Chapter 2

Legal Disclaimer-The following characters belong to Alliance Atlantis, Tribune Entertainment, Marvel and the rest who shall remain unmentionable.

Author's Note-So, you want more eh? Here you go. My only comments here are that I blame 'Blood Ties' for the whole idea. Jag, thank you for your website. The pictures have kept me going with Jesse stories as well. Please review, your writer's sanity depends on it.

Dedication time-Brigitta-this one's for you, honey. What you said in the last review was heartwarming. Thank you.

Chapter 2

"The other kids?" Jesse asked, "What do you know about them, Pierce?"

"We talk like you and I used to," Pierce said, "You and Emma told me I shouldn't talk without speaking, so I only talk to them in my head."

Jesse winced. In their desire to hear Pierce speak, they had denied him an outlet to his friends, and their chance at a lead to the Creator. Jesse kicked himself. They should have never done this to the child.

"What do you guys talk about?" Brennan asked, pulling Pierce into his lap, "Do they want to know how you are?"

"Yeah, they do," Pierce continued, "They are a little jealous that I get to run around, and learn things from you, Jesse, Emma, Lexa, Aunt Shal, and Adam. They want to too, but Grandpa wants to keep them quiet."

Brennan's raised eyebrow was followed by the thought that Jesse couldn't help but read.

Who the heck is Grandpa?

Jesse looked at him and sent back the reply before Pierce could even think it.

The Creator.

Brennan's eyes widened. It was hard to remember that this child was once under the thumb of the man who killed many in the quest for perfect science. Pierce hadn't gotten to the point of calling Jesse and Lexa mom and dad, but Brennan knew he would over time. Kids did have a tendency to do that and adapt.

Jesse was upset though, and it showed all over his face. His voice stayed calm but Brennan feared what he was going to do next.

"Why does Grandpa want them quiet, Pierce?" Jesse asked.

"He wants to find me and you and bring us back to him," Pierce said, "That's what they told me."

Jesse stared at Pierce, his eyes locking on his child's. Pierce didn't move and to Brennan, the child stiffened up. Jesse gasped, blinked, and then reacted to Pierce's last statement. Pierce looked at him like he had been slapped, his honey colored eyes welling with tears. Jesse looked away from the child, then at Brennan and got up. He couldn't face Pierce at that moment. Brennan looked at the little boy. Pierce started to cry silently. Brennan pulled him into a protective hug.

"What's wrong, little man?" Brennan asked, trying to calm the upset child, "Jesse, what did you do?"

"Brennan, get him out of here, take him to Lexa or Emma," Jesse said, "I don't want to hurt him any further."

"Jesse, you won't hurt me again, you just wanted to know, and I didn't tell you," Pierce said softly, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this earlier."

Jesse crumpled. The pleading for acceptance in his son's voice broke his heart. He had violated his trust and felt horrible for doing so. Brennan looked at him shocked and concerned because he didn't know what had upset Jesse so badly.

"What did he do to you, Pierce?" Brennan asked.

"I read him, without any pretense, and I hurt him," Jesse replied coldly, "Get him out of here Brennan, I don't want to hurt him anymore."

"You couldn't hurt me," Pierce said, as he ran from the room, heading for Emma and Lexa, "I would hurt you first."

Jesse watched the child run away. He knew that he was right. Brennan stared at him.

"What the hell was that for?" Brennan's tone was accusing, "Why did you read him?"

Jesse couldn't meet his friends look. He was asking himself the same question. It was automatic. He didn't want to do it, he just felt himself doing it and unable to stop. He wasn't even gentle, like he had been with Emma, he was brutal and got the images from Pierce of the kids and their comments to him like he was ripping the pages from a picture book. It horrified him that he did it.

"I don't know, I just did," Jesse replied, hitting the wall of the room in frustration, "I couldn't help it. I had to know what the kids wanted from him."

"They want to know where we are, Jesse," Brennan replied, "And it's about time we bring Adam into this. You can't do this alone, and I don't think that I am being a help to you at all."

"Brennan, it might be best if all of you left me alone," Jesse said, turning around to face his friend, "If I can hurt a four year old like that, what would I do to you or Shalimar?"

"We can and will take it," Brennan replied, "Get yourself together, you need our help and like it or not, you're getting it."

Lexa and Emma did their best to console Pierce. He wouldn't tell them what happened, but Emma sensed it. She didn't tell Lexa, just asked her to watch him while she went to find Jesse. She tried to him telepathically, but she knew that he was trying to block her with the images coming back to her. She went down toward the dojo, knowing that Brennan was working out with him. Brennan was by himself, upset by the attitude that Jesse had given him, and happy that Emma was going after him. She was the only one who could understand what Jesse was going through.

Emma thought as she stood with Brennan and realized where Jesse might be. She went toward their bedrooms and went down the stairs to their bedrooms. Jesse needed to blow off the steam she knew he had built up and would be trying to take a shower. Luckily, the shower in their room had the best pressure and he would be beneath it, trying to wash his skin off.

