Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X or X-Men, title or characters. Evie is my
character.
Chapter 20 – It's All Coming Back
The professor and Evie checked out, gathered everyone's bags and met them on the roof. As soon as the door was lowered Evie ran in as Gambit and Shalimar went out to help the professor. She spotted Adam unconscious in a chair. Rushing over to him she touched him. Needing to feel that he was real she ran her fingers gently through his hair and over his face. She whispered softly, "Adam, thank God you're alive. Don't worry, darling. We'll have you home soon."
As Charles entered the Blackbird he saw Adam begin to stir and Evie kneeling in front of him. "No, Evie, move away!" But it was too late. Adam opened his eyes and met hers for a brief moment before she had a chance to move. The teams watched as both she and Adam cried out in pain and she collapsed on the floor.
Charles immediately used his abilities to render Adam safely unconscious once again and remove the pain that Evie got from him. He watched as Jesse and Brennan carefully helped her to her feet.
"Charles, I'm---sorry." She rubbed her forehead with her hand. "What happened? I didn't try to connect with him." she said as she was taken to a seat.
"I'm not sure. Perhaps your just being close to him, allowed for a natural connection that you aren't aware occurs. Right now we must get everyone back to Sanctuary. The memory blocks must be reversed. He must not be confronted with his real life until that happens or we risk permanent damage. Then perhaps we can explore your powers."
Shalimar spoke suddenly feeling very guilty. "Oh no, I confronted him on the base, trying to get him to remember me so we could get him out. He screamed out and collapsed."
"We have him now." Charles sensed her fear. "We will go back to Sanctuary and reverse what they did to him. He'll be fine."
On the way back, Evie regained her strength quickly and reached out to Kitty and Marie. She healed them and gave them the strength they needed to fight the after effects of the governors. She also healed Ororo's gunshot wound leaving only the bloodied holes in her uniform to testify that it ever happened.
Once back home, they got everyone into the lab. Evie removed the governors and ran scans of Kitty and Marie to make sure they would regain consciousness on their own. She scanned Ororo to make sure the shoulder was fully healed. When she was satisfied she allowed the men to take the girls to their rooms to rest.
Jesse took Kitty to his room. He wanted to be there for her when she woke up and take care of her the way she took care of him. Making her comfortable in his bed, he pulled the chair close and sat in it with his feet up on the edge of the bed and pulled up a blanket. He fell asleep watching her and thinking of all the things he wanted to tell her.
Brennan and Shalimar took Jesse's laptop and downloaded the information from the base into the main computers for the professor to study. While they waited for Charles, Evie scanned Adam. She was horrified at the amount of damage that was evident from the internal scarring and bruising he had. She also accessed the base records to see what was done to heal him. She knew that even though they took her husband from her they also saved his life. Had he not been rescued when he was, he would most likely have died of his injuries.
Charles came out of the lab. "I believe I can reverse the memory blocks but I will have to enter his mind to do it. We have already seen the pain caused by intrusion. There is no alternative though. When I reach him, the pain will return. Evie you must keep him under scan to monitor him physically. Give him a sedative if his vitals reach critical levels. I will do what I can to ease the pain in his mind." He took her hand. "It will be difficult for you to watch but you must not try to heal him. Ultimately, he must break through himself."
"I understand," she bravely answered.
Brennan and Shalimar watched at Evie's side as the professor began.
Finding himself in that same small bare room in Adam's mind, Charles began to reach out for him slowly to not cause overwhelming shock.
The pain began to increase as Adam tried to identify the intruder. ~Who are you? What do you want?~ Adam said. He appeared to Charles on the other side of one of the walls that had seemed to become less solid.
~Adam, I am your friend.~ He saw Adam raise his hands to his head in pain.
~No, I don't know you. Get away from me.~ Adam's voice was pained.
~Adam, do you see these walls. They don't belong here. They were put here by people who don't want you to know who you really are.~
~No, I know who I am. I'm Adam Kane. I'm a scientist at Johnston Medical.~ His declarations made the pain subside and he stood tall before the intruder.
