Warning: Sexual themes and coarse language!

Chapter Fourteen: Forms of Love

Day 1: (and 2) (and 3)

John is not talking. He just stares into space while lying on that damn cot. And leaving me to just write down visual observations. Like I am right now. That and doddle... could have made a nice little collage by now, but I digress. I've tried talking to him and asking him questions. Nothing. I've shook him. He just groans but otherwise does nothing. He is obviously very depressed and in a state of grief. Trapping himself in self chastisement and regret.

But still... this is getting a little ridiculous. And I am bored. I'm going to have to break one of my rules tomorrow.

Jenna was seated on her usual stool with her doddle ridden notepad in John's cement cell. He was still on the cot, not having moved for almost four days. Hopefully she'll be able to get him to at least move today. With a heavy sigh, she settled in to wait.

It took a few moments for her to fully let down some of the mental shields she'd put up the past months to keep out the incessant thoughts of those within the Sanctuary. It felt odd to do so, but it was for a good cause. Jenna focused on John's mind.

Still he looked up at the ceiling. Not moving or speaking. If breathing were not automatic, he may have ceased doing that as well. Eventually Jenna started catching his thoughts. Flashes of memories and images of those John had recent contact with circled through his mind. He was going over what happened with Adam Worth; sparing his life at Hollow Earth and working with him towards going back in time. And all for naught. He'd ended up losing everything. He should have killed Worth when he had the chance and spared himself the agony of completely alienating the one person he cherished more than his own life.

"Not to mention, trapped yourself in a temporal rift for almost a year." Jenna commented idly while doodling beside her most recent notes.

John turned his head to look over at Jenna. "I beg your pardon?" he asked, his soft wispy voice was rough with disuse. He seemed disoriented and confused to see her there. Something in her voice seemed to have finally reached him; or probably because it had coincided with his thoughts so well. Her words were not coincidental, but revealed the violation within his mind.

Jenna tired to hide a smile and shifted in her chair. "Sorry. I was eavesdropping."

It took a moment, than John closed his eyes in realization. "Telapaths." He said under his breath, annoyed and now self conscious. "Why are you here?" he asked, rubbing his temples. After having another entity in his self sharing his body, his thoughts and influencing his actions, telepaths were just another abnormal that could unnerve as well as understand him. The energy entity never liked them; didn't like empaths either—they were the reason the entity got found out.

"I'm here to help you." She replied simply, pursing her lips as she read his thoughts concerning her trick. She knew most people thought that way, which was why she tried not to read people unless by accident or, in this case, really needed to.

"And to help, you eavesdropped on my thoughts?" John didn't snap like other people; his voice remained soft and menacing but never went sharp unless he raised his voice. Which he did not do now as he wasn't angry, just tired.

Raising an eyebrow, Jenna leaned forward. "Yes. You've been practically comatose for almost four days, John." Jenna smiled. "And this is the first time you've moved or spoken. I'd say the ends justified the means. Besides... Will talked me into this... and I was getting a bit bored. Shaking you didn't work, nor electrical shocks. Yesterday I just sat there and watched you stare at the ceiling. Look, my notepad has more art than notes!" She showed him her notepad which had various objects and characters drawn on the margins.

John rolled his eyes as he struggled to sit up at the edge of the cot. He rubbed his head with his large hands. He wasn't sure if she was purposely trying to be immature and coy or if it was all from her own frustrations. He'd heard a lot of things about this particular abnormal, most of which he didn't think were entirely true, but her youth was still very apparent. One day she'll be another Helen though, he amended ruefully.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Jenna asked, flopping the notepad back on her lap. She was having trouble closing herself back off as his train of thought was getting a little condescending.

He gave her a blank look. "You and Tesla." He paused. "Tesla beating my ass after..." he blanched and shivered. It was the one of the few things both the demon and he shared in common; their dislike for the vampire and the disgust they both felt when he saw the villain sucking the blood from Jenna's anticubital vein. Blood that he and the devil inside him wanted and needed obsessively; the disease that Helen's blood had so deftly suppressed all these years had flared up after the their escape from the temporal aperture.

