A/N 1: As in the previous chapters – ideas for fic and character development, questions, plotbunnies, suggestions, flames, character pictures, corrections, additions, comments, and everything in between can be mailed to hack_heaven@usa.net

Italics indicates thoughts/telepathy

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Chapter Forty-Four: Debt of Honor, part I

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Zach hesitated outside the door, suddenly not so sure this was a good idea. He knew that Blade had picked that particular room to get the chance to work without interruptions. Jordane was in their other hotel room, probably still asleep, and Jhonen and Laetitia were...well, wherever they were, he really didn't want to know.

Actually, there were a lot of things he would have preferred not knowing, and Jhonen and Nike's relationship was just one of them. Blade and Jordane's obviously no longer just platonic relationship ranked pretty high on Zach's irk-list as well, which was the reason why he currently found himself wondering how Blade would react to interruptions this early in the morning.

It wasn't really Zach's fault, though - in all honesty he would have preferred to remain oblivious, but fate had wanted otherwise. He'd known that some of his teammates had taken a trip downtown, but he hadn't really considered what they'd been doing. Until he'd heard them return shortly before dawn, that was.

A light sleeper as Zach was, he'd heard them outside, and had gotten out of bed to see what was going on. Curious - and yes, a bit suspicious as well, he readily admitted that - he'd watched from the window in the dark room, invisible to the four mutants in front of the hotel. And something had changed, that much was certain.

Jhonen had followed Laetitia around like a puppy, barely taking his eyes off her, and it didn't escape Zach's attention that Laetitia had changed clothes sometime during the night. He had made a habit of being observant during his time on the streets - you never knew when it might save your life.

Or make you more than a bit worried, like in this case.

And the relationship between Jhonen and Nike wasn't the only thing that had changed. Now that Zach had the chance to sit down and observe his teammates, he wondered how he could have been so blind as to actually believe that the relationship between Blade and Jordane was purely platonic. There was something downright possessive about the looks he sent her, as well as the way he'd wrapped his arm around her waist.

Zach frowned. There was something on Jordane's neck...normally he wouldn't have noticed it from this far away, but the artificial light from the hotel created a stark contrast between Jordane's pale skin and the...bruise? Yes, it had to be; it couldn't be anything else.

How did she get a wound on her throat? Zach wondered, a bit worried. A fight, maybe?

He didn't have to wonder long - he was looking direct at his teammates when he saw Blade lower his head and whisper something in Jordane's ear. The girl giggled, then leaned against Blade's chest, baring her neck to him. Blade smirked and kissed the soft skin; first on the dark red bruise, then further up, never letting go of her.

And suddenly it became all too clear to Zach. It wasn't a wound from a fight...it was a bite-mark.

Zach stepped away from the window and sat down heavily on his bed. He didn't need to know that. He really did *not* need to know that. He could have lived a perfectly happy life never knowing what Jordane and Blade did when-

Oh, God, that was a disturbing image.

If forced, he could accept the fact that they were having sex on a regular basis - Hell, the entire team had known that it was only a matter of time before either Blade or Jordane gave in - but he really didn't want to think about the various kinks two individuals as disturbed as those could come up with. Bite-marks were probably only in the milder end of the scale.

Zach frowned, trying to force the unwanted images out of his mind, but didn't succeed. Something was going on, he knew that, and whatever it was, it was bad news. Bite-marks as bad as the one on Jordane's neck wasn't a sign of a healthy relationship, and Jhonen...the boy followed Nike around like a pet.

Zach's common sense told him to stay out of it, that it was none of his business, but...

He shook his head and sighed. He couldn't just watch two of his teammates get into something that obviously wasn't healthy, he just couldn't. He cared about both Jhonen and Jordane, and as their friend it was his duty to try to help them, even if they didn't know they needed it. The best way to do that would be to confront the person who had most likely caused the problem in the first place - Blade.

And if he didn't like what Zach had to say...well, that was just too fucking bad.

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It was the sound of a knock on the door that broke Blade's concentration and made him look up from the laptop in front of him.

"Yes?" he replied, shutting down the computer. It was a habit more than anything, but Blade had no intentions of changing it. He trusted his teammates - at least to a certain extend - but a healthy amount of paranoia had saved him more than once.

The door opened and Zach stepped inside, looking more serious than Blade had seen him in a long time.

"Is there a problem?" Blade asked with a deliberate casualness.

"Yeah...there is," Zach replied, slightly annoyed at the man's nonchalance. "What's going on, Blade?" he demanded.

