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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
- 19
- 20
- 21
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 20: Into the Fire
When Friday night finally came around, Adam locked himself in his room and dialed Claudia�s number. As it rang, he felt a little foolish. He�d taken the first opportunity to call her. She probably wasn�t even home yet.

Someone on the other end picked up. �Hello?�

�Honor? Is that you?�

There was a pause. �You�re calling for Claudia, I assume, Adam?� she asked, teasing.

�Yes. I�d appreciate it if you�d put her on.�

�I�d love to, but she�s not here at the moment.�

His heart sank. �Do you know when she�ll be back?� Over the line, he heard the sound of a door opening and footsteps coming towards Honor. There was a slight scuffle before a new voice came over the line.

�She�s been teasing me all week, Adam,� Claudia told him sourly. �Like I need any more irritation in my life.�

�Rough day at work?�

He could hear the smile in her voice. �Nothing out the ordinary. I�m just glad to hear from you. It�s been hell the last few days, but it was tolerable knowing that I had something to look forward to at the end of it.�

�I�m not calling to early? Honor said you weren�t home yet.�

�I was sitting outside with a mug of ice tea and a book,� she explained. �Sometimes, I like to do that. When I heard the phone ring, I figured it was either you or Jesse. Because she didn�t immediately take off to another part of the house with it, I guessed it was you. Knowing her, I knew she would try and tease you the way she�d been getting at me.�

�That�s not very nice of her.�

�Just start laying into her about Jesse and she leaves you alone for a while.�

�I�ll keep that in mind. So. What do you feel like doing tonight?�

�Whatever you want. You still remember what I like, I trust?�

Adam shook his head. �How could I forget? I think this time though we�ll avoid the Japanese restaurants.�

�That would be appreciated.�

�It�s funny. I can hear your skin turning green.�

�It�s not nice to tease me like that.�

�What? Honor gets to, but I can�t?�

�If you�re going to do that, at least have the guts to do it to my face.�

�So why don�t I pick you up at, say, seven and we�ll go get something to eat?�

�Sounds wonderful. Now I just have to find something decent to wear. I don�t go out much.�

�Whatever you choose will be perfect.�

�And if I choose to show up in ripped jeans and a t-shirt?�

�You always look good. Even up to your ears in mud.�

�Must you remind me of every little detail of the past?�

�Oh, lighten up, Claudia. I haven�t seen you in so long. I have thirty years worth of teasing to catch up on.�

�Does this mean I can catch up on the missed years� worth of beating you up?�

�Let�s not and say we did.�

�So you can play catch up, but I can�t? That�s hardly fair, now is it?�

Adam laughed. �Alright, alright, I�ll stop it. You can be quite the bully when you want to.�

She snorted. �Like it was hard to twist your arm there.�

�So, seven o�clock then?�

She laughed. �Same old Adam. Yes. Seven will be lovely. See you then?�

�Yes. Claudia?�

�Yes?�

He hesitated and then changed his mind on what he was going to say. �I can�t wait to see you again,� he said instead.

There was a pause before she replied. �Me neither.�

�Bye.�

�Bye.�

Adam hung up and set the phone back down in its cradle before allowing himself a victorious cheer.
Downstairs, the others looked up, startled, as the sound echoed towards them. Emma giggled. �I don�t know about you guys, but I think someone just got lucky.�

�Whatever gave you that impression?� Brennan asked innocently, turning to Jesse. �How about you? Have you gotten a hold of Honor yet?�

�Today?� Brennan nodded. Jesse turned a calm eye on the older man. �That�s none of your business.�

�Sure it is, Jess,� Shalimar said, leaning towards him. �Besides, you might as well tell us. If you leave Sanctuary, we�ll know about it.�

�It won�t be hard to guess where you�re going, either,� Brennan added.

Jesse rolled his eyes. �If you really want to know, no I haven�t. Not yet. I don�t want her to think I�m too eager.�

�Yeah, but you also don�t want her to think that you�re taking this lightly,� Emma countered. �Girls are funny that way.�

He threw his hands up in surrender. �Alright, alright. I�ll go call her,� he said, stalking off.

�I never thought I�d see the day when you have to twist his arm to get him to go and call his girlfriend,� Brennan said, shaking his head.
Picking up the phone, he dialed Honor�s cell phone to avoid the kind of ribbing he figured he�d get if Claudia answered the phone, which was likely as she was the last person using it and might still be nearby. It rang a couple times before being answered.

