A/N: Ok people, thanks for the reviews!! Thank you to tigereyes320 who made
me realize Brennan's age. WoOpsies!! Oh well. Ok who wants to tell me
everyone else's age?? Anyways Flames un-welcomed, as always, but
constructive critiscm always good. I'm going to get that spelling right by
the end of the story. Oh well on with the story. As for the Shalimar
issue...you'll see ::angelic smile::
"Um dad...we're in the middle of nowhere," Rich said looking out the front window of the Nissan 350z to see a mountain and a surrounding forest.
Brennan chuckled while Rich squirmed obviously feeling uneasy about the outdoors. Rich, like Brennan hated the outdoors more than anything. Bugs and the guys didn't really get along. Last time they went camping Rich came home with a bee sting on his eye and Brennan with poison ivy. They weren't in a hurry for a repeat of their last camping trip.
"Nope, we lived here for a close six years. You lived here for two years. Yeah, those were the good old days." Brennan said starting the car again.
Rich looked closer at the mountain trying to find where his dad was talking about. And again he saw nothing. "Yeah dad, you lived in a cave for six years?" Rich asked unsure if his dad lost his sanity.
"Yeah you can say that," Brennan smirked. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed Sanctuary's number, a number he memorized all those years ago. "Yeah Adam, open the lower garage, we're here...we're home," Brennan said excitedly as their car entered a familiar clearing.
"Yeah I've got a dream like this before. Watch a garage will show up out of..." Rich started when the garage appeared out of the mountain. "I'm dreaming..." Rich slapped himself as if trying to wake himself up.
"You're not dreaming, Sport," Brennan laughed as his son pinched himself.
"Dad how'd you..." Richard was at a lost for words as his dad parked his car next to a few others.
"Do that?" Brennan finished his son's question. "You'd have to ask Adam. He designed the place."
Brennan led Rich through the familiar hallway to the main floor of sanctuary where Adam, Jesse and Lexa were playing with two kids. A boy with blonde hair, and hazel eyes, while a girl with Lexa's stunning hair and intense green eyes were busying themselves playing with the grown ups.
"BRENNAN!" Jesse smiled taking his best friend into a brotherly hug.
Jesse couldn't believe it had been so long. Time had made the two drift apart and now they had fourteen years to catch up on. So much had happened in his life that he had to yet share with Brennan. Lexa and him finally getting married, and having two kids, Erick and Brianna.
"Hey Jesse, nice to see you bro," Brennan grinned looking over Jesse. "You haven't changed a bit. And Lexa well you've changed!" Brennan hugged what had become his sister. They always fought in the time of Mutant X, and said they hated each other, but at the same time loved each other.
"Are you still stubborn as a mule Brennan?" Lexa teased.
"Hey Adam," Brennan hugged his father figure.
Adam couldn't help but let a tear fall just like when he saw Jesse and Lexa. His kids were now grown up and raising children of their own, and he missed out on it. Fourteen years was a lot to miss out on.
"Wow! Richard is that you?" Jesse said unbelievingly.
Richard gave a friendly smile blushing quite a bit. They all knew him, but he couldn't remember any of them. "Yeah its me," Rich said accepting the friendly handshake from Jesse, and Adam, and hug from Lexa.
"Rich, that's your Uncle Jesse and Aunt Lexa. They took care of you when you were still in diapers," Brennan recalled those years with a big smile.
Rich couldn't remember the last time his father was so genuinely happy. Back at home Brennan would smile, but it wasn't like now. His smiles were fake, and Rich wished this vacation was permanent so his dad could smile like he was now everyday.
"Rich, look, these are your cousins," Jesse said pushing the two kids who had hidden behind him forward.
Brennan knelt down to be eye to eye with the two siblings examining them.
"This is Erick. He's the older of the two. He's ten. And this is..." Jesse picked up the girl clinging to his leg and brought her to the security of his arms. "..Brianna. She's seven."
"Hey buddy. I'm your uncle Brennan," Brennan said nicely as not to scare Erick. Erick looked up at his mom and Lexa smiled nodding her head in approval of the stranger. "Want to give me five?" Brennan held out his hand for a high five.
"Hi..." Erick said shyly before slapping him a high five and running behind Lexa.
"They are so cute!" Brennan smiled.
"Just wait until they get use to you..." Lexa rolled her eyes knowing her 'angels' could turn into 'devils' in a snap.
"How about a tour of this place?" Richard asked looking around the circular domain.
"Right, well where you're standing in right now is the hallway to the rooms, basement, garage, and basically everything. Over there is the computers, there is the living room...and there is the basketball hoop." Adam said.
