Mutant X 1. Default Chapter

**House of Dreams**

Summary: Playing house with the one you love would be a whole lot of fun…if only you didn't hate each other at the time.   Bren/Shal

Gender: Action/Romance

Disclaimer: Not mine!  Mutant X belongs to Tribune and Marvel.

Rating: PG 

Chapter one—House of Dreams 

Brennan ducked as Shalimar's booted foot came flying his way.  He whirled around and watched as she softened her landing with a soft roll and recovered into a ready squat.  He held up his hands in a confused gesture of surrender.  

"Shal, will you calm down and just tell me what I did?" he pleaded, frustrated, as she launched herself at him again with a low growl.  He grunted as she caught him in an undercut to the belly, doubling over. 

"What the hell is the matter with you?" he gasped, slowly straightening back up.  

Shalimar stood back a half step and gave him an incredulous glare. 

"You have to even ask me that?" she spat at him, eyes narrowing into a dangerous yellow as she backed up a few more paces.   "I cannot even believe you have to ask me that," she repeated at his questioning shrug.  She waited another moment, her anger growing as he stayed silent, looking innocently perplexed.  With a flying leap, she knocked him to the ground again, landing him flat on his back.  Brennan's eyes fluttered to the back of his head before staying closed.  His body twitched once, twice, before laying still.  

Shalimar grinned triumphantly as she pounced on top of him, her smirk fading as she realized he wasn't moving.  "Brennan?" she inquired.

No answer.

"Brennan!" she slapped lightly at his face, irritation turning to worry as he failed to respond.  

"Oh great," she muttered, "I wanted to kill him, but I didn't want him dead."   She moved her hands from his face to his chest, feeling comforted as she felt him draw a shuddering breath.  

"Shal?" he moaned softly as his head rolled from side to side, "What happened?"  

She felt her frustration return as he slowly came back to awareness.  "Nothing, you big jerk," she grunted as she slapped his chest with both fists.  "I'm angry with you, remember?"

Brennan forced his dazed mind to focus on Shalimar's flushed face.  "Oh yeah," he countered mildly without moving, "Although I still don't know why."

Shalimar grunted in warning as she tightened her tense hold on his prone body.  Her warning backfired however, as it only served to draw his attention from her anger to their precarious position.  His eyes wandered from her glaring eyes down to her heaving chest, intrigued.  

"Brennan!" she reprimanded sternly, "Stop it.  You have all the nerve, looking at me that way after what you did.  And if you weren't hurt, I would—" her voice cut off as approaching footsteps were heard.  

"Brennan!  Shalimar!"   Jesse came running around the corner, skidding to halt as he saw them, Lexa right on his heels.  

"Well, well," Lexa commented as she noticed them too, "Shall we leave you two alone?"  

Shalimar's glare stopped them from further comment, and Lexa cleared her throat in humor.  "In any event, we have a new mission, and I need you two to go undercover," she continued.  

"What kind of mission," Brennan piped up from the floor for the first time, groaning as he held his head with his hands.

"Are you ok?" Jesse asked him.

"He's fine," Shalimar's voice dared them to comment further.  

"Well, then," Jesse shook his head, "There's been a couple of disappearances in a rather wealthy neighborhood of condominiums.  All have been new mutants."

"No signs of foul play, so the police aren't really pursuing the case," Lexa explained, "But my sources have a personal interest in this one.  Besides being new mutants, one of the missing persons is a former GSA agent and a possible contact to Dominique."

"Humm," Brennan grunted as he peeled his hands from his face, "Her again."  

"We've set up a cover for you both that we feel will work nicely," Lexa continued, "and if you care to follow us into the lab, we can explain the details."

"What sort of details," Shalimar asked suspiciously.

"Oh let me," Jesse pleaded at Lexa as she beckoned him on with a wave.  He returned his gaze back to Shalimar. 

"You and Brennan are being set up in one of the vacant units in the complex, he smirked.  "You will move in there as Peter and Emily Harris, a happy newlywed couple."   

"_What?" squeaked out Shalimar, not daring to look at Brennan._

"Peter and Emily," Jesse repeated with a grin.

"Now come on," Lexa took over again, "We're wasting time here, and we have much to do yet."  She turned around and headed back in the direction of the lab, Jesse following her.

"Peter and Emily?" Shalimar tried out the names with distaste, finally glancing down at Brennan, aware she was still straddled across his chest. 

"Peter and Emily," Brennan returned, a wide grin spreading across his face as he raised his eyebrows up and down in anticipation, "Newlyweds."  

 TBC if you think it's worth it! 


	2. Chapter two

Disclaimer—see chapter one

A/N: Thank you everyone for the kind reviews!  I'm not sure what direction this story is going quite yet, but I hope you'll bear with me as I figure it out!  I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint, I'm a bit rusty at writing--it's been a while!  Please let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions!  Thanks!

Chapter two—House of Dreams

Brennan sighed as he heard Shalimar's approaching footsteps.  They had been at the apartment for two days now, and she had graduated from railing at him to a full blown silent treatment, speaking only when their cover demanded it of her.  For the life of him, he still couldn't figure out what he had done to anger her so.  

"Peter," Shalimar began as she approached the room.  Brennan rolled his eyes.   The few times she had actually spoken in the privacy of their undercover apartment, it was to address him only in disguise, as if to deny she was speaking to Brennan himself.  He rolled over on the bed he was sprawled across, turning his back to the door. 

"Peter," she repeated as she stood in the doorway, clearing her throat loudly and tapping her foot until he finally looked up at her.  She held out a bright red toothbrush.  

"Yes?" he raised his eyebrows in innocent inquiry.  

Shalimar's eyes narrowed into little slits.  "What have I repeatedly asked you not to do?" she steamed, thrusting the toothbrush out in front of her.  "You have your own, why do you insist on using _mine_?"  

Brennan just shrugged his shoulders and smiled at her serenely.  Whatever it took to get her to finally break the silence, he would do it, including irritate her to death.

Her eyes bulged even further when she finally realized where he lay.  "And what do think you are doing in my bed?"

"Don't you mean _our_ bed?" he mildly responded without moving until her flashing yellow eyes made him change his mind. "Ok, ok," he conceded as he pushed himself into a seating position.

She didn't budge, but continue to tap her toe, eyes glowing in anger.  

"Shal," he sighed, "Please tell me why you're angry with me."

"Emily," she retorted and pointed him towards the door behind her.   

"Fine," he huffed as he pushed himself off the bed.  "Good night, Emily," he sarcastically crowed in her ear as he deliberately brushed his body against hers while passing, slamming the door behind him on the way out.

Shalimar finally moved when she heard the door closing behind her, collapsing onto the bed in exhaustion.  She absentmindedly breathed in his scent on her pillow, and then angrily shook her head.  It was becoming harder and harder to remember why she was mad at him in the first place; having him this close to her in the tiny apartment was almost more than she could handle.  It was wearing her out more than any physical activity ever could.  Her emotions were frayed, and she didn't know how much longer she would last.  The buzz of her comlink broke her out of her reverie, even as Jesse's voice rang in her ears.  

"Hey, Shal," Jesse began, "Anything new yet?"

"Not much," she responded.  "We're meeting with the condo board director in the morning and then having a friendly neighborly lunch with the Martin's next door."

"The couple whose daughter disappeared," Jesse mused, "good idea.  Maybe you can finally get a chance to search the girl's bedroom.  Lexa's contacts tell us that she moved back in with her parents after suddenly quitting the GSA.  They were after her for a while, but then left her alone, or so it seemed."  

"I just wonder what her connection to Dominique is," Shalimar returned. "Carrie Martin is a fire elemental, what possible ties could there be?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Jesse agreed.  "So, how's married life," he suddenly asked.  Shalimar could hear his grin even through the distance. 

"Shut up, Jess,"

He laughed even as he broke their connection.

The next morning, Shalimar came out of the bedroom to find a still sleeping Brennan hanging halfway off the couch, his tall frame much too large to comfortably fit. She felt a twinge of guilt, which she immediately hid once she saw him begin to stir.   He flung his arm over his eyes and groaned as he rolled over and promptly fell the rest of the way off the couch in a large thump onto the floor.  She laughed as he shot up, disoriented. 

"Huh, Shal, what's going on," he mumbled as his head groggily scanned the room, hair standing straight up in spiky clumps.  Shalimar had to smile in spite herself, but presented him with her back so he couldn't see.  She strode past him and into the kitchen, banging cupboard doors in her search for breakfast.  Brennan wandering in, one arm raised in a yawning stretch, the other scratching his stomach.  He saw Shalimar's quick glance take in his boxers and t-shirt before burying her face in her cereal bowl.  He grinned and grabbed his own bowl before padding over behind her.  He stood immediately behind her chair and slowly draped his body over hers, reaching for the milk on the table.  She didn't say a word, but he felt her tense as he invaded her space.    
"Good morning," he whispered in her ear, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her head, before languidly standing back up with the milk in his hand.  Shalimar whirled around in her chair, seething at his boldness.  She jumped up and grabbed the milk out of his hand.  She paused for a moment, opened the spout, and then glanced back up at Brennan as he stood munching on his breakfast.  

"You know," she started as she slithered her way over to him, leaning her body into his as he glanced back up surprised.  "I think you may just have something there," she stood up on tiptoe to nibble at his ear.  He stopped his chewing for a moment in shock, then quickly took advantage of her better mood and circled his free arm around her waist.

"Oh really," he returned, face showing his interest.  

"Yes," she crooned, and slowly lifted one arm around his shoulders and tugged him down closer to her level.  Her other arm rose up behind him even as he leaned in closer, and lingered above his head for a moment before slowly, deliberately, tipping the milk carton down on top of him.   She jumped back with a triumphant gleam in her eyes as she slammed the empty carton back onto the table and sat back down, taking another bite of her soggy cereal.  

Brennan stood still in disbelief, cold milk dripping off his nose and running down his neck.  At least the silent treatment was over. "Shal," he started with a growl, shaking his sticky head.

"Emily." She retorted back.

He drew in a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.  Maybe the silent treatment was preferable after all.  "Emily," he tried again.  "What—why, I, I don't even know where to begin," he stuttered before glancing down at the remaining cereal still in his hands.  He looked quickly back up at Shalimar's tense back and sauntered his way towards her.  She heard his footsteps right before the sensation of mushy cereal and milk ran down her head and shoulders.   

"Argh!" She screamed as she jumped out of her chair, whirling around towards him.  "Brennan!"

"Peter," he smugly corrected, standing his ground.  "And I think it's time we settled this once and for all."

Her eyes widened at the challenge, and she took a step towards him just as the doorbell rang.  "Later," she flung at him before turning her back to him and walking toward the door.  He trailed behind her, snickering as she paused for a moment in front of the hallway mirror to pick at the congealed mass in her hair before waving her hands in defeat at her image and opening the door.  

"Yes," she inquired as regally as someone in her position could.  Brennan had to smile in admiration even as he moved up behind her to assume his role.  Shalimar stiffened for a moment as he wrapped his arm around her waist and opened the door further, revealing the astonished face of their next door neighbor, Mrs. Martin.   

"I, ah, I just came to remind you about lunch," she stammered helplessly as she stared at a chunk of cereal slowly sliding down Shalimar's forehead.  

Shalimar ignored the sliding mass as best she could.  "Ah, yes," she agreed.  "We are still planning on it, thank you," she choked out.  Brennan came to her rescue.  Or at least attempted to.

"Never mind us," he assured Mrs. Martin, "We just got a little, ah, distracted, while eating breakfast this morning.  Newlyweds you know," he winked.  Shalimar felt the red rise in her face even as she jammed her elbow into Brennan's side.  "Peter!" she hissed, mortified.  

"That's ok, dear," their neighbor blushed.  "I think I'll leave you two alone then.  See you later," she flung over her shoulder as she stumbled down the hallway in her hurry to reach her own door again.  They stood in the doorway, both waving at her with plastered smiles on their faces.  As soon as she disappeared from sight however, Shalimar forcibly wrenched Brennan's arm from around her waist.  

"Newlyweds??" she stared at him in disbelief before stalking towards the bathroom in a huff.

Brennan grinned.  Oh yeah, the silent treatment was definitely over.


	3. Chapter three

Disclaimer: see Chapter one

A/N: Wow, I am overwhelmed by all the reviews!  Thank you everyone, again!!  I have been staring at this chapter for a couple of days now, trying to get it to work better, but I just can't seem to get it right.  I don't like this chapter, but I am finally giving up and just posting it the way it is!  Please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions—thank you so much!!

Chapter three—House of Dreams

"Day three, it feels like day thirty-three," Shalimar mused to herself as she sat at the Martin's dining room table, listening as the older couple droned on and on about their latest adventure—polka dancing.  She felt herself nodding in agreement to whatever was being said, even as she felt Brennan's hand snake his way back into her hair.  He was taking advantage of their undercover role as only Brennan could.  "The weasel," she fumed to herself, even as her stomach dropped at his touch.  He was enjoying this way too much.  She twisted forward and sideways in her chair in order to get out of his natural reach.  Leaning her elbows on the table, she interrupted Mr. Martin as he paused in his speech to take a drink.  

"So, I would be interesting in hearing more about your daughter.  She looks to be about our age?"  She casually inquired, gesturing towards a family picture on the sideboard.    

"Yes," Brennan spoke up, "we would love to meet her.  We're looking for new friends since we're new to the area."  He inched his chair closer to Shalimar and wrapped his arm around her shoulders in an exaggerated squeeze.  "Em here is desperate for girl friends again."

Shalimar smiled sweetly, nodding her head in agreement towards the couple while discretely dropping one hand beneath the table to squeeze Brennan's knee, hard.  He jumped slightly and removed his arm.  

"Ah, yes, our daughter," Mrs. Martin hemmed as she glanced over at her husband.  

"Her name is Carrie," he picked up, "and I am sure she would love to meet you.  However, she is out of town at the moment, and ah, we're not sure when she'll be returning."

"Business trip," his wife added as an afterthought.

There was a pause in the conversation as Brennan and Shalimar looked at each other. "Now what?" her eyes asked him.  

"Tell us about her," Brennan coaxed.

"Ah, not much to tell," Mr. Martin laughed as he waved his hand dismissively.  "But about that polka.  I just bet you kids would enjoy it just as much as we have."

"Hey," Mrs. Martin brightened up, "Let's show them what we've learned so far.  We would love to have you join us in our next lesson.  It's a wonderful way to pass the time."  

Brennan groaned.  This was going to be a long afternoon.  Shalimar raised her hands in protest, even as Mr. Martin grabbed one and yanked her to her feet.  

"Come, come, we'll go into the living room," he enthused as he pulled her along with him.  Shalimar followed behind him, glancing over her shoulder to make a face at Brennan trailing along behind her.

Mrs. Martin turned on the music, brightening as the lively sounds of accordion and trumpet filled the room.

