CHAPTER EIGHT
Back at Sanctuary.
"Did anyone know Jesse had a sister?" Brennan asked, as the remaining members of the Mutant X team regrouped at Sanctuary upon their return from their respective assignment. Everyone was in a quiet and pensive mood, each harbouring his/her own thoughts and fears.
"I knew." Adam answered quietly, "But not from Jesse". "Her death was in the news more than a decade or so ago. It was quite a tragedy."
"What happened?" Shalimar queried, still shocked to hear that Jesse had a sister that she didn't even know exist.
"Well, the reports said that Jesse and his sister came home unexpectedly and interrupted a robbery that was in progress. Eleanor, that's his sister, was shot by the robber whilst he was making his getaway."
"What about Jesse?" Shalimar asked.
"He was fine. He wasn't hurt or anything, but he witnessed it all. They said that when they were found, Jesse was cradling Eleanor in his arms. She had been dead for a while by then. They practically had to pry him away from her."
"Oh my god" Shalimar said as she thought of what Jesse must have gone through. She couldn't believe that such a tragedy had happened to him. She had known him for so long and finding out something like this made her feel like she didn't know him at all.
"Did the reports say anything on exactly how it happened?" Emma who had been unusually quiet, interjected.
"It was just a normal shooting. Well that's what the reports said anyway." Adam answered frowning. "What do you mean?" he asked sensing that Emma's question was going to a particular direction.
"Nothing." Emma answered non-committal, getting a curious glance from Adam before he continued. "Anyway, that's all I knew about the fact that he ever had a sister. When Jesse first joined, I did ask routine questions about family and friends, but he never mentioned Eleanor. He was still young and I didn't want to press. But I think the tragedy took a toll on him and his family. His parents divorced a few years later. Rumour had it that Jesse's mom blamed Noah for the incident. Apparently, the reason for the break in was to steal some important document, Noah kept in the safe in his study. That was the only thing reported to be missing from the house."
Emma winced inwardly at Adam's account of the divorce. Knowing Jesse, he was probably feeling guilty about that too. He had kept the incident about what exactly had happened at Eleanor's shooting to himself and had silently carried the guilt upon his shoulders.
"Well we can't just sit here and do nothing". Shalimar said as she abruptly got up. "Jesse could be in trouble. He could be injured somewhere, or somebody could have taken him. He needs us right now and."
"Shal" Adam interrupted softly putting her hands on her shoulder to calm her down.
"We'll achieve nothing by panicking". He said looking into her fear filled eyes. "But you're right. We can't just do nothing while we wait for the accident report. We don't know what happened for sure but the longer we wait, the more trouble he could be in."
"Whoa, wait a minute." Brennan interjected. He hated having to be the one to say it out loud but everyone else seemed determined to ignore the facts laid out before them. "Is it just me or does no one else sees what the evidence seems to point towards?" He said looking around waiting for a response.
"Oh come on." he said as none came. "Everything seems to point towards it. I'm not saying that it's true but the evidence we've gathered so far appears to indicate that this was no accident and that Jesse drove off that ."
"Don't" Shalimar said silently. "Don't even go there." A note of warning evident in her tone.
"Look, I'm just putting things into perspective. Jesse obviously wasn't in the right frame of mind ."
"Yeah no thanks to you." Shalimar said giving Brennan a glare not that much different from the glare Brennan himself had given Jesse after Shalimar's fall.
Brennan looked away shaking his head slowly. He sensed Shalimar's anger and frustration about the whole situation and he knew that because of what happened last night with Jesse, he would most likely be the target. He couldn't figure it out but things really had a way of screwing up when it came to him and Shalimar.
"Look whatever I said to Jesse, were things he needed to hear. They may have been harsh but they were not something that would cause him to drive off a ." Brennan replied trying to sound reasonable.
"Oh please!" Shalimar interrupted barely containing her fast growing anger. "You've been on his case since day one. Every opportunity you got you reminded him of his silver spoon upbringing and throwing it in his face. You're always giving him a hard time." Shalimar said pressing on, needing to vent her anger and forget her deeply confounded fear for Jesse. Brennan had contributed to this and he was saying things she didn't want to hear and that made him a good a target as any.
"Look, sometimes people need somebody to be hard on them. You know, tough love and all. Nobody here seems to be willing to give it so I might as well step up to the plate." Brennan answered sounding a little more indignant than he intended. He didn't know what it was but an angry Shalimar had this way of knocking any sense of reasonableness from him. Just the slightest of provocation could drive him off the wall and this time was no different.
"Hell if I waited around for people to cut me some slack I'd probably be dead by now" Brennan added unable to resist the incense and full blown indignance that settled itself firmly in his system.
"Look, you don't know Jesse like I do. He doesn't need anybody to give him a hard time to learn life's lessons." Shalimar answered eyes gleaming with anger.
"Oh yeah." Brennan countered as a pang of jealousy made its way into his system. "Like you knew him that well. You didn't even know he had a sister!" Immediately after he said it, he knew he had gone too far. It was a low blow and Shalimar didn't deserve that. The pain in her glistening eyes was heart wrenching and he wished he could take it back.
"He's not dead. I know he's not." Shalimar said softly the fire inside her vanishing as quickly as it came. A single tear fell down her cheek. "Maybe I don't know everything there is to know about Jesse" she said unable to hide the hurt she felt by Brennan's words, "but I know one thing. He wouldn't drive off that cliff. He's not a quitter." Shalimar continued, swallowing as she heard herself say the words, and hearing the hope in it overshadowing the conviction she had.
************************************************************************
Be patient. I'll get too Jesse soon. In the mean time your reviews would really help me along. Thanks (
Back at Sanctuary.
