Hey guys! Sorry for the wait, but I have been very busy with end of the year work. You all know how it is. Anyways, this chapter didn't have the Shal/Bren aspect I was hoping for. I was having a hard time writing them, an figured it was better to post what I have and make it up to the S/B shippers in future updates. I hope you enjoy this. Take care! An please review!
* * *
After tossing and turning in his warm smothering bed, the restless molecular, got up and walked over to the open window in his room. Looking out at the star filled night, Jesse started thinking about the events of this evening.
* * *
After Lexa had introduced him to Mindy the three of them had headed off towards the house with Jesse lagging behind caring all the bags. Upon entering the door, Jesse had been struck by how much of a real home this was. Coats, and shoes were scattered through out the main hall, indicating quite a few people were here. The walls were a rich, warm red, set off by beautiful black n' white photographs of family, and animals. The table near the entrance was covered in keys, crayons, candies, change and the many other objects that you always seem to discover in your pockets. Then there was the smell. Wax, Mr. Clean, and homemade cookies. Jesse felt himself relaxing, just as a women, whom he assumed to be Mrs. Chadwick, came down the hall.
She was not what he had expected. She was softer, and smaller. Her sable brown hair, was liberally streaked with gray, and she wore the curling mass of it up in a ponytail that reminded Jesse more of a school girl then a grandmother. Her face was a work of sharp planes, and her eyes where a soft, inviting brown. As she drew nearer, her scent wafted down, vanilla and cookies, and Jesse could her the jangle of bracelets, as she placed her hands on her hips.
"Well as I live and breath! Lexa Pierce, it's about time you showed up here!" Lexa was enveloped in the arms of the older and smaller women. After a few moments, and a few suspicious sniffs, later they broke apart, and the woman's candid glaze took in the young man standing just behind her "daughter".
"And this must be your friend?" she asked Lexa, with slightly raised eyebrows.
" I'm Jesse Kilmartin, Mrs. Chadwick, and it's a pleasure to meet you." taking her hand, he kissed it, giving her one of his heartbreaking smiles.
Smiling over Jesse's head, she winked at Lexa, "Well it's a pleasure to meet you too, Jesse. And I hope you will call me Anna. Now why doesn't Mindy show you where to put those bags, and then you two can meet Lexa and I, in the kitchen for some cookies and milk."
At the word "cookies" minds' head shot up and she grabbed jesses hand and started to pull him up the stairs. Laughing, Jesse turned back to the women. "We'll be right down. Okay Mindy, race you up the stairs!"
Smiling the two women headed off towards the kitchen, arm in arm.
"So Lexa," Anna started, with a small smile lifting the corners of her mouth, "I like your young man."
Looking at the women she considered her mother, Lexa rolled her eyes, and laughed, "Now don't you start!"
Turning serious, Anna took Lexa's face gently into her hands a peered into her eyes. "What has happened Lexa? I can see the pain in your eyes, tell me what is wrong."
Looking into those motherly eyes, Lexa felt her eyes fill with tears, as the need to confine almost overwhelmed her. " I don't know where to…" Lexa abruptly pulled her face out of Anna's hands, wiping her eyes, as she heard Jesse and Mindy approaching.
"Okay! Who wants some cookies?" Lexa asked, in a falsely bright voice.
Jesse heard the thickness of unshed tears in Lexa's voice, and questionably raised a brow to Anna. With a little shake of her head, to tell him to let it be, she turned and got the glasses out of the cupboard. Deciding to let it go for now, Jesse got the milk out of the fridge and joined the three ladies at the table.
****
Jesse lightly shook himself, bringing himself back to the future. A lot had happened that day, and it was obvious that he was not going to get any sleep at the moment. So pulling on a pair of old sweats, and as quietly as possible, headed down the stairs and towards the kitchen. Once there he grabbed a few cookies and headed thought the back door. The light breeze felt wonderful against his warm skin, and Jesse stood there for a minute, outlined by the soft glow from the kitchen. Then as pleasure of the dancing air dimmed, Jesse became aware of another presence. Surprised that he had not sensed her the moment he stepped on the porch, Jesse approached the old porch swing, and sat beside Lexa.
"Couldn't sleep either?" Jesse asked offering Lexa one of his cookies.
"No. I was thinking about the mission and how we are going to find Catherine."
"Catherine?" a puzzled Jesse asked.
"Yes, Catherine "Cat" Dufresne, Michael Gray's ex-girlfriend. I just got a report from the Dominion." she added in anticipation of his question. "they just sent it to my PDA. According to the report she is a petit 5'6, curly blond hair, green eyes, mid-twenties, and she has no known mutant abilities. We'll start looking for her tomorrow, and my guess is she works here."
"Why do you say that" inquired Jesse.
