Chapter 6

A full week went by with no news until one day when Shalimar and Lexa came home early from work, permanently, to find a few messages on the answering machine. The first few were from a couple of co-workers of theirs expressing their opinions on the manager's decision to fire the two girls. Shalimar plopped down on the floor and listened to one of the girls say that she can't believe it and that they should appeal to the general manager to get the manager fired and also to get their jobs back.

Lexa snorted as she grabbed two cokes from the fridge and came back into the living room; she tossed one can to the blonde sprawled on the floor.

"So when do you think we'll own a couch?" Lexa joked as she sat down indian style next to her friend.

The blonde's smile disappeared, "It'll take quite a bit longer now. I can't believe I couldn't hold back. That's not like me."

"Shal it wasn't your fault. That man has been harrassing you since you started and even I admit I would not have lasted as long as you did. The first time he ever grabbed my ass he would so not have gotten a sharp word like what you gave him. I would have given him a taste of some streamlined light."

Shalimar began to laugh and Lexa joined in and the two took deep breaths in order to calm themselves as the next message began.

'Hello this is Chief Johnson with the police department. I am calling for Detective Brennan Mulwray about his job application. Basically I'll go ahead and get to the point. We want you to join the force. Give me a call if you're interested before noon tomorrow. We would like you to start as soon as possible. The number is...'

The two girls stared at each other as the message continued. Shalimar's eyes began to tear a bit and Lexa scooted over and took the blonde in her arms and hugged her. She had just begun to calm the girl down when the next message began.

'This is Edward Benson. I'm calling to notify Jesse Kilmartin that his resume has been accepted and that he should report to work on Monday at the Internal Revenue Service building located on...'

The message continued as the girls held onto each other and cried. The news of Jesse working for the IRS didn't come as a suprise to Lexa because the night before after Jesse had fallen asleep she had pulled up all the history files on the computer and found the information about the government being involved that Jesse had tried to omit.

Shalimar draggeed her head up and off of Lexa's shoulder.

"I can't believe he would do this. It's dangerous. It's too close to the government."

Lexa nodded her agreement.

"And they didn't even bother asking us about it really. They just mentioned it after the fact and assume that it's all okay."

Shalimar frowned, "And I don't like the way Brennan suddenly believes I am just going to stay home all the time. No way."

Lexa frowned as well while a plan began to form in her mind.

"Well who says they get to have all the fun?" she asked.

Shalimar looked at her confused.

"What are you thinking about Lexa?"

"I've watched Jesse make backgrounds for some of the mutants we've put into the underground. I could make us some histories of some sort. There's no way I am staying home every day. Besides we need to help new mutants otherwise the Dominion wins the war and Adam's sacrifice was for nothing."

Shalimar nodded. She glanced up at the clock.

"There's about an hou and a half before they get home form the job site. Can you do it in that amount of time?"

She looked at the burnette who bit her lip and then downed her drink.

"Only one way to find out." she said as she stood up and went over to where the computer stood on cinder blocks that were set up as a desk slash table.

Shalimar followed her and pulled up a taped moving box for a seat next to her friend. She watched as the other girl started manuvering her way through all of Jesse's programs. Finally she pulled up the right program and then Shalimar watched as Lexa's hands paused over the keys.

"Um, what kind of job do you want to have?" she asked the blonde next to her.

"Oh, uh, well when I was little I wanted to be a gymnast." Shalimar said slowly.

"Um, Shal, jobs for gymnasts really aren't in demand right now. But maybe there is something close." she said as she ran a local job search. "Here we go, the local high school is looking for both an art teacher and a teacher for their girl's gym class."

Shalimar bit the inside of her lip, "so we'd work together and be able to help teen mutants around the school. It's really a good idea. The majority of new mutants I've noticed around here are teens. But the question becomes," she paused and shared a look with Lexa, "are you ready to have to deal with the annoying hormonal rampant teenage boys."

Lexa laughed and her hands shook as she began to type all the history that the two of them would need to become shoo-ins for the positions.

"Honestly," Lexa said once she managed to stop laughing, "I will put up with one hundred randy teenage boys in order to make enough money to buy a car that actually runs and to do it without the boy's help."

Shalimar nodded. "I am so sick of Brennan saying he'll take care of me. I don't need him to baby me. I can take care of myself."

"Besides," Lexa added, "Brennan chose this house for us all to live in and I have to say if he really thinks that this place is livable then I really wouldn't trust him enough to take care of a hamster let alone you, Shal."

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For the next hour while Lexa fixed their backgrounds the two continued to poke fun at both Jesse and Brennan until the point that when Lexa was done and Brennan and Jesse walked in the two girls were rolling on the floor in an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

"Hey, what's up with the two of you?" Brennan asked as he squatted down next to the two giggling pixies.

"We never should have bought those Dr. Peppers man," Jesse joked, "I told you that caffeine messed with your internal body structure in weird ways." He tried pulling Lexa up into a sitting position and started laughing himself when she batted away his hands like a four year old and then fell back hitting her head on the floor.

"Owww!" Lexa sobered up as her eyes filled up with tears.

"Oh, poor baby." Jesse said as he gathered up the dark haired girl in his arms and started to rub her back, "It's okay sweetheart."

Brennan pulled Shalimar up off the floor and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of wheat.

"Now girlie, what were you two laughing like loonies for? You better tell me or I'm going to drop you on your blonde head." To emphasize his point he let go of her for a split second and let her drop about two inches towards the ground.

"You have messages on the answering machine." she shouted as the blood rushed to her head. "Put me down now Brennan or else you have to cook dinner tonight!" she added in a threatening tone.

Quickly he did some fancy moves and the blonde found herself deposited on her feet with a slap on her butt as he walked over to the answering machine and hit the 'Play' button.

Shalimar walked over quickly and hit the fast forward so that the boys didn't hear the messages from their ex-coworkers.

The moment the two messages had finished the two were arguing over who got to call first when a persistant beeping caught their attention.

"What the hell is making that noise?" Lexa asked.

Shalimar followed the sound over to where she had tossed her jacket when they had gotten home. She reached into the pocket as the others came up behind her. She withdrew her hand and stared at the object on her palm that had finally stopped beeping.

"Isn't that your comm ring?" Jesse questioned her.

"Yeah...I didn't want to just get rid of it. It has sentimental..." her voice broke off suddenly as a hologram appeared above the rihng and it began what appeared to be a pre-recorded message.

"Oh my god, Adam." Brennan said just before the message began.

"Hello team. If this is now showing up then unfortunately I was detained and there are now a few things I must come clean on. First you must promise to do as I say even though you will probably hate me after this. One year ago I altered your memories. I erased a full year of your lives. And I took something from you that I must now return."

The four watched in stunned silence as the hologram Adam hesitated and a look of pain and regret flashed across his face.

"I took your children."

Continued in Chapter 7...

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Author's Note.

It's interesting typing with an infant on your lap and managing to hold a bottle for her breakfast at the same time. But anyways hope you all liked the chapter. I told you all from the beginning that this chapter would end on a cliffhanger. I'm sorry. And I am also sorry to tell you that the next two chapters do the exact same thing.