Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X or X Men.

Imaginary Friend

Chapter 18

Cassandra recovered from their kiss and turned to open the door. Walking in she called, "Shalimar, come out. I have someone here who wants to see you."

Adam and Evie moved out from behind a tall stack of boxes. "Shalimar isn't here anymore," Adam stated. "I'm going to help her get over whatever it is you did to her."

"What?" Cassandra turned quickly to see the sadness on Bobby's face.

Bobby just turned them so he was between her and Adam. "Cassandra, I'm sorry. But we can't…"

Before he had a chance to finish she was projecting. Bobby turned abruptly and squared his shoulders to Adam. "Leave us alone."

Bobby? Evie suddenly appeared in his mind. Her fear of his being compromised was quickly allayed when she saw him wink both mentally and physically.

Adam saw it, too, when he tried to sidestep Bobby. He noticed when Bobby pulled the girl protectively under his arm. Adam faced them both. "Cassandra, I'm Adam Kane. I can help you, too…if you'll let me."

"What? No! I don't need help. I can help myself." She closed her eyes and projected fire in Adam's mind. Smiling when she saw him react and back away, she grabbed Bobby's hand and turned out of the room locking the door behind them.

Evie had been expecting something and was quick to react. She immediately appeared in her husband's mind and extinguished the flames.

As she turned, Cassandra found their way blocked.

Jesse stood firm at the bottom of the stairs.

"Bobby…" from the tone of her voice he knew what she wanted.

"Jesse, cousin…" Bobby smiled then walked closer to him and kept his voice low. "Let Adam and Evie out. I've got her."

Cassandra watched as Jesse silently moved around them and toward the door. "No!"

Jesse began squirming and swatting the air around him. "Bees…" he yelled strained by his efforts.

"Cassandra, don't. Let him go." Bobby rushed to her side and took her gently by the shoulders. "This has to stop."

"What?…Stop?…No! They took Shalimar. We have to find her."

"No, Cassandra. Listen to me. You're mad at Shal because she left you in the institution." Bobby saw the shock on her face. "Yes, I knew all about it. I'm sorry I deceived you. But it wasn't her fault. You said that you were never allowed together. She really didn't know you. To her you were really only an imaginary friend."

"No! You're lying. What would you know about it?" Fury at his deceptions began to filter into her voice.

Guilt was beginning to fall but he had to keep strong. "I didn't know Shal back then but Jesse did. Let him go and he can tell you everything he knows."

"No! I can't. I won't!" She turned and headed for the stairs.

Bobby gently took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him, thankful that she didn't pull away. "Cassandra, you're a wonderful girl but this thing…it's ruining you. The revenge feels good now but what happens when the feeling gets old." Bob spoke as fast as he could. "What were you gonna do with Shalimar? Keep her locked up for the rest of her life? What's that do to you? You would be as much a prisoner to that life as she would be." He could see that she was finally thinking things through. "Listen, you're smart. You're adventurous. Do you want to work clearing tables for the rest of your life; tied to this place because you're holding a misplaced grudge? Let Jesse go. Please…"

Cassandra closed her eyes and turned toward the man with the flailing arms.

In only seconds, Jesse stopped swatting air and fell against the wall. "Thanks," he panted heavily, then reached for the lock on the door.

Adam and Evie immerged from the room wondering at the sight. Jesse looked like he had just run the mile in under 2 minutes and Cassandra was crying into Bobby's chest as he held her in comfort. They wondered as they saw Bobby hold up a hand to still them.

"Cassandra," Bobby soothed, "Adam is the one who took Shal in after she escaped from the institution."

She turned with red teary eyes to look at the older man. "She didn't know me?"

"She was hurt and didn't trust me at first. She didn't talk to me a whole lot."

"But she did talk to me." Jesse had managed to stop his pounding heart and lungs. "I was younger and she didn't consider me a threat. In the beginning we would sit up at night and talk for hours. She told me about you. She told me about the stories you used to make up. She loved those times with you. They had her sedated most of the time so she thought that it was the medication that helped her to imagine you. She thought the reason she didn't see you anymore was because she had come to live with Adam and he'd gotten all the meds out of her. She was safe and didn't need the make-believe anymore. She said she missed you."

"But she didn't remember me." Cassandra sniffed.

"That would be my fault." Adam began to explain. "She would hardly let me near her in the beginning. I finally had to resort to memory blocks in order to help her at all. Over time we partially reconstructed her memory. The time she spent at the institution was so painful for her that we never full released those memories. You were in the part that stayed hidden."

"I guess I opened everything up for her now," Casssandra sadly came into understanding. "I thought she just left me there. I was so mad."

"We understand…" Adam looked at his family then back to the young woman. "Shalimar will understand, too. But you have to release her. Will you do that?"

Cassandra looked from face to face then nodded and lowered her head in shame.

"Adam, I need to go into her mind to get the walls down. But I'm worried that it'll be too much for her when she wakes up and…remembers everything." Evie's face betrayed her real concern.

Adam knew she was understating the situation. "Can you go in and make it all a bad dream?"

Evie nodded, "Yes, of course, but…"

"I know. We'll have to deal with the nightmares." He looked around again. He saw Cassandra's shame, Bobby's sympathy but most of all, Jesse's understanding. Jesse had been there and done that before. "There's no other way, Jess. Brennan will need your help." He watched Jesse nod in sad agreement. "Let's go back to Lisa's room."

He watched as they all ascended the stairs ahead of him.

Evie, let Lisa know, please. Quietly into his ring he asked Brennan to bring Shalimar.

Lisa was a little shocked to hear a voice in her head but she recovered quickly and followed her instructions.

TBC