Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X or X Men.

Note: This is it. The final chapter of this installment. I have enjoyed, as always writing and reading and rereading to edit this storyline and world I've created. I am most encouraged by all your supportive reviews. Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to read with me. The next installment is on it's way to forming in my head. I have a few scenes, which is always how it starts. Thank you, again and I look forward to our next meeting. Redhead2

Impossible

Chapter 21

When the light had disappeared six people stood looking at their surroundings.

"Finally!" Brennan exclaimed as he pulled his hood off.

"Are you sure this is my husband," Ro asked as she sauntered closer.

Logan growled as he moved closer and pulled her into his arms.

"Well, let's see." Shalimar moved to Logan's side and pulled one of his arms away from Ro and curled under it. "What about our little affair?" she cooed.

Logan raised a brow as he heard Brennan's hand light up and crackle in warning. "Now see, Darlin', that was supposed to be just between us. You really want him to see if adamantium conducts, don't you."

"Yep," Shalimar chuckled as she put her hand to his chest and looked across at Ro. "No doubt this is him." She leaned across Logan's chest further and added, "You really wouldn't have liked the other. I didn't. He was all hands when we were alone and cowered the minute another man walked in." She laughed again as Logan gave a low threatening growl that she knew had no teeth.

Adam moved to Hank and the professor. "You opened the door, so I assume everything went well."

"Indeed, it did. I have enough data here to keep me occupied for quite some time." Hank ably picked up his equipment and headed for Sanctuary's entrance.

"I trust everything was left satisfactorily, there," Charles moved closer to the group. "I am glad to see you uninjured, My Dear."

"Yes, thank you, Professor," Shalimar smiled at him.

The afternoon sun was making its path toward the horizon. Charles returned to the mansion with Ro and Logan. Adam made sure to call his cousin and tell her they were on their way back. Brennan and Shalimar checked on the kids as they awoke refreshed from their long telepathically induced nap. Jesse and Evie went into the lab to check on Kitty.

As Kitty awoke she felt someone's hand in hers. Slowly she blinked her eyes opened and saw Jesse smiling down at her. "Hi."

"Hi, yourself. How do you feel?"

"I'm ok, now…I think." Kitty sat up cautiously to prevent her head from spinning.

"It looks like you're just fine," Evie announced as she came to Kitty's side and smiled.

"What happened?"

"A lot…but I'll let Jesse tell you all about it. I just have one thing to give you." Evie smiled at the confused faces of the couple before her. She closed her eyes and sent Kitty an image of the other Jesse.

Kitty gasped as she saw in her mind's eye, exactly what Evie saw. An image of the other Jesse appeared in her mind as clear as if he were standing before her. When she opened her eyes she looked at her husband and grinned. "I don't think I would have liked all those whiskers." They laughed and left to find the kids.

After such a long nap Evie knew none of the kids would voluntarily lay down a head so bedtime needed to be telepathically coerced as well. After a good meal and a lot of hugs and kisses all the children were once more sleeping peacefully, leaving the adults time to unwind from their mission.

Jesse held Kitty close as they walked outside. "I was scared, Jess. I saw the portal closing and you were just too close. But I overreacted. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have screamed."

"No, Kit. The only thing you did wrong was get shot. I was the one scared. When I turned and saw Brennan on the ground near you, I didn't know what happened. Then when I ran up to you, I saw all the blood on your shirt. I went numb. Brennan had to pull me away just so Hank and Adam could check you. I couldn't breathe without you…not until Evie told me you were going to be all right." He stopped walking and stepped in front of her. "I wouldn't survive if I ever lost you," he whispered as his lips closed over hers. After a slow deep kiss, he moved back to look in her face. He frowned as he saw her…head tilted back…eyes closed…and a silly grin on her face that wrinkled her nose. "What's that look for?" his voice carrying his frown.

Kitty opened her eyes but kept her head back as she looked up and all around his face. "I was just imagining what that kiss would have been like with a full beard and moustache." She chuckled when Jesse just narrowed his eyes at her and waited. "I don't know how Shalimar puts up with it."

Jesse quick kissed her lips and turned to walk on. "I think it has to do with being feral…but let's not go there, ok?"

"Ok, but where are you taking me?" Kitty asked amused at their ease.

