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A Matter of Honor	By : purenightshade Category: M through R > Mutant X Views: 1579 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Mutant X, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Title: A matter of Honor

Author/pseudonym: Nightshade

Author websites: http://www.angelfire.com/anime/makosmusings

Characters: Adam, Jesse

Rating: The ratings vary from chapter to chapter, but it�s intended to be NC-17

Pairing: Non-shipper, non-slash, involves original characters

Status: incomplete

Series/Sequel: series

Spoilers: As of yet, no spoilers

Disclaimers: All Mutant X characters are copyright to their respective owners. Honor and Claudia are my original characters and should not be taken or used without my permission.

Summary:A New Mutant�s powers start to evolve out of control and it�s up to Adam and the team to help put them back under control. An old friend of Adam�s returns to haunt him.

Send all comments to nightshade@catlover.com
Episode 10: End of a long day
When Honor walked it into the lab, Claudia was sitting up in a chair, examining her bandaged hand. Adam was hovering nearby while Emma and Shalimar sat on stools. Brennan leaned against the wall, hands in his pocket. She went over and sat down on a chair that had been put there for her. Claudia looked at her and smiled, placing her uninjured hand on Honor�s shoulder.

�You seem well,� she said softly.

�Never mind about me. How are you?�

�I�ve been better, but I�ve also been a lot worse.� She shrugged. �I�ll live.�

�What happened to you? We couldn�t wake you up.�

�It seems that my injuries were more severe than I�d thought, severe enough to knock me unconscious.�

�I�m glad that it wasn�t more severe than that.�

�As am I, kitten. As am I.�

�I really hate to break this up, but Claudia needs to rest,� Adam said, walking over to them.

Honor expected Claudia to snarl at him or something, but she tamely nodded, shooing Honor off. At her puzzled look, she shook her head. �I�ll be fine, Honor. Despite my dislike of Adam, I still recognize good advice when I hear it. I do need rest.�

Honor nodded and left the room, crashing into Jesse. �Sorry about that.�

�Don�t worry about it. How�s Claudia?� he asked, walking with her over to a couch. Brennan, Shalimar, Emma, and Kat were also there.

She sank into it. �Physically, she seems fine, but I�m not sure about her mental state. Adam advised that she stay put and get some rest and she just gave in.�

�Is that really such a bad thing?�

�You don�t know her the way I do. She would never do that and it�s not just that she doesn�t like Adam. She doesn�t like doctors in general, not after what was done to her.�

�It might help if I knew the whole story.�

�It might, but it�s not my story to tell you.�

Jesse sighed and shook his head. �This isn�t helping me see your point at all,� he told her.

�I�m not asking you to. Just take my word for it. There�s something not right in Claudia�s head.�

�Him you have to convince, me, you do not,� a gentle, otherworldly voice drifted towards her.

Honor looked up. �You�re looking better, Serenity.�

The older woman walked over to her, her long black hair drifting around her as she walked. �I feel better, thank you.� She looked towards the lab. �Claudia, however, is not despite her claims to the contrary.�

�How would you know that?� Jesse asked her. �From what you�ve told us, you�re an illusionist, not a telepath.�

�Illusionist is a broad term and not entirely accurate. I do dreams, both seeing and altering.� She gestured towards the lab. �I saw her dreams.�

�That must have been quite the head trip,� Honor commented.

�It�s not an experience that I would care to repeat. Perhaps some day I will tell you what I saw in her mind, but not today. I�m still disturbed by it. At any rate, your assessment is correct. She is not entirely well. You and I both know what the cure is, but unless Claudia comes to that conclusion by herself, things will deteriorate until she descends into madness.�

Jesse looked at serenity with a very bewildered expression. �You got all of this just from her dreams?�

�Not entirely. I, like Kat, Skyler, and Honor, have heard the story of why she hates Adam. Adding that to what I saw allowed me to come to this conclusion.�

�So what�s this cure?� Emma asked.

