When Shalimar woke up again she was she was partially glad she felt numb everywhere. Glancing around the room she saw there were windows and sunlight was streaming in nicely. A clock on the wall read 3:37 and she yawned absently. Looking to her left, she could see that Emma stood next to her bed, watching her expectantly. Smiling, Shalimar sat up, only to lay back down feeling nausea climb up her throat at the action.

A sympathetic look flitted through Emma's practically lifeless eyes but was gone as fast as it appeared. "Stay down. You'll only do more harm than good if you don't." was all she said before she sat down in a chair next to the bed. Staring straight ahead as she was, Shalimar had the distinct impression that Emma was standing watch over her "Emma please, stop acting like that. Snap out of it. You're stronger than this." Emma just gave her an emotionless glance before setting her eyes straight ahead again. "Don't ignore me. You can fight it Emma, I know you can."

"Stop that, its annoying." Eckhart said from the door. Shalimar growled and was surprised that she could actually get off the bed. Eckhart sighed when she swung her feet to the ground and started towards him. "Shalimar, go sit on the bed. Now." With shock she walked stiffly back to the bed and sat down.

"What the hell have you-"

"No speaking." He smiled when she didn't say anything else, even though there were enough obscenities to make even the baddest of the bad asses blush. "Now as for your question, the governor on the back of your neck has been activated. All you needed was the shot and now, you're mine too." If she could, Shalimar would have snapped his neck in half at that statement, but as it was she couldn't move. The doctor from before-Jared- walked into the room then. "Now that you're mine, I intend to take care of you. Jared here, has something that can help you catch up to Emma. Jared..." He motioned him forward and Jared produced yet another syringe from his jacket.

"Now Miss Fox, I'm sure you've noticed Emma's strength by now. Unless you want another demonstration?" He watched her expecting her to respond and was glad when she did nothing but glare. Jared stepped forward and grabbed her arm gently before injecting whatever it was into her.

"Now, you should feel a bit nauseous, maybe light headed as well. But it'll be worth it. In another day or so you'll be ready for your first mission. Emma here will accompany you, keep you out of trouble." His words began to blend together after that and Shalimar tuned him out, not being able to understand him anyways. She felt Emma grab her by the shoulders and press her into the mattress and she was dimly aware that Eckhart had left the room.

Shalimar turned bleary eyes towards Emma, pleading for her to help but the only response she got was a tilted head before she fell asleep.

---

Shalimar woke up to silence and darkness, the only sounds that of the clock ticking and Emma breathing evenly next to her as she slept in the chair by the bed. Shalimar smiled fondly at her before shaking her head. 'Gotta get out of here...its the only way to help her...' Shalimar got herself off the bed and found herself dressed in hospital scrubs. She shook her head before scratching at the governor absently.

She pushed the door open quietly, glancing back at Emma to make sure she didn't wake up before she stepped into the hall. Looking left and right she ran straight down the hall in front of her. Her feral senses told her there were 2 guards around the corner and she slowed her steps before pressing herself to the wall. They passed her and continued on.

After letting out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding she started moving forward again only to come to a dead end. Pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration as she felt a headache coming on, she turned to go back only to find a door marked 'Exit' to her right. She shook her head at her own stupidity before pushing through it quickly.

The sight that met her was a darkened room and she looked around confused before she felt hands pushing her forward. Stumbling, she fell to the ground. She flipped over, flashing her eyes only to see that somehow Emma had snuck up on her. The guards that stood outside were talking into their walkie talkies and Emma walked forward, moving to grab Shalimar.

Shalimar felt guilt climb into her stomach as she kicked Emma in the chest, sending her a few feet away and into a wall. Emma glared heatedly at her as Shalimar flipped to her feet. The guards aimed their guns at her, ready to fire and Shalimar had to surrender, knowing she was vastly out numbered.

As the guards strapped her down onto a table in the center of the room that she hadn't noticed, Eckhart walked in looking extremely annoyed along with Jared. "Well, it seems that your governor is defective. No matter, we can fix that. Right Jared?" He cast a withering glance at the doctor, who nodded meekly under the look.

