Chapter 2:
Empty Decorations.
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As her boots slowly trudged through the snow-covered driveway, Shalimar Fox let out a small cloud of cold breath and brought her knuckles to the solid brown oak door. Rapping the entrance, she looked around and surveyed the simple garden of The Kilmartin residence. Small tiny blades of whatever remaining grass peaked from the crystal white snow and a medium sized pine tree grew at the corner of the compound. Shalimar noted the small almost conspicuous Christmas lights, hanging softly at the corner of the roof. Turning back to the door, the feral prepared to knock again, in case no one heard her the first time. Instead, she came about 1 inch close to hitting a tall shoulder length brunette, straight in the face.
"Oh-. My-.God." The brunette whispered as she stared straight at Shalimar. "Oh-. My-. God!" she repeated once more. Finally recovering from shock, the brunette threw her arms over Shalimar and gave a huge bear hug.
Shalimar laughed with whatever breath her friend left her with. "Thanks for the big welcome Emma." Shalimar said as they broke away. "But I like it better if it was a tad warmer."
"I'm so sorry." Emma Kilmartin apologized and stepped aside for Shalimar to enter. "Come on in." she invited.
Removing her gloves and undraping the scarf from her neck, Shalimar took in the sights and smell of the small two-storey house. Traces of Lavender lingered in the air and to Shalimar's delight, baby powder.
With her coat safely tucked into the closet, Shalimar followed Emma into the main living room and plopped herself next to her psionic friend right into a soft comfortable sofa. Not to mention warm. "You look great for a 1 and a half month old mother." Shalimar complimented.
Giving her a 'are-you-serious-?' look, Emma answered, "You kidding me? I feel like an Orca whale now." Emma tugged at her white cotton blouse and poked her almost flat tummy.
"Now?" Shalimar quizzed.
"Yeah." Emma confirmed. "With Piper in me I felt like 'two' Orca whales joined at the hip."
"So what about your job?" Shalimar asked between giggles.
"Don't you just love maternity leave?"
"Ah…" she smiled. "Nice to be working at the same place as your husband isn't it?"
"Solves the transportation problems? Yes. Only difference is I, as the university's Student Counselor," Emma mocked a lame narrators voice at her title, "Get to unscrew the students minds that professors like Jesse, screw up."
"I heard that!" Jesse piped in from the kitchen behind them.
"Something smells good." Shalimar pointed out, obviously knowing that the aroma was coming from dinner.
"Yeah, I think its meatloaf tonight. It's Jesse's secret recipe and surprisingly it tastes pretty good. I just hope he doesn't overdo the gravy again."
Shalimar looked at her friend in disbelief. "You got Jesse to cook?"
"Well…" Emma answered, "I gave him an ultimatum. Either he does the cooking and cleaning for the next two years or no baby."
"Kinda obvious he chose the later."
Emma laughed. "Not after two days of serious thought though."
"Who wouldn't?" Jesse said, appearing from behind.
"Hey Jesse." Shalimar greeted.
Instead of following suit, Emma threw a small punch at Jesse's mid section.
"Ow!…what was that for?" he questioned his wife.
"For not telling me it was Shalimar that was coming for dinner."
He snorted and turned to the feral. "This is the gratitude I get for trying to give a pleasant surprise."
Shalimar laughed out loud and noticed that Emma was taking aim again and was about to hit Jesse but froze mid way.
"Uh-oh." Emma muttered, her eyes lost in a world far beyond. "Brace yourselves."
Jesse sighed and covered his ears leaving Shalimar to wonder what was going on. But as if on cue, a strong a powerful baby's cry was heard.
"Wow, How'd you do that?" Shalimar asked, amazed that Emma could sense her babies thoughts.
"The beauties of being a telepath." Jesse said.
Shalimar smiled and mouthed an 'ah' as she realized that as any mother would, Emma had permanently connected herself to her child. Not every mother could do that.
"Come on, I bet you're dying to see her." Emma invited, trying to be heard over the crying.
"I thought you were never going to ask!" Shalimar exclaimed and sprung to her feet.
Stepping into the nursery of pink wallpaper and toys in a corner, Shalimar excitedly crept up to the crib, Emma next to her.
"What do you want?" the baby's mother asked as she lifted her into her arms. As soon as Piper was safely with her mother, the crying ceased.
"Attention seeker." Jesse said as he patted his daughter's head.
Piper Kilmartin gurgled softly, giving Shalimar the chance to study her up close, noting Piper had her mother's large soulful brown eyes and her father's sandy blond hair. Slowly, Piper turned to Shalimar and laughed.