"Oh hey, is that the hoop that me and Jesse played with when we were here?" Brennan laughed remembering how Jess and him almost broke sanctuary.
"When you guys play, which I know you all will...NO POWERS!" Adam said sternly not wanting a repeat.
**Flashback**
"Hey man I thought you said no powers!" Jesse pouted as Brennan dunked the ball traveling via electricity.
"Ha naw man you said no powers. I just tied you!" Brennan said checking the ball.
"Fine powers it is," Jesse said phasing through Brennan.
The game quickly intensified until both were tired from using their power and trying to outrun the other. Emma and Shalimar found it hilarious that both grown men could act so childish. Suddenly Jesse tripped and under a defense mechanism or something he massed sending granite all over the place. Brennan hardly had a chance to cover himself and the game became dangerous.
"SHAL GET OUT OF HERE!" Brennan said thinking of his unborn child.
Adam came out of the lab so see Jesse laying on the ground red and granite all over the place. Outraged Adam tried to keep from screaming. "What the hell just happened?" Adam more like snarled.
"It's funny really..." Brennan smiled knowing Jess and him both crossed the line.
"Then why am I not laughing?" Adam asked putting his test tube down.
"See we were playing basketball..." Brennan threw the basketball over to Adam. He's aim was bad so the next thing you know the tube spills all over the computer and the computer goes haywire!
"Faster Brennan," Jesse said never seeing Adam so ticked off before. "Faster Brennan before he kicks us out."
"It was more a little practice so we know what our powers are at this standpoint," Brennan stuttered out.
"Next time practice in the dojo..." Adam shook his head. 'Boys will be boys' he thought. He was about to leave when he thought better and took the ball with him.
"Clean this mess up," He called from behind.
**End of Flashback**
"Hey Adam remember that one time?" Jesse started to laugh remembering.
Brennan joined in, but Lexa didn't know what happened. Not being there for half the time took its toll after awhile, missing out on some of the inside jokes.
"Let's continue shall we?" Adam steered them away from the living room and up the stairs to the dining room/kitchen.
"This is the kitchen; you can make anything you want. If you finish anything, you're out getting grocery. Grocery money's up there," Adam pointed to a cookie jar at the top of the cabinet. "That's ONLY grocery money so don't get any funny ideas," once again Adam looked at Brennan and Jesse.
"Hey Adam, those drinks were well worth it," Brennan said defending himself.
"Mommy, Erick took my 'teddy' and he won't give it back!" Brianna screamed phasing in and out of the walls of sanctuary trying to find her older brother.
"Excuse me...duty calls," Lexa rolled her eyes. She went downstairs searching for her two little 'angels.'
"Don't mind them. They are harmless," Jesse said as he saw his son phase right through Lexa. "Both molecular, Bree's also an elemental. Just like Lexa."
"He's telekinetic, and showing signs of being a molecular," Brennan pointed behind him to Rich.
"I'm what and what?" Rich asked confused.
He never told his dad that he was like him. It was something he hid to himself. The one thing he thought no one knew about. He felt violated that his dad knew about his darkest secret. He couldn't believe he didn't even know about it, without telling him he knew.
"I've seen you trying in your sleep," Brennan explained.
"I'll check later. Meanwhile down stairs," Adam led them downstairs carefully avoiding Erick and Brianna's play area not wanting anyone to phase through him. "This is your room. You don't mind sharing with Erick do you? Just until we could get the other room set up," Adam looked at Rich.
Rich looked around the room. It was familiar. There were little toys that were deserted when the left, it was like a time capsule. (A/N: I 4got which story I stole that from) He started remembering. This was his house.
"Yeah I don't mind," Rich said looking at the two beds, one obviously brought in from another room.
"Great! Dinner's in an hour, why don't you get settled in. You must be tired," Adam and Jesse left Brennan and Rich alone.
Sighing Rich hadn't realized how true Adam was, until he laid down. He threw his duffel bag on the ground and lay down on the bed. Only when he remembered that his dad was still in the room did he open his eyes.
"Man I remember this place like it was yesterday," Brennan said looking around the room. "See that crib over there?" Brennan pointed to the corner where an old crib stood tiredly, paint wearing off.
"Yeah?" Rich looked at it.
"That's yours. This was your nursery. It was always your room," Brennan smiled at the bitter sweet memories. "Your...your mom and me," Brennan felt his voice tighten. "We use to stay in here night and day just to watch you sleep until Adam made us go back to bed."
"Hey dad," Rich started. "Do you miss her?" He could tell that this missed his mom. That this whole place reminded him of memories of her, whoever she may be.