~Yes, you are Adam Kane, a scientist. But you do not work at Johnston. You are the founder and leader of Mutant X.~ Charles could feel that mention of Mutant X stirred a memory and Adam reacted with some pain. ~Memory blocks were erected in your mind. The pain was programmed to prevent you from trying to breach the blocks. But you must try to remember. You must push past the pain.~
~No, you're lying. I was told you would kidnap me. I won't work for you.~
~Adam, I did not kidnap you. They did. Do you remember being at NAXCON?~ Charles could feel the stirring again. He had to keep pushing.
Evie watched in tearful anticipation as Adam tossed as if in a nightmare. His vitals were rising. Heart rate and respiration were increasing. Adrenaline was flowing as she watched the muscles in his arms and neck tense.
~There was an---explosion.~ Adam put pressure on his pounding head.
~That's right. You and your team were caught in it. You were hurt.~ Charles knew that even when unconscious the mind knows the condition of the body. He watched as Adam fell to his knees in pain. Reaching out, he eased the pain but could only give slight relief. ~Your team has been looking for you.~
More memories fought to break through. ~Shalimar?~ He remembered seeing her. Then he gasped, ~Jesse? I shot him.~
~Yes, but he is fine. They want you to come home. They want you back at Sanctuary.~
~Sanctuary---~ Adam repeated as if in a dream. The wall between them began to become more translucent.
~Very good. Try to remember. There is also someone else in Sanctuary who is waiting for you. Can you remember?~ Charles began to feel the blocks crumble. ~Try Adam. Who's there?~ He felt it as Adam was hit with a more intense pain. He knew he could not ease this one. Adam had to endure it. Charles raised his voice. ~Tell me, Adam. Who's waiting for you?~
Evie began to panic as Adam's vitals spiked. She immediately administered the sedative and prayed it meant that soon she would have him back.
Charles relentlessly pushed harder as Adam tried to fight the pain. ~What's her name? Call her, Adam. Call out to her.~
Taking a deep breath and gathering all the strength in him he fought for the name that seemed just beyond his reach. Enduring blinding pain he closed his eyes tightly and put forth the last bit of effort he could muster. Finally he saw her, and screamed, ~EVIE,---aaahhh~ Curling up and falling to his side on the floor, his pain was too much. He groaned in pain as he forced himself to repeat her name over and over.
Charles watched as the walls dissipated before his eyes. As soon as they were gone he knew the blocks were gone as well. He rushed in and fell by Adam's side using his powers to speed the subsiding pain.
After a few moments Adam was able to relax and look up at his friend. ~Charles?~
~Yes, Adam.~
~What happened? Where are we?~ He noticed that Charles was kneeling by his side.
~We are in your mind. You had a very traumatic experience. Rest now. You need to recover. I will be there when you awake.~ Charles watched as Adam closed his eyes, his mind joining his body in much needed rest. He slowly left Adam's mind and raised his head. "It is finished. Adam is resting now."
Evie approached him. "I had to give him a sedative. His vitals were dangerously high."
"I know. I could feel them rise when he was fighting the hardest to break through the blocks. The sedative will take a few hours to wear off. Everyone needs to rest. I suggest we all turn in."
"I'll stay here." No one was about to argue with her so they just smiled and said their goodnights.
Brennan walked Shalimar up to her room. Since their friends arrived he had given his room to Remy and Marie and moved some clothes into Shalimar's room. When they were ready for bed he got in and moved to one side to let her join him. They were exhausted from the ordeal of the last few days. She moved to snuggle against him and he pulled the blanket up over both of them. "Brennan," she whispered almost too tired to speak.
"Hmm"
"I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you. Without you here we wouldn't have been able to pull through." She smiled as she felt him kiss her head.
"I didn't do all that much. Without Ororo's help the only thing I would have done was self destruct."
