Chapter 4

By frickangel

One aspirin for one headache, two for a major headache; what do you take when you've lost your mind then?

Emma rubbed her temples as she battled with the urge to pop the entire bottle of painkillers. That would be suicide. She scoffed, but the offer was tempting. The small white container stood on the dressing table, mocking her very existence and it just seemed so peculiar. It looked so normal; it was almost strange in this hour.

Sitting there in her own room, she sighed. "When you start thinking that way DeLauro, you know you're cuckoo."

"When you start talking to yourself, I know you're cuckoo."

Whipping her head up, Emma smiled at the crumpled figure in the wheelchair. "Jesse..."

Acknowledging her with a nod, he looked at her open palm, two white pills cradled within.

Instinctively, she balled her hand into a fist, hiding the drugs away from his sight.

"So how'd it go?" he said, changing the subject. Unfortunately, it was a subject Emma wasn't too clear what he was asking about.

"What?"

He shrugged and leaned forward. "Adam."

"Well-- wait..." a sudden thought, "How'd you know?"

Scoffing and giving his lop sided grin, Jesse replied, "Look Emm, when you went out, I kinda knew. Not like we have any where to go right now, especially not at three in the morning. Figured it would only be Adam."

"You were suppose to be asleep." She muttered and eyed him.

"It comes, it goes. I'm afraid to sleep, who knows what I'll lose when I wake up."

Emma shook her head, "We all have serious problems."

"So Adam...?"

She took a moment to transfer the painkillers from her hand to the dressing table, placing it next to its container. "Well... to say his lost it would be an understatement."

Manually giving the wheels of the chair momentum, Jesse made his way closer to the Psionic with a concerned frown creased on his forehead, "What do you mean?"

"He started babbling something about parallel universes and said we didn't belong here."

The half scoff and half laugh of Jesse's escaped from his lips, "What?"

"You should have seen him Jess, he was obsessed with the idea that Shalimar was still alive."

She noted Jesse wince at the mention of Shalimar's name, Emma softened her voice a little and hesitated on continuing, but an awkward silence would have been worse, so she carried on. "He had all this notes lying around the place, kinda like a mad scientist's lab."

"Did he say anything else, any questions?" Jesse reached over and picked up the bottle of aspirin, Emma looked at him as he turned the object in his hands over and over. The hope in his voice reminded her of a small child's Christmas wish.

The headache was beginning to feel like a sledgehammer whacking her temples. "No."

Returning the bottle back to its original position, the man fell back into the chair and looked dejected. Emma's head was pounding further and Jesse's emotions weren't helping her in anyway.

Slowly, wheeling himself out of the room, he left Emma in silence and alone again.

Picking up the painkillers, Emma stared at it while pondering on Adam's words.

Alternate worlds.

Denial was setting hard in Adam. And who could blame him? The man lost his face, part of his family, his pride...

But he didn't lose everything. A tiny voice told Emma.

No, he still has us. She answered back. What's left of us...

Still, the idea of getting back everything was something that Emma often dreamed about.

"Here."

The clear glass of water was held in front of her, and behind it, was Jesse.

Accepting the drink, Emma smiled gratefully. "Thanks..."

"It's hard to swallow those things dry." He told. "I know."

Emma watch as Jesse left the room once more. Twirling the liquid in the glass a few times, she popped in both the pills, and took one big gulp of water.

------

Sitting there silently, Brennan adjusted himself to his surroundings. He could tell where Emma had parked him in Sanctuary.

The rec room.

The couch was a big give away though. But Brennan sensed an object in front of him, reaching out, at first a little too high, but he lowered his hand and felt the smooth structure of the coffee table. Behind him; the wall.

He chuckled; of course it would be a wall.

If he recalled correctly, there was a potted plant on his left. Using his leg, Brennan shuffled it and felt it tap against something porcelain like.

Brennan silently sighed, this wasn't something he liked, but he was getting used to it.

Sometimes he could imagine seeing something, some familiar object, then it'll fade away and he was left back a vision of nothingness.

This was something he definitely didn't like. At least he stopped throwing and kicking things.

That's a start.

------

"So is this permanent?"

Jesse shrugged, "I have no idea."

Jesse turned his attention back to the distant figure sitting quietly in the rec room, grasping at things around him. He figured he could use the bigger space since both Brennan's condition and emotions stabilise. Get him comfortable with the surroundings, while we stood here under the staircase.

"Maybe it'll return," Emma said hopefully.

"Maybe." Jesse echoed her. A sudden memory invaded his mind and left a small moment of amusement. He chuckled.

"What?" The red head quizzed, eyebrows arched.

He shook his head and looked up. "Just remembered how it was when you and Brennan stepped in here for the first time."

This time, Emma laughed along. The slits of light coming in between the steps, danced across her faced. It's been a while since they had laughed.

"Yeah, I was so freaked out." She continued laughing. "The whole freak incident."

"That was one of those, eh?" he smiled, remembering how she had called him a freak.

She stopped mid laugh, "You do know I didn't mean it right?"

He grinned and looked away, "No Emma, I've been a holding a grudge since then." Giving her a mocked show of anger, Jesse let Emma read the joy he was feeling. Sarcasm Emma, sarcasm. He thought as Emma seemed to take a while to think.

"Yeah right!" Using the back of his hand, she gave him a slight whack on his shoulder. Those really were better days, "I even remember when Shalimar told you, you had started crying when you reached Sanctuary."

"What?" Jesse tried to recall, but he was sure Emma wasn't there.

"You know, when I walked in and Shalimar teased you with something about crying."

"Yeah, I remember that, but it was Brennan who was there, not you."

Her eyebrows tangled in a frown. "No, it was me. When I first arrived, Brennan wasn't even there yet."

Jesse had begun wondering if Emma was pulling his leg, but she looked dead serious and confused. "Nope, we brought Brennan in first, then you." He shook his head. "Then he went after you and got caught by Genomex."

The laughs had stopped.

"That's how it went Emm." The sick feeling of worry began to set in his stomach, was Emma suffering from something else?

"Uh... yeah!." Now I remember, she chuckled and smiled. "Just that, you know all this headaches get to you." She rubbed her temples for the effect. "Brennan told me Shalimar said something like that. What was I thinking, huh?"

"You sure you're ok?" Part of Jesse was glad that Emma having noticed her memory mistake, but a part of him was worried it was more than just a regular case of forgetfulness.

"Yep, I'm fine." She smiled assuringly and looked at Brennan again. "You think you can attend to Brennan?"

He nodded, he may not be able to walk, but he was still useful. "Yeah, sure."

"I'm just gonna go out and get some fresh air. Maybe it'll help with the current headache I have."

"Sure, go ahead." Jesse moved out of the shadows and made his way to Brennan. Glancing back, he saw Emma run down the corridor and disappeared at the bend.

Shaking his head, Jesse turned back towards Brennan. Emma was right, we have serious problems, he snorted slightly. Now we're all paranoid

------

Please, God let this be a dream. Shalimar's not dead, Jesse's not paralysed and Brennan isn't blind. Let me wake up in my bed, and the others poke fun at such a stupid dream.

Please God, why aren't you answering me?

Making her way past all the mess, Emma carefully stepped over some trash and looked ahead. Next to the couch, she bent down and gently pushed the man lying there. "Adam..." she pleaded.

He stirred, but didn't wake.

"Adam."

With a start that made Emma fall on her behind, Adam bolted up. He looked around and finally at the Psionic, "Emma? What are-."

She silenced him with a stare and got up, "We need to get home Adam. We don't belong here."

------

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