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 10: Awakenings

Looking up at the clock, Emma debated getting up when she heard a knock on her door. Grimacing, Emma swore under her breath. She'd had enough of Adam's tests. She refused to let him take anymore blood samples, and if he was outside her door now his life would be in danger.

"Who is it?" Emma yelled, refusing to give up the warmth of her covers as she snuggled even deeper into them.

"It's me." Shalimar said before entering Emma's room. "I brought you some hot chocolate. I thought maybe we could talk."

"Sure, have a seat." Emma invited, as Shalimar handed her one of the steaming cups of cocoa in her hand before curling up in the mass of covers on the other side of Emma's bed. "Thanks. This is good." Emma thoroughly enjoyed the taste of the sweet marshmallows and chocolate liquid against her tongue.

"No problem. I figured you'd probably be tired and would want to sleep in today. I just thought, well, we should talk. Emma, listen, I'm sorry about the way we've been treating you," Surprised, Emma looked up from the steaming cup in her hand. It wasn't often she heard an apology from any member of Mutant X, especially Shalimar. In fact, she was the one usually making the apologies.

"It's okay, Shal." Emma said, appreciating her friend's feelings.

"No, it's not. I know how'd I feel if you guys ever treated me differently. I really am sorry Emma. Brennan is too, though I doubt he'll admit it anytime soon." Shalimar's acrid comment on the stubbornness of their older teammate made Emma smile.

"I'd be surprised if he ever mentions it, Shal." Emma said, laughing as Shalimar nodded her head in agreement and smiled. "Thanks, thanks a lot." Understanding what Emma meant, Shalimar said "You bet!" before giving her friend a hug. Pulling away from each other, Shalimar began looking at Emma mischievously.

"So, what's the deal with you and Jesse?" Laughing at the twinkle in Shalimar's eyes, Emma figured she should be surprised her feral friend waited this long to ask.

"Well, he's my best friend Shal. He's always there for me. Whenever I need him, his strength, his love, it flows into me without hesitation. He's amazing! He's… I…" Shalimar saw the way Emma's eyes lit up when she spoke about Jesse, the way her head bobbed a little to the side when she unconsciously giggled as she spoke, and the way she struggled to voice her feelings when they were so apparent.

"You love him." Shalimar said, the simple statement making Emma pause. Her feelings for Jesse had grown slowly, progressing over time as life continued and they tried to deal with what it threw at them. She recognized her feelings and at first kept them to herself, when she later found herself in a life or death situation that she had no guarantee she would walk away from, she finally found the courage to confess her love to him. She had been aware of his feelings for a while, but after Amanda's death… she didn't want to do that to him again. She thought it was better to keep that part of her feelings for him a secret. But in the end, there had been no way to keep her feelings from Jesse. She didn't know if she was ready to face the others though. Her friend's frank statement made her aware of how obvious their feelings for each other must have been.

"Yes, I love him. I love him so much Shalimar." Emma whispered, the light in her blue eyes twinkling once more. Smiling, Shalimar leaned over and hugged the younger woman. At one time, Emma's confession might have been met with a growl of warning from the feral to not hurt her young blonde friend. After the death of the New Mutant Amanda that Jesse had seen for a while, Shalimar had gotten even more protective of his feelings. Emma's initial reaction to Jesse's feelings on Amanda's death had been cold, and heartless in Shalimar's eyes. She didn't begin to understand why Emma reacted that way until later. With all the team had struggled with lately, Shalimar found herself happy that her two younger friends were finally together. It seemed so obvious, to her and the others, that the two were stronger together and that it was how things should be.

"I'm happy for you Emma, for both of you." Shalimar said, a smile lighting her face.

"Thank you, Shal. Thank you." Emma hugged her friend once more before a knock reverberated throughout the room. "Come in!" Emma yelled, once more sinking into the covers in the hopes of a few more hours of sleep.

"Hey!" Brennan said, smiling at the awake and contented looking Emma. Following behind Brennan was Jesse, who also smiled at seeing Emma laying comfortably under her covers. Looking at Shalimar, Jesse's curiosity quickly became obvious. Laughing mischievously, Shalimar didn't say anything to the unspoken question. "We were on our way to talk to the guy we grabbed from the Falcon's Claw if you guys want to join us." Her ears perking at Brennan's invitation, Shalimar jumped up.

"Yeah, thanks. I have a few questions for him myself." Hearing the edge in the feral's voice, Emma glanced over and saw the blonde's set jaw and straight back. She was ready for a fight. Sighing, Emma accepted that a few more hours of sleep would not be her gift this morning. She would have to try and catch a nap later. For now, they really needed to speak to that guy and she wasn't going to sit this one out. Especially now that they were treating her like a team member again.

"I need to get dressed first, but I'll join you guys in a minute." Taking the hint, Brennan and Shalimar turned around and headed for the door. Not moving, Jesse stood and looked at Emma as she slowly stood up and straightened her askewed tank top and flannel pants. Noticing the lack of movement from his younger friend, Brennan reached out and grabbed Jesse at the neck.

"Let's go, boy. Move it." Brennan said, thrusting Jesse towards the door. Grinning, Jesse took one more look at Emma's smiling face before leaving with the others. As Emma got ready, the other three members of Mutant X walked towards the room Adam had designated for the interrogation. Opening the door, they walked in and saw Adam pacing in front of the man.

"Tell me, do you have a counter drug?" Adam asked, getting frustrated at the man's refusal to speak. Stepping closer to the stubborn scientist, Shalimar slowly looked from Adam to the man.

"Does he need some persuasion?" Shalimar asked, her eyes turning a bright gold as she glared intensely at the man. Refusing to show any fear, the man just huffed and looked away. Walking into the room, Emma joined the others before looking at the man tied to his chair.

"Jerry?"

"Emma?"