Faith
Rating: PG-13 Summary: When Emma disappears from Sanctuary, Adam vows to get her back. Pairing: Adam/Emma Author's Note: This story breaks continuity with the show after The Future is Revealed.
Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X or any of its characters. I'm just borrowing them to have some fun with for a little while.
Chapter I
November 30, 2002
Adam waited, pacing liked a caged panther, in the lounge at Sanctuary for the three members of his team to join him. Just three, because the meeting he had called was about the fourth. Fourth, but first in his heart.
Was it just days ago the two of them had been curled together in his bed, savoring their last moments together before he had to take the trip to Washington? "I think I'll come in here to sleep every night," she told him. "So I don't miss you so much."
"And what am I going to do so I don't miss you so much?" he asked.
She rolled over on top of him, grinning, her long red locks falling forward and tickling his face. "Think about all the things I'm going to do with you when you get back." Then she'd kissed him deeply, and they'd made love again.
What had happened in the three days he'd been gone? How could everything have unraveled in such a short time span? He still smelled her shampoo; still felt every curve of her pressed against him, eager, wanting him as much as he wanted her. He groaned softly. Oh, Emma. I will get you back. Or die trying.
"Adam?" Jesse was the first to arrive. "What's so urgent?" He was wearing a blue silk shirt and black jacket. Adam winced; he had interrupted Jesse's date. Damn.
Before Adam could reply, Brennan and Shalimar arrived, smiling and joking. They both wore running suits. "Yeah, well, next time, you get the guy with the greasy hands," Brennan said to her. There was obviously a story behind that remark, but Adam didn't care to ask.
"Welcome back, Adam," Shalimar said, peeling off her jacket. "Did you just get in?"
He nodded. "Thanks for coming back. I apologize for interrupting your night out, but this can't wait."
"Oh, crap. This can't be good," Brennan said.
"Aren't we going to wait for Emma?" Jesse asked.
"No. This is about Emma." His sharp gaze raked over each of them in turn to see if he could pick up a sign, any sign, that one or more of them shared his suspicions. There was no sign.
"Has something happened to her?" Shalimar clenched her fists at her sides as if ready to do battle right then and there with anyone who dared harm her friend.
"Yes." Adam pulled the three envelopes out of his jacket pocket and held them out. "Emma's gone. She left Sanctuary."
"What?" The others all exclaimed at once. Adam handed them their letters-goodbye letters from Emma. He had gotten one, too. A letter devoid of any mention of their recent history with one another, as if he were just another friend passing out of her life.
"For good?" Shalimar asked.
Adam nodded. "She's gone off with Michael Vincent, son of billionaire Dale Vincent. Could someone please enlighten me as to what the hell has been going on here in my absence?"
Brennan's face cleared. "Wow, that was fast. They've only known each other a few days."
"Correction," Shal interrupted, tearing open her envelope, "they've known each other for a couple of years. They've gotten reacquainted over the past few days. Still, it is kind of surprising."
"Michael Vincent is a friend of Emma's, Adam. They met back during her retail days. She ran into him the other day at the coffee shop, and they've been pretty much inseparable since," Jesse explained. "They did seem pretty cozy the last time I saw them, but I just can't believe she'd take off without saying goodbye."
"Sounds like it's a case of true love." Shal grinned, finishing her letter.
"They went to Michael's family estate in the country," Brennan read from his own letter. "Nice."
"You can say that again. I've seen pictures of the place," Jesse said. "Rolling hills, cultivated gardens, riding stables. The mansion has three wings-including a movie theater and a bowling alley. It's paradise for the rich and famous Vincents."
Adam swallowed the sour taste in his mouth as he listened to them. And all I've given her is the inside of a mountain with no windows.
"So what's the problem, Adam?" Brennan asked. "I mean, we're all going to miss Emma, but she's a big girl. It sounds like she's really in love with the guy. Whatever makes her happy."
Jesse crossed his arms and frowned. "Are you afraid she won't be safe from the GSA out there?" New mutants everywhere were again looking over their shoulders since Mason Eckhart had escaped from his stasis pod and rebuilt his power base at Genomex in an astonishingly quick amount of time.
