Faith
Rating: PG-13 Summary: When Emma disappears from Sanctuary, Adam vows to get her back. Pairing: Adam/Emma Author's Note: This story breaks continuity with the show after The Future is Revealed.
Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X or any of its characters. I'm just borrowing them to have some fun with for a little while.
Chapter 2:
November 3, 2002:
It was two a.m., and Adam had the gym in Sanctuary to himself. The others were in bed, asleep. He was often awake at this hour, but normally, he was in the lab doing research. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been in the gym. He had built it for the others. But tonight, he felt like punching something. He took his frustrations out on the punching bag. He'd been there for awhile. The tee-shirt he wore clung to his back, and his hands, though wrapped, were starting to hurt. He didn't care. He wanted them to hurt. He wanted to hurt. He deserved it.
"Stop it." Emma's voice came from behind him, startling him. He whirled around. He hadn't heard her approach. Her feet were bare and she wore a tank and sweats. Her hair looked a little rumpled from sleep. He knew from the concern in her eyes that she had read him.
He resumed punching the bag. "Go back to bed, Emma. I'll try not to project so much."
"No." She walked forward and took his shoulder to turn him to face her again. "You know it wasn't your fault."
Two days after Gabriel Ashlocke had died in an explosion of atoms in the lab at Sanctuary, seven of his followers, who called themselves "Links," had committed group suicide by burning themselves alive in a warehouse downtown. Mutant X had found out earlier that day.
Adam decided he'd done all the damage he could to the punching bag, anyway. He took off his gloves and began unwrapping his hands. Emma stepped forward to help him. For once, he was so distracted that he didn't notice how close she was standing to him or how very beautiful she was.
"Those Links killed themselves," he said, "because Ashlocke built himself up in their minds as some sort of Messiah. I couldn't stop him. I am partially responsible for their deaths."
"No, Adam. You didn't give Ashlocke his powers in the first place. Genomex did. You tried to help him, to give him some humanity. Okay, things turned out badly, but your heart was in the right place. It always is," she added gently.
She gestured to the punching bag. "I'm surprised you didn't have your portrait painted on that thing."
He looked at her in surprise.
"The way you beat yourself up all the time. It'd make it convenient, don't you think?"
He couldn't help it. He had to smile. "Point taken."
She pulled the last of the tape off his right hand and saw how red the knuckles were. She took his bruised hand in both of hers. "You're the most tortured man I know, Adam. That's because you're not objective about yourself. You're so eaten up by guilt over things you had no control over. You need to take my word for it. I wouldn't be here if you were the monster you sometimes think you are. You're the best man I've ever known."
He looked into her eyes, steady on his, and he couldn't look away. He became aware of how close she was standing to him, how few clothes there were between them, the late hour, and the solitude of the gym. He couldn't believe she was saying these things about him, even though he knew how compassionate she was. It made him love her even more. As soon as he thought this, he was embarrassed, knowing she would be appalled if she knew that he had these feelings for her, when he was old enough to be her father, and she was just showing him a kindness. He was about to pull away from her, to put some distance between them before his body language could give him away, when she did the most amazing thing.
She brought his hand up to her lips and kissed his knuckles gently. Heat flooded him. He almost stopped breathing.
"Instead of focusing on all the things you did wrong, and the bad things that have happened because of your research, you should focus on everything you've done well," she continued. "There are diseases that no longer exist because of your work. There are hundreds of New Mutants just like Jesse, Brennan, Shalimar and me who are free and happy and living our lives instead of lying in stasis pods or being experimented on like lab rats- because of you. See yourself the way I see you, Adam." She placed her palm against the side of his face and stroked his cheek with her thumb. "If you can't believe in yourself, believe in me. I couldn't care this much about you if you weren't a good man."
He smiled, feeling as shy and awkward as he had at eighteen. "I should go shower. I'm all sweaty."
"That's okay. It's kind of sexy on you." She moved even closer, so there wasn't even an inch between them any more.
"Emma. . . ." It took all his self-control not to wrap his arms around her and kiss her. What was she doing?
"You don't need to hold back. I feel the same way." She smiled at him.
"Y-Really?"
Instead of answering, she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. And then he was lost in Emma, lost in the moment, heady with the revelation that he was allowed to feel what he felt for her, because she loved him, too. He placed one hand on the small of her back, pulling her closer. He twined his other hand in her hair and kissed her deeply. She moaned and parted her lips, allowing his mouth to take over hers, his tongue to taste hers. Her hands began exploring his body, his shoulders, his back, his chest. He wanted to go further, but the gym wasn't the place. Pulling back, he looked in her eyes, glittering with desire. "I want so much more from you," he said, his throat husky. "Are you ready for that?"
