Chapter 11

Legal Disclaimer-I don't own these rights, they belong to Marvel, Fireworks and Tribune Entertainment. I just want them to put Season 3 out on DVD...

Authors Note-Sorry this took a little while. I have been busy with work and well, I wanted to find the cliff to hang them from. Animiga, this ones for you...

My reviewers....I love you guys. Yes, More Lexa is here. And you will have more soon. But all in all this is a Jesse story.

Jesse sat in the diner, his gaze at the wall behind Adam. He heard the words and tried to put them together. The thought of children being raised in stasis pods sickened him to his very core. The thought that parents were being lied to about their future children made him even sicker. It was the same lie that he grew up with playing over and over again.

"One of these kids is Lexa's and mine, isn't it?" Jesse asked, point blank.

Adam didn't answer him, just shook his head yes. Jesse glared at him, anger growing in his eyes, and he got up and left the diner. He had to breathe, the walls had closed in around him and he knew that if he didn't get outside he would probably tear the walls down. Emma started to follow him and Brennan stopped her. He would talk to Jesse this time.

Lexa sat staring at the wheeled man.

"You could have told us," Lexa said angrily, "You don't know what that decision did to me."

The wheeled man looked at Lexa. The pain in her eyes was reflective of the look that Jesse gave Adam.

"I'm sorry, as soon as I heard of it, I got Adam out of there," the wheeled man continued, "You five are the best hope at stopping this."

"I understand what you're saying, but how?" Shalimar asked, "We no longer have the tools we need to make this work. Adam, we no longer have Sanctuary, we have been defunct for five years. We have lives outside of this."

"I know, I'm asking you to sacrifice everything," Adam said, "But this is the greater good."

"Greater good my ass," Lexa said, "You're still trying to repent for your mistakes, Adam. This time, the dominion caused this and you're trying to stop them. Do you realize that you're trying to stop yourself?"

Jesse stood on the porch out front of the diner and tried to hold back the waves of anger that flowed through him. He slammed his hand against the railing and felt it shake. He had massed without thinking. He needed to find a center of calm, but he felt the need to tear the building down.

"Take a breath, bro," Brennan said from behind him, "You have got to calm down."

"Dammit, Brennan, I know," Jesse seethed, "Not just for the situation but for Emma."

"Yep, good motivations to keep calm, but man, I know you, control yourself," Brennan continued, his voice calm, "Focus. There is nothing you can do by getting mad."

"I know," Jesse continued to breathe slowly, his jaw setting, "This is unreal."

"Yeah, I know," Brennan replied, "I know how you feel. You remember what happened in the prophecy."

"You at least know your child, Brennan," Jesse shot back at him, turning around, "They are growing these kids in stasis pods. More than likely they have subdermal governors on them, and....."

The emotions of his own past were beginning to catch up with him. He took a deep breath to hold down the rage.

"Dammit, Brennan, these people have my kid," he spat, "You at least know that your child is in good hands. My child is in a pod somewhere. They don't know who they are, where they came from, why they are different from..."

Jesse found the words stopping as the rage that had been building took over. He massed and turned toward Brennan. Brennan saw the look in his friend's eyes and stared him down.

"Jesse, CALM DOWN!" he yelled at him, "We're going to find them."

Jesse let his breath out, the massing faded, but his glare continued. The pain that had been in his eyes from his anger toward Lexa had multiplied. Brennan had to admit he had never seen Jesse this angry before. For the first time in a very long time, he was scared of him.

"Yes, we are," Jesse's voice had grown low and deadly.

Adam watched the scene unfolding outside. Jesse had grown up, it was quite obvious, an intelligent and loving man, his love for his teammates, his surrogate family, driving his passion. His love for Emma showed the moment he looked at her. Brennan had gone from outlaw to bad boy to strong gentleman, and Adam knew that not only was Shalimar responsible, but with her Brennan had found the inner strength to go onward. Shalimar was the pack leader, listening with wisdom and the skill to protect them all. Emma, who sat across from him, had blossomed into a mature woman, able to defend herself and defend her team. They were not quite the group he had dreamed of, but, like a proud father, he knew that he had helped and that he could trust them. Jesse's anger bothered him.

"First things first, I need to get you guys to my new base of operations," Adam began, "I know that you took leave from the school, Shalimar and Brennan, and Emma, Jesse is on indefininate leave from the Service, yes?"

Emma nodded, her attention on the front porch. Jesse and Brennan were still outside talking. Jesse had calmed down looking out to the road that led up the diner. The sun setting over the mountains had a beautiful look to them and was helping to calm him.

"We're going to have to get these kids out of there Brennan," Jesse said, his voice finally calm, but the deadliness growing, "We're going to have to find them homes and..."

"Yeah, I know, but we have got to make a plan," Brennan said, finally happy that Jesse was calm enough to talk, but cautious to the tone in his friends voice, "Let's not go in there half-assed you know?"

Jesse looked down the mountain road the led to the diner. It was beginning to fill with black vans and trucks. They were unmarked.

"Brennan, that's all great, but we're not alone."

They turned back around and ran back into the diner.

"Adam, you know a way out?" Jesse yelled, grabbing Emma by the arm, "We have company."

Adam, Lexa, Shalimar and Emma jumped up and went toward the back of the diner. The wheeled man drove himself to the front porch area, looking at the windows.

"Damn, they have found us," he said, "Lexa, grab the others and go."

Lexa stopped as they headed out the back door. She watched him load a gun that Adam handed him, deftness to his fingers she never imagined him having. He looked back at her, a look in his eyes that she only remembered when he broke her out of the jail cell back at Dominion headquarters.

"Go, Lexa, I'll contact you when I am safe," he said, waving her onward, "Go."

"No, you saved me once, let me return the favor," she said, running up behind him, "You can't go through this alone."

Jesse and Brennan, who were hustling the rest through the back doors of the diner to Adam's waiting car turned and looked for Lexa.

"Brennan where is she?" Jesse asked.

"She went back," Brennan replied, "She said something about protecting the guy in the chair."

Jesse remembered instantly when he saved them both from the Dominion. She was repaying a debt. He also knew that she would definitely die if he didn't help them. Obligation ran screaming into his mind as he ran back toward the front of the diner. Brennan gave him a momentary blast of cover as he ran to protect the man in the chair.

"Go Brennan go!" Jesse yelled, "We'll catch up."

Brennan looked back at Jesse as the front of the building began to be lit up with gunfire. He ducked and ran after Adam and the women, silently praying that Jesse would be behind him.

Jesse massed as he stood in front of the wheelchair. He blocked several bullets until his breath ran out. He took another breath and turned toward Lexa who was shooting light bolts with her hand. They were doing okay at defending themselves until they heard the explosion in the back of the diner. More of guys from the vans flooded the diner and Jesse let his breath out. He looked Lexa as he felt the bullet hit. Oblivion took over soon afterward.