"His Son"
by: iluvaqt

Disclaimer: As per default chapter.
iluvaqt's Notes: Qt's notes: Steph, here's Zack and Jondy :) Sorry I left you guys for so long.


Chapter 7 -
Mountain Cabin, early evening

Adam reached over and gently pushed away the hair that fallen across the woman's face. As his fingertips brushed her skin, a scene flashed through his mind.

This woman pushed him up against a door. Her lips pressed against his. Her passionate plunder of his mouth dissolving all conscious thought, but the sensual desire building inside him. He pulled her a hard against him. Desperate to have her close. He wanted to feel her in his arms, to touch her skin. He was helpless to fight the need to drown his senses in her body. He thrust his hand into her thick hair; the texture and softness of her fiery curls setting his nerves alight with waves of exquisite pleasure. It was as if he'd been waiting his whole life to do it. And now that he had, it was everything he'd envisioned and more.

Adam blinked. His mind dawned on his surroundings and brought him tumbling back to the present. He withdrew his hand shakily and ran it through his own hair, in an effort to soothe his heated nerves with something familiar, something safe. His throat felt tight and he swallowed. His face was flushed. Adam stared down at the woman's pale face. Who was she? He had to get a grip. He was having wild fantasies about an unconscious woman. How weird was that? The other guys were always teasing him about not joining them down at the local bar. They said there was no way he was going to get laid if he hung around the ranch for the rest of his life. Maybe they were right. The lack of female companionship was messing with his brain. How long had he been alone? He didn't ask Buddy. It wasn't something he was comfortable thinking about, let alone talking about.

Guessing she'd probably be thirsty when she woke up, he went to collect a bucket from by the fire. Stepping into his boots, he went outside to fill up the pail from the old water pump behind the cabin.

Looking back through the cabin window, he could still see her. She was very pretty. He couldn't remember if he'd ever seen anyone more beautiful. He'd checked her eyes to make sure she didn't have a serious concussion. He didn't know how he knew, but after looking into her eyes, he instinctively knew she would be okay. Light gray eyes, like a cloudy, winter sky. He'd never seen eyes like that. Was she a relative of Buddy's? Her pale skin and unique hair implied she couldn't be a blood relative of Mary's. Mary was part native-American Indian. So who was she?

Jondy opened her eyes and gingerly touched the back of her head. No bleeding. That was always a good sign. A slight bump, but nothing a day or so wouldn't clear up. When her senses kicked in, she realized she was alone in a strange place.

Her heart started beating faster, and she could feel the rush of adrenaline kick in She heard footsteps coming toward the door, and before it swung open. She slid off the table and dove for the nearest hiding spot she could find.

From the crack in the door, she peeked out. The man who'd just come into the cabin was Zack. She gasped. She cursed inwardly. Stupid, damn stupid. He heard her. She knew he heard because he looked right at her.

Blood rushing in her ears, she held her breath. The closet door swung open and Zack held up his hands.

"Whoa, I won't hurt you," When she didn't move, Adam held out his hand. "Come on out. Put your feet up by the fire, you must be freezing."

Not realizing just how underdressed she was, Jondy clutched the sides of the blanket around her and blushed. What happened to her clothes?

"I found you in the snow. I hung your things out to dry. It might take awhile. I can give you something of mine, if you…"

"Oh no, I'm fine," Jondy flustered.

"This might sound strange considering, but who are you?" Adam asked. "I guess you must know Mary if you were wearing her clothes and riding her horse, but what's your name?"

"Jondy," she answered quietly. She watched his face, waiting for a flicker of recognition but none came.

"Jondy," he repeated, with a small smile. "It's interesting. What's it mean?"

"Do all names have meaning?" she asked defensively.

"Well, no. I just haven't heard the name Jondy before," Adam answered with a grin. "I meant no offence. I was just curious."

Watching him was disconcerting. Jondy couldn't remember the last time Zack had smiled. In fact she couldn't remember if he ever had. Well, at least not like he was now. His lips pulled up at corners in a sexy smile. It was sending tingles down her spine. Averting her eyes, she tried to relax and stretched out her legs toward the fire. They did feel a bit stiff. How long had she been out?

"Storms brewing outside. I hope you weren't planning on heading out in a hurry?" Adam said offhandedly.

