A/N: Yes, I did change her name. Her name is now Andi. The reason I changed it is because I remembered Shal had a friend who tried to kill her to become the dominant feral in Mutant X called Nicci.

Chapter 2

"Oh come on!" Shalimar pulled Andi to her feet, "I know you can do better than that!"
Andi shook herself, "Sorry, I can't seem to concentrate."
Shalimar sighed, "Fine, take a break." Shalimar walked over to a bench, lifted a towel and dried herself off.
Andi lifted her water bottle and took a long drink. "Sorry." she murmured.
Shalimar shook her head, "Its okay. We'll get some lunch and then do some more. It's not as if we have any hurry."
Andi smiled, "You're probably gonna' regret saying that in a minute."
"Yeah, probably. But I need food, so any emergency can wait."
Andi laughed and led the way out towards the kitchen.
"Do you smell that?" Shalimar stopped and sniffed the air.
Andi sniffed and smelt burning. They looked at each other and sprinted towards the kitchen. What they saw made them bend double with laughter. Brennan was frantically trying to turn off cooker buttons and Jesse was trying to wipe soup off his shirt.
Brennan looked up and saw them, "It's not funny! Stop laughing and help us!"
Shalimar walked over and switched off the cooker and began to clean up the spills.
Andi took the cloth off Jesse and tried to wipe the stain off his shirt. "Nope, it's no good," she said, "You'll have to give it to me, and I'll wash it with my stuff." Jesse began to unbutton his shirt. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, "Get a room!" Jesse gave her a withering look and walked off to his room.
"What on earth possessed you to cook?" Shalimar was asking Brennan.
He smiled sheepishly, "I was just trying to get some food."
"Yeah, but how did you managed to get the soup to jump out of the pot onto your shirt."
"With great skill. It started to bubble… violently."
"You're not kidding…" Shalimar sighed, "Go and get changed. We'll make lunch." Brennan slunk off to his room and Shalimar began to clean up.
"Hey Shal, come here and see this." Andi beckoned her over.
"Well, I'll be damned." They looked through the window at Emma and Josh. They were sitting on the sofa, her head on his chest and his arm around her shoulders. He leaned over and kissed her.
Shalimar pulled her away from the window, "Come on, let's leave them in peace."
Andi took a salad and a few packets out of the refrigerator. Setting them on the dining table, she commented, "Two months we've been here and he's already won her over. He works fast."
"What do you mean 'works'?" Shalimar's head shot up from over the cutting board.
"Oh I don't mean he's a player or anything. But he told me on one of our first nights here that he liked her. And he's dating her already, you know?" Andi replied hastily.
Shalimar visibly relaxed.
"Trust me," Andi added, "If he tried to hurt here or any of you, I'd kill him. That applies for if anyone tries to hurt him."

"Okay, so where is everyone?" Andi pulled on her jacket at the front door.
Jesse shrugged, "They said they didn't want to come. Shal and Brennan are doing some sparing in the dojo, and Emma and Josh just wanted to stay alone."
"Fine, then it's just me and you." Andi grabbed his hand, "C'mon."

