone and contemplate his words.
He pushed her gently back on the bed and smiled at her glare.
"Get over here and warm me up," the dark haired beauty said as she pulled his arm causing him to fall on top of her draping his body over hers.
He hissed as her teeth captured his bottom lip and then soothed it with her tongue before she opened her mouth enough to allow his to gain access.
"Lexa," her name was a mere whisper on his lips as he worked his way down her jaw and neck placing small kisses and bites along the way.
Her naked form felt like heaven against his. He relished every sensation and sigh from her full lips.
"Jesse," her voice interrupted his thoughts as he was proceeding lower down her body.
"Hmmm?" was all he could get out before wrapping a mouth around her sensitive flesh.
She sucked in a deep breath before murmuring a few unintelligible words. She arched into his touch and ran her fingers through his lengthening hair. "Jess," if he hadn't been in such a lust filled haze he might have noticed the change in her tone, as it was he didn't notice her change until she was physically pushing him away. Her hands were solid against his shoulders. "Jess, stop for a moment."
His brain felt foggy and confused for a few seconds before he took in the grave expression painting her face. He took a few calming breaths to will his body under enough control to hold a conversation and moved to sit on the side of the bed. His eyes met her sea colored ones reflecting in the moonlight filtering in from the window. She had sat up also and brought a pillow around her front, unconsciously hugging it and resting her chin on its top. Her face had taken on a more grave expression. "What's wrong?" he couldn't figure it out, just a few minutes ago they were in a good mood.
Lexa sat up and ran her fingers through her long mahogany hair. Her mouth took on a soft frown before speaking, "Do you think we'll all stay together?"
Jesse reached over and grabbed her hand, softly rubbing it between his fingers. "I don't know, Lex. I do know that I'm staying," he paused to take in her skeptical expression. "Alright I admit that I really hate this choice. I want to find another way. I have to agree with Brennan about that part."
Her skepticism turned into a scowl, "So what happened to all the support that you were giving me the other day? I thought you believed what you were saying?"
The bed creaked slightly as Jesse moved around behind her to wrap his seated body around hers. The touch of their flesh was comforting and warm. He dropped a soft kiss to her shoulder and steeled his nerves. "I'm doing this because I don't see any other choice." He brought his finger against her lips before she could begin her protests, "We need to save Adam somehow. This seems like our best shot for right now."
Lexa dropped her eyes and swiped at her eyes to keep the tears from falling. "Maybe we should just go our separate ways. I mean what; I've been with you guys for a year and a half now? I should have never stayed this long. I tried to tell you that when my brother died." She abruptly stood from the bed and paced the room, her naked form glowing in the ambient light.
She was pushing away, and Jesse could have smacked himself for what he said. He stood and she turned her back to him, he suspected to keep him from seeing her tears. His arms wrapped around her waist and he brought his mouth close to her ear. "I want to be with you too, Lexa." He pulled her tighter against his body and let out a sigh of relief that after a few seconds she relaxed into him and pulled his arms tighter around her. "You were the reason I kept going every day," he whispered softly against her hair. "I'd imagine all of the things we could have been doing together. I think I've loved you from the first time I really saw who you were."
The stiffening of her muscles in his arms had him realize what he just said, and he was ready to panic. She spun around to look him in the face, "Did you mean that?" her voice was almost a harsh whisper. Her eyes looked deeply into his, searching for her answers.
He swallowed and nodded, his voice lost somewhere in the interim. She pulled his lips to hers with a ferocity he didn't know she contained. When their bodies hit the mattress, he realized that she had pushed him back and was kissing him within an inch of his life. Her lips were firm and demanding, and he met them with equal ardor. Her tongue tangled with his in his mouth causing a delicious sensation to spread throughout his body. A tingling and warm feeling that started with his mouth and spread all the way down to his toes.
Pulling his hands to her face he stopped for only a minute to gaze into her eyes and see what he was searching for.
Her mouth opened slightly and he felt the soft breaths puffing on his face. "I don't know when it happened, Jess, but somewhere in the middle of this whole mess I fell for you too."
The last words were almost swallowed as he threaded his fingers through her hair and brought her mouth straight back to his. He rolled on top of her and almost sobbed at the feeling of home when they were joined. Their bodies pressed against each other in passion and hope. The room was filled with the soft sounds of their lovemaking until both were too exhausted and fell into a dreamless sleep wrapped tightly in each others arms.
"Can I tell you how much I miss my old t-shirts?" Brennan's voice came out half muffled by the duffel bag that he was rooting through looking for something to wear.
From her spot of the bed, Shalimar stared shamelessly at his boxer clad ass hanging in the air. A smile crossed Shalimar's lips, "You think I don't miss my old wardrobe?"
