Galena

Chapter 1

Twenty two year old Galena Varren sat quietly in her bedroom, trying to avoid her father's attention. She drew in her breath as she heard his heavy footsteps approaching her door. The sound of the door opening caused her to cringe.

Mike Varren walked into the bedroom and stood quietly in front of the girl. When she stood up to face him Mike raised his hand and harshly slapped her. "What were you doing, looking for him again! He's dead! Galena, he's not coming back to get you!"

The girl stood in silent defiance trying to tune out her father's harsh tone and words.

"He's a criminal, and all his friends are the same if he even has any! If he did come get you either him or one of those perverts he hangs with would have their way with you! You're nothing! No one cares about you!" Mike slapped the girl again and stormed out of the small, rundown house.

Galena waited until she heard his old clattering truck crank up and leave before she moved. With out a moment's hesitation further she pulled out the lap top she had bought at one time when she thought she might go to college. Her fingers flew as she typed on email and sent it. It was a small task for her to pack up the few belongings she had. With no second thoughts she cleaned out all of the stashes of money her father thought he had hidden from her and stuffed it in her purse. With only two duffle bags and her purse she stepped outside the house to begin a new life.

Three states away…

Jesse Kilmartin lay in his bed, tangled in the sheets. His hair was drenched with sweat and stuck to his forehead. In his mind a recurrent nightmare played, the day that Juliet had died. He woke up painting just after the building in the dream exploded. When his breathing finally returned to normal he got up and took a shower before heading to the kitchen for breakfast.

Shalimar was already up and cooking when Jesse came in. Through a wordless exchanged she knew that Jesse had had the nightmare again. She handed him a cup of freshly brewed coffee and then poured one for herself.

"Brennan got up extra early today with some kind of emergency he had to take care of." Shalimar said as she sat down at the table across from Jesse.

"You have any idea of when he'll be back?" Jesse's response was automatic, one that had been programmed into his mind for whenever someone was out.

"He took the Helix, but I don't think he'll be gone too long." Shalimar sipped her coffee. "I think an old friend needed help or something."

The two fell silent for a moment, neither of them really wanted to bring up the topic that was heavy on both of their minds.

"A year and two months." Jesse finally said, breaking the silence. "One year and two months to the day."

"You know that it wasn't your fault." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Jesse slammed his half full mug down on the table, coffee sloshing out over the edges. "How wasn't it my fault, Shalimar! She knew it was something I'd fantasized about! Hell we weren't even safe about it! If she hadn't been killed she could have gotten pregnant! I don't think he'd have wanted to raise my baby!" Jesse took a deep breath to calm himself. "I shouldn't have yelled."

"No." Shalimar shook her head. "You shouldn't have. You made mistakes, who doesn't, but it takes two to make love. What happened between you two was so…Dawson and Joey. You two always claimed to be soul mates, it was the perfect solidification of that, but it wasn't a perfect situation. She used you, Jesse. I'm sure somewhere in her mind she had reasoned that if she made you happy that night it would make up for the cold truth."

"You weren't the one who was excommunicated from the group."

"She reminded him of someone he once loved as a sister." Shalimar smiled wryly. "He was just being an older brother."

"You should both let go of this argument." Emma said as she walked into. Silently she picked up a napkin and wiped off the table where Jesse had sloshed the coffee. "You have every reason to be angry with yourself, Jesse; but not because of what happened that night. If anything, you should be angry that you are not doing what she would have wanted. You are not moving on."

"The day I meet someone who can make me feel the way Juliet did is the day I'll move on." Jesse stood up and walked out of the kitchen.

4 hours later. A small diner in a small town.

Galena sat in the back booth of the diner, sipping at a glass of iced tea. Her hazel eyes were focused on the one entrance as she waited for one person to arrive. She looked down at her watch, still forty minutes left for him to show up before she would walk out and try to forget about him. The waitress came over and took her order, pulling Galena's focus away from the door for a couple of minutes. When she looked back she saw him, standing just inside and looking around. When he spotted her she could not tell if he appeared happy or disappointed. She stood up and he walked across the diner to her. With out hesitation he pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

When they finally stepped back he held her at arms length and looked her over. "You look good, Kiddo."

