The first drop of rain was like a slap in the face. The minute Shalimar assured them that they were 'almost there' - Brennan not knowing where the hell there was - the rain began to fall.

Small drops, barely there but still noticeable. Alex actually looked like she was trying to avoid them and Brennan all but flinched when one hit his shoulder.

Then it began to fall faster. Harder.

And the raindrops felt ten times bigger than they were.

Alex shivered and pulled her coat tighter. If she knew it was going to rain, she would have looked for something better than a waist length denim jacket. Brennan unwrapped his from around his waist and helped her into it.

"You'll need this more than I will."

"Thanks." Shalimar handed Alex her jacket.

"Put this over your head and keep close." Alex nodded.

The rain was falling in sheets, blurring the lines that distinguished objects. Shalimar was sure she and the other two ferals were the only ones who could see anything clearly. She pushed her soaking wet hair out of her face and walked faster. Brennan wasn't looking too well and she had a feeling that this was only a prelude to what would happen if they stayed out much longer.

Ryan, Phillip and Jackie kept themselves between Andrew and Anna while Alex walked closely behind Shalimar.

The oldest feral hesitated briefly before making a right. Brennan really hoped they were only a few feet away; he didn't think he had much more energy than that.

As if reading his mind Shalimar smiled.

"There's a cave right there." She pointed to a deep opening in the wall of a hill. It was dark outside, but whether that was due to the weather, or the time of day, Brennan couldn't tell. Nor did he care. He did, however, care that he couldn't see past the first three inches into the cave.

"Are you sure it's empty?" Her brown eyes flashed yellow and she scanned the area. She took a deep breath. She couldn't smell anything but wet leaves and them. No bears, no wildcats, no mutating mutants.

"Positive. If anything lived in there, it's long gone."

They walked the rest of the distance in silence. The only sound was of them sloshing in their shoes and clothes and the sickening sucking sound the mud made as they walked. They were all uncomfortable and their clothes hung heavily on their tired bodies.

When they reached the ledge, Brennan wasn't so sure he wouldn't faint. He was having difficulty breathing and he felt like he was carrying an eighty pound backpack. He was happy to report that Alex looked a lot better off than him. If they were lucky, she'd end up with only a mild case of the sniffles.

Brennan looked from the ground to the ledge, and then back. By his estimations, it couldn't have been four, maybe five feet off the ground.

He didn't care.

Anything above ground level was too high for him.

"Andrew, you go up first." Andrew stepped back so that he could see the mouth of the cave. As Brennan had seen Shalimar do a million times, Andrew crouched and launched himself into the air, landing gracefully on the ledge. He leaned down as Shalimar hoisted Phil up. The male feral grabbed the boy's arms and pulled him up. They did the same to Ryan and Jackie, before Anna copied Andrew's previous movement and landed herself beside him. When all the children were up and far enough into the cave, Shalimar stepped closer to Brennan, leaning in to whisper.

"Are you alright?" Even with the rain obscuring his vision, Brennan could see the worry etched into her face. He ran his hand through his hair to keep it out of his eyes.

"Yeah. Just a little tired."

"Do you need help getting up?"

"I don't think there's really any other way." Shalimar nodded, crouched and jumped, landing an inch back from the edge. Brennan jumped, giving himself enough momentum to catch the jutting piece of rock and pull himself up. His arms began to shake and he screwed his eyes shut in concentration. Shalimar grabbed his shoulders and leaned over, caught his belt, and pulled him up. He lay there on his back, breathing heavily and shakily. His heart was beating faster than normal and he was definitely shivering. She looked down at the damp cave floor. She turned around and looked further into the cave where the floor was dry and the younger mutants were waiting.

Placing her hands under his arms, she began to hoist him up. "Come on, let's get you dry." Brennan shook his head to clear it and waved her off, but even the simple idea of getting up to walk made him nauseaous. He turned over slowly until he was almost on his stomach. He placed both hands beneath him and pushed up on to his knees. Slowly, he moved his legs until his feet were firmly on the ground and shoulder width apart. He stood fully, swaying a bit before catching his balance.

