The truth Behind…

Hope you'll enjoy. Set after a few months after chapter 7 and nearly one month before the end of season 2.

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

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.

Chapter 8: in between…

Jesse and Brennan entered the kitchen after their morning training half expecting to see Adam and Emma having breakfast together as usual. Instead they found Shalimar preparing pancakes while softly humming one of her favorite songs.

"Morning Shal. Slept well?"

"Yeah. Sit down. Breakfast will be ready in less than 5 minutes."

"Great…"

"Where are Adam and Emma?"

Shalimar turned slightly to look at Jesse. He seemed to have forgotten about their leader's appointment. Since their return from Kovakstan he seemed to have forgotten quiet a lot of things and it was starting to worry her. Maybe she should talk about it with him.

"Adam wanted to meet one of his contact early this morning. Emma was supposed to go with him but she's sick so he let her sleep in. He left one hour ago."

She put a pile of pancakes on the table and the three friends started eating.

"Emma is sick?"

She took another pancake and hungrily ate it.

"Yeah. She told Adam it was something she ate yesterday night."

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Another wave of nausea hit Emma as she reached the kitchen entrance. She put her forehead on the cold wall trying to ease the spinning away. Hearing her friends quietly talking, she focused on their conversation to divert her attention from her present state of dizziness. She should have interrupted them but her curiosity took the best of her.

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"Did you see her this morning Shal?"

"No. But she must feel really bad. She would never stay in bed like that. I'll go and check on her later."

Jesse worriedly looked at Shalimar. They had seen mutants being sick and dying shortly after. It might be due to a dangerous mutation of her DNA. The simple thought of loosing Emma was ripping his heart apart.

"Do you think it might be serious?"

Shalimar shook her head in denial. She had suspected Jesse was feeling a little more than brotherly love toward Emma. He was slowly starting to show the signs more openly but she doubted Emma would ever reciprocate them. After her return from the Bahamas, she would occasionally slip away from Sanctuary at night to meet with her mysterious lover only to return early in the morning.

"No, I don't think Adam would have left if she had been that sick. He would probably be in his lab finding a cure."

"With him, we might never know what his next actions will be."

The feral watched Brennan with wide eyes. Had he lost his mind during the night? He had been acting really strangely toward their surrogate father lately always opposing him, questioning his decisions.

"Adam would never let any of us down; especially Emma. He loves her deeply."

Two forks stopped in the air. Instantly she recognized the pained and hurt expression in Jesse's eyes. Brennan on the other side was looking appalled. Shalimar realized what they might have thought about her remark and laughed to their deepest dismay.

"I was not saying it that way. They are close friends. Look, they spend most of their time together in the lab. I can't believe it. Why did you think of that?"

Brennan put his fork down on his plate and pushed it in front of him. Explaining a gut feeling was not something easy. Maybe he had just been dreaming. No it was real like some kind of subtle perfume floating in the air. The way they would look at each other when they thought no one was around, the way Adam would let one of his hand rest in the small of her back. Yet, Adam was that friendly toward Shal and there was nothing between them. Shalimar and Jesse watched him not knowing what to make of his silence and embarrassed expression.

Emma was still waiting in the hall, listening to them, her heartbeat going wild with fear. What would happen if they learn the truth? They had been really careful, not kissing when the others were around, always checking if they could be heard or seen while talking about private stuff.

"It probably means nothing but… the other day I came to the lab to talk to Emma. They were working on something and they didn't see me. They were not obvious but, they were sitting really close whispering and looking at each other in a strange way. I even heard Adam laugh. Did you notice that he also comes more often with us when we go out? And when we go out sometimes, Emma stays with him here."

Shalimar and Jesse couldn't contain their laughter any longer. Brennan shook his head. There was something. He couldn't quiet place it but it was there.

Emma chose that moment to step in the room not wanting them to put two and two together.

"Morning everybody!"

Brennan cleared his throat; Shalimar and Jesse resumed eating in silence. Each of them had the time to notice how pale their younger teammate looked. She was wearing a short with an oversized t-shirt further adding to her fragile appearance. Emma got near the fridge when another wave hit her full force. Carefully, she rested her head on the fridge door. She had told Adam to leave and not to worry but there was something definitely wrong with her. Upon seeing her turn green and lean on the fridge, Jesse immediately got up and went to her, gently rubbing her back. The nausea subsided quickly leaving her hungry.

"Emma? Are you ok? You should better go back to bed."

"Nope. I'm better now. See."

As if to prove her point, the young woman got to the table and sat down with them. The second she sat, the world faded from her sight only to be replaced by a vision of water in a closed space and her husband's face in the water with someone else. She gasped at the lack of life on his face. As fast as it had come, the dream faded leaving a dreadful feeling of loss in her heart.

"Emma? What happened? You just zoned out."

"Nothing."

She toyed with her fruit salad wondering why she was suddenly having visions of Adam dead. Such visions were uncommon for her but they surely meant something. A shiver of fear ran down her spine. A new power surge could not be excluded and she knew why Adam was so afraid. None of them were stable. They could also be caused by her fears to lose him.

Shalimar was staring at her, concern etched on her face. Maybe Adam had been wrong to leave without scanning her.

"I'm calling Adam. You don't look well at all."

Emma gripped her hand instinctively with a strength surprising the feral.

"You're not calling Adam. I feel perfectly well. Besides, he has to talk to this contact. I don't want you to disturb him for such a trivial thing."

Jesse nearly sprang out of his chair, fear and worry written on his face.

"You being sick is not trivial Emma."

Emma felt anger rising in her without knowing why, as if someone was controlling her. She was strong and wise enough to take care of herself. She knew she was being harsh with Jesse but she couldn't help it.

"I won't die Jesse. I just ate something that was not good for me. That's it."

They all looked at her not understanding why she had reacted so strongly. Their young teammate was always the pacifist, the calm one, not a word higher than the other.

"Emma, we're just concerned about you."

She exhaled deeply, expelling all angry feelings out of her soul. A scan was on the program today and she would do it herself when nobody was around.

"I know, I'm sorry. I didn't slept well. And when I'm sleep deprived, I can react really strangely."

Jesse stared at her not knowing what to make of her excuse. She seemed to be sincere and he wanted desperately to believe she was alright.

"It's ok. Don't worry about that. It's like trying to wake Shal at six in the morning."

Jesses remark was rewarded by a small slap at the back of his head. Brennan who was now softly laughing received the same treatment.

The results on the screen left her drained. In less than a minute the young woman had experienced the whole spectrum of human emotions. It had started with disbelief, gradually fading into sheer panic and had ended up in pure bliss. Quietly she stored the results in an area she knew neither Adam nor Jesse would find and headed to the kitchen to prepare some tea.

She couldn't help but smile. All the doctors she had seen, including Adam, had told her there was no hope. Emma felt too happy to worry about consequences at the moment. It would have to wait. She was pregnant and that thought was giving her an emotional high.

The sequel will be coming soon....