She lifted her head to see his face. "Don't say that. You took care of all of us before they got here. You were stressed. I'm glad she was able to help you. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you."
"You were really stressed yourself."
"Don't remind me. I can't believe I was that blindly wild. The only thing I can remember is---wanting to kill Logan."
"That scared you didn't it?" He watched her eyes began to mist.
"Thank God it was Logan. He could handle it. But---Brennan---what if it happens again? What if---that's what I have to look forward to---with my mutation? You guys'll have to sedate me---or cage me---" she began to shake thinking of the consequences of such a rage.
"Hey, stop," Brennan brought her face up to look at him. "Listen to me. That is not going to ever happen. Logan said that these were extreme circumstances for you. That's what brought it on. It wasn't your mutation."
"But---" she tried to argue.
"But---nothing. Logan has dealt with these things before. He said it's brought on by temper not mutation and he's prone to them and has learned to control it. He should know what he's talking about." Brennan tried to make sure she understood.
"That doesn't mean it won't ever happen again. What if I lose it and try to hurt one of you guys?" This really had her scared. "I was completely animal, completely wild, Brennan."
"Sounds like fun." He smiled suggestively at her.
"This isn't a joke, Brenn. I have always embraced that side of me as special. Now it disgusts me." She sat up and turned her back to him. "It should disgust you, too," she whispered.
"Hey, Shalimar---" she refused to turn to him so he moved across the bed to sit in front of her. When she turned her head in shame he took her face in his hands and made her look at him. "You listen to me. I love you, all of you. You are not disgusting and you never will be. We are all still mutating and we don't know what's yet to come but no matter what happens I will never stop loving you. You are special, very special and your feral side makes you even more special to me. No matter what the future holds for us, we'll see it through together." He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her very gently. Soon he felt her respond to his kiss and put her arms around him. He embraced her and kissed her until he felt she believed all he just said. Moving them back under the covers he held her close as they both fell asleep.
About 3 hours later Adam began to stir. Evie really had not been able to sleep well. She was sitting at one of the computers reading over the information Jesse collected to make sure she didn't miss anything. At one point she had put her head down on her arms and that's how Adam found her, sound asleep. He sat up and rubbed the back of his sore neck. Memory after memory began to flood his mind reminding him of his behavior over the last few days. One made him turn and look around the lab quickly. Seeing that he was the only patient he concluded that Evie must have healed Ororo. "Evie," he whispered as he slowly approached and knelt beside her. He ran one hand down her silky hair and whispered her name again.
She began to wake and sleepily responded to his voice. "Adam---" Turning to see him smiling, her eyes widened in shock. "Adam, oh Adam you're ok." She fell to the floor and into his embrace. "Adam, I was so afraid I was going to lose you."
"Sshh---" he kissed her head. "You didn't lose me. You'll never lose me." When she raised her head to face him, he held her tightly in his arms and kissed her deeply to reassure her. When they parted he said, "I love you so much."
"I love you, too." She smiled at him then pulled him close and laid her head on his chest. When she glanced up she saw the monitor and remembered what she had been reading before she fell asleep. Sitting straight up, she suddenly changed her manner and became the doctor. "Are you hurt anywhere? I've got to scan you. Come get in the chair." She stood and tried to help him up as he began to laugh. "What's so funny?" She stopped and looked at him.
"You are. In less than a second flat you went from being my wife to being Doctor Evelyn Kane." He leaned in and kissed her.
Pulling away she pushed him toward the scan chair as she replied, "Your wife won't rest until the doctor makes sure you're ok. Now be still," she ordered.
"Yes, Doctor." Adam smiled proudly as she worked. He saw her read the results then drop her head and shoulders. Coming up behind her and touching her back lightly, he asked, "Well, doctor. How am I?"
She spun around and threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly as she began to cry. "Oh, Adam, you're perfect, thank God. Everything they did to you has been reversed."
Beginning to remember more he asked, "Did I see Charles?"
