Title: Picnic

Fandom: Mutant X
Characters: Emma DeLauro, Brennan Mulwray, Jesse Kilmartin, Shalimar Fox
Prompt: Drink
Word Count: 1,136
Rating: G
Author's Notes: Not mine. Don't sue. And yeah, I'm back. For, like, a second. Oh, and thanks for the kind souls who left a review. At least I am now sure that people are reading my work. Good news: I won't quit the challenge. Leave a review if you have time, but if not, that's still fine. I'm now relieved, that's all I need. Thank you. Oh, and this story will be the last of the Food Series, so the next chapter I'll post will probably have nothing to do with this.

She almost didn't notice the note taped on the fridge as she was about to get a drink before making breakfast. She would have entirely missed it had it not accidentally fell out of place and flew down in front of her lazily, much like a feather playfully taunting her. Creasing her eyebrows the psionic picked up the fallen note and read it carefully, a small smile escaping her lips once she had finished reading the whole thing.

Meet me outside as soon as you get this. And forget about making breakfast.

-- B

She shook her head at their own childishness. They would sometimes call each other that, her referring to him as B and him calling her E. It was another proof of their strong bond, the deep connection they shared. She debated on whether she should prepare a little something for the others before heading off to their little date, but the elemental did say that she should not worry about it, right? One thing she learned was that she should trust Brennan enough when it came to matters such as these. If he said forget about making breakfast, it was better if she followed.

The cool air wrapped her whole body as she stepped out of the sheltered premises of Sanctuary, and she silently scolded herself for not bringing a sweater with her. She gently rubbed her hands on her bare arms, hoping that by doing so she could feel a little warm.

A leather jacket suddenly found its way cozily on her shoulders, and the telempath turned around to see the elemental grinning down at her. She smiled back and gratefully wriggled inside the material.

"Good morning," he whispered, placing a loving hand on her right shoulder and subtly pushing her forward.

"Good morning to you too," she responded, looking around for any sign of the others. She was still worried that they may not have anything to eat yet, and was half-hoping that they were going to join them in whatever the elemental was planning on doing.

"Stop acting like a mother for once, Em," he laughed. "They can make their own breakfast."

"I don't even want to think of the disaster Shalimar would make when she tries to make pancakes," she replied sullenly, which earned another grin from the elemental. Sometimes it amazed her how he could read her so clearly, as if he was a psionic as well.

He led her to a cozy spot that overlooked the ocean, and she had to smile when she saw the preparations that Brennan made prior to their little date. A baby blue blanket was laid out on the soft grass, and there was a wicker basket filled with she could only guess what kinds of food. At least he had sense enough to bring the jacket with him to shield her from the biting cold.

"Wow, you do need something from me," she joked as she allowed him to sit her down the blanket.

He smiled warmly at her, brown eyes locking with blue, and for about five seconds they just stared at each other, neither one breaking the silence. Finally she removed her gaze lest she drown herself in his eyes.

"So," she began, subconsciously pulling the jacket closer to her body, "What's the occasion?"

He shrugged and inched nearer, placing an arm around her shoulder. "Just wanted to steal you away for an hour or two," he answered. "And find out what happens when Jesse finds out there's no breakfast on the table by the time he wakes up."

"You're evil, do you know that?"

"Yes I do."

"And you sound so proud of your achievement."

"I am."

A raised eyebrow. "So what do you need from me?"

A pause. A smile. She suddenly felt her heart hammering wildly in her chest. Was it because of the vibes that Brennan was sending her, or was it her own emotions? She swallowed hard and tried to breathe evenly. Which she was finding so hard to do at the moment. She knew this would happen sooner or later, but the knowledge still didn't do much to calm her when the moment did come.

"I want you not to cook breakfast for a change."

A blank stare. That was it? That's what the endless helping her out in the kitchen was for? So that she would stop making breakfast? Was her cooking that bad?

"What?"

A small smile. "Don't get me wrong," was the answer, as if he had read her mind once more. "I love your cooking. It's nothing compared to Shal, or Jesse, for that matter. But I want you not to cook breakfast today. That's what I need from you. Not to cook today."

"Why?" Confusion was written all over her face.

Another smile. "Ah. That's where the interesting part comes in." He grinned and took the basket. He fished something inside and produced a container filled with chocolate pancakes. "I want to cook breakfast for you, for a change."

Realization. She grinned. How far from the nearest restroom? Brennan's cooking wasn't something she wanted to try. But the way he smiled at her broke her resolve, and she contented herself with asking another question, very similar to the other question she asked.

"Why?"

Brennan wasted no time opening the container, and she gasped when she saw a silver necklace with an EB pendant nestled on top of the pancakes. She looked up at the elemental, shock written all over her face. "Bren…?"

He placed the container down and took the necklace, making her turn around so he could put it around her neck. He then made her face her and again he smiled. "Surprise."

She wasn't sure how to react, no words could express the happiness she was feeling. Of course it was no surprise to know that the elemental had feelings for her, but it was surprising to see him actually acting on those feelings.

"What? Not even a thank you?" came the sheepish question, for, really, he didn't have to tell her directly how he felt because she was supposed to be a telempath.

And a thank you he got.

Before the elemental could even react she threw her hands around him, causing them both to tumble down the ground. There were no words, only actions, but both understood what happened. Smiling he cupped her chin and planted a soft kiss on her lips. And unlike the last time, it was long enough for her to realize what was going on and return the kiss with the same love.

Back in Sanctuary, a certain molecular was groaning because his stomach was demanding attention, while a frustrated feral was opening cabinet drawers in search of the last box of pancake mix they had in stock.