"Shall we," she beckoned to her husband as he came up to her.  They joined hands and stood side by side, pausing for a moment to pick up the beat.  Suddenly they both moved forward at the same time and danced right-left-right, left-right-left, right-left-right, left-right-left.  Shalimar lost count of their steps as she stood speechless at the show before them.  Brennan raised his eyebrows helplessly before sinking onto the couch to watch them.  She strolled over and sat on the opposite side of the couch from him.  Just as her mind started wandering again, she realized Brennan had gradually worked his way closer to her.  She glared at him as he again wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Relax, Shal," he whispered in her ear, "I just wanted to let you know I'm going to sneak into the girl's bedroom.  If they happen to notice I'm gone, tell them I had to use the bathroom or something." 

"Wait—" she hissed even as he stood up and made his way toward the hallway.  The couple danced merrily on, so he disappeared around the corner without incident.  Shalimar realized then they had their eyes closed.  She had to admire their dedication to the dance, even as she cringed at the swelling crescendo.  Maybe it was an acquired taste.  A few tense moments passed before Brennan reappeared at her side, sliding into place just as the dance ended and the elderly couple opened their eyes with glee. 

"See!" they exclaimed, "Isn't it wonderful!"

"Wonderful," Shalimar nodded in agreement, even as she tugged Brennan to his feet.  "But really, we must be going now, we have much to do yet this afternoon."  

Brennan tightened his hold on her hand as she tried to drop his from her grasp.  He raised it to his lips and kissed it softly while waggling his eyebrows at her.  "Oh yes, much to do." He echoed.  Shalimar's eyes dared him to continue.  

Remembering the scene from that morning, Mrs. Martin gave a flustered laugh.  "Of course, dears, we understand.  But please do come back soon," she invited even as they hedged their way to the door.  

"Thank you, we will," Brennan agreed as he placed his arm around Shalimar's waist, ignoring the silent messages she kept shooting his way.   "Won't we, honeybunch?"

"Certainly," she oozed back, "poopycakes."  

As they entered back into their own apartment, Shalimar whirled around on Brennan.  "Well, what did you find?" she impatiently asked.  

Brennan stared at her for a moment, before letting out a small laugh.  Shalimar looked at him with confusion.  

"What?"

He grinned adorably at her.  "Only you could watch polka dancing so earnestly," he informed her.  "Come on," he teased at her blank look, "This was you," he demonstrated exaggeratedly, dropping his jaw to the floor and bugging his eyes out cartoonishly.  

"Hey!" she protested, reaching out to smack him along side the back of his head.  He snatched her hand out of the air and pulled her up against his chest.

"Poopycakes, huh?" he fingered a strand of her hair lightly.  "I think I could get used to that," he paused to gauge her reaction.  She stood frozen, not responding, but not pulling away either.  Brennan decided to push his luck.  His large hands cupped her face and slowly stroked her soft cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.  Her eyes stared up at him, shining with an emotion he couldn't quite read. 

"Shal?" he questioned huskily.  When she still didn't respond he leaned down slowly towards her and brushed his lips lightly against hers.  He felt her resist for a moment before softening under his touch.  The kiss deepened for a moment until she gasped sharply and wrenched herself out of his arms.  She took a few steps back, visibly shaken before closing her eyes.

"Don't."  She whispered.

"Shal, please," he entreated stepping towards her, but stopping as she backed further away.   He watched in resignation as she drew herself up to her full height, holding her body in a tight stance.  

"Don't," she repeated in a firmer tone, eyes flashing. 

They stood there in tense silence until finally he blew his breath out in frustration and turned back towards the door.  

"I'm heading back to sanctuary for a bit." He stated softly as he reached for the door.

"Brennan, wait." Shalimar called before she could stop herself.  He turned back towards her, and they again stared at each other again.  She licked her lips nervously as she saw his eyes drop down and linger on her mouth.  With a shuddering breath, she cleared her throat and squared her shoulders.  In a blink, the wall was back up.  _Emily was in control again.     _

"Tell me what you found," she commanded.  

Brennan looked at her a moment more before stepping back towards her and shrugging his broad shoulders. "Not too much.  I only had a few minutes, but I dug around a bit and found this."  He reached into his pocket and brought out a piece of paper that had a date and time from a few weeks ago on it and the name of a local park.  "It's the day she disappeared.  Apparently she may have been meeting someone that day.  We should give this to Jess to check into it."

"If there's anything to find," Shal murmured doubtfully as she took the paper out of Brennan's hands and examined it.  "I just don't get why the parents seem to be involved.  Or at least they don't seem concerned about her missing, more like they were covering for her."  

"I wonder—" Brennan mused under his breath. 

Shalimar waited a moment for him to continue.  "What?" she demanded. 

"Nothing, just a thought," he answered back.  "I'll get this to sanctuary and see what Jess and Lexa can find."  He paused, and then glanced back up at Shalimar.  This was the first time they had spoken calmly to each other in three days.  "Shal," he started, even as she began walking away from him.  She turned around and arched one eyebrow at him in question.  The look was back in her eyes.  His emotions flared, "Never mind, _Emily_," he gritted out, turning and walking back toward the door, paper in hand.  

"Newlyweds, my ass," she heard him mutter angrily to himself.

Shalimar held her body tensely upright for a few more beats before her shoulders slumped in defeat as she followed his movements with sad, conflicted eyes. She braced her spine up against the wall and then allowed her knees to buckle underneath her, sinking down to the floor. The door slammed behind him as he left, and then she was alone.   The silence engulfed her.

Brennan leaned up against the outside door for a moment, anger simmering in his posture.  Then with a stubborn look, he pushed himself back up straight.  "We're not done here," he decided as he clenched his jaw determinedly and stalked away.  The honeymoon was far from over. 


	4. Chapter four

Disclaimer: see chapter one

Thank you again everyone for the reviews, you are all just too kind!  I'm having fun writing again, even though I know my rustiness shows here and there.  Thanks for your patience and words of encouragement!  Please let me know what you think, it helps so much!! 

Chapter four—House of Dreams

Despite her best intentions, Shalimar found herself drawn to the living room couch, or rather, Brennan's temporary sleeping place.  She slumped down into its cushions and sighed deeply.  He had been gone for quite a while now, and she was getting frustrated.  "Ok, worried," she admitted to herself as she blew a strand of wayward hair out of her face.  Even though she couldn't quite get over the feeling of betrayal she felt every time she remembered watching the video feed from one of their recent missions, she was beginning to feel more resigned than anything else.  Brennan didn't belong to her, as much as she wished it otherwise, and it really wasn't fair to take her jealousy out on him.

"I'm not jealous," she whispered to herself in anger, "I'm not."  She slumped down further and wearily closed her eyes as she anxiously drummed her fingers on either side of her.  She hated waiting.  

A few hours later, Brennan walked in to find her sound asleep on the couch.  He gently closed the door behind him and walked as silently as he could towards her, knowing that her feral hearing made her a light sleeper.  She mumbled something to herself as she wiggled around in her sleep before falling silent again.  Brennan's irritation melted as he saw she clenched one of his shirts in her hands, pulled up tight to her chest.  Her hair hung over her face in a wild frenzy, and he couldn't resist lowering himself to his knees beside the couch and slowly pushing her hair back behind her ear.  He contented himself by watching her for a long moment before gently kissing her on the forehead and backing quietly away.  He walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, taking care to be as quiet as possible.  His thirst quenched, he set the glass into the sink and turned around and leaned against the counter, watching Shalimar through the open entryway.  

"What am I going to do with you?" he whispered into the air, staring intently at the small lump she made on the sofa.  "Or, more to the immediate question," he considered to himself, "where am I going to sleep tonight?"

A roguish smile broke across his tired face as he raised his eyebrows in delight and padded towards the bedroom.

"It's your fault, you know," he reasoned to the still sleeping figure, "you didn't leave me much other choice."  He plopped gleefully onto the bed.

The next morning found Shalimar groaning as she pushed herself stiffly up from the awkward position she had slipped into during the night.  She groggily looked around in confusion, before remembering why she was on the couch in the first place, Brennan. 

"He never came back," she bit her lip.  As she sat there considering, her frustration returned and she threw his shirt across the room.

"Damn, I can even smell him," she muttered, angry that she had allowed him to have that much of an impact on her emotions.  She pushed herself off the couch and paced around the room, feeling like she could climb the walls.  She clenched and unclenched her fists as she circled the living room, freezing when she suddenly picked up a slight sound from the other room.  She cautiously tiptoed down the hallway, peeking into the bathroom and then heading towards the bedroom when finding it empty.  She poked her head slowly around the bedroom door and came to an abrupt stop when she saw Brennan sleeping like a baby in her bed.  

Her eyes widened in disbelief.  

"Hey," she exclaimed, lightly shaking his bare foot that peeked out from the end of the blanket.  "Brennan!" she reprimanded, shaking his foot a bit harder.  "I've been worried sick about you and here you are sound asleep in my bed?"  

Brennan grunted as he woke up at the persistent tug on his toe.  "Our bed," he reminded her as he scrubbed at his face with both hands in an attempt to wake himself up.  

"My bed," she corrected.  "What are you doing in here anyway?"  

Brennan's hands continued their assault on his face until suddenly freezing as her earlier comment sunk in.  He pushed himself into a sitting position and languidly stretched out his limbs.   "You were worried about me?" he asked with satisfaction.  

Shalimar tore her eyes from his bare chest and took in the knowing grin on his face.  Her eyes narrowed. 

"Don't change the subject," she snapped at him, "What are you doing here," she gestured wildly around the room.  "When, how?  I waited, I didn't hear, I would have, I would have heard you," she stammered to a finish, angry that he could so easily fluster her.  "And get out of my bed," she added as an afterthought.  

Brennan raised his eyebrows at her demand.  "Well, you _were _in my bed," he shrugged, "I had to sleep somewhere."  He gave her a grin.  "You seemed pretty cozy with my shirt, I was just doing you a favor."  

Shalimar's eyes flashed yellow for a brief moment before she realized she still had his big toe in her grasp.  She tightened her hold slowly, not saying a word as he began to squirm slightly, uncomfortable.  She held her hold until he made eye contact, then gave one more warning squeeze before letting go and walking over to the dresser.  She yanked open a drawer and began pulling out clothes.  Brennan shot up out of the bed and was at her side in a moment. 

"Shal," he gently grasped her wrist, stilling her moments.  "Don't leave, I'm sorry for whatever it is I've done to anger you so, but just—just don't leave."  

She gave him a confused look, her heart constricting at his look of despair.  

"Relax, I'm not leaving.  I'm just taking a shower, you know, getting dressed for the day."  She yanked her wrist from his grasp and slammed the dresser drawer shut, gathering up her items and heading for the door.  

"Shalimar," Brennan's deep voice stopped her.  She turned back around at his tone.  He stood for a moment, head down, before looking back up at her.  He raised his hands in a gesture of defeat.  

"Please, talk to me.  I don't understand what I did, and I don't know how to get through to you.  One minute we're laughing and then the next minute you're mad again.  He sank onto the bed, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.  "I don't know what to do anymore." 

Shalimar bowed her head for a moment, gathering her thoughts.  She set her clothes back down on the dresser and knelt down in front of Brennan, placing her hands on top of his.  

"I know." She agreed softly.

They sat in silence for a long time and then Brennan leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him in a tight hug.  Shalimar hesitated for just a moment and then wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his shoulder.  She sniffed as she felt him take a shuddering breath.  

"I missed you," his voice rumbled into her ear.  

"I know," she agreed again.  She stayed still for a moment more and then pulled away to search his eyes.  

"Brennan," she started.

"Don't you mean Peter?" he gently teased with raised eyebrows.  

She batted at his arm with her hand, "_Brennan_," she repeated with a small smile, "We've been through too much for me to ever completely leave.  You don't ever have to worry about that."

His eyes softened as he nodded his head in agreement, reaching out to capture her face in his hands, remaining silent as he studied her expression.

She closed her eyes and took a breath before opening them again and meeting Brennan's head on.  

"You just have to give me some time to get past this.  I can handle this—this thing.  I just need time to adjust.  I wasn't expecting it, that's all, I just—" 

"Shal," Brennan softly interrupted, "I have no clue what you're talking about." 

She looked at him aghast, before remembering with all fairness she never really had told him what she knew, what she saw.  She had to clamp down her anger at the memory of it.

Brennan saw a flash of betrayal in her eyes before disappearing behind a purposely neutral face. 

"You.  Me," she tried to explain.  "And then _her_," she added with distaste.  

"Shal?" Brennan prompted, still confused.  

"I know we're kind of," she hesitated, searching for words, "undefined." She paused, pulling away from his grasp, "but I thought we had something."

Brennan shook his head, still bewildered.  "But we do." He again reached for her face, but settled instead for her shoulders as she turned slightly away from him.  His thumbs gently stroked her shoulder blades in soothing circles.  

"You're my best friend," he admitted softly.  

Shalimar paused in her thoughts to smile sadly at him, blinking away the sudden rush of tears.  

"And you're mine," she whispered, closing her eyes in pain.  "That's what makes this so hard."  

"I still don't understand," he entreated.  "What's so hard?"  

She shook her head, unable to stop the trace tears that slipped out despite her efforts to fight them.  She again pulled away from his grasp and stood up, turning her back on him and wrapping her arms around herself.  

Brennan jumped quickly to his feet and strode around her.  His look bode no argument as he pulled her tightly against him, holding her firmly until she sagged against his chest.  He pulled back slightly and wrapped his large hands around her soft cheeks.  Her eyes stayed closed, so he leaned in and softly kissed each eyelid before capturing her lips in a desperate kiss.  For one brief moment, Shalimar was in heaven, then reality returned with a harsh rush, and she pushed away from him, stricken.  

"I asked you not to do that," she hissed.  "You can't have both of us like that."  

Brennan watched in frustration as the walls around her chinked back into place.  

No," he exclaimed emphatically, "Not this time."  He grasped her shoulders.  "Don't shut me out."  He waited until she met his glance with a defiant uplift of her chin before continuing. "Tell me what the hell you are talking about."

Her eyes flared, and she reached up and slapped him before realizing what she was doing.  He stared at her in shock as she covered her mouth with a shaking hand.  

"Talk to me," he whispered.  "Why?  What—"

"I saw you," she interrupted, taking a step back.  "I saw you." She repeated, backing further away from him.   For a brief pause pained eyes met, and then she suddenly ran out of the room.  Thundering footsteps faded away and then the front door slammed shut. 

"What?"  Brennan yelled, whirling around and hitting the wall in frustration.  "What did I do?"  

Silence was his only answer.  


	5. Chapter five

Disclaimer—see chapter one

A/N: Thank you so much everyone for the wonderful reviews!!  I'm having such fun writing this—sorry I'm a bit slow with updates!  It's hard to find time during the work week to write.  Thanks again, everyone, I hope you all enjoy!!

House of Dreams—chapter five

"Hey Brennan, you there?" Jesse's voice rang out from the comlink.  Brennan debated ignoring him for a moment, but then sighed, lifting his hand to his mouth.

"Yeah," he spoke into his ring unenthusiastically.