Blade arched an eyebrow and looked at the boy in amusement. Zach really couldn't blame him for that - a sixteen-year-old kid, making demands to his ten-year-older boss? Even to him the scene was absurd.

But absurd or not, Zach wanted some answers. Something was going on, and he wanted to know what it was, consequences be damned. He was a part of this team, too, and he had no intentions of letting either of his superiors do something that might endangers the health - or sanity - of his teammates.

"Did it ever occur to you that it might not be any of your business?" Blade replied, with just a hint of annoyance. Amusing as the situation might be, he still didn't care much for Zach's question. He had no desire to justify his actions to a teenage boy - this was his team, and he played by his own rules.

"If it's got anything to do with the team, it *is* my business!" Zach retorted. "I'm a part of the team, too, and I don't like being kept in the dark."

Blade pointedly ignored him, a clear sign that he did not want to discuss it, but Zach didn't give up.

"What's going on, Blade?" he repeated. "Jhonen following Nike around like a pet, the trip downtown last night, Jordane's bite-mark...what the fuck is going on?!" he demanded.

Blade stood up with deliberately slow movements, and Zach faltered slightly as he realized that he might have pushed his luck more than healthy was. He'd expected that his questions would annoy Blade, but not this much. If Blade got pissed...shit, Zach didn't want to see that happen. Blade might be fairly patient with his team, but when angered he was not someone you'd want to be around, teammate or not.

Zach should have dropped the subject, he knew that, but he couldn't. He'd started to like Jhonen's honesty and personality, and he respected Jordane as a friend and teammate. He couldn't just stand by and watch them get into relationships that were obviously not healthy. Jordane's bite mark was probably only the beginning.

"You can't just let Nike twist Jhonen into her own little boy toy - she could scar him for life!" Zach objected. "And Jordane...shit! I *saw* that bite mark on her throat, and that wasn't just a gentle nip, was it?"

Blade eyes grew cold.

"I don't have to justify my actions to anyone, Zach. This is *my* team, and we play by *my* rules. Now get out before I lose my patience."

"No!" Zach refused. "Assassinations and unnecessary violence I can overlook, but this is just wrong! She's seven years younger that you! She's not a partner, she's a pet, isn't she?!" he snapped, and the accusation hung heavily in the air between them.

Blade moved closer until he was standing face to face with the younger mutant, and Zach realized with dawning fear that he might have pushed things too far this time.

"As I said, *Zachary*...stay out of this. It's none of your business," Blade repeated in a low voice.

Zach didn't move, didn't even dare to reply, and for a tense moment the two just stood there. Then, with the soft swish of dark clothes against a black trench coat, Blade left the room, leaving a shaken Zach behind.

Fuck...

Zach took a deep breath to calm down, then sat down in a chair, taking a moment to consider the situation. It was worse that he'd expected - Blade's reaction had told him quite clearly that he'd been right in his assumptions. He'd hoped that it was just paranoia, that he'd read more in Blade and Jordane's relationship than really was there, but this...

He had to do something...this was definitely not healthy. And since Blade had made it quite clear that he did not want to discuss it, there was only one option left:

Jordane.

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"We have a problem."

Laetitia looked up, surprised to find Blade standing in the doorway.

"What's wrong?" she asked concerned.

"Zach. He's started to ask questions about things that are none of his business," Blade replied and leaned against the wall with an annoyed expression.

"How bad?"

"Bad enough. Asking about relationships that he should keep his nose out of, for one. And he's demanding to know what happened last night as well."

Laetitia frowned. It wasn't hard to guess what he meant - if Zach started to ask questions, he could easily start to work against them as well, and that would only prove to be another unwanted problem for them to solve. They really didn't have the time for that now - things were bad enough as it was, without one of their teammates working against them.

"Keep an eye on him...just in case," Blade added and Laetitia nodded slightly.

"I will," she promised. "Are we leaving today? If we are, it would be best if one of us stayed in the same car as him," she continued.

"Yes...we are. See if you can get a hold of any of your informants...it would be a good idea to know about any potential problems ahead," Blade said. "As far as I can see from the police reports we should have no problems in that regard, but the FoH might still cause some trouble."

"Sergey could probably be convinced to share some information with us," Laetitia mused. For a brief moment she thought she saw something in Blade's eyes at the mention of Sergey's name - annoyance? Anger? - but whatever it was, it was gone before Laetitia could identify it.

"Do what you have to do," Blade ordered curtly. "If it's money he wants, I'll pay him."

Laetitia smiled teasingly.

"Since it's me, I'll probably get a discount."

Blade smirked slightly, but didn't reply. Laetitia got out of the chair and stretched her body, then crossed the room, joining Blade by the doorway.

