The truth Behind...

SUMMARY: imagine for one second that what we saw in season 1 and 2 was only part of the truth. Imagine that everything that led to season 2 final started in season 1 after Emma was divided. Imagine that Emma is not dead... . This story will contain maybe 10 chapters(????) hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

ARCHIVE: anywhere BUT ask me first )

RATING: For now PG13 (might change in the next chapters)

PAIRING: Adam/Emma (I might add a little Shal/Bren, not sure yet)

REVIEW and FEEDBACK: Yes, Yes, please, I'm begging!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to Jimmy for his great insight on the show and his helpful comments. Thanks to Kay for the review of the story.

Disclaimer: The characters belong to their respective creators (wish they belong to me... but....) I just borrowed them and put them in a not too nice situation.

italics indicate thoughts; bold indicate silent conversations

Chapter 1: walking on a cloud... .

All her friends had all left an hour ago to go clubbing and she was now completely alone in sanctuary. It had never happened since she had joined the team and she felt overwhelmed by feelings of freedom, loneliness and peace. She would not to have to deal with other people thoughts or feelings invading her mind. She lightly spun around looking at the amazing place wondering how long she could be able to maintain her peace of mind without being regularly in a trance. Meditation was helping, but it was not enough to completely maintain her emotional shield. She could not go into trance induced dreams with the others around. It was far too dangerous for them to be around her when she had to use her abilities to their full extent. Her friends would be gone for at least four or five hours and Adam would not come back until tomorrow.

Emma switched the stereo system on and chose some soft classical music. She got rid of her shoes and slowly went up the stairs to the training area. The young woman sat down in a lotus position slowly easing the stiffness and tension away from her muscles. She was now ready to concentrate herself on getting rid of all unwanted thoughts and feelings. Her mind went to a place she was the only one to know. Her heart rate slowed, her breath became more regular and deep as she felt peace washing over her.

She slowly opened her inner eyes and was taken aback by the breathtaking sight before her. It had been so long, she could not even recall the last time. The first moon was already high above the ocean shore, its ethereal white shine softly illuminating the ocean shore and the forest. She sighed feeling its soft rays caressing her skin and smiled. The second moon would soon rise above the high vertical cliffs on her right. She got up and walked to the sea shore feeling the soft white sand under her feet and the water lightly touching them every now and then. The sand was still warm creating a pleasant contrast with the water. The only sounds were music, waves crashing on the beach and insects in the woods behind her. She took a deep breath and looked at the rosy rising moon. The night smelled of the ocean and wild flowers. Here she felt safe, safe and free. But she knew her trance induced dream would not last long. It took her too much energy to create sensations for all her senses. She focused back on the little second moon and saw it coming on the right of the bigger one.

The young woman crossed her arms around her chest and closed her eyes, deeply inhaling the scents of the night. Then she felt it, the breathing of the earth beneath her feet, the wind telling her a long lost story about the beginning of human kind, the moonshine warming her soul and heart. She was one with her world physically and emotionally. She was her world and it was her. Time was irrelevant. A second could be eternity and eternity could last a heart beat. She felt her feet leaving the ground and the wind whispering more loudly in her hears.

Traveling around her world was one of her only luxury. This time, she wanted to see the source of the gigantic waterfalls north from the ocean. She reached her destination in the blink of an eye and with less difficulty than she had expected. In an instant her bare feet were on the cold black rocks at the source of the waterfalls. The rocks had been polished by water constantly running over them and it felt as soft as silk beneath her feet. There was no vegetation except for some strange looking carnivore plants, the fog usually surrounding the sources had dissipated at dusk. The sound of running water was like a powerful and mesmerizing love song to her heart. Emma put the tip of her toes in the cool water and felt a powerful shiver run along her spine causing her breath to be caught in her throat. The air around her was a little cooler than on the beach but it felt good. She closed her eyes once again focusing on sensations created for her other 4 senses. They felt so right and harmonious that she wished she could stay there.

After what seemed to be minutes for her, she lost the feeling of the cool rock. It was nearly over. She opened her eyes a last time to see the two moons vanishing. She was no longer able to smell or hear her world. Her trance was over and she felt drained but happy beyond belief.