�Yes?�

�You sound out of breath, Honor,� he teased.

�Y�know, Jesse, if you were anyone else, I�d be very upset with you right now. I was having a nice hot bath.�

�Sorry about that. That�s the last time I listen to those guys about when to call you.�

There was a pause. �They twisted your arm into calling me?�

�Yeah.�

�I�ll bet they didn�t have to twist very hard,� she observed.

�Well, no. I was procrastinating because I didn�t want to sound desperate.�

�Jesse, you don�t have to worry about that. You have me. I�m not going anywhere. I wouldn�t have given you my cell number otherwise.�

�I should let you get back to your bath.�

�Don�t worry about it. I�d rather talk to you instead.�

�For someone who�s never had a boyfriend before, you sure know how to push the right buttons.�

�I don�t mean to sound cold, but it�s not that hard, really.�

�Ouch!�

�Sorry. Like I said, this is all new to me. I�m not really sure how to even act.�

�Don�t you dare change anything about yourself,� he warned. �I like you just the way you are.�

�That�s sweet of you to say.�

�I�m just telling it like it is, Honor.� He took a deep breath. �Hey, want to do something later?�

�What did you have in mind?�

�Nothing big, just hang out, watch a movie, order a pizza or something.�

�Sounds good. Why don�t you come over? Claudia won�t be here. I don�t know when she�ll be back, but I�m sure she�ll be gone for quite a while.�

�So we�d have that entire house all to ourselves?�

�That�s right.�

He faked an exasperated sigh. �I don�t know if I can handle having you all to myself in that big, big house of yours.�

�Well, if you�re not up to it, maybe I should just find someone who is,� she teased in a low voice.

He sighed again. �Oh, all right. I�ll come over.�

�That�s my Jesse.�

�I could get used to hearing that. You calling me yours.�

�I�m certainly not letting anyone else have you.�

�I�m going nowhere. Not for a few hours anyways. Which reminds me. When do you want me to come over?�

�Claudia said that Adam�s picking her up at seven, so a little after that just so that we can avoid the teasing and the awkwardness.�

�I�m getting a fair amount of that here already. I would love to avoid any more of it.�

�So I�ll see you later then?�

�I look forward to it. I�ve missed you.�

�I miss you, too. Bye!�

�Bye.�
It had taken Adam forever to figure out what he wanted to wear. He opted against his standard black, settling instead for a pair of tan dress pants and a dark blue long sleeved shirt. After Emma pronounced him good to go, he took off. As he drove, his min wandered off, trying to guess what Claudia would be wearing and how she would react to where he was taking her.
�He�s going to be here soon,� Honor warned the older woman. �You might want to hurry up in there.�

�We wouldn�t be having this problem if you hadn�t insisted that I wear this ridiculous thing,� she returned sourly.

�You�re the fool who said she wanted to look nice.�

�This is not what I had in mind.�

�You should have been more specific, then.� She turned to look down the hallway as the doorbell rang. �I�ll get it. You just finish up in there.�

Honor raced down the steps and opened the front door to see Adam waiting on the step with a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

�Come on in. She�ll be a minute.� She eyed him carefully. �You don�t look too bad.�

�Thanks.� He looked at her. �You don�t.�

She shrugged. �I�m not going anywhere tonight. With Claudia out for the evening, I�m just going watch a movie or something.�

�Sounds like fun.�

She gave him a sly look. �More fun than your plans for the evening.�

�That�s none of your business.�

�No, but it�s mine,� Claudia said, joining them in the hallway. Adam looked like his eyes were going to fall out of his face. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing straight. She blushed at his scrutiny. �I�ll explain outside.�

Numbly, he handed her the bouquet of flowers. �These are for you.�

She cradled them in her arms, burying her face in the blossoms. �How did you know that lavender is my favorite flower?� she asked, teasingly.

�Wild guess.�

�Honor, could you put these in some water for me?�

�Sure thing,� she said, taking them from Claudia and heading into the kitchen.

�Let�s get out of here. Quickly, while she�s distracted.�

Adam laughed as she slipped into her shoes and grabbed her jacket, following her out the door to his car. He stopped her before she could climb into the car, spinning her around so that she faced him before giving her a quick kiss. �You look wonderful.�

She blushed. �You have Honor to thank for that. I haven�t worn this thing in years and never would have thought of it.�

Once again, he eyed the long, spaghetti strap silk dress with its black on black embroidered dragon pattern. Over it, she was wearing a long black leather trench coat, the same one she�d worn when she�d encountered Mutant X while trying to find Honor. Her purple scarf was wrapped around her neck. With her hair as short as it was, it wasn�t really possible to style it much, so it had been left alone. She wore no makeup, as was her habit.