Jenna chuckled. She leaned back in her chair, smiling at the recent memory. "Yes, Nikola did kick your tall English ass, didn't he?" She pursed her lips in amusement when he shot her a half hearted glare. "So you were completely aware this entire time?"

"I was." John answered. "I watched as the beast inside me ripped out of that tear after months of... indescribable ..." He looked up, looking for the right words. "We couldn't feel anything and yet every moment was filled with pain." He shook himself. Like Nikola, he had a habit of using his arms and hands to accentuate his words; though his motions were broader where Nikola's was intricate. "Fortunately the elemental figured out how to get out of the temporal rift and back into the present time. Finding only dust and pulverised rubble where Praxis used to be."

"Uh hu. How long ago was that?" Jenna asked.

With a shrug, John shook his head. "A month... more. Time seemed to be the least of the demons concern." He stood up and started to pace. "We found a tribe of Hollow Earth abnormal's and tried to get information on current events. I was able to influence my tag along to get that information by asking and not threatening. Fortunately they were more than helpful." He stated idly. John sat down at the desk, pulling out the chair and facing it towards her. "It's where we found out about you."

Tilting her head, Jenna raised her brows. "Yes, you were saying when we first met that some abnormal's were aware of my presence." She said, annoyance coloring her tone.

John chuckled, the first positive emotion she'd gotten from him. The amusement faded as he looked her over. Remorse bubbled within him next as his memories drifted back to that short encounter. His eyes got that haunted look. "I... I would ask your forgiveness."

"For what?" Jenna asked, pretty sure she knew what he was referring to.

"For forcing you into capturing me... and hurting you..." John said in his soft voice.

Jenna smiled slightly. "It wasn't you." She told him confidently.

With a smirk, John nodded. "That may be, but there are many other things that I have to account for. I've hurt many people. A few of those are people who I care about."

"Yes. Yes you do." She said plainly. "That elemental may have had more influence over your actions recently, but that hasn't always been the case. You have a long road of redemption ahead of you. And it's not going to be easy. You did hurt many people; many who have come to rely and care for you as well. Some of them will not forgive easily and you'll have to take slow, small steps to gain their respect and trust back."

He shot her a startled look, but then looked down at his hands. "How long will I be in this cell?" He asked, needing to change the subject.

Jenna shifted uneasily. "I can't answer that. It could be for the rest of your life." She told him, sighing at his depressed resignation. "But I'm hoping that with my help, that trust and forgiveness I was talking about can be rekindled enough that Helen would allow you to reintegrate you in the world once again."

"Helen."

"Yes. Helen. I must warn you, John... she is still determined to cut you out of her life. I've told her that she may change her mind, but I don't think you will ever be able to make it work with her. That life may be lost forever." Jenna told him, she wanted to make the point clear, but not quench any hope for any future friendship rekindling. "You did something stupid. Very stupid. And now you'll have to pay the consequences.

John nodded. "I understand." His voice was barely above a whisper, and his eyes had unfocused. Helen's fierce scolding when they were searching for Adam made that very apparent. He couldn't quite see her side of it, but he was now determined to try now that he was in control of himself once more.

Flicking the much used paper over to start on a fresh page, Jenna clicked her pen. "Alright then." She started. "Let's get started."

In the next two weeks, for an hour every morning, Jenna went to see John for a session of talking, catching up and general rehabilitation to get John used to maintaining the mental/spiritual cell that Jenna had put up to keep the energy elemental from taking over again. While she put it up, it was up to John to keep it secure; she reassured him it would be easier for him as it was his soul. She taught him several meditation techniques she had learned herself in the course of her spiritual growth when she was mortal.

Jenna also helped him come to terms with his deeds, past and present.

After that hour, she went to Nikola's lab to work on the teleporters. They were coming along as planned but recently they'd started to get unexpected "setbacks". After they worked on their pet project for a couple of hours, Jenna would take a lunch break with Helen to inform her of their progress. Sometimes Helen asked about John, while trying to retain a professional detachment. And most recently, Jenna asked about the plans Helen and Kate were making for the "simple" dinner and engagement party that would be coming up. Apparently the secondary reason for the dinner had the Tribal leaders a buzz with excitement and Kate had a hard time convincing them that they didn't need to bring gifts for Jenna as well. That admission made Jenna laugh with both amusement and sympathy.