Coming back to reality, she heard foot steps coming her way, three people talking and laughing. She wondered how long her trance had lasted this time. Her dream seemed to have lasted only a few minutes, but she knew that time was relative when it came to that peculiar exercise. Her friends would soon be there but she had to regain some balance before being even able to walk and join them. She kept her eyes closed, remembering her dream. It had been amazing and her sensations had felt more real, powerful and strong than ever before. A well known low-pitched voice joined the three others. Her heart skipped a beat hearing him and she clung to the peaceful memories as they got closer to the training area. They all were like energy bubbles filled with emotions, thoughts and energy. The young woman effortlessly shut every sensations and feelings that were not hers down and concentrated on regaining her balance.

The three friends were walking side by side in the deserted hall joking about the evening they had spent in their favorite club. The laughter and happy smiles on their faces indicated, they had relaxed and enjoyed themselves. The two men were holding Shalimar between them and she felt really happy. It was nearly perfect. The only cloud upon her mood was the absence of Emma. She had chosen to stay at the sanctuary instead of coming with them. Her headaches had bothered her more than usual and the young feral was sure the events of the past few weeks had drained her. She felt sad for her friend. Her burden was far more difficult to carry than her own. Her thoughts were cut off by Adam's voice.

"How was your week and evening ?"

The older man coming their way was dressed in black pants and shirt, a worn leather jacket on it. He was carrying a duffel bag indicating he had been gone for at least a few days. His half smile was genuine but tired. He still felt guilty to have left them on their own for a week. But he had no other choices, one of his friend had needed his help. The blond woman was the first one to acknowledge his presence.

"Was a bit rough but we dealt with the GSA quiet well... How was your week? I thought you would come back only tomorrow?"

He smiled warmly feeling better than he had in the last few days, feeling at home. He looked at them while walking. In less than a month, Brennan had integrated the team and was now well accepted by his two former students. He was still amazed to see how well the three of them got along. He then noticed that Emma was not with them, which was slightly unusual. The question was on his lips before he could even do a single thing to stop himself.

"Well. Things turned to the best quicker than I thought it would, so I came back earlier. Where is Emma?"

The three friends stopped and the boys let go of Shalimar's waist. Brennan began ruffling his hair in his usual manner when he was annoyed. Jesse was starring at the floor hands on his hips and Shal was looking at him with intent eyes. They obviously were embarrassed to talk about the subject. An awful thought crept in his heart but he quickly dismissed it. If something had gone wrong they would have called him. But fear had now a hold on his heart and soul and they would not let go. He was jerked off of his thoughts by the raspy voice of Brennan.

"Well, she preferred to stay here tonight. Don't ask me why she didn't give us any reason."

"Those last few days, she seemed to have more headaches than usual. She told us she was tired and wanted to rest. So...."

The ferals voice was full of concern for her friend. Jesse finished the sentence for them:

"We let her be on her own."

Now they all were looking at him thinking that maybe they had made a mistake not calling him when Emma would not go out from sanctuary two days after he had left. Adam on the other hand was trying to figure a way to calm them and himself while trying to understand what could be wrong with his young psionic. Hell, he should have asked her if she was alright when he had called two days ago. The others were able to deal quiet well with problems linked to their powers but for Emma, it was different... . She was more fragile than the others. Her abilities subjected her to a perpetual emotional roller coaster when other people were around her. She would always come to see him when something was bothering her. They would talk trying to find a solution or a way around her problems and she would feel better. Why hadn't she told him that something was wrong when he had called her two days ago. "Maybe I'm worrying too much. She didn't go with the others. She was tired and she needed rest, that's all. And why on earth would you be more worried about her than about the others?". He sighed trying to calm his racing heart.... Deep in his heart a tiny voice was whispering to him the answer to his question but as usual since meeting Emma he chose to ignore it.

"I don't think you have to worry about Emma. I'll ask her tomorrow to come for a check up if she does not feel good. Maybe she really needed to be alone. She perpetually lives on an emotional roller coaster."