"Yes, he's here with some of his team. When we couldn't find you I called him to help. We wouldn't have been able to get you back without the help of the X Men. I have so much to tell you." They walked into the rec room and sat in each other's arms on the sofa. "Tell me what you remember first." Evie was glad to have Adam back but really wished this conversation didn't need to take place.
Adam held her close as he tried to think back. "Well, I remember the mission at NAXCON. I can remember the explosion. The building began to crumble. We had to hold on, everyone was screaming. I was trying to help Emma. She slipped away from me. There was a larger blast. I was falling--- then nothing---until I woke up at Johnston. How did you know where to find me?"
"It took both teams to use their tracking skills to come up with anything. Satellite imaging gave us a chopper. Jubilee traced its origin on the mansion computers. Then Remy took over. Louisiana is his territory. Can you remember being there and being hurt?" Evie's voice was soft and soothing for him.
"The only pain I remember is the headache I had when I woke up. Mason told me I had fallen off a set of shelves I evidently tried to climb without a ladder. I worked that day---Friday,---then went to a poker game with Dave. What's today?"
"It's Sunday morning, now. Who was Dave?"
"A friend---I think---a doctor in the lab. Then we went to a club to play poker. I drank scotch and won a lot."
"The way I heard it, you drank quite a lot and only folded to appease the other players."
"How did you know? Oh wait---Remy was there, wasn't he." Memories began to make sense to him. "Yeah, everyone else was easy to read. Remy was a challenge, but he kept folding. We played all night and most of Saturday. It was a tournament then there was going to be a big party---" Adam suddenly felt guilty and hesitated. "um---tonight."
Evie smiled to herself as she prodded. "You needed a date for the party didn't you?" her voice was light.
"I---uh---was looking for one---and---Remy knew that." He drew a sudden breath and continued. "He called for the girls to come in, didn't he?" Adam was quick to catch on. "But why didn't you come?"
"He found out when he first got there that they were on the look out for Mutant X. Charles didn't want to take any chances. Remy suggested that it would be better for you to 'catch' one of us rather than a stranger. He called for Marie and Ororo so one of them could try and get your attention. Kitty went in as part of his cover."
"Marie certainly got my attention---oooff." Adam took an elbow in the ribs. He hugged Evie closer, then turned her to look into her eyes. "I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me?"
She leaned up and kissed him. "There is nothing to forgive. They took your memories of us and modified your behavior. I know you wouldn't really wander from me."
Her confidence in his love just proved to him how truly special she was. He took her and kissed her passionately. When they finally moved apart he spoke again. "I hope Marie and Remy will be as forgiving." He began to remember all the things he said and did with Marie and silently thanked God that she fought him off so insistently. Then he remembered something else. "I saw Mason put a governor on her. Is she ok?" His voice was full of concern.
"Yeah, Brennan got to her and deactivated it. When we got back I removed it. She was in a lot of pain."
"It was constantly on, right?"
"Yeah, they put one on Kitty, too but Marie's was worse. Her super strength kept fighting so it kept punishing. You can check her more in the morning. She and Remy are in Brennan's room."
"And then there was a fight on the base. I---shot Ororo."
"She's fine, too. The bullet went clean through and I healed the wound on the way back home. She and Logan are in one of the guestrooms. I'm pretty sure you don't have to worry about Logan getting even." She chuckled as he sighed in relief.
"I also shot at Jesse and Shalimar. She tried to talk me out. All I remember after that is seeing Charles---in my head---I think. Then I woke up and saw you." He pulled her close to him again; her warm body reassuring him that this was truly real and the nightmare of the other life was over.
"Brennan and Shalimar are in her room. She's fine. She was happy to know that you remembered her through the blocks. Jesse has Kitty up in his room. He's trying to take care of her."
They sat in silence for a moment as Adam thought about his family. Then her omission struck Adam. Hesitantly he began, "And---Emma's in with Jesse, taking care of Kitty, right?"
TBC
No we are not done, yet. I still have a ways to go. Once I started it was hard for me to push the keyboard away. Thanks for hanging in.
