The Union
by Rainbow Unicorn

Disclaimer:The characters in this story belong to Marvel and I'm not
making any profit. This story comes after Heart of Frost, so I recommend
you read it. Also O:ZT happened, in Gen-X continuity this story is
placed right after Emma punches Sean, nothing after that scene happens
in my little story universe. Rating of Pg-13 to be on the safe side.

Notes: *telepathic speech*, ~thoughts~, "normal speech"


      It was a beautiful, silent night. A gorgeous full moon decorated
the skies acompanied by the stars. There were no clouds and everything
was bathed in a magical glow. There were a few puddles around, the result
of all the day's rain. The air smelled of cleanliness and earth, no smoke
nor other smells to harm our noses. Everything perfect.

     It was mostly this that had made Sean Cassidy go for a walk. Of course 
who wouldn't? A perfect night, the air was slightly chilled but not too much.
But that wasn't the reason. Why? Normally he would have been in bed by this 
hour but tonight he just couldn't sleep,  so he decided to do something that
always helped him to go to sleep, a late night walk. He had been walking for 
the last hour and sleep was still as far as when he started walking. Just 
when he was deciding to go back to his bungalow,  he saw some movement ahead.
As he got nearer he realized it was Emma. ~Now I'm heading back. I do not have
any desire to talk to the woman after she punched me like that. ~As he was 
turning back he heard some soft sobs and he realized that they came from Emma.
~Never let it be said that I turned away from a damsel in distress.~

"Emma, what's wrong?"
"Sean. What a surprise. Your royal highness still talking to this lowly
servant?"
"Don't be sarcastic Em. I was walking past..."
"Thinking of your beloved Moira"
"...when I saw you here and heard you sobbing and I wondered what was wrong."
"Oh my, you are actually worried about this traitor."
"Em, please."
"Please what? Forgive your machismo and let you come here and ask forgiveness?
For God's sake Sean, what world do you live in? Not only do you shove your
holier-than-thou attitude down my throat, you told me to never come back to 
my school. My, my, my, what a God-like complex we have."
"Em, I'm sorry about that. How was I to know that you were going to trick 
Emplate?"
"BY TRUSTING ME. That was how you were supposed to know. Do you really think
that I would sacrifice one of my students? After all the emotional hell I 
have suffered after the death of the Hellions?"
"That wasn't your fault."
"But I still think it was my fault, so how was I supposed to sacrifice ONE OF
MY STUDENTS YOU MORONIC IRISHMAN? TELL ME! SO I CAN KNOW WHAT WENT THROUGH 
YOUR LITTLE MIND TO MAKE YOU THINK I'D DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO A CHILD  
THAT CAN'T DEFEND HERSELF."
"YOU DON'T NEED TO SHOUT WOMAN."
"THEN WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING?"
"SO I CAN BE HEARD ABOVE YOUR HELLISH SCREACHING."
"Good night, Sean. I am not going to let you get under my skin. See you in 
the morning unless you decide to do another unannounced visit to Moira."
"And what is that supposed to..."
"Oh please Sean. You are so paranoid. That is not good for your health.
Sweet dreams."

     Sean knew that if he didn't say something, the steps they had taken
forward together would forever be no more. It was hard for Emma to trust
someone and he had betrayed the trust she had placed in him when he had 
assumed the worst about her in Miami and then left for Muir Island without 
telling her. ~ Guess it's time for me to admit I'm wrong, before something 
worse happens to our friendship.~

"Em, I'm sorry."
"That is not enough Sean."
"What else can I say?"
"I don't know. Can I ask something?"
"What happened?"
"What 'what' happened?"
"What happened to the man that wrote on my diary that he loved me? What
happened to the man who hugged me so tenderly on the plane when we weren't 
sure if the rest of the children were alive? What happened to that man Sean?"
"He got scared. He wasn't sure what was going on. To many things were
happening. He hid because he couldn't handle what was happening."
"Tell him to come out, I am not going to bite."
"Promise?"
"Promise."

     Anything else that was going to be said was lost since their kiss
occupied their breath for sometime. After they finished kissing they left the
arbor and went to Emma's bungalow. What happened there was long and beautiful
and not going to be told here.

The End...
...for now.

Stay tuned for the rest of this story hitting fan-fic list sometime
soon.