"I wanted to go into the cave. Other than pulling Shalimar out, I haven't been in there in a while." Jesse led her down the trail and into the small cave where he found Shalimar, screaming and terrified to get away from Brennan. The memory made his blood run cold…again. Holding Kitty by the hand he walked to the back of the cave where he'd materialized through the rock. "The other side is the waterfall."

"I remember," Kitty whispered.

"But in the other dimension it's not there. It's just a small tunnel entrance that opened up into a huge cavern. Then other tunnels and rooms extend out around it."

"It sounds like home…just not as…decorated." She shrugged when he looked at her with a frown.

"It was the only thing that was like here." Jesse sat leaning against the wall, pulling Kitty down and onto his lap. "You saw how different Shal was. We were all different. Brennan was…I saw him…except for the face…he wasn't who you know. Adam was…less than confident. He and Evie were just realizing they had feelings for each other. Evie…wow…she was engaged to my cousin before he joined Mulwray."

"Your cousin?"

"Yeah. Devon. He and I were close until my powers developed. Then he shut me out. Made me feel like a freak. Now I find out that…there at least he's a mutant, too." Jesse put his head back against the rock as Kitty ran her fingers through his hair. "In that dimension we were close until recently. He was there today. Fighting against us."

"What happened to him?"

"The other Adam shot him. He had smacked Evie in the face so hard she fell to the ground. Adam had a gun when he came out of the cave. He saw Evie fall and fired."

Kitty slid herself off his legs and leaned into his chest putting her head down against him.

"I never bothered to find out what happened to him. I think I'll check, in the morning. See if I can find him." Jesse sat in the quiet of the cave, letting the nearness of his wife comfort him and bring him home.

Evie walked into Adam's office and found him sitting in the room with a glass of Scotch and the lights turned low. "Darling, are you alright?" she asked as she rounded the desk and laid her hand on his shoulder.

Adam put his glass down and pulled his wife gently into his lap. "I love you." Adam looked into her face and narrowed his eyes when he saw the sadness there. "Evie?"

"Adam, I just feel so strange after today. I feel a little…guilty."

"Guilty?" he smiled curiously at her and waited for her to continue.

"Oh, Adam I love you. You know that." She smiled slightly as he leaned in and kissed her neck. "I know this sounds irrational but I feel like I have to make a confession." She stood from his lap and reached for his hand. "Let's go sit on the loveseat."

Adam took her hand and followed her as she sat. Feeling the strange mix of emotions coming through their bond he sat back and pulled her to rest against him in a comforting hug. "Evie, Darling?"

She straightened and turned slightly to face him. "I know that you can feel…all this…I'm sorry but until I get this out…"

"It's ok, Darling. Go ahead."

"When I went through the portal with Jesse, I wasn't prepared for…what happened. My mind made the transition easily enough but then…Adam came out of the caves. I must have sensed him there. When my mind felt him…our bond…" she hesitated as he just held her hands and waited. When she spoke again, it was fast to get it all out. "It was like when I tried to find Shalimar during the storm. The resonance shift caused pain. I didn't think about you being there or our bond and my shields weren't up. I focused on Jesse's voice as he talked me through the pain, especially when Adam came closer. Our bond is so strong that it just tried to reconnect after the portal closed and I guess it thought he was you." Evie stopped talking suddenly and looked down.

When she had finished her mad rush of words Adam just sat there and smiled at her.

Evie looked up when he hadn't said anything and frowned when she saw his grin.

"You're beautiful when you get flustered." Adam reached one hand to her face and gently laid his palm to her cheek.

"Adam…" she breathed in exasperation, "I'm trying to tell you…"

"That you feel like you cheated on me," he finished for her. When she began to turn away from him in shame he wouldn't have it. Sitting up on the loveseat he turned her by her shoulders then raised her chin in his hand. "You didn't. He was me…in a sense. I know you'd never turn from me. Our bond is the most precious thing in the world to me. Losing it and you is very…painful. When the portal closed behind you…and you disappeared from my world…it hurt. I sat in the lab and couldn't think, couldn't work. My chest ached. I prayed you weren't feeling it, too. When we opened the portal the next time, it hit me with the force of a sledge hammer. I suddenly felt all you're fear along with the pain. I knew you were in a choke hold and that you were struggling. Then the portal closed and…I felt as if my heart were ripped out." He moved closer and pulled her into a full embrace. "Evie, I love you so much. I know what it's like now to not have you with me. I'd never survive it." Adam turned his head and kissed her, tasting the tears that had begun to wash away the events of the mission. Together in mind and body they resealed their bond as Adam erased the guilt and showed her that it only meant that they were meant to be together in any universe.

