Chapter 1.
Twenty three years earlier.
Jesse Kilmartin sat in front of a computer as he had done for most of his time with Mutant X. With Sanctuary gone he, Lexa, Shalimar, and Brennan had been forced to find another way to carry out their jobs. A new mutant friend of his had helped them with finances until they'd found a way to access their secret bank account and the group had moved into their new homes.
They had decided as a group, that if they were going to hide in plain site, then they needed to break off into couples and it made the most sense to break off in boy-girl groups. Shalimar and Brennan had come across a large duplex that Jesse had bought for himself and Lexa to live in. money had been spent hiring new mutant architects and construction workers to create both a panic room and a finished basement under the house. A secret room had been built between the two basements and the master bedroom of Jesse's house had been turned into a lab that was filled with the same technology as Sanctuary's lab had once been.
Their computers were laptops that Jesse had bought, taken apart, and then reconstructed with the same system they'd used before, but different codes, and back doors that only they could find. After they had finished setting things up and recovering most of the back up files Jesse had gone to work looking through the files, bringing him to his current seat on the sofa in the den with the small computer on his lap, and Lexa painting her nails next to him.
Jesse looked over at her for a moment and then turned back to the computer. After four months of work he had found nothing, but was continuing to work hard in search for a cure.
Lexa finished painting her nails and got up heading for the kitchen.
Jesse set his computer aside and followed her.
"Jess, you don't have to watch me every minute. I'm not gonna sneak out of the house to go off on some foolish mission." Lexa snapped when she saw him walk in behind her.
"I know you wouldn't. I was just coming to get something to drink. You know I don't think it would kill you to be a little more pleasant."
"It might. Speaking of my death, how does the search go?"
"Nothing today, but that just means I'm that much closer to finding the right files."
"Unless there aren't any files containing the information."
"Don't start this, Lexa. I'm not gonna let you die."
Lexa turned around so she was facing him. "Jess, I may not make it, and I think it's high time that you realized that."
"I'm never accepting that, Lexa."
"You're stabilized, Jesse, you don't have to worry about dying."
Jesse opened his mouth to say something but then decided against it. He turned and walked out of the room and sat back down at his computer.
Lexa winced as she heard him swear when he walked out. She sank down into one of the chairs at the kitchen table and shook her head before resting it in her hands.
The computer keys clicked furiously as Jesse looked through the files. One caught his eye and he opened it. Quickly he scanned the information and was skeptical as he read, it couldn't be that simple. After he regained his ability to think he looked back over the words in front of him to make sure that he had read it right.
"Lexa! Get in here, now!" Jesse called.
Lexa's head jerked up at the sound of his voice, and she quickly made her way to the den.
"What's going on, Jess?" Lexa asked as she stepped in the room.
"Sit down and I'll tell you." Jesse answered.
Lexa shook her head and sighed in exasperation but sat down across from him. "I'm sitting so talk."
"Alright. I still can't save you." Jesse began.
"We both know that."
"Hold on a minute, Lex. I still can't save you yet, but there is a way to at least prolong your life. I don't know how you are going to feel about this, but we do have an option for a temporary cure."
"Which would be?"
"Pregnancy. If you're pregnant your genes will stabilize for the duration of the pregnancy and I will have nine months guaranteed for finding the cure."
"You're saying that if I get knocked up. I'll stabile for those nine months?"
'I know it sound's crazy, but it is the truth. What we do is completely up to you, Lexa. If you want to go through with this we will and if you don't, we won't."
"What is up with this 'we' stuff, Kilmartin?"
"If you choose to do the pregnancy thing you'll need someone to be the father, and you don't have a boyfriend."
"So you're just going to volunteer yourself to be the father if I decide to do this?"
"I'm going to do what I have to so I can save you. If you don't want me to be the father, I'll find you a sperm donor if that is what you want. I don't think Shalimar will be allow you to borrow Brennan's. You do need to make your choice fairly quick though. Your best time for conception would be with in the next week to ten days."
"You really know way too much about me." Lexa muttered and then drew in her breath. "I need some time to decide about this, but while I'm thinking I want you to keep looking for a real cure."
"You think and I'll keep looking." Jesse agreed.
"I'm going to go talk with Shalimar. I'll see you tonight at supper."
Lexa stood up and left the room, heading to a small room that was empty with the exception of a few empty boxes that the house hold appliances had been bought in when they had moved in.