Jondy frowned. She hadn't planned on leaving Leo for more than a couple of hours. It was growing dark outside, but there was no way to tell how late it was. "How long have I been here?" she asked quietly.

"An hour, maybe a little less. Someone waiting for you?" Adam asked offhandedly. He felt a twinge of jealous stir at the thought of her with someone else. It was crazy. He didn't even know her. Or was it because he did know her? He wanted to ask but decided against it. She hadn't acted like she knew him. He picked up a poker and stirred the fire. After a moment he dusted his hands and turned to her. "If you need to go back to the ranch, I'll take you as soon as the storm clears."

Clutching the blanket closer to her body, Jondy stared into the flames. She felt apprehensive about delaying any longer, but it would be foolish to go back outside. She'd made it this far letting Shadow do most of the navigating. She wasn't so ready to trust the horse in the middle of a snowstorm. She would have to wait till her clothes dried too. "How long do you think it'll last?"

"Not sure. Sounds like the winds picking up, and the clouds have dropped. We could be in for a bad one."

Jondy rolled her eyes. Zack always had a flare for being melodramatic. Evidently that trait had stuck. "So I'm stuck with you," she smirked. "At least we've got food."

Spotting her satchel near the bed, she walked over and picked it up. Undoing the flap, she tipped its contents onto the bed. Adam got up too and came to inspect.

"A weeks worth of stuff. Were you planning a camp out?" Adam asked curiously.

"No, Mary asked me to bring you up some more supplies," Jondy replied, hoping that her voice didn't betray the effect he was having on her.

He stood barely a fraction behind her. If he inched any closer, she knew she'd probably faint, she could already feel the warmth of his breath against the nape of her neck. It's innocent enough, he's just looking over your shoulder, she reasoned. But when she'd turned to answer him, she found his face inches from hers. Her breath caught in her throat and she licked her lips, not able to tear her eyes away from his piecing blue gaze.

Adam felt his body warm to her scent. Her eyes seemed to grow darker under his and he fought a fierce urge to kiss her. What the hell is up with you? You don't even know this woman. Are you hankering after a slap across the face?

Warning bells clanged in her brain. He's not Zack. He doesn't remember. Think about Leo. Keep it together. Jondy tore her eyes away from his and flustered over the food. "I'm hungry, how about you?" Picking up a can of corned beef, she read the label. "This is good, we don't have to heat it and…"

Adam pulled her into his arms and kissed her. At first she didn't respond. Out of distaste or surprise, his addled mind couldn't care less. She tasted divine. Her lips were soft and moist, and she opened up to him like a flower to the morning sun. He felt like he was sinking, falling, but he didn't care.

Jondy felt her knees buckle and she fell back on the bed. Adam fell with her and under his sweet caress and passionate kisses, it was all she could do not forget to breathe. His hand found its way into her blanket and his touch sent ripples of heat over her body. She reached up and she ran her fingers into his hair, releasing the feel and the softness of it against her skin. She wrapped her legs around him, desperately wanting him closer and fearing at any moment he would leave.

"This is…." Adam breathed huskily, "this is crazy."

Jondy felt him still against her, and tears sprung to her eyes. Adam touched her cheek and turned her face to his. She read the confusion and apprehension in his eyes.

"You're crying?" Adam rolled to his side and stared at her. "What's wrong?" he asked gently.

Jondy couldn't stand it. It was bad enough that she'd let things get this far, but she wouldn't have his pity. She sat up and pulled the blanket back around her. With her back to him, she quickly wiped her face. You've got to tell him. But how? I'm probably going to be stuck with him for the awhile, if he throws a fit, where am I going to go? I can't. Maybe it's better if I just wait it out, and then leave. He doesn't ever have to know.

Adam sat up behind her. He touched her shoulder and pulled her back to him gently. "I'm sorry if I hurt you. We can just talk. About anything. Or nothing," he added. "I feel like I know you," he whispered. "We're close. Tell me if I'm wrong."

Hearing him say those words, almost threatened to bring on tears again. How much further from the truth could he be? Close, as in the sense we slept together once. Okay, you may be right there. But close in the sense that we love and understand each other… She closed her eyes. She couldn't dwell on that thought. Too many times she'd wished that were true. It only ended in tears. They would never be close. Looking back, she could see that now. But this is not Zack, another voice argued. He cares. You can feel it. Don't pretend to deny it.