Galena rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him. "I'm not a kid anymore, Brennan."

"I know." He sighed as they both sat down. "I'm guessing the scholarship didn't happen."

"The universities agree with my father. The only thing I'm good for is being a waitress in a cheap bar." She gave him a weak smile.

"You know you're more than that. We'll see what we can do about getting you some kind of education."

"I'm alright with out college. I don't want to sleep my way to the top anyways." She looked down for a second and noticed the golden band around Brennan's left ring finger. "You got married?"

"What? Oh, the ring." Brennan laughed. "Her name is Shalimar. We got married just a little less than two years ago."

"Congrats." She gave him a bright smile. "So does she know you came to get your bratty step cousin?"

"Everyone was still asleep when I left."

"Everyone? Does that mean kids or is it something else?"

"This isn't the best place to be having that discussion. I'll tell you about it on the way back to where you'll be staying."

Galena gave him a questioning look but let the subject drop. "So what kept you away for so long?"

"You know most of it. I fell in trouble with the law, andI didn't want to show up on your doorstep with the cops on my trail."

"And the rest of it will be explained later?" her eyes sparkled in amusement.

"I think that a lot of things will be explained.' His eyes darted, looking around the diner, and he dropped his voice. "Even the things that make people like us 'special.'"

"You mean the things that we can do?" She shook her head. "I don't think anyone could actually explain that to me."

"By the end of the day you'll be looking at the world from a whole new direction."

"I can hardly wait to see what things will be like." Her tone was soft and her gaze dropped again.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Once we get where we're going you'll be safer than you have been in years."

The waitress walked over with Galena's food and took Brennan's order. For the next tow hours the two cousins talked over lunch. Galena's smile brightened as she began to remember how much she liked her older cousin.

When they finally got ready to go Brennan paid the check and led the girl out to where the helix was. The shock that appeared on her face made him laugh, she had worn the same expression the first time he had showed her his powers. A few minutes later they were on the way to Sanctuary and Brennan was explaining to Galena about Genomex and Mutant X.

Late that afternoon, Sanctuary.

Jesse sat at his computer trying to organize the pictures from the digital camera. Scrolling down he found the pictures from Brennan and Shalimar's wedding. He found the picture of him and Juliet dancing and resized it to fill the whole screen. His mind slipped back, remembering the day.

"Jess, Shal, Em, Adam!" Brennan called as he walked in with Galena.

Jesse was pulled out of his day dream and quickly closed the files before Brennan stepped in. When he looked up, Jesse saw a small girl standing just a couple of feet behind Brennan. She was tall, probably close to five foot ten best he could figure, her build was very slim; dark brown curls were caught in a loose ponytail with a few strands whisping around her face; her skin was a light tan and her eyes were a greenish that Jesse recognized as hazel. She was in a simple pair of semi-tight, low rise jeans and a light blue ballet neck long sleeved t-shirt.

Galena shifted uncomfortably as Jesse looked her over. She glanced at Brennan who gave her a slight nod.

"Jess, this is Galena. She's my step cousin." Brennan said as he pulled the girl to his side.

"Is she the reason you had to run out this morning?"

"She'll tell you what she wants to tell you when she wants to tell you." Brennan shot the younger man a harsh look.

Jesse got the silent warning to keep away from the girl and returned to his work.

Brennan led Galena out of the computer lab and began to search around for the others.

"He seems nice." Galena commented softly as they walked down the hall.

"Jesse's nice enough." Brennan agreed half-heartedly. "His best friend died a little over a

year ago and he hasn't been the same since."

"In other words he's still on rebound. Don't worry, I'm not interested in dating." She smiled wryly. "I'm not even interested in thinking about a relationship."

"If you ever do want to get into a relationship I'll make sure that the guy checks out."

Galena laughed and stopped to look at a picture on the wall. Captured forever on film was a picture of Jesse and Juliet dressed up for a charity event that Jesse had gotten them tickets for.

"His best friend was his wife or something?" Galena asked as she looked back at Brennan.

"She was only his best friend. They dated for a couple of months after she moved in, but nothing ever really came from it. She died in an explosion."

"She was pretty."

"Juliet was very pretty and very sweet; but she was also a lot of trouble at times." Adam said as he walked up to them. "You must be the reason Brennan had to go out this morning."

