As the night wears on, they drift in and out of varying levels of awareness. At some moments, they can't help but notice the people around them, pushing and pulling at them, stray limbs interrupting their intimacy, and at others...it's as if all those other people don't exist.

Shalimar can't feel anything else but Brennan's body moving with hers, his hips following hers sway for sway and some where along the line, this became about more than getting his attention.

More than just getting him.

Now...

Now is about how good it feels not to pretend she doesn't feel the attraction between them. It feels good not to worry about how far over that line of friendship she's stepping when she so much as hugs him.

And Brennan can't imagine anything more perfect than this moment. He'd be lying if he said it had nothing to do with the way Shalimar was rubbing against him, because he is, after all, a guy and things like this affect him whether he wants them to or not. But he can say, with all honesty, that it isn't the main reason. The part he loves the most, wishes he could take advantage of more often, is touching her. Without it being a life or death, 'end of the world as we know it' situation. He loves touching her like he's never done it before, because touching her isn't something he's ever contemplated happening, outside of his dreams.

But he's doing it right now. And she's touching him back. Holding his hand in place and it's the most perfect thing he's felt in his life.

Their eyes open in unison when Shalimar feels another hand that definitely does not belong to the man behind her, rest itself on her waist. She stiffens, ready to fight if the need arises.

She leans further back into Brennan's embrace as his hand tightens around her waist.

The 'man' before them is just a kid, barely twenty if Brennan is judging correctly. It'd be a shame to have to knock him out but it is rather prosumptious of him to insert himself into their space.

"Room for one more?" His green eyes sparkle in the fluttering lights and his sly smile almost makes Brennan sick.

And his hand is still on Shalimar.

"No." He looks at Brennan and if he doesn't know any better, he'd think the kid is sizing him up.

"Are you sure?" He directs the question at Shalimar, letting a lock of wavy brown hair fall into his face. He smiles wider in an attempt to persuade her.

"We're positive." She answers, releasing Brennan's hand to remove the boy's. With a little more strength than necessary. He winces and pulls his hand away. He nods once, the smile no longer on his face and disappears into the crowd to find another partner.

Shalimar takes Brennan's hand again and closes her eyes.

They aren't sure how long they've been dancing, or how long ago Emma and Jesse left, but Shalimar knows that her feet hurt like hell, and Brennan has to admit, he's feeling a bit overwhelmed. They agree to stay for one more song, and then head back to Sanctuary.

The walk to the car is looking harder by the minute as Shalimar walks up the short flight of stairs leading to the sidewalk. The second her foot hits the pavement, she knows she won't make it to the parking lot.

She should have known better than to wear those boots.

Brennan looks at her and then does a quick sweep of the street. It's well lit and as far as he can see, there's no one staggering about. If anything should happen, Shalimar is more than capable of handling herself.

"I'll bring the car around."

"And I'll just...sit right here." She points to the railing of the steps, desperate to get off of her feet.

Brennan chuckles, takes one more quick look, then heads to the car.

Shalimar climbs gingerly onto the rail, hoping to God that she doesn't lose her balance because she very well can't land on her feet.

It isn't at all chilly outside and after the...she glances at her watch when she realizes she has no idea what time it is. She's some what startled to note that it's been almost three hours since she last checked, right when Jesse and Emma said they were leaving.

Which means she and Brennan hadn't stopped dancing for over four hours.

She lets a small smile break out across her face.

Brennan walks quickly to the car, well as quickly as he can with a hard on that, no matter what, won't go down. He needs a release and he knows it's pretty much impossible which makes walking just a tad bit harder than five seconds ago. He could always electrify something, and although it wouldn't get rid of his immediate 'problem', it would diminish the feeling that he was one step away from crawling out of his skin.

Ignoring the feelings rushing through him, he unlocks the door and climbs in. He adjusts himself in the drivers seat, once, twice, three times before it occurs to him that he cannot get comfortable. The leather upholstry feels different, almost bothersome but not exactly irritating. He shakes his head and turns the key in the ignition. The soft purr of the engine feels odd too and he thinks that he really needs to get back to Sanctuary and have a nice, long nap.

Shalimar is hot. And not in the way guys refer to her. She's hot like it's the middle of the summer and she's wearing too many layers of clothing. Her hair and clothes are sticking to her everywhere and her skin is flushing a light pink color.

She takes a deep breath to calm herself, but instead it makes her all the more aware of her surroundings; the wind cooling the sweat on her body, the sound of sirens ten blocks away, a pipe dripping in one of these alleys and the sweet sound of Alex's engine humming around the corner.

Shalimar smiles when she sees the familiar black body of Alex, Brennan's pride and joy. She isn't sure what type of car it is, saying as it's made of dozens of different parts, procurred from dozens of types of cars. She doesn't really care either, because it gets them where they need to go and right now, she needs to go anywhere that lets her get these damn shoes off.

Brennan comes to stop in front of the club and he can't help his eyes from travelling the length of Shalimar's body. From the boots that fit so snuggly against her calves, to the lime green fishnets, to the black leather skirt, to the lime green mesh shirt she wore over a black tank top.

He doesn't realize he's staring until he sees Shalimar hop down off the rail and cringe. He mentally shakes himself off and opens the door. He hurries to the other side and help's her to the car. He reaches for the passenger side door but she shakes her head.

"I think I'll sit in the back. Need to stretch out."