�I�m glad that you are wearing it,� he whispered. �It�s perfect.�

�We should get going before Honor sticks her head out here,� she whispered back.

�I suppose you�re right,� he sighed, opening the car door for her. She smiled and got in.
Two hours later, they walked out of the restaurant giggling like school kids, arms wrapped around each other. Claudia had tears streaming down her cheeks she was laughing so hard. Adam managed to get a hold of himself long enough to unlock the door for her and open the door before getting in himself. He started the engine and they sat there gasping for breath.

�I can�t believe you did that!� Claudia got out between gasps. �You went back to the past and met yourself?�

�I had to. There was a lot at stake.�

She shook her head in disbelief. �Just the sheer guts of it all is�unbelievable.�

�It was very odd, seeing myself again at that age. I was so naive.� He was calm enough to drive, so he put the car into gear and pulled out of the parking lot.

�Where are we going now?� she asked him, still gasping for air. �Not another Italian restaurant.�

�I�m too full for any more food. Trust me. You�ll like this.�

�You won�t tell me?�

�If I told you, it wouldn�t be a surprise. And don�t read me. I know I said my mind is open to you, but that would be cheating.�

She folded her arms. �This had better be good.�

Ten minutes later, Adam pulled the car into a wooded area and parked it, turning the engine off. He got out and opened Claudia�s door. �We�re here.�

She looked around. They were parked on a cliff overlooking the downtown area. The lights in the buildings made a lovely display from their perch. Claudia shot him an accusing look. �It�s our first date and you decided to take me parking.�

�You misunderstand. I just wanted to show you the view.�

She walked up and put her hands on his chest. �Did you now? Which view was that?�

He gestured towards the lights. �That one.�

She smiled and leaned forward to whisper in his ear. �Liar.� She shivered. �Even with this jacket, it�s really cold out. The sun isn�t even down and this is almost intolerable.�

�You never could handle the cold very well. We can get back into the car if you like.�

�I hope that thing has a good heater.�

Adam pulled her in closer. �That really depends on your definition of heat.�

She poked him. �Don�t even think about trying to seduce me in the back seat of your car, Adam. That�s just cheesy.�

�What would you suggest?� he asked, bending forward to nibble on the side of her neck.

She backed away, giggling and swatting at him. �If I wasn�t so sure that Jesse was over, I�d suggest my place and Sanctuary is right out.�

�How so?�

�Three reasons: Shalimar, Brennan, and Emma.�

�Who says they have to know that we�re there?�

�Won�t they know when they see your car back?�

Adam thought about that for a moment. �Not if the car doesn�t go back into the garage. It�s still light out and there�s a blanket in the trunk. We could sit up near the top of the mountain and watch the sun set. It know a spot that has a really nice view.�

Claudia gave him a careful look. �I don�t see anything wrong with that.�

They both got back into the car and drove back to Stormking Mountain in silence, simply enjoying each other�s company. When they got to the spot Adam had mentioned, the sun was only a little lower in the sky than it had been. He parked the car a short distance from it and took the blanket out of the trunk. Hand in hand, they walked to the spot. While Claudia waited, Adam spread the blanket over the ground and invited her to join him.

She sat down and arranged the skirt of her dress around her. Adam sidled up and put his arm around her shoulder. As she watched the sun go down, she rested her head on his shoulder.

�Mmm. You smell good,� she murmured.

�So do you, but then you always do. It must be all the lavender you surrounded yourself with.� He shifted position so that he could finger the ends of her hair. �If someone had told me a week ago that I would be in this position with you, I wouldn�t have believed them.�

�I would have inflicted a fair amount of pain to whoever said it,� she told him. �Remember, I still hated you a week ago.�

�How�s that going anyways?�

�It�s almost completely gone.� She sounded surprised as she shook her head as much as was possible given her current position. �I thought it would take longer than this.�

�I won�t complain if you won�t.�

�I wasn�t planning on it, really.�

They sat in silence for a little while longer before Adam pulled back from her a little. He placed a hand on her cheek, brining his face close to hers. �Claudia�� he murmured, but hesitated.

