Yes, I'm back after my long absence. Sorry for making you all wait so long. I've been busy working on a few original projects (of which, I must admit, I have finished a total of one). This chapter is quite short, but I'm working on chapter 12 and I hope to get it finished and posted by the end of the week.
It was after midnight when Mason and Adam got back to Sanctuary.
"I think I shall have to go and lie down."
"All right." Adam said, patting him on the shoulder as he walked off.
He sat down on the steps to the dojo, feeling dizzy and sick. He'd had far to much to drink. Yeah, it was like old times, he thought. Just like old times.
# # #
Shalimar awoke suddenly. Voices, and footsteps. She lay still for a second, being careful to breath silently. Hearing nothing else, she almost went back to sleep. Maybe it was just her imagination, or perhaps someone couldn't sleep and was watching television. But she'd have to check, just to be sure.
She got out of bed and tiptoed into the main room.
"Adam!" She said, somewhat surprised. "Where have you been?" He looked up at her, his eyes glazed. But he didn't need to answer, the smell of booze and cigarettes gave him away. "You've been out drinking!"
"How did you guess?"
"Adam, Emma was in trouble last night. We needed your help."
"Why? What's wrong?"
Shalimar explained to him what happened. The details simply went over his head.
"Is she okay?"
"Yeah, I think so. But I'm still worried. Adam, why did you take off your comlink? We needed to contact you."
"I did?" He said, lifting his hand up to the light. "I don't remember."
# # #
"So do you know what's up?" Emma asked. She was lying on the chair in the middle of the lab."Well, according to these tests, absolutely nothing." Said Adam, shaking his head.
"But from what Shalimar told me, it can't just be nothing."
"I must admit, it is worrying. But there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with you." He leaned on the back of the chair, trying to appear sympathetic, but in reality he had a killer hangover and was finding it difficult to stand upright.
"You don't think...you don't think it could be Ashlocke, do you?" She asked, twisting a piece of hair round her finger.
"I think that's highly improbable, don't you think?" He said, smiling slightly.
"Yeah, but not impossible." She got up out of the chair.
"Emma, don't let it bother you. It could just be that your recently mutated powers reacted adversely with the alcohol you were drinking. It might be no more than that."
"I sure hope so." She said on her way out of the room.
Adam walked to his office and sat down at his desk. It was now lit by a lamp, since Mason had destroyed the lights with his new powers. He reminded himself to ask Brennan to fix them some time. He'd complain, but he'd do it.
He held his head in his hands and tried to think straight. The aspirin he'd taken earlier wasn't working. He could hardly remember last night at all. All he could remember was getting to the bar, then just bits and pieces of conversation, then he was back here and Shalimar was yelling at him. He was worried about Emma. He felt awfully responsible for what happened to her, though he couldn't possibly have done anything.
# # #
"How's Emma?" Jesse asked."She seems fine." said Shalimar, looking concerned. "But I don't know. I'm really worried about her." She began to pace up and down the room.
"You think it's Ashlocke, don't you?" said Brennan.
"But it can't be, Shal," added Jesse, "he's dead, you know that."
"Yeah, I know. But a guy like Ashlocke, I really wonder, can death really stop him? Me, I could cope with him in my head. It was awful, but I could. But Emma, oh, I don't know if she can."
The boys looked at each other uneasily.
# # #
"Adam?"He lifted his head up slowly to see Mason standing over him. "Uh...what?" He managed.
"Alcohol never did agree with you, did it?"
"Didn't agree with you either, if I remember rightly."
"Ah, yes. But I never let it affect me, unlike you."
Adam made no comment. He buried his head in his hands, wishing that Mason would take the hint and leave.
"Mason, are you here for any particular reason? Only I have some things to do, so..."
Funny, thought Mason, it seemed that you had time to fall asleep before I came in. But he said: "Is there something the matter?"
Adam sighed, and nodded his head. "It's Emma." He said. "While we were out, she had some sort of disturbing vision. I know it seems absurd, but it appears that it is Ashlocke bothering her."
"You informed me that he was dead. Was that merely an assumption?"
"No. I saw him die. Yes, he's definitely dead."
Mason narrowed his eyes. "You aren't making a lot of sense, Adam. How could it be Ashlocke if he is dead?"
"That's exactly the conundrum that I'm faced with."
"Is there any chance that Miss DeLauro might be lying?"
"No, of course not. She's no reason to. And besides, she wasn't the one who told me, she doesn't even remember it."
"What exactly was it that happened?"
"Shalimar tells me that Emma was looking a little off-colour, so they went to sit down, and suddenly...uh..." He stopped and rubbed his eyes. "...and suddenly she just screamed 'He's back!' then blacked out. I just don't know."
"'He' could refer to anyone. It makes no sense to jump to the conclusion of it being a dead man."
"Yeah, but Shalimar's worried sick. I'm sure she thinks it's Ashlocke. With what he did to her, I'm not surprised she's scared. And Emma, she's hiding her feelings, but inside, she's terrified. I just don't know what to do. "
"Perhaps you're taking your father figure role a little too far, Adam. Maybe your children would do well to cope with this one on their own."
"Yes," he said, "maybe I am." He didn't feel like arguing. "How much did we drink last night, anyway?"
Mason smiled. "I don't really care to remember."