"Yeah I do," Brennan coughed to hide his voice crack. "But it don't matter. Here go take a nap, I'll wake you when dinner's ready."
Rich looked at his dad's leaving form. This place it felt like home. It was home. But something was missing. Thinking, he closed his eyes for what he thought was a minute, but the next thing he knew his dad was waking him up for dinner.
"You in the mood for Chinese food?" Adam said looking towards Rich.
"I'm fine with anything," Rich yawned.
"Richard, you sleep a lot," Erick said shyly smiling picking at his food.
"Only because I'm tired," Rich stretched right before digging into his food.
"You know Rich doesn't have a bad idea with the sleeping thing," Jesse told his son. "You should try it sometime instead of just watching television and torturing your sister."
Erick was about to say something when someone standing at the top of the stairs caught their attention.
Jesse looked up with a smile on his face. He excused himself from the table to go hug his sister. To hug his best friend since he was a teenager. He got up to hug Shalimar.
"SHALIMAR!" Adam smiled getting up to hug his daughter. "I didn't know you were coming. I thought you were caught up at work."
Shalimar couldn't help but notice Brennan, and even Rich. Her son was grown up. He was a spitting image of Brennan. Dark hair, and intense brown eyes. All she wanted to do was hug Rich, and kiss Brennan.
"Hey Lexa," Shal said hugging what had become her best friend in the last few years of Mutant X.
And then came Brennan. Everyone felt the tension in the room. It was so thick you could have taken a machete knife and sliced your way through it. The quietness seem to last forever even though it was only a few seconds. Rich looked at his dad, and then at the strange lady in front of him. He felt a connection with this one person more than any one else in the room. Like he should know him her.
"Hey Shal," Brennan said awkwardly.
"Hey Brennan," Shalimar said just as awkwardly as if experiencing her voice for the first time.
"Who's that handsome kid right next to you?" Shalimart asked shaking her nervousness away.
"Richard," Brennan said. Shal felt her voice get caught in her throat. It was really him. Last time she saw her baby he was learning to talk, and now here he is. And he didn't remember.
"Hey dad who's that?" Richard asked looking at the lady waiting for his dad to introduce him.
"She's umm...well she's..." Brennan didn't know how to tell him...
A/N: Evil aren't I? LOL jp jp. Thanks for all the reviews! And I'm sorry I freaked up Brennan's name. Oopsie. Yeah thanks for catching that. Well I did my job, how bout you do your job. That's the way it works right?? Well Hope your liking the story as much as I like writing it. If anyone got any ideas you want to drop, just tell me in your review. Thanks
~Liz
"Um dad...we're in the middle of nowhere," Rich said looking out the front window of the Nissan 350z to see a mountain and a surrounding forest.
Brennan chuckled while Rich squirmed obviously feeling uneasy about the outdoors. Rich, like Brennan hated the outdoors more than anything. Bugs and the guys didn't really get along. Last time they went camping Rich came home with a bee sting on his eye and Brennan with poison ivy. They weren't in a hurry for a repeat of their last camping trip.
"Nope, we lived here for a close six years. You lived here for two years. Yeah, those were the good old days." Brennan said starting the car again.
Rich looked closer at the mountain trying to find where his dad was talking about. And again he saw nothing. "Yeah dad, you lived in a cave for six years?" Rich asked unsure if his dad lost his sanity.
"Yeah you can say that," Brennan smirked. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed Sanctuary's number, a number he memorized all those years ago. "Yeah Adam, open the lower garage, we're here...we're home," Brennan said excitedly as their car entered a familiar clearing.
"Yeah I've got a dream like this before. Watch a garage will show up out of..." Rich started when the garage appeared out of the mountain. "I'm dreaming..." Rich slapped himself as if trying to wake himself up.
"You're not dreaming, Sport," Brennan laughed as his son pinched himself.
"Dad how'd you..." Richard was at a lost for words as his dad parked his car next to a few others.
"Do that?" Brennan finished his son's question. "You'd have to ask Adam. He designed the place."
Brennan led Rich through the familiar hallway to the main floor of sanctuary where Adam, Jesse and Lexa were playing with two kids. A boy with blonde hair, and hazel eyes, while a girl with Lexa's stunning hair and intense green eyes were busying themselves playing with the grown ups.
"BRENNAN!" Jesse smiled taking his best friend into a brotherly hug.
Jesse couldn't believe it had been so long. Time had made the two drift apart and now they had fourteen years to catch up on. So much had happened in his life that he had to yet share with Brennan. Lexa and him finally getting married, and having two kids, Erick and Brianna.