Shalimar knew better than to offer help but she also knew Brennan would stress himself until he passed out.

"You're sure you can do this?"

"Positive. Just need to go slow." His stomach lurched. "Really slow." Shalimar approached him and leaned in.

"I'm going to help you, whether you want me to or not." Brennan sighed. He hated it that something so simple as water could cripple him to this point. He also hated the fact that Shalimar always seemed to be helping him but very rarely was it the other way around.

She slipped her arm around his waist and placed his arm around her shoulders. Together, they took one step forward. When they didn't tumble head first into the ground, the feral smiled and looked up at him.

"See? Nothing to it."

"Easy for you to say." She ignored him.

"Alright, straight ahead, Anna, you take the front, Andrew you take the middle. We'll be right behind you."
~~~

They walked forever.

Or at least that's what Brennan's body was telling him. He struggled to keep most of his weight off of Shalimar but he knew it was a losing battle. He really needed to get out of these clothes and sit down in front of a fire. A huge fire fueled by kerosene and charcoal, but that wasn't likely in the middle of the jungle.

Alex was doing much better than him, thank God. While her feet dragged and her head hung low, she wasn't shivering, at least not like Brennan was. The two jackets kept her relatively dry and by the time they reached the deepest recess of the cave, the mild shivering had ceased.

The cavern was dark. It was the first thing Brennan realized when they finally stopped.

Shalimar's golden eyes glowed in the darkness. First and foremost, she looked for any threats. Secondly, she looked for anything that could start a fire. She was relieved to see what looked like an abandoned nest in a far corner. Hopefully, whatever made it had no intention of coming back.

She led Brennan to one of the walls. She helped lower him to the ground and then stood up.

Jackie and Ryan held Anna's hands and Phil held Andrew's. Alex had her hand on Andrew's upper arm.

"Everyone over here." When they were standing next to Brennan, she took hold of Alex's hand. "I need to ask you a favor."

"Ok." Shalimar gathered the dry leaves and sticks that made up the burrow she'd spotted and dumped them in a pile in the center of the cave.

"Do you think you can start a fire?" Shalimar asked in a low voice.

"I don't know, I haven't used my powers for a long time. It's like everytime I try, I remember the pain." She confessed.

"Maybe you could try, start out small. See if you can get a spark going. I promise it won't hurt. Just concetrate, a little at a time." Alex nodded and closed her eyes. She outstretched her hand and concentrated on the dull tingling sensation she felt in the pit of her stomach. She imagined it moving up her body, through her veins, into the tips of her fingers. When she opened her eyes again, the familiar blue tendrils of electricity danced about her hand.

There was no pain.

Alex smiled to herself and aimed an arc of electricity at the remains of the nest. A small flame emerged, licking at the lifeless grass and leaves. Soon they caught fire and spread until the whole nest was glowing bright orange.

"See, that wasn't that bad, was it?"

"Not at all."

"Thank you. And I'm sure as soon as Brennan is better, he'll thank you too." That brought a light blush to her cheeks.

With the fire burning brightly, the children could see much better. They looked around slowly, taking in the dark, damp walls and an even darker tunnel behind them.

Shalimar noticed it too. She couldn't smell fresh air coming from the opening and there was no wind blowing so she could only assume it was a dead end.

"Gather around the fire and try to dry off. Put your shoes over there," she pointed to the opposite wall, "so they can air and dry out. You don't want anything growing on you." The children made almost identical faces at the thought of anything of the sort. Quickly they took off their shoes and padded over to the wall to let them dry. They settled themselves around the fire. Anna and Andrew stayed a bit farther back than their fellow mutants.

Shalimar walked to Brennan, who, for the most part, was trying to keep himself seated upright. She crouched in front of him.

"We're gonna have to get some of these clothes off of you." He was shivering and it seemed to be shaking him apart. She grasped the hem of his soaked shirt and helped ease it over his head. From the amount of water dripping off of the shirt as well as dripping down Brennan's chest, it looked almost as if the rain had attacked him, throwing everything at him and sparing the rest of the group.

One by one she eased off his sneakers and then socks. She wrung out all the items of clothing and then laid them out on a lone boulder towards the back of the cave.

Shalimar looked around for the emergency kit. She caught sight of the garish orange bag and hurried over to it. She opened it carefully and removed the blanket. It was one of those ugly foil ones that hurt her eyes everytime she was unfortunate enough to be exposed to one of them. The metallic surface caught the reflections of the dancing fire and cast them back at her, splintering them into obtuse patterns.

Shalimar placed the folded blanket next to Brennan.

"We're gonna take these off, ok?" She brushed a hand across his cheek, frowning at the cold damp flesh she felt. She unbuckled his belted and helped him lean up so that she could slide his pants off. She pulled the wet cloth down his legs and cast them to the side. She didn't think he'd be too worried that she put them on the undoubtedly dirty cave floor.

Immediately, Brennan brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He's jaw hurt from clenching it and his body was tense in an attempt to stop the violent shivering.

He knew this mission was going to be trouble.

As quickly as she had gotten his pants off, Shalimar had the blanket draped around Brennan's shoulders and he was being lead to the fire. The younger mutants moved to provide space for him and he sat between Jackie and Alex.

There was a draft on his legs and Brennan absolutely, without a doubt, hated the fact that he was so damn tall. Tall enough that the blanket only covered half, maybe three-quarters of him. Six feet was too tall. Over that was somewhere past cruel. He shivered then, deeply and he felt like he was curling in on himself. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and told himself that the intense cold settling in his bones was all in his head.

He almost didn't feel it, the small hand on his left shoulder. He turned as much as his stiff muscles would allow. Jackie stared at him with eyes wide and glistening. She touched his forehead and smiled.

"Close your eyes." He looked at her. She reminded him of Emma and for that fact alone, he did as she asked.
~~~