"We've got a lead from your stolen note.  Can you and Shalimar get back here as soon as possible?"  Jesse returned.  

"Sure," Brennan snorted sarcastically, "If I can find her."  

"Marital problems already?" Jesse mocked.

"Never mind," Brennan's tone voiced no room for questioning.  "We'll get there as soon as we can."  He cut the connection abruptly, cutting off Jesse's next sentence.  He lifted his ring back towards his mouth. 

"Shal, are you there?" he paused, "Come on Shal, I know you're angry, but Jesse's got a lead for us.  He needs us back at Sanctuary."  No answer.

Brennan groaned out loud. "Shalimar," he demanded, "Where are you?"   Silence greeted him still.

"Where is she?" he growled to the air, frustrated. 

"Right here."  

He jumped at the voice behind him, whirling around to see her standing in the doorway, hands in her jacket pockets.  He sighed in relief.  He didn't want to admit it, but he was afraid she had been gone for good this time. 

She seemed to read his mind.

"I told you I wouldn't leave."  She hunched her shoulders at his look.  "Actually, I came to apologize."

"Apologize?" Brennan questioned.

'Yeah," she sighed as she circled the room toward him and slouched down into a corner chair.   "I told myself I wouldn't get angry anymore, that I would be satisfied being your friend, but I lost it again.  I'm sorry." 

Brennan eyed her apprehensively; the wall seemed to be firmly in place.  Her words were rushed, almost cold in their utterance.  He didn't believe her for a moment.   She seemed to read that sentiment too.

"What's this about a lead?"  She quickly changed the subject.

"Yeah, Jess wants us back at Sanctuary for an update."  Brennan studied her.  "But that can wait, I think we should—"

"We should get going," she interrupted him, refusing to discuss her emotions further until she had them firmly under control. 

Brennan shrugged, knowing by her look she wasn't about to give in.  "Fine," he crossed his arms.

"Fine," she crossed her arms back.   They stubbornly held their glare for a moment more and then as one, turned towards the door and headed out.

A few hours more found them shivering in the park just after the sun had set.  

"I'm cold," Brennan complained grumpily.  

Shalimar couldn't help but smile at his tone.  She knew he hated being outdoors, and as wrong as it was, she took small pleasure in his discomfort.  She on the other hand, was in her element.  

"I love the smell of this park," she exclaimed cheerfully, just to annoy him.  "It's so peaceful and refreshing."

"I think I smell a skunk," he wrinkled his nose.

She rolled her eyes at him.  "And it's so calm and quiet," she continued her praise.

"It's unnerving," he countered.

She ignored him.  "The moonlight has such a soft glow."

"It's gloomy," he grumbled back.  

She had to laugh.  "Brennan!" she smacked him on the arm.  

"What?" he defended himself, "It's true.  And I'm cold," he repeated, crossing his arms and hunching over.  

"Well, Jesse told us to wait here, so we wait here."  Shalimar reminded.

Brennan snorted.  "I hardly call freezing our butts off in same park that the last mutant disappeared in a valid lead or a good use of our time." 

Shalimar shook her head.  "It's the same park on Carrie's note and not coincidentally the same park that the other two missing mutants were last seen in.  There's got to something here," she rationalized.  "And this is the time on the note."  She bounced lightly on her heels, "I for one am more than ready for action."  Her eyes gleamed at the idea.

Brennan felt miserable standing around waiting in the slim possibility that something might happen, but he was relieved at the improvement in Shalimar's mood.  He enjoyed watching her; in fact, it was his only entertainment on this otherwise long night.  He leaned back against a tree, studying the way her small, curvy figure was enhanced by sleek black leather as she turned and paced away from him.  Back and forth she went, his eyes keeping pace with her.  Another long hour passed.

Brennan found himself no longer able to resist the urge to close his eyes.  He dropped his eyelids and slouched his way down the tree.  "It's been a long day," he mused to himself, fighting another yawn.  He pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around himself in an effort to keep warm and braced his head back against the tree trunk.  A few more moments, and he was comfortably drowsy, entering the realm of half sleep.  "Nothing wrong with resting my eyes a bit," he reasoned to himself, "besides we're wasting our time out here anyway."  He relaxed even further.  

Shalimar glanced at him as she paced past and smirked as she saw his head nodding up and down, glad she didn't have to deal with him at the moment.  She needed this time to get a firm reign on her emotions.

Brennan's head jerked upright suddenly as his body caught himself about to fall completely asleep.  He groaned as he became aware of his stiff neck, rolling his shoulders a bit to ease the numb, tingly feeling from sitting in one position for too long.   "This tree isn't half bad," he thought dozily, "it blocks the wind, and gives me something to lean against, plus Shalimar hasn't yelled at me for three whole hours, except my nose itches," his mind continued the mental rundown.  "I'm still cold, but we can probably get out of here soon, and these leaves keep getting in my face, and damn, my nose _really itches."  He wriggled it around for a moment, half awake, catching his head as it was about to drop down again.  "I gotta figure out what's up with Shal though, I don't know how much longer I can take this, and this tree bark is poking me in really bad places, and these stupid leaves keep hitting me, and I'm still cold, and now my whole face feels itchy, and—" _

"ARGH!" Brennan suddenly screamed, pushing abruptly off the tree and frantically swiping at his face with both hands.  

"Brennan!" Shalimar whirled around from her pacing and ran back towards him.  "What's wrong?" she exclaimed, stopping just in front of him.  He continued his mad attack on his face, not answering her.   She reached up and grasped both of his hands in hers.  

"Brennan?" she inquired again, "what happened?  Stand still and let me see." She tugged his hands down and peered up at him in concern, gasping suddenly as she saw the angry red rash dimly in the moonlight.  

"Oh, oh no," she covered her mouth to hide her smile, "Oh Brennan, poison ivy," she couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped her at how pathetic he looked.

He glared even as his lip sported a generous pout.  "I hate this park," he groused.  "And stop laughing, it's not funny."  

"Sorry," Shalimar shook her head amusedly.  As upset as she was with him, she still couldn't help but feel sorry for him.  "We better get you home and cleaned up," she patted him on the shoulder in sympathy.  "Poison ivy doesn't usually show up this fast, you must really be allergic."  

"Oh great," Brennan's lip pushed out even further in his misery.  

"Come on, I think we've waited here long enough already," she stated, studying the rash on his face before staring at something over his shoulder.

He noticed her distraction and wanted her attention back.  If nothing else, at least this horrid itch had them talking again.    
"Shal," he whined.  

She suddenly braced both hands on his shoulders.  "Don't take this the wrong way," she hissed at him.

"What?" he began to ask as she roughly pushed him up against the tree and launched herself at him, wrapping both arms around his neck and kissing him deeply.  Brennan stood frozen in shock for moment, then felt a pleasant tingle work its way through his body, the itch forgotten.  He locked both arms around her, pulling her tight against him and hungrily returned her kiss, greedy in his want.  The air hung heavy around them, their kisses and short gasps of breath the only sound until the faint sound of nearing footsteps echoed in night.  Two shadows stopped abruptly in their approach before chuckling lewdly and passing on.  Brennan was oblivious, but Shalimar's ears heard them take leave, and she dropped her lips down to nibble on Brennan's ear.  She waited a moment more before pulling back and looking at his dazed expression.

Brennan slowly opened his eyes and found her eyeing him.  "I take it I'm forgiven?" he breathed, focusing again on her mouth.  He leaned back down towards her, but Shalimar's hands on his chest stopped him.  They stared at each other a moment, before he sighed heavily.

"Ok, what?" he gritted, finally realizing something else was going on as her eyes again focused on a point beyond his shoulder.

"Two men," she gestured past him with her chin, "they have the look of ex-GSA.  I think we finally have our lead," she whispered excitedly, grabbing his hand and pulling him along after her as she took off down the trail.

 Brennan couldn't stop his smirk as he stumbled after her, itching with one hand and hanging on to her with the other.  Finally, things were beginning to get interesting.


	6. Chapter six

Disclaimer—see chapter one

A/N:  Sorry this chapter was delayed, I was out of town for the holiday.  Please let me know what you think of this chapter!!  The last chapter got hardly any reviews!! L  Thank you so much to those of you that did take the time to review—I so much appreciate it!!   I'm finding I thrive on reviews, so please, please, please, let me know what you think—good or bad.  Thank you!!

House of Dreams—chapter six

"I'm spending way too much time today being just a bit too friendly with trees," Brennan moaned as he again found himself leaning into another tree.  "Blasted Park," he muttered.

"Shh!" Shalimar elbowed him in the stomach.  "Be quiet, Brennan," she reprimanded.  She shot him a quick glance over her shoulder as he hovered next to her as they attempted to hide themselves behind the large maple tree. 

"I can't even see them," he whispered back.  "Are you sure they're still out there?"

Shalimar looked back at him again, showing him her feral eyes.   Brennan raised his hands in surrender, "Ok, ok, I get it."  

He stood there bored for a moment, waiting for her to give him the next signal, when she suddenly grabbed him, and then they were on the run again.  

"You know," she huffed as they snuck along, "it's a good thing neither one of those guys are feral, with the amount of noise you make."

"How do you know they're not feral?"  He questioned skeptically, grunting as he tripped over an exposed tree root.  

"I'd smell them," she answered simply, as if stating the obvious.  

He grinned, but then wished he hadn't, as the slight movement reawakened the burning itch on his face.  

"Get down," Shalimar suddenly hissed, grabbing the front of his shirt and yanking him down with her behind a short bush.  Brennan peered around the bush, straining his eyes in attempt to see the faint figures ahead of them.  They had finally come to a stop and now appeared to be waiting.  After a tense ten minutes had passed, a third figure appeared out of the shadows.  They conversed in whispers for a few minutes, and then turned around and headed back in the way they had come—directly towards Brennan and Shalimar.

"Go around," Shalimar pushed frantically at Brennan, indicating to him to crawl around to the other side of the bush, "hurry up, they'll see us."

Brennan crawled forward on his hands and knees, circling the bush, with Shalimar on his heels. 

"There better not be any more poison ivy down here," he groused to himself as he continued around the bush until coming to a stop when they were once again out of the line of sight.  He took a deep breath, but then froze when his nose registered an offensive smell, and he became aware of kneeling in dampness.  His eyes widened in disbelief.  "Oh shi—" 

"Shh!"  Shalimar's hand had clamped firmly over his mouth.  "It's just a stupid dog that marked its territory," she whispered, "You'll survive, now be quiet."  She jerked her head towards the path, indicating the approaching men.  They passed by, unaware of the drama behind the bush, words floating back behind them.  

"You'll be glad you decided to come with us," one man was saying.

"I can't wait to meet her," another man agreed, "I've been wanting to—,"  His voice faded away as the rest of his words were lost on the wind as they disappeared from sight. 

Brennan and Shalimar held their positions for a few more moments and then Shalimar relaxed her hold on Brennan.  

"UGH!" he shuddered as he shot up from behind the bush, desperately scrubbing his wet hands along the sides of his already dirty jeans.  He glared at Shalimar as she lost her battle to hide her smile and burst out laughing. 

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.  "Shalimar," he warned.

"Yes," she innocently inquired.

 "Don't even start with me," He paused to waggle his finger at her.  "No more, I am going home, _right now_.  You can either come with me or get left behind here."  

"Ok, ok," she conceded with a grin.  

A half an hour later, they arrived back at the apartment complex.  

"Finally," Brennan sighed as they walked out of the elevator and into the hallway.  

"No, kidding," Shalimar smirked, "You stink."

Brennan stopped in the middle of the hallway to glare at her.  Shalimar met his gaze head on with glowing eyes, daring him to say anything.   He rolled his eyes, turned back around, and ran smack into none other than Mrs. Martin.  Her wrinkled eyes bulged as she took in his disheveled appearance and puffy red face, even as her nose wrinkled as she became aware of the pungent odor wafting around him. 

"Oh," she exclaimed, "Oh my.  What-what happened?" she stammered with an astonished face, eyes bouncing from one to the other.  

"Never mind," Brennan growled, pushing past her and nearly running the rest of the way to their apartment.  Shalimar paused to shrug apologetically at their neighbor before running after him. 

Mrs. Martin turned and stared after them.  "Humpf, newlyweds," she admonished, shaking her head before turning around and continuing on her way.

The next morning, Brennan stared grumpily at his expression in the mirror.  By now the poison ivy had done its worst, spreading from both temples and all the way down his face and neck, before disappearing under his collar in a hideous rash.  His left eye was almost swollen shut and a whitish puss was beginning to ooze out of the massive red blisters.  It was impossible for him to shave, and the black shadow cast a grayish pallor over his features, making him look even worse.  

"Be still my beating heart," Shalimar teased when she got a look at him.  He couldn't even glare, it hurt too badly.  He slumped back down onto the couch and grabbed the remote, clicking on the TV.  

Shalimar felt bad.  He really did not look too well.  She decided to call a truce until he was back to full fighting capacity.

"Brennan," she softly called, sitting down next to him.  He changed the channel, studiously ignoring her. 

"If it makes you feel any better, I have it too," she held out her hand for him to see.  Her eyes narrowed a bit as she saw him brighten at her words and reach for her hand, but then he frowned again as he took in the small spot on her palm. 

"_That's supposed to make me feel better?" he asked sarcastically, flinging her hand back into her own lap.  She laughed and stood, walking away as he again changed the channel.  _

Shalimar spent a few hours in the bedroom, working on the laptop, before hunger drove her back out into the main part of the apartment.  

"Hey, you want some lunch?" she called as she walked past the back of the couch on her way to the kitchen.  She dug through a few cupboards, nothing catching her interest.  

"Brennan?" she called back out, "What are you hungry for?"  He still didn't answer.

"Hey, Brennan," she yelled again, walking back into the living room.  Her heart jumped in her throat for a moment when she saw him slumped over in the couch, but then she sighed in relief when he moaned and slowly rolled over to face her.  

"Shal," he rasped, "I don't feel so good."  

Shalimar truly felt sorry for him.  She knelt down next to the couch and placed a hand on his forehead.  "No fever, that's good." She noted, wincing though at the sight of his deformed face.  "Brennan," she peered closer at the rash, "Didn't you put anything on here this morning?"  

"Like what," he complained.  

Shalimar shook her head, "I'll be right back."  She patted him on the shoulder and then walked back into the kitchen.  

Brennan peered at her suspiciously with his remaining good eye when she returned a few minutes later, a glass in hand.  It was filled with something white and slightly lumpy.

"Shal?" he questioned.  "Shal," he repeated nervously when she didn't answer.  The liquid looked like a bit too much like rotten milk. "I'm really not in the mood for revenge right now," he panicked, attempting to push himself up into a sitting position as images from their food fight the other morning flitted through his mind.

"Relax, Brennan, let me take care of you." She raised her eyebrows up and down in glee as she held up the glass, loving the expression of fear that flashed across his face.  He immediately winced in pain from the movement though, and she dropped the guise and dropped to her knees beside him.  