Serenity turned her steady gaze to the other psionic. �She needs to resolve her issues regarding Adam; however, I don�t see that happening anytime soon.�

�So all we can do it sit back and watch our friend go nuts?� Honor shook her head in disbelief. �I refuse to believe that.�

�You said that you can alter dreams,� Jesse said slowly. �Why don�t you suggest it to her in a dream?�

�I�ve tried that,� she said calmly. �It didn�t really work.�

�I see.�

An uncomfortable silence descended on the room. No one seemed to know what to say in response to that, so one by one, they drifted off to other things, leaving Honor and Serenity sitting alone. Jesse lingered nearby, hoping that Honor would get up and join him, but when she moved closer to Serenity and huddled up against the older woman, he gave up and went back to his room, lying back down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling.
In the lab, Claudia lay back down on an exam table, watching Adam with a thoughtful look on her face as he put things away. She rolled over onto her side, staring at the wall. Well, this is an unexpected turn. I hate him, he knows this, and yet he�s going out of his way to be nice to me. I suppose I should be grateful. After all, he is helping me. This changes nothing though. He can be as nice as he wants. It won�t change how I feel.

She rolled over onto her other side. He was standing with his back turned to her. In spite of my hatred, he still seems to like me. I never pegged him as being a masochist. She eyed his figure carefully as he turned to the side. I have to admit, he�s a far cry from that scrawny kid I remember. He�s filled out quite a bit.

He turned to face her. �Do you need anything?� he asked her, walking over. He crouched down a bit to put his face level with hers. �A blanket, perhaps?�

�I know you haven�t forgotten what I said about my sleeping habits. It�s also not cold in here.�

�So you don�t need anything?�

She rolled over onto her back. �Something to lie on that isn�t this damn thing. I don�t sleep, but that doesn�t mean that I don�t like to lie on comfortable things. Hell, a couch will do in a pinch.�

�I think I can arrange something. Our spare room is occupied at the moment. I believe Kat is asleep there. I�m not sure where Honor and Serenity are. They might be in the living room with the others.�

�Look, Adam, I don�t really care about that. Whatever you find will be more comfortable than this thing is.�

�Even my own bed?�

�Well, you�re not using it at the moment,� she said tiredly. �I hate you, not your furniture.�

�Fair enough. Do you think you can walk?� he asked, standing up.

She sat up and swung her legs over the side. Gingerly, she set her feet down on the floor and tried to put some weight on them. Thinking that it would be ok to try it, she stood and took a step forward. Her legs buckled under her and she collapsed forward. Adam caught her, holding her up. Their faces were only a couple centimeters apart. They stood like that for a time, staring at each other.

�If I had something to lean on I could,� she said finally, breaking the silence.

He looked thoughtful. �You don�t look like you weigh much.�

�What does that have to do with anything?� she asked in annoyance.

Wordlessly, he picked her up off the chair. Startled, she didn�t think to protest until Adam had already carried her out of the lab. By that point, dignity won over indignation and she let him carry her into his room. He sat her down on the soft bedspread and crouched down in front of her. She reached out and smacked him on the head.

�Ouch! What was that for?� He looked hurt.

�You could have given me some sort of warning, idiot!� she hissed. �You know I don�t like surprises.�

�Oh come on,� he said grinning from ear to ear. �It was worth it to see the look on your face.�

Claudia turned away from him. �I suppose I should thank you for all your help.�

Adam sat down beside her. �You don�t have to. I�m just glad that I can be of some use to you.�

She shook her head. �No, I do,� she said, looking back at him, tilting her head back a little to look directly at his face. �I never said thank you enough when we were younger.�

�You never had to. No, listen to me. It was never that important to me. Your actions spoke louder than your words ever did. Your smiles were thanks enough and when you did actually say it, it was always after something big and it needed to be said. It�s just the way you are.�

�Why are you being so nice to me?� she demanded.