There were trees. A forest full of trees of every kind and shade of green he could imagine. The kind that could only exist in a tropical environment. He turned slowly, reveling in the feel of the hot sun. The rays engulfed him and nurtured him and he never wanted to leave. The air was fresh, almost new, as if he were the first to every breathe it and there was a breeze, light and crisp.

He stopped and absorbed everything around him. The sun and the trees seemed to welcome him and he had never felt this at home or this...comfortable. Like this place was made specifically for him.

He looked up into the vast blue sky and smiled.

There was a bird, a body of blue and bright wings the color of fire flying above him and he had never seen anything like it, or this place.

It landed on his shoulder, the left one where a small hand had once been and he smiled again.
~~~

He opened his eyes to stare into those of the child before him. She smiled boldly, proudly and Brennan knew why.

Seven months with Eckhart. Her powers were her own now. To use as she wished and she had given him some semblance of calm.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"You're welcome." She whispered back. He lifted a cramped arm from beneanth the blanket and ruffled her soft hair. She giggled and turned back to the fire.

"You'll be alright?" He turned to his right. Alex looked at him worriedly and he knew that the sight of him at the moment might be a bit frightening for a person so similar to him.

"I'll be fine. Happens all the time." Alex gave him a skeptical look and to avoid the scrutiny he glanced around the cave. His pants lay beside the rest of his clothes and the jackets the children shed. Shalimar was no where to be found.

"She went to look for dry wood and something for dinner." Brennan nodded his head at Andrew and looked back to the fire. He held out a cold hand, almost blue in camparison to Alex's pale skin. The flames seemed to lean towards him as he rubbed both hands together. He pulled the blanket tighter. Jackie's vision helped to stop the constant shiver but there was still that feeling. Deep in his bones where these flames couldn't reach. He felt like he could never be fully warm again.
~~~

He was dozing off when Shalimar returned. He opened his eyes as he heard her approach.

She held up three birds and thankfully, no rodent-like creatures.

"This was all I could find." She dropped a cloth wrapped bundle next to her and handed the birds to Andrew. "Start plucking." He handed one to Anna who couldn't look more disgusted than if she was given a severed human head and told to shave it. However, she dutifully began to pull the feathers from the dead animal.

