Disclaimer: As always, 'Mutant X' and its amazing cast of characters = Not mine. Alexis and Isabelle Fox-Mulwray = Mine.

Author's Note: I'd like to thank goldstranger for her suggestion, which I have used at the end of this chapter.

Author's Note II: Regarding the proposed new addition to the Mutant X family, at the moment my plan is to marry Jesse and Emma off towards the end of the next story, with the birth of their child in the following instalment.

Author's Note III: To mutantjel – you must be psychic or something! Since you've already guessed it, I might as well tell you that the title of the next instalment of the series (I've got to think of a name for it, by the way) is going to be 'Chicken Pox'. Only one of the twins will be sick, though.

Words in / / = Thoughts.

Chapter 6.

An hour later.

" . . .So, I'm afraid that we'll probably be here until tomorrow morning. It's taken us longer than expected to round up the new mutants and we have to move them to a new safehouse before we can set them up with their new IDs." Shalimar's cheerful voice announced via the comlink, shattering poor Adam's hopes of rescue. "Adam?" Her tone became concerned. "Are you still there?"

"Yes." His voice was weak.

"Do you think that you and Dad will be okay with the twins until then?"

"Yes." Adam mentally crossed his still brightly painted fingers. "We'll be fine."

"Great. We'll see you tomorrow. Bye." Shalimar broke the communication.

Adam sat for a few minutes staring at his comring, trying to assimilate the knowledge that nobody was going to come to save him from the twins' clutches.

/I'm doomed! /

* * *

Much to their grandfathers' relief, the twins had consented to allow them to remove their make up and change out of Emma's clothes – Adam was dreading the psionic's reaction when she returned and saw the state of her wardrobe.

The small comfort they derived from this slight concession was quickly swallowed by their terror when Lexi and Izzy closeted themselves in their playroom to plan their next 'game'.

Seeing Lexi's teasing smirk as she walked into her room, Adam had seriously considered calling Shalimar and begging her to abandon the mission and come back to restrain her daughters.

Sadly, his sense of the greater good prevailed.

/Those New Mutants need help more than I do. /

* * *

"Make up didn' wowk!" Izzy complained. "Dey still no fwiends!"

"Dey pretty, though." Lexi pointed out.

"Yes." Izzy smiled at the memory of her artfully painted grandfathers. "But what we do now?"

"Well. . ." Lexi gave the question careful consideration. "Dey no be fwiends like Mommy an' An' Emma, so maybe we hafta make dem be friends like Daddy an' Uncie Jess."

"How we do dat?"

* * *

"Basketball!" Nicholas snorted in derision.

"It could be worse." Adam ventured. "Would you rather go back to do each other's hair and make up?"

"I suppose not." Nicholas said grudgingly. "So whose team am I on? Lexi's or Izzy's?"

The twins, overhearing his question, dissolved into fits of giggles.

"Silly Other Grandpa!" Lexi smiled gleefully. "Me an' Izzy one team, you an' Grandpa other team."

"Do I have to be on the same team as him?" Nicholas groaned, gesturing towards Adam.

"Yes." Izzy's firm tone brooked no argument. She and her sister exchanged a mischievous smile.

"We gonna tick yo' ass!" The twins chorused.

Neither of the men doubted them for a second.

* * *

Twenty minutes later.

With the twins leading 'eleventeen hundwed to zewo' – never let a three year old be the scorekeeper – Adam and Nicholas were getting their asses well and truly kicked.

While neither of the men were particularly concerned with winning the game, the thought of what the twins might demand for a forfeit spurred them to make an effort to play as a team.

Unfortunately for them, the twins were not adverse to using their powers to their own advantage and, on the rare occasions when Adam or Nicholas had possession of the ball, they would suddenly feel compelled to hand it to one of the little girls who would use her feral speed to run down to the five foot tall basketball hoop installed for their use.

Any suggestion that this might be cheating was met with the derisive taunt of 'baby!'.

About ten minutes into the game, Adam scored the first point for the 'Grandpa' side and was rewarded with generous praise and a round of applause from the twins.

Flushed with his success, Adam smirked at his teammate, who was less than amused at being shown up.

Nicholas, who had never been an athletic person, was finding the game hard going and he was uncomfortably conscious of the twins' less than flattering remarks about his performance.

He wasn't paying much attention to the game and an overly enthusiastic pass from Adam caught him off guard, winding him temporarily.

"Very funny, Kane!" He growled, ignoring the twins' rule about names.