"You don't remember, do you?" Jondy whispered, her voice wavering with emotion.

"Tell me," Adam prompted. "I want to remember us."

Jondy felt a sharp pain in her chest. She bit her lip so hard it started to bleed. Still fighting down the urge to spill everything and sob her heart out to him, she stood up and walked a little distance away.

"You don't remember us, because there never was an us," Jondy said coolly.

Adam snorted. "I find that hard to believe. Look what just happened." He stood and forced her to look at him. "You saying it's the first time this ever happened?"

Jondy couldn't answer. She was on the verge of falling apart again. Hormones. Ever since she'd been pregnant with Leo, she hadn't been able to get a handle on her emotions. They were always all over the place.

Adam stared at her and knew she was lying, it was written all over her face. What had happened between them? Why was she afraid of him? "Sit down," he ordered gently, guiding her to the bed. She was shaking like a leaf and he knew it wasn't just because she was cold.

He pulled up a chair and sat opposite her. "We know each other, right?"

Jondy nodded slightly and pulled her legs up, huddling under the blanket.

Adam frowned but said nothing. Leaning forward, he put his elbows on his knees. "But we were never together?" When she didn't respond, he asked again. "Where we dating?"

Jondy shook her head.

"Then tell me why I've dreamt about you," Adam spilled out in frustration. That got her attention. Now what? He hadn't intended to ever admit that without getting something out of her first, but when it seemed he was getting nowhere fast, he'd thought what the heck.

All of a sudden, Jondy froze. Adam read fear in her eyes and he shot out of his chair. She wasn't looking at him anymore; she was staring through him. Then she collapsed. Tremors racked her body. She'd been so caught up in fighting her feelings for him and trying to deal with their situation that she'd missed all the warning signs.

They had all been there, but she'd been too absorbed in self-pity and denial to notice. The sweaty palms, the shivers, a light headache, and the irritability, feeling hungry… all the hype and anxiety of seeing Zack again and organizing Leo, she'd forgotten one vital thing, her tryptophan.

"Tell me what I can do?" Adam said worriedly. "I can go for help."

Jondy weakly reached for his arm. "Milk?"

Milk. Damn it, he didn't have any. They didn't have power in the cabin, so anything that didn't keep on its own got used up quickly. He hadn't had any milk for over a week. "Why do you need milk?" he asked.

"Tryptophan," Jondy managed. The spasms were getting worse. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. Her whole body was protesting.

Tryptophan? Almond, eggs, turkey, tuna fish… they were all rich in the amino acid, tryptophan. He didn't know how he knew, he just did. Sorting through the supplies she had brought, he found what he'd seen earlier. It was a generous sized can of tuna fish. He didn't know how it would help, but if it was tryptophan she needed, it had to do something.

Grabbing a fork from the cupboard under the sink, he threw the lid of the can in the waste bin. Pulling the chair closer to the bed, he sat down. "Here, eat this."

He knew it couldn't be easy for her, but she allowed him to feed her the tuna.

She ate quite a bit, before she stopped his hand. The whole time she'd struggled to chew and swallow. A few times, a tremor had wrecked her body just as he'd been about to give her the food, sending it all over the floor instead of in her mouth.

Jondy couldn't eat anymore, she felt so tired. "Enough," she whispered.

Adam sat back, holding the half empty tin. It couldn't be enough. The refined dietary pills of tryptophan had to be ten times the amount found in a single serve of tuna. What was her seizure caused by? Typtophan helped the brain produce serotonin. Was she serotonin deficient? It could explain the seizures. Although, it would have to be the first time that he'd ever heard of someone collapsing from it. Usually the case was just a dietary deficiency, and only mild enough to make someone depressive and agitated.

She had fallen asleep. She looked exhausted. Sweat bathed her skin. He could see the light of the fire play off the beads of perspiration on her forehead. He took a cloth from a trunk at the end of the bed and wiped her face.

"Don't go. Stay with me," she mumbled in her sleep.