�How many times do I have to tell you that I still consider you my best friend before you believe me?�

She narrowed her eyes. �Best friends don�t betray their friend�s trust.�

He sighed and shook his head. �I�ll let you get some rest. Just call if you need anything. I�ll come by in a while to see how you�re doing.� He stood up and looked down at her, looking like he wanted to say something more, but turned and left the room instead, closing the door behind him.

She shook her head and lay down on the bed. It was rather comfortable. Despite that, she was a little uncomfortable with being there. Oh grow up, she scolded herself. It�s not like it�s the first time you�ve ever been in this position. It�s just been a long, long time. She scooted herself up to put her head down on the pillow, allowing herself to smile a little. You are so predictable, Adam. You�re still using the same shaving cream. I can smell it on your pillow.

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Now I�m confused. In my head, I hate him for what he�s done, for the science that made me the way I am, but a part of me is glad to see my old friend again. This smell in itself is comforting. I don�t want to be here, but I don�t want to leave. One thing is certain, though. I can�t forgive him for what he�s done. Not now, not ever.

With that thought on her mind, she slowed her breathing and put herself into her sleep-like meditation.
Serenity left to go check on Kat and Claudia, leaving Honor all alone in the living room. When her friend was out of sight, Honor lay down with her arms behind her head. It had been a long and exhausting day. She wanted nothing more than to go to sleep, but she couldn�t get herself to relax. When she closed her eyes, she saw Claudia, either tied to a chair or unconscious, the fight with Ashlocke and his followers, or Jesse�s naked body. The first three options weren�t so bad, really. It was when she saw the last one that all thoughts of sleep vanished from her mind replacing them with thoughts of other things entirely. Things she wasn�t sure that she really wanted to be thinking about given the current circumstances. Now that Claudia was awake and seeming to be in decent health, there was the very real danger that she might try and hurt Adam. She hadn�t heard anything from the lab yet, but that didn�t necessarily mean anything.

She sighed and rolled over onto her side, facing the back of the couch, curling up into a ball as best as she could. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to fall asleep.

Jesse poked his head into the living room. Not seeing anyone, he sat down on a couch. He couldn�t sit in his room. Every time he tried to do something, his eyes would unfailingly wander back over to his bed, his mind going back a few hours. He�d been forced to take quite a few cold showers as a result. He couldn�t keep his mind on anything. He�d asked Brennan if he was free for some sparring or some basketball, but he was busy with his own thoughts. What those were, he didn�t say. Shalimar was sleeping and Emma was doing something in the kitchen. He knew if he went in there, he�d get drafted into helping. He knew better than to bother Adam. Serenity gave him the creeps even if he did know where she was and Kat was also asleep.

The sound of soft breathing caught his attention. He looked around and finally spotted Honor curled up on the couch beside him. She sighed and rolled onto her back, one arm draped over her forehead with her other hand placed over her stomach. Her long red hair was fanned out around her head.

Jesse froze, afraid of waking her up. His heart was pounding so loud he was amazed that she was still sleeping. He reached over with one hand and brushed the back of the hand on her stomach. He licked his lips and tried to calm down. He slid off the couch and onto the floor beside her head. He ran his hand up her arm to her shoulder, up her neck to run his finger along her jaw. He wanted to kiss her so badly, but it was so horribly clich�d to do so. Besides, it would be more fun to do so if she were awake.

She made a soft sound and rolled towards him. He moved his hand away just as her eyelids fluttered open. She jumped.

�Sorry. I didn�t mean to wake you up.�

�Are you sure I�m not still sleeping?� she asked hoarsely.

He brushed her cheek lightly with one finger, causing her to shiver. �Do you think you�re dreaming?�

�Am I?�

On impulse, he leaned forward and kissed her, running his fingers up into her hair. Reacting to it, she placed a hand on his cheek. After he pulled away, she lay there with her eyes closed for a few moments before opening them again.

�I must be dreaming,� she whispered, running her hand from his cheek down to his shoulder.