"It's ok," she soothed, "it's just baking soda and water.  It makes a nice paste that will help relieve the itching and burning."  She produced a clean cloth from behind her back, "See?"

She dipped the cloth into the mixture and gently ran it across his temple and across his cheeks, biting her lip in sympathy at the painful blisters.  Brennan lay back down on the couch in relief, sighing as the cooling paste worked its magic.  After a few minutes, Shalimar finished the application to his face and set the glass down on the floor beside her.  She hesitated for just a moment and then leaned over him, grasping the edge of his shirt in her hands and slowly lifting it up, revealing his chest.  His one eye flew open in shock at her movements.  She smiled at his reaction, before nervously swallowing and willing her body to calm down as she felt a flash of heat hit her at the sight of the tensed stomach muscles.

"Sorry," she muttered, "just trying to see if went further, ah, down," she stuttered, waving at his neck to indicate the rash that spread below his collar.  

"Damn," Brennan whispered.  Shalimar wrinkled her forehead in confusion, not understanding.

"I wish it did," he explained softly, grasping her hands that were still clutching at his bunched up shirt.

"Down boy," she whispered back, cheeks stained slightly red as she quickly pulled her hands free and leaned back on her heels.  She groped behind her for the glass and then quickly stood back up.  

"I'll ah, I'll just go make lunch now," she stated, inching her way back into the kitchen.

"Shal," Brennan called after her.  

"Yeah?" she turned back around to face him.  

"Thanks," he smiled at her in true gratitude.

"No problem," she smiled back.  Their eyes met for a long moment in questioning scrutiny before she slowly turned back around and disappeared into the kitchen.  Brennan collapsed back onto the couch, not even feeling the sting of sensitive skin against rough fabric as he stared at the kitchen door, still swinging slightly back and forth, willing her to come back.  

Shalimar's shaking legs barely held her up as she sagged, hidden safely against the kitchen wall.  She blew out her breath as she rested her heated forehead against the cool tile, compelling her racing heart to slow back down, even as she fought the rush of emotions flooding through her.  This was going to be a lot harder than she thought. 

  
  



	7. Chapter seven

Disclaimer—see Chapter one

A/N: This is a transition chapter of sorts, so sorry it's kind of boring!  More happening soon, I promise!  Chapter eight is almost complete and will be posted in a few days, and it will begin to address what some of you have been asking for…but just a hint…not all can be revealed until the very end!  I only hope you won't be disappointed in the end!  It's shaping up to be approximately 12-14 chapters total.  Thanks again for your patience and reviews—I'm loving it!!  (I am a total review junkie!!)   Please, please, please keep on reviewing!!

House of Dreams—chapter seven

Shalimar gritted her teeth as she yanked a can of soup from the cupboard and slammed the door shut.  She had started out with good intentions, patiently nursing Brennan through the worst of his misery, but patience had never been the feral's strongpoint, and now she had just about had it. 

"If he yells my name one more time," she muttered under breath, leaving the threat unfinished as she purposely banged a pan loudly against the stove.  She slammed the can of soup against the countertop and wrenched the lid off, dumping the congealed matter into the pan and adding water.  

"Shalimar," Brennan's voice mewed from the other room.  "Shal," he called again when she didn't appear.

"What?" she stuck her head through the kitchen door.

"I'm hungry," he whined.

She fixed him with a pointed look.  "What do you think I've been doing in here," she intoned sarcastically.  Her head disappeared back behind the door.

"Shal—" she heard him whine again.

"That's it!" she fumed, reaching into the cupboard for the hottest seasonings possible.  Her eyes lit up at what she found, and she smiled as she began dumping it all into the boiling pan.  

Brennan grinned as he listened to the banging that continued in the kitchen for a few more minutes.  As miserable as he had been feeling the past few days, he had her attention, and that made it all worthwhile.  Even though he knew better, he couldn't help but take full advantage of the situation.  The poison ivy was still plainly visible in long red streaks down his face and neck, but the goopy baking soda mixture had done its job, and the blisters and welts were finally beginning to heal.  

"Unfortunately though, this itch is as strong as ever," he grimaced, scratching wildly at the persistent bumps on his neck.

"Stop scratching!" Shalimar commanded from the kitchen.  

Brennan rolled his eyes. "Damn feral hearing," he grumbled.  He couldn't even get in a good scratching without getting nagged.  

"I heard that," she yelled back.  

He shook his head at her, and then sniffed the air, trying to get a whiff of what she was cooking.  "Humm, canned soup, again," his face fell in disappointment.  Shalimar made a great nurse, but a lousy cook.  He just might starve to death while waiting to heal.  Shalimar walked back through the kitchen door in time to catch his expression.

"You could just make it yourself, you know," she exasperated.

"I know," Brennan agreed with small smile, "I just like watching to see what you'll ruin next," he teased, pushing himself to his feet to peer into the two steaming bowls Shalimar carried with her.

She glared at him before setting the bowls down on the coffee table.  Brennan turned around and went into the kitchen to bring out two glasses of milk she had poured already. 

"There, I helped," he announced, plopping back onto the couch and cautiously poking at the soup with the spoon, while eyeing Shalimar apprehensively.   Her eyes were gleaming with mischief; she was up to something, he could tell.  She saw his look and glared again, crossing her arms and tapping her toe, eyebrows raised.  He gave up trying to figure her out and shoveled a large spoonful into his mouth, instantly regretting it as his eyes watered, and he began to choke on the burning feeling running down his throat.  He coughed deeply, gasping for breath and waving his hands in front of his face.  

"Don't you like it?" Shalimar stared into her bowl in pretend dismay.  "I worked so hard, making this just for you," she wailed.  

Brennan couldn't help but smile at her injured look that carried just a hint of danger behind it and decided he better play along.   "I, ah, I love it," he heartily rasped between coughs.   

"Well," she gave in with a satisfied smile, "ok."   

There was a long pause.  Brennan swallowed nervously as Shalimar look on with expectation.  His eyes darted back and forth between her and the soup, and then he slowly reached for the spoon and dipped it in the seething broth.  Shalimar leaned forward, eyes slightly widening as Brennan bravely took a second bite.  He quickly followed it by gulping down his glass of milk, tears pooling up and running down his face, mingling with the half-healed scabs.  Shalimar's heart swelled at the pathetic sight he made as he ate the stuff just for her.  She had never been more attracted to him.  

Just as his hand was shakily raising another spoonful up to his mouth, she broke down, leaned forward, and stilled his hand with hers.  "It's ok, Brennan," she looked at him with admiration.  

"Oh thank God," Brennan exclaimed, jumping up and running to the kitchen.  Shalimar got up and followed, watching as he gulped down water like a man deprived.

Brennan finally finished all the water and leaned forward against the counter, gasping for breath for several long moments.  He stiffened in surprise when he suddenly felt two small arms wrap themselves around his waist and her face press between his shoulder blades.  

"Thank you,' she whispered.

Just as suddenly, her arms were gone again.  He immediately missed the sense of contact with her.  She started to walk out of the kitchen, but Brennan's voice stopped her. 

"Shal," he pleaded, "please don't make me eat anymore."

She let out a surprised laugh, her eyes dancing at him before turning and walking the rest of the way out of the kitchen.  Her voice floated out from behind her, "I think I'll order some Chinese food."

Brennan sagged against the counter in relief, absentmindedly scratching his cheek.

"But stop scratching!" she yelled back over her shoulder.  Brennan shook his head in amused resignation.  Life with Shalimar was never boring, that was for sure.  

The next morning, the persistent chirp of Shalimar's comlink finally broke through her hazy dreams.  She groaned as she rolled over, annoyed by the early morning wake-up call.

"What?" she snapped.

"Good morning to you too," Lexa's voice rang through.

Shalimar stiffened at the sound of her voice, fighting the emotions that hit her in a heated rush.  She didn't answer.  

After a moment, Lexa continued, "I just wanted to check in with you guys, see if you've found anything else yet."  

Shalimar sighed, "Not too much," she reluctantly answered.  "We've been a bit distracted the past few days with Brennan's rash."

"Ah, more than I wanted to know," Lexa sarcastically returned.    

"_Poison Ivy," Shalimar snapped back, cutting the connection.  Her ring buzzed again almost immediately, but she ignored it, rolling over and trying to get back to sleep.  The reprieve was short-lived however as Brennan came padding into the room a few minutes later._

"I don't think so, Jess," she heard him whisper.  "Have you ever tried waking her up before?"  She smiled into her pillow.  

"Shal," Brennan whispered, leaning over her.  He waited for a beat to see if she responded, and then pulled the covers further up her body, patting her gently on the shoulder before turning around.

"Sorry, Jess, no luck," she heard him say as he left the room.  She snuggled back down, just drifting off to sleep when she slowly became aware of a peculiar feeling.  "Something doesn't feel right," she thought to herself in confusion.  She sighed and pushed herself to her feet, stumbling to the bathroom across the hall.  She flicked on the lights and squinted at the sudden brightness, trying to take stock of her body.  She stood thinking for a moment, absently rubbing her mouth, when she had a sudden awareness of her action and scrambled to the mirror.  

"Oh crap," she stared at her reflection.  Tousled blonde hair fell wildly over her tiny shoulders and tired eyes stared back at her, but what held her attention was her mouth, or rather the faint red rash beginning to form around it.

"Brennan!" she hollered, "Brennnan!"

He arrived faster than she thought he could, huffing as he ran right past her and into the bedroom.

"Shal?"  he yelled, looking wildly around the room, "Where are you?"  

She shook her head, "Right behind you."  

He whirled around to face her. "What's wrong, you scared me to death," he lectured, hand on his chest as he started towards her. 

"Look!" she wailed, pointing to her mouth.  

"I don't get it," he started as he walked closer, "what's the big deal about—oh," he stopped mid-sentence, pressing his lips together to suppress the urge to smile.  

She glared at him for a moment, the raised her hand to her mouth, "Hey, Jess!"  She called.

Jesse's voice greeted her a second later.  "Hey, sleeping beauty awakes," he joked.

"Shut up," she grumped at him.  "I need to know something."

"What's up," he promptly asked.

"I look like I'm suddenly getting a rash on my face, how's that possible?" she pleaded, hoping he would tell her it was something else.

"Actually, it's very possible," Jesse came back.  "Poison ivy can sometimes take up to five days to show up, it all depends on a person's exposure and allergic reaction."  

"You too, huh?" Lexa's voice suddenly joined in the conversation.  

Shalimar narrowed her eyes and glared at Brennan. 

"What did I do?" he raised his hands in self-defense.

"Nothing," she snapped at him.  

"So where's it at?" Jesse jumped back into the conversation.

"All around my mouth," she pouted.  

"Humm, must have been from when you kissed me," Brennan smirked at her.  

"What?" Lexa asked.  "What's this about?"

"Nothing," Shalimar's voice dared Brennan to continue. 

"Now, you can't say something like that and not tell us the rest," Jesse started in.

 "Bye, Jess," Shalimar interrupted him and broke the connection as she stared back at Brennan, shaking her head in dismay.  

"You said that on purpose, didn't you," she accused.

"What?" Brennan innocently shrugged.

"Come on admit it," Shalimar couldn't help but needle him.   

"I admit nothing," Brennan retorted even as mouth twitched as he tried in vain to hide his smile.  

"Fine pair we make," Brennan commented a moment later, waving his hand to indicate their matching rashes.  Shalimar smacked him on the arm as she walked past him back into the bedroom and pulled open her dresser drawer to gather some clothes.  

"I am going to take a shower," she stated, "and then it's your turn to wait on me hand and foot," she instructed with a cheeky grin.  

"Oh no," Brennan shook his head.  "That little rash is still nothing compared to what I got," he argued, "and besides, it's your fault."  

Shalimar raised her eyebrows.

"You're the one that grabbed me and kissed me," he reminded, with a smug grin of his own.  

"Ooh," she groaned exasperatedly, "I was covering for us."  She marched past him and back into the bathroom.  "You're the one stupid enough to sit in the bush in the first place," she shot back, slamming the door in his face.  

He waited outside the door to see if she would come back out, but soon heard the shower turn on.  Giving up, he wandered away, still unable to control the grin that was plastered across his face. 

A few days later however, Brennan had trouble remembering what had been worth smiling about as he lay on the couch, staring nervously up at the ceiling.  The past few days had been a nice reprieve, despite the horribly annoying and painful poison ivy that had struck them both.  But now that he was able to think beyond the burning welts that had stolen much of his focus, he wanted to go back and finish the conversation he and Shalimar had started before all the interruptions.  He just didn't know how to go about broaching the subject with her without destroying the tentative truce they seemed to have established lately.  Shalimar on the other hand, seemed to have no such compunction; she seemed perfectly willing to go on ignoring the entire matter altogether.  He took a deep breath and blew it out in a loud sigh as he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the bedroom where Shalimar was hiding at the moment.  He hesitated, and then lifted his hand to rap on the closed door.  It was now or never.   


	8. Chapter eight

Disclaimer—see chapter one

A/N:  As promised, the next update!  Sorry this one is a bit short, but it just begged to be ended at a certain spot…  Please let me know what you think!!!   

House of Dreams—chapter eight

 "Shal?" Brennan called as he tapped his knuckles lightly on the bedroom door.  

Shalimar glanced up at him from where she lay listlessly on the bed.  Brennan's rash was almost entirely healed, but hers was still visible.  It had never gotten as bad as his, but still left a nasty red rash all around her mouth, and her normally sensuous lips were quite swollen.  He had never thought of Shalimar as being vain, but she refused to go out in public and avoided the mirror as much possible, choosing instead to lounge around her bedroom, like an injured animal in hiding really.

"Brennan," she whined, "I'm so bored." 

He smiled fondly at her.  "I know, Shal, I'm sorry."

She pushed herself up to a sitting position, cocking her head as she studied him.  "What?" she suddenly asked.

He raised his eyebrows.

"I can tell you have something on your mind," she explained, "What's up?"

He bit his lip as he lowered himself down beside her, staring nervously at his hands.

"So serious," she teased him, studying him some more.  When he stayed silent, she felt a flutter of apprehension.  "What, Brennan," she bluntly asked.

"Shalimar, we need to talk about before," he started, looking up to gage her reaction.  He didn't have to wait for long.

"No," she stated adamantly, rolling over and presenting him with her back.  

He sighed heavily, and scooted over so he was sitting next to her on the bed.  Leaning over, he put his arm around her waist and planted his hand firmly on the other side of her, trapping her between his arm and his body.  He could feel how tense she was and his heart broke.  Silently, he reached his free hand over and brushed her golden hair back behind her ear, tenderly tracing the outline of the rash marring her features.  

"Shal?" he prompted softly.  She didn't answer, so he continued.  "Before, you said something about seeing me do something that seemed—seemed to have hurt you."  He winced at the brief flash of open hostility in her eyes.  "Please tell me what I did, what you saw."

"It was nothing," she growled in a low voice, averting her eyes downward.  

