Disclaimer: As always, 'Mutant X' and it's amazing cast of characters = Not
mine. Alexis and Isabelle Fox-Mulwray = Mine.
Author's Note: I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter posted.
I've been away from my computer for over a week. I wish I could say that
I'll have the next chapter posted quickly but school stuff keeps getting in
the way. On the bright side, there's less than three months left in the
term so I'll be able to devote more time to writing. I might actually get
the sequel to 'Different' written!
Words in / / = Thoughts.
Words in * * = Italics.
*
Chapter 5.
Half past nine that night..
Izzy couldn't sleep.
She was disgusted that her lipstick ruse had failed to convince her father to let her see her sister.
She had been looking forward to impressing Lexi with an account of a prank well done and was not pleased at being thwarted.
/I guess that I'll have to try harder. / Izzy reflected mournfully. /The tea game wasn't good enough to make the grown-ups let me see Lexi so I'll have to do something else. /
A sly smile spread across the little girl's face as she remembered a new asset, one that the grown-ups hadn't had the pleasure of experiencing yet.
/This is going to be fun! Lexi is going to *hate* missing it! /
Midway through her plotting, Izzy fell asleep and didn't stir until morning.
* * *
Next morning.
"Rise and shine!"
Shalimar groaned and covered her ears, trying to block out her husband's greeting.
In her opinion, it was positively indecent for him to be *this* cheerful so early in the morning.
"Rough night?" Brennan patted her shoulder sympathetically. "Did Lexi let you get any sleep?"
"A few wake up calls." Shalimar responded, sitting up and sliding her arm very gently out from under her still sleeping daughter. "We're out of calamine lotion." She informed him.
"Again?" Brennan raised an astonished eyebrow. "Is she bathing in the stuff?"
"Just about." Shalimar stroked Lexi's hair. "She's having a rough time of it. How's Izzy getting on without her other half?"
"She tried pretending that she had chicken pox last night so that I'd let her come here."
"Magic marker?"
"Lipstick." Brennan replied.
"In a way, I think that this separation might be the best thing for them." Shalimar said seriously. "This is the first time in their lives that they've been apart for any length of time. They don't have any friends outside of the group and they're the only kids here so they rely on each other for company. I don't want them to grow up completely dependent on each other."
"You were the only kid here when you were little." Brennan pointed out. "And I don't think that anyone in their right mind could think of *you* as dependent."
"I was older." Shalimar pointed out. "And Michael was even more of a kid than I was. I had Jesse for company later on and we both made a few friends in school. Apart from a few visits to the park - which never seem to end well - the girls never leave Sanctuary." She sghed. "I'll be glad when they start school next year and meet other kids."
"I feel sorry for whatever poor soul ends up as their teacher!" Brennan exclaimed feelingly. "Lexi and Izzy will drive them to the nearest looney bin within a week! I'm just about ready for a trip there myself!"
"I heard about the tea prank." Shalimar laughed. "You have to admit that it was very funny."
"Not for me!" Brennan grumbled. "It was nearly as bad as Adam's hangover remedy!"
"Did I hear my name?" Adam popped into the lab. "How's our patient?"
"Sleeping."
Adam bent over and placed the electronic thermometor in Lexi's ear, moving as gently as he could. "One hundred and two." He announced.
"Damn!" Brennan looked up to see Shalimar and Adam gazing at him quizzically. "Jesse's started a pool." He explained lamely. "I had a hundred point five."
"You're betting on our daughter?" Shalimar tried to look serious and failed. She laughed. "I think that you and Jess need Gamblers' Anonymous - badly. So what were the stakes?"
"Loser has to clean up after Izzy's next prank."
A piercing shriek of pure terror tore through Sanctuary, waking Lexi.
Shalimar smiled at her husband. "Duty calls."
* * *
Jesse's room.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Jesse flung back the covers, terrified.
"Jesse?" Emma ran into the room, convinced that her fiance was being murdered. "What's the matter?"
"In. . .In my bed!" Jesse pointed a shaking finger towards his innocent looking mattress. "I rolled over and I . . .I could feel it there!" He shuddered. "All icky and slimy!"