She smiled and nipped at his lower lip with her teeth, gently, not enough to draw blood. "I've been ready for you for a long time. I've been waiting for you to come around."
"Sorry I kept you waiting." He released her from his grip and took her hand in his, kissing it, before drawing her out of the gym and through the halls of Sanctuary back to his room.
Being with Emma for the first time was amazing. He hadn't felt like this in a very long time. They explored each other's bodies freely with hands and lips and tongues until they couldn't stand the tension any longer and made love. And for the first time in many, many years, Adam felt perfect bliss. "Happy" hadn't been a part of his vocabulary since he'd realized the tragedies he'd wrought with his research at Genomex. But Emma reminded him what joy felt like. Joy was having her stretched alongside him, her legs twined with his, her every curve pressed up against him, her hand caressing his chest, her face so close to his her breath was warm on his neck.
He pulled her tighter, kissing her forehead. "You okay?"
She snuggled closer. "Better than okay."
"So, did you read how I felt about you, or was I just that obvious?" he asked her.
She smiled. "You were that obvious. About time, too. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for some kind of hint, some sign that you felt the same way I did. You keep your feelings so closely guarded all the time."
He ran his hand through her hair. "Thank you for being patient with me. I'd forgotten how good a person could feel. It's been a long time since I've let myself love anyone."
"You deserve happiness as much as anyone else, Adam. Maybe more than some."
"I don't deserve you," he said in a whisper.
"Well, if you want to spend the rest of your life proving your worth to me, I could live with that," Emma teased him.
He laughed out loud, a genuine, surprised laugh, and that was rare for him, too. He could get used to feeling like this. He rolled over, pinning her under him, and sighed, brushing her hair back away from her face. "You skin is so smooth."
She placed her hand over his, pressing his palm to her face and kissing it. "Say it, Adam."
"I love you, Em. You're in my heart and soul. I'm yours for as long as you're willing to put up with me."
"Forever, then. I love you, Adam. That's not going to change."
He wanted to believe that. But she was so young, and he. . .wasn't. "If it does, sweetheart, I won't stand in your way. I just want you to know."
Her face clouded over, and he felt his heart constrict. He'd hurt her. Damn it.
"Don't ruin what we have, what we just shared, by assuming that I'll lose interest in you someday. Please," she pleaded with him. "I don't give my heart easily. I've given it to you. It's yours to keep forever. She took his hand and placed it over her heart. "Have faith in me, Adam. I'm not going anywhere."
He believed her. "You really are the most. . . " He couldn't find words for how miraculous she was, so he showed her by making love to her again.
The following morning came, and he woke to find Emma pulling on her clothes. "What're we going to tell the others?" he asked her. He didn't want to be the one to say what he thought their reaction would be.
She leaned over to kiss him good morning. "Do we have to tell them yet? I don't think they'll understand. And I don't want anything to ruin how happy I am right now."
So they agreed to wait for a while, to get used to their new love, to savor every moment they had together before they braved the storm that would inevitably come when they told the others. It wasn't easy, keeping their feelings under wraps. Sometimes, Adam thought the others must be deaf, dumb and blind not to notice how closely they stood together when they were in the same room, or the way their eyes kept straying to each other's faces, the way Emma kept refusing their invitations to join them out on the town in order to stay at Sanctuary with Adam. It was a glorious month. Adam thought he'd started a new chapter in his life, one where he was allowed to be happy, with Emma.
Then he got the call from Washington to consult with the Joint Chiefs about a particular biological weapon that had been obtained by a middle eastern country, a weapon developed by a former colleague at Genomex nearly two decades before. He was able to provide government scientists with the antidote to the biological weapon and counsel them on how to neutralize the threat posed by his former colleague. After three days, he was in first class on a 747 headed home with a smile on his face. Sanctuary had always been that-a "sanctuary". But now, because of Emma, it took on the true meaning of "home". Adam was going home.
He hurried through the underground complex, from room to room, calling out to Emma and the others, wondering where they all were. He finally wound up in the kitchen. There was a note from Jesse on the refrigerator, saying he was out on a date and wouldn't be back until late. Nothing from Brennan or Shalimar. But perched against the salt and pepper shakers in the counter were four envelopes in Emma's handwriting, the top addressed simply "Adam." Adam's world came crashing down.