After lunch, if she couldn't lure Nikola out of the lab to spar, and if everyone else was too busy, Jenna would help Biggie tend the garden.

To say her days were full would be an overstatement.

One evening, she was just coming back from being wrist deep in the fertile soil of the gardens and was headed to her room to shower. She liked to walk out the kinks that would result from her labor, plus walking through the staff residential corridors at this time was pleasantly quiet.

When she entered her room, she stopped short. Her room was lit up with a multitude of column candles of various sizes and candlestick heights. It made her room glow in a wash of candle light splendor. In the middle of her receiving room was a round table which had a rose colored table cloth draped over it, which was set up like a five star restaurant. Only one plate had a covered dish set on top of it. In the middle was a slim vase with a single white lily and two taper candles.

In the background was classical music. A perfect setting for a romantic night.

With her hands at her cheeks, Jenna looked about and found Nikola at her window seat waiting for her. On the small table she'd put beside the seat was a bottle of finely aged Merlot and an empty glass. Nikola held his quarter filled glass in one hand. He watched her in amusement while she took in the set up. He patted the seat beside him. With a saucy smile, Jenna approached him. "If I had known you would be doing this..." she said slowly, "I wouldn't have worked in the garden." Jenna showed him her dirt stained hands. "I was going to take a shower."

Nikola grinned mischievously. "You can still have a shower." He said and took a sip of wine.

Jenna bit her lip softly. "And would I be having a shower alone, or would I be getting company?" she tried to ask the question seriously, but he had her off balance with this sweet surprise.

"Only if you want it." Nikola replied bantered back.

That was a double on tundra if she'd ever heard one. Jenna could feel her cheeks slightly redden. She rubbed her dirty hands together and pretended to think about it. She liked taking showers though she really didn't need to take them to get clean. Though she was sorely tempted to take him up on his thinly veiled offer, if they showered together, it may lead to other things, and she wasn't sure if she was quite ready yet. At least not at this precise moment. That and she was hungry, and the smell coming from the plates were becoming hard to ignore. Jenna sat down next to him and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. When she pulled back, she smiled at him, looking up at him through her lashes, in an attempt to be sultry. "Stay."

There was a hint of a sigh, but Nikola just smiled back. "As you wish." He replied slowly, the tone of his voice able to send shivers down Jenna's back.

She got up slowly and with a wink in Nikola's direction, she went back into the other room and into the lavish bathroom. Jenna took her shower quickly but was thorough. Her heart was beating rapidly if not a bit eccentrically, and she knew Nikola was most likely listening to it while he waited.

When she was done, she quickly dried herself off.

Jenna exited the bathroom wearing a light peach button down blouse and a flowing satin skirt. She didn't wear any jewelry or make up and her hair simply went straight down her back. But then, she didn't need to do anything extra to make Nikola smile at her like he was at that moment. She twirled around for him as she approached the table with her food. With a smile, she sat down and lifted the lid off her plate.

Nikola walked over, carrying two glasses of wine with the bottle held between two fingers. He sat down on the chair placed beside hers and gave her the second glass.

"See, now I don't smell like dirt while I'm eating." Jenna commented, taking a sip of wine.

"You always smell delicious." He commented right back. He took her free hand and brought it to his lips.

Jenna giggled. Of course he would think so. "So why am I the only one eating? I thought you could consume food as well." She said as she speared a delectable piece of chicken with her fork and popped it in her mouth.

Watching her, Nikola smiled and dug in his inner coat pocket. "Because I would rather watch you eat." He commented and brought out a small tin and opened it. Inside were several red capsules the size of a small glue stick. Taking one, Nikola opened it over his wine, letting the powder become absorbed in the liquid. He swirled his wine gently and took a graceful sip. He couldn't hide the small grimace.

"Didn't Helen mention once that you didn't mind those supplements?" Jenna asked, chuckling softly as she ate. His comment had her slightly self conscious, and she ate as delicately-and as quickly-as she could.