"Did anyone know Jesse had a sister?" Brennan asked, as the remaining members of the Mutant X team regrouped at Sanctuary upon their return from their respective assignment. Everyone was in a quiet and pensive mood, each harbouring his/her own thoughts and fears.
"I knew." Adam answered quietly, "But not from Jesse". "Her death was in the news more than a decade or so ago. It was quite a tragedy."
"What happened?" Shalimar queried, still shocked to hear that Jesse had a sister that she didn't even know exist.
"Well, the reports said that Jesse and his sister came home unexpectedly and interrupted a robbery that was in progress. Eleanor, that's his sister, was shot by the robber whilst he was making his getaway."
"What about Jesse?" Shalimar asked.
"He was fine. He wasn't hurt or anything, but he witnessed it all. They said that when they were found, Jesse was cradling Eleanor in his arms. She had been dead for a while by then. They practically had to pry him away from her."
"Oh my god" Shalimar said as she thought of what Jesse must have gone through. She couldn't believe that such a tragedy had happened to him. She had known him for so long and finding out something like this made her feel like she didn't know him at all.
"Did the reports say anything on exactly how it happened?" Emma who had been unusually quiet, interjected.
"It was just a normal shooting. Well that's what the reports said anyway." Adam answered frowning. "What do you mean?" he asked sensing that Emma's question was going to a particular direction.
"Nothing." Emma answered non-committal, getting a curious glance from Adam before he continued. "Anyway, that's all I knew about the fact that he ever had a sister. When Jesse first joined, I did ask routine questions about family and friends, but he never mentioned Eleanor. He was still young and I didn't want to press. But I think the tragedy took a toll on him and his family. His parents divorced a few years later. Rumour had it that Jesse's mom blamed Noah for the incident. Apparently, the reason for the break in was to steal some important document, Noah kept in the safe in his study. That was the only thing reported to be missing from the house."
Emma winced inwardly at Adam's account of the divorce. Knowing Jesse, he was probably feeling guilty about that too. He had kept the incident about what exactly had happened at Eleanor's shooting to himself and had silently carried the guilt upon his shoulders.
"Well we can't just sit here and do nothing". Shalimar said as she abruptly got up. "Jesse could be in trouble. He could be injured somewhere, or somebody could have taken him. He needs us right now and."
"Shal" Adam interrupted softly putting her hands on her shoulder to calm her down.
"We'll achieve nothing by panicking". He said looking into her fear filled eyes. "But you're right. We can't just do nothing while we wait for the accident report. We don't know what happened for sure but the longer we wait, the more trouble he could be in."
"Whoa, wait a minute." Brennan interjected. He hated having to be the one to say it out loud but everyone else seemed determined to ignore the facts laid out before them. "Is it just me or does no one else sees what the evidence seems to point towards?" He said looking around waiting for a response.
"Oh come on." he said as none came. "Everything seems to point towards it. I'm not saying that it's true but the evidence we've gathered so far appears to indicate that this was no accident and that Jesse drove off that ."
"Don't" Shalimar said silently. "Don't even go there." A note of warning evident in her tone.
"Look, I'm just putting things into perspective. Jesse obviously wasn't in the right frame of mind ."
"Yeah no thanks to you." Shalimar said giving Brennan a glare not that much different from the glare Brennan himself had given Jesse after Shalimar's fall.
Brennan looked away shaking his head slowly. He sensed Shalimar's anger and frustration about the whole situation and he knew that because of what happened last night with Jesse, he would most likely be the target. He couldn't figure it out but things really had a way of screwing up when it came to him and Shalimar.
"Look whatever I said to Jesse, were things he needed to hear. They may have been harsh but they were not something that would cause him to drive off a ." Brennan replied trying to sound reasonable.
"Oh please!" Shalimar interrupted barely containing her fast growing anger. "You've been on his case since day one. Every opportunity you got you reminded him of his silver spoon upbringing and throwing it in his face. You're always giving him a hard time." Shalimar said pressing on, needing to vent her anger and forget her deeply confounded fear for Jesse. Brennan had contributed to this and he was saying things she didn't want to hear and that made him a good a target as any.
"Look, sometimes people need somebody to be hard on them. You know, tough love and all. Nobody here seems to be willing to give it so I might as well step up to the plate." Brennan answered sounding a little more indignant than he intended. He didn't know what it was but an angry Shalimar had this way of knocking any sense of reasonableness from him. Just the slightest of provocation could drive him off the wall and this time was no different.
"Hell if I waited around for people to cut me some slack I'd probably be dead by now" Brennan added unable to resist the incense and full blown indignance that settled itself firmly in his system.
"Look, you don't know Jesse like I do. He doesn't need anybody to give him a hard time to learn life's lessons." Shalimar answered eyes gleaming with anger.
"Oh yeah." Brennan countered as a pang of jealousy made its way into his system. "Like you knew him that well. You didn't even know he had a sister!" Immediately after he said it, he knew he had gone too far. It was a low blow and Shalimar didn't deserve that. The pain in her glistening eyes was heart wrenching and he wished he could take it back.
"He's not dead. I know he's not." Shalimar said softly the fire inside her vanishing as quickly as it came. A single tear fell down her cheek. "Maybe I don't know everything there is to know about Jesse" she said unable to hide the hurt she felt by Brennan's words, "but I know one thing. He wouldn't drive off that cliff. He's not a quitter." Shalimar continued, swallowing as she heard herself say the words, and hearing the hope in it overshadowing the conviction she had.
************************************************************************
Be patient. I'll get too Jesse soon. In the mean time your reviews would really help me along. Thanks (