Teenage Rebel

Part Two

By

Louise Driscoll

Disclaimer – I own none of the mutant X characters.

Thank you for the feedback.

Adam entered Emma's room followed closely by Brennan "She can't have been gone long. We have to find her before Joseph gets his hands on her again. Shalimar, Brennan you need to go after her, I'll find the address that she lived at with Joseph that properly where she's heading."

Shalimar stalked towards the car port as Adam stopped Brennan with a hand on his arm. "Emma's scared Brennan. Don't let Shal lose her temper with Emma or she may push her away for good straight into Joseph's arms."

Brennan nodded as he followed Shalimar who was waiting impatiently for Brennan.

Adam touched the ring on his finger calling for the other member of his team whose presence had been missing since the earlier debriefing. "Jesse."

Adam headed for the computer station as Jesse responded to the COM link. "Yeah Adam I'm on my way back to sanctuary now. How's Emma?"

Adam brought up an address as he thought out the best response to the young man's question. "Emma's missing Jess, we think she's heading to meet Joseph I'm hoping you can beat her there. I'm sending you details of where you need to head."

Adam listened to Jesse's response knowing that now it was up to his older children to save his youngest child. His children in the year that he had know them Brennan and Emma had become as dear to him as Shalimar and Jesse and he now considered them all part of his family. Adam brought up the photos he had shown the group remembering the first time he had seen them. Emma had become quiet and they had all tried talking to her but she kept becoming more and more withdrawn concerning them all. Shalimar had tried for a second time to get Emma to talk and he had found Shalimar in the dojo after their talk. The older women had been furious with the fact that Emma had worked her over with her mind deflecting all Shalimar's questions with non answers. Later that night Adam had been considering his next move when Emma had entered the lab with a disk and a photo album in her hand. One look at Emma's face had let him know he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear and he'd been right. She'd handed him a photo of what was obvious a premature baby then she told him that was her little girl Marie who had died before she had been born. Slowly over the next hour she had told him everything that had happened with Joseph. Finally Emma had admitted that today would have been Marie's birthday if she had lived. The next day Emma had appeared to be back to normal if you ignored the haunted look in her eyes. Looking back Adam knew it was that night that had made Emma special to him.

Jesse touched the computer in his car bringing up the details on the screen in front of him as he turned the car. "On my way Adam, I'll let you know when I find her"

Jesse switched of the com link as his thoughts turned once again to Emma and what he wanted to do to the man who hurt her. His little sister had been hurt once by that bastard and Jess wasn't about to let him repeat his previous crime. All that Adam had told them that had happened to her as a kid and Emma was still the most caring person he knew and he wanted to keep her safe.

Brennan drove the mustang towards the location Adam had sent them stealing a glance at Shalimar every once in a while until finally she looked at him. "Are you going to keep staring at me all night or are you going to speak your mind Brennan."

Brennan smiled as he kept his eyes on the road keeping his tone level. "Emma's scared of him Shalimar that's why she's going back to him, so you need to be calm with her."

Shalimar glared at the road ahead hating the amount of time that it was taking them to reach their friend. Shalimar whispered the thought that was on her mind "She died once before Brennan because I took to long to find her. I can't let history repeat itself. I –we can't lose her because this time we might not get her back again." Shalimar still remembered holding her friends lifeless body in her arms, she had been loath to let Emma out of her sight for days after her resurrection and now Emma was in danger again. And once again Shalimar found herself unable to help the youngest member of her pack, her family.

Jesse pulled up outside the address Adam had sent him spotting the car Emma had borrowed from sanctuary garage. Jesse triggered his COM link, "Adam she's already here, what do you want me to do."

Adam voice came back through the con ring clear "wait there Jesse Brennan and Shalimar should be with you shortly."

What felt like hours later to Jesse but was only minutes the mustang pulled up beside his car and Shalimar was out the car before it had even stopped. Shalimar voice was low and came out almost as a growl her barely contained anger clear in her voice when she spoke "Any signs of life."

Jesse shook his head wondering who Shalimar was angry, at herself for not protecting Emma, Emma for putting herself in danger or Joseph for hurting their little sister. "No it's been quiet since I got here and the engine on Emma's car is cold."

Brennan nodded at the house as he headed up the footpath. "Let's go get Emma because she must have broken Adam's curfew by now." Jesse found himself smiling at Brennan's comment and he noticed even Shalimar responded with a smile "Yeah by at least an hour."

Brennan went to the front door placing his hand on the door; it swung up to reveal a dark hallway beyond. Shalimar stepped around Jess her eyes flashing feral as she sniffed the air. Her next words were spoken low and Jesse could hear the fear in her voice. "Blood Brennan, I smell blood."

Brennan placed his hand on Shalimar's arm. "Jesse you search upstairs, keep your COM link open in case of problems."

Brennan switched on his COM link and Jesse copied his example so he could hear his mentor and team-mates even as he headed upstairs.

"Adam we're in the house. It seems quiet but Shalimar can smell blood."

Jesse entered the room on his right which had light spilling out from underneath the door and he found himself in the nursery Emma had prepared for the baby she had been expecting. The child she had felt moving inside. Jesse looked around the room feeling the love that had gone into preparing this room for a much wanted child. Who thanks to her father had never got the chance to live? Then he went back to into the hallway feeling like an intruder.

Shalimar stepped away from Brennan heading to the right she entered a living room noticing candles and Small details that reminded her of Emma's room at sanctuary Shalimar knew Emma had decorated this place. As she stepped towards the smell of blood increased then she noticed the arm visible in the doorway of the kitchen and the blood on the kitchen floor. "Guys I found her, she's hurt."

Shalimar entered the kitchen kneeling at her friend's side on the floor.

Tbc