"What's wrong?" Brennan, slightly out of breath, followed Emma into the room. "Who died?"
"There's something in my bed." Jesse struggled to get his panic under control. "I could feel it moving!"
Brennan moved forward warily, reached for the quilt with tentative fingers and flung it back to reveal the source of Jesse's fright. Smiling, he held the object of terror up for the other man to see. "*This* is what illicited that scream?" He teased.
Jesse stared at the large rubber spider dangling from his friend's hand for a moment before he could speak.
"I'm gonna kill that kid!"
* * *
Hallway.
Outside the room, Izzy pressed her fist in her mouth to keep from laughing.
'Convincing' Other Grandpa to buy the joke kits for them had definitely been worthwhile.
Her uncle let out an enraged growl which told her that she should be moving on.
/I'd better lay low until they cool off. /
* * *
Adam's Lab.
Adam picked up the phone on the second ring.
"Hello?"
"Adam?"
"Hi Nick." Adam felt that he and Nicholas Fox deserved congratulations for the effort they had put into improving their relationship. They could now exchange a telephone conversation without either insulting each other or getting into a shouting match. They were far from being best buddies but hey, progress was progress.
"What's all the shouting about?" Even over the phone, Nicholas could hear Jesse's shouting.
"Aftermath of a little prank on one of the girls' part, I'm afraid."
"What did Lexi do this time?"
"Izzy." Adam corrected. "Lexi's sick, so Izzy's taken over the mischief department."
"Lexi's sick?" Nicholas sounded worried. "Nothing serious I hope."
"Chicken pox." Adam informed him. "Lexi's pretty miserable."
"Poor kid." Nicholas was sympathetic. "I was always glad that Margaret and I never had to deal with that particular ailment."
Adam's heart sank. "What do you mean? Shalimar told me that she had had it."
"No, she's never had chicken pox." Nicholas was completely unaware of the impact his words were having on the other man. "We thought she did at one stage, turned out it was just a fruit rash. Shalimar couldn't have been more than . . ."
"Three." Adam finished for him. "Nick, I've got to go."
"Alright." Nicholas sounded a little puzzled. "I'll be dropping round this weekend. I'll see you then."
"Bye." Adam hung up the phone, feeling as if he could scream.
/Times like this, I just want to cry! /
TBC.
Words in / / = Thoughts.
Words in * * = Italics.
*
Chapter 5.
Half past nine that night..
Izzy couldn't sleep.
She was disgusted that her lipstick ruse had failed to convince her father to let her see her sister.
She had been looking forward to impressing Lexi with an account of a prank well done and was not pleased at being thwarted.
/I guess that I'll have to try harder. / Izzy reflected mournfully. /The tea game wasn't good enough to make the grown-ups let me see Lexi so I'll have to do something else. /
A sly smile spread across the little girl's face as she remembered a new asset, one that the grown-ups hadn't had the pleasure of experiencing yet.
/This is going to be fun! Lexi is going to *hate* missing it! /
Midway through her plotting, Izzy fell asleep and didn't stir until morning.
* * *
Next morning.
"Rise and shine!"
Shalimar groaned and covered her ears, trying to block out her husband's greeting.
In her opinion, it was positively indecent for him to be *this* cheerful so early in the morning.
"Rough night?" Brennan patted her shoulder sympathetically. "Did Lexi let you get any sleep?"
"A few wake up calls." Shalimar responded, sitting up and sliding her arm very gently out from under her still sleeping daughter. "We're out of calamine lotion." She informed him.
"Again?" Brennan raised an astonished eyebrow. "Is she bathing in the stuff?"
"Just about." Shalimar stroked Lexi's hair. "She's having a rough time of it. How's Izzy getting on without her other half?"
"She tried pretending that she had chicken pox last night so that I'd let her come here."
"Magic marker?"
"Lipstick." Brennan replied.
"In a way, I think that this separation might be the best thing for them." Shalimar said seriously. "This is the first time in their lives that they've been apart for any length of time. They don't have any friends outside of the group and they're the only kids here so they rely on each other for company. I don't want them to grow up completely dependent on each other."