Shal shook her head. "No, Michael's estate has security up the wazoo- otherwise, Michael wouldn't have been safe from the GSA all these years. Emma told me. They've got force fields surrounding the property, armed security guards, all the latest technology."
"Well, that's one thing that bothers me," Adam said, as he resumed pacing. "All the security in the world wouldn't keep Michael safe if the GSA knew where he was-which they do, because his name is in the database, and his family is high profile."
"So you think Michael's cut some sort of deal with Eckhart to leave him alone?" Jesse asked.
"Him or his father. Dale Vincent wields a lot of political clout. Eckhart would find that connection very useful."
Brennan sat on the arm of the couch. "Don't you think if there was any danger here, Emma would've sense it? I mean, she is a telempath."
Adam spun to face him. "So's Michael."
It took them a moment to follow Adam's train of thought. Shalimar spoke first. "What are you saying, Adam? Do you think Michael would keep this from Emma? That he would. . .manipulate her to keep her in the dark?"
Adam felt as if he would burst from his own restless energy. All he really wanted to do was rush to the Vincent estate and retrieve Emma, not stand around talking about it. But first things first. "I think all Michael has done since he came back into Emma's life is manipulate her. I mean, come on, they were never an item. Emma told me about him once; they were pals, nothing more. She said she thought he had a crush on her, though. And suddenly, he shows up-" while I'm conveniently out of town, he added silently, cursing himself for having to make the trip to Washington in the first place "-and she immediately falls in love with him? Uh-uh." He shook his head. "Michael used his powers to make her believe she was in love with him. He's become a strong telempath as he's gotten older. He's overwhelming her."
"That's quite a reach, Adam," Shal replied.
"How do you know this?" Jesse challenged him. "Do you have evidence?"
Adam bit down on his lower lip to keep from snapping at the young man, who had asked a perfectly reasonable question. "No."
"Then isn't it possible this is just what it appears to be? Two old friends discovering that they're actually in love after all these years? I think it's kind of romantic." Shalimar shrugged.
"No, Shal, it's not possible."
"Why not?"
He didn't want to tell them. He felt vulnerable, exposed, a raw nerve ending. But he had to tell them something. They thought he was overreacting, seeing conspiracies where none existed. He could see it in their faces.
"Because up until the day Michael 'accidentally' bumped into Emma at the coffee shop," he took a steadying breath, "Emma was already involved with-in love with-someone else."
Shal's mouth dropped open, Jesse's face underwent a series of surprised expressions, and Brennan voiced their mutual shock. "What?!"
Adam nodded, finally leaning against the wall, exhausted from even that much of a revelation of something so deeply private. "That's right. And the Emma I know isn't that fickle."
"You know," Shalimar began, lowering herself onto the couch, "Emma has been. . .different. . .for a few weeks now. She seemed content all the time, and had this new. . .confidence. I thought it was because of her new powers." Then she shook her head. "No, if Emma had been seeing someone-in love with someone-she'd have told me. We're best friends." Her last words wavered, though, as if she wondered if perhaps she hadn't known Emma as well as she thought.
"How did you know about this other guy, Adam?" Brennan asked.
There it was. He had no choice. He had to tell them. And they would think he was acting like a spurned lover. They wouldn't take his concerns about Michael seriously. They had never questioned his expertise on new mutant behavior before, but they would now. How could they not? Even to his own ears, he sounded jealous and bitter. For a split-second, he wondered if he was just making up this story about Michael to justify to himself why Emma would leave him. Then he heard her voice in his head, and the words she'd told him the night they first got together: Have faith in me.
He did have faith in her. She was the most extraordinary young woman he'd ever known, wise beyond her years, compassionate, strong, bright, beautiful. . .and in love with him. He hadn't imagined that. Her love for him was real. He'd felt it. Michael had used his powers to make her forget about Adam for awhile, that's all. That would change. Emma's powers were growing stronger by the day. Michael might just find his own powers drained by the constant effort to squelch Emma's real feelings day after day, especially if Adam could get to her, remind her of what they had.
Brennan repeated his question. "Adam? If even Shal didn't know about this guy Emma was involved with, how did you?"
He straightened to his full height and stared back at them. He had nothing to hide any more. "Because that guy was me."