"Hey Jesse, nice to see you bro," Brennan grinned looking over Jesse. "You haven't changed a bit. And Lexa well you've changed!" Brennan hugged what had become his sister. They always fought in the time of Mutant X, and said they hated each other, but at the same time loved each other.
"Are you still stubborn as a mule Brennan?" Lexa teased.
"Hey Adam," Brennan hugged his father figure.
Adam couldn't help but let a tear fall just like when he saw Jesse and Lexa. His kids were now grown up and raising children of their own, and he missed out on it. Fourteen years was a lot to miss out on.
"Wow! Richard is that you?" Jesse said unbelievingly.
Richard gave a friendly smile blushing quite a bit. They all knew him, but he couldn't remember any of them. "Yeah its me," Rich said accepting the friendly handshake from Jesse, and Adam, and hug from Lexa.
"Rich, that's your Uncle Jesse and Aunt Lexa. They took care of you when you were still in diapers," Brennan recalled those years with a big smile.
Rich couldn't remember the last time his father was so genuinely happy. Back at home Brennan would smile, but it wasn't like now. His smiles were fake, and Rich wished this vacation was permanent so his dad could smile like he was now everyday.
"Rich, look, these are your cousins," Jesse said pushing the two kids who had hidden behind him forward.
Brennan knelt down to be eye to eye with the two siblings examining them.
"This is Erick. He's the older of the two. He's ten. And this is..." Jesse picked up the girl clinging to his leg and brought her to the security of his arms. "..Brianna. She's seven."
"Hey buddy. I'm your uncle Brennan," Brennan said nicely as not to scare Erick. Erick looked up at his mom and Lexa smiled nodding her head in approval of the stranger. "Want to give me five?" Brennan held out his hand for a high five.
"Hi..." Erick said shyly before slapping him a high five and running behind Lexa.
"They are so cute!" Brennan smiled.
"Just wait until they get use to you..." Lexa rolled her eyes knowing her 'angels' could turn into 'devils' in a snap.
"How about a tour of this place?" Richard asked looking around the circular domain.
"Right, well where you're standing in right now is the hallway to the rooms, basement, garage, and basically everything. Over there is the computers, there is the living room...and there is the basketball hoop." Adam said.
"Oh hey, is that the hoop that me and Jesse played with when we were here?" Brennan laughed remembering how Jess and him almost broke sanctuary.
"When you guys play, which I know you all will...NO POWERS!" Adam said sternly not wanting a repeat.
**Flashback**
"Hey man I thought you said no powers!" Jesse pouted as Brennan dunked the ball traveling via electricity.
"Ha naw man you said no powers. I just tied you!" Brennan said checking the ball.
"Fine powers it is," Jesse said phasing through Brennan.
The game quickly intensified until both were tired from using their power and trying to outrun the other. Emma and Shalimar found it hilarious that both grown men could act so childish. Suddenly Jesse tripped and under a defense mechanism or something he massed sending granite all over the place. Brennan hardly had a chance to cover himself and the game became dangerous.
"SHAL GET OUT OF HERE!" Brennan said thinking of his unborn child.
Adam came out of the lab so see Jesse laying on the ground red and granite all over the place. Outraged Adam tried to keep from screaming. "What the hell just happened?" Adam more like snarled.
"It's funny really..." Brennan smiled knowing Jess and him both crossed the line.
"Then why am I not laughing?" Adam asked putting his test tube down.
"See we were playing basketball..." Brennan threw the basketball over to Adam. He's aim was bad so the next thing you know the tube spills all over the computer and the computer goes haywire!
"Faster Brennan," Jesse said never seeing Adam so ticked off before. "Faster Brennan before he kicks us out."
"It was more a little practice so we know what our powers are at this standpoint," Brennan stuttered out.
"Next time practice in the dojo..." Adam shook his head. 'Boys will be boys' he thought. He was about to leave when he thought better and took the ball with him.
"Clean this mess up," He called from behind.
**End of Flashback**
"Hey Adam remember that one time?" Jesse started to laugh remembering.
Brennan joined in, but Lexa didn't know what happened. Not being there for half the time took its toll after awhile, missing out on some of the inside jokes.
"Let's continue shall we?" Adam steered them away from the living room and up the stairs to the dining room/kitchen.
"This is the kitchen; you can make anything you want. If you finish anything, you're out getting grocery. Grocery money's up there," Adam pointed to a cookie jar at the top of the cabinet. "That's ONLY grocery money so don't get any funny ideas," once again Adam looked at Brennan and Jesse.
"Hey Adam, those drinks were well worth it," Brennan said defending himself.
"Mommy, Erick took my 'teddy' and he won't give it back!" Brianna screamed phasing in and out of the walls of sanctuary trying to find her older brother.