Chapter 20 – It's All Coming Back
The professor and Evie checked out, gathered everyone's bags and met them on the roof. As soon as the door was lowered Evie ran in as Gambit and Shalimar went out to help the professor. She spotted Adam unconscious in a chair. Rushing over to him she touched him. Needing to feel that he was real she ran her fingers gently through his hair and over his face. She whispered softly, "Adam, thank God you're alive. Don't worry, darling. We'll have you home soon."
As Charles entered the Blackbird he saw Adam begin to stir and Evie kneeling in front of him. "No, Evie, move away!" But it was too late. Adam opened his eyes and met hers for a brief moment before she had a chance to move. The teams watched as both she and Adam cried out in pain and she collapsed on the floor.
Charles immediately used his abilities to render Adam safely unconscious once again and remove the pain that Evie got from him. He watched as Jesse and Brennan carefully helped her to her feet.
"Charles, I'm---sorry." She rubbed her forehead with her hand. "What happened? I didn't try to connect with him." she said as she was taken to a seat.
"I'm not sure. Perhaps your just being close to him, allowed for a natural connection that you aren't aware occurs. Right now we must get everyone back to Sanctuary. The memory blocks must be reversed. He must not be confronted with his real life until that happens or we risk permanent damage. Then perhaps we can explore your powers."
Shalimar spoke suddenly feeling very guilty. "Oh no, I confronted him on the base, trying to get him to remember me so we could get him out. He screamed out and collapsed."
"We have him now." Charles sensed her fear. "We will go back to Sanctuary and reverse what they did to him. He'll be fine."
On the way back, Evie regained her strength quickly and reached out to Kitty and Marie. She healed them and gave them the strength they needed to fight the after effects of the governors. She also healed Ororo's gunshot wound leaving only the bloodied holes in her uniform to testify that it ever happened.
Once back home, they got everyone into the lab. Evie removed the governors and ran scans of Kitty and Marie to make sure they would regain consciousness on their own. She scanned Ororo to make sure the shoulder was fully healed. When she was satisfied she allowed the men to take the girls to their rooms to rest.
Jesse took Kitty to his room. He wanted to be there for her when she woke up and take care of her the way she took care of him. Making her comfortable in his bed, he pulled the chair close and sat in it with his feet up on the edge of the bed and pulled up a blanket. He fell asleep watching her and thinking of all the things he wanted to tell her.
Brennan and Shalimar took Jesse's laptop and downloaded the information from the base into the main computers for the professor to study. While they waited for Charles, Evie scanned Adam. She was horrified at the amount of damage that was evident from the internal scarring and bruising he had. She also accessed the base records to see what was done to heal him. She knew that even though they took her husband from her they also saved his life. Had he not been rescued when he was, he would most likely have died of his injuries.
Charles came out of the lab. "I believe I can reverse the memory blocks but I will have to enter his mind to do it. We have already seen the pain caused by intrusion. There is no alternative though. When I reach him, the pain will return. Evie you must keep him under scan to monitor him physically. Give him a sedative if his vitals reach critical levels. I will do what I can to ease the pain in his mind." He took her hand. "It will be difficult for you to watch but you must not try to heal him. Ultimately, he must break through himself."
"I understand," she bravely answered.
Brennan and Shalimar watched at Evie's side as the professor began.
Finding himself in that same small bare room in Adam's mind, Charles began to reach out for him slowly to not cause overwhelming shock.
The pain began to increase as Adam tried to identify the intruder. ~Who are you? What do you want?~ Adam said. He appeared to Charles on the other side of one of the walls that had seemed to become less solid.
~Adam, I am your friend.~ He saw Adam raise his hands to his head in pain.
~No, I don't know you. Get away from me.~ Adam's voice was pained.
~Adam, do you see these walls. They don't belong here. They were put here by people who don't want you to know who you really are.~
~No, I know who I am. I'm Adam Kane. I'm a scientist at Johnston Medical.~ His declarations made the pain subside and he stood tall before the intruder.
