Disclaimer: Tell me any avid fan of Mutant X that doesn't know I don't own them. LOL. I don't know how powerful these characters are and I don't even know if they are really like this. All of the actions mentioned below are just my imagination.

Authors Note: Ok! I tried to post as soon as I was finished but I was confined again because of my blood problem, but I'm better now.

Thanks to:

Aur: It's alright even if you can't say anything. It's good enough that you post your review. Thanks!

Brigitta1: hey there! I missed reading from you. I'm really sad now though coz I can't watch mutant x next week coz our cable connection is down. Anyways, thanks for reviewing. Love you!

Enorm87: Well, this is not really a fight. I think you should read to know. LOL. Keep on posting.

Goldstranger: sorry if I didn't meet your expectation. My mind is quite drained. LOL! I'll try to make up. Promise. Mwuah

Spikes_storm: What could I say? thanks very much!

Black Phoenix: LOL! Yeah! I'd like to think that she is good at that. I wished the writers have written her this way!

Bjvision: Yes! Emma will kick his ass and all of the rest to tell them that she is not as weak as they thought she is. Thanks for posting your review.

Maddy: I know what you mean. Emma is my favorite too. *sigh*

Here's the story! Hope you'll enjoy!

Underestimated

            ~Thought ~

            Memory

            /Sounds/

            "Conversation"

Chapter 22

            Jesse run beside Brennan to help his friend. He then turned to Emma and eyed her. A gazed that was not to frighten Emma but rather, it was a longing look… a stare that raises a question—why?

            Emma backed away as she was a bit moved startled, and then she felt his emotions and it overwhelmed her. Whereas Brennan and Shalimar's anger, she could take easily but this soft and gentle Jesse overwhelmed her. She didn't know how to handle his emotions and hers as well. She didn't even know if what she's feeling is his or hers.

            "What is wrong with you?" Jesse asked as he stepped closer to Emma. There was sadness in his eyes. He loves Emma so much and he wanted this things to end right here but he doesn't know how. He wanted to blame himself but a part of his mind tells him that it was never his fault and he knew in his heart that it wasn't. He really didn't know what had happen between him and Shalimar.

            Emma then snapped back from her fright and tried her best to face Jesse with ease. "Wrong?" she looked around and then looked back at Jesse with a grin. "I don't know about you but nothing's wrong with me."

            "Emma, please!" Shalimar begged. Willing Emma to take them seriously. "We came here to talk with you."

            "Why?" there was a sound of laughter in Emma's voice. ~…talk with me? ~ she thought and then she shook her head.

            "Please Emma!" Shalimar again.

            Emma looked at her and then threw a glance at Jesse. "Let's go girls," She addressed her psionic friends. "We're just wasting our time." She then turned around and started walking.

            Jesse had to move fast. He didn't come there to just let Emma walk out on them like that. He has to do something to make her stay. They needed Emma. He needed her and he doesn't care anymore about anything but Emma.

            "Emma! Wait!" Jesse called out. "Could we at least talk." He waited for Emma to stop but she didn't so he run after her. "Emma!" he called after her.

            Finally, Emma stopped and she looked at him. "Okay. But I'd like to be fair with Brennan so let's have the same deal."

            "What do you mean?" Jesse cringed his forehead. "You're not suggesting that we spar each other, right?"

            Emma smiled. "You bet!"

            "No, Jesse!" Adam called out. "Don't fight her." He ordered.

            "That's alright." Emma interrupted. "If you don't fight me then we won't talk."

            "But we need to talk Emma." Jesse told her with an almost begging voice.

            "We have nothing to talk about Jess so scram." Emma yelled before she turned around and started walking again but Jesse's voice stopped her again.

            "Why do you keep on hurting us? Me? Why do you keep on hurting me?" there were bitterness in Jesse's voice as a teardrop fell from the molecular's precious blue-gray eyes.

            "Hurt?" Emma echoed. "Hurt?" She repeated. Emma glared at Jesse with those teary emeralds. She was trying her best not to break down but her walls are now crumbling like dry sand and she knew she could breakdown at any moment now.

            Jesse saw the shallowness in Emma's eyes and right there he realized that she was not really happy. "Ems?"

            "Hurt?' Emma was still chanting and then hell broke lose. "You have no right to talk about being hurt." Emma hollered.

            Everyone in the vicinity got extremely quiet, giving Emma her moment. They were all surprised to where did Emma's anger came. Neither did they know that those emotions were already there from the start. It was only Emma's gifted way of handling her emotions that she managed to hide it from them.

            Tears begun to stream from Emma's emeralds as the wave of emotions slammed against her wits.

            "Please Emma! I don't wanna hurt you more." Jesse begged again.

            "Hurt me more?" Emma forced a laughter but it turned out to be more like a sob. "Is there anything more painful than what you did to me?" she shook her head. "I don't think so 'cause you don't have any idea what happen to me." She paused.

            Jesse came rushing towards Emma when Emma's knees fail her. "Oh my god!" he uttered. He took Emma in his arms and he allowed her to cry her emotions out. He held her close to him and for a moment he felt good. He missed her so much. He missed her touch; he missed her smell; he missed her lips…her kiss…her body…her…he missed her.

            Emma leaned on Jesse's shoulder as she still pours her heart out. "I died back there, Jesse. Seeing you with Shalimar… that is one thing I could never accept."