Eckhart opened his mouth to continue but a guard entered the room and spoke to him quietly.
Shalimar focused her hearing and heard the word 'breach' and smirked. 'Looks like Jess and Bren came through-just in time too...' she thought wryly, feeling the urge to throttle him growing as his megalomania-induced speech droned on.

Her smirk faded when she thought of her Emma, now nothing more than a play thing for this monster of a man. Emma glanced at her cooly and Shalimar felt her stomach flip despite the lack of emotion in that look.

Suddenly the lights flickered in the room before finally shutting off. Eckhart scurried from the room like a coward, his people urging him to a safer location. Emma remained behind for a bit before walking into a dark corner of the room, building a psi-attack and getting ready to release it at the next person who entered the room. Shalimar heard running outside her door and yelled loudly. The footsteps paused before Jesse phased himself through the door.

"Shalimar! Brennan in here!" Jesse immediately set to work on her bindings, not noticing Emma in the corner yet, even as the attack glowed in front of her ready to launch. Emma finally let loose her attack and as soon as she was free Shalimar kicked Jesse away from her, making her miss him. She got off the bed and tackled Emma to the ground, hearing her grunt as she did so. Emma glared at her while Jesse just stared on in shock. After apologizing quietly Shalimar punched Emma across the jaw, knocking her out cold.
She grabbed Emma up and almost walked out the door without Jesse. She turned back with the first genuine smile on her face since Emma had 'died' and asked, "Coming?" He shook his head before they found Brennan and escaped back to sanctuary.

---

Shalimar sat on a stool next to a bed in the lab, had been for days. Adam had been working round the clock to get rid of the governor but he'd had little success. Emma would be waking soon, she could feel it. Her heart began to beat faster every time Emma was about to look at her-'Just like before.'

She smiled goofily, feeling deliriously happy and she couldn't contain herself. She grabbed Emma's hand, absently rubbing the back of her hand with her thumb. She saw Emma stir and leaned forward, feeling even better than before. Emma squeezed her hand briefly as she fought through the grogginess.

"Emma? Emma can you hear me hon?"

Emma's eye's opened slowly until they were staring straight at each other. Emma's eyes betrayed her confusion and Shal smiled at her gently, trying to calm her without words. So concentrated she was on comforting Emma, Shalimar didn't even see the punch coming.

One instant she was sitting next to Emma, the next she was lying on her back on the ground. Emma hopped off the bed as Shalimar slowly got up. Shal jumped on her back, sending Emma to the ground. "Adam!" Shalimar shouted down the hallway before Emma punched her again. Shalimar rolled off of her, stunned at how strong Emma had become. Emma stood up and glared down at her before kicking her savagely in the ribs.

Shalimar gasped in pain as she was kicked over and over. After about the seventh or seventeenth-she'd lost count after a while- a bolt of electricity hit her square in the chest, bringing Emma to the ground.

"No.." Shalimar tried to get up to go to Emma but Jesse picked her up before she could reach her. Jesse sat Shal down on a bed in the lab and Brennan set Emma down on the bed beside her before putting her in restraints. Jesse left the room to find Adam and Brennan stayed behind. Shalimar sighed. 'I so don't need this right now...'

"Hey Shal..uh..look here's the thing." She raised and eyebrow and waited for him to continue. "I want to apologize." She gave him a confused look and he blushed a bit. "Jesse told me about you and Emma, and I'm sorry. Please don't hate him for it, he didn't even mean to tell me, it just slipped." Shalimar stared at him wide eyed and Brennan launched into an explanation.