"Well as I told you Anna and Jack are always taking in people who they feel need help. And by the sounds of it this Cat could pull of the classic girl in distress role. Plus I tried to feel Anna out about her after supper, and she did say they had a new girl, who came here about a month ago."
"Right when our Cat ran away from Gray."
"Right. She works in the stables," Lexa nodded her head indicating the outbuildings just down the hill. " with the horses. When Jack gets back tomorrow" Jesse couldn't do anything to suppress the shot of jealousy he felt hearing the open affection in her voice for another man. "he'll take us on a tour of the stables, and introduce us. Then maybe he'll give us some jobs to do."
"Okay sounds like a plan."
The two mutants lapsed into a comfortable silence, munching on cookies, and looking at the stars. When Jesse saw Lexa shiver slightly, he put his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her up against his side. Lexa was stiff for a few moments, before she gradually relaxed into Jesses side, placing her head on the warm, smooth muscular shoulder beside her. Jesse continued to push the chair in a gentile rocking motion, with his feet, while he tried to concentrate on the stars, and not the warm female body pressed against him.
"Look!" Lexa raised her hand to the sky, and pointed at the fading tail of a shooting star. "A shooting star!"
Jesse smiled at the almost child-like excitement in Lexa's voice. "Yup! This is the time of year to see them. For the next week or so, there will be showers every night."
"And how do you know that Jesse?" Lexa asked, a smile spreading across her face, as she guessed what his answer would be. He mumbled something, she couldn't quite catch and asked him to repeat himself.
"I was a boy scout." Jesse finally admitted, his face colored red in embarrassment as his teammate burst out laughing. Feeling a grin of his own spread across his face, Jesse looked down into the laughing face of his teammate, and instantly sobered. He had never heard Lexa laugh like this before. She was so unguarded and carefree in that moment, and Jesse knew that he could never live life fully with out hearing that musical sound again. Nor would he ever forgot how the starlight transformed her features. Her hair gleamed appearing jet black, around a face that looked as if it was crafted from porcelain. But it was her eyes that captivated him. The shocking blue he was accustomed to, turned deeper, and reminded him of sparkling sapphires. Never had Jesse wanted anything more then he wanted her lips at that moment. He felt like if he didn't taste her right then, he would not be able to draw his next breath.
Seeing the look in Jesse eyes, Lexa's laughter faded away. The desire that she glimpsed in his eyes early that day, on the hill, was nothing compared to the flames she could see jumping in his blue eyes now. Her breath caught in her throat, as he slowly lowered his lips towards hers…
* * *
After tossing and turning in his warm smothering bed, the restless molecular, got up and walked over to the open window in his room. Looking out at the star filled night, Jesse started thinking about the events of this evening.
* * *
After Lexa had introduced him to Mindy the three of them had headed off towards the house with Jesse lagging behind caring all the bags. Upon entering the door, Jesse had been struck by how much of a real home this was. Coats, and shoes were scattered through out the main hall, indicating quite a few people were here. The walls were a rich, warm red, set off by beautiful black n' white photographs of family, and animals. The table near the entrance was covered in keys, crayons, candies, change and the many other objects that you always seem to discover in your pockets. Then there was the smell. Wax, Mr. Clean, and homemade cookies. Jesse felt himself relaxing, just as a women, whom he assumed to be Mrs. Chadwick, came down the hall.
She was not what he had expected. She was softer, and smaller. Her sable brown hair, was liberally streaked with gray, and she wore the curling mass of it up in a ponytail that reminded Jesse more of a school girl then a grandmother. Her face was a work of sharp planes, and her eyes where a soft, inviting brown. As she drew nearer, her scent wafted down, vanilla and cookies, and Jesse could her the jangle of bracelets, as she placed her hands on her hips.
"Well as I live and breath! Lexa Pierce, it's about time you showed up here!" Lexa was enveloped in the arms of the older and smaller women. After a few moments, and a few suspicious sniffs, later they broke apart, and the woman's candid glaze took in the young man standing just behind her "daughter".
"And this must be your friend?" she asked Lexa, with slightly raised eyebrows.
" I'm Jesse Kilmartin, Mrs. Chadwick, and it's a pleasure to meet you." taking her hand, he kissed it, giving her one of his heartbreaking smiles.
Smiling over Jesse's head, she winked at Lexa, "Well it's a pleasure to meet you too, Jesse. And I hope you will call me Anna. Now why doesn't Mindy show you where to put those bags, and then you two can meet Lexa and I, in the kitchen for some cookies and milk."
At the word "cookies" minds' head shot up and she grabbed jesses hand and started to pull him up the stairs. Laughing, Jesse turned back to the women. "We'll be right down. Okay Mindy, race you up the stairs!"