She crouched down and unwrapped the package she'd been carrying. Inside it was timber of different sizes, all reasonably dry given the current weather. She took a large log from the pile and looked it over. She carried it to the fire and tossed it on. The flames grew, engulfing the piece of wood. She rubbed her hands on her pants nervously.

"What's up?" She looked at Brennan worriedly.

"The rain doesn't look like it's going to let up anytime soon. We'll be lucky if it stops by morning." Which meant that they couldn't move. Eckhart's men would be hard pressed to find them in these conditions but if they stayed in the cave too long, the GSA would be a lot closer than anyone would like.

Brennan remained silent as he leaned closer to the fire. If the rained kept up for too long, they'd have no choice but to keep going. He was more worried about Alex making it than him. If they kept her covered with enough clothing and jackets, they should be able to make it another couple of miles before...

Before he'd have to stop.

Sometimes, Brennan really hated being a mutant, but it wouldn't do well to say that aloud, especially after he assured them all there was nothing wrong with it.
~~~

Shalimar stood back watching Brennan hunched over the fire with Alex to one side and Jackie to the other. She knew exactly what he was thinking. The same thing she thought everytime she got near fire.

She squeezed the water from her hair, then did the same to her shirt and pant legs. She didn't like water, another thing about feline ferals, but it was nothing like Brennan. Where as water made her uncomfortable and at times grouchy, it physically and mentally weakend him to the point where even his come backs and talkative nature were dampened.

Shalimar couldn't begin to imagine what he must feel like.
~~~

"How're you feeling?" Brennan was dozing off again when Shalimar sat beside him. He must have been sleeping a while; Jackie was on the other side of the fire with everyone except Alex. She was still sitting beside him and it took a moment to realize he was resting most of his weight against her. Brennan sat up slowly, about to apologize when he realized the young girl was sleeping too.

"I think she's got a crush on ya." Shalimar whispered as she watched him try not to disturb Alex.

"You think everyone has a crush on me." Shalimar shrugged. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About an hour, hour and a half. Long enough that you missed dinner." She leaned over and retrieved what looked like two chicken legs. "But we saved you some. We weren't sure if you'd be hungry."

"I don't even want to know where you just pulled those from." She handed him the food. "Thanks."

"You didn't answer my question." When Brennan gave her a confused look, she rolled her eyes. "I asked how you're feeling."

"Naked." Was the first thing that came to mind. All he had was a blanket and his boxers and he felt -- perverted -- being that undressed around children. It was just, wrong and unnatural and he really needed his clothes back now before he had some sort of panic attack.

"I meant health wise." Despite the fact, Shalimar stood up gracefully and retrieved his clothes. His shirt was dry but his pants were still damp. Maybe if he kept them close to the fire, they'd be dry in another hour.

"Honestly, I'm feeling a little tired. Maybe even a little resentful. One thing about being mutants, we always have common weaknesses. I mean, at least Superman had Kryptonite. I've got water. Come on! Water?!?!" Brennan was very close to whining and Shalimar thought it was kind of cute. If only because he was always being so damn macho all the time. She smiled.

"Are you done?"

"For now."

"Good. Eat and think about all the good things that come along with being mutants. I'm going to take Alex over there." She got up and dusted her pants off. She walked over to the younger elemental, slid a hand under her legs and then behind her neck and slowly lifted her.

"Jealous, Shal?" Shalimar glared at him.

"That's the last time I feed you." She walked around the fire and headed towards one of the walls opposite them. "Jackie, could you pass me one of the coats for Alex to lay on?"

Jackie jumped up, her blond hair flying around her in a swirl of golden strands. She skipped to the boulder where the drying clothes were spread out. She tested each coat carefully until she found one sufficiently dry. She carried it over to Shalimar, folded it neatly and placed it on the floor. Shalimar lowered Alex so that her head rested on the makeshift pillow.