"Excuse me...duty calls," Lexa rolled her eyes. She went downstairs searching for her two little 'angels.'
"Don't mind them. They are harmless," Jesse said as he saw his son phase right through Lexa. "Both molecular, Bree's also an elemental. Just like Lexa."
"He's telekinetic, and showing signs of being a molecular," Brennan pointed behind him to Rich.
"I'm what and what?" Rich asked confused.
He never told his dad that he was like him. It was something he hid to himself. The one thing he thought no one knew about. He felt violated that his dad knew about his darkest secret. He couldn't believe he didn't even know about it, without telling him he knew.
"I've seen you trying in your sleep," Brennan explained.
"I'll check later. Meanwhile down stairs," Adam led them downstairs carefully avoiding Erick and Brianna's play area not wanting anyone to phase through him. "This is your room. You don't mind sharing with Erick do you? Just until we could get the other room set up," Adam looked at Rich.
Rich looked around the room. It was familiar. There were little toys that were deserted when the left, it was like a time capsule. (A/N: I 4got which story I stole that from) He started remembering. This was his house.
"Yeah I don't mind," Rich said looking at the two beds, one obviously brought in from another room.
"Great! Dinner's in an hour, why don't you get settled in. You must be tired," Adam and Jesse left Brennan and Rich alone.
Sighing Rich hadn't realized how true Adam was, until he laid down. He threw his duffel bag on the ground and lay down on the bed. Only when he remembered that his dad was still in the room did he open his eyes.
"Man I remember this place like it was yesterday," Brennan said looking around the room. "See that crib over there?" Brennan pointed to the corner where an old crib stood tiredly, paint wearing off.
"Yeah?" Rich looked at it.
"That's yours. This was your nursery. It was always your room," Brennan smiled at the bitter sweet memories. "Your...your mom and me," Brennan felt his voice tighten. "We use to stay in here night and day just to watch you sleep until Adam made us go back to bed."
"Hey dad," Rich started. "Do you miss her?" He could tell that this missed his mom. That this whole place reminded him of memories of her, whoever she may be.
"Yeah I do," Brennan coughed to hide his voice crack. "But it don't matter. Here go take a nap, I'll wake you when dinner's ready."
Rich looked at his dad's leaving form. This place it felt like home. It was home. But something was missing. Thinking, he closed his eyes for what he thought was a minute, but the next thing he knew his dad was waking him up for dinner.
"You in the mood for Chinese food?" Adam said looking towards Rich.
"I'm fine with anything," Rich yawned.
"Richard, you sleep a lot," Erick said shyly smiling picking at his food.
"Only because I'm tired," Rich stretched right before digging into his food.
"You know Rich doesn't have a bad idea with the sleeping thing," Jesse told his son. "You should try it sometime instead of just watching television and torturing your sister."
Erick was about to say something when someone standing at the top of the stairs caught their attention.
Jesse looked up with a smile on his face. He excused himself from the table to go hug his sister. To hug his best friend since he was a teenager. He got up to hug Shalimar.
"SHALIMAR!" Adam smiled getting up to hug his daughter. "I didn't know you were coming. I thought you were caught up at work."
Shalimar couldn't help but notice Brennan, and even Rich. Her son was grown up. He was a spitting image of Brennan. Dark hair, and intense brown eyes. All she wanted to do was hug Rich, and kiss Brennan.
"Hey Lexa," Shal said hugging what had become her best friend in the last few years of Mutant X.
And then came Brennan. Everyone felt the tension in the room. It was so thick you could have taken a machete knife and sliced your way through it. The quietness seem to last forever even though it was only a few seconds. Rich looked at his dad, and then at the strange lady in front of him. He felt a connection with this one person more than any one else in the room. Like he should know him her.
"Hey Shal," Brennan said awkwardly.
"Hey Brennan," Shalimar said just as awkwardly as if experiencing her voice for the first time.
"Who's that handsome kid right next to you?" Shalimart asked shaking her nervousness away.
"Richard," Brennan said. Shal felt her voice get caught in her throat. It was really him. Last time she saw her baby he was learning to talk, and now here he is. And he didn't remember.
"Hey dad who's that?" Richard asked looking at the lady waiting for his dad to introduce him.
"She's umm...well she's..." Brennan didn't know how to tell him...
A/N: Evil aren't I? LOL jp jp. Thanks for all the reviews! And I'm sorry I freaked up Brennan's name. Oopsie. Yeah thanks for catching that. Well I did my job, how bout you do your job. That's the way it works right?? Well Hope your liking the story as much as I like writing it. If anyone got any ideas you want to drop, just tell me in your review. Thanks
~Liz