Rating: PG-13 Summary: When Emma disappears from Sanctuary, Adam vows to get her back. Pairing: Adam/Emma Author's Note: This story breaks continuity with the show after The Future is Revealed.
Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X or any of its characters. I'm just borrowing them to have some fun with for a little while.
Chapter I
November 30, 2002
Adam waited, pacing liked a caged panther, in the lounge at Sanctuary for the three members of his team to join him. Just three, because the meeting he had called was about the fourth. Fourth, but first in his heart.
Was it just days ago the two of them had been curled together in his bed, savoring their last moments together before he had to take the trip to Washington? "I think I'll come in here to sleep every night," she told him. "So I don't miss you so much."
"And what am I going to do so I don't miss you so much?" he asked.
She rolled over on top of him, grinning, her long red locks falling forward and tickling his face. "Think about all the things I'm going to do with you when you get back." Then she'd kissed him deeply, and they'd made love again.
What had happened in the three days he'd been gone? How could everything have unraveled in such a short time span? He still smelled her shampoo; still felt every curve of her pressed against him, eager, wanting him as much as he wanted her. He groaned softly. Oh, Emma. I will get you back. Or die trying.
"Adam?" Jesse was the first to arrive. "What's so urgent?" He was wearing a blue silk shirt and black jacket. Adam winced; he had interrupted Jesse's date. Damn.
Before Adam could reply, Brennan and Shalimar arrived, smiling and joking. They both wore running suits. "Yeah, well, next time, you get the guy with the greasy hands," Brennan said to her. There was obviously a story behind that remark, but Adam didn't care to ask.
"Welcome back, Adam," Shalimar said, peeling off her jacket. "Did you just get in?"
He nodded. "Thanks for coming back. I apologize for interrupting your night out, but this can't wait."
"Oh, crap. This can't be good," Brennan said.
"Aren't we going to wait for Emma?" Jesse asked.
"No. This is about Emma." His sharp gaze raked over each of them in turn to see if he could pick up a sign, any sign, that one or more of them shared his suspicions. There was no sign.
"Has something happened to her?" Shalimar clenched her fists at her sides as if ready to do battle right then and there with anyone who dared harm her friend.
"Yes." Adam pulled the three envelopes out of his jacket pocket and held them out. "Emma's gone. She left Sanctuary."
"What?" The others all exclaimed at once. Adam handed them their letters-goodbye letters from Emma. He had gotten one, too. A letter devoid of any mention of their recent history with one another, as if he were just another friend passing out of her life.
"For good?" Shalimar asked.
Adam nodded. "She's gone off with Michael Vincent, son of billionaire Dale Vincent. Could someone please enlighten me as to what the hell has been going on here in my absence?"
Brennan's face cleared. "Wow, that was fast. They've only known each other a few days."
"Correction," Shal interrupted, tearing open her envelope, "they've known each other for a couple of years. They've gotten reacquainted over the past few days. Still, it is kind of surprising."
"Michael Vincent is a friend of Emma's, Adam. They met back during her retail days. She ran into him the other day at the coffee shop, and they've been pretty much inseparable since," Jesse explained. "They did seem pretty cozy the last time I saw them, but I just can't believe she'd take off without saying goodbye."
"Sounds like it's a case of true love." Shal grinned, finishing her letter.
"They went to Michael's family estate in the country," Brennan read from his own letter. "Nice."
"You can say that again. I've seen pictures of the place," Jesse said. "Rolling hills, cultivated gardens, riding stables. The mansion has three wings-including a movie theater and a bowling alley. It's paradise for the rich and famous Vincents."
Adam swallowed the sour taste in his mouth as he listened to them. And all I've given her is the inside of a mountain with no windows.
"So what's the problem, Adam?" Brennan asked. "I mean, we're all going to miss Emma, but she's a big girl. It sounds like she's really in love with the guy. Whatever makes her happy."
Jesse crossed his arms and frowned. "Are you afraid she won't be safe from the GSA out there?" New mutants everywhere were again looking over their shoulders since Mason Eckhart had escaped from his stasis pod and rebuilt his power base at Genomex in an astonishingly quick amount of time.