"I'm not going anywhere," Adam soothed. "You're safe." He wished he believed that, but honestly, he had no idea what was going to happen. He could give her more tuna when she woke up again, but if she got any worse, he wasn't sure if it was going to do much good. She needed a bigger source of tryptophan, and he had no idea how he could get it for her.


At the ranch

Syl paced back and forth rocking Leo, but no amount of soothing or singing would settle him. He just cried and cried.

Krit came into the lounge followed by Buddy. "What's up with the little one?" Buddy asked. "Quite a set of lungs, he's got."

Syl went to Krit and offered Leo up willingly. "He won't stop crying. I changed and fed him before we went out. He can't be hungry again already."

"He's not," Krit said with a frown. Putting Leo on down on the sofa, he opened the blanket. Immediately, a black spider scurried out. Krit and Syl both jumped back.

"Black widow," Krit said with disgust, stomping on it.

"Oh god." Syl dropped to her knees and loosened Leo's clothes. Secretly, she was hoping to disprove her suspicions but to no avail. With Leo dressed only in his undershirt and diaper, they could all clearly see was making him so upset. "He's been bitten twice." There were two angry red marks, one on his belly and one on his right arm.

Leo was still crying, but not as profusely as before. While Syl found looser clothing to dress him in, he'd quieted down considerably. He was whimpering now, silent tears streaking down his cheeks. After dressing him, Syl cradled him close. "We have to get to a doctor. They have anti-venom right?"

Mary looked to Buddy and Buddy shook his head. "There's no way you'll get to town with him in this weather. It's too dangerous."

"Then I'll go myself and bring it back," she said glaring at them. "He's my nephew, I can't sit here and do nothing."

"Syl." Krit put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "He's strong remember," he whispered.

"Jondy left him with me. How could I let this happen?" Tears slipped down her cheeks. Leo was still crying weakly. All of a sudden his body went rigid, and his face started to go red. "What's happening," Syl demanded.

"Venom's spreading," Krit said bleakly. He took Leo from Syl, and after checking it thoroughly, he put the baby back in the cot. Resting his hand on Leo's forehead, he could tell that he had a temperature. "Get some water and cloths. We need to keep him cool. Do you guys have any iodine?"

Mary nodded and disappeared to get the things he'd asked for. Syl just paced the floor behind him in agitation. She was never good in a situation like this. She was a woman of action and when she had nothing to do, she wore a hole in the floor. And cracked her fingers. It drove him insane.

"I have to get Jondy," she said suddenly.

"What?" Krit said turning to her.

Buddy walked toward her and shook his head. "You can't, you'll get lost in the storm. And the truck'll only get you as far as the gate, if you're lucky."

"I'll walk!" Syl argued defiantly. Krit knew that tone. It was the 'try-and-stop-me' tone. He hoped that Buddy wasn't crazy enough to challenge it. A norm couldn't recover from Syl's punishments, like a transgenic could.

Buddy looked like he was going to protest, but then changed his mind. "I'll find you a compass and a map. You'll be lucky if you can see one foot in front of your face out there, but it'll be better than going blind."


A few minutes later

Krit walked Syl outside. She seemed to be dressed warmly enough, considering it was all they'd brought with them. He still didn't want her to go. "We're not kids anymore, Syl. It's been years since we've tried something like this."

"I'll never forgive myself if something happens to Leo, and neither with Jondy. She trusted me," Syl said, her voice breaking. This never should have happened. They never should have come here. Things had gone from bad to worse since they arrived. "Keep trying her radio."

Krit kissed her, and hugged her tightly. He had this insane notion that if he let her go, he might not get her back. Loosening his hold, he let her step back. "He's strong, Syl. He's one of us, he'll fight it off."

"Hold that thought," she said staring up at him. "It's only 8 miles. How tough can it be?" she said lightly, hoping to erase the worry lines that had appeared on her lover's forehead. "We're the best, we were born for this remember?" she said encouragingly, gently molding his cheek with a gloved hand. Glancing at the map, she checked her bearings and then broke off in a dead run.

Krit saw her only for a second before the blizzard swept her from view. "Hurry, babe," he said aloud. Turning around, he headed back inside.

He understood why she had to try. Jondy had trusted them both to look after Leo. And transgenic or not, Leo was sick. Jondy had to know.