Lexa kneeled down and lifted a rung, underneath was a nearly invisible trap door which she opened and then walked down the stairs to the basement.
After she got down the stairs she made her way to the secret room that connected the two houses and walked up another stairway to a secret door. She opened the door and stepped out into the room.
"Shalimar!" she called as she stepped out into the hall.
"I'm in the kitchen!" Shalimar called back.
Lexa made her way though the house to the small kitchen. "Hey, Shal, Is this a good time to talk? Where is Brennan?"
'Sure, we can talk now. I'm just getting supper ready. Brennan went for a run." Shalimar gave the woman a warm smile. "What's on your mind?"
"Jesse thinks he's found a way to temporarily stabilize me."
"That's great, Lexa. So we're all gonna be ok for a while then?"
"Actually, you and I are the only ones who can be stabilized in this manner. Jesse's found that if a female new mutant is pregnant her genes are stabile during that time."
"So he wants to get you pregnant so he'll have more time to find a cure?"
"He wants me to consider it."
"Lexa, I know that you don't want to have children, but I also know that Jesse will want to do anything possible to save you, and that he does want to have children. He wants to have children with you to be more exact."
"To tell you the truth, he's the only one I'd ever consider having children with. The thing is that there is an eighty percent chance of our combined mutations being deadly for any child we conceived together."
"And there is a twenty percent chance of the baby being healthy, and a one hundred percent chance of Jesse loving his child."
"I know he'd love our child if we had one, but I don't know if I could condemn a baby to that high of a risk just so I could have a few extra months of life guaranteed."
"There are no easy answers here, Lex. You are going to have to decide what you want. I can't tell you what would be best for your life; you're the one who has to decide that."
"Having a baby, it would make him happy, right?"
"I think it would, but only as long as he knew you'd chosen to do it and that you hadn't felt forced."
Lexa stood quietly for a moment before she said anything. "Thanks Shalimar. You've helped me a lot."
"You're welcome. You and Jess want to come over for supper tonight?"
"Is it to visit or to keep up our act?"
"Both." Shalimar confessed. "The four of us don't hang around like we used to, and it has been a while since the neighbors spied you two dropping in."
"If he's up to it we'll be in, and if I don't find out we have other plans."
"Like practicing baby making?' Shalimar teased as a slight giggle escaped her lips.
"Could be a possibility.' Lexa answered as she left the kitchen. "Then of course we could also just have paper work to do."
She heard Shalimar's laugh as she made her way back to the secret passage. A few minutes later she was back in her house and on her way to the den.
When she walked into the den Jesse didn't even look up from his computer.
"So I go over and talk to Shal and you don't want to know what it was about?" Lexa asked as she moved the computer from his lap and sat down in its place.
"What did you talk about?" Jesse asked. He put his arms around the woman and laid a hand on her leg.
"The temporary solution you found. I wanted to get her opinion on it."
"And now that you have it?"
"I still don't have an answer for you. There is a lot to consider. We can't guarantee that the baby will be healthy because of us both being new mutants, and then there is the fact that our child might still grow up with out a mother, not to mention we don't know if you and I can even conceive together."
"So if you do this I'm the one you're gonna sleep with?" Jesse laughed.
"Jess, I'm being serious."
"I know you are, and whatever you decide to go with I'll support you."
"I'll give you my answer soon. We're eating at Shal and Bren's place."
"What, I don't get a say in these things?"
"No you don't, Jess, now go get ready.' Lexa climbed out of his lap and walked out of the room heading to her bedroom.
"Are we supposed to bring anything? Wine, beer, dessert?" Jesse called after her.
"Nothing that I know of." Lexa called back.
1 hour later
Jesse and Lexa stood outside the door of Brennan and Shalimar's side of the duplex. Jesse knocked on the door and then waited for someone to open it. A moment later Brennan opened the door and ushered them inside.
"Shal's working on the salad and then we'll be ready to eat." he explained as they sat down at the dining table.
"We're ready to eat now." Shalimar corrected as she stepped in with a large bowl of salad which she set on the table. "Good to have you guys over here together."
"Thanks, Shal. Life isn't the same with out you pulling practical jokes on me at three in the morning." Jesse laughed.
"Which means I get more sleep." Brennan added.
"You've got that right." Lexa said as she speared a piece of lettuce.
The group laughed and continued to talk and joke through the meal. Finally they finished eating and Shalimar began to clear the dishes to bring in dessert.
