Shalimar dragged her feet along the floor on the way back to her room almost as if she wasn't in any such hurry to get back to the unnerving silence she found inside the chambers or even worse, the equally unnerving sounds she'd sworn she'd heard in the presence of her own company.

She shuffled herself through the door not even bothering to close it all the way and fell onto the bed. Mustering up the last of her energy she glanced at the clock realizing she had a few more hours to sleep before daylight and knew she sure could use every bit she could get especially with the long day drawing ever so nearer by the moment.

"I told you you'd sleep all day," Emma's voice giggled from behind her and Shalimar turned sharply at the sound only to notice she somehow was no longer inside the security of her bedroom but lying on the couch and somehow also standing in the middle of the room.

Confusion took her over, filling ever inch it could find and Shalimar peered on, watching herself awaken from the slumber in the living room.

Emma walked over the couch bound feral and sat beside her gently shaking her to a fully conscious state.

"I remember this," Shalimar thought to herself staring at the familiar scene before her yet somehow unsure why she was recalling it in her dream.

"Come on, Ms. I'm just resting my eyes. It's time to go," Emma reminded nudging the feral into a much less comfortable upright position on the sofa.

"Uh, do I have to?" Shalimar moaned in no real hurry to start the day with an eager demeanor.

"Yes. The new mutants at the safe house are counting on you. I know you wouldn't wanna let them down."

Shalimar watched on surprised she was able to think consciously at being fully aware she was dreaming but she continued to observe the seemingly random memory. Why had her mind thought to resurface such a small moment in her life that she hadn't even thought about since it occurred?

She watched as the fringely haired red head helped her off the couch and Shalimar stretched at the gesture, yawing as large as any wild feral would.

"Come on," Emma coaxed with her trademark bright smile. "You need to get ready."

"Oh but I'm so tired," the feral protested adding an extra arm stretched behind her head for effect.

Emma merely smiled at the woman not about to let her play hooky from her Mutant X duties.

"I need you to come with me, Shal. Now come on I'll help you pick out something to wear," Emma offered patting the feral's back gently and taking off down the hall.

Sighing in her still slightly exhausted state the feral moaned a small disapproval knowing full well she wanted to spend the day with the mutants if nothing else than to be there with Emma. That had seemed like more than enough to convince her lately.

Intrigued by her mind's curious choice of flashbacks, Shalimar took herself down the hall following the two women in her memory being sure to remember every detail she could about the event so long ago. She had barely known the woman then but yet knew what she had desired even at that point. Knew what was driving her even then was the same source behind her determination now. And she was walking into her bedroom before her very eyes.

Turing into the doorway Shalimar's felt her head spin and much to her surprise she was in the lab, looking over Emma in the chair and she looked around the room trying to place what she assumed was yet another random memory from her sleeping subconscious.

She watched as Adam ran some tests on the psionic and she stood beside her, holding her hand and she could tell this was all very new to the young girl. She blinked and simultaneously a flash caused her to divert her eyes for a moment as the scene and feel changed again. She looked around, almost feeling nauseous and sea sick from all the mind jumping games her brain was playing.

Looking around the happy faces of her friends reminded her of this memory. She stepped forward, smiling as she watched herself present Emma with her very own ring. Her very own key into her life and the memories of the day brought a smile to Shalimar's face as she looked on, her own self hugging the red head fiercely with excitement. She could feel it even know, the way she'd been feeling at that moment was so strong it simply radiated into her heart at just seeing it again.

"Are you getting ready?" someone asked her, the words more than out of sync with the memory and Shalimar looked around trying to locate where it had originated from.

"Shal," the voice called again, somewhat louder this time. "Shalimar."

Warmth spread across the feral's back and she jumped at the contact, turning herself fully over in her bed and brining her confused face to Emma's beside her.

"Emma?" she asked as if she couldn't believe what was happening and looked to see the psionic sitting at her bedside. A quick glance at the clock told her it was eight a.m. and everything became a little clearer for her.

"Are you gonna get up?" the psionic asked pulling her hand from the sweaty skin and wiping it off on the sheet. "We need to be at the courthouse soon," she reminded. Her delicate sense of emotions told her something wasn't right with the feral and her good hearted nature took over.

"Shalimar, is something wrong?"

Shalimar froze at the question she didn't know how to being to answer. Sighing she lie herself onto her back and let the consciousness fully sink into her tired skull.

"I don't just…long night I guess."

"Is there anything I can do? Coffee? Aspirin?"

"I don't think that's gonna do the trick," the feral replied somehow knowing whatever she was dealing with would be too strong for any coffee or pill to free her from.

"Well you better get ready. Adam wants to leave soon," the psionic informed and stood from her friend's bed.

"Yeah. I'll be out in a few."

Emma smiled at the feral unable to ignore how distant she sensed her friend and Shalimar just stared blankly at the wall before her trying to determine what was going n in that feral brain of hers.