Brennan's head surfaced from the green canvas, "I miss my favorite tee, there's a big difference, Shal." His features were marred by the frown.
"I know, but we will get some new stuff soon." Shalimar got up off the bed and folded herself against him, sighing happily when he wrapped his arms around her.
"It's not the same. I wish I didn't have to lose all of my stuff." Brennan said and leaned down kissing the top of her head and releasing her. He moved to the bed and pulled aside the covers and sat on the edge. "There were some things that I never thought I'd miss, until now, when I don't have them any more."
Thoughts of the journal flashed through Shalimar's mind. She realized that in the past few weeks they had been so busy she had forgotten to return it. The smile that crossed her face was a little wry, but she didn't care. Brennan might not be able to have a lot of his old stuff, but she was hoping that he would be happy to have something that she had been able to salvage. Opening her pack on the floor she started rooting through it until she came across the faded blue book.
"What are you doing, Shal?" Brennan asked as he lay down under the covers and watched her.
Turning to look at him, she flashed him a smile and hid the book behind her back. She focused on moving her hips seductively to distract him. The long t-shirt was far from the sexy lingerie that she used to own, but she decided to work with what she had. After all he didn't know she had forgone underwear just yet.
His gaze was drawn to the soft sway of her hips and his lips curved up in a smile. The material barely grazed her mid thigh. When his eyes finally worked their way back up to hers he had a naked look of longing showing through them. Moving closer to the bed, she kept her hands behind her back and bent down to kiss him. Starting at his forehead she worked her way down over his eyes and nose, across both cheeks, then his jaw line finally meeting his lips with a soft sweep against them trying to ignore his persistence of getting her to open her mouth.
"Shal," her name was a half-groan, half-plea as he spoke it against her.
She opened her mouth and tentatively swept her tongue softly across his lips which he almost immediately parted for her. Sliding her tongue into his mouth she brought her lips together with his and felt his mouth respond in kind. The sensations were washing over her as nothing but their mouths touched. The tangy cinnamon taste from his toothpaste and the smell of him so close to her was intoxicating.
Suddenly the balance shifted and the book was taken from her hands. Brennan looked up at her with an unrepentant smirk.
"You ass," she said and smacked his arm. For some reason he was one of the few people that could get her to drop her guard long enough to take advantage of her. She scowled at him and smacked the back of his head just for good measure.
"Ouch, would you stop hitting me?" Brennan moved back out of her reach and looked at the item that he had snatched from the now bitter feral's hands. His gaze fell to the faded blue cloth cover and his eyes shot back up at hers. His expression held the turbulent emotions of elation and surprise. And maybe she might have seen a hint of gratitude? "Shal?"
All pretenses of annoyance were thrown away with the way he said her name. It was a pull deep down in her soul. Her body moved of its own volition and straddled his legs with their hands clasped together on the book between their torsos. Their eyes hadn't left one another's, "I wasn't able to save much, but I was hoping that you might have wanted that back." The softness of her voice made her wonder if she had spoken loud enough for him to hear.
"I can't believe you found it," his voice was husky. He looked at the book and opened it, leafing through the pages and the memories it contained.
"I have a few of your other old books too." Shalimar's hand came to rest against the side of his head and she ran her fingers through his hair.
"Where… When…" he stammered. "How did you find these?" his voice was raw with emotion.
The delight that ran through her as she saw the joy running across his face made her feel like she might burst. For some reason her outing to Sanctuary had never come up in any of their conversations. Although she had caught Lexa and Angel smirking at Brennan a few times she hadn't really thought about the journal until Brennan had complained about missing his stuff. A thought crossed her mind of why Angel and Lexa had been smirking and she felt a bolt of fear and nervousness run through her.
Brennan's hand settling against her side and pulling her close brought her back to him. "Thank you," he said simply.
"I had a chance a few weeks ago, before we rescued you…" she began to explain.
His lips stopped any other words she might have been forming in her mind. Their bodies were pressed tightly together and he rolled over on her. He was mindful of her healing wounds, but his mouth was insistent and he poured all of his emotions into her through their joined lips. Tongues caressed each other in an erotic rhythm. Hands slid along bare flesh eliciting moans and gasps. Upon finding her lack of clothing beside her shirt, she felt his lips curve into a smile as he pressed against her.
His body was poised above her as he still drank deeply from her mouth. "I love you," he breathed softly into her mouth before pressing himself into her.
"God, Bren, I love you," she whispered softly against his lips as she felt the completion of being one. It was the feeling of home, life, and love wrapped into one fluid motion.
Their bodies pressed against each other and time stopped for them. There were no other problems, no other responsibilities, choices, or what-ifs. Life seemed to stop and only the two of them existed.