~Yes, you are Adam Kane, a scientist. But you do not work at Johnston. You are the founder and leader of Mutant X.~ Charles could feel that mention of Mutant X stirred a memory and Adam reacted with some pain. ~Memory blocks were erected in your mind. The pain was programmed to prevent you from trying to breach the blocks. But you must try to remember. You must push past the pain.~
~No, you're lying. I was told you would kidnap me. I won't work for you.~
~Adam, I did not kidnap you. They did. Do you remember being at NAXCON?~ Charles could feel the stirring again. He had to keep pushing.
Evie watched in tearful anticipation as Adam tossed as if in a nightmare. His vitals were rising. Heart rate and respiration were increasing. Adrenaline was flowing as she watched the muscles in his arms and neck tense.
~There was an---explosion.~ Adam put pressure on his pounding head.
~That's right. You and your team were caught in it. You were hurt.~ Charles knew that even when unconscious the mind knows the condition of the body. He watched as Adam fell to his knees in pain. Reaching out, he eased the pain but could only give slight relief. ~Your team has been looking for you.~
More memories fought to break through. ~Shalimar?~ He remembered seeing her. Then he gasped, ~Jesse? I shot him.~
~Yes, but he is fine. They want you to come home. They want you back at Sanctuary.~
~Sanctuary---~ Adam repeated as if in a dream. The wall between them began to become more translucent.
~Very good. Try to remember. There is also someone else in Sanctuary who is waiting for you. Can you remember?~ Charles began to feel the blocks crumble. ~Try Adam. Who's there?~ He felt it as Adam was hit with a more intense pain. He knew he could not ease this one. Adam had to endure it. Charles raised his voice. ~Tell me, Adam. Who's waiting for you?~
Evie began to panic as Adam's vitals spiked. She immediately administered the sedative and prayed it meant that soon she would have him back.
Charles relentlessly pushed harder as Adam tried to fight the pain. ~What's her name? Call her, Adam. Call out to her.~
Taking a deep breath and gathering all the strength in him he fought for the name that seemed just beyond his reach. Enduring blinding pain he closed his eyes tightly and put forth the last bit of effort he could muster. Finally he saw her, and screamed, ~EVIE,---aaahhh~ Curling up and falling to his side on the floor, his pain was too much. He groaned in pain as he forced himself to repeat her name over and over.
Charles watched as the walls dissipated before his eyes. As soon as they were gone he knew the blocks were gone as well. He rushed in and fell by Adam's side using his powers to speed the subsiding pain.
After a few moments Adam was able to relax and look up at his friend. ~Charles?~
~Yes, Adam.~
~What happened? Where are we?~ He noticed that Charles was kneeling by his side.
~We are in your mind. You had a very traumatic experience. Rest now. You need to recover. I will be there when you awake.~ Charles watched as Adam closed his eyes, his mind joining his body in much needed rest. He slowly left Adam's mind and raised his head. "It is finished. Adam is resting now."
Evie approached him. "I had to give him a sedative. His vitals were dangerously high."
"I know. I could feel them rise when he was fighting the hardest to break through the blocks. The sedative will take a few hours to wear off. Everyone needs to rest. I suggest we all turn in."
"I'll stay here." No one was about to argue with her so they just smiled and said their goodnights.
Brennan walked Shalimar up to her room. Since their friends arrived he had given his room to Remy and Marie and moved some clothes into Shalimar's room. When they were ready for bed he got in and moved to one side to let her join him. They were exhausted from the ordeal of the last few days. She moved to snuggle against him and he pulled the blanket up over both of them. "Brennan," she whispered almost too tired to speak.
"Hmm"
"I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you. Without you here we wouldn't have been able to pull through." She smiled as she felt him kiss her head.
"I didn't do all that much. Without Ororo's help the only thing I would have done was self destruct."
She lifted her head to see his face. "Don't say that. You took care of all of us before they got here. You were stressed. I'm glad she was able to help you. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you."