"Ooo…she's laughing at me!" Shalimar squealed and clapped. Like a 6 year old child with a new toy. Slowly as if picking up a very sensitive bomb, she stretched her arms at the baby. "Come to your god-mother."
"God-mother?" Emma eyed her questionably, still holding unto Piper. "You're not her god-mother."
Disappointed, Shalimar looked at Jesse who had his hands on his hips and held the expression of seriousness. "I'm not?" she frowned.
"No." Emma said forcefully. "You're her aunt."
Relieved and breaking into a huge smile, Shalimar picked up Piper from Emma and cradled her gently. "Oh yes…you aunty Shalimar is here!" She had on her best baby-poo talk. "You know me don't you?" Piper gurgled and laughed at her new aunt as she playfully reached out for Shalimar's gold necklace. "You're ssoo cute."
"I think we should get Shal some dinner before she eats our daughter." Jesse playfully teased.
Shalimar glared at him, but ignored the remark and instead turned back to Piper. "Your father thinks he such a smart aleck, did you know that?" Shalimar added, carefully choosing her words. The 2 month old laughed a little more and continued her fascination with Shalimar's necklace. "I guess you do."
"Very funny." Jesse chipped in sarcastically on his backfired line.
Emma chuckled as she sat on the nursery chair and looked on before she poked Jesse in the stomach. "Let's go down. Hungry."
Smiling back at his wife, Jesse moved aside and curtsied. "Yes, milady."
A small slight pang of hurt jabbed Shalimar at the pit of her stomach. How she wished that it had worked out just as well between her and her ex as well as it had with Jesse and Emma. Gingerly, Shalimar tried placing Piper back into her crib but as soon as she did so, the baby wailed. Instantly, Shalimar picked her up once more.
"Guess we'll have another guest for dinner." Emma added, smiling at the now silent child.
"Well than," Shalimar said, "You're my date tonight Ms. Kilmartin. Would you?"
In response, Piper gave a big toothless yawn and snuggled deeper into Shalimar's hold.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'." Shalimar said, following the Kilmartin's down their wooden staircase. In her rush and excitement at seeing Piper, Shalimar had only now realized the pictures set in frames that adorned the staircase wall. At that moment curiosity peaked within her, but the need to follow her friend, and not to mention Piper's safety in case she missed a step, was more important.
"We'll put her in the crib," Emma directed as Jesse entered the kitchen to bring out dinner.
Emma led Shalimar into the warm and cozy dinning hall and showed her to the small crib in the corner. Doing the obvious, Shalimar laid Piper down and this time she stayed silent. "Good girl." The feral smiled and caressed Piper's cheek. "Do you guys have a crib in every room?" she asked noticing the other one in the main hall. She wondered about the kitchen to. But obviously they wouldn't have done so. Too dangerous, Shalimar reasoned with herself.
"Well, you did give us one for the baby shower. As did Adam and we already bought one. Than Brennan gave another-."
"Brennan?" Shalimar's heart tugged a little.
"Yup." Emma answered as she tucked Piper into her blankets. "You haven't seen him lately?"
Shalimar shook her head. "No."
"Must be the biro. Ever since they got him to join the F.B.I, we haven't seen much of him either. All the beaurocratic crap I guess."
"Yeah," Shalimar said, recovering tactfully. "Who would have thought an out law with be a by law huh?"
"Exactly." Emma smiled.
Was there something to her smile? Shalimar thought. It looked suspicious. Nah.
"Dinner is ready and served!" Jesse announced, placing on the table something that looked appetizing.
Shalimar gave a smiling glance back at Emma just to push all thoughts of her fellow teammate away. She looked at Piper once more and said, "I'll be back, you cutey pie." Sitting herself down she tucked into a scrumptious meal and the company of wonderful friends.
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Okay…I thought I give you guys some answers after that wonderful reviews. Hope you guys like it!
Laily: Well now we know who married Jesse. And I thought Jesse made a good professor of Physics cause after all he is good with all the computer and electronical stuff. So Physics is important in both. As for who married and divorced Shal? Well we'll find out soon.
Briggita1: Sorry, but I didn't know that FF.net would take that long to post up the second chapter. All forgiven?
Goldstranger: Yeah I wouldn't be able to concentrate either if he was teaching my class.
Hippiecountrygirl: Thanks for the cuteness review. I'll remember to bring insulin the next time…lol
For more updates please tune in the next time! Review plz!
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