"Galena is my younger cousin." Brennan explained. "Should I tell him or do you want to?"

"Go ahead." Galena answered softly.

Brennan took a deep breath ad released it. "Gal is my step cousin. Her mother died when she was young and she and I were always close as kids. After her mother died her father began to emotionally abuse her. She's been able to deal with it up till now, but she's finally decided to leave."

"I supposed you want her to stay here if at all possible." Adam stated more than asked.

"If it could be arranged I'd prefer her to be here where I can look out for her, but I think that she should have more say than I do."

Adam turned to the girl. "What do you want to do, Galena?"

Galena looked down at her feet and twisted one of her dark brown curls around her finger. "I'll do whatever you want me to do, but it would be nice to stay with my cousin." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

The two men exchanged a look and Adam nodded. "We'll find Jesse and have him help you set up a room. Welcome to the family."

Galena looked up for a second and smiled. "Thank you."

"Brennan, Shalimar is in the lab waiting to talk to you. I'll take Galena to Jesse and he can get her set up in a room, the one across from his would be best I think."

Brennan nodded and headed to the lab while Adam led Galena back to the computer lab.

"Jesse, I need you to help me with something." Adam said as they walked in.

Jesse looked up and smiled at Galena. "Already back again?"

"You two have already been introduced?" Adam asked in slight surprise.

"Brennan's little cousin Galena who will tell me what she wants me to know when she wants me to know it. I also get the distinct impression that I'm supposed to keep my distance from her." Jesse smirked slightly and shut down the computer.

"Set her up in the room across from yours. At least for now she's part of the team." Adam gently directed Galena over to Jesse.

The girl looked down at her feet and began to twist one of her dark curls around her finger.

"I can set up my own room if it would be more convenient." She whispered.

"It's ok; I really don't mind doing it." Jesse caught her chin on his finger and gently brought her gaze up from the floor. "Smile."

Galena locked her eyes with his and slightly smiled at him. Even though it had hardly been anything she already missed his touch.

Jesse smile back at the girl and instinctively tucked one of the loose curls behind her ear.

Adam noted the exchange between the two and silently stepped out of the room. In the simple way Jesse had handled the girl Adam saw something that he thought had died along with Juliet. The small brunette was defiantly what the team needed and he was determined to find away to keep her there permanently.

"So are you ready to go set up the room?" Jesse asked as he took a step back from the girl.

"I really don't want to be any trouble." Her gaze dropped back down to the floor.

"You're no trouble. I'll let you help me." He cupped her chin with his hand and brought her gaze back up where he could look into her eyes. "Do you have anything with you?"

Galena smiled slightly brighter, enjoying the fact that he still had two fingers on her jaw to keep her from looking back down. "I've got a couple of duffle bags."

"We'll go get them after you explain why you find the floor so interesting."

Galena laughed softly and gave him a full smile. "I'm not used to looking people in the eyes, especially not men."

"I was the same way. I'm more comfortable in a chat room than a real life conversation."

"I like chat rooms better too." She was disappointed when he completely moved his hand from her face. Looking back down at the floor, she smiled when he once again made her look up.

"You get used to people. Why don't we go get your things and then you can practice making eye contact while we set up your room."

"That sounds good." For the first time since she set foot in Sanctuary her voice was in a normal volume.

"So you can talk at a normal volume. I thought I'd have to strain my hearing with you living here."

Galena laughed and took the quick minute to look Jesse over. 'Dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, strong features. He seems to be in good shape. Now if only I could figure out why I want him to touch me.' She let her eyes examine more closely how his clothes fit him. 'Oh my God, I'm actually trying to imagine him naked. Snap out of it, Galena.'

"So, you, me, your room, now?" Jesse asked after a minute of silence.

"What!" Galena asked a little too forcefully, her thoughts making false connections with what Jesse had asked. "Oh, you mean setting the room up." She blushed. "My mind was out in space."

"Well if there is anything else you think is going to happen to day I'm scared." Jesse put a hand on her shoulder and led her down the hall to the hanger so they could get her things out of the Helix.