"You were the only kid here when you were little." Brennan pointed out. "And I don't think that anyone in their right mind could think of *you* as dependent."
"I was older." Shalimar pointed out. "And Michael was even more of a kid than I was. I had Jesse for company later on and we both made a few friends in school. Apart from a few visits to the park - which never seem to end well - the girls never leave Sanctuary." She sghed. "I'll be glad when they start school next year and meet other kids."
"I feel sorry for whatever poor soul ends up as their teacher!" Brennan exclaimed feelingly. "Lexi and Izzy will drive them to the nearest looney bin within a week! I'm just about ready for a trip there myself!"
"I heard about the tea prank." Shalimar laughed. "You have to admit that it was very funny."
"Not for me!" Brennan grumbled. "It was nearly as bad as Adam's hangover remedy!"
"Did I hear my name?" Adam popped into the lab. "How's our patient?"
"Sleeping."
Adam bent over and placed the electronic thermometor in Lexi's ear, moving as gently as he could. "One hundred and two." He announced.
"Damn!" Brennan looked up to see Shalimar and Adam gazing at him quizzically. "Jesse's started a pool." He explained lamely. "I had a hundred point five."
"You're betting on our daughter?" Shalimar tried to look serious and failed. She laughed. "I think that you and Jess need Gamblers' Anonymous - badly. So what were the stakes?"
"Loser has to clean up after Izzy's next prank."
A piercing shriek of pure terror tore through Sanctuary, waking Lexi.
Shalimar smiled at her husband. "Duty calls."
* * *
Jesse's room.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Jesse flung back the covers, terrified.
"Jesse?" Emma ran into the room, convinced that her fiance was being murdered. "What's the matter?"
"In. . .In my bed!" Jesse pointed a shaking finger towards his innocent looking mattress. "I rolled over and I . . .I could feel it there!" He shuddered. "All icky and slimy!"
"What's wrong?" Brennan, slightly out of breath, followed Emma into the room. "Who died?"
"There's something in my bed." Jesse struggled to get his panic under control. "I could feel it moving!"
Brennan moved forward warily, reached for the quilt with tentative fingers and flung it back to reveal the source of Jesse's fright. Smiling, he held the object of terror up for the other man to see. "*This* is what illicited that scream?" He teased.
Jesse stared at the large rubber spider dangling from his friend's hand for a moment before he could speak.
"I'm gonna kill that kid!"
* * *
Hallway.
Outside the room, Izzy pressed her fist in her mouth to keep from laughing.
'Convincing' Other Grandpa to buy the joke kits for them had definitely been worthwhile.
Her uncle let out an enraged growl which told her that she should be moving on.
/I'd better lay low until they cool off. /
* * *
Adam's Lab.
Adam picked up the phone on the second ring.
"Hello?"
"Adam?"
"Hi Nick." Adam felt that he and Nicholas Fox deserved congratulations for the effort they had put into improving their relationship. They could now exchange a telephone conversation without either insulting each other or getting into a shouting match. They were far from being best buddies but hey, progress was progress.
"What's all the shouting about?" Even over the phone, Nicholas could hear Jesse's shouting.
"Aftermath of a little prank on one of the girls' part, I'm afraid."
"What did Lexi do this time?"
"Izzy." Adam corrected. "Lexi's sick, so Izzy's taken over the mischief department."
"Lexi's sick?" Nicholas sounded worried. "Nothing serious I hope."
"Chicken pox." Adam informed him. "Lexi's pretty miserable."
"Poor kid." Nicholas was sympathetic. "I was always glad that Margaret and I never had to deal with that particular ailment."
Adam's heart sank. "What do you mean? Shalimar told me that she had had it."
"No, she's never had chicken pox." Nicholas was completely unaware of the impact his words were having on the other man. "We thought she did at one stage, turned out it was just a fruit rash. Shalimar couldn't have been more than . . ."
"Three." Adam finished for him. "Nick, I've got to go."
"Alright." Nicholas sounded a little puzzled. "I'll be dropping round this weekend. I'll see you then."
"Bye." Adam hung up the phone, feeling as if he could scream.
/Times like this, I just want to cry! /
TBC.