As she entered the room, she heard him in the shower. He was in there. She heard the shower turn off.

"I don't want to talk about it, Emma," Jesse said from inside the bathroom, "You should already know that."

"You're going to want to, and that's why I am here, Pierce is with Lexa, and he's okay," Emma replied, making the bed.

Jesse stopped for a second. He was thinking that but he knew that she meant well. He didn't mind the intrusion, but, he was angry with himself. He had brutally read Pierce's mind, and he knew that he had hurt the boy. He toweled off, yanked his jeans on and wrapped the towel around his shoulders as he exited the bathroom. Emma sat on the bed, her blue eyes meeting his troubled ones.

He leaned over the bed and kissed her.

"Good morning," he said, looking in the drawer for a t-shirt, "Sorry you had to wake up to this."

"I'm not sorry," Emma said, "I kind of expected it."

"Not in the mood for the analysis, Emma, I'm already beating myself up for it, did Pierce tell you or did you read it?" Jesse asked, knowing that fighting her wasn't going to work.

"Read it off of him, he was reeling with it when he found me and Lexa, I told her he had fallen," Emma continued, "She bought it and is with him now. She'll be mad when she finds out. Brennan seems okay with it. You did it uncontrollably Jesse. What started it?"

"He had a dream last night about the other kids," Jesse said, pulling on a white T-shirt, "They want to come here and play with him. He didn't tell us because we don't want him 'speaking with his head' so he talks to them and not to us."

"He told you that?" Emma asked.

"Yeah," his reply was muffled by the shirt going on over his head, "He talks to kids in pods but not to his own parents. Some father I am huh?"

Emma sighed. Jesse was still having a hard enough time being a telepath, let alone being a father. Lexa was taking to parenting well, taking care of Pierce half of the time, while the rest of the team also treated Pierce like their own. They left the harder decisions to Jesse, Lexa and Emma. They all protected him, but were never critical. They had encouraged him to talk, not to telepathically call them unless it was urgent. Emma and Jesse had agreed to parent by example, and Pierce had taken to it, but, for Jesse to do this was wrong. He had screwed up and he knew it.

Jesse turned back to her. She looked at him, her mind unreadable, her expression sorrowful. He sat down next to her.

"You're the best father he's got," Emma started, "You just don't know how to handle yourself, let alone a four year old hyperactive telepath. Pierce is very lucky."

"How?" Jesse snorted.

"He's got six parents," Emma continued, "Brennan keeps him moving, Shalimar teaches him coordination, Adam tackles the education side of things, Lexa has taught him patience, I'm working on his control, while you are teaching him the most important thing...love."

"Yeah, right," Jesse was bitter, he didn't like screwing up, "Some love. I can't control my own power, I haven't spent any time with him, and I hate myself for what I have done to him."

"You didn't do it on purpose, Jesse, grow up," Emma said, her lack of sleep adding to her frustration, "You needed the information and you lacked patience. That's it. Pierce needed to learn this, and seeing you this upset is making him even more upset. You made a mistake. That's it."

Emma was right. He was beating himself up for a small mistake. He didn't want to read Pierce, he just needed to know the information, because his suspicion had gone on overload. He really couldn't control this power and it bothered him. He turned from Emma and stood up.

"I know, I'm just having trouble with all of this," Jesse looked at her, "I made a breakthrough with Brennan earlier, I read his moves in the dojo before he threw them, but, after he pointed it out to me, I couldn't do it."

"You were working on instinct?" Emma asked, "That's very good."

"Yeah, but," Jesse stared at his wife, gently trying to read her. Nothing happened. He tried again, this time a little harder.

It didn't work. He tried to scan her again, this time, nothing working. Emma looked at him blankly.

"But what?" Emma asked, breaking his concentration.

"I can't do it," Jesse said, frustration building, "I can't read you or anyone since I read Pierce."

Emma stared at him. This was new. Jesse wasn't the type to have things like a total block happen. He didn't function that way.

Bull she thought loudly.

Jesse glanced at her.

"That I heard," he said, "Thanks a lot."

Emma took his hand and kissed it. Something deep inside told her that he needed it, just a simple expression of love. He took her hand and stared at it. He knew she meant well, she loved him more than breathing, and she was taking a tremendous emotional beating with all that had happened to them in the past few weeks. He hadn't been there for her like he wanted to be and it hurt. His mind drifted back to the love he had for her and his desire for peace and happiness.

You're going to be okay, sweetie, you will be

He heard the thought as if it was whispered to him. He looked into her eyes and tried to read them. The silence he met there was deafening.

"Dammit Emma, what's happening to me?" he said, frustrated, "I didn't want this power and now I can't use it."

"Enough of this, we're going to Adam," Emma said, getting up, "Come with me, Jesse. Now."

Jesse obeyed.