Galena let her gaze drop to the floor again, mildly disappointed when Jesse didn't make a move to bring her gaze back up. 'I haven't thought that much about sex since I was a kid and Bren gave me 'the talk' since Mom was dead and Dad didn't really care. How can I all of a sudden be bombarded with it?"

The entered the hangar and Jesse opened the hatch so Galena could get her things out of the Helix. They remained silent as Jesse led the way to the room Galena would be staying in.

"This is it." He said as he set her bags down on the bed. "I'll got get some sheets and things for the bed so we can make it up."

"I can make the bed up if you show me where to get the stuff." Her volume dropped back down to the whisper and her eyes never left the floor.

"Honestly it is no trouble to set things up for you. We actually had a girl here once who preferred it when I changed the sheets and made the bed for her so I'm pretty used to this stuff."

"She too lazy to do it herself?"

Jesse was surprised by the slight bit of spunk the girl showed but just laughed. "She was not into chores."

"I will be happy to do anything that I can to help." She looked up at him for a moment and smiled. "I'm good at keeping house."

"Well if we need you to keep house we'll let you know. Let me get those sheets and I'll be right back." Jesse stepped out of the room and down the hall to get out some sheets and things for the bed.

While Jesse was out of the room Galena quickly began to put away her clothes. She was careful to make sure that her lingerie was the first thing she put away then started to put up her other clothes.

Jesse stepped back into the room with the things for the bed and set everything down in and arm chair and stood against the wall. "So sheets and things are here. I can make the bed for you while you unpack."

Galena set a neatly folded shirt in a drawer and closed it. "You can get back to whatever you were doing earlier. It won't be any trouble for me to make the bed."

"I was hoping we could talk more, but if you really don't want my help I guess it's all right."

"My mother died when I was ten. Brennan spent a lot of time around me and actually ended up doing a lot of things my father should have. My father has verbally and emotionally abused me since my mother died, and actually started to do so when I was eight because she was in the hospital." Galena answered with out turning around or looking up.

Jesse was taken aback as the girl's words sank in. "I'm sorry. What did she die of?"

"Cancer." Her voice broke and she felt her body begin to shake as tears streamed down her face.

Jesse walked over to the girl and pulled her into his arms to hold her while she cried. Galena let him pull her close, wrapper her arms around him, and buried her face in his neck as she cried. It was pure instinct for Jesse to gently rub the girl's back and rock side to side with her, the exact same things he had done anytime Juliet had sought shelter in his arms.

Two hours later.

Jesse and Galena walked out of the room having made the bed and unpacked all her things. Galena kept close to him, enjoying the way he had his arm over her shoulders and how safe she felt with him.

Brennan stepped into the hallway and say Jesse with Galena. His eyes darkened and he quickly made his way down the hall. "Jesse, can I speak to you for a moment in private?"

"Sure." Jesse agreed, missing the look in Brennan's eyes. "I'll take Galena to the rec room and then meet you in the computer lab."

Brennan watched them walk off and then headed to the computer lab to wait on Jesse. As soon as the younger man walked into the room he started ranting. "What do you think you're doing? She's barely been here three hours and you're already putting your arm around her shoulders. I guess by next week you'll be sleeping with her. Taking faster than you did with Juliet?"

"I wasn't doing anything with her. All she and I were doing was talking. I know that she's at a hard time in her life."

"So she told you her background. I want you to stay away from her."

"Alright," Jesse sighed, "I'll keep away from her."

"She's more important to me than you will ever know, and I swear that if she gets hurt I'll make you pay for it."

"I'll pretend that she's not even here." Jesse turned and left, heading for his room.

Brennan hit the wall with his hand and then went to the rec room to find Galena.

"Where's Jesse?" Galena asked when she saw Brennan walk into the room.

"I think he had a headache and went to his room to rest." Brennan lied as he sat down next to the girl. "You'll see him at dinner."

"When do I get to meet Shalimar?"

"She'll be here in a while. Did you get your things set up in your room?"

"Jesse helped me unpack and put my things away. He's a really nice guy."

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to spend a lot of time with him. Jesse is a nice guy, but I don't want anything to develop. He hasn't had a girlfriend in over a year and I'm scared he might form some false attraction to you."

