Relation to other stories: Stand alone.

Disclaimer: Characters aren't owned by me, just appearing in my story featuring the characters of Mutant X.

Conversations in the Rain

By LT Magnus

Shalimar grinned slyly like a predator at it's' prey as she shifted her eyes back and forth across the dance floor. She stopped to rest them on Emma and watched as she danced with her date to the fast paced techno song. She admired the way the psionic moved her body perfectly to the music. She felt herself becoming mesmerized as she kept her unshifting gaze on the psionic. She felt like she was under her spell like the king cobra. She watched Emma dancing, not noticing another person on the floor except her.

"Hey," Brennan said as he tapped Shalimar on the shoulder and leaned on the bar beside her. As Shalimar returned from her fantasy she turned to face her friend beside her.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Just chillin'," he answered and smiled as the bartender handed him another drink. "Thanks." Brennan raised his eyebrows and winked at Shalimar hinting that the bartender was a hottie. Shalimar just made a face like she wasn't interested. "What's wrong?" He asked as he noticed Shalimar seemed somewhat distant tonight. "Can I get ya a drink, hun?"

"No, thanks," she smiled and found herself turning back to watch Emma dancing closer with her date. She sighed and sat on the stool as she turned back to Brennan. "Actually, yeah, I think I'll take that drink." Brennan smiled as he ordered them another round.

"We gotta get you out on that dance floor," he smiled over to her, "make all the guys sweat and all the girls jealous."

"Nah, if I'm drinkin' I'm not dancin'." She offered him a smile to hide her true intentions. The only person she wanted to make sweat was Emma. And it was her who was the jealous one, of Emma's date.

"Hey, guys," Jesse called as he approached the two.

"Hey, Jess," Shalimar smiled as he sat down beside them. "I thought you were goin' out tonight."

"I did. I'm done." He raised his eyes in a revealing manner to Brennan.

Shalimar couldn't hear a word they were saying over the annoyance that was ringing loudly in her head. She twitched nervously as she kept her eyes on Emma across the room. She wanted to rush over to that dance floor and shove her date aside. Push him to that dance floor so hard he wouldn't be able to get back up again. She played scenarios over in her mind as she watched the psionic gyrate back and forth. She imagined marching over to the two of them and punching him in the face, taking Emma in her arms and hearing her proclaim her unconditional love to the feral.

The more she watched them the madder she got. She wondered if her face had actually turned green from all the jealousy raging out of control inside her. She felt her worry intensify as she heard the song come to an end only to allow for a much slower one to start. She felt her heart sink as she looked to see Emma slowly rest her hands on his shoulders. Emma smiled as he pulled her closer to lead her in a slow, intimate dance.

Shalimar wanted to run over there and pull his arms off and beat him with them. She wanted to be the only one who's shoulder Emma rested her head upon. Wanted to be the only one beside her for every single dance and every sweet goodnight the psionic would have for the rest of her life. She felt a cramp as the jealously boiled in the pit of her stomach.

"Shal. Shal." Shalimar turned as Brennan's words interrupted her anger.

"Look at him pawing all over her like that," she said in anger as she starred the two of them down.

"Shal, they're just dancing," Brennan reassured her.

"Dancing," Shalimar's doubt was apparent in her harsh words, "he's trying to seduce her."

"She's a big girl, Shal."

Shalimar didn't want to accept his words. She always thought of herself as a lion watching over her pride when she was in the company of her friends. She especially felt that protective over Emma. She knew it wasn't just that which was bothering her. It was the undeniable jealously which was eating away at her heart at seeing Emma with someone else. She didn't want to keep the psionic from happiness but she wanted to be the only one to give it to her. She realized if she wasn't going to tell Emma how she felt that she couldn't very well expect her to wait around.

"Shal, you wanna dance?" Brennan asked as he set his drink back down on the bar.

"No, thanks. I'm not in the mood right now. I'll save it for later," she said as she tried to let him down easily. But she knew she was lying. She did want to dance, more than anything, but with Emma. She knew if she set foot on that floor with Brennan she'd spend the entire time fighting her urge to attack Emma's date. Trying to resist the voices in her head telling her to scratch his eyes out. She saw him as the enemy, parading around on her territory without permission. If she was in the wild she would have already taken care of this unwelcome intruder.

As the song progressed, Shalimar saw Emma rest her head on his shoulder and look over to her. Emma smiled at Shalimar who forced herself to smile back. She felt her heart breaking as she watched the gut wrenching display. She hated herself for not confessing her true feelings to Emma sooner. Shalimar let out an aggravated sigh and began to storm her way across the floor.

