A/N Okay, Kari is now introduced, she's a visitor to the team, and she's gonna stay for a little while. To my avid readers and reviewers, I love you guys, you keep me going. Kari's going to stay around a while-I'm loving this creative spurt.

This is the end of Spiritwalker though, I need to bring Mutant X into other adventures, and well, I am going to a con, so I will be offline for a few days.

Legal stuff-Mutant X is not mine. The copyrights and characters are all theirs, I'm just a player in this game, and I don't have a legal leg to stand on. I'm without tremendous amounts of cash, so don't sue me, You won't get anything.

Thanks again to my reviewers, massage alert!, and for the Jesse loving contingent…if we can ever get the man alone…(Evil grin)

Aftermaths

After a change of clothes and a hot shower, Kari Spiritwalker looked much more like 15 than 25. She had put on a tank top, fresh jeans and braided her straight black hair. She also pulled on a pair of soft leather boots that laced up to her knees. She finally felt like herself.

She folded up her dirty clothes and pulled the rest from her pack. Luckily there was a small chest of drawers to put her clothes in located in the guest room, and she put the clothes in the bottom drawer. She also pulled a series of CD roms from her pack. They were unmarked but she knew each and every one of them. Jesse would want them, so she left them on the bed.

Her stomach rumbled. It was definitely time to eat. She headed for the kitchen, her CD's in hand, and followed her nose to the kitchen. Jesse was hard at work, as was Shalimar, cutting and rolling sushi, while Lexa kept checking soup on the small stove. Brennan was setting the table for five,  making sure that the whole group had plenty of condiments and ginger. He looked up and saw her standing there.

"Hey, how you feeling?" he walked up to her, "You clean up well."

Kari blushed. It was nice to be complimented. Jesse turned from his cutting of fish and wiped his hands on a cloth.

"Brennan's right," he came up to her, "You do clean up well."

Kari smiled and met his gaze.

"Thank you, how can I help?" Kari felt like doing something.

"Have a seat, we need someone to wash the dishes," Shalimar butted in, taking the plate full of sushi to the table, "Eat. You need it."

"Thanks," she laughed, "Looks like my folks place."

She sat down and put soy sauce in a dish. Brennan soon joined her and they all ate together, laughing and picking on each other. They avoided the dreams they had shared. Kari could sense the deliberate avoidance, but was grateful for the lack of talk of spirits, mediums and psionics. They were going to have to face it though.

Jesse took a second and noticed her look. She seemed to retreat into herself. He remembered what he read about her in Adam's files. Kari is a shy young woman who studies life as she lives it. Adam had her summed up brilliantly.

Kari glared back at him for a moment. Caught.

Lexa smiled. This woman was a little more than Jesse was used to. Nice to see him have to be kept on his toes.

They were nearing the end of the sushi and the conversation when Kari realized that the moment had arrived.

"So, Kari," Brennan began then stopped. He knew he didn't do well at these things, Jesse was more the diplomat.

"So, Brennan?" Kari played along, the sushi giving her a warm feeling.

"We were talking while you were sleeping and wanted to know if you wanted to stay here a while," Brennan continued, "It would only be for as long as you wanted to."

"Sure, if you guys are okay with it," Kari replied, taking a moment to study everyone's faces, "I would love to."

            That evening, Sanctuary had become rather quiet. Brennan and Lexa went out, both to get supplies and see what the word was on Magneto's appearance. Shalimar had gone back to sleep, the emotions of the night before had truly exhausted her. Kari had found herself a moment to meditate in the quietest place in Sanctuary, clearing her mind and pulling her strength together.

            Jesse spent the time looking through the CD's that she had given him. Many of them were her own medical files, she asked him to add them to the database, knowing that it would help other mutants with her abilities. At the same time, he realized that she had handed him a backup of the mutant database, level 12 cryptation, the only other copy of that disc was in his possession. Adam had given it to her, she had explained, while Adam had told him that someone special had the only other copy.