�I know,� she murmured back, bringing her hand up from his chest and running a finger along his jaw line. �I know.�

Gently, Adam leaned forward and kissed her. Even though she�d done so before, he was still surprised that she returned it. Claudia pressed right up against him as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He ignored the part of his mind that was telling him that this couldn�t possibly be happening and concentrated instead on the taste and texture of Claudia�s lips, the feel of her smooth skin under his rough hands, and how stunning she looked in that dress.

He got a further surprise when Claudia deepened the kiss, becoming more insistent. She didn�t object at all when one hand slid down her side to her waist. She paused a little when it came back up her front, but let him be.

Adam pulled her down to the ground with him. He broke the kiss, running one hand up her side, being careful not to tickle her. �Are you sure you don�t want to reconsider going to Sanctuary? It�s going to get cold up here fairly soon and this ground might not be the most comfortable spot. That is, if this is going where I think it�s going.�

She snuggled up against his chest. �I think it might be going there. I�m still not really sure about that. All I know is that this feels good.�

�Perhaps it would be best if we try this someplace warm and comfortable.�

�I�m not sure I would feel comfortable doing this with people around.�

An idea struck Adam. �I can think of two possible solutions. One, we sneak into your house and avoid Honor and Jesse altogether. If you�re not comfortable with that, how about that little shelter along your jogging path? Or do other people use it?�

�Not to my knowledge.� She thought about that. �I have a better idea. Let�s head to the shelter first. Later, we can sneak back into my place to sleep.�

�You�re going to let me stay the night?�

She pulled back and flashed him an evil grin. �I just want to see the look on Honor�s face in the morning. I haven�t yet teased her sufficiently about Jesse yet, so this sounds like a good opportunity to me.�

�Sounds good to me.� He kissed her on the cheek and stood up, pulling her to her feet. �Let�s go.�

She laughed as Adam dragged her back to the car. �Someone�s in a hurry. This might not go so well if I�m pushed, you know.�

Adam turned to look back at her. �If we don�t get there soon, you might change your mind. I�m not really willing to take that chance.�

She gave an exasperated sigh as she climbed into the car. �You men are all the same,� she teased as they drove off.
The door slammed open as Adam and Claudia rushed in, hands all over each other. It was fortunate for them that it had no occupant as they weren�t paying attention to anything outside of themselves. Adam was aware of his surroundings for only long enough to close the door behind them before pressing Claudia up against a wall, grabbing her hands, and pressing up against her as he let loose with all the feelings that had been pent up inside for so long. She responded to every move he made with just as much ardor. She brought one leg up and wrapped it around his waist, her telekinetic powers keeping her standing up. Adam ran his hands down her arms to her breasts, cupping them while mentally cursing that there were two thin layers of material separating his hands from what the smooth pale skin. His hands continued down her front and moved to grab her waist.

Free now, Claudia brought her arms down, raking her fingers through his hair while he nibbled the side of her neck. She moaned softly as his lips moved around to her throat. He kissed there very gently, not wanting to hurt her. She leaned into it, wrapping her arms around his neck to keep him there. Taking that as a good thing, he nibbled up and down her throat, running his hands down from her waist to her thighs, pulling up on the skirt of her dress.

Claudia brought her leg down and spun him around so that it was his back up against the wall, his hands that were pinned. Standing on her toes, she nibbled on his ear lobe as she slid her hands down to his chest, undoing the top few buttons of his shirt and sliding her hand underneath to feel his warm skin.

In retaliation, he pulled her hands out and scooped her up into his arms, taking her over to the cot. He set her down so that she was sitting lengthwise on it, and half straddled her. She brought her hands up and cupped his face as their lips met in a heated kiss.

While he was bus with that, Claudia finished unbuttoning his shirt and went for his belt buckle. She cursed when she couldn�t get it undone. Adam laughed and got up to give her a hand. She got up when he finished undoing the buckle and slid the shirt from his shoulders. As it fell to the ground, Adam brought his hands up to toy with the straps of her dress, pulling her in closer as he slid them off her shoulders. Smiling knowingly, Claudia guided one of his hands to her back where the zipper was. He caressed her back for a moment before slowly lowering the zipper, swallowing nervously. He paused halfway and looked at her uncertainly.

She stepped back and reached behind her, lowering it the rest of the way. With her eyes half lidded in what she guessed would be a seductive expression, she turned her back to him. Looking over her shoulder, she slid the dress off, letting the black silk pool at her feet. Beneath it, she wore a full slip that stopped halfway down her thighs.