Galena nodded softly as she thought back to how she had felt when Jesse touched her. "I'll stay away from him if that is what you think is best."

"I just want what is best for you. You can be pleasant to him and you can spend some time with him, but I don't want you to be spending a lot of time around him."

"If you think that avoiding him will be best for me I'll do it." Galena answered reluctantly.

"Bren, is this your cousin?" Shalimar asked as she walked into the room. She lightly kissed Brennan and then sat down in his lap.

"Galena, this is my wife Shalimar. Shal, this is my little cousin."

"It is nice to meet you, Galena." Shalimar said and held out her hand to the girl.

Galena kept her gaze down as she took the blonde's hand. "Nice to meet you too." She whispered.

"Jesse said that you like to watch movies. I was wondering if you'd like to do that tonight."

"If you want to watch a movie with me that will be fine." Her voice was still soft as she spoke.

"You know that you can choose whether or not to join us." Brennan lightly put his hand on his cousin's knee.

"If I'm wanted I'll come."

"Then we'll see you tonight at supper." Shalimar said as she got up and signaled Brennan to follow her. "Jesse will be joining you in a few minutes. Brennan and I have to go to some work, but I'm sure that Jesse will keep you company."

Galena smiled slightly. "I'm sure that I'll be fine too."

"Before I forget, Adam is going to take your medical scans tomorrow. We want to make sure that you are nice and healthy."

"Hey guys." Emma said as she walked into the room. "Jesse isn't going to be coming. He's got a minor repair to do before we eat. So I will be entertaining Galena."

"I can go to my room and read if it would be easier." Galena offered in slight disappointment, she would not admit that she only wanted to spend time with Jesse or Brennan.

"It's no trouble to hang out with you." Emma gave the girl a warm smile. "I'm Emma DeLauro."

"Galena Varren.' Galena answered quickly and quietly.

"We've got to go for now but we'll meet up at dinner." Brennan said as she and Shalimar walked out. "Have fun."

"We will." Emma smiled again. She sat down on the sofa ready to talk with Galena.

Shalimar led Brennan out of the rec room and to their bed room. "Why did you tell him to avoid her?"

"She's had it hard and I just want to protect her. Do you remember what happened with the last emotionally abused cousin he got close to?"

"He loved her more than anything. He gave up sleep to comfort her after she had a nightmare. He endured innumerable blind dates with her friends when she set him up. He took her shopping all the time and let her experiment on him with make up. He even spent every day watching Dawson's Creek with her."

"Then he slept with her, got in a fight with her over it, she ran away, got captured by the GSA and was killed."

"I miss her too, Bren." Shalimar blinked back the tears. "I miss her more than you will ever know, and Jesse misses her too."

"Shal," Brennan sighed and pulled his wife into his arms. "I just don't want to see Galena hurt. Jesse still isn't ready for a relationship and even if he was I wouldn't want her to be with him. She's had it rough enough so far."

"I still think it's wrong to forbid him to spend time with her. You missed how she lit up when I told her Jesse was going to come spend more time with her; and how her spirits completely dropped when Emma told her Jesse wasn't coming."

"Then it is definitely for the better that he keeps away from her."

"Let's go do our work. We can talk about this later." Shalimar stepped out of the room and headed for the lab.

Later that evening

Galena sat silently in the chair Emma had directed her to while she watched the other woman prepare dinner for the group. Although Galena had been more than willing to help, Emma had waved off the offer and insisted that she would handle the meal. For the first time since her arrival Galena felt at ease to look around and examine things.

The kitchen was clean and organized. Everything in the room was of the same modern look except for the refrigerator which had a large collage held up by magnets. When she had questioned about the collage Emma had told her it was something Juliet had made and that none of them had the heart to take it down. Galena smiled as she looked carefully at the pictures.

Suddenly she sensed someone sitting next to her; she turned around and smiled when she saw Jesse. Jesse gave the girl a slight smile in response and then looked away from her. Galena felt her heart drop and looked down at her hands.

A couple of minutes later Brennan, Shalimar, and Adam walked into the room. Shalimar smiled as the sat down while Brennan helped Emma serve the food.

"Is the room to your satisfaction?" Adam asked as he sat down.

Galena looked up for a second and then looked back down. "The room is fine."