Smiling the two women headed off towards the kitchen, arm in arm.
"So Lexa," Anna started, with a small smile lifting the corners of her mouth, "I like your young man."
Looking at the women she considered her mother, Lexa rolled her eyes, and laughed, "Now don't you start!"
Turning serious, Anna took Lexa's face gently into her hands a peered into her eyes. "What has happened Lexa? I can see the pain in your eyes, tell me what is wrong."
Looking into those motherly eyes, Lexa felt her eyes fill with tears, as the need to confine almost overwhelmed her. " I don't know where to…" Lexa abruptly pulled her face out of Anna's hands, wiping her eyes, as she heard Jesse and Mindy approaching.
"Okay! Who wants some cookies?" Lexa asked, in a falsely bright voice.
Jesse heard the thickness of unshed tears in Lexa's voice, and questionably raised a brow to Anna. With a little shake of her head, to tell him to let it be, she turned and got the glasses out of the cupboard. Deciding to let it go for now, Jesse got the milk out of the fridge and joined the three ladies at the table.
****
Jesse lightly shook himself, bringing himself back to the future. A lot had happened that day, and it was obvious that he was not going to get any sleep at the moment. So pulling on a pair of old sweats, and as quietly as possible, headed down the stairs and towards the kitchen. Once there he grabbed a few cookies and headed thought the back door. The light breeze felt wonderful against his warm skin, and Jesse stood there for a minute, outlined by the soft glow from the kitchen. Then as pleasure of the dancing air dimmed, Jesse became aware of another presence. Surprised that he had not sensed her the moment he stepped on the porch, Jesse approached the old porch swing, and sat beside Lexa.
"Couldn't sleep either?" Jesse asked offering Lexa one of his cookies.
"No. I was thinking about the mission and how we are going to find Catherine."
"Catherine?" a puzzled Jesse asked.
"Yes, Catherine "Cat" Dufresne, Michael Gray's ex-girlfriend. I just got a report from the Dominion." she added in anticipation of his question. "they just sent it to my PDA. According to the report she is a petit 5'6, curly blond hair, green eyes, mid-twenties, and she has no known mutant abilities. We'll start looking for her tomorrow, and my guess is she works here."
"Why do you say that" inquired Jesse.
"Well as I told you Anna and Jack are always taking in people who they feel need help. And by the sounds of it this Cat could pull of the classic girl in distress role. Plus I tried to feel Anna out about her after supper, and she did say they had a new girl, who came here about a month ago."
"Right when our Cat ran away from Gray."
"Right. She works in the stables," Lexa nodded her head indicating the outbuildings just down the hill. " with the horses. When Jack gets back tomorrow" Jesse couldn't do anything to suppress the shot of jealousy he felt hearing the open affection in her voice for another man. "he'll take us on a tour of the stables, and introduce us. Then maybe he'll give us some jobs to do."
"Okay sounds like a plan."
The two mutants lapsed into a comfortable silence, munching on cookies, and looking at the stars. When Jesse saw Lexa shiver slightly, he put his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her up against his side. Lexa was stiff for a few moments, before she gradually relaxed into Jesses side, placing her head on the warm, smooth muscular shoulder beside her. Jesse continued to push the chair in a gentile rocking motion, with his feet, while he tried to concentrate on the stars, and not the warm female body pressed against him.
"Look!" Lexa raised her hand to the sky, and pointed at the fading tail of a shooting star. "A shooting star!"
Jesse smiled at the almost child-like excitement in Lexa's voice. "Yup! This is the time of year to see them. For the next week or so, there will be showers every night."
"And how do you know that Jesse?" Lexa asked, a smile spreading across her face, as she guessed what his answer would be. He mumbled something, she couldn't quite catch and asked him to repeat himself.
"I was a boy scout." Jesse finally admitted, his face colored red in embarrassment as his teammate burst out laughing. Feeling a grin of his own spread across his face, Jesse looked down into the laughing face of his teammate, and instantly sobered. He had never heard Lexa laugh like this before. She was so unguarded and carefree in that moment, and Jesse knew that he could never live life fully with out hearing that musical sound again. Nor would he ever forgot how the starlight transformed her features. Her hair gleamed appearing jet black, around a face that looked as if it was crafted from porcelain. But it was her eyes that captivated him. The shocking blue he was accustomed to, turned deeper, and reminded him of sparkling sapphires. Never had Jesse wanted anything more then he wanted her lips at that moment. He felt like if he didn't taste her right then, he would not be able to draw his next breath.
Seeing the look in Jesse eyes, Lexa's laughter faded away. The desire that she glimpsed in his eyes early that day, on the hill, was nothing compared to the flames she could see jumping in his blue eyes now. Her breath caught in her throat, as he slowly lowered his lips towards hers…