Shal shook her head. "No, Michael's estate has security up the wazoo- otherwise, Michael wouldn't have been safe from the GSA all these years. Emma told me. They've got force fields surrounding the property, armed security guards, all the latest technology."
"Well, that's one thing that bothers me," Adam said, as he resumed pacing. "All the security in the world wouldn't keep Michael safe if the GSA knew where he was-which they do, because his name is in the database, and his family is high profile."
"So you think Michael's cut some sort of deal with Eckhart to leave him alone?" Jesse asked.
"Him or his father. Dale Vincent wields a lot of political clout. Eckhart would find that connection very useful."
Brennan sat on the arm of the couch. "Don't you think if there was any danger here, Emma would've sense it? I mean, she is a telempath."
Adam spun to face him. "So's Michael."
It took them a moment to follow Adam's train of thought. Shalimar spoke first. "What are you saying, Adam? Do you think Michael would keep this from Emma? That he would. . .manipulate her to keep her in the dark?"
Adam felt as if he would burst from his own restless energy. All he really wanted to do was rush to the Vincent estate and retrieve Emma, not stand around talking about it. But first things first. "I think all Michael has done since he came back into Emma's life is manipulate her. I mean, come on, they were never an item. Emma told me about him once; they were pals, nothing more. She said she thought he had a crush on her, though. And suddenly, he shows up-" while I'm conveniently out of town, he added silently, cursing himself for having to make the trip to Washington in the first place "-and she immediately falls in love with him? Uh-uh." He shook his head. "Michael used his powers to make her believe she was in love with him. He's become a strong telempath as he's gotten older. He's overwhelming her."
"That's quite a reach, Adam," Shal replied.
"How do you know this?" Jesse challenged him. "Do you have evidence?"
Adam bit down on his lower lip to keep from snapping at the young man, who had asked a perfectly reasonable question. "No."
"Then isn't it possible this is just what it appears to be? Two old friends discovering that they're actually in love after all these years? I think it's kind of romantic." Shalimar shrugged.
"No, Shal, it's not possible."
"Why not?"
He didn't want to tell them. He felt vulnerable, exposed, a raw nerve ending. But he had to tell them something. They thought he was overreacting, seeing conspiracies where none existed. He could see it in their faces.
"Because up until the day Michael 'accidentally' bumped into Emma at the coffee shop," he took a steadying breath, "Emma was already involved with-in love with-someone else."
Shal's mouth dropped open, Jesse's face underwent a series of surprised expressions, and Brennan voiced their mutual shock. "What?!"
Adam nodded, finally leaning against the wall, exhausted from even that much of a revelation of something so deeply private. "That's right. And the Emma I know isn't that fickle."
"You know," Shalimar began, lowering herself onto the couch, "Emma has been. . .different. . .for a few weeks now. She seemed content all the time, and had this new. . .confidence. I thought it was because of her new powers." Then she shook her head. "No, if Emma had been seeing someone-in love with someone-she'd have told me. We're best friends." Her last words wavered, though, as if she wondered if perhaps she hadn't known Emma as well as she thought.
"How did you know about this other guy, Adam?" Brennan asked.
There it was. He had no choice. He had to tell them. And they would think he was acting like a spurned lover. They wouldn't take his concerns about Michael seriously. They had never questioned his expertise on new mutant behavior before, but they would now. How could they not? Even to his own ears, he sounded jealous and bitter. For a split-second, he wondered if he was just making up this story about Michael to justify to himself why Emma would leave him. Then he heard her voice in his head, and the words she'd told him the night they first got together: Have faith in me.
He did have faith in her. She was the most extraordinary young woman he'd ever known, wise beyond her years, compassionate, strong, bright, beautiful. . .and in love with him. He hadn't imagined that. Her love for him was real. He'd felt it. Michael had used his powers to make her forget about Adam for awhile, that's all. That would change. Emma's powers were growing stronger by the day. Michael might just find his own powers drained by the constant effort to squelch Emma's real feelings day after day, especially if Adam could get to her, remind her of what they had.
Brennan repeated his question. "Adam? If even Shal didn't know about this guy Emma was involved with, how did you?"
He straightened to his full height and stared back at them. He had nothing to hide any more. "Because that guy was me."