"I want to take her shopping so she can get a few things to give the room some personality." Brennan said as he and Galena sat down.

"That is a good idea." Adam nodded. "Jesse can take her tomorrow."

"Brennan knows her better." Jesse sighed as the tried not to look at Brennan or Galena.

"Brennan will be working on the cars tomorrow, and I'd rather have you go ahead and get her room painted and decorated." Adam said in a finalized tone. "Jesse will take her shopping for any clothes she needs as well."

"I don't really need anything." Galena practically whispered. "I really don't have very much money."

"You won't be paying for the items you buy." Adam calmly explained. "There is a fund for such things that I have set aside. It will pay for the interior decorating of your room and some clothing. Once a year the team buys any work related clothes they need from the money in the fund. Things like leathers and furs are not covered, but the majority of things are."

"We can make a day of it." Jesse suggested. "Maybe even take you out to look at cars."

"I'd almost forgotten she would need a car." Adam shook his head. "She'll also need a lap top and a few other computer things. Jesse, you know what she needs."

"She's got a laptop already so I'll only have to take care of the accessories and her com ring is ready with the exception for programming it to her DNA code." Jesse stirred the mashed potatoes on his plate and tried not to look at Galena.

The meal went on with an awkward feeling hanging over the table. Jesse tried to keep from making eye contact with Brennan or Galena while Galena kept her eyes focused on her plate the whole time. Whenever Brennan looked at Shalimar she gave him a harsh glare and started talking to one of the others. After everyone had finished eating Shalimar and Jesse stayed in the kitchen to clear the dished while the others went to do their own thing.

"She really seems to like you, Jess." Shalimar commented as she brought a stack of plates to the sink.

"You're imagining things, Shal." Jesse forced a laugh hoping that Shalimar would leave him alone.

"You and Brennan were the only ones she looked at the whole meal. She really seems like a nice girl."

"She needs her space." Jesse rinsed off a dish and handed it to Shalimar. "I'm just doing what I should to be polite."

"You know you are allowed to feel some attraction to woman. It isn't a crime."

"Even if I was attracted to her now isn't the time. She's new and needs to adjust. Any attraction she thinks she feels for me is only the product of her stress and once she settles in the attraction will wear off."

"What if her attraction doesn't wear off? It isn't that inconceivable that she could be attracted to you. Once you started to smile again plenty of women hit on you."

"Let's just leave it at I'm not attracted to her."

"If this is because of Brennan I'll hit both of you. Both of you are forgetting that she wanted you to find someone to spend the rest of you life with."

"That doesn't mean he can't be protective of Galena. I would never try to hurt her, but if I did accidentally hurt her we both know he wouldn't stop doing things to make me regret it until I left."

"He has to give you a chance; maybe not with Galena, but at least with some woman. I know that he's cause a lot of women to 'change their minds' about you."

"I really don't care anymore. For now I'm just as happy not to date."

Shalimar took the last dish form him and put it in the dishwasher. She pressed a few buttons to start the cycle and then turned to look Jesse in the eyes. "You can play out your life however you want to, but try to remember what she would have wanted for you." She turned and started to walk out of the room. "I'm going to find the others. Join us in the rec room for a movie if you want."

Jesse watched Shalimar walk away. Without thinking for more than a second he headed to his room, got a shower, and sat on the bed with a copy of To Kill a Mocking Bird.

Three Hours Later

Galena stood in front of her bathroom sink brushing her teeth. She would never admit it to anyone, but she had been crushed when Jesse had not joined them to watch movies even though Adam had assured her that Jesse did not have anything he was supposed to be working on. She had sat silently through the movie, even though Down With Love was her favorite romantic comedy. Once the movie was over Brennan had showed her whose room was whose incase she needed anyone and then left her to get ready for bed. For a full ten minutes she had stood at her doorway, staring across the hall at the strip of light she could see under Jesse's door. When the strip of light disappeared she felt her heart drop further, knowing that he had gone to bed with out saying anything to her. With tears trying to form in her eyes she had closed the door and began to get ready for bed.

She slipped between the sheets and laid her head on a pillow, trying to erase the images from that afternoon from her mind. There was no point in her pretending anymore, she was falling for a man she had just met.