"No problem." He opens the back door and helps her slide in. The minute she's sitting, she reaches for the zippers on her boots. Shalimar thinks she might not be able to walk ever again if she doesn't remove them this minute. She sighs as she kicks one off and then the other. She stretches her legs across the back of the chair.

"Much better." She smiles at Brennan and he's sure he sees something that wasn't there before in the gesture.

He finds himself smiling back.

He's never been one for staring because he finds it offensive but there's something about Shalimar that he can't draw his eyes away from. The way her body molds itself to everything it touches amazes him and he remembers so vividly her body on his only a few minutes ago. His body's telling him to climb in the back seat and see what happens while his mind is telling him how stupid the idea is.

He's not sure his mind was present the last few hours.

Closing the door behind her, Brennan walks around the car slowly and he can't help but notice how different his feet feel as they hit the asphalt. He shakes his head and climbs into the driver's seat. The leather is still uncomfortable and the thrumming of the engine is sending shivers up his spine. He pulls off and presses the button for the CD player. He'd rather not admit it, but some of the new 'punk rock' groups aren't so bad. Which is why he's listening to Brand New's CD, Deja Entendu. He adjusts the volume and spends the rest of the ride trying not to glance in the rearview mirror.

Shalimar is sure this is the longest its ever taken to get to Sanctuary and all the traffic lights are giving her a headache. She wants to lie down, although she's not sure sleep is what her mind is suggesting. Not when she factors Brennan into the equation. When the drive first starts, she thinks maybe he's tired or upset or something because he isn't talking or...anything, and that's very un-Brennan like. But she notices the little glances, the way he tries to look at her without looking at her and the complete lack of shame when she makes eye contact with him. There's something completely sexy about that and Shalimar really doesn't think she has the energy left to show him just how much it turns her on.

They pull into Sanctuary's garage well past midnight. They walk quietly to the elevator and Shalimar doesn't even bother to put her shoes on. Brennan is leaning against the concrete wall and there's sweat beading on his forhead. The elevator arrives and they step in, both exhausted and exhilirated from the night's activities. Shalimar would much like to stand on her own two feet but they have other ideas, so she leans on the cool glass of the elevator wall. The ride takes longer than she remembers and Brennan is still quieter than she would have liked. Of course, there are a lot of things she would have liked of him. But now isn't the time to dwell on such things. Now it's time to crawl into her bed and hope that her feet and equilibrium are better by the morning.

When they step out of the elevator, there's a deafening silence that makes Shalimar feel like a teenager sneaking in after curfew. Brennan seems to feel the same as he brings his finger to his lips in a gesture meant to keep her quiet. Instead, she's staring at his lips and his hand and paying almost no attention to him.

They walk in the same direction; their rooms are down the hall from each other. His is further down so he walks her to her door, although he has to pace himself as her body is defnitely feeling the effects of the day.

They reach her door and she's hesistant. There's a point to be made here and she can't quite grasp what she's supposed to argue for. There's a look on his face that she's never quite seen before and she can't exactly place the emotion behind it either. She wants to ask him, or maybe something else but she's quiet and waiting and he's the same as he was since they left the club. It is isn't anger and it isn't sadness, depression, or hate. It isn't even fatigue. There's something deeper here that she can't identify and she has a feeling that he can't either.

Shalimar would almost swear his hand moved faster than possible for anyone, short of ferals but it's on her face, caressing her cheek and she doesn't mind it, almost craves it. She leans into the warm feel of his skin on hers and it takes her back to only a few hours before when his body and hers were almost one. His thumb brushes her lips and the look in his eyes shifts from unindentifiable to a look trimmed with lust. He isn't looking for sex, not the kind that you find at a bar after a few drinks, or the kind that started with a girl you met and dated for a few months and it was about time anyway.

He was looking for sex, maybe, but not right now. Desire...tamed desire iss what resides behind dark brown eyes and she can almost feel his eyes searching her soul for answers shes not even sure she has.

His lips are soft and warm and she isn't even sure this is real. His hand is still on her face, tilting her head slightly as he leans down to meet her. As soon as it begins, it ends and Shalimar doesn't know what to make of it.

She doesn't have the time to try as he slowly backs away, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

"Goodnight, Shal." He whispers and there's something to his voice that matches the look in his eyes. He turns slowly and she can tell he's still smiling as he walks the short distance to his room. Before he closes the door, he offeres her one last smile, this one more reminiscent of the Brennan she spars with and there's something oddly comforting about it.

Shalimar slides her door open and closes it quietly behind her. She places the evil boots in the corner next to her closet with a promise to move them when she wakes. She sits down heavily on the bed and lays back, her legs dangling off of the edge. She spreads her arms wide and closes her eyes. A smile starts at the corner of her lips and breaks out across her face.

She can't remember having this much fun in almost two years.

She knows something's off with Brennan. Shalimar's not blind or stupid, but she also feels no fear. Her instincts are telling her there's nothing to worry about and if anything, she's more attracted to him than she was before. If that was even possible.

The way he smiled was always sexy but the smiles he offered tonight were new and completely different. Almost as if Brennan just discovered he can be sexy and is using that fact to his advantage. She also knows that she's been off today, too. Her senses were almost in overdrive.

She has to remember to talk to Adam in the morning. With the way her skin is tingling, and her sex drive way off the charts, her only explanation is that she's in heat. If that is the case, there needed to be precautions.

But for now, she takes a few deep breathes. She can still smell Brennan's cologne and her body feels like he's still touching.

Shalimar giggles girlishly before scrambling under the covers and turning out the light.

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