---

"Man I just don't get it. I know that when I first got here she was all over me. And now she-now I don't know what's going on..." Brennan slumped into a chair next to Jesse. Jesse looked up from the book he was reading and sighed.
"Why don't you just give up on Shalimar and you, ok? There are plenty of other people for you out there. People you might not even notice..." He added quietly. Brennan just shook his head.
"No way man, we're meant for each other. I can feel it. And I won't give up. She's just playing hard to get." He smiled to himself the more he thought of it. "Yeah. Thats it. She wants to see how far I'll go to get her." He stood up with a smile on his face. Jesse fought the urge to roll his eyes. "As soon as we get her back I'm taking her out to a fancy restaurant, buying her tons of flowers, writing her poetry until my hand cramps"
Jesse could feel his anger rising before saying, "Look! She's still in love with Emma! Ok! She doesn't want you, but I do-" He cut himself off at that point, eyes widening as he realized what he'd just said. Brennan just stared at him for a bit before letting out a breath.
"Jess I'm sorry I-" Jesse waved it off sadly, having already expected rejection.
"No, no. Its ok. I get it. I'll just be going now." Jesse stood up to leave Bren's room when Brennan shook his head sharply. Jesse had reached the door when he felt a hand close around his arm. "Look I get it, I won't bother you with it a-" Jesse was stopped from speaking as Brennan spun him around and pressed his lips to Jesse's in a fierce kiss. When the need for oxygen arose they pulled apart and Brennan grinned.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to tell me." Jesse just shook his head in confusion.
"What do you mean? How long have you known?" Brennan smirked.
"About as long as Emma knew"
"Emma knew! Am I that transparent?" Jesse leaned back against the door with a dazed expression.
"Nah, but Em and I talked a lot. I told her about my crush on you all the time and after a while I was about to give up she told me not to. That it wasn't as unrequited as it seemed." Bren smiled before stepping closer to Jesse. "I guess she was right." Brennan closed the distance between them with another passion filled kiss and wrapped his arms around Jesse's waist, locking the door as he did so.

---

Shalimar just stared at him for a bit with an expression similar to 'jaw-dropping' before shaking her head. "So all that time you flirted with me...you were trying to get him jealous"

Brennan smiled weakly, afraid she'd rip his head off or something for being used like that. He was surprised when she punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"If I'd had known maybe I wouldn't have been so tempted to punch you all the time after Emma 'died.'" He got a confused look on his face before Jesse walked back in with Adam. Glancing between them Jesse put two and two together and smiled nervously before wrapping his arm around Brennan's waist and leading him from the room so Adam could do the exam.

After Adam checked her out Shalimar took her position on the stool next to Emma's bed, determined to to be there the next time she woke up despite the difficulty she was having breathing and the dull ache in her ribs that hadn't gone away even with the drugs. Adam tried to get her to leave but she refused.

"Shalimar, please. Just go to your room for some rest, Emma will still be here when you get back"

"No"

"Why not? You'll probably be back before she gets up"

"Because I promised I'd never leave her side, and I refuse to break that promise again," she stated flatly.

Adam paused, seeming to consider his next words carefully. "When you say you'd never leave her side you mean..."

Shalimar turned to him. "We were-are...in love. Me and Emma." She turned away from him and took her hand again.

"Oh Shalimar...I am so sorry. I had no idea. Why didn't you tell us? We could've been there Shal"

"Because then it didn't matter. Now it does"

He nodded, accepting the short answer despite the fact that he was bursting with questions. "Just promise me you'll get some rest eventually, ok?" She ignored him and he sighed before leaving.

---

Shalimar sat quietly on the couch, staring off into space as she thought. She thought about how Emma had constantly tried to kill them all once she got back to Sanctuary. About the weeks, the bruises, the escape attempts, the random attacks from Genomex-everything that had happened up until now. She knew that if she had to do it all over again she'd take whatever anyone could give her just to have Emma alive and well again.

Warm hands slid around her waist from behind and she leaned back into the embrace with a smile.

"Deep thoughts?" Emma asked quietly, kissing her neck after she did.

"Mmmhmm 'fraid so baby." Shalimar said before closing her eyes as Emma pulled her tighter to her.

"Well that's no good. Not good at all." Emma held a playful tone in her voice. Shalimar felt shivers go down her spine as Emma's warm breath tickled her neck.

"Oh? And what are you gonna do about it?" Shalimar asked playfully.

"I have a few ideas..." Emma pushed Shalimar down onto the cushions and climbed half on top of her, kissing her passionately before pulling away when they felt the need to breathe.

Shalimar could feel the emotions Emma was projecting and smirked at the intensity of them. She was about to comment on them when she a pillow was thrown at her back. She turned around to see Jesse and Brennan snuggling together on the floor closer to the TV.

"If you two aren't even going to pretend to watch the movie at least get a room." Jesse said with a teasing grin, which Shalimar returned in kind.

"Well when you put it that way...See ya later." She pulled Emma off the couch and led her towards their bedroom by the hand.

END

A/N: That's the end of this fic folks, let me know what you think. :)