"Thank you." She whispered to Jackie and the two returned to the fire.
~~~

The children were sleeping an hour later and thankfully, Brennan's pants were dry enough to put back on. He'd eaten the 'chicken' and that was about all his body could take. He already felt like it might come back up if he so much as moved. He felt marginally better; the headache he didn't even realize he had slowly dissipated, relieving the pressure in his head. He shivered from time to time and his body felt weak but he didn't have the urge to pass out like he did a few hours ago.

"Shalimar, Brennan, are you alright?" Brennan glared at his comm ring. Adam had this timing thing where he could some how miss all the action and come in when it was all over. Almost like the calvary when you were in the worst kind of situations.

"We're fine Adam." Shalimar answered. She was sitting next to Brennan watching him fight to stay awake. She was positive that he was too tired to realize he kept falling asleep.

"Jesse says there's a storm. Did you find shelter?"

"Oh yeah, nice cozy cave. Nothing like cold, damp, stone beds to ruin a night's rest." Brennan bit out.

Shalimar couldn't decide if she should hit him or just let it go. She opted for the latter.

Brennan ran a hand through his hair, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He couldn't blame this on Adam. It was definitely his fault that they were in the jungle in the first place, but to be fair, this sort of thing was in their job description. And Adam couldn't have predicted them getting caught in the middle of what felt like the biggest storm of the year.

"I take it you didn't find it in time?" Brennan opened his mouth but thought better of it. Shalimar answered instead.

"No we didn't. We're hoping the rain eases up enough to make it to the village."

"You might not have to. Some of the members of the underground volunteered their services in helping to find the missing children. With the work load lightened, Jesse should be able to fly out first thing in the morning and pick you up."

"Why does this sound familiar?" He asked sarcastically.

"Brennan..." Shalimar warned.

Brennan shook his head and stood slowly, trying not to upset his stomach anymore than it already was. He was in no mood for people and he thought it might just be better if he went to sleep. For the next week.

He walked carefully, placing one foot in front of the other, and then again, until he was further back in the cave. He sat down, closing his eyes to try and balance himself. Brennan felt the cool stone floor beneath his hand and welcomed it. He pulled the blanket from around his shoulders and bundled it up. He laid down and placed it under his head and faced the wall, his back to the fire. He stared at it until he felt his heart slow down.

He didn't mean to be rude. His moods were never his own when large amounts of water were concerned and he hated it more that not only could it weaken his body, it could all but control his emotions. All he wanted was a dry place to sleep with warm covers and decent food that didn't have to be caught and plucked and skinned before his eyes.

Even in the 'safety' of the cave, the storm still tormented him. It left a stiffness in his bones and a heavy feeling on his shoulders. He felt suffocated and opressed, like he was wrapped in a thick, dark, damp blanket determined to absorb the life from him.

Brennan clenched his jaw and thought about the place Jackie had given him.
~~~

Shalimar watched Brennan walk away.

"Shalimar?"

"Yeah, Adam, sorry."

"Is he alright?"

"We got caught in the storm. He's been out of it since. I think he just needs time to get back together."

"See that he doesn't use his powers until he's fully better. It'll only slow down his recuperation. We'll call you as soon as Jesse is on his way. See you soon."

"Bye Adam." Shalimar said distractedly.

Shalimar walked to where Brennan lay. Despite his best efforts to stay still, he was still shivering. She walked over to the boulder and picked up his jacket. It was still damp but their body heat would be enough to dry it out. She carried it back to him and sat down.

"It's not his fault." She began.

"I know."

"And he's trying."

"I know." Brennan shifted until his arm was under his head. He was curled in on himself, his body tense. He sighed. "I know that. I didn't...I wasn't saying that it is. I'm just-"

"Frustrated?" Shalimar supplied.

"Something like that." He didn't turn around.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"It wasn't exactly something that came up in conversation. It's not like you didn't know I had an aversion to water." Shalimar couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"You're kidding me right? Because if you're not, I swear to God Brennan, I'll hit you so hard..." Her threat was answered with silence. "Yeah, we knew you didn't like water, just like I don't like fire, and Jesse isn't to fond of electrical fields. But we didn't know it was to this degree Brennan. You should have told someone. You should have told me."

"I told Adam."

"I'm not Adam." Brennan shifted again until he was on his back. He couldn't find it in himself to sit up.