Rating: PG-13 Summary: When Emma disappears from Sanctuary, Adam vows to get her back. Pairing: Adam/Emma Author's Note: This story breaks continuity with the show after The Future is Revealed.
Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X or any of its characters. I'm just borrowing them to have some fun with for a little while.
Chapter 2:
November 3, 2002:
It was two a.m., and Adam had the gym in Sanctuary to himself. The others were in bed, asleep. He was often awake at this hour, but normally, he was in the lab doing research. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been in the gym. He had built it for the others. But tonight, he felt like punching something. He took his frustrations out on the punching bag. He'd been there for awhile. The tee-shirt he wore clung to his back, and his hands, though wrapped, were starting to hurt. He didn't care. He wanted them to hurt. He wanted to hurt. He deserved it.
"Stop it." Emma's voice came from behind him, startling him. He whirled around. He hadn't heard her approach. Her feet were bare and she wore a tank and sweats. Her hair looked a little rumpled from sleep. He knew from the concern in her eyes that she had read him.
He resumed punching the bag. "Go back to bed, Emma. I'll try not to project so much."
"No." She walked forward and took his shoulder to turn him to face her again. "You know it wasn't your fault."
Two days after Gabriel Ashlocke had died in an explosion of atoms in the lab at Sanctuary, seven of his followers, who called themselves "Links," had committed group suicide by burning themselves alive in a warehouse downtown. Mutant X had found out earlier that day.
Adam decided he'd done all the damage he could to the punching bag, anyway. He took off his gloves and began unwrapping his hands. Emma stepped forward to help him. For once, he was so distracted that he didn't notice how close she was standing to him or how very beautiful she was.
"Those Links killed themselves," he said, "because Ashlocke built himself up in their minds as some sort of Messiah. I couldn't stop him. I am partially responsible for their deaths."
"No, Adam. You didn't give Ashlocke his powers in the first place. Genomex did. You tried to help him, to give him some humanity. Okay, things turned out badly, but your heart was in the right place. It always is," she added gently.
She gestured to the punching bag. "I'm surprised you didn't have your portrait painted on that thing."
He looked at her in surprise.
"The way you beat yourself up all the time. It'd make it convenient, don't you think?"
He couldn't help it. He had to smile. "Point taken."
She pulled the last of the tape off his right hand and saw how red the knuckles were. She took his bruised hand in both of hers. "You're the most tortured man I know, Adam. That's because you're not objective about yourself. You're so eaten up by guilt over things you had no control over. You need to take my word for it. I wouldn't be here if you were the monster you sometimes think you are. You're the best man I've ever known."
He looked into her eyes, steady on his, and he couldn't look away. He became aware of how close she was standing to him, how few clothes there were between them, the late hour, and the solitude of the gym. He couldn't believe she was saying these things about him, even though he knew how compassionate she was. It made him love her even more. As soon as he thought this, he was embarrassed, knowing she would be appalled if she knew that he had these feelings for her, when he was old enough to be her father, and she was just showing him a kindness. He was about to pull away from her, to put some distance between them before his body language could give him away, when she did the most amazing thing.
She brought his hand up to her lips and kissed his knuckles gently. Heat flooded him. He almost stopped breathing.
"Instead of focusing on all the things you did wrong, and the bad things that have happened because of your research, you should focus on everything you've done well," she continued. "There are diseases that no longer exist because of your work. There are hundreds of New Mutants just like Jesse, Brennan, Shalimar and me who are free and happy and living our lives instead of lying in stasis pods or being experimented on like lab rats- because of you. See yourself the way I see you, Adam." She placed her palm against the side of his face and stroked his cheek with her thumb. "If you can't believe in yourself, believe in me. I couldn't care this much about you if you weren't a good man."
He smiled, feeling as shy and awkward as he had at eighteen. "I should go shower. I'm all sweaty."
"That's okay. It's kind of sexy on you." She moved even closer, so there wasn't even an inch between them any more.
"Emma. . . ." It took all his self-control not to wrap his arms around her and kiss her. What was she doing?
"You don't need to hold back. I feel the same way." She smiled at him.
"Y-Really?"
Instead of answering, she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. And then he was lost in Emma, lost in the moment, heady with the revelation that he was allowed to feel what he felt for her, because she loved him, too. He placed one hand on the small of her back, pulling her closer. He twined his other hand in her hair and kissed her deeply. She moaned and parted her lips, allowing his mouth to take over hers, his tongue to taste hers. Her hands began exploring his body, his shoulders, his back, his chest. He wanted to go further, but the gym wasn't the place. Pulling back, he looked in her eyes, glittering with desire. "I want so much more from you," he said, his throat husky. "Are you ready for that?"