They resumed their travel trough sanctuary halls toward their respective living quarters relieved to know their mentor was back. He was right Emma was like a gigantic antenna receiving their emotions and feelings. She had the right to be alone to clear her mind, to have it only for herself. When they got near the training/living area they heard the soft melodic sound of a piano, a flute, maybe a violin and a cello and a change in the room's atmosphere struck them. Then they spotted her. The young woman was sitting on the platform a faint and radiant smile on her face. Her eyes were closed but every part of her radiated peace and harmony. The room seemed to be bright despite the dim light provided by a single candle. The three friends immediately felt the changes in her. They were looking at each other wondering what had happened. A feeling of peace surrounded them, creating a soft and comfortable numbness in their hearts.

They didn't notice Adam staring at her, eyes not quiet opened, not quiet closed. He was dumbfounded, unable to think, nearly unable to breath. His heart began to pound quicker in his chest and he could have sworn he felt her presence surrounding him. It was peaceful, yet thrilling, warm as a moonlit summer night but he shivered. He was feeling like a bird carried by the wind. Suddenly, he felt himself drawn to the ground in an exhilarating spiral. The sensation lasted only a few seconds, gradually fading leaving him stunned. But what surprised him the most was that those feelings and sensations were not linked to the use of her abilities on him. It was purely her presence. He shook his head trying to burry deep in his heart and soul the feeling created by the experience. Her presence was still lingering around him like a thick fog. He needed sleep. Tomorrow he would understand better what was going on with him.

Emma sensed her friends watching her intently, their mind full of unanswered questions and worries about her. But her attention was quickly drawn away from them by the presence of Adam and then the world faded away. They were alone. She could feel his mind and soul nearly enclosing her in a soft, warm and arousing haze. The young woman felt her pulse and breathing became irregular until she could no longer breathe or think. Her inner eyes opened forcefully once more, giving her a glimpse of a silky yellow-red spiral. A powerful tremor went trough her whole body, shaking her heart and soul. The sensations slowly subsided leaving her breathless. The deep connection she had felt with Adam was now broken and she refused to let herself go on this ground. It was a strange sensation. Truth to be told it was the first time she had ever felt something so mind blowing. A part of her was afraid to understand how and why, a part of her yearned for an explanation. Slowly, she felt Adam retreating in the shadows of the hall towards his bedroom, his warm and reassuring presence still lingering around her. He left silently telling her goodnight.

Feeling light headed and a bit dizzy, she made not efforts to hurry her recovery. It was always the trickiest part of the session and today, it was even worse. One time, she had rushed it and the headaches and dizziness had not left her for at least a week. Carefully she began to move her fingers, then her arms. She stretched lightly every muscles of her upper body with slow calculated motions. She had kept her eyes closed to totally focus on the procedure. Sensations of her trance were coming back and forth like waves and she wanted to go back. But she could not, that would be unsafe for her and her friends. She then began to move her head, slowly easing the tension in her neck muscles. Meanwhile, Shal, Bren and Jesse were watching her stretching. Her body did not move more than a few centimeters but they could feel her moving. It was as if her mind was occupying the whole room, filling it with peace, harmony and something they could not quiet define. Her stretching done, she knew she had to open her eyes despite the fact she hated to have to do it. Slowly she lifted her eyelid and was greeted by the sight of her friends. The world around her was still slightly spinning and Adams presence was still encompassing her. She felt good, totally too good for her own sanity.

"Hey Emma, did you stay all evening meditating?"

Always count on Jesse to cut the chase. She swallowed and carefully got up from her seating position. The young woman quietly got down from the training area and seated herself on one of the couches not able to go farther. Her legs were shaky and she didn't trust them to carry her straight to her bedroom. Her friends followed her. She watched them while speaking and realized that Shal and Bren were sitting on the same armchair, she in it and he on the right armrest his hand lightly resting on her shoulder. Intense feelings were coming from both of them. Emma shivered. It was so powerful she could almost see pictures of them making love. She closed her eyes briefly replacing the pictures by sensations of her dream carefully putting a psychic wall between her and her friends.

"Yeah, I spent the evening there meditating. And no Shal, my head doesn't hurt anymore. And no Brennan I'm not mad at you; you didn't do anything wrong. Actually, I feel better now than I've ever been. How long have you been gone?"

They looked at each other slightly surprised by her answers; finally they realized Adam had left. Questions raised in their mind but Emma answered them before they had the time to ask them.