Teeth gently nibbled and nails bit into shoulders leaving half-moon indentations. Neither cared or wanted it to stop. The rhythm built to a blinding bliss and both were left breathless and shaking, but neither moved or wanted the feeling to end.
Softly they started moving again, slower then before, but with just as much passion and intensity. Words of love were whispered and written into their souls.
"Holy Shit!"
"That's ever so eloquent, Lex."
"Like your any better with your 'This place is so wired, let the geek in me out to explore all of the little circuit boards,' Jess."
"Sure Bren, I could hear you thinking about how many cars you could fit into that garage."
At Shalimar's comment they all stopped and looked to Brennan and nodded in agreement. "Brennan, you're so busted," Lexa and Jesse said together.
Brennan tried to attempt as innocent expression as he could, "I swear…"
"Keep your swearing for church, sparky," Lexa said pushing past into the main room and looking around at the various terminals and doors leading off in different directions.
The group had entered through the garage and gone downstairs to the first floor. The building wasn't as big as Sanctuary, but could rival the size of a small mansion. There were various display screens on the walls; each of them seemed to have a different function. The first floor opened up to a large training area on the left, and then an alcove with computers and desks, a kitchen with a dinette was in the corner. The lab was placed in the center of the area. What would have been Adam's room was stared at morosely for several minutes by everyone.
All members of the team exchanged a look of sadness and regret. Their failure to find and save Adam after all of this time had been a burden that they shared.
"We'll get him back," Beau said softly.
For a moment the original members of Mutant X had almost forgotten about the others. Angel, Beau and Ian had all come along for the excursion to see what the new Mutant X headquarters would be like. The team felt it was only fitting. The group had helped them so much, and they felt as if they would never be able to thank them for everything.
Brennan, Shalimar, Jesse, and Lexa all looked up and wordlessly walked to the hall where the bedrooms were located.
"This has to be Brennan's," Shalimar said with a smirk.
"He found it for me!" Brennan's voice was laced with an enthusiasm that Shalimar had missed hearing. Brennan rushed into the room and held up a model car, "It's a 64 ½ cherry red mustang convertible." At the confused expressions he continued, "I was trying to find this model for months, and I had no luck. It's a limited edition and I couldn't find it anywhere!" The smile that lit up his face was infectious and soon everyone was smiling and looking around at the décor in the room.
"Shalimar, I think this is your room," Jesse tugged on her arm to move her to the next doorway leaving Brennan behind to look around at his bedroom. "You're the only one I know that would want a bed you have to climb up into." Jesse's cheeky grin earned him a slap in the chest as Shalimar walked past him into her room.
It was about the same size as her old room and had a large walk in closet and a desk. She had noticed that the room came complete with its own computer terminal and several shelves. There were sheets and a comforter on the bed, but they were all slightly dusty.
"It looks like we're going to have some laundry to do, huh?" Brennan said as he folded his arms around her from behind. He softly kissed her neck and gave her a chance to comprehend his words.
Shalimar thought for a moment before answering. Was Brennan saying that he wanted to stay? "Are you saying what I think you are?" Her voice was quiet, even to her own ears. She knew her words were laced with disbelief.
Brennan sighed and took a seat against the desk and pulled her in-between his legs. "I was thinking a lot while you were eating dinner with Ian," his barely disguised jealousy caused her to smile. "It's not funny," he tapped his finger on her nose. "I want to be with you, and I think I realize that whatever happens I am happiest with you and the team."
Shalimar felt her heart pound in her chest. "I want you to stay, Bren. I just don't want you to regret you're choice." The words seemed to come out of her without her permission. She still wasn't sure she was ready to be this open. Apparently her heart decided that it was.
The dark mahogany eyes that she had come to know so well seemed to look directly into her core. "I want to find out," he said simply.
She wrapped her arms tightly around him and felt a warm feeling of comfort when he returned the embrace and buried his face in her hair. They stood like that for long moments. Tears built up in Shalimar's eyes and she tried to firmly order them away, but felt her body ignore her. When they finally pulled apart their tracks still stained her cheeks and Brennan brought his thumbs up to wordlessly push them away.
"We'll figure something out. I don't want anything to do with the Dominion either." Shalimar's voice was firm. She was glad for that.
"I know we will," he said and kissed her lips softly. "Now let's go and check out the rest of this place."
They were almost out of her door when they heard the scream, their names screamed by both Jesse and Lexa. Without a second thought Shalimar and Brennan fled the room and tore to the area where the open terminals sat. Ian, Beau, and Angel arrived by their sides. Lexa and Jesse were both gaping at an image standing in front of them.
A familiar voice filled the halls of Haven…
There's a button on the bottom right. It says submit reviews. I'm begging, I'd like to have close to 75 by the time I'm done with the story. It's been a lot of work!
You can also include how much you hate me for the freaking cliff I just left you dangling off of!