"You were really stressed yourself."
"Don't remind me. I can't believe I was that blindly wild. The only thing I can remember is---wanting to kill Logan."
"That scared you didn't it?" He watched her eyes began to mist.
"Thank God it was Logan. He could handle it. But---Brennan---what if it happens again? What if---that's what I have to look forward to---with my mutation? You guys'll have to sedate me---or cage me---" she began to shake thinking of the consequences of such a rage.
"Hey, stop," Brennan brought her face up to look at him. "Listen to me. That is not going to ever happen. Logan said that these were extreme circumstances for you. That's what brought it on. It wasn't your mutation."
"But---" she tried to argue.
"But---nothing. Logan has dealt with these things before. He said it's brought on by temper not mutation and he's prone to them and has learned to control it. He should know what he's talking about." Brennan tried to make sure she understood.
"That doesn't mean it won't ever happen again. What if I lose it and try to hurt one of you guys?" This really had her scared. "I was completely animal, completely wild, Brennan."
"Sounds like fun." He smiled suggestively at her.
"This isn't a joke, Brenn. I have always embraced that side of me as special. Now it disgusts me." She sat up and turned her back to him. "It should disgust you, too," she whispered.
"Hey, Shalimar---" she refused to turn to him so he moved across the bed to sit in front of her. When she turned her head in shame he took her face in his hands and made her look at him. "You listen to me. I love you, all of you. You are not disgusting and you never will be. We are all still mutating and we don't know what's yet to come but no matter what happens I will never stop loving you. You are special, very special and your feral side makes you even more special to me. No matter what the future holds for us, we'll see it through together." He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her very gently. Soon he felt her respond to his kiss and put her arms around him. He embraced her and kissed her until he felt she believed all he just said. Moving them back under the covers he held her close as they both fell asleep.
About 3 hours later Adam began to stir. Evie really had not been able to sleep well. She was sitting at one of the computers reading over the information Jesse collected to make sure she didn't miss anything. At one point she had put her head down on her arms and that's how Adam found her, sound asleep. He sat up and rubbed the back of his sore neck. Memory after memory began to flood his mind reminding him of his behavior over the last few days. One made him turn and look around the lab quickly. Seeing that he was the only patient he concluded that Evie must have healed Ororo. "Evie," he whispered as he slowly approached and knelt beside her. He ran one hand down her silky hair and whispered her name again.
She began to wake and sleepily responded to his voice. "Adam---" Turning to see him smiling, her eyes widened in shock. "Adam, oh Adam you're ok." She fell to the floor and into his embrace. "Adam, I was so afraid I was going to lose you."
"Sshh---" he kissed her head. "You didn't lose me. You'll never lose me." When she raised her head to face him, he held her tightly in his arms and kissed her deeply to reassure her. When they parted he said, "I love you so much."
"I love you, too." She smiled at him then pulled him close and laid her head on his chest. When she glanced up she saw the monitor and remembered what she had been reading before she fell asleep. Sitting straight up, she suddenly changed her manner and became the doctor. "Are you hurt anywhere? I've got to scan you. Come get in the chair." She stood and tried to help him up as he began to laugh. "What's so funny?" She stopped and looked at him.
"You are. In less than a second flat you went from being my wife to being Doctor Evelyn Kane." He leaned in and kissed her.
Pulling away she pushed him toward the scan chair as she replied, "Your wife won't rest until the doctor makes sure you're ok. Now be still," she ordered.
"Yes, Doctor." Adam smiled proudly as she worked. He saw her read the results then drop her head and shoulders. Coming up behind her and touching her back lightly, he asked, "Well, doctor. How am I?"
She spun around and threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly as she began to cry. "Oh, Adam, you're perfect, thank God. Everything they did to you has been reversed."
Beginning to remember more he asked, "Did I see Charles?"