Nikola sighed dramatically; he retook her hand in his and laid it against his cheek. "I did. Unfortunately my tastes have been somewhat more... fastidious since I've had the pleasure of sampling your palate."

She didn't know why, but the way he said it caused goose bumps to course over her skin and heat to come to her cheeks. Jenna knew he was referring to her blood, but his eyes seemed to sparkle with something else. She cleared her throat. "I see." His thumb was gently brushing the palm of her captured hand, which was getting distracting. Gently pulling her hand away, she took his glass and set it in front of her. In her other hand appeared a needle which she used to prick one of her fingers; she pinched the finger over his glass and five delicate red drops of blood mixed into the wine-supplement cocktail. She swirled it just like he had and handed it back to him.

He had an eyebrow raised as he took back his glass. "Are you sure that was wise?" He was already having trouble not pouncing her without the added rush her blood seemed to affect him with.

Jenna waved away his concern. "In that small amount all it'll do is add a little flavor to your drink, nothing more." She assured. Without thinking, Jenna put her finger in her mouth to clean the blood off her finger.

Nikola's eyes widened as he watched her. There was something very sexy about her absentminded action. This time it was him who cleared his throat. He took his wine glass and took another sip, finding the taste much better than before.

"What were you up to while I was in the garden?" Jenna asked.

"Checking the power output and supply mechanisms of this place." Nikola answered, leaning against the back of his chair with wine glass in hand. "I wanted to be sure our teleporters would be supplied with enough energy to operate when we initiate them. It may take time before their own buffers will be able to supply the teleporters with their own energy. Especially in an emergency." He explained, his other hand moving to accentuate his words.

Taking a sip of her own wine, Jenna nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. Though, I was thinking, for cases of intruders, we should have some sort of control or remote that can shut them down; making it harder for enemies to get around."

Their conversation carried on about their invention while Jenna ate. It was defiantly a topic which both of them felt passionately about and could talk of for a long while.

Once Jenna finished her dinner she took a larger than normal sip of wine. "Thank you for bringing me dinner." She said to him.

Nikola smiled and nodded. He had recaptured her hand and was tracing small circles over the sensitive skin. "You're welcome." He said softly. He used his hold to pull her towards him and kissed her, winding his other hand around her neck. When Nikola pulled back, he stood fluidly, bringing Jenna with him and pulling her into his arms. Their lips met again and their bodies pressed close.

Jenna wound her other arm around Nikola's torso, keeping him as close to her as she could. When he started rocking from side to side in time with the background music, she mirrored him.

When they parted to catch their breath, he took her other hand and put it on his shoulder while the other was still securely in his other hand. Nikola twirled her around before moving her back into his arms. "Do you think there will be dancing at young Kate's party?" he asked, leading her through a simple slow dance.

"I'm not sure." Jenna replied, thoroughly enjoying herself. "There might be."

The hand at her back pushed her harder against Nikola and he twirled them across the room. Meanwhile, his lips found the smooth skin of her neck causing Jenna to shiver deliciously. Somehow the hand against her hip sneaked its way under her blouse to press against the small of her back. Nikola trailed kisses up her neck and along her jaw before taking her mouth against his once again. Jenna responded ardently and slipped her hand under his suit jacket. Using just the one hand, she deftly undid his vest and several shirt buttons.

Abandoning the dance, Nikola grabbed her by her thighs and lifted her up against his waist. Jenna wrapped her legs around him as he took them to her bed and set her gently on her back, poising above her. He shucked off his jacket and threw it to the ground.

Jenna groaned softly, relishing the feel of him on top of her. She was suddenly very ready.

Shifting to the side, Nikola smiled down at Jenna and placed a lingering kiss on her wrist and worked his way up her arm, causing the places he touched to tingle up and straight down to her loins and toes. One of his hands trailed up from her hip, over her stomach, undoing each button on its way up to the top button. He glanced over at her with a smoldering look. When he brushed the fabric away there was no bra covering her ample breast and budding nipple.