"These movies look pretty crap. I don't think I want to see any of them." Andi stood looking at the posters for the featured movies.
Jesse pulled up his collar, "Well, I know a great coffee place just round the corner. We could just go there for a while."
Andi nodded and they set off.
Soon they were sitting at a table, with a guitarist playing behind them. "Ah, one black coffee and…" Jesse looked at Andi expectantly.
Andi looked round from the guitarist, "Oh sorry, um… can I get a hot chocolate? With the little marshmallow things?"
When the waitress had left, Jesse raised an eyebrow, "Hot chocolate?"
"I always drink hot chocolate, instead of coffee or tea. It's something I developed from my childhood."
Jesse shifted in his seat, "So… Adam mentioned something about your not being a product of Genomex. What's the deal with that?"
"And here's me thinking it was a mutant-free night. No it's okay, I'm kidding." Andi took a deep breath and began, "My parents were both Genomex mutants. That's why I have the three-in-one deal. They escaped from Genomex together and changed their names. They married and had two children; me and my younger sister. I had mutant powers, Lizzy didn't."
"What happened? I mean, how did you end up in Genomex?"
"I lived a pretty normal life… well as normal as you could be with mutant abilities. My abilities developed quite early on; when I was about six or seven years old. When I was nine, I was in a school play. My parents came to see it, and left five-year-old Lizzy with my Grandmother. On our way home, my mother kept turning round and looking out the back window and my father kept looking in his rear-view mirror. He pulled into a lay-by, and lifted me out of the car. He hid me in the grass and said, 'Stay here. If we don't come back in ten minutes, you climb down this hill and get to your Grandmother's house.' They drove off."
"He just left you?"
"That's not the end. I looked out over the top of the hill and watched the car speed off. Suddenly another car screeched out of nowhere, and sped after my parent's car. There were loud bangs, like gun shots and my parents car blew up."
"They killed your parents? Genomex killed your parents."
Andi nodded and sipped her chocolate, "I think so. Someone did anyway. They died in the explosion. I didn't do as my father said and I climbed up onto the motorway. But I just stood there; I was in shock. Even at nine, I knew what that burning wreck meant; my parent's were dead. Suddenly someone grabbed me and next thing I know, I was in some laboratory. They didn't get my sister. Either they didn't want her, or my Grandmother had managed to get her out of the house."
"You spent 10 years in Genomex?"
"No, when I was 15 I managed to escape. I got as far as Boston, and spent two years there before they caught up with me. Then Josh broke me out and the rest, you know."
"Yeah, can you clear something up for me? Josh is barely twenty years old. How did he break you out?"
"He worked in Genomex or something."
"But I trust him," she added, seeing Jesse's expression, "I wouldn't put any of Mutant X in danger."
They talked about Jesse's life and situation until Jesse drank down the last dregs of his coffee and said, "Okay, we'd better head; it looks like it's gonna' rain." They paid up and began their walk home. Suddenly thunder rolled overhead and lightning flashed in the distance.
"Uh-oh…" Andi murmured, seconds before the rain began. Jesse grabbed hold of her hand and began to run.

Jesse laughed as they ran through the doorway into the sanctuary, "I'm soaked right though!" He pulled off his coat.
Andi hung her jacket up, saying, "I don't see why you didn't just let me teleport us home."
"Because it's more fun this way."
Andi turned to face him, and saw a drop of water land on his nose from a lock off his hair. "Oh yeah, I can see the fun in getting this wet?" she asked, playfully tugging the lock.
"Yeah well, you not so dry yourself, you know." Jesse motioned to her hair.
Andi ran her fingers through her hair, slicking it back, "There, all better."
Jesse smiled mischievously and shook his hair. Water flew everywhere.
"Thanks!" Andi exclaimed, her face covered in water.
Jesse stepped closer to her and wiped some water off her face. He left his hand rest on her cheek, and he leaned closer…
"There you guys are! We wondered if you would make it back before the rain," Brennan stood in the doorway, "I see you didn't."
Andi stepped backwards, "I… um… I'm gonna' go for a shower." She ran down the hall towards her room.
Jesse rolled his eyes and punched Brennan on the arm. "Thanks Brennan." he said sarcastically.
"What? What did I do?"