"No, Shal," he insisted, "Not again.  We have to talk about this, whether you want to or not.  I can't just leave this—this thing between us, especially when I still don't know what I did in the first place," Brennan argued, frustration evident in his voice.  

"You seemed just fine the past few days," she challenged.

Brennan nodded his head in acknowledgment.  "True, but I think that's an argument in my favor," he returned.  

She ignored him, so he gently turned her face towards him.  "Even with this unspoken wall between us, we've still been there for each other the past few days.   Hell, we've even laughed," he reminded, a small smile playing around his lips.

Shalimar fought his grip on her face, pulling free and pressing her face into the pillow, hiding the tears that had sprung to her eyes.  She didn't want him to see, and she hated herself for being so emotionally weak still.  

"Brennan," she whispered, "please, let it go."  

He heard the tears in her voice, and knew she was hiding them from him.  

"Shalimar," he firmly stated.  "I know you can be content just being friends and ignoring this thing between us, but I can't.  I-I want more." He confessed, watching her intently. 

She froze for a moment and then slowly rolled over on her back.  Brennan made sure to keep his arm firmly in place across her.  She stared up at him, eyes large and luminous.  

"You're beautiful," he spontaneously whispered, staring at her longingly.  

She looked surprised at that.  "I'm a mess," she shook her head in argument, one hand fingering her swollen lips, dropping her eyes from his.  

"Never," he fiercely whispered, "Not to me."  

Her eyes darted back up to his, visibly shaken.  "How do you do that?" 

His brows rose in confusion.

One hand rose up to cup his face and smooth the wrinkled brow.  "You always get to me," she agonized.  

"And that's a bad thing?" he smiled softly.  

"You want to be with me?" she suddenly asked bluntly, as he eagerly nodded.  "Then you'll have to prove it." She narrowed her eyes at him.  "You speak the words I want to hear, but you have to prove it with actions," she challenged.  

Brennan's hand rose up to capture hers as it was about to drop from his face.  "Anything," he breathed.  They stared at each other, jumping slightly when both of their rings went off at the same time, breaking the moment.

Brennan cleared his throat, releasing her hand and raising his own close to his mouth.  "This isn't over," he whispered to her before answering the call.   

"Yeah," he spoke into the ring.

'Hey Brennan," Jesse greeted, "Is Shal there with you?"  

Brennan glanced over at Shalimar as she pushed herself into a sitting position, pushing his arm off of her.  'Yeah, we're both here."

"There's been another disappearance," Jesse explained.  "A man this time, named Simon Winters, another mutant."

Shalimar looked over at Brennan, "Jess," she interrupted him, "When did he disappear?"

"Ah, let's see," Jesse paused, "four nights ago." 

Brennan straightened up, "The night we were in the park," he added.  

"Lexa's sources say he was supposed to be meeting someone," Jesse finished.

"So we saw him and didn't know it," Shalimar turned stricken eyes on Brennan.  "We let them take him."  

"Shal," Jesse jumped back in, "It's not your fault."  

"Jess is right," Brennan added, "He went with them willingly.  We don't know if he's in danger or not."  

A knock on the front door interrupted further conversation. 

"Gotta go, Jess," Brennan let him know, "We'll get back in touch." He ended the transmission and headed out of the bedroom, stopping to glance back at Shalimar as she didn't move.  

"Come on, Shal, you look fine." He shook his head in amusement as her hand wandered self-consciously to her mouth.  

She glared at him, then jumped off the bed and walked after him.  

"Ready to resume roles?" he smirked as he snaked out an arm and pulled her up against his side as he reached for the door.  

She fixed him with a pointed look before pasting on a sugary smile as the door opened to reveal the very distraught Martins.  

"What's wrong?" Brennan asked them, seeing their fearful looks, pulling Shalimar aside with him to allow them room to enter the apartment.  

Mrs. Martin turned distressed eyes on Shalimar, grasping her hand in both of hers.  

"Please," she cried, lips trembling, "You have to help us."

Shalimar glanced at Brennan before looking back at Mrs. Martin.  "Of course," she soothed, confused.  "Come on in."

They walked into the living room, Mr. Martina raising his eyebrows at seeing the blanket and pillow spread out on the couch.  Brennan had forgotten to put away his bedding from the night before.

He quickly shoved them aside and shrugged sheepishly.  "We, ah, we had our first fight," he quickly concocted an excuse, looking at Shalimar for help.

"Yeah," she stepped up beside him, "But we've made up already," she played along, wrapping her arm around Brennan's waist and leaning her head on his shoulder as they sank down onto the couch.  

The Martins smiled briefly as they sat in adjoining chairs.  "We, ah, we didn't quite tell you the whole truth before," Mr. Martin confessed.

"About what," Brennan asked.

Mr. Martin reached over and grasped his wife's hand.  "Our daughter, Carrie, did not go on a business trip; she was secretly meeting with someone."

Mrs. Martin bit back a sob, looking at Brennan and Shalimar in desperation.  "But now she's missing," she agonized, clutching her husband's hand tightly.  

"I'm sorry," Shalimar gently sympathized.  "What can we do to help?" 

Mrs. Martin closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them again, looking directly at Shalimar.  "We--we know about you," she paused and waved her hand indicating herself and her husband, "We know that you're a new mutant."  

After a few hours discussion, Shalimar escorted the Martins back to the front door.  After bidding them good-bye, she turned back around and leaned against the door, studying Brennan from across the room.

"Don't say it Shal," he shook his head in determination.  "I know what you're thinking, and no, absolutely not.  There has to be another way."  

Shalimar released a long breath, "It's the best thing," she reasoned, looking down at the floor.  "I'll have to go undercover and meet these guys."

Silence weighed heavy over the room for long moments until Shalimar dared look back up at Brennan, watching as he raged an internal battle of wills, before finally nodding in resignation.  As his eyes dropped shut, and he clenched his jaw in futile anger, Shalimar continued to watch him. 

At Sanctuary two days later, Brennan paced back and forth in nervous energy, swearing under his breath as he whirled and hit the wall in frustration.  He never should have let her do it alone.  Going undercover was her idea, and he had agreed reluctantly to the plan, not wanting her to think he doubted her abilities.  But she was walking blindly into an unknown situation, and none of them had known what to expect.  They tried to plan for the worse, but it had crumbled to way beyond that point.  

Shalimar sagged against the chains holding her to the damp, moldy wall, heaving a ragged breath as she felt every muscle in her body screaming at her in agony, as the sub-dermal governor made its presence known to her.  She weakly dropped her head to her chest, her limp hair hanging filthy and tangled over her face and irritating the infected rash around her mouth.  She moaned as her eyes rolled back and she desperately fought to keep consciousness.  She could not afford to black out again, not after what happened last time.  


	9. Chapter nine

Disclaimer—see chapter one

A/N: Just to warn you, as you might have guessed from the ending of the last chapter, we're heading in a different direction with this story now.  If nothing else, you can't deny there's been a bit of everything so far in this thing…what else is left, but torturous angst?  Not to worry, it will come full circle!  (Viviana—I'm sorry you were disappointed, can you bear with me for a few chapters?? And don't worry—Shalimar will remain herself.)  Thank you again so much for all your reviews, they really do keep me going!!   Please, keep them coming!!

House of Dreams—chapter nine

Jesse pinched his nose in tired anger as he again searched the database for missing mutants and their families.  The team had been tirelessly searching and interviewing the families of the missing for days now, and still nothing new had come up.  All the stories were the same.  Families with mutants in danger of de-stabilization and desperate for a cure, heard rumors of a new treatment and had eagerly sought help, but then disappeared without a word.  There had to be something he was missing.  He cringed as he heard Brennan pace by the lab and hit the wall yet again.  

"Damn," Brennan shook his hand, observing the bruised knuckles with something akin to curiosity.  Strangely enough, it was the first thing he had really felt in two days.  He dropped his hands back to his side and resumed his endless pacing, barely noticing the fact that he had just punched his sixth hole in the hallway wall.  

When the Martins had shown up at their apartment doorstep, claiming to know about her, Shalimar had been immediately intrigued.  She had already been drawn to the elderly couple during the time she and Brennan spent with them while investigating, and now they shared a common bond—mutancy.  When Shalimar had flashed her eyes at Brennan when they were returning from the park, she had no idea Mrs. Martin had actually seen her golden eyes and understood what she was.  She had been an obvious choice for help in their eyes, and when they asked her, she couldn't refuse.  Their daughter had undergone experimental gene therapy while still in the womb, and was a mutant.  When they went back to Genomex for answers, Carrie had been drawn to their supposed vision, and had joined willingly, only later to learn the true ugliness of the GSA.  She had been podded eventually for trying to escape, and had only been set free when Eckhart himself was podded for a while.  For a while all seemed like heaven to the small family, until the pain began; it was discovered that Carrie's body was mutating again, and could not be stabilized.  In desperation, they sought out the help of a mysterious woman named Dominique.  She had met with some contacts, but had not been heard from since.  The plea had been too much for Shalimar to resist, not only the idea of helping the Martins, but also the chance of finding stabilization for all of them.  The near loss of Brennan last year still gave her nightmares, and with the loss of Adam and Emma, they were at an even greater risk the next time one of them again mutated.  They all knew it was not a matter of if, but when.  She could not risk losing anyone else; she could not go through that kind of pain, not again.  

"I'd rather die," she gritted between clenched teeth as she pulled weakly against the chains, lost in the hazy memory into which her mind had retreated.

"Oh, don't worry, my pretty," a thin voice cackled, as rough hands stroked the side of her face as she trembled instinctually, "it hasn't come to that, not yet anyway."  The hands tightened their hold on her face, nails digging into tender flesh until she screamed out loud in pain.

Brennan shot upright suddenly, drenched in sweat and feeling his heart pound painfully against his chest in rapid staccato.  Shalimar was in pain.  He didn't know how, but somehow he knew it with a deadly certainty.  He rubbed his tired eyes, forcing them to remain open, even as he pushed his weary body back up and out of bed and headed towards the lab in determination.

Jesse sighed as he heard Brennan's approaching footsteps and pushed back from the computer terminal, preparing to go through another battle of wills with Brennan.  He had finally gotten him to go to bed, after hours of pacing and arguing, but only a few shorts hours, and he was coming back for more.  He nodded to Lexa as she appeared at his side and together they turned to face Brennan as he walked into the lab.  

Brennan stopped short when he saw the two of them greet him with crossed arms.  

"Ganging up on me now?" he raised his eyebrows in utter disdain.  

"Stop it Brennan," Jesse warned.  "Nothing has changed; we will continue to wait."  

Brennan narrowed his eyes dangerously; Lexa subconsciously winced but held firm in her stance.  

"We don't have time for this," Brennan gritted, "Shalimar is in pain, and she needs help."  

"We don't know that Brennan," Jesse sighed, tired of the same argument.  "What I do know is that _this_," he waved his hand indicating their standoff, "is taking up valuable time better spent on searching."  

"Brennan," Lexa tried, "Shalimar is under deep cover.  We knew she might not be able to contact us for some time.  We have no indication she is in any danger."  

"And we have no indication she's not!" Brennan angrily yelled back, stepping right up into Lexa's face.  She stood still, meeting his glare head on.  Finally he turned tightly on his heel and strode back out of the lab.

After the Martin's had left their apartment, Shalimar had wasted no time getting the contact information they had given her to Jesse.  She had wanted to arrange a meeting with the mysterious contact as soon as possible, despite Brennan's obvious disapproval.  To his credit though, he never once tried to stop her.  Rather, he did everything he could to ensure the meeting would go smoothly for her and worked with Jesse to create a plausible cover story for her.  That trust spoke volumes to Shalimar, and despite the deep feeling of betrayal she still struggled to hide, she knew she was in love with the man.  Shalimar knew she had to win this struggle, for him, for herself.  She fought to regain full consciousness, even as the blackness pulled her back into the land of dream and temptation.  It was so much easier than reality, her weary brain reasoned.  Her body twitched in desperation, fighting the darkness that overwhelmed her; all she knew was pain.  She moaned in frustration, angry that her body had betrayed her.

Brennan tapped his fingers restlessly against the couch he had finally ended up on out of sheer exhaustion.  He had snuck out for a while and had recently returned, but as weary as he was, he could not stay still.  He sat there for a few more minutes before making up his mind and leaping to his feet.  He had to find her.  He purposely strode down the hallway towards the garage, only to be stopped short by Lexa standing in front of him.

"You know," he rasped out with thinly veiled patience, "I am getting awfully tired of you being in my way."  

Lexa raised her chin an inch higher, refusing to be intimidated.  "Jesse!"  She called.

Brennan glared at her and began to step around her, only to find himself face to face with Jesse next.  

"You can't stop me."

Jesse sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.  "Brennan, I don't have time to keep doing this.  You are not helping, _at all_.  You want to help Shalimar, then back off," He ended with clenched teeth.

Brennan's fist lifted and took aim before he even knew what he was doing.  "Argh!" he suddenly screamed as he dropped to the floor in shooting pain, cradling his hand as he turned bloodshot eyes up at Jesse's massed body.  

Jesse released his breath slowly, the red veins dissipating as he dropped to his knees beside Brennan.  "Sorry," he shrugged his shoulders, at a loss for words.

Lexa joined them on the ground, gently grasping Brennan's crushed hand to examine it, but Brennan pulled it back before she could say anything.  He struggled to push himself back to his feet.  

"I'm still going."  He stumbled back a few steps, producing a small tesla coil in his undamaged hand.  "You can't stop me," he repeated.  He turned around and began to walk away.  

"Brennan, please."  Jesse's soft voice rang out and broke through his irrational mind.  He stopped, shoulders slumped in defeat.  Jesse walked up to his and placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.  "We all care about her," he quietly reminded.  "We're not the enemy."

Brennan turned around and braced his arms on Jesse's shoulders for a moment, nodding in understanding and apology, and then pulled away. 

"Look guys," he helplessly appealed, "I know it doesn't make any sense, but I know that Shalimar is in danger.  She—she's in pain.  She's calling for me," his voice trailed away and he closed his eyes for a moment.  They popped open again with renewed determination.  "Whether you believe me or not, whether you help me or not, I have to go to her."  

Lexa blinked in sudden surprise.  She wasn't sure, but she could have sworn she just saw a flash of lightening streaking through Brennan's eyes.  She glanced over at Jesse in silent communication for a moment before turning back to Brennan.  "Ok," she finally agreed, "let's go find her."  

"Good," Brennan stared back at them with frightening calm. "Let's go."  He whirled around and headed back in the direction of the garage as if the whole confrontation had never happened.    

Shalimar wasn't exactly sure when her feelings had started to change towards Brennan, but she knew with quiet certainty that she needed him in her life.  But despite his show of faith in her abilities, she was afraid to trust him with her heart.  Granted, he had been working hard to win her over lately, and she found it hard to resist him.  She just needed time to believe in his intentions.  She regretted now not being able to finish the conversation they had started.  She needed to tell him why she was so upset with him, to get it all out in the open once and for all.  She had thought she could ignore it, but now knew she could never truly let it go until she knew the truth from him.  She had to talk to him, to learn to somehow forgive him, so they could move on.  