He smiled. �I can assure you that you�re wide awake.�

�What proof do you have of that?�

�Plenty.�

�Show me.�

�Right now?� She nodded. �Isn�t this just a little public?�

She returned his smile and pulled him closer. �I think the others are far too occupied with their own business.� Honor sat up to let him sit beside her.

Needing very little encouragement, Jesse moved up beside her. He kissed her again, placing both of his hands on her cheeks. Her hands immediately went to his chest. She leaned forward until she was almost sitting in his lap. He couldn�t cope with her weight in addition to the already odd sitting position, so he fell backwards, pulling Honor down with him.

She lay on his chest, tracing the lines of his face. �Well, this is a switch,� she commented. �There�s not enough room for you to roll me off.�

He gave her an innocent look. �Now why would I want to do that?�

Casually she reached down to his groin and rubbed it softly, earning a faint moan of pleasure from Jesse, his eyes half closing. �I can think of a few reasons.�

�You�re a cruel woman, Honor,� he gasped when she pulled her hand away.

In response, she growled playfully and kissed him, nibbling his lower lip. She grabbed his arms as she did running her hands up his shoulders, around to the back of his arms and back again to the front, occasionally grabbing handfuls of shirt. He grunted, running his hands down her back. In his position, it was easy to move his head to kiss her neck and throat. He slid his hands into the back pockets of her jeans. Breathing heavily, Honor slid her hands up to cup his face.

She pulled back, panting. �I think you were right; we do need to move somewhere more private,� she said, brushing his hair away from his forehead.
He nodded and she moved off so that he could get up. Hand in hand, they walked into Jesse�s room. As soon as the door closed behind them, they turned to face each other, the fingers of her left and his right hand twining together. Jesse put his left hand on her hip and planted a kiss on her forehead. She looked up at him, just staring at his face before putting her right hand on his cheek. Tears streamed down her face, catching him off guard.

�What�s wrong?� he asked, concern written all over his gentle face.

She shook her head. �Nothing.�

�You�re crying, so there�s obviously something wrong.�

She sniffed. �It�s nothing, really. It�s just that I never thought I�d find someone who cares about me the way you do. I have friends and they care, but this is different.� Honor shook her head. �I�ve never felt this relaxed around a man before. The only two I have any experience with are just friends, nothing more. They�re more interested in the other girls I know anyways.� She shrugged. �Such is my luck. At least, it was until I came here and met you. You live around Shalimar and Emma and yet you still showed interest in me. Jesse, this goes way beyond my wildest dreams and yet here you are; you with your baby blue eyes and perfect body. I feel safe here, knowing that you won�t judge me or call me a freak just because I�m a little different from everyone else. You�re like me. The problem I�m having is that I don�t deserve you. You�re too nice.�

Jesse pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. He stroked her hair as he spoke. �What makes you think you don�t deserve me? Has it occurred to you that I don�t deserve you or the trust you�ve placed in my hands? After what happened to you, you still let me touch you, let me make love to you. Yes, what happened to you might even be just a psionic playing with your head, but we don�t know that for sure. As for Shal and Emma, well office romances are never a good idea even if I was attracted to them. Don�t take this the wrong way, but you�re not the most beautiful woman I�ve ever seen. That doesn�t matter. Your looks are open and honest and you have the most amazing eyes.�

Honor closed her eyes, listening to the soothing throb of his heart. �No, that hadn�t crossed my mind,� she murmured sleepily. The sleep that Jesse had disturbed hit her and she yawned. �I�m sorry. I�m so tired all of a sudden.�

�You can sleep here with me if you like. I promise nothing will happen unless you want it to.�

�As it�s unlikely that Kat will be out of the guest room anytime soon, I think I�ll take you up on that.� She paused. �I don�t have any pajamas.�

�You can borrow a shirt and a pair of shorts from me,� he suggested.

