Disclaimer: All Mutant X character do not belong to me and no copyright
infringement is intended.
Old Friends
The music of the club pulsed and sent vibrations to every corner of the room. Jesse sat at the bar staring glumly into his drink. Brennan had dragged him to the club to brighten his mood, and it wasn't working. He couldn't quite shake the melancholy that seemed to stick to him like glue. There were times when it seemed like it was gone, but then it would return with a vengance. They had only been at the club for fifteen minutes and Brennan had already danced with two girls. Jesse never understood how he did it. It wasn't that he had problems finding a date, but Jesse liked to take his time. A hand suddenly clamped down onto his shoulder.
"Hey man, I don't think that you've moved from that spot since we got here. Come on, live a little. There's a couple of hotties over there that I know would love to spend some time with us."
"No thanks, I think I might head back in a couple of minutes," Jesse turned back to his drink. Brennan grimaced and leaned against the bar next to Jesse.
"Come on Jesse you got to get out of this slump. It's been almost a month, you got to move on."
"Yeah well it's not that easy for some of us," Jesse's voice was angry, but the look on his face was one of hurt. Brennan sighed, marveling at how easily he tended to put his foot in his mouth.
"Jesse I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm just trying to help, you know, keep you from lingering."
"I'm sorry too, I know you're trying to help. I just can't seem to let go."
"I understand its got to be tough, but you still got to move on sooner or later."
"Yeah," Jesse replied glumly. He stared back into his drink again and sighed. Brennan shook his head gently and clapped Jesse on the shoulder again.
"Tell you what, I'm going to have one more drink, you finish yours, and then we'll go back home."
"Sounds like a plan," Jesse said and took a sip of his drink. Brennan ordered and they both sat at the bar for a few minutes in silence. Brennan couldn't help thinking that things might have gone along easier if the girls had been there. Shalimar always knew what to say whenever Jesse got like this. It had been a month since Toni decided to break it off with Jesse. She had stated plainly that long distance relationships didn't work, even in the Underground. Brennan wasn't surprised and he said so to Emma who gave him a stern look and told him not to repeat that to Jesse.
They finished their drinks and got up from the bar. Brennan was shrugging on his coat when he noticed a person in the crowd. She was tall and had longish auburn hair that fell lightly onto her shoulders. She was wearing jeans and boots with a leather jacket zipped all the way up. In one hand she carried a full-face motorcycle helmet. She was staring at Brennan and Jesse with an intense look. When she saw Jesse her expression changed dramatically. A wide smile spread across her face and she practically ran towards him.
"Jesse?!" She shouted above the music. A look of astonishment came upon Jesse's face.
"Pheonix? Is it really you?" In response, the girl ran up to Jesse and he swept her up into his arms. They held that embrace for what seemed several minutes until Jesse broke the embrace to hold her at arms length looking at her intently.
"I can't believe it's you. I haven't seen you for . . ."
"Six years, yeah I know. I remember it was at your graduation party. We had to leave early."
"You guys were moving. You never did tell me where you were going," Jesse's voice got softer with this comment. Pheonix looked down at her feet almost too ashamed or apologetic to look him in the eye. Brennan sensed tension and cleared his throat to get their attention. He looked pointedly at Jesse.
"Introductions would be nice."
Jesse blinked several times before he remembered where he was, "Oh, I'm sorry. Brennan this is a good friend of mine Pheonix Haley. Phee this is Brennan Mulwray, another good friend of mine."
"Hi," Pheonix said with a smile as she shook Brennan's hand. She certainly had a beautiful smile and up close he saw that her eyes were a deep violet. It wasn't a color you saw very often and it caught his attention.
"Any friend of Jesse's is a friend of mine," Brennan said with a wide smile. Jesse rolled his eyes at Brennan.
"Pheonix and I have known each other since we were little kids. Hell, as far back as I remember practically."