"Brennan," she murmured softly in her dazed dream state.  She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder and briefly opened her eyes and attempted to focus on the indistinct figure in front of her.  

"Brennan?" she repeated, squinting her eyes furiously.  

The shadow disappeared from her line of vision, and then she faintly registered voices in disjointed sounds that mingled with the audible pounding in her head.  

"She lied," one voice confirmed.  "She's not who she said she was; the meeting was a setup."  

Her muddled brain struggled to grasp what the figures were saying.  "Not Brennan," she weakly argued in painful disappointment.

The voices paused for a moment, but then continued, amused at her obvious confusion.  

"—thinks the girl is—Mutant X," Shalimar's brain managed to register from the blur of sound.  "Need to get rid of—," her head dropped back down in exhaustion, unable to focus anymore.  She heard nothing but a dull roar for quite a while, but jerked slightly when a hand again landed on her shoulder.  

"What do you want," she struggled to speak against the rush of nausea that washed over her from the sudden movement.

The figure said nothing, but the hand moved slowly, purposely down her shoulder, stopping to grope a breast, then moving down to stroke her flat stomach.  

Shalimar whimpered in fearful disgust, stiffening when the hand began to move lower yet.  She bit her lip in rage, and despite the tearing pain in her shoulders from the chains holding her to the wall, lifted her legs to kick the figure away.  Instantly the governor went off, sending shooting streaks of pain running throughout her body, and she writhed against the filthy wall, fingers curling in spastic agony.  Finally after long moments her body stopped convulsing, and she again raised her face and attempted to focus on the space around her.  She could see nothing, and she slumped back against the wall in relief.  The figure was gone, at least for now.   She panted for several short breaths and managed to grin in small victory before succumbing to the darkness that danced in teasing spots before her burning eyes.  

Back in the shadows, the figure smiled.    


	10. Chapter ten

Disclaimer—see chapter one

A/N: Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews and encouragement—I so much appreciate it!!  I am having great fun writing this story, and I get so excited to see your reviews, thank you all!!   (Viviana—I'm so sorry I misunderstood, thank you for your kindness and patience!)  As always, please let me know what you think of this latest chapter!!  And now back to the angst…!

House of Dreams—chapter ten

Jesse and Lexa trailed after Brennan as he strode towards the Helix. 

"So how do you expect to find her?" Lexa asked Brennan as she ran to catch up with him.

Brennan didn't even spare her a glance, but handed her a piece of paper before reaching the Helix and beginning to prepare her for flight.  Lexa unfolded the paper and stared at it a moment, Jesse reading over her shoulder.  

"How did you get—," Jesse began to sputter.

"Never mind," Brennan paused while waiting for the plane's door to open, "You don't want to know."   He entered the Helix and plopped down in the pilot seat, not even looking to see if Jesse and Lexa were behind him before closing the doors and starting her up.  

"Ok, then," Lexa spoke quietly, "Let's go get her."  

Shalimar came suddenly awake with a loud, gasping breath, looking around her in panic.  She was still in chains, and she had been hoisted so that her feet were dangling inches above the ground.  Her arms were screaming at the added weight, and she desperately stretched her toes towards the floor, trying to relieve the building pressure on her upper body.  "Argh," she finally groaned, giving up reaching the floor and kicking her legs in frustrated anger, screaming more as blinding spasms jerked her body and echoed in her pounding head.  She dropped her chin to her chest, moaning as her head lolled slightly to the right.  She watched through blurry eyes as drops of blood dripped from her face and seemed to slow in time before teasingly agonizing her by reaching the floor.   She was bleeding, her mind registered with some surprise.  She had been struck.  Her forehead creased with worry; she couldn't remember it happening.  

Brennan's hands tightened even further as he grasped the Helix's control stick, wincing at the pain from his bruised hand.  Shalimar was going to be mad at him when she saw the holes he had punched in the wall, he ruefully thought to himself, refusing to believe she wouldn't be back to see it.  She had put up a big fuss when asked to repaint it a few months back.  He could feel two sets of eyes boring into the back of his head, but purposely ignored them.  A tense silence had filled the cabin, but it suited him just fine.  

Jesse pursed his lips as he narrowed his eyes at the back of Brennan's head.  He could tell from Brennan's stance he was not in the mood to talk, but he wanted some answers.  He cleared his throat.  

"Brennan," Jesse paused, but he continued to ignore him.  "Brennan, just—just tell me you didn't kill anyone to get that information."  

Lexa looked at Jesse thoughtfully before turning expectantly back towards Brennan. 

Brennan sighed heavily as he could feel them waiting for him.  "No," he finally muttered, "not quite."  

"Well, that's good to know," Lexa sarcastically intoned, but bit her lip when Jesse glared at her.  Brennan did not volunteer any more information, but continued to stare out the front window; the silence resumed. 

Shalimar came to a conclusion.  She had had enough and could not rely on anyone else to help her.  No one knew where she was.   She was alone, but she was not afraid.  She just had to get her body to cooperate with her head that was all.  She studiously ignored the nagging worry at the back of her mind about how much the required exertion would cost her with the governor sticking out of the back of her neck.  She took several deep breaths, squeezed her eyes shut for a few beats before opening them and feeling them convert to the familiar golden yellow.  For a moment she felt daringly free and confident, but then screamed at the excruciating twinges that quickly deepened into racking convulsions.  She shook violently as she bit her lip in her attempt to clench her teeth, even as she gathered what little strength remained and yanked down hard against the chains with all her might.

Brennan's hand jerked just as the Helix was landing, causing her to hit the ground with a rough bump.  He shot up out of the seat and impatiently rapped his fingers against the side wall while he waited for the doors to fully open.

"Nice landing," Lexa commented, but quieted when she took in Brennan's glance.  

"She's here," he gritted before striding determinedly down the ramp.  

Jesse and Lexa followed him outside, coming to an abrupt stop as they took in their location.  

"Where's here?" Jesse shook his head in confusion.  They were surrounded by a forest of pine trees.  

The first sensation Shalimar felt was that of a burning itch around her mouth, then the coldness of the earth against her sensitive cheek.  She pried an eye open, gasping as ragged coughs tore through her throat, quickly changing into deep heaves.  Tears rolled slowly down her dirty cheeks as she retched painfully and deeply over and over again, too weak to roll out of the way.  Her fingers clenched spasmodically into the dirt; she was free.  

"Well, what do you know," Jesse stared up at a gray building that was faintly visible through the trees.  He had lost track of how long they had been walking, and he was shocked that Brennan had somehow led them to a place that was seemingly in the middle of nowhere.  He ran to catch up as Brennan zapped the locked door and wrenched it open, disappearing inside.

The sound of approaching footsteps alarmed Shalimar, and she moaned in distress as she scooted herself back against the wall, chest heaving with pain.

"Shalimar!"  

The sound of her name being called was the sweetest thing she had ever heard, and she sobbed in relief, pushing herself weakly into a sitting position.  She would recognize that voice anywhere, and she longed to see his face again.  She opened her mouth to call out, when a shuffle to her left caught her attention.  Her eyes widened in disbelief as a figure stepped out of the shadows; she suddenly remembered.  She cursed her weakness as she was unable to get away from him as he approached and clamped his hand over her mouth, but her eyes blazed back at him with burning anger as he dragged her away. 

Brennan swore he could smell her as he ran down the hallways of the seemingly deserted building he had been directed towards.   By now he had given up all pretense of a covert entry and was hollering her name as he ran along, stopping only to check into the occasional doorways he passed.  A faint scuffle from behind registered in his ears, and he heard the conjoined voices of Jesse and Lexa, but he didn't bother going back; whatever they had run into they could handle.  Instead, he continued his search.  He paused at a steel door with a small glass window and peered in, catching his breath at what he saw inside.  He yanked the door open and stopped in silent horror.  Shalimar.  She had been here, he was sure of it.  The room was reinforced with filthy brick walls and cement floor; remnants of chains hung from the ceiling and their remains were littered across the floor, cuffs wrenched open, surrounded by drops of blood and large dark stains that had soaked into the ground.  He slowly knelt down by the open cuffs and peered at the blood spots; they were still fresh.  He shuddered as he saw two strands of silky blond hair tangled amongst the wreckage.  The dark spots drew Brennan's nose with their faint pungent smell, and he realized she had been sick.  She hated being sick. 

"Oh, Shal," his heart broke.  He stood up, eyes raking across the scene, narrowing as he understood what she had been through.  Another door leading out of the room was open, and he instinctively went through it, on the hunt, just as she had taught him.

"Lexa!"  Jesse called in fear as he saw her go down out of the corner of his eye.  He dunked at the fist flying his way and then threw a counter punch, massing his fist at the last moment, knocking the figure out cold.  He turned on his heel and started toward Lexa, even as she raised her hands and sent a powerful arch towards the second man.  

"Well," she cleared her throat, pushing herself off the floor, "that came out of nowhere."  

Jesse shook his head, "We can thank Brennan's hollering for that."  He bent over one of the sprawling figures and patted it down, looking for clues to their identity.  "Nothing."  

"If they're working with Dominque, I'm not surprised," Lexa commented.

Jesse raised his eyebrows in question.

"Let's just say I've had more than one occasion to experience them first-hand," Lexa explained cryptically.  "Let's go," she changed the subject as they continued down the hallway after Brennan.  

Brennan paused in surprise when he turned down a side hallway and entered what looked like a fully functional medical center, albeit a deserted one.  "Maybe they are stabilizing mutants after all," Brennan murmured to himself as he wandered down the hall, taking stock of the equipment strewn around the hall.  His stomach dropped as his eyes fell on an all too familiar object, a subdermal governor. 

"If they're using governors here, they must have used one on Shalimar, they wouldn't have been able to hold her otherwise," he grimly thought as he walked towards the first open doorway, stopping short at what he saw inside.  

"So do you really think she's here?" Lexa asked Jesse as they paused to peer in an empty room.

"I'm not sure what to think right now," Jesse admitted.  "We can't pick up her comlink, we have no clue where she is," he poked his head in the next room before continuing, "and yet here we are."  

"I'm still not sure how Brennan found this place, but that information he got seemed pretty damn accurate," Lexa mused.

Jesse nodded in agreement as he pulled Lexa down a new hallway, continuing their search. They finally found Brennan standing still in a doorway.  Confused, they came up behind him, peering over his shoulder.  

"Brennan?" Jesse inquired.

Wordlessly, Brennan pointed towards the back of the room.  A lab had been set up inside, medical equipment scattered throughout.  An empty bed was mused, as if its occupant had been there recently.  But what held Brennan's attention was the gurney, and the figure lying motionless under a bloodstained sheet.  

Jesse swallowed hard as Brennan's knees gave out and he sank to the floor.  

Matted curls of blonde hair stuck out from the end of the sheet, its shiny brilliance in sharp contrast to the gruesome signs of death.   


	11. Chapter eleven

Disclaimer—see chapter one

A/N: Ok, I had to post this one early because I felt bad for leaving you hanging with the last chapter!  I cannot say thank you enough for all your reviews—I am just blown away from the response.  If you could see me right now, you'd see me beaming from ear to ear!  Thank you so much—please continue to let me know what you think!!    

House of Dreams—Chapter eleven

Brennan stumbled to his feet and fled down the hallway, anger burning throughout his body, giving him the strength for what he most craved, revenge.  Shalimar was dead, and they would pay.  He could not think beyond that one coherent thought, unaware of the blinding tears streaming down his face as he staggered down the hall.  

"Jesse!"  Lexa's voice called him back as he was about to follow after Brennan.  She had approached the gurney and had pulled back the sheet.  

"Look, Jess," her voice cracked.  

Jesse stared in horror; the body was burned beyond recognition, save for the face and the golden blonde hair that was singed on the ends.  He recognized that face.  He turned around and leaned against a counter, taking deep breaths.  Lexa came up behind him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder before continuing her perusal around the lab.  She opened cupboards here and there, until she suddenly stopped.  

"Jesse."  

The sound of her voice drew Jesse's attention.  He slowly turned around to face her, purposely putting his back to the body to see what Lexa had found.  She held up a small shiny object; it was Shalimar's ring.  

Brennan found himself a bit outnumbered, but he didn't care.  He struck out blindly all around him, grunting at every painful contact with flesh.  A fist crashed into his gut, and he doubled over.  A boot smashed into his back, kicking him forward and he fell to his knees, trying to breathe through the blood filling his mouth.  He spit out a tooth, not even remembering the blow to his face and groaned as he forced himself back to his feet.  Another punch met him on his way up and he fell again.  He closed his eyes for a second, gathering the courage to rise again, and he let out a yell as he rose and whirled around with a jump kick, sweeping out his leg and wiping out the man coming at him from behind, then immediately swung around again, jabbing an undercut at another man.  He charged a tesla coil and struck out again, hitting two more men.  He fought like a man possessed and finally only stopped when he came to the realization that the man he was punching was already dead.  He stared at the blood on his hands, but only remembered seeing the blood spots that had been spilled around broken chains.  He sank to the floor, pulling his knees up close and burying his head in his lap, rocking back and forth as gasping sobs ripping through him.  

Unbeknownst to Brennan, a woman had been in the process of being transported when he interrupted them and that during the fight, she had crawled free.  She felt herself drawn to the sobs, and used her little remaining strength to lift her head, fighting the waves of nausea that hit her at the movement.  Her eyes widened, and she began to cry as well.

"Brennan," she whispered.  He didn't respond, locked in his own world of grief.  She crawled slowly, painfully forward, inch by agonizing inch until she reached him.  She lifted a shaking hand and gently touched him on the knee. 

"Brennan." 

Her voice broke through the fog overwhelming his mind, and he raised his head from his knees, convulsively groaning at the sight before him.

"What took you so long?" she smiled weakly.  

Brennan bit back a choking sob as he threw himself at her and gathered her broken body into his trembling arms.  

"Shalimar," he breathed, eyes dropping shut in palpable relief.  

Jesse rolled the ring between his fingers thoughtfully, comforted by the feel of the cool metal. 

"At least we know she's here," he blew out a long breath in frustration.  "Now we just have to find her."  

Lexa nodded her head as she gently placed her hand over Jesse's, stilling his nervous movements.  She gestured towards the gurney with her chin.  

"You recognize that woman?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Jesse frowned as he stared over her shoulder at the body.  "I recognize her face and hair from the pictures—it's Carrie."

Lexa nodded her head in agreement.  "I thought so."  She sighed heavily, "We're too late."

"Poor Shalimar," Jesse murmured, "She was getting attached to the Martin's.  She wanted to find their daughter for them so badly."  His shoulders slumped.  "She'll be so upset when she finds out."

Lexa tiredly rubbed her temple.  "My sources will not be pleased.  We were hoping she would be our connection to Dominique." 

"And stabilization," Jesse reminded with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, and stabilization," Lexa agreed.  She leaned against the counter in tired frustration, but then straightened as an idea struck her.

