* * *
Jesse woke up at 8:00 in the morning, as always, he liked the quiet in
Sanctuary. It was always busy from the Dominion's missions, Jesse sometimes
wondered if they keep them busy day after day to keep them from wondering
about their secrets. His dirty blond hair was tousled after a 30-minute
work out in the dojo to wake him up fully. His stomach growling, he walked
into the kitchen to already see Andy standing at the stove cooking what
smelled like an omelet.
"You're up early," he stated as he opened the refrigerator.
"There's hardly anything in there, half of it was expired so I threw it away. I'm surprised that I had enough to make my breakfast," Andy greeted in a tired tone.
"Tired?" Jesse asked as he opened the cupboard and got out a Nutri-Grain bar and sat down at a small table.
"Never was good at sleeping at a stranger's place," she explained as she used a spatula to scoop the omelet onto a plate. "Nothing against you."
Jesse shrugged. "I don't mind. We have enough time to spend together since we don't have anything on your company."
Andy finally turned to face him, carrying her breakfast. "Yeah, how come you didn't come up with anything? What I've heard about Mutant X is that you're pretty good at finding information."
"Ah—the Dominion sometimes gives us the information on our missions," Jesse explained. By Andy's questioning face, he decided to clarify. "A council that tells us what to do to save people."
Andy raised her eyebrows. "Why?" She sat down and dug into her breakfast.
"They pay the bills for our little place here," Jesse told her in-between bites.
"You're doing their dirty work for a sweet crib?" she asked incredulously. "I didn't know super heroes were so superficial," she added with a smirk.
"And a plane, computer and lab equipment ... we're still human, sort of," Jesse joked with a grin. "And we like to help people."
"How do you know you're helping people in the long run?" she inquired, looking up to him from her plate.
Jesse paused, thinking about the best way to answer. "We don't," he came up with. "We just have to trust that we're doing the right thing."
Andy nodded and sat up straight. "If I were you, I'd find out exactly who you're fighting for." She got up before Jesse could argue and walked out, laying her plate into the sink on her way.
Jesse lost his appetite, for the first time in his life. Andy, who found out about the Dominion less than two minutes ago, could tell that Mutant X was being played. Before he could figure out what to do, Shalimar came in. Jesse had known Shalimar for almost half of his life and knew that Shalimar had heard what Andy had said just from her face.
Shalimar had heard what the young intuitive girl had said and wanted to comfort her best friend before he decided to do something rash. Shalimar sometimes thought of Jesse as a brother, and then there were times when she couldn't even recognize Jesse. He had proved many times to Brennan and Shalimar that no one knew everything about the young Molecular. Brennan had told her once that Jesse could speak fluent Italian and the feelings that Jesse had for Lexa surprised Shalimar to today. Lexa was an attractive and strong woman but she had closed herself off to everyone, including men, and everyone knew it but yet Jesse kept trying to open her up. Now Jesse had doubts about the Dominion.
"We're doing the right thing," Shalimar spoke first.
Jesse stood up. "I'm going to find out." He stormed out before Shalimar could stop him.
"Jess!" she called after him but it was no use. Even though Jesse was more complex than anyone could guess, she still knew it took a lot to make Jesse angry but it didn't take a lot to make him do something about his anger.
Lexa had one leg propped on her bed and one hand draped over her knee zipping up her black leather boots. She would never let anyone see her in her pajamas or without her hair brushed, just because of that special someone thinking she was used to living in Sanctuary. Lexa wasn't sure how long she was going to be there with Mutant X, so she always was ready if something happened and she had to leave. She kept a suitcase under her bed and her clothes all folded up in her dresser. Suddenly, the door crashed open slamming the wall behind it.
Lexa looked over, her leg still on the bed, and smiled a little. "Easy, Tiger, we still got 12 hours," she teased. Jesse didn't look so happy.
"I want to talk to the Dominion," Jesse commanded in a booming voice that surprised even her.
Seeing that it was business, she dropped her leg to the floor and lost her smile. "Sorry, Jess. I'm the only one who can talk to the Dominion, the only one. It's the rules."
Jesse spread out his arms in a questioning gesture. "Since when do you follow the rules?"
Lexa didn't know if that was an insult or just a plea to get his way, either way, she didn't like it. "I'm sorry," she said. "I can't."
"Fine!" he exclaimed. He turned around and was about to storm out when she took a step forward.