Adam stepped up to her and ran his lips over the nape of her neck while running his hands up and down her arms. Claudia turned into him and met his lips, easing the rest of his clothing off. Wrapped in each other�s arms, they sat down on the cot. Through sheer will power, Adam managed to untangle himself for long enough to get her slip and underwear off.

Naked now, they sat staring at each other. The last time they�d been in the shelter, they�d had underwear on, band so knew what each other looked like, but the removal of that last layer removed any pretense that either of them might still be under. With Adam�s mind wide open to her, she knew exactly what he was feeling. He pushed gently on her shoulders to lie her down. She didn�t resist, shuddering only slightly with cold. Seeing that, Adam grabbed a blanket and draped it over Claudia before crawling under to join her. His eyes asked the question that he was afraid to give voice to. She hesitated a moment before nodding.

Adam eased himself up on top of her, keeping eye contact with her the whole time. She brought her arms up hesitantly, wrapping them around him as she parted her legs to let him in. Going as slow as he could stand, he went in, earning himself a pained gasp from Claudia. She dug her nails into his back, making him flinch. Inside now, he lay down on her, being careful not to crush her under his weight. It took her a few minutes to relax her iron grip on him and for her breathing to relax. Experimentally, he moved a little. She flinched and hissed a bit, but it took her less time to calm down. After a few more tries, he was able to keep going with slow, gentle movements. Claudia relaxed into it, reaching up with her lips to find his.

Lost in his embrace, Claudia let herself go, let loose all her feelings, and let go of the control she had on her mind. As things escalated, images began to form in her mind; images of her captors, the men who had tortured her, her former colleague from work, and of Ashlocke. They flashed slowly at first, one at a time, causing her to pause momentarily, but it passed quickly. It wasn�t long before the images and the emotions the evoked came faster and faster until she couldn�t take it anymore. She threw Adam off, grabbing the blanket and wrapping it around herself looking like a terrified animal.

Adam looked stunned as he got up and looked at her. When he tried to get close, tears came to her eyes and she flinched away.

�Don�t,� she whispered. �Please. No more. No more pain.�

He surged forward to grab her shoulders. �Claudia, it�s ok. It�s me, it�s Adam.� She fought him, trying to shake him off. There was a glazed and panicked look in her eye. �Shh, it�s going to be alright. No one�s going to hurt you.�

It took time for the reassurances to get through to her, for her to recognize Adam as himself and not one of the men that had deliberately hurt her in the past. The tears came faster now as she burrowed against his chest. He stroked her hair as he continued to whisper reassurances in her ear. Slowly, he guided her back over to the cot. He lay her down and lay down beside her, wrapping his arms around her shaking shoulders. When the tears stopped, he kissed her forehead.

�Adam, I�m so sorry.�

�Don�t worry about it. I should have anticipated that. In light of how violently you reacted, I�m amazed that it took as long or that you even let me touch you for that matter.�

�I thought I was ok, that this was behind me.�

�You have thirty years of trauma to get over. That doesn�t just go away in a few days.� He smiled at her. �Before that, though, was it ok?�

She managed a smile, caressing his cheek. �I�ve never felt anything like it before.�

�Good feeling or bad?�

�I�m not sure. I think it was good.�

Adam looked hurt. �You think?�

�I�d have to do that again to make sure, but yes, I think it was good. I couldn�t really think straight. I don�t know what your hands were doing but thinking wasn�t really possible while you were doing it.�

He relaxed a little. �I would like to try again, but tonight wouldn�t be the best time. I don�t relish the thought of being thrown like that again. We should sit and talk about your past experiences first, though, and see if we can�t keep another episode like this from happening again.�

�You�re being very calm about all of this,� she commented.

�If it means I can be with you, I�ll do anything.�

Claudia raised an eyebrow. �Anything?�

He gave her a look. �You�re the telempath. You know what I�m trying to say.�

�I have to tease you a little. You know that.�

He let go and leaned over her. �Tease me anymore and I might just have to tickle you again.�

�Don�t you dare,� she warned.

�Or you�ll what?�

She paused. �You have me there.�

�Why don�t we get dressed and head back to your place?�

�I don�t want to move,� she complained. �It�s comfortable here.�

�As I recall, your bed is a lot more comfortable. Not to mention that it�s warmer.�

She sighed. �Fine, we�ll go, but you will pay for making me move.�

He laughed. �Whatever you say.�
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A Matter of Honor