            "Emma please…"

            "NO!" she pushed Jesse away from her and she tried to stand up. "I want you to hear me out." She looked at him and then at Shalimar. "I gave you everything. I've loved you without reservation but what did I get in return? You were my everything, Jesse…my life…my very reason for living…"

            Jesse didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to take Emma's pain away but what could he do if he is the cause of the pain?  Should he end his life? Should he leave? Should he choose to let Emma alone? Of course not! He could never do that. "I'm sorry Emma!" was all he could say. He knew he should be explaining but what could she say?

            Emma had to stop from crying and she looked at him. "Sorry?" she shook her head and then she glared at him. "Sorry is just a word." She told him.

            "Emma, please. Don't you love me anymore?" Jesse tried holding his tears back but failed miserably.

            "Love? …" there was a short silence. "I did." Emma used a past tense and it broke Jesse's heart.

            Emma turned around as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She lied. She never stopped loving Jesse. And she knew she never will. Jesse is everything she ever wanted but how could she explain what she saw the day Jesse broke her heart? She wanted so much to try and sense if Jesse was telling her the truth but she knew that it wouldn't be fair.

            ********

            meanwhile

"When are we going to stop?" Cole demanded as he tried control his own pain. He knew in his heart that what they did to Emma and her friends are not right and there is no way they could make it right.

            "No one's stopping you." Gabriel stated. "If you want to tell Emma everything then fine." Gabriel gave a sinister smile.

            But Cole knew he couldn't tell Emma everything without her getting furious at him. He knew that nothing would justify what he and Gabriel has done to them. He knew that at the moment he told Emma everything, it would be the end of their friendship and that is the least he wanted to happen.

            "You're right my friend!" Gabriel replied to his thoughts. "We both know that Emma wouldn't be yours if we wouldn't do this."

            "But I can't keep on hurting her." Cole breathed out aloud.

            "Who said you're hurting her? Look Cole. Look at Emma now. She is better compared to what she was when she was still with her friends. You're doing her a big favor." Gabriel tried to give Cole a different view.

            Cole nodded. Maybe he was doing the right thing after all. He sighed and turned around, leaving Gabriel behind.

            Gabriel smiled to himself. ~Shalimar! Finally, you'll be mine ~ he chanted to himself.

********

Shalimar springed and then landed in front of Emma. She grabbed her shoulders and nudge her. "You have to listen to her Ems!" she demanded.

"Why? What for? Aren't you happy now Shal?" Emma was now cynic. She wanted to trust Shalimar but there was a part of her that keeps saying that the feral could not be trusted.

"Something terrible happened to me and to Jesse that day!" Shalimar tried explaining in the way they have explained to Brennan hoping the Emma would believe them.

"Terrible? Is that how you describe his performance?" Emma sarcastically asked.

Shalimar slapped Emma. "How dare you judge us?"

"How dare you steal my life away?" Emma started crying again. "You were my best friend, Shal. Why?" she screamed at her. And there she goes…the same Emma they knew was now right there in front of them, crying in pain. The same helpless, innocent and vulnerable Emma…

The feral couldn't say anything. Just like Jesse, she didn't know how to explain it anymore.

Emma backed away from the group as she joined her new found friends. She was shaking and her heart is screaming that something is wrong and that she should trust Shalimar but her mind insisted that Shalimar is lying and she's right. She was extremely confused and she needed to get away from that place.

"Emma!" Adam called out.

At least she still obeyed Adam at that moment. She stopped to look at the man she treated as if he was her real father; the man whom she have entrusted her whole life; the man who taught her almost everything; the man who threaten her before she left the Sanctuary.

"Emma, we know you've been through a lot." He paused as he tried looking for the right words. "We just want you back home."

Emma didn't have to have her power to know that Adam is sincere. She doesn't hate him anyway. She knew Adam threatened her just to make her stay. But she knew that life in the Sanctuary would never be the same. She didn't want to be there and bump onto Shalimar and not talk to her at all. She didn't want to be there and be reminded how evil she is for using Brennan just to get even. And she didn't want to be there and be reminded that once in her life, she gave up everything for a man but that man failed her; she didn't want to remember that her life is not worth living.

It took all of Shalimar's strength not to cry herself. She knew it was mostly her fault. Wasn't for her feral nature, Emma would still be there with them. She bit her lips and she clenched her fist.

Brennan finally realized that Emma would never be his. He could have her eyes, her lips, her touch, her body but not her heart…never her heart. That has always been Jesse's. He could see that now…clearly.

Jesse's body was shaking. He knew that whatever Emma's answer will determine what would happen to their relationship. He has never loved anyone like this before. All the woman in the world would not be enough to match Emma's weight in his heart. She is all he ever wanted and all he ever needed. He is willing to sell his soul to anyone or anything just to have Emma back for life without Emma is like living in hell.

Adam looked at his psionic child. He wanted to turn back the time before Emma left them. If the time would just go back, he would have not told her what he did say. He would have not threatened her. He would have listen to her. Pain was written in his face. His heart almost stopped beating as they waited for her reply. "Come home with us Emma!" he repeated.

Emma looked down for a while before she faced them again. She looked at Shalimar—how she loved this feral, her vigor and energy made her smile a couple of times; at Brennan—the reason why she joined the Mutant X; Adam—their creator; and Jesse—her life, her everything…she would miss them.

"Ems? Come home with us?" Jesse then asked.

There was another long pause and finally, her reply.

"I am home."

MUTANT-X-MUTANT-X-MUTANT-X-MUTANT-X-MUTANT-X-MUTANT-

***Lyza***

            Ok! Now tell me if I should continue or should I end this one this way. Please keep on posting your reviews. Thanks… mwuahhh!!!!!