She smiled and nipped at his lower lip with her teeth, gently, not enough to draw blood. "I've been ready for you for a long time. I've been waiting for you to come around."
"Sorry I kept you waiting." He released her from his grip and took her hand in his, kissing it, before drawing her out of the gym and through the halls of Sanctuary back to his room.
Being with Emma for the first time was amazing. He hadn't felt like this in a very long time. They explored each other's bodies freely with hands and lips and tongues until they couldn't stand the tension any longer and made love. And for the first time in many, many years, Adam felt perfect bliss. "Happy" hadn't been a part of his vocabulary since he'd realized the tragedies he'd wrought with his research at Genomex. But Emma reminded him what joy felt like. Joy was having her stretched alongside him, her legs twined with his, her every curve pressed up against him, her hand caressing his chest, her face so close to his her breath was warm on his neck.
He pulled her tighter, kissing her forehead. "You okay?"
She snuggled closer. "Better than okay."
"So, did you read how I felt about you, or was I just that obvious?" he asked her.
She smiled. "You were that obvious. About time, too. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for some kind of hint, some sign that you felt the same way I did. You keep your feelings so closely guarded all the time."
He ran his hand through her hair. "Thank you for being patient with me. I'd forgotten how good a person could feel. It's been a long time since I've let myself love anyone."
"You deserve happiness as much as anyone else, Adam. Maybe more than some."
"I don't deserve you," he said in a whisper.
"Well, if you want to spend the rest of your life proving your worth to me, I could live with that," Emma teased him.
He laughed out loud, a genuine, surprised laugh, and that was rare for him, too. He could get used to feeling like this. He rolled over, pinning her under him, and sighed, brushing her hair back away from her face. "You skin is so smooth."
She placed her hand over his, pressing his palm to her face and kissing it. "Say it, Adam."
"I love you, Em. You're in my heart and soul. I'm yours for as long as you're willing to put up with me."
"Forever, then. I love you, Adam. That's not going to change."
He wanted to believe that. But she was so young, and he. . .wasn't. "If it does, sweetheart, I won't stand in your way. I just want you to know."
Her face clouded over, and he felt his heart constrict. He'd hurt her. Damn it.
"Don't ruin what we have, what we just shared, by assuming that I'll lose interest in you someday. Please," she pleaded with him. "I don't give my heart easily. I've given it to you. It's yours to keep forever. She took his hand and placed it over her heart. "Have faith in me, Adam. I'm not going anywhere."
He believed her. "You really are the most. . . " He couldn't find words for how miraculous she was, so he showed her by making love to her again.
The following morning came, and he woke to find Emma pulling on her clothes. "What're we going to tell the others?" he asked her. He didn't want to be the one to say what he thought their reaction would be.
She leaned over to kiss him good morning. "Do we have to tell them yet? I don't think they'll understand. And I don't want anything to ruin how happy I am right now."
So they agreed to wait for a while, to get used to their new love, to savor every moment they had together before they braved the storm that would inevitably come when they told the others. It wasn't easy, keeping their feelings under wraps. Sometimes, Adam thought the others must be deaf, dumb and blind not to notice how closely they stood together when they were in the same room, or the way their eyes kept straying to each other's faces, the way Emma kept refusing their invitations to join them out on the town in order to stay at Sanctuary with Adam. It was a glorious month. Adam thought he'd started a new chapter in his life, one where he was allowed to be happy, with Emma.
Then he got the call from Washington to consult with the Joint Chiefs about a particular biological weapon that had been obtained by a middle eastern country, a weapon developed by a former colleague at Genomex nearly two decades before. He was able to provide government scientists with the antidote to the biological weapon and counsel them on how to neutralize the threat posed by his former colleague. After three days, he was in first class on a 747 headed home with a smile on his face. Sanctuary had always been that-a "sanctuary". But now, because of Emma, it took on the true meaning of "home". Adam was going home.
He hurried through the underground complex, from room to room, calling out to Emma and the others, wondering where they all were. He finally wound up in the kitchen. There was a note from Jesse on the refrigerator, saying he was out on a date and wouldn't be back until late. Nothing from Brennan or Shalimar. But perched against the salt and pepper shakers in the counter were four envelopes in Emma's handwriting, the top addressed simply "Adam." Adam's world came crashing down.