"Wait ..." she tried to stop. "What's wrong, Jesse?"
He turned around, realizing that her tone was truly concerned. "I'm tired of being lied to, Lexa," he said in a sorrowful tone that reminded Lexa of her brother's tone when they had met in the street. "My Dad, Adam, now the Dominion ... I can't take it."
Lexa sat down on the bed and patted the place next to her; Jesse sat down and raced his hands through his hair and Lexa shifted so she could look him full in the eye. "What makes you sure that we're being lied to?"
Jesse took his hands away and gave her a skeptical look saying 'Have you been here the last six months?' but that's not what he wanted to say. Then he told her what Andy had said in the kitchen.
Now it was Lexa's turn to give Jesse a skeptical look. "You believe what she said? She hasn't been here to know the whole story behind the Dominion."
"I might have told her some things," Jesse admitted. "And it's not just that, the whole story has been bottled up inside me for months what she said just made it tip over," he described.
Lexa raised an eyebrow. "You think that's bad? I've been spending the last five years listening to what they told me ... I've been thinking the exact same thing but they helped me find Leo so I had to do it."
Jesse turned more to face her. "What about now? Nothing's holding you down."
"Well what do you propose we do? Strap a few computers on our back and take the Mercedes? They have their hands in everything," Lexa explained.
"My only problem is what they're holding back on Andy's case ... we'll worry about how we're going to get away from the Dominion later," Jesse decided.
"All right, I'll talk to the Dominion about Andy," Lexa said as she got up from her bed and smoothed out her skirt.
Jesse got up too and followed her out the door. Lexa and Jesse departed, Lexa going to the computers and Jesse to the rec. room. No one was there, and then he heard something from the dojo. He slid open the door and saw Shalimar and Andy standing in the center each in a fighting pose. 'Sparring,' he observed.
Shalimar started out slow, Andy was a beginner and Shalimar was a master. But Andy made her promise that she wouldn't hold back, but Shalimar's mission was to protect the young girl and she couldn't very well protect her if she went back home with shiners. She swung her fist a little slow then usually, but like lightning Andy moved out of the way, grabbed Shalimar's arm, and twisted it so that Shalimar landed on her back.
"You broke your promise!" Andy looked down at her, still holding her arm. "You are no longer reliable," she said with a grin.
"I was caught off guard," Shalimar said, Andy pulled her up.
"Yeah, yeah."
"You're up early," he stated as he opened the refrigerator.
"There's hardly anything in there, half of it was expired so I threw it away. I'm surprised that I had enough to make my breakfast," Andy greeted in a tired tone.
"Tired?" Jesse asked as he opened the cupboard and got out a Nutri-Grain bar and sat down at a small table.
"Never was good at sleeping at a stranger's place," she explained as she used a spatula to scoop the omelet onto a plate. "Nothing against you."
Jesse shrugged. "I don't mind. We have enough time to spend together since we don't have anything on your company."
Andy finally turned to face him, carrying her breakfast. "Yeah, how come you didn't come up with anything? What I've heard about Mutant X is that you're pretty good at finding information."
"Ah—the Dominion sometimes gives us the information on our missions," Jesse explained. By Andy's questioning face, he decided to clarify. "A council that tells us what to do to save people."
Andy raised her eyebrows. "Why?" She sat down and dug into her breakfast.
"They pay the bills for our little place here," Jesse told her in-between bites.
"You're doing their dirty work for a sweet crib?" she asked incredulously. "I didn't know super heroes were so superficial," she added with a smirk.
"And a plane, computer and lab equipment ... we're still human, sort of," Jesse joked with a grin. "And we like to help people."
"How do you know you're helping people in the long run?" she inquired, looking up to him from her plate.
Jesse paused, thinking about the best way to answer. "We don't," he came up with. "We just have to trust that we're doing the right thing."
Andy nodded and sat up straight. "If I were you, I'd find out exactly who you're fighting for." She got up before Jesse could argue and walked out, laying her plate into the sink on her way.
Jesse lost his appetite, for the first time in his life. Andy, who found out about the Dominion less than two minutes ago, could tell that Mutant X was being played. Before he could figure out what to do, Shalimar came in. Jesse had known Shalimar for almost half of his life and knew that Shalimar had heard what Andy had said just from her face.
