Title: The Time Has Come
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Mutant X characters, and may occasionally include a few of my own as the work progresses. All but the characters in the show are mine.
Feedback: Guys, I really appreciate your feedback and all of the reviews. This is my first fanfic, and it's been interesting to see it unfold. I hope you guys enjoy it. I really look forward to your comments. Thank you Ambrosia, Megara, Chic, Cand, and the rest of you for reading it and taking the time to share your thoughts on it. I hope you guys aren't disappointed with the ending. : )

Chapter 3: Questions

Waking up to Adam screaming, Emma rolled over and wondered at her location. It had been the first night in weeks she had slept in her own room. Shocked at how warm she'd felt the night before, she quickly fell asleep. With pleasant dreams, both her and Jesse found themselves comfortably in their own beds for a change. While the other was not physically present, the presence could still be felt. And so both had enjoyed a pleasant night's sleep. The noise now that radiated in distress filled waves from the communicator built into the room made Emma shiver.

"What is it Adam?" Emma said, trying not to sound too grumpy at the unwelcome interruption.

"Emma, meet me in the lab." Adam said, irritation evident in his voice. Getting dressed, Emma grabbed a fuzzy gray shirt and her jeans. Slipping on sandals, she trudged out of her room towards the lab. Looking around, she didn't see anyone else. As she came to the laboratory door, she heard agitated movements in the room. Walking in, Emma immediately sensed something was wrong. Adam's emotions were fluctuating back and forth between feelings of anger and loss.

"Adam," Emma's soft voice said. "What's wrong?" Concern was evident in Emma's voice and on her facial features. Looking at the young woman, Adam quickly turned his back to her and looked down. There must be something I'm missing. There has to be! Adam began rummaging through more papers and shoving boxes aside that Emma didn't even recognize. Getting concerned, Emma stepped up and gently touched Adam on the shoulder. "Adam, please tell me. What's wrong?"

Sighing, Adam stopped his erratic movements. As if all the air had left his body, in one motion of pure defeat he sat in the chair directly behind him. "Emma, I'm sorry. The blood test from your last physical is showing signs of increasing mutations. Nothing I can do has stopped them or slowed them down. I need to take a sample of your blood. If it shows the same signs…" Adam sighed harshly. Jumping up, he walked Emma to the chair. "Lay down and let me take a sample. I'll let you know what the results are when I know them." Uneasy, Emma did as she was told. She had been afraid of this moment ever since the mutation in her powers had first occurred. When she first noticed her abilities increasing, she pushed down her fears, refusing to acknowledge them. Now she was even more frightened. After Adam took the sample, she retired to her room and didn't come back out again that day.

Running every test he knew on Emma's blood sample, Adam became increasingly agitated. Every test showed the same thing, only he didn't know why. Emma's mutation was increasing over a steady rate, with a new mutation occurring on average every month. At this rate, her cells would spin out of control as Gabriel's had in less than six months. The fact that this was happening at all made no sense. Emma was the youngest of the group, her mutations should have been the most stable, relatively speaking. Getting frustrated, Adam walked back over to the computer and continued to run through scenarios to slow down the mutations. When his frustration level peaked, he would return to running tests on Emma's blood to discover what was causing the acceleration. And so he spent the day, going back and forth between two frustrating and uncooperative endeavors.

Silence! Emma's mind screamed to all the feelings and emotions bombarding her. Sitting in her room, she tried meditating to bring a sense of calm to her awareness of the non-stop barrage on her senses.

MEDITATION

Deep breath in, deep breath out. Slower deep breath in, slower deep breath out. See your hands. Close your eyes and continue your deep, slow breaths. Picture a golden light rise from your right hand to your left hand. Feel the warmth on your palms from the light. Deep breath in, deep breath out. See the numbers one through ten rising up the golden light and passing from palm to palm. As the numbers slowly move through the golden light, see the even numbers line up on the right side. Now see the odd numbers line up on the left side. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Picture the numbers one by one move to the top of the golden light. Once there, see them disappear. First number 1… then number 2… then number 3… then number 4… then number 5… then number 6… then number 7… then number 8… then number 9… and now number 10. Deep breath in, deep breath out.

As Emma continued her meditation, all the emotions began to fade. One by one, she reclaimed her senses. With each passing second more emotions evaporated. Concentrating on envisioning a place where she felt the strongest, a place where she was safe and happy, an image of Jesse appeared in front of her as if he was standing there in the flesh. Surprised, Emma's breathing became a little erratic. As she began focusing on Jesse's face though, her heart slowed down and her breathing became normal. Concentrating on his blue eyes and crooked grin, Emma felt a ball of warmth engulf her. Emma remained calm and serene for the better part of the day.

Sitting in the common room in front of the computer, Jesse's typing came to a halt. Unable to concentrate as the words in front of him went fuzzy, Jesse felt a surge of warmth rise from his core and engulf him. Dazed, Jesse allowed the feeling of serenity to take him over.  Brennan found Jesse sitting in a meditative trance several minutes later. Not sure what was going on, Brennan walked over and nudged his friend. Disturbing his tranquility, Brennan apologized after seeing Jesse jump.

"Hey man, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." After Brennan's apologies, Jesse nodded in understanding and left the common room. Walking towards his room, he slowed down when he found himself in front of Emma's door. Knocking, Jesse didn't hear any sign that Emma might be inside. Knowing with every part of his being that she was, Jesse quietly opened the door and entered. Seeing Emma's long since dried tear-streaked face calmly sitting in a state of meditation, Jesse walked over and slumped against the wall to finally sit on the floor. As he sat, he watched her take slow, deep breaths in and out. Getting comfortable, he remained there until hours later when she awoke to his brilliant blue eyes.

"Hi" She said softly.

"Hi" He whispered back. Leaning forward, Jesse moved a strand of Emma's hair out of her face. Bringing his hand around to cup her chin, he looked deeply into her eyes. "What's wrong Emma? Tell me." Not in the least surprised that Jesse knew something wasn't right, she just shifted his hand with her own before lightly kissing it. Looking back into his eyes, the same eyes set in the most beautiful face she'd ever seen, she knew the effect Adam's latest discovery would have. Unable to lie to her best friend to protect him from pain and equally unable to go through the pain alone, she lifted her chin bravely.

"Adam has been running tests on my blood sample. The mutations have been steadily increasing. Adam is afraid, Jesse. He's afraid the same thing will happen to me that happened to Gabriel, only he doesn't understand why." Emma said, determined to at least appear strong for his sake. Looking into her soft blue eyes, Jesse shared Adam's fears and confusion regarding Emma. Unable to brace herself in time, Emma felt the rush of Jesse's emotions hit her. His confusion, his fear, his longing and need to protect her, his need of her in his life, they all hit her one after the other. None of the feelings were new to Emma, but the strength behind them surprised her. She knew how strong her feelings for Jesse had become, but to discover his had grown as well was more than she had expected.

"Emma… Emma, I know Adam will figure out what's going on. He'll find a way to help you. He's a genius you know. I'm sure he can do it." Jesse said, steeling his voice since he refused to believe otherwise. Slowly lifting his hand, Emma once again planted a gentle kiss on it, but this time on Jesse's palm. The act had a settling affect on Jesse's nerves. Calmed a bit, he slowly stood up and helped Emma stand. Holding her hand, he walked her over to her bed. In all their innocence, they both climbed in and held each other until they fell asleep to arise to a new day.