Andi thought about Jesse as she towelled her hair dry. He was sweet and funny and cute and everything she looked for in a man. Chills ran up her spine as she thought about their 'moment' in the hallway. She could still feel his warm breath on her skin. She shook herself and told herself to stop it. She couldn't risk something like that. She stood up and walked out to the kitchen, where Shalimar was standing, bent over the counter.
"Hey Shal." Andi stood beside her. When Shalimar didn't answer, Andi followed her gaze to where Josh and Emma sat cuddling. "Cute couple, don't you think?" Andi commented.
Shalimar came out of her daze, "What? Oh yeah, cute." Nicci watched her gaze shifted to where Brennan and Jesse were struggling for the TV controls. "You should tell him." she murmured.
Shalimar shook her head, "What? I don't know what your talking about… have you been reading my mind?" she asked, her eyes flashing angrily.
"No," Andi backed away holding her hands up in submission, "Rule number one; do not use powers on other members of team. You taught me that. This has to do with being a woman. It's been obvious to me since I joined that you like Brennan. It's been obvious to Emma for two years. And Brennan likes you back. He's just… well, not too shy because we know Brennan is never shy around women, but… he knows you to well. He doesn't want to hurt you, I suppose. But I think you should tell him."
Shalimar looked at her awkwardly, unsure of what to say. She looked back at Brennan, who Jesse had got into a head-lock, with Emma and Josh watching laughing. Shalimar turned back to Andi and smiled her trademark smirk, "Well, what about you and Jesse?"
"What?" Andi asked, surprised.
"Oh come on. It's so obvious you guys like each other. He watches you all the time; you should see the way he does it. I saw you guys in the hallway this evening. If you don't believe me ask Emma. Now I'm gonna' separate them to before someone gets really hurt."
"Ah, Shal?"
"What?"
"Stop changing the subject; you have to tell him. He should know how you feel."
"I'll tell him when the time is right."
Andi watched Shalimar walked into the living room, pick up the controls and switch over the channel. Brennan and Jesse stopped wrestling and looked at her. Brennan shook his head and got up to sit beside her. Andi's eyes shifted to Jesse. What if Shalimar was right? She did feel something for Jesse, but was it love? Did he feel the same? Jesse looked up and caught her eye. He smiled and beckoned her in, and she smiled back and flopped onto the chair beside him.

"What we got?" Brennan asked, standing behind Adam.
"A message from a possible refugee from Genomex." Adam replied, "Go and check it out. Josh and I will work on the message from here."
"Come on." Brennan led the way onto the Helix.
Soon they were up over the city.
"What are we looking for?" Andi asked.
"A warehouse." Emma replied.
"A warehouse." Shalimar muttered, "It's always a damn warehouse."
Jesse looked at Shalimar, smiled and pushed the throttle forwards.
Eventually they found the warehouse, and set the Helix down on the car park beside it, and placed the invisibility shield over it. They climbed out and cautiously entered the warehouse.
They had to follow signs along long corridors to get to where they needed to be. "This place is a maze. You realise that if we need to get out quickly we'll have to teleport." Andi said.
"Why do you think we brought you?" Shalimar grinned.
Andi smiled slightly, "Well I feel loved."
Brennan sniggered.
"But seriously," Andi said, "What I'm saying is that I can't get all of you out at once. I can take two maximum."
"I'll just phase through a wall, and someone else can come with me." Jesse replied.
Suddenly the corridors stopped and they were in a large, open room. Andi glanced around, taking in her surroundings. She closed her eyes and reached out… she frowned; there were five or six people, all with AK47s. Movement above her caught her attention and then a commanding voice sounded, from a dark corner of the balcony overhead, "Step forward into the light."
They slowly and warily did so. The voice continued, "I see you have failed to bring Joshua with you. Mores the pity."
Andi spoke up, "Why do you want Josh?"
"Do not question me. As you have not brought Josh, I have no use for you."
Realisation dawned on Andi before she saw the bomb, "It's a trap… get out. IT'S A TRAP!" She grabbed Emma and Shalimar's arms and teleported them out. Jesse pulled Brennan to the nearest wall, and began to phase.

On the outside, Andi stood up and looked about frantically. Time seemed to slow as she waited. "Come on, come on…" she murmured.
Suddenly Brennan appeared through the wall with Jesse's arm around his neck, just as the building exploded. They were thrown forward onto the ground. Shalimar rushed to Brennan's side and pulled him up, while Andi rushed to Jesse's.
Brennan pushed Shalimar towards Jesse, "He was losing strength as we came through. That explosion might have been too much for his body."
Andi rolled Jesse over, "Jesse? Jesse?" Jesse lay unconscious on the ground. "Jesse, wake up. Come on, wake up."
Shalimar pulled Andi back and Brennan lifted Jesse's limp form, "We gotta' get him back to the Sanctuary."