            He looked at her figure on the vidscreen. She was peacefully meditating. He thought about joining her. He needed a little peace himself.

            He started for the meditation pond and stopped. She had stopped mediating and was waiting for him.

            "How'd you know?' he asked, more curious than upset that he had bothered her.

            "Practice," she smiled, "And I was done. How are the CD's coming?"

            "Surprising," Jesse settled on the platform next to her, "I didn't know how much you actually knew. Adam was pretty good at keeping his secrets."

            "He's not dead," Kari snapped at him, "You of all people know that."

            Jesse stopped. She was right. The question of Adam's demise had been solved for him when he read the contingency plan that Adam had left him in Sanctuary Files.

            "Sorry, still not used to it," he admitted. He sighed. This platform on their own zen pond had it's relaxing effects.

            Kari scooted behind him and gently started to rub his shoulders. For Jesse, it felt like heaven. Her fingers worked on his knots of tension, hitting the spot where his tension built from hours in front of the computer.

            "God, that's wonderful," he said, his eyes closing, "Where did you learn to do that?'

            She laughed and continued on the sore spots.

            "My mom taught shiatsu massage," she replied, "She can put you flat in minutes, but just relax, let me know if I hurt you."

            "I don't think you could, Kari," Jesse mumbled, "Your mom's an excellent teacher."

            "To a point," Kari continued, "It was hard raising me, Japan has a hard enough time with half-breeds, and they really don't want mutants. We mess with the natural Japaneseness of things. I tend to take after my father's side."

            "You still keep in touch with your parents?" Jesse asked, his hands going to the platform beside him. She was relaxing him even further in her own way. If he didn't keep talking, he would be asleep.

            "Off and on. They still travel to Japan in the summers, I used to stay with my grandparents on the reservation when they left," Kari started on the small of his back, her hands quickly loosening his spine, "That's how I met Uncle Logan. I didn't know about him till I got lost one night. He found me, hurt and did what he could to get me home. He's got powerful friends."

            That's an understatement, Jesse thought. Her fingers were hitting all the tight spots and loosening his tension. She stopped.

            "That help?" she asked, turning to meet his eyes.

            The wave of peace that had flooded his senses during the massage had helped. She was VERY good. He put a hand on hers.

            "Thank you," he said, " I needed that."

            "You're welcome," her reply continued as she swung her feet around and hung them over the pond.

            "How are you doing?" she continued, "You never answered my question, are you okay from last night?"

            Jesse sighed. He knew this was coming. She was waiting for an answer and he had avoided it.

            "Yes," he said softly, "I am."

            He was going to continue, but her face stopped him.

            "What?"

            "Are you really okay? I know that we shared a very emotional experience and frankly, Jesse, I have never had one that powerful before," Kari looked away from him and into the water below, "Emma's spirit came to me and went for it. I usually have much more control over this power and it ran me last night."

            "Scared you?" Jesse was surprised. In the few months he knew Kari, she had never gotten this in depth about her powers before.

            "Exhausted me more than scared me," her interruption was followed by her shifting her body to face him, "You handled it well. I'm sorry it was so emotional for you. You loved Emma."

            "Yeah, we all did," Jesse admitted, "I guess that we needed time to say goodbye, I don't know, we needed that though."

            "She's peaceful now, as is Leo," she continued, "Lexa didn't have to tell me."

            "She's scared it's going to happen again," Jesse admitted, "She didn't quite admit it, but I think you shook her up."

            "Leo did, I was just the channel," Kari returned the stare at the water, "I need to control this better, Jess, if it's going to be stronger. I guess I'm evolving."

            "Yep, I think you are, and I want to help you, Kari," Jesse said, an arm going over her shoulder, "I am not as strong as Adam in this, but our resources are yours."

            "Thanks," Kari turned to him, "But, you haven't answered my question. Are you okay?"

            Jesse thought for a second. He was. Emma was in the past, it was time for the future.