"What would you have done Shal?" She opened her mouth to answer, but closed it. What would she have done?

The truth was, it didn't matter what she would have done. What if they'd been in the middle of fight and it started raining? And if he just collasped and she had no idea why? He had no right...

"And this is why I didn't say anything. You're thinking of all of the things that could have gone wrong. And I'd constantly be worried that you were worried about me. I'd be a liability."

"You not telling us could have gotten us all killed."

"Has your fear of fire ever stopped us from doing our job?" She could think of so many times when she'd panicked in the face of fire, but when it really counted...

"You saved Emma. You faced your deepest fear and you saved her. Me? Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have been able. It doesn't matter if I told you or not. The fact is, no matter if you knew or not, water is my weakness and that can't be helped. It can't be overcome. So I just live with and get on with my life."

Sometimes...sometimes she hated that he had that whole 'street mentality' thing going on. He learned to take care of himself, she understood that, but this was something the team deserved to know and sometimes, she thinks he isn't into the 'being a team' thing. He tried, she'll grant him that, but moments like this show her just how different they are.

Or maybe, just how alike.

Suddenly, it hit her. Hard.

Brennan wasn't used to being cared about. He was so used to taking care of himself that he didn't understand when people were offering him a hand. Everything in his life had been for a price and he stilled lived by that creed. It was almost like living amongst hyenas...the weak get left behind. Brennan would rather take his chances in life than be labeled weak.

Shalimar smiled. She'd just have to teach him that in her pack, no one got left behind.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing. You should go to sleep. From the looks of it, you definitely need it."

"Hey!" He swatted at her playfully. She ruffled his hair like she saw him do to Jackie earlier.

While Brennan was definitely number one in all of her dreams, she had to admit he wasn't looking his best. His skin was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. His lips had a slight blue tinge to them and his body was overcome with sporadic tremors.

"The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner we'll be on our way back to Sanctuary. Hot baths, real beds, real food..." Brennan groaned.

"I'd settle for a pillow. That's all I really want. And maybe a dry bed. With those black sheets I bought last month. Softest things I've ever felt, Shal, I swear, god, and so warm, smooth as silk..."

"Are we talking about sheets or a girl?" Brennan's eyes actaully bulged and Shalimar couldn't help but laugh.

"I think I'm going to sleep now." He turned on his side again, mumbling something even Shalimar had trouble hearing.

She slid in behind him and tried to get comfortable but the way Brennan was laying made even her cringe. If he stayed that tense the whole night, his body, particularly his spine, would remind him of it in the morning. She moved closer until her chest was flush against his back. She brought his jacket up to their shoulders and wrapped it around them. Sometimes it was hard to conceive that Brennan was so...massive; his jacket easily encompassed the both of them. Shalimar quickly put down those thoughts before they lead her to things she'd rather not think about. She wrapped an arm around him and laid her head on his shoulder.

Brennan eyes were closed but it was more from concentration than exhaustion. He needed to stop shivering. Logically, he knew that shivering was the body's way of trying to heat back up but it was driving him crazy and from the feel it, it was far from working.

"Brennan, this has happened before, hasn't it?"

"Me getting wet?" He asked confusedly.

"No, the shaking. Is it normal? You haven't stopped. It's been long enough, shouldn't you be warming up by now?"

"It's not only that I'm cold. Not really. It's my body temperature fluctuating. Adam explained it to me." And they both knew how convulted Adam's 'simple' explanations were. "From what I understand, it's my body fighting itself for warmth. I'm warming up, just not fast enough. So my body pushes blood where it's needed and when that place is warm enough, it diverts it until I'm warm enough. Water is - literally - a shock to my system and my body is doing what it can to recover as fast as possible. I'll be fine."

"You're sure?" Brennan took her hand.

"Positive." He could almost feel her hesistating. "Shal, I promise you, I'll be fine. I swear." She paused for moment, and listened to the beat of his heart.

"Good."

Shalimar closed her eyes, Brennan being the only thing on her mind, and drifted asleep.

On to Part III

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