Once everyone had a piece of apple pie she sat back down. "So, Lexa, about what we talked about earlier, have you decided?"
"Not yet, I'm thinking about it still?" Lexa answered.
"Thinking about what?" Brennan asked, his curiosity rising.
"I found a temporary cure for Lexa, she's still deciding if she wants to go through with it." Jesse explained.
"A temporary cure?" Brennan prompted.
"Yes, and I'm not sure if I want to do it. There are certain risk factors involved." Lexa said, ending the conversation.
"Lexa, we should get home, it's late." Jesse said as he looked at his watch.
"In other words you three don't want to tell me what's going on." Brennan said, shaking his head.
"They will tell you when they're ready." Shalimar said.
"Shal's right, but it is time for me and Jess to go. You don't want your neighbors spying on us.' Lexa said as she stood up. "I've got an early morning appointment anyway."
"What kind of appointment, Lexa?" Jesse asked.
"A hair appointment," Lexa explained. "and I've got a few things I want to get done before I go to bed tonight."
"We'll see you later then." Shalimar said as she cleared the dessert plates.
"Like she said, later." Brennan agreed as Jesse and Lexa left.
A few hours later.
Lexa left her bedroom after spending three hours trying in vain to fall asleep. She quietly made her way through the house to Jesse's room.
She walked in the open door and stared at Jesse lying across his king sized bed. Quietly walking, she made her way across the room and climbed into his bed next to him.
Jesse's eyes opened as his sleep was interrupted. Lexa's clear blue eyes met his, surprising him.
"Lexa? What are you doing in here?" he asked as he propped up on one arm.
"I thought you wanted to make a baby with me?" Lexa asked, amused.
"Make a baby with you? Does that mean you're going to try the temporary cure?"
"Yes, I guess that means I'm going to have your baby."
Jesse smiled and lightly kissed her. 'If we're having a baby we need to get married."
"Jesse Stephen Kilmartin, we are not getting married!"
"Lexa Allison Pierce," Jesse laughed. "it is just a formality. We need to get married just in case I still can't save you. I don't want the government to try to take my child from me. Besides, don't you want the baby to have some pictures of us together?"
Lexa thought for a moment. "Alright, we get married. This doesn't mean that anything is happening between us though."
"If that's how you want it." Jesse agreed.
"I canceled my hair appointment tomorrow so we can start trying tonight.' Lexa whispered as she pressed her body against his.
"The wedding is gonna happen the first chance we get."
"Just get to work at knocking me up.' Lexa smirked.
"Gladly ma'am, gladly." Jesse laughed.
He pulled her to him and gently kissed her before she started to pull her thin red nightgown off her body and over her head.
Next morning.
Jesse woke up to the sight of Lexa wrapped in his arms. He gently pressed a kiss against her forehead and buried his nose in her hair, breathing in the scent. "We were damn good last night, Baby, damn good." He whispered softly. "I love you."
A few minutes later Lexa woke up. At first she was disoriented to find herself in Jesse's room, but quickly recovered. "So now we are underway with this temporary cure of yours." she said as she climbed out of the bed and pulled her nightgownback on.
"Yeah, you sure that you are still ok with this?" Jesse asked.
"I'm fine with it, Jess. Just do me a favor and don't get used to the idea of us being a real couple.'
"We need to tell Shal that you are going through with the plan and Brennan needs to know what the plan is."
"Then we go over today and tell him. I'm sure he'll be amused that I'm trying to get pregnant."
"I know that hewill be amused. I'll go get breakfast ready while you get dressed." Jesse climbed out of bed, pulled on some clothes and then went down to the kitchen to get breakfast ready.
2 hours later, after breakfast.
Jesse and Lexa once again stood outside Brennan and Shalimar's door, waiting on one of their friends to answer.
Shalimar opened the door and smiled when she saw her friends on the doorstep. "Come on in. I'm guessing you made a decision?"
"Yes, but we're telling you both at once.' Lexa answered as she and Jesse stepped inside.
Shalimar led them to the den where Brennan was sitting on the sofa, reading a poetry book. "Look who I found on our doorstep, Bren."
"Jess, Lexa, what up?" Brennan asked as he set his book down.
"We came to tell you that I've made a decision about the temporary cure." Lexa said as she and Jesse sat down on the love seat across from the sofa.
"What is your decision and what is the cure?' Brennan asked, slightly smirking.