"Where's Jhonen, by the way?"

Laetitia smirked, having already anticipated the question.

"Asleep," she replied with a suggestive smile. "The poor boy needed it."

Blade took a step closer, stopping in front of Laetitia. They were standing close enough to feel the heat from each other's bodies, but still just far enough away not to touch.

"I don't blame him," Blade mumbled, his lips mere inches from Laetitia's ear. "You have quite an...appetite."

"And what do you suggest we do about that?" Laetitia asked in her husky voice, letting a finger caress his arm.

Blade just smirked and walked around Laetitia, then sat down in the chair with a deceptive laziness. Laetitia raised an eyebrow, and felt a smile grace her lips. She hadn't expected him to take her up on the offer, of course, but it was always an interesting game to play.

"Do you think Deirdre is still alive?" she asked, and settled down on the bed.

Blade raised an eyebrow.

"Do I look like I care?" he asked, vaguely amused, and Laetitia laughed softly.

"You really are a cold-hearted bastard, aren't you?" she asked, still smiling. She was one of the few people in the world who could get away with talking to Blade like that, and she knew it.

As she'd expected, he didn't react with anger but instead settled for a small smirk.

"Of course - how do you think I've stayed alive this long?" he replied, then reached out and grabbed her cell phone from the table. "See if you can get a hold of Sergey. We leave today," he said and tossed her the phone.

Laetitia grabbed the phone midair and started dialing, still with a smile on her lips.

* * *

Zach found Jordane in her hotel room, clad only in one of the standard, white hotel towels. With no clothes to hide the bruises from the night in the alley, he could clearly see the angry, red bite mark on her neck, as well as several smaller, finger-shaped bruises on her shoulder and back. He winced unconsciously, and Jordane spun around, noticing his presence for the first time.

"What the fuck are you doing here?! Haven't you learned how to knock?!" she demanded angrily and pulled the towel tighter around her body.

"I...I wanted to talk with you," Zach explained, momentarily taken aback by her anger. The last thing he needed was a furious Jordane - she would be hard enough to talk some sense into as it was; he did *not* want to try when she was angry.

The fury in Jordane's eyes slowly diminished as she considered Zach's words.

"Okay," she nodded. "Turn around, would you? I need to put on some clothes."

"Sure," Zach mumbled and did as he was told. There was a faint rustle as Jordane put on a clean set of clothes, then the muted sound of a wet towel landing in a chair.

"Alright. What did you want to talk to me about?" Jordane finally said, and Zach turned around. He found the girl sitting on the bed, dressed in a pair of baggy pants, and a loose T-shirt, making her look far younger than her nineteen years.

Zach frowned. Always seeing Jordane armed and ready to fight made it easy to forget that despite her cocky - and angry - attitude, she was still just a teenager. It also made Zach even more determined to talk some sense into Jordane - whatever kind of relationship she had with Blade, isn't wasn't healthy. He was too violent, too cold-blooded for someone like Jordane, but the girl refused to see it.

"Well?" Jordane asked, a bit impatiently, and Zach forced himself to focus on the task at hand.

"What's going on between you and Blade?" he asked, cutting right through the pleasantries.

Jordane's reaction was immediate and instinctively. In one, fluent movement she got up from the bed, and Zach could almost see all of her defenses go back up at his words.

"It's none of your business!" she snapped, the fury returning to her eyes. She clenched her fists and could feel the nails digging into her hand, the pain helping her keep the berserker rage under control.

"You're my teammate, Jordane," Zach said, forcing himself to remain calm. "I have every right to worry about you when I see you like this. This isn't healthy, you know that."

"Stay out it, Zach," Jordane said and sent him a angry look, and not for the first time Zach could see Blade's influence shine through. "My sex life is none of your fucking business!"

Zach took a step closer, refusing to back down.

"It is if he's hurting you," he retorted. "Don't tell me that mark on your throat didn't hurt."

"He's not hurting me!" Jordane denied, unconsciously touching the bruise with her hand. "You don't know him, Zach, none of you do!"

"Know what?" Zach asked in a low voice. "That he's addicted to power? That he likes to kill people? That he gets off on hurting and controlling his lovers?"

"He didn't care about them, not like he cares about me!" Jordane snapped. "He'd never hurt me."

"Wake up, damnit!" Zach replied angry, finally losing his patience. "He already has! That man is insane!"

"Shut up!" Jordane ordered with barely controlled fury. "You don't know me, Zach, and you don't know him. He loves me, so just stay out of it, damnit!"