�That would be nice, thank you.�

He went to his dresser to get the offered items of clothing while Honor took her clothes off. She was just pulling her top off when he came over with the clothes. Jesse handed them to her and reached over to undo her bra strap for her and pulled his hand back afterwards. She smiled gratefully and removed it, pulling the shirt on. Standing up, she pulled the shorts on while Jesse got into a pair of loose pajama pants. He didn�t put a shirt on, much to Honor�s delight. He pulled the covers of the bed back and let her climb in before sliding in after her. She snuggled back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. It didn�t take long for her to fall asleep.

Not long after she�d fallen asleep, there was a soft knock on his door. �Who is it?�

It opened cautiously and Adam poked his head in. �I didn�t think you were asleep yet.� He took a few steps in, eyes widening at the sight of Honor peacefully sleeping with Jesse�s arms wrapped around her. �I guess that answers my question. I was trying to find her, but no one had seen her. I must admit, I�m a little surprised.�

�I told her how I felt. She reacted well to it.� He looked down at her briefly before looking back up at Adam. �I didn�t think things would go this well so quickly.�

Adam smiled knowingly. �Just don�t hurt her or give her reason to be angry with you.�

�You don�t have to tell me twice. I�d never hurt her.�

�Those words sound so familiar. I believe a much younger me once said them regarding a certain friend of his.� He shook his head. �Goodnight Jesse. Pleasant dreams.�

He smiled and closed his eyes after Adam had left, closing the door behind him. A perfect end to a very long day. That was his last conscious thought before falling asleep.
Not wanting to disturb Claudia, Adam went into the living room and sat down in a plush armchair. He�d turned the lights down before sitting down, so he sat, staring into the shadows. Sanctuary was quiet. The other members of Mutant X had all gone to bed. Kat was still fast asleep in the guest room with Serenity asleep in a similar armchair to the one he was occupying.

He thought back to the events of the day. A great deal had happened, events that guaranteed that none of their lives would be the same again. First there was Honor and Jesse. He wished them well. They looked good together. He just hoped that it would last. Honor needed some happiness after what had happened to her in her own home.

Secondly, there was the revelation of the telecyber that they�d visited earlier. She and Brennan evidently knew each other, but he wasn�t overly forthcoming on the details beyond what he�d said. He wondered if Emma had gotten a reading off him and made a note to ask her about that in the morning.

Kat and Serenity, two mutants he wasn�t overly familiar with, had gotten tangled up in all of this. Kat had been quite helpful in taking down Ashlocke�s group. Serenity, an innocent psionic, had been taken by Ashlocke. She wasn�t telling why. It was likely that she didn�t know. When he�d asked, she�d simply given him a blank look, saying nothing.

Gabriel Ashlocke. The first and most powerful mutant. Adam rubbed his forehead. He thought for sure that Ashlocke had died, but it would appear that he�d been wrong about that. He shouldn�t have been able to survive and yet he had. Adam kicked himself mentally, trying to figure out how that had happened. If he�d only done a better job of that, Claudia would never have been taken.

He froze, rage flooding through his veins. Claudia. If he could, he would wring Ashlocke�s neck for what he�d done to her. It mattered not to him that she hated him. As there was little he could do with his rage, he fought it back and buried his head in his hands. Claudia. Everything else that had happened looked so simple whenever her face entered his mind, which was quite frequently.

How could I have caused my best friend to hate me? What did I do? It has to have been something I did at the graduation party. This is a lousy time for my memory to blank out on me. Wait. Claudia said something just before I left. Best friends don�t betray their friend�s trust. What did she mean by that? Could I have accidentally told one of her classmates that she liked him? No, she wouldn�t be this mad over something like that.

He slowly went back through his memories of things that she�d trusted him with over the years, eliminating the relatively minor ones. Finally, he remembered something that they�d talked about not long after her sixteenth birthday party. She�d told him something in the strictest of confidences and made him promise to never tell anyone or act against her wishes.

He lurched forward. Oh no. I didn�t� Did I? If so, it�s no wonder that she hates me. I�d hate me to. Claudia. I have to talk to her. Now. This can�t wait.

He shot up out of the chair and opened the door to his bedroom.
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A Matter of Honor