"Don't worry, Adam says goodnight."

They looked at each other stunned and then at her with disbelief. Emma realized her slip and mentally kicked herself; it was supposed to be a secret. As always in that kind of situation the boys said nothing leaving the young feral speak. Her tone was light and held the trace of a joke in it.

"We were gone 4 hours. Since when do you and Adam have silent conversation?"

"4 hours". That was a surprise. Usually, she would not be able to maintain her concentration more than 45 minutes at best. The psionic knew there was more to the question than her friend would let know. Emma closed her eyes resting her head on the back of the couch, dreamily smiling. She crossed her right arm around her midsection leaving her left arm on the armrest tracing lazy circles on it with her fingertips. The memory was one of the best she had since joining Mutant X. She let herself be drown in it. They had been working for hours on a way to stabilize a young new mutant's power but they were getting nowhere and it was infuriating her. It' useless Adam. Why are you so obstinate. You can't save everybody. 3 sentences she had never voiced. There's always a way Emma. 1 answer he had never uttered. But they both had heard each other. They had turned to face not fully understanding what had happened. She could still see the look on his face, surprise and ... pleasure. It had not been she reading his mind or he projecting his thoughts. She was not a telepath. It was something else, something hard to name that told her she was special to him. They had stared at each other for a few more seconds unable to hide their respective smile. Then he had winked at her and mouthed "our secret 'k". She had briefly nodded and they had both resumed their activities in the lab. Since that day they had been closer. There was no real need for conversation when they were working and it was easier for both of them to live together on a daily basis. Since that day Emma was nearly always paired with him when it came to missions. They had never talked about it. They had never searched for a reason or an explanation.

Her friends were wondering about her happy smile. Their young teammate seemed to be far away from them. Brennan and Jesse were thinking that it was freaky to have silent conversations especially with their mentor; But the freakiest was her happy reaction. Shalimar was watching her, trying to figure out what was going inside her head. She knew Emma quiet well and there was more to the situation than she was letting go and Shalimar could sense it. Her heightened senses had helped her feeling something passing between them and that something was definitely not an innocent silent conversation. She remembered with a smile their conversation after she had met Richard and told him about love at first sight. Hormones working through her body, that's how he had explained it. If she told him what she had felt tonight between him and Emma, he would surely think of a scientific rational explanation to what had happened or he would deny it. Shalimar had her own explanation but it would wait... .

"Earth to Emma, Emma you still with us?"

She opened her eyes focusing her attention back on them.

"Oh... sorry guys. To answer your question, well, I remember the day when we realized it. But I think it started earlier than that peculiar day. It's been a month or two I don't exactly know. And it's not exactly silent conversation. It's hard to explain what it really is... ."

She yawned. That session had exhausted her and she wanted to go to bed. Dealing with her friends questions was not something she was in the mood for. Too many thoughts and feelings were on her mind for the moment. She got up from her seat stretching and yawning again. The light dizziness had disappeared quickly during their conversation, leaving her pleasantly numb.

"Now, if you don't mind I'm gonna go sleeping. See you for breakfast. G'night."

She left without letting them the time to react or catch up with her.

"What the hell was that about?"

Jesse was completely lost and by the look on Brennan's face, he knew his friend was also in the dark. Shal was wondering if he was referring to the silent conversation part or her meditation evening. The wheels in her brain were quickly clicking into place.

"Shal did you know something about this or are you as lost as us?"

"I don't know what's going on. Emma doesn't tell me everything. But what is the problem? She has silent conversations with Adam. That's great if she's happy with this. But, as long as Adam doesn't speak about it, we don't mention it. Ok?"

"Ok."

She paused looking at the floor, then at the empty seat where Emma had stayed. She was too tired to think about the situation. But she respected their leader and if he hadn't talked to them about it, it was for a good reason.

"Well guys, I'm calling it a night. See you tomorrow. Good night guys."

She got up from the couch, Brennan's hand leaving her shoulder. She suddenly felt empty but refused to indulge herself in the feeling.

"Night Shal."

The two boys watched her retreating towards her bedroom and soon followed her to their respective rooms. They could deal with Emma's strange behavior and Shalimar's reluctance to speak tomorrow. Tonight was a respite....

TBC