"Our parents were good friends before we were born, so that pretty much sums it up," Pheonix unzipped her jacket and sat down onto a stool. She looked at the guys noticing their jackets. "You guys coming or going?"
"Actually we were on our way out," Brennan said before Jesse could get a word in. Disappointment flashed across her face.
"You still have the weirdest timing in the world," Jesse said heavily. Pheonix gave him a penetrating look as if she were assessing his state. After a few minutes she seemed to have come to a conclusion.
"What's wrong? Something's happened hasn't it? It has to involve a girl too, because the last time you had that look on your face it was senior year and you had just gotten dumped."
Brennan snorted and Jesse hit him in the shoulder. Pheonix held a serene look on her face as if all was right with the world and she had total control. At the hurt that appeared briefly in his eyes, Pheonix held Jesse's hand in hers gently.
"I'm sorry Jess."
"No that's okay, I've just been down in the dumps lately. But that's not the point. What are you doing back in town?"
"It's a long story that would take a couple of days to explain," she turned to Brennan. "So are you a member of Mutant X too?"
Brennan's face reflected his shock, "Well, I . . . I, how do you know about Mutant X?"
"I sort of told her," Jesse said sheepishly. Brennan raised his eyebrows at him and then turned his attention back at Pheonix.
"Are you a New Mutant?"
"No, but Jesse told me about his powers when he first started showing signs that he was, different," she gave Brennan a reassuring smile. "A few months after Adam found him, Jesse wrote me a letter telling me all about it. He was so happy, the happiest I had ever heard him."
"After that the letters came back," Jesse said quietly. Pheonix went quiet and the tension was back. Brennan felt the awkwardness of the moment and couldn't help but try and break it.
"I am a member of Mutant X. Speaking of which, we need to be heading back. Jesse?"
"Yeah, listen, give me your number and I'll give you a call. We really need to spend time together and talk and catch up."
Pheonix gave him her number and they made their way, albeit reluctantly on Jesse's part, out of the club. They spent the rest of the car ride in silence, and Brennan didn't push it even though he was dying to hear more about Jesse's old friend.
Old Friends
The music of the club pulsed and sent vibrations to every corner of the room. Jesse sat at the bar staring glumly into his drink. Brennan had dragged him to the club to brighten his mood, and it wasn't working. He couldn't quite shake the melancholy that seemed to stick to him like glue. There were times when it seemed like it was gone, but then it would return with a vengance. They had only been at the club for fifteen minutes and Brennan had already danced with two girls. Jesse never understood how he did it. It wasn't that he had problems finding a date, but Jesse liked to take his time. A hand suddenly clamped down onto his shoulder.
"Hey man, I don't think that you've moved from that spot since we got here. Come on, live a little. There's a couple of hotties over there that I know would love to spend some time with us."
"No thanks, I think I might head back in a couple of minutes," Jesse turned back to his drink. Brennan grimaced and leaned against the bar next to Jesse.
"Come on Jesse you got to get out of this slump. It's been almost a month, you got to move on."
"Yeah well it's not that easy for some of us," Jesse's voice was angry, but the look on his face was one of hurt. Brennan sighed, marveling at how easily he tended to put his foot in his mouth.
"Jesse I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm just trying to help, you know, keep you from lingering."
"I'm sorry too, I know you're trying to help. I just can't seem to let go."
"I understand its got to be tough, but you still got to move on sooner or later."
"Yeah," Jesse replied glumly. He stared back into his drink again and sighed. Brennan shook his head gently and clapped Jesse on the shoulder again.
"Tell you what, I'm going to have one more drink, you finish yours, and then we'll go back home."
"Sounds like a plan," Jesse said and took a sip of his drink. Brennan ordered and they both sat at the bar for a few minutes in silence. Brennan couldn't help thinking that things might have gone along easier if the girls had been there. Shalimar always knew what to say whenever Jesse got like this. It had been a month since Toni decided to break it off with Jesse. She had stated plainly that long distance relationships didn't work, even in the Underground. Brennan wasn't surprised and he said so to Emma who gave him a stern look and told him not to repeat that to Jesse.