"Shal, where you goin'?" Brennan called behind her but she didn't even flinch at his words.

She headed across the dance floor past the dancing couple and stormed out the door to the club. As she exited the door she felt the dampness as the rain beat down mercifully upon her fragile skin. She headed around to the side of the club making no attempt to stop the rain from pouring onto her red face. The drops did nothing to wash the anger from the feral. She wanted to leave but wouldn't ask her friends to do so on her account. For the moment she was content drowning in her sadness as the raindrops battled her tears for control over her face. She stepped forwards into a puddle and questioned whether it was created by the rain or her sweet teardrops.

As she stood stewing in her unspoken heartbreak, she heard soft footsteps approaching beside her. She turned to see who was coming towards her.

"Emma?" she questioned as she saw her friend standing a few feet from her in the rain. She noticed that it seemed to slow as Emma approached. Shalimar saw the concerned look upon the psionic's face.

"Shal, are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she lied in answer at the psionic's question.

"I saw you rush out like that. I could tell you were upset. What's wrong?" Emma's concern for her friend made Shalimar happy. She was glad for the rain to hide the remaining tears left over on her face.

"It's nothing," the feral replied. Emma stepped forward and reached for Shalimar's hand. She led them under a nearby overhanging roof so they could escape the intrusive rain.

"You can tell me anything, Shal," Emma probed further as she desperately wanted to help her friend in any way she could.

"I'm just…," Shalimar didn't know what to say as she hadn't thought ahead to the ending of her answer, "upset," she finally concluded.

"Why are you upset?"

"Why did you leave your date to come after me?" Shalimar asked as she tried to dance around the unwanted question.

"Because I saw you were upset. You're more important to me." She reached out to embrace her friend in a loving hug. Shalimar felt herself close to tears once more as their sweet embrace came to an end. She wanted more than anything to be the one who felt all of Emma's sweet embraces every day of her life.

"So can you tell me why you're so upset?"

Shalimar knew if she didn't she'd just go back to stewing in her own jealously. Why should she be forced to live with that? She took a deep breath as she prepared herself to bare her heart's most intimate holdings to the psionic.

"I love you," she spit out the words quickly.

"I love you too, Shal, you know that," Emma smiled as she placed her hand softly on Shalimar's shoulder. She looked into the feral's eyes and what she saw there, along with Shalimar's silence, told her that she was confessing something to her that she never had before, at least not in words. She realized the tone in Shalimar's voice was different from any other one she'd ever used. She looked into the feral's brown eyes so full of emotion.

"What?" Emma asked softly and barely audible.

"I said I love you, Emma," Shalimar rephrased. Emma tried to answer her but couldn't think of the right words to say. Shalimar quickly questioned if that was the right thing to say as the tension between them increased.

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Emma asked after Shalimar's words had sunk in.

"You were busy chasing after people that weren't me. And you still are. I hope I didn't ruin your evening."

"No," Emma smiled and took each of Shalimar's hands in her own. "I knew you loved me and," she waited until Shalimar's eyes met with her own, "I love you too." Shalimar's eyes widened at the psionic's sweet confession. She felt her heart rebuilding itself inside her chest once more.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I didn't think you wanted me too. I mean, you never told me how you felt before. I just figured you didn't want me enough."

Shalimar released Emma's hands and reached up to cup the delicate skin of her cheeks. She slowly stroked the psionic's face with the back of her fingers.

"I want you more than anything, Emma."

Shalimar looked into her eyes and slowly began to move their heads together. She felt her heart racing in anticipation of touching her lips to Emma's. When they finally met, neither of them could believe the perfect ness of their lips union. It was like a fairytale. It felt so right that when it was over they instantly felt the loss of each other.

"I was thinking of you," Emma said with a smile.

"What?"

"When I was dancing I was thinking of you. Wishing it was you."

"Come on," Shalimar said as she slightly shifted to imply she wanted to leave, "let's go home and talk about this some more." Emma's heartbeat increased at the sight of the feral's desire filled grin sprawled across her face.

"Ok." Emma couldn't even think about resisting as her whole heart and soul had already completely give in. "I better go back in and tell my date he didn't make the final cut." She smiled and kissed Shalimar again.

"Tell him the women have spoken and he's been voted off the Emma island," Emma laughed at Shalimar's words as she gently placed nipping kisses on Emma's soft lips.

"You've been given an all access pass." Emma smiled innocently as her lips played with Shalimar's.

"Come on, let's go," Shalimar said as she led them back into the coming rain. "If you think this is a down pour you ain't seen nothin' yet."

The End