"Sorry.' Adam was genuinely repentant. "I didn't mean to take you by surprise."

"Oh yeah?" Nicholas didn't believe him for a second. "Let's see how you like it!" he lobbed the ball forcefully in Adam's direction.

His aim was wide and the ball struck Lexi across the face.

"WAAAAAAH!" Lexi's howls echoed through Sanctuary.

Adam scooped her up and dashed to the lab with the hysterically sobbing little girl in his arms and an anxious Izzy running behind him.

Nicholas, furious with himself for the trouble his childish gesture had caused, followed the trio to the lab and arrived in time to see Adam setting Lexi down on the chair.

Lexi's pretty face was flushed and tearstained and a steady stream or blood trickled from her nose. Adam had his hands full trying to calm the three year old down so that he could treat her injury.

Izzy, distressed by the sight of her sister in pain, started crying herself.

Lexi's howls became louder as Nicholas entered the room. "Other Grandpa bad!" She wailed, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"I'm sorry." Nicholas was more upset than she was.

"Other Grandpa didn't mean to hurt you, Lexi." Adam told her soothingly, using a small hand held scanner to make sure her nose wasn't broken. "It was an accident."

Nicholas, who had not expected the other man to defend him, was stunned into silence.

"There now, sweetheart." Adam used a dermal regenerator to heal Lexi's nose. "All better."

"He were twyin' to hit you, Grandpa." Izzy scowled at Nicholas, still furious with him. "I'm gonna tell Mommy."

"It was an accident, Izzy." Adam repeated patiently. "Although I must say," His voice became hard as he addressed Nicholas. "That it is one which could have been avoided. What were you thinking? Any moron knows not to throw a basketball around like that, especially with small children nearby. We are very lucky that there was no serious damage done!"

"You started it!" Nicholas's contrition vanished in a wave of indignation.

Adam laughed. "Only six year olds use that defense, Nicolas. I think that you're a little past that stage. At least, you should be." He amended insultingly. "I'm not too sure."

Nicholas balled his hands into fists. "You are getting on my last nerve!" He growled.

"Likewise." Adam's tone was cool.

"STOP IT!" Lexi shrieked, putting her hands over her ears. Between the residual pain of her nose and the constant strife between the two men, the little girl had run out of patience. She slid down from the examination chair and stood before them, her hands on her hips. "Me sick ob you figh'in'!" She announced, glaring at them. "Izzy sick ob you figh'in' an' Mommy sick ob you figh'in'!"

"Dat wight!" Izzy continued, backing her sister up. "We twy to pway nice game wif you so you be fwiends but it no wowk. Now, we gonna stop bein' nice!"

The look Adam and Nicholas exchanged was filled with terror.

If that had been their definition of 'nice', they did not want to know what 'nasty' was!

* * *

" . . .An' stay in!"

Through the use of their mental domination abilities, the twins had managed to 'convince' their grandfathers that the storage closet really was a great place to be.

As soon as the two men were safely stowed within the narrow confines of the now unused room, the twins slammed the door shut and turned the key.

"Girls!" Adam, as soon as their influence had worn off, started pounding on the door. "Girls, this isn't funny! Let us out of here!"

"No!" Lexi was rather annoyed with herself for not thinking of this earlier. "We no gonna let you out 'less you talk an' be fwiends."

"The second I get out of here, I'm going to teach the pair of you a lesson you'll never forget!" Nicholas, fool that he was, didn't think before he made his empty threat.

"Otay." Lexi answered cheerfully, not troubled in the least by the threat she knew her biological grandfather would never carry out. "Den we no let you out till Mommy an' Daddy come home. C'mon, Izzy." She turned to her twin. "Let's hab some tandy 'fore we go to bed."

The rapidly fading sounds of their footsteps told the captive men that they had no hope of freedom until the other four adults returned.

"Good job, Nicholas!" Adam said sarcastically. "Now we have to stay here until Shalimar and the others get back."

Nicholas consulted his watch. "It's nearly seven o' clock now." He said, not overly troubled. "I think we can stay here until they come back. When are they due to come back, anyway?"

For once, Adam got no satisfaction from frightening the other man. They were now in the same boat.

"Tomorrow morning."

TBC.

Isn't it great how three year olds can get away with so much more than we can? In their defence, Lexi and Izzy are only trying to help.

Next chapter: Adam and Nicholas finally talk through their differences. Shalimar, Brennan, Emma and Jesse return to see what happens when the twins are left unsupervised for the night.