Brennan found Shalimar standing near Shawna's bed. Slowly he came up behind her, knowing she'd already sensed him, and put his arms around her, lacing his fingers across her stomach.

"I missed her."

"She missed you, too." Silently, Brennan led her to their room. He watched as she moved around the room then got into their bed. After a moment of allowing the realization that his wife was back and in his bed he moved to join her. When he sat against the headboard he pulled her to rest against him. "I missed you."

"I know," she smiled as she placed a kiss to his chest. "I missed you."

"Shal, I need to tell you something."

"Are you going to tell me that the other me was more taken with your charms than I was taken with your double's."

"No…she was scare to death of me…well at first anyway. Jesse convinced her that I wasn't him and well, something did happen." Brennan felt Shalimar pull away from him and immediately felt the loss. "She told me about her world about what he…did to her."

Shalimar could feel Brennan's anger rise.

"I still can't believe that I would have…"

"You couldn't!" Shalimar reacted then touched his chest lightly. "You're not like him. You've never been that way."

"I know but…well, Jesse was teaching her some moves in the dojo and I decided I needed to help."

"That's good. The way I understand it she wasn't really a fighter."

"No, she wasn't. She never fought him when he repeatedly raped her only because she never thought she could." His rage ran high but suddenly crashed into guilt. "I wanted to show her that she could fight him. So I…"

Shalimar felt the sudden drop in fury that was replaced by the guilt that now flowed from him in waves. "You…what?" she sat back and watched the pain play on his face.

Brennan's heart was suddenly and painfully in his throat. Thinking back on what had happened was hard enough but he knew he had to voice it. He had to tell her. Unable to look into her face he just stared at his fists in his lap. "Jesse set up some holograms for her to spar with. I decided…I just thought that…she was doing well enough with them but..." Brennan took a deep breath and got out of bed, electricity coiling around his fists. "The things she told me, Shal. He had her so scared. He even planned to have her killed. That's why she was running on the mountain. She was escaping. She knew she was safe here but would go back eventually. Just the thought of facing him made her turn white. I thought if I could get her to see that she really could fight him then…when she really came face to face with him she'd be able to defend herself." Brennan turned away again and fell silent.

"So you let her spar with you?" Shalimar coaxed.

"Yes…No," he turned back and explained. "By that time she wasn't afraid of me. She could see the difference between us. She'd gotten to the point where we could sit and hold a conversation. So fighting me wouldn't have done it." Again he turned away. "I dressed like him," he whispered not turning around. "And I made Jesse turn the hologram she was in to a bedroom. Without her knowing I…I went in and…I…" Brennan hung his head.

Shalimar came up behind him and gently laid her hand on his back. "Brennan, what did you do?"

Brennan turned slowly and looked into her eyes. "I went after her. I kissed her and made it look like I was going to…" He looked into her eyes and the rest came gushing out. "I wanted to force her to fight me. But she didn't. I was making myself sick but I had to keep going. I had to find a way to make her fight. Finally she started to. I let her punch and kick me. I only fought back enough to keep her fighting. I taunted her and then…I thought about my powers. I lit up and she froze. I told her what I thought he'd say but it didn't make a difference. I threatened her and Jesse. It didn't matter. She just stood there, so scared all I wanted to do was stop and comfort her and beg her to forgive me…but I knew I couldn't stop. Then I told her I was going to take her son and raise him to be like me…like him. That was what finally made her move. Something broke and she attacked for all she was worth and faster than I saw her move. She had me beaten pretty good by the time Jesse came in to get her off me." He turned away from his wife. "I guess I did it but in the process I…" Again all the guilt clamped down around his heart. "I'm sorry Shal. I never thought of it hurting you. I just wanted to…"

"Hey," Shalimar gently cut him off. "I'm not hurt. I understand…and I'm proud of you for helping her." Standing behind him she drew him close as her hands wrapped his waist and her cheek rested against his back. "I've thought about it. I had time to think about a lot of things since this all started. I can only imagine how awful it must have been for you to watch me go to Jesse …again." It was Shal's turn now. She tightened her hold but released him when he began to turn.