"Jess," she started, "from what we know of Carrie Martin, she was a fire elemental."  

"Yeah," Jesse waited for her to elaborate, not following her train of thought.

"She was burned, probably from the inside out," she prompted him, gesturing at the body behind them.

Jesse's eyes grew large at the thought and he grasped Lexa's hands.

"If they tried to give her treatment for instability—," his voice trailed off.

"Let's hope they didn't try to treat Shalimar," Lexa grimly pressed her lips together in anger.

Jesse squeezed his hand into a tight fist, imprinting the ring into his palm, "They won't."  

He turned around and strode out of the lab, Lexa at his heels.  They left the medical area and entered back out into the main hallway, unsure of which way Brennan had gone.  They randomly turned corners, finding several empty rooms, but nothing more.  Frustrated, Jesse, turned down yet another non-descript hallway, only to suddenly stop short.

"Oops," he muttered to Lexa as she bumped into him, groaning as several men gathered around them.

Brennan's heart constricted as he felt Shalimar's hands rake desperately across his back as she choked back sobs.  He tightened his hold on her, hating how tiny she felt.  His nose dripped, and he wiped it on her shoulder, freezing when he felt her shaking.  It took him a moment to realize she was laughing even as she was crying.  He pulled back in confusion, but she only buried her nose further into shoulder.

"Tell me you didn't just do that," she whispered, laughing half hysterically, even as she wiped her own nose against his shirt.  His brows shot up in understanding, and he shook his head in disbelief.  

"Only you would care about clothes at a time like this," he chuckled in happy relief, clutching her tightly, needing the contact. 

Shalimar's laughter died down, and she grew quiet.  Her eyes dropped shut, and she breathed deeply, comforted by his strong scent.  He smelled of stale fear, sweat, and blood.  He was beautiful to her and for the first time in several days, she relaxed.  

For a long time, Brennan rocked her gently back and forth, content with the quiet, satisfied that she was in his arms again.  His hands brushed against the governor sticking out of the back of her neck, and he slowly pulled back and stilled her with one hand on her shoulder, leaning over and aiming a finger at the governor, disabling it with a short blast.  She let out an audible sigh.  He dropped back down to his knees and cupped her face with one hand. 

"Shal," he murmured softly, "What did they do to you?"

Shalimar smiled gently at him.  "Nothing I couldn't handle,"

He shook his head, biting his lip in indecision, wanting to ask for details, but afraid to know the answer.  Shalimar saw his hesitation and instantly knew his fears.

"No, Brennan," she shook her head, "it's not what you're thinking.  I'm ok, I really am."  She dropped her gaze for a moment before raising her eyes back to his.  She saw the relief and anguish in his gaze and raised her hand to rest over his wrist as he carefully stroked his thumb across her bruised cheek in soothing circles.  "One guy tried, but I put him in his place."  

Brennan had to smile at that.  "Only Shalimar," he thought endearingly as he waited for her to continue.

"It was—it was more the pain that was hard.  I've never had a governor before, I've always been afraid of them, being feral," her voice died away for a moment as she closed her eyes, "being feral, I can't really turn it off, so--"

"So you felt it all the time," Brennan finished for her.  She nodded her head, eyes still closed.  He gently leaned forward and kissed each eyelid.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.  

Her lips turned upward in appreciation, and her eyes reopened.  She reached up and framed his face with her small hands, loving the feel of rough stubble against her hands.  She had felt nothing but rope and stone for too long, and had longed to feel the warmth of skin again.  She took in his swelling eye and crooked nose with splattered bits of dried blood flaking off of it, and knew he had fought some battles of his own recently.  Already she felt some of her strength returning, and everything in her yearned to share it with him.  She bent her head down slightly to catch his gaze, wanting to ease his obvious anger.

"It was hard, Brennan," she swallowed, "very hard.  For a while there, my world became indistinguishable.  Everything was falling apart, and I didn't know what to think, what to feel."  She paused to gather her thoughts. "But one thing remained constant in my mind—you."  Her eyes filled with tears as she stared up at him in wonderment.  His deep, warm eyes gave her courage.  "All I could think was that I didn't want to leave things unfinished between us.  I knew I couldn't give up, that you wouldn't give up on me."

"Never," he fiercely agreed, dropping his hand and pulling her close again, "Never." 

They pulled slightly apart and stared at each other for a while, and then Brennan carefully pressed his lips to her forehead in a long, tender kiss.  He gently broke away, and they rested their foreheads against the other, eyes shut.  And together, they breathed.   


	12. Chapter twelve

Disclaimer—see chapter one

A/N:  This was originally two shorter chapters, but I just didn't have the heart to torture you guys anymore, you've been so wonderfully patient with me!  So instead, this is one very long chapter!  Please leave a review, letting me know what you think.  Only one more chapter left after this one!  Thank you!!  

House of Dreams—chapter twelve

Brennan didn't want to move.  Shalimar was safe in his arms, and he felt the adrenaline rush from the past few days begin to wear off.  He could tell from her form that she was exhausted as well, and in pain.  She thought she was hiding it from him, but he could see it, he knew her too well.  

"Come on Shal," he gently prompted, "We need to get you home."  

Shalimar sniffed, "I can't believe you even found me," she mused quietly.  "But I'm so glad you did," she gazed up at him, lips curving into her signature smile.  

Brennan's pulse increased.  Even when exhausted beyond all measure, she could still mesmerize him.  He graced her with a grin of his own, brows wrinkling in confusion when Shalimar suddenly looked stricken.

"Brennan," she peered at his mouth, "What happened to your tooth?"  

Brennan looked surprised and felt around his mouth with his tongue, groaning when he found the gaping hole in his bottom left side.  

"Oh great," he muttered, "I hate going to the dentist."

She didn't let him off the hook, but continued to stare up at him, waiting.  

He sighed.  "I ah, I ran into some trouble when I was looking for you."  

She shook her head in amused dismay, cupping his cheek tenderly.  "I'm sorry," she bit her lip to hide her smile.  

"Small price to pay for finding you," he gallantly mock preened. "Although I suppose in reality you actually freed yourself.  Not much help I was," he ended apologetically.  

"You're here," she argued.  "That's enough."  

Brennan blew out his breath, wincing as he slowly pulled himself to his feet.  His muscles had already started to stiffen up on him.  He reached down a hand and grasped Shalimar firmly by the elbow, gently helping her rise as well.  She jumped to her feet as if she had just been through a light exercise routine, grinning as he rolled his eyes at her.

"Come on old man," she  teased, stepping away from him with a slight bounce, but then suddenly swaying as her eyes rolled back in her head.

"Whoa!" Brennan yelled in fear as he lunged forward and caught her before she hit the floor. 

"Shalimar?" he braced her in his arms, jostling her lightly, trying to get a reaction from her.  

"I'm alright," she murmured after a moment, "Guess I just moved too fast,"

Brennan eyed her, "I think we better go find Jess and Lexa and get out of here."

"Sounds good to me," Shalimar quietly agreed, "But first, I have to make sure these guys can't hurt anyone else," she clenched her jaw, "and I have to find Carrie."

Brennan stared at the floor in sudden remembrance; the woman in the lab.  

"Shal," he started, "There was a body in the lab, and when I saw the blonde hair, I, ah, I thought it was you." He ran his hand through his hair, stumbling through his words.  "But it--it must have been Carrie."  

He glanced up to gage her reaction.  She stood still in silent defeat for several long beats, before slowly, deliberately making her way to the fallen men.  She found the one that had taken such delight in tormenting her and stared down at him, before suddenly lashing out with a vicious kick.  Brennan's hands on her shoulders stilled her angry movements, and she allowed him to turn her around and wrap his arms around her waist.  She resisted for a moment, before slumping against him in tired resignation.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he buried his face in her hair. 

"She didn't deserve that," she whispered sullenly, "The Martin's don't deserve this, they're good people."  

"I know, Shal, I know," Brennan comforted her as best he could.  

She pulled back and caught his gaze in determination.  "We can at least bring her home still."  

Brennan nodded in silent agreement.  

Shalimar pulled away and started down the hallway, limping slightly but not even noticing as she stubbornly forced one foot in front of the other.

Brennan desperately watched her for a moment more before giving up and following her back down the hall in the direction he had come from, hoping to remember his way back to the medical lab.

Jesse glanced over at Lexa as she shot a laser beam at the figure he had just kicked to the ground.  They had left the lab, only to find themselves again surrounded.  The men seemed to come out of nowhere, and he leaned against the wall for a moment, trying to catch his breath as the last one was finally down.  

"Now stay down," Lexa instructed the unconscious man, carefully probing him with her foot to make sure he was really out this time.  He seemed to have an uncanny knack for coming back for more.  She walked over and placed a hand on Jesse's heaving back.

"You ok?" she asked him in concern.  

"Yeah," he rasped as he sucked in a deep breath, "Just got the wind knocked out of me with that last guy," he complained as he attempted to stand up straight.  

Lexa smiled and allowed Jesse to lean on her as they turned their backs on the men and started to walk away.  They had only taken a few steps when they heard the sound of approaching footsteps.  

"Not again," Jesse groaned, but then brightened as Brennan and Shalimar came around the corner.

"Shalimar!" he exclaimed in relief, slumping back against Lexa.  

"You two alright?" Brennan called to them, although his eyes were glued on Shalimar.  

"Yeah," Lexa answered, grunting from Jesse's weight. 

Brennan managed to tear his eyes away from Shalimar once he saw her squat against the wall to catch her breath and approached Lexa to give her a hand with Jesse.  

"Brennan," Lexa beckoned to him in a low voice, "The body you found in the lab turned out to be Carrie Martin.  We think she was being treated, but it didn't, ah, it didn't work."

Brennan nodded his head in resignation.

"Yeah, I figured as much," he turned his eyes back towards Shalimar as he pinched his nose in frustration.

"I'm sorry, Brennan," Lexa whispered as she placed her hand over his.  He winced, and she pulled his hand closer to inspect it, eyes widening at the sight of it.  

Shalimar's tired ears picked up the faint whispers, and she lifted her head back from the wall she had rested it against and turned towards the sound.  She saw Brennan and Lexa standing close together, holding hands, and whispering.  Rage swept through her, and she leapt to her feet and let out an aggressive snarl.  She had been through hell the past couple of days, and the betrayal she felt at the sight was worst than anything else she had endured.  

Brennan's head whipped around when he heard Shalimar's cry. 

"Shalimar?" he called in worry, but she was already stalking away, head held high and tense with an emotion he couldn't quite read.  

He briefly turned back to Lexa, but she waved him on.

"You get Shalimar, Jesse and I can wrap things up around here," she reasoned.  

Brennan ran after Shalimar without another word.

Lexa and Jesse shared a knowing look and shook their heads.

Brennan winced as he ran after Shalimar, holding a hand to his aching side.  Every step hurt, and he knew Shalimar had to be hurting even more, yet she moved without even a flinch.

"Shal, wait up!" He called as she disappeared around a corner.  He ran after her only to skid to an abrupt stop when he found her waiting, back turned.  

"Shal?" he inquired, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, surprised when she violently shrugged it off and whipped around to face him, eyes glowing a golden yellow and narrowed into little slits.  She bared her teeth at him, daring him to touch her again.  

He involuntarily fell back a step.  

"Ah, Shal," he carefully probed, "Are you alright?"   His brows furrowed in questioning concern.

Her chest rose and fell in deep, calculating breaths as she struggled to gather her thoughts.  

"I thought I could finally trust you," she spat out finally, "I had decided to believe what you told me, the thought of seeing you again helped me through the past few days, and now—now I can't believe I was so stupid,' she ranted, fists clenched white at her sides as she fought to keep control.  

Brennan stood speechless, mouth hanging open.  His innocent look only incensed her more.  She pounced on him, knocking him flat on his back before he could even blink in awareness.  She crouched over him, fingers digging into his shoulders, pinning him into the ground with a strength she had never fully used against him before.  

"You disgust me," she enunciated each word with carefully controlled anger, eyes shooting daggers into his heart.  

He fought to sit back up, but she forced him to stay on his back, keeping him in the vulnerable position.  He was strong, but she was stronger, and they stared at one another for long moments until the faint sound of a door banging shut finally caused Shalimar to close her eyes and break the connection. 

"Why," she finally whispered in agony, "just tell me why."

"Why _what," Brennan finally managed to push her off him, and sat up in frustration.  "I thought we were finally past all this," he gritted as he banged his fist against the floor, wincing at the harsh contact.  _

Shalimar saw his reaction and took in his crushed hand for the first time.  It was obvious at least one finger was broken, and the knuckles were bruised and painfully swollen. The connection clicked in her mind, and she suddenly understood what she had just seen.  She closed her eyes in embarrassment and raised a hand to rub the back of her stiff neck, subconsciously fingering the disengaged governor.  

Brennan's eyes followed her hands and berated himself for losing his temper after everything she had been through. 

"I'm sorry, Shal," he waved his hand to indicate her movement.  "We'll remove it completely once we get back to sanctuary."  

She tiredly shook her head, "It doesn't matter," she stared at the floor for a moment before pushing herself back to her feet and standing over Brennan.  

"I'm--I'm going to look for Carrie," she finally muttered, beginning to turn away.

"No!" Brennan reached out and grabbed her hand before she could leave.  He bit his lip at the pain that shot through his hand, but didn't release her.  He pulled himself to his feet and loomed over her, using his height to his advantage.  

"Tell me what just happened here," he demanded.

Shalimar shrugged helplessly before slowly reaching out and cradling his hand in both of hers, gently tracing the swollen bruises with the pads of her fingers, refusing to make eye contact.  

"I overreacted just now, and I'm sorry for that," she murmured listlessly, at a loss for words.  He froze, afraid any movement would break the moment.  She was finally talking, and he held his breath, waiting.  

"Brennan, I--I think maybe I need to end things between us."  She continued to trace light patterns against his hand, seemingly unaware of her actions.  "I saw you kiss Lexa," she suddenly blurted out, dropping his hand and stepping back a step.  She wrapped her arms around herself protectively as Brennan's brows shot up.  "I was watching the video feed from the casino case, and it was, ah, suddenly right there.  Lexa was there with me and she, well, she implied much more had happened as well."  Anger glinted in her eyes at the memory.

"Shal—," Brennan started in, but Shalimar interrupted him.

"No, Brennan," she raised her hands, "I can't stop you from seeing other women, even," she swallowed hard, "even Lexa.  But I can't do that with you."

Brennan stared at her in disbelief until she nervously fidgeted under his gaze.

"That's it?" he exclaimed.  "You've been angry with me for weeks over_ that?"  His voice raised in frustration.  _

She silently raised her chin in self defense.  

He whirled around and hit the wall, swearing as his abused hand protested violently.  

"Argh!" he screamed, doubling over and cradling his hand.  His eyes squeezed shut for several beats until the throbbing slowly subsided, and then he straightened back up.  Still holding his hand up against his chest, he whirled around and kicked the wall, desperately needing an outlet to vent.  He finally blew through all his anger and turned back towards Shalimar, lungs heaving for air as he sagged against the wall.  She hadn't moved during his entire rampage.  