"Yes, he's here with some of his team. When we couldn't find you I called him to help. We wouldn't have been able to get you back without the help of the X Men. I have so much to tell you." They walked into the rec room and sat in each other's arms on the sofa. "Tell me what you remember first." Evie was glad to have Adam back but really wished this conversation didn't need to take place.
Adam held her close as he tried to think back. "Well, I remember the mission at NAXCON. I can remember the explosion. The building began to crumble. We had to hold on, everyone was screaming. I was trying to help Emma. She slipped away from me. There was a larger blast. I was falling--- then nothing---until I woke up at Johnston. How did you know where to find me?"
"It took both teams to use their tracking skills to come up with anything. Satellite imaging gave us a chopper. Jubilee traced its origin on the mansion computers. Then Remy took over. Louisiana is his territory. Can you remember being there and being hurt?" Evie's voice was soft and soothing for him.
"The only pain I remember is the headache I had when I woke up. Mason told me I had fallen off a set of shelves I evidently tried to climb without a ladder. I worked that day---Friday,---then went to a poker game with Dave. What's today?"
"It's Sunday morning, now. Who was Dave?"
"A friend---I think---a doctor in the lab. Then we went to a club to play poker. I drank scotch and won a lot."
"The way I heard it, you drank quite a lot and only folded to appease the other players."
"How did you know? Oh wait---Remy was there, wasn't he." Memories began to make sense to him. "Yeah, everyone else was easy to read. Remy was a challenge, but he kept folding. We played all night and most of Saturday. It was a tournament then there was going to be a big party---" Adam suddenly felt guilty and hesitated. "um---tonight."
Evie smiled to herself as she prodded. "You needed a date for the party didn't you?" her voice was light.
"I---uh---was looking for one---and---Remy knew that." He drew a sudden breath and continued. "He called for the girls to come in, didn't he?" Adam was quick to catch on. "But why didn't you come?"
"He found out when he first got there that they were on the look out for Mutant X. Charles didn't want to take any chances. Remy suggested that it would be better for you to 'catch' one of us rather than a stranger. He called for Marie and Ororo so one of them could try and get your attention. Kitty went in as part of his cover."
"Marie certainly got my attention---oooff." Adam took an elbow in the ribs. He hugged Evie closer, then turned her to look into her eyes. "I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me?"
She leaned up and kissed him. "There is nothing to forgive. They took your memories of us and modified your behavior. I know you wouldn't really wander from me."
Her confidence in his love just proved to him how truly special she was. He took her and kissed her passionately. When they finally moved apart he spoke again. "I hope Marie and Remy will be as forgiving." He began to remember all the things he said and did with Marie and silently thanked God that she fought him off so insistently. Then he remembered something else. "I saw Mason put a governor on her. Is she ok?" His voice was full of concern.
"Yeah, Brennan got to her and deactivated it. When we got back I removed it. She was in a lot of pain."
"It was constantly on, right?"
"Yeah, they put one on Kitty, too but Marie's was worse. Her super strength kept fighting so it kept punishing. You can check her more in the morning. She and Remy are in Brennan's room."
"And then there was a fight on the base. I---shot Ororo."
"She's fine, too. The bullet went clean through and I healed the wound on the way back home. She and Logan are in one of the guestrooms. I'm pretty sure you don't have to worry about Logan getting even." She chuckled as he sighed in relief.
"I also shot at Jesse and Shalimar. She tried to talk me out. All I remember after that is seeing Charles---in my head---I think. Then I woke up and saw you." He pulled her close to him again; her warm body reassuring him that this was truly real and the nightmare of the other life was over.
"Brennan and Shalimar are in her room. She's fine. She was happy to know that you remembered her through the blocks. Jesse has Kitty up in his room. He's trying to take care of her."
They sat in silence for a moment as Adam thought about his family. Then her omission struck Adam. Hesitantly he began, "And---Emma's in with Jesse, taking care of Kitty, right?"
TBC
No we are not done, yet. I still have a ways to go. Once I started it was hard for me to push the keyboard away. Thanks for hanging in.