They finished their drinks and got up from the bar. Brennan was shrugging on his coat when he noticed a person in the crowd. She was tall and had longish auburn hair that fell lightly onto her shoulders. She was wearing jeans and boots with a leather jacket zipped all the way up. In one hand she carried a full-face motorcycle helmet. She was staring at Brennan and Jesse with an intense look. When she saw Jesse her expression changed dramatically. A wide smile spread across her face and she practically ran towards him.
"Jesse?!" She shouted above the music. A look of astonishment came upon Jesse's face.
"Pheonix? Is it really you?" In response, the girl ran up to Jesse and he swept her up into his arms. They held that embrace for what seemed several minutes until Jesse broke the embrace to hold her at arms length looking at her intently.
"I can't believe it's you. I haven't seen you for . . ."
"Six years, yeah I know. I remember it was at your graduation party. We had to leave early."
"You guys were moving. You never did tell me where you were going," Jesse's voice got softer with this comment. Pheonix looked down at her feet almost too ashamed or apologetic to look him in the eye. Brennan sensed tension and cleared his throat to get their attention. He looked pointedly at Jesse.
"Introductions would be nice."
Jesse blinked several times before he remembered where he was, "Oh, I'm sorry. Brennan this is a good friend of mine Pheonix Haley. Phee this is Brennan Mulwray, another good friend of mine."
"Hi," Pheonix said with a smile as she shook Brennan's hand. She certainly had a beautiful smile and up close he saw that her eyes were a deep violet. It wasn't a color you saw very often and it caught his attention.
"Any friend of Jesse's is a friend of mine," Brennan said with a wide smile. Jesse rolled his eyes at Brennan.
"Pheonix and I have known each other since we were little kids. Hell, as far back as I remember practically."
"Our parents were good friends before we were born, so that pretty much sums it up," Pheonix unzipped her jacket and sat down onto a stool. She looked at the guys noticing their jackets. "You guys coming or going?"
"Actually we were on our way out," Brennan said before Jesse could get a word in. Disappointment flashed across her face.
"You still have the weirdest timing in the world," Jesse said heavily. Pheonix gave him a penetrating look as if she were assessing his state. After a few minutes she seemed to have come to a conclusion.
"What's wrong? Something's happened hasn't it? It has to involve a girl too, because the last time you had that look on your face it was senior year and you had just gotten dumped."
Brennan snorted and Jesse hit him in the shoulder. Pheonix held a serene look on her face as if all was right with the world and she had total control. At the hurt that appeared briefly in his eyes, Pheonix held Jesse's hand in hers gently.
"I'm sorry Jess."
"No that's okay, I've just been down in the dumps lately. But that's not the point. What are you doing back in town?"
"It's a long story that would take a couple of days to explain," she turned to Brennan. "So are you a member of Mutant X too?"
Brennan's face reflected his shock, "Well, I . . . I, how do you know about Mutant X?"
"I sort of told her," Jesse said sheepishly. Brennan raised his eyebrows at him and then turned his attention back at Pheonix.
"Are you a New Mutant?"
"No, but Jesse told me about his powers when he first started showing signs that he was, different," she gave Brennan a reassuring smile. "A few months after Adam found him, Jesse wrote me a letter telling me all about it. He was so happy, the happiest I had ever heard him."
"After that the letters came back," Jesse said quietly. Pheonix went quiet and the tension was back. Brennan felt the awkwardness of the moment and couldn't help but try and break it.
"I am a member of Mutant X. Speaking of which, we need to be heading back. Jesse?"
"Yeah, listen, give me your number and I'll give you a call. We really need to spend time together and talk and catch up."
Pheonix gave him her number and they made their way, albeit reluctantly on Jesse's part, out of the club. They spent the rest of the car ride in silence, and Brennan didn't push it even though he was dying to hear more about Jesse's old friend.