"Shalimar," he forced himself to speak gently, "I wish you had told me this from the beginning.  I never kissed Lexa, she kissed me."  His undamaged hand gestured wildly into the air, "It meant nothing; she was just trying to prove a point to me.  And nothing more ever happened between us." He stared at her until her gaze dropped back to the floor.   

He angrily clenched his jaw.  "I told you I wanted to be with you, what did you think, that I was just making the rounds at Sanctuary?  Do you really think so little of me?"  His voice rose again in his disbelief.

"You thought that body was me, why?" she suddenly blurted out at him.

"_What?" Brennan looked at her in frustration, confused by her off-hand comment.  _

"When you saw the body on the gurney, you didn't even check to see if it was me, you instantly thought so," She spoke slowly, as if speaking to a small child.  "Not the most logical move you've ever made." 

Brennan's forehead creased in bewilderment as she looked at him with expectation, waiting for him to catch on.  He closed his eyes as he suddenly understood. 

"Grief isn't always the most rational of emotions," he murmured in realization.

She shrugged; eyes downcast.  A single tear glinted off her cheek, and he sighed heavily, his anger suddenly leaving as he saw it through her eyes.

"Oh Shal," he brokenly whispered, pushing off the wall and stopping just in front of her.  "I couldn't look at another woman, even if I wanted to." He placed two fingers under her chin and pushed her head up, forcing eye contact.  "My heart is hurting, it's so full."  

Her eyes fell shut, unable to bear the emotion she saw in him as the truth washed over her.   

"I just couldn't bear the thought of another woman having you, of you wanting someone else," she breathed in humiliation. 

Brennan reached up and cupped her pale cheek.  "_It's you," he whispered fiercely, staring at her intensely, "I only want you."   Two eyes stared back in shock, tears welling in their pools and turning them a liquid brown.  Brennan knew he would spend the rest of his life getting lost in those passionate orbs.  He leaned down slowly towards her, making his intentions known and giving her time to pull away.  This time she didn't, and his heart rejoiced.  _

Shalimar melted into him as they gently and longingly exchanged lingering kisses, truly tasting each other for the first time.  After several minutes, she pulled breathlessly away, her palms pressed flat against Brennan's chest, feeling his heart pounding.  She suddenly felt wonderfully alive, and she smiled cheekily at him before surrendering to his seeking lips again.  "Mmm," she murmured, deepening the kiss, curling her hands into his soft shirt.  She felt his undamaged hand rise from her shoulder to tangle into her thick hair, as he one-armed her closer to him, corded muscles bulging.  Too soon, he broke away, chest heaving for air as he stared at her like a drowning man.  

"Wow," he finally spoke.  

"I know," she stared back, her gaze slowly growing hungry.   Her lips curled into a possessive smile.  "Mine," she thought, her eyes glowing yellow.

As he stared into those golden eyes for the second time that day, he suddenly grinned in anticipation as another thought became blatantly apparent to him.  He was now in danger of a whole other kind.


	13. Chapter thirteen

Disclaimer—see chapter one

A/N: This has been a fun journey; I thank you for joining me along the way!  And now, the final chapter—I hope you enjoy it!  I'm a true believer in happily ever after…please let me know if you agree.  

_A/N one last time!: As we are no longer allowed to post author's notes as chapters anymore, I wanted to say thanks ahead of time to everyone who was kind enough to leave reviews during this story.  I appreciate all of your insight and inspiration.  You guys are the best!  Thank you to the following: Victoria Hysiink (for the courage in the first place!), Viviana (for the most awesome reviews of all time!), Bs fan (for making my day with your enthusiasm!), Blackpanther2288 (for your amazing encouragement!), Fiery Feral (for so faithfully telling me to "keep going" after every chapter—I loved that!), PeTiTeCaT (for understanding all the jokes and for making me laugh!), Canadian_Chic14 (for always asking for more!), Sunstar2 (for dubbing me into the "Evil Cliffhanger's Club" and for being the first to guess the ending correctly!), Bri (for sharing your love of Bren/Shal!), Lornein (for such a kind email and sweet reviews!), Puma4 (for always making me smile!).  To all of you who left such amazing and thoughtful reviews: goldstranger, Tigereyes320, Motorala, Butterfly Cobra, Blue, Aur, Jeabs, Veronica, Puma, Abbie, Nina Bechtold, Cat, Sage360, Ecstacy_of_grief, LivEviL, Koala Tangerine, Quest, Extreme Evolution, Mar, Aleja21, MW, Empath-Child, Blueberry2, IceQueen31, Shay2, Meg, Rena, Robin White, Hippiecountrygirl, Katrina, Madam Rage, Anonymous (Whoever you are!) and to those reviewing this last chapter—Thank you all so very much!! _

House of Dreams—chapter thirteen

Shalimar lay listlessly on the couch, complete misery etched in her features.  They had returned from the Martin's and from packing up their little apartment a few days ago, but it had worn Shalimar out, and she had been hiding in her room until now.  She felt like she had failed the Martin's, but they had been so kind to her anyway, grateful to at least have the right to bury their beloved daughter.  She knew in retrospect she couldn't have done anything differently, but she still felt responsible. Brennan had put himself at her every beck and call during the past few days, and although she was heartbroken, she was enjoying his gentle administrations.  She couldn't help but take full advantage of it, as he had done to her back at the apartment.

Brennan felt bad for Shalimar.  He knew all too well she was miserable and wanted to help her as much as he could.  He was glad to see her finally out of her room.

"Shal," he whispered as he knelt down beside her, "Can I get you anything?"

"No," she shook her head.

"A glass of water?" he tried again.

"No thanks," her voice was quiet, and Brennan stood by her in indecision.

"I know you normally don't read out loud," Shalimar suggested, "But maybe if you read something, it would help distract me."  

"Of course," Brennan agreed without hesitation.  Shalimar settled herself more comfortably on the couch and waited as he retrieved the book from his room.  Brennan soon returned wielding his well-worn _Leaves of Grass_.  He sat down in a nearby chair and flipped through the book for a few minutes.  He finally chose a soft, romantic piece, hoping it might help relax her.  She nodded listlessly as he started to read.

"'I draw you close to me…I cannot let you go…I am for you, and you are for me...'"

As he read, he glanced over at Shalimar and noticed that although her eyes were closed, her smile was huge.  Wondering how she could look so pleased when she was supposedly so sad, he continued to watch her as he read.  His eyes widened when he saw her suddenly catch herself and school her features back into a forlorn expression.  Suspicions confirmed, he smiled deviously.  Ever so softly and gently, he finished the piece and turned the pages, hunting for a certain part to read next.

"Please continue," Shalimar murmured, well satisfied with herself, even as she let out a piteous sigh.

Brennan bit back a smirk and without warning, loudly and dramatically launched into another poem, using his deep voice to its best advantage.  "'From all the rest I single you out, having a message for you;  You are to die—Let others tell you what they please, I cannot prevaricate;  I am exact and merciless, though I love you—There is no escape for you'." 

As he watched, Shalimar shot into a sitting position and turned to gawk at him.  Brennan's look was sweetness itself, and Shalimar knew she'd been found out.  She jumped to her feet and circled to the back of the couch as Brennan started to stalk towards her.  

"I_ know you normally don't read out loud, but read something for me," he mimicked her, eyes flashing with something between humor and frustration.  _

"Oh come on," Shalimar coaxed, laughter filling her voice as she circled further around the couch as Brennan tried to get closer to her.  "You have to admit, it was a little bit funny." 

Brennan bit his lip to keep from laughing.  "I thought the funny part was you sitting up in surprise."

"How'd you know?" Shalimar asked, hoping he wouldn't notice her inching further away.  "And stay away from me Brennan Mulwray," she pointed as he stalked closer.

"I saw that huge smile when you didn't think I was looking," Brennan couldn't help but chuckle.  They had circled the couch during the entire conversation and now Brennan was through.  He rushed at Shalimar, but she dashed around a corner chair to avoid him.  Brennan stood in front of it, eyes telling Shalimar he was up to the challenge.  

"You're not going to get away," he said when she glanced towards the hallway.  "I won't let you."

Her eyes sparked.  "It was only payback for the days you bossed me around," she admonished.  "In fact, I'm still angry about that, don't speak to me."  She fought to hide her grin.  

"It's not talking I want to do," Brennan countered, making his move while Shalimar was gauging the distance to the hallway.  One moment she was standing alone and then the next, he'd captured her wrist with his good hand.

"Let go of me, Brennan," she commanded.  

He ignored her, scooping her into his arms and returning back to the couch.  His arms around her, her hands against his chest, Shalimar looked up at him, smiling.  He smiled back, eyes alight with love.  Mesmerized by his gaze, she slowly leaned towards him, hovering inches from his lips.

"Am I forgiven?" she whispered softly, teasing him with her nearness.

"No," he whispered back, grinning, "You owe me now."  

"Really?" she arched a brow.  "And how do you want to be repaid?"

"What do you think," Brennan rasped, even as he closed the distance between them, capturing her lips in a breathless kiss.  

Jesse sighed as he banged the keyboard in frustration.  They had searched the entire building and the surrounding forest, but had found nothing significant.  Dominique, if she was even ever there, had disappeared without a trace, leaving only dead men and women in her wake.  

Lexa turned towards him, "Sorry Jesse," she shook her head.  "There's still nothing from my contacts."

He rapped his fingers against the console, "We'll probably never know what their true intentions were, let alone where they went," he said in resignation.  

"At least we put a stop to the disappearances," she consoled.

"And the testing," Jesse muttered, "at least for now."  

Lexa pushed herself to her feet and started to walk out of the lab, Jesse's voice stopping her.

"Lexa, can I ask you something?"

She turned back towards him, "Yeah?"

"Why did you let Shalimar think something happened between you and Brennan?" 

She dropped her eyes to the floor, hand rubbing her temples as she searched for words.  "I had only been here a few days, but could already see the connection between them," she sighed.  "I was just trying to get a rise out of her, I honestly never thought she would truly believe me," she defended herself.  

Jesse pressed his lips together.  "You may have fooled them for a while, but they're together now."

"So it's all ok then," she shrugged dismissively.

You caused them a lot of pain," he reproached her, "Don't ever let it happen again."

Their eyes met and held across the room for long moments in silent discussion.  Jesse searched her, and finding what he was looking for, nodded his head in acknowledgment.  She smiled tentatively in apology before again turning back and leaving the room.  His eyes followed her.

Brennan reached out both arms and wrapped them around Shalimar as he came up from behind her, his casted finger sticking out at an odd angle.  Shalimar entwined her fingers into his good hand as he rested it against her stomach.  

"You know, Shal," he murmured as he placed a gentle kiss on her neck, "You still owe me big time."

Shalimar raised her brows in question.  "How do you figure that?"

"Let's see, where to begin," Brennan teased.  "Oh yes," he continued, "First there was the matter of you attempting to beat me up."

Shalimar sheepishly shrugged as he placed another kiss on the other side of her neck.  

"And then we can't forget the silent treatment that went on for days," he added.

She squeezed his fingers in silent apology.  

"Then for a while you refused to call me anything but _Peter_," he rolled his eyes, "even in private."

She bit her lip, smirking.  "I wanted to call you a different name, I was just being polite."

"And of course, the unforgettable food fight that you started."

She grinned at the memory of that one.  "But you wear milk so well," she teased back.

Brennan grunted as he moved further down her neck with a trail of tiny kisses.  

"You also ran out on me at one point in time," Brennan reminded.  

Her fingers convulsively clenched his tighter.

"And then of course you dragged me all over that wretched park."

"I kissed you, didn't I," she countered in defense.  

"True," Brennan nodded as he rested his chin on top of her head.  They were silent for a moment, reminiscing until Brennan again spoke up.

"There was also that soup you made me eat when I was sick."  

Shalimar couldn't help but giggle at that one.  

"But my personal favorite," Brennan again continued, "Was the way you looked with poison ivy all around your mouth."  He pulled back slightly to continue his exploration of her neck.  "Now that was wonderfully ironic, not to mention those swollen lips drove me wild with desire." 

Shalimar lightly jammed her elbow into his stomach.  "Behave," she admonished.

Brennan fell silent for a moment, "And then when you disappeared, and I thought you had died—"

"No, Brennan," Shalimar interrupted him.  "Right now, let's do as the Martin's asked, and only focus on the good things that came from this situation."

"Us," Brennan tenderly smiled, tracing light patterns along her neck and shoulders with his finger.

"Despite it all, they were so happy for us," Shalimar whispered, gripping his hand tightly to her body.  "They couldn't believe we weren't really newlyweds," she had to chuckle. 

After a pause, Brennan cleared his throat and continued his litany.  "Of course the latest thing is you trying to trick me into waiting on you hand and foot," he reminded her.

"You did the same to me," Shalimar shrugged, refusing to show remorse for the last one, instead lifting her hair to allow him better access to her neck.  

Brennan growled as her long, creamy neck was exposed before his eyes.  He lightly blew on her hairline, following immediately with hungry kisses.  

Shalimar's stomach dropped when he suddenly reached a sensitive spot on her neck.  She bit back a moan even as her knees buckled slightly beneath her.  The man could do amazing things with his mouth.  

After a long moment, Brennan pulled away and circled around her, planting a quick final kiss on her lips and then pulling her forward.  

"All in all, I think you'd have to agree that you still owe me," he gleefully summed up as they turned a corner towards the lab.  

"Uh, I don't know about that," Shalimar mused as she came to a sudden stop, pointing in disbelief at the hallway wall she had just repainted a few months ago.  "I finally know what you did to your hand," she arched a brow at him as he raised his hands in an innocent, questioning gesture.  Six large holes decorated the wall.

A few hours later found Brennan sweating as he struggled to properly spackle and sand down the last hole in the wall.  He stood back, nodding in satisfaction.

"Not bad for working with one hand," Brennan admired his work.  

A groan and a shuffle to his right caught his attention.

"You got the paint?" he called to Shalimar without looking back.

"Oh yeah, I got it," Shalimar called to him. 

A second later, Brennan felt a big splat hit the back of his head.  His hand slowly rose to his hair and came away drenched in white paint.  There was a silent pause and then Shalimar giggled.  Brennan slowly turned to face her, brows raised.  Shalimar grinned in victory, raising her paint brush in silent challenge.  With a laugh and a roar, Brennan raced towards her.  

Sanctuary's halls rang with squeals, giggles, and splats for several minutes.  An indignant "Oh" was followed by an amused "Come here."  Clothes rustled as arms wrapped around each other, and the giggles were replaced with the distinct sound of meeting lips.  Contented sighs quietly echoed in the air, and the silence that followed was happy.  In the midst of it all, they had come full circle, creating their own house of dreams.

"We two—how long we were fool'd!…We have circled and circled till we have arrived home again—we two have..." --Walt Whitman, _Leaves of Grass_

THE END! 


End file.