"I was going through some files and apparently some time it was discovered that if a female new mutant is pregnant her DNA stabilizes temporarily during that time." Jesse explained.
"So he told me, and I've been thinking about it and have decided to go through with it.'
"Wait, you are going to try andget pregnant and have a baby? Who's gonna be the father?" Brennan asked incredulously.
"It has to be an electrical elemental." Lexa said, and smiled when she saw Brennan's look of shock at the realization of her words hit. "Shal and I have already talked about this, and she's fine with the idea."
Brennan continued to get evenpaler while Shalimar and Jesse tried to keep from laughing.
"Then again, a molecular would work well too." Lexa added after giving Brennan a few more tense seconds.
"That was a dirty trick." Brennan said when he found the ability to speak again. "So, you and Jess are going for a baby?"
"That's their plan." Shalimar said. "I kind of like the idea, a new member of Mutant X to raise and train."
"If you want to go for it you can, Shal.' Jesse said as he put an arm around Lexa's waist. "It could be even more fun to have two babies around the same age."
"One will be more than enough." Brennan said before Shalimar could comment.
"Shal could always have one later, if she decided to." Lexa suggested, smiling broadly at Brennan knowing what his reaction to her statement would be.
"Well good luck with the whole thing." Shalimar broke in. "I hate to kick you out, but Brennan and I have a lot of work to do today. There's a safe house that just emptied yesterday so we're going to get the back up files stored there.'
"More work for me.' Jesse laughed as he and Lexa got up and left.
2 days later.
Jesse woke up early and slipped out of bed. He quickly dressed and then went to the kitchen to make breakfast. A few minutes late Lexa joined him.
"You need to go buy a wedding dress.' Jesse said as she put a plate in front of Lexa. "We're going to be married on the twenty fifth."
"Of August or September?" Lexa questioned as she took a bite of toast.
"August, just a few days away. It's not going to be anything fancy. A small church, Bren, Shal, and maybe a few close friends. They already know about the wedding so I just have to give them the date."
"So I need to buy a dress. Anything else that we need to do today?"
"Wedding license, hotel reservation for the wedding night, wedding bands, and where do you want to go for your honey moon?"
"I don't need a honeymoon."
"But we do need a vacation. Just tell me where you want to go and we're off."
"England. I have a friend with a summer house in Bristol, but they aren't using it this year.'
"That sounds fine. I've got a friend down at City hall who can get us a license and have things set up the way we need them."
2 hours later City hall.
Jesse followed an intern to an office with the name 'Chris Quillope' across the door in black letters. He knocked on the door and waited.
"Jess, what brings you here?" Chris asked when he opened the door.
"I'm in need of a little help." Jesse answered. "I've got to get a marriage license."
"So a girl finally managed to catch the great Jesse Kilmartin." Chris laughed. "Let's get this taken care of.'
"I also need you to make her think that you aren't giving us the real deal."
"This has something to do with your secret work?"
"Part of it does. I want her to be legally married to me, but I don't want her to know that she is."
"Very complicated, but I can handle it. Is she here?"
"In the lobby. I didn't want her to hear my plan."
Chris shook his head and smiled. "I'll have an intern go get her. What's her name?"
"Lexa, Lexa Pierce."
5 days later.
Jesse stood at the altar of the small church as he waited for Lexa to walk up the aisle to him.
Soon she was by his side and they were reciting the vows that they had written themselves.
Lexa looked up into his eyes as she began to speak. "I promise to love, honor, and cherish you for every second of every minute we have together. You will be my equal, even when you have to remind me of it. Until death us do part, fighting him every step of the way."
Jesse smiled and gently squeezed her hands at the end of her vows and waited for the signal to recite his. "I promise to love, honor, and cherish you for every second of every minute we have together. You will be my equal in all ways, and you will always be free to remind me of that till death do us part, and that's only after we give him a run for his money."
"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride." The minister said after the church had quieted down form the gentle laugh that had run through at the end of the vows.
Jesse gently cupped Lexa's chin in his hand and softly kissed her.
4 weeks later.
Jesse finished running a scan on Lexa and waited for the computer to analyze the data.
A few minutes later he looked over the read out and smiled. He walked over to where Lexa was looking over some files on her computer, put his arms around her, pulling her into a back to front hug and pressed a kiss to her neck.
"What's this all about?" Lexa asked.
Jesse smiled and kissed her again. "It worked.We're pregnant."