Her body arched of its own violation when his hand moved over the sensitive skin of her breast, rubbing the bud between his thumb and other fingers, arousing it and sending jolts of pleasure through her. Meanwhile his lips went up over her collarbone and down to her other breast. Gasping, Jenna ran her fingers in his hair and down his neck while arching into his mouth and touch.

Suddenly Nikola sat up and smoothed both hands along her hips, hooked under the skirts elastic waist band and slowly brought the garment down her legs and off. That too went to the floor. While his eyes appraised the sight of her naked body (Jenna had pulled off the blouse and tossed it away), Nikola took off his vest. With a hunger barely contained he lay at her side and kissed her passionately as his hand moved over her breast urgently.

He worshipped her body meticulously. Every kiss, fondle and delicate touch had Jenna's skin almost singing and she couldn't stop the sounds of pleasure from escaping her lips.

When his mouth reached her navel, the jolt went straight between her legs.

His hand moved to her inner thigh and moved with taunting slowness up; making her squirm and whimper with unresolved need. She felt his smile against her skin. Nikola shifted between her legs and pressed his palm against her mons before slipping a finger within her folds. He groaned when he found her hot and wet and again when she shifted her legs up and farther apart for him. Nikola found her clitoris and teased it out while watching Jenna's face. Her eyes were closed and she was biting her bottom lip. Her hands were gripping the blankets desperately as she arched into his grip. With his thumb keeping her bud busy, he slipped his fingers into her wetness.

As he fucked her with his fingers, one of Jenna's hands moved to grip his shoulder, the only part she could currently reach. Her breathing hiked and she was flushed down to her sternum and her arousal was beyond anything she had ever experienced. When his tongue replaced his fingers she whimpered and rocked against his teasing tongue. He licked and suckled her delicate folds just as fully as the rest of her and had Jenna writhing and panting as she got closer and closer to orgasm. Then she peaked, arching. "Ah, Nikki!" she cried, her body trembling through her orgasm and a sheen of sweat lined her naked body.

Nikola licked her once more before sitting up, pulling her up to him for another breathtaking kiss. "You really shouldn't taste so good, it's not very fair." He teased in whispered, breathless tones.

Jenna could taste herself on his lips, but it only heightened her arousal. She smiled and just kissed him more at his half teasing, half arousing words. Her hands attacked the rest of the buttons of his shirt and she helped him pull it off. She wasted no time undoing his belt.

Chuckling, Nikola moved off the bed and finished taking off his trousers and underwear. He was erect and hard; and he grinned as he watched her eyes sweep over him, going wide and hungry looking when she reached his manhood.

Her eyes went back up to look him in the eyes. Jenna smiled beckoningly, leaning back on her elbows. Even those delicious and hard nipples seemed to taunt and beckon. "Nikola." One word, his name; filled with need and arousing his own to a height new to him.

Nikola climbed back over her, moving a few strands of hair with his hand; smiling as she tilted her head against his touch. Taking her mouth with his, he positioned himself and with a quick, deft push, he thrust into her. There was a surprise resistance, but gone quickly; Jenna only moaning against his mouth. When he pulled back from her lips, Nikola raised an eyebrow at her. "That was unexpected."

Jenna grinned ruefully. "Apparently the Powers that Be, aka, my ancestors, have an odd sense of humor." She ran a hand over his shoulder and up his neck. She kissed his jaw to his earlobe. "Now fuck me, Nikola." She told him, her voice deep with desire.

With a chuckle, Nikola obliged and started thrusting into her; at first slow-pulling out completely and pushing hard back in. Jenna matched his rhythm easily; he filled her just right and soon enough she could feel her pleasure building towards its apex again.

Unable to stay propped on her elbows, she dropped to her back and gripped Nikola's shoulder blades. Any marks she may have made healed almost immediately. As his pace quickened and also became harder, her gasps were accentuated by whimpers and she moaned his name more than once. She relished the feel of him inside her, on her and the feel of his lips on her neck and the pressure inside her built and built.

With a loud gasp that was nearly a scream, Jenna climaxed again, shuddering underneath him and tightening her hold on him. While her body trembled with the aftershocks, Nikola thrust hard and deep into her a few more times and took his release with a low shout.