"No, Baby, it wasn't like that." Brennan met her eyes. "Well, at first, yeah. It nearly killed me to have you that afraid of me, again. Even Jesse felt he had to apologize but we figured out what had happened and I could understand that she wasn't you and she and Jesse were…" Brennan stopped when Shalimar turned her eyes away from him and stepped back. "Shal, what? What is it?"

"Brennan, I…" Shalimar turned away and sat on the edge of their bed looking at her hands as they wrung together. "I have to tell you some things, too." It was her turn now and she felt she couldn't look at him as he came to sit beside her. "When I first walked into…the caves I couldn't figure out what had happened. I looked around and saw some familiar faces but my senses were screaming that something was wrong. Then Jesse came running up to me. He hugged and…kissed me. I didn't know what to think. I couldn't think for a while. I just froze in the overload. He cleaned up the cuts I had from running through the trees and then took me into his…room…to change out of my wet clothes." She looked up at him and started talking faster to get it all out. "It was a small alcove that was evidently their bedroom, when she was with him. He pulled out a dry outfit that was hers, and then started to undress. He took off his shirt and when he'd noticed that I hadn't moved he…well, he came closer and kissed me again. I asked him where his wife was and he thought I was joking. He began kissing my neck and offered to warm me up as he pulled at my wet shirt. It was crazy. I thought I was dreaming and couldn't understand why I wasn't waking up. I even thought about you not liking this dream." She glanced to his eyes and could see the distance in them as he was imagining the events. "When I felt his hands on my waist, I pushed him away and ran back outside. I didn't let anything happen."

Brennan finally looked back at her and pulled her close as he wrapped his arms around her. "I know, Shal. It's ok."

"The next morning I went to the mansion and convinced the professor there was something wrong. We both went back to the caves and told Jesse. After Adam scanned me, the professor took Jesse into my mind and I showed them memories of the two of you as friends and of our wedding. He was heartbroken but began to understand. After that he apologized. He loves her so much."

"I know. She loves him, too," Brennan added. "I don't think Kitty ever saw them but I saw her kiss him."

"There's more." Shalimar sat up straighter but held his hands. When she saw the questions in his eyes she took a deep breath and went on. "They told me about Shawn. Evie came in and said that he was crying for his mother. They explained the situation and I wanted to help. They told me that Shalimar keeps going back for her son. I understood but I saw the pain in Jesse's face. My heart broke. I wanted to get the baby away from his father so Jesse wouldn't have to watch her leave him knowing she was going to be hurt. Well, Evie and I came up with a plan. We went into the club. I was talking to Lisa and I sensed you behind me." Shalimar looked away then back to her husband trying to explain quickly. "I missed you so much. I turned around and God you looked so good…dressed like that and coming for me. I knew it wasn't you but for just a second it was you I saw. Then he grabbed me and kissed me. That erased you completely from my mind. He was so rough and I could feel the malice flowing over him. He took me into his office and tried to take advantage of me."

"You knocked him on his ass, right?" Brennan smiled at her remembering the earlier conversation with Jesse. His smile faded when she didn't respond. "Shal?"

"Brennan, I couldn't. I wanted to, but I was on a mission. I had to get that baby away from him." She looked up and saw the horror in his eyes and hurried to chase it away. "Nothing happened. I just pushed him away a few time. He kept coming at me saying ferals needed a rough hand and he would show me how much better I would like him over Jesse. Lisa came in and distracted him. She told him there was a fight breaking out in the club. I think she started it but it got him away from me."

"He treated her like an animal. He was the animal." Brennan seethed.

Again the fury rose in her husband and Shalimar could smell it. "Hey, he's dead." Shalimar took his face in her hands and looked into his eyes. "He's dead and you killed him."

"I'd do it again for what he did to you. I would never…"

Shalimar gently kissed his lips. "No." she whispered between kisses. "You couldn't." She continued small kisses even though she could still feel his anger. "He didn't do anything to me. He only made me miss you more. You are so completely different than he was. I love you so much. You came for me. And you rescued her. Because of you she'll never have to fear him again and because of you, I'm going to sleep in your arms tonight." She moved back onto the bed as she pulled him to join her. When he was reclined beside her she laid her head on his shoulder, her hair falling over his arm as it pulled her closer. "It seems so impossible that it all happened. I'm glad it's finally over."

The End

Well, just for now. I'll be back, but for now...Thank you all.