Zach closed his eyes and shook his head. This was worse than he'd expected. He'd thought that he might be able to talk some sense into Jordane, but this...her devotion to Blade was stronger than Zach had ever imagined. He'd been right - she wasn't a partner to Blade, she was his pet. Submissive, loyal, and willing to do whatever he said.

This is sick...

When Zach opened his eyes again, the anger had disappeared, only to be replaced by sadness and confusion.

"Why?" he finally asked wearily. "Why do you think love has anything to do with pain, danger, and control?"

Jordane faltered, feeling the sudden rush of energy leave her body as her anger disappeared.

"You don't know me," she repeated, softer this time, and Zach took a step closer.

"No," he answered quietly. "And I don't think you do, either." He hesitated, then walked up to Jordane and brushed a lock of wet, blue hair out of her face. "Has he really twisted you so much that you can't imagine love without pain?"

"He didn't..." Jordane tried to object but trailed off at the look of honest concern in Zach's eyes.

It's about control, isn't it? Zach suddenly realized. He'd seen it before - people hiding their confusion and pain beneath a bad attitude - but had never imagined that the same thing might be the case with Jordane. She'd always seemed so strong and confident, but once he thought about it, it all made sense. None of them really knew much about her past - only Blade did, and he stayed quiet about it.

That's it, isn't it? He looked past the facade, and took control of you, and you let him because it's the only kind of safety you've ever known, Zach thought, and felt the pieces fall into place. Christ...what happened to you to turn you into this, Jordane?

Jordane's confusion at his concern was obvious, and it made Zach even more determined to talk some sense into the girl - her reaction to his behavior told him clearer than words ever could that she wasn't used to concern from people...and apparently, that included Blade.

"Love doesn't have to hurt," Zach whispered with quiet conviction, and even though every instinct in Jordane's body told her that she was heading into dangerous waters, she found herself unable to move.

"Don't..." she whispered softly. Even through her confusion, she knew what the result would be if Zach tried anything. Blade would never hurt her, she knew that, but Zach...she didn't want to think about what her lover might feel tempted to do to teach the boy a lesson.

"I won't hurt you," Zach replied in the same soft voice. "Trust me, Jordane."

Jordane wanted to protest, to tell him to get out, but couldn't move. The honest concern he showed left her more baffled than angry - she didn't care much for his opinion about her and Blade's relationship, but it was hard to be angry with him when the only reason for his objections was concern for her.

Zach leaned closer, caught in the moment and no longer thinking. He had wanted to prove to Jordane that love didn't have to hurt, that it didn't have to involve bites and bruises, but when she'd refused to listen to logic...well, he would just have to show her.

His lips brushed across hers, barely touching, and Jordane's eyes widened in surprise.

He-

Her shocked thought was interrupted as Zach kissed her again, this time deeper, but still gentle and caring. Caught up in the pleasant sensation, Jordane closed her eyes and leaned closer, unconsciously responding to the touch. She'd never imagined that someone who looked as threatening as Zach did could ever be so gentle, and yet...

No!

Jordane's eyes snapped open as she realized what she was doing, and she took a step back, eyes wide with shock and confusion. Her sudden movement forced Zach back to reality as well, and only then did he realize what he'd done.

Shit!

"Jordane, I'm-" he began, but the girl just shook her head.

"Get out, Zach. Please, get out," she pleaded.

"Jordane..." Zach tried again, but Jordane cut him short.

"Get out!" she repeated, angrier this time, and Zach knew that he would do best in following orders before Jordane lost control of herself. For the briefest of moment he'd actually imagined that he'd gotten through to Jordane, that he'd actually made her see what was going on, but now...now he wasn't so sure anymore. Hopefully he'd been able to talk a least a little sense into the girl, but deep down he knew that it wasn't the case - Jordane's loyalty to Blade was absolute, and it was too late for Zach to do much to change that.

"Alright," Zach surrendered and lowered his head slightly. "Just think about what I said, okay?"

Jordane looked away briefly, taking a moment to calm down, and when she looked at Zach again, the anger had disappeared from her eyes.

"He won't hurt me, Zach...trust me. Please," she whispered, and Zach sighed. He still didn't like what was going on, but it would be useless to continue the discussion, he knew that.

"I do, just...be careful," he replied.

Jordane smiled slightly, the gesture lighting up her entire face.

"I promise," she replied softly.

Zach nodded, then left the room, giving her some privacy. He closed the door behind him, then leaned against the wall, feeling the adrenaline course through his body as the full impact of what he'd done hit him.

Shit! I kissed Jordane...Blade is going to kill me for this.

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