Shalimar had heard what the young intuitive girl had said and wanted to comfort her best friend before he decided to do something rash. Shalimar sometimes thought of Jesse as a brother, and then there were times when she couldn't even recognize Jesse. He had proved many times to Brennan and Shalimar that no one knew everything about the young Molecular. Brennan had told her once that Jesse could speak fluent Italian and the feelings that Jesse had for Lexa surprised Shalimar to today. Lexa was an attractive and strong woman but she had closed herself off to everyone, including men, and everyone knew it but yet Jesse kept trying to open her up. Now Jesse had doubts about the Dominion.
"We're doing the right thing," Shalimar spoke first.
Jesse stood up. "I'm going to find out." He stormed out before Shalimar could stop him.
"Jess!" she called after him but it was no use. Even though Jesse was more complex than anyone could guess, she still knew it took a lot to make Jesse angry but it didn't take a lot to make him do something about his anger.
Lexa had one leg propped on her bed and one hand draped over her knee zipping up her black leather boots. She would never let anyone see her in her pajamas or without her hair brushed, just because of that special someone thinking she was used to living in Sanctuary. Lexa wasn't sure how long she was going to be there with Mutant X, so she always was ready if something happened and she had to leave. She kept a suitcase under her bed and her clothes all folded up in her dresser. Suddenly, the door crashed open slamming the wall behind it.
Lexa looked over, her leg still on the bed, and smiled a little. "Easy, Tiger, we still got 12 hours," she teased. Jesse didn't look so happy.
"I want to talk to the Dominion," Jesse commanded in a booming voice that surprised even her.
Seeing that it was business, she dropped her leg to the floor and lost her smile. "Sorry, Jess. I'm the only one who can talk to the Dominion, the only one. It's the rules."
Jesse spread out his arms in a questioning gesture. "Since when do you follow the rules?"
Lexa didn't know if that was an insult or just a plea to get his way, either way, she didn't like it. "I'm sorry," she said. "I can't."
"Fine!" he exclaimed. He turned around and was about to storm out when she took a step forward.
"Wait ..." she tried to stop. "What's wrong, Jesse?"
He turned around, realizing that her tone was truly concerned. "I'm tired of being lied to, Lexa," he said in a sorrowful tone that reminded Lexa of her brother's tone when they had met in the street. "My Dad, Adam, now the Dominion ... I can't take it."
Lexa sat down on the bed and patted the place next to her; Jesse sat down and raced his hands through his hair and Lexa shifted so she could look him full in the eye. "What makes you sure that we're being lied to?"
Jesse took his hands away and gave her a skeptical look saying 'Have you been here the last six months?' but that's not what he wanted to say. Then he told her what Andy had said in the kitchen.
Now it was Lexa's turn to give Jesse a skeptical look. "You believe what she said? She hasn't been here to know the whole story behind the Dominion."
"I might have told her some things," Jesse admitted. "And it's not just that, the whole story has been bottled up inside me for months what she said just made it tip over," he described.
Lexa raised an eyebrow. "You think that's bad? I've been spending the last five years listening to what they told me ... I've been thinking the exact same thing but they helped me find Leo so I had to do it."
Jesse turned more to face her. "What about now? Nothing's holding you down."
"Well what do you propose we do? Strap a few computers on our back and take the Mercedes? They have their hands in everything," Lexa explained.
"My only problem is what they're holding back on Andy's case ... we'll worry about how we're going to get away from the Dominion later," Jesse decided.
"All right, I'll talk to the Dominion about Andy," Lexa said as she got up from her bed and smoothed out her skirt.
Jesse got up too and followed her out the door. Lexa and Jesse departed, Lexa going to the computers and Jesse to the rec. room. No one was there, and then he heard something from the dojo. He slid open the door and saw Shalimar and Andy standing in the center each in a fighting pose. 'Sparring,' he observed.
Shalimar started out slow, Andy was a beginner and Shalimar was a master. But Andy made her promise that she wouldn't hold back, but Shalimar's mission was to protect the young girl and she couldn't very well protect her if she went back home with shiners. She swung her fist a little slow then usually, but like lightning Andy moved out of the way, grabbed Shalimar's arm, and twisted it so that Shalimar landed on her back.
"You broke your promise!" Andy looked down at her, still holding her arm. "You are no longer reliable," she said with a grin.
"I was caught off guard," Shalimar said, Andy pulled her up.
"Yeah, yeah."