Disclaimer: I don't own mutant X or the characters.
~* Art Of Attraction *~
After Shalimar shut her laptop she sighed and took deep breath as she tried to relax a bit. She heard someone beating heavily on the punching bag and figured it was Brennan releasing some energy from the day. She thought for a moment and decided that watching the hottest guy she knew work out might be fun. So, after slipping her boots off she headed toward the training room.
When she got there though, she was met with a little bit of a surprise. She found Jesse laying into the bag with everything he had. It wasn't like him to take his anger out on a punching bag, so she immediately knew that something was wrong. After watching for a moment she noticed that his hands were bruising. She decided it was time for him to stop punching and try talking about what was wrong instead of letting his hands take any more punishment.
"Jess," She called softly, not wanting to scare him. "Jesse," she stepped up and touched his shoulder.
He swung around with such force and anger that Shalimar, the team's fearless feral took a step back.
Jesse looked at her for a moment and realized that he had startled her. "What do you want, Shal?" he asked as he tried to calm down.
"Don't you think it's time to talk about what's going on instead of continuing to beat up your hands?" She stepped closer and lifted his red bruised hand letting him see the damage and then kissed his knuckles softly. He cringed as her lips left and her fingers brushed lightly over his. "Come on, lets go to the lab and we can talk while I fix this."
Jesse nodded and followed her. After they got to the lab Jesse sat in the chair as Shalimar got some wrap and medicine.
She took his hand gently in hers and spread some of the medicine over his knuckled before starting to wrap them. "So, what's wrong, sweetie?" she asked gently, knowing that he was hurting.
He was silent for a moment trying to find the strength to tell her calmly, but still get how he felt through. "I hate what she did. Shal, I feel like she knocked me down and kicked the life out of me."
Shalimar looked confused for a moment and then some things started to click. She looked into his eyes only to find them brimming with hurt and anger. "What did she do?" She and Jesse had, had a few talks about how he felt for Lexa. She knew how much he cared about her and she knew that seeing that Lexa was attracted to Blake hurt him.
"She slept with him." He hissed quietly as she tied the wrap and reached for his other hand. "She willingly gave herself to him."
Shalimar could hear the hurt in his voice. "Are you sure? Maybe she just seduced him. Maybe nothing ever happened." She said trying to comfort him a little.
"Oh, I'm positive that she slept with him. I saw the look in her eyes before I left her with him. He put his arms around her and she smiled. It wasn't an act; her back was to him. If she was just seducing him for the mission I don't think I would care as much, but there was no reason to really sleep with him. She did it because she wanted to." His voice rose slightly with anger. Pausing for a moment he regained himself. "The worst thing, Shal...is that she knows I love her and she still walked all over me."
Shalimar was almost brought to tears. He was heartbroken and to see someone she cares so much for, in this state was painful. "Jesse, I'm not siding with Lexa, and I'm not saying whatever she did was right, but I think she's afraid of being with anyone she'll see more than once. I don't think she's had many steady relationships where there's more then just sex involved and I think it really frightens her to think about getting into one that's deeper than that. She doesn't let her guard down easily, you know that. I think she's afraid to really give in. Plus, she's just lost her brother and she's still trying to heal from that."
"Shal, hurts heal. You get over them and you learn to trust again. I thought she was just finally beginning to let me in. Then it was like this guy showed up and was all over her and she just slammed the door in my face. Would she prefer I just attack her like he did?"
"I don't think that's what she wants from you. It's easier to disconnect your heart and have an affair than it is to learn to love and trust after you've been hurt." She tied the other bandage and then just held his hand in hers. "I was hurt a few times. I mean really badly hurt. It took me forever to trust someone with my heart again. Even though the hurt from what happened isn't there anymore I still find myself worrying about getting hurt again. It makes me very careful with trusting anyone. "
"Is that why, you haven't let Brennan kiss you yet?"
Shalimar smiled. "Jesse, I trust Brennan with everything and I know he would never hurt me, but it's still hard not to be afraid, even with him."
He nodded in understanding.
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Don't give up on Lexa just yet. She may just need more time." As she stood, she smiled seeing most of the anger disappear from his eyes, and knew that the hurt would be dealt with in time.
"Hey, Shal," he called, as she started toward the door.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks," he smiled slightly
Her heart jumped seeing him smile. That assured her that everything would work itself out. "Anytime, Jess," Shalimar walked out and headed to her own room where she found the person she had been looking for in the first place waiting for her.
A set of deep blue eyes watched from a shadowed corner as Jesse came out of the lab and walked toward his room. Lexa felt hot tears slide down her cheeks and roughly brushed them away, but more came. She had heard everything that Jesse and Shalimar had said. Now that the mission with Blake was over she too, was hurting. It killed her to know that she had hurt Jesse so badly. In her heart she knew he loved her and she knew that she felt the same way for him. Why couldn't she just give her heart to Jesse like she gave her body to Blake? Lexa rubbed her aching temples. Shalimar was right, she was afraid and she needed more time, but was time running out?
~*~* Did anybody else want to kill Lexa after this episode, beside me?? I seriously wished I could have smacked her. Anyway, I must thank my mother for helping me out with this chapter. Hope you liked it. Please review!*~*~
~* Art Of Attraction *~
After Shalimar shut her laptop she sighed and took deep breath as she tried to relax a bit. She heard someone beating heavily on the punching bag and figured it was Brennan releasing some energy from the day. She thought for a moment and decided that watching the hottest guy she knew work out might be fun. So, after slipping her boots off she headed toward the training room.
When she got there though, she was met with a little bit of a surprise. She found Jesse laying into the bag with everything he had. It wasn't like him to take his anger out on a punching bag, so she immediately knew that something was wrong. After watching for a moment she noticed that his hands were bruising. She decided it was time for him to stop punching and try talking about what was wrong instead of letting his hands take any more punishment.
"Jess," She called softly, not wanting to scare him. "Jesse," she stepped up and touched his shoulder.
He swung around with such force and anger that Shalimar, the team's fearless feral took a step back.
Jesse looked at her for a moment and realized that he had startled her. "What do you want, Shal?" he asked as he tried to calm down.
"Don't you think it's time to talk about what's going on instead of continuing to beat up your hands?" She stepped closer and lifted his red bruised hand letting him see the damage and then kissed his knuckles softly. He cringed as her lips left and her fingers brushed lightly over his. "Come on, lets go to the lab and we can talk while I fix this."
Jesse nodded and followed her. After they got to the lab Jesse sat in the chair as Shalimar got some wrap and medicine.
She took his hand gently in hers and spread some of the medicine over his knuckled before starting to wrap them. "So, what's wrong, sweetie?" she asked gently, knowing that he was hurting.
He was silent for a moment trying to find the strength to tell her calmly, but still get how he felt through. "I hate what she did. Shal, I feel like she knocked me down and kicked the life out of me."
Shalimar looked confused for a moment and then some things started to click. She looked into his eyes only to find them brimming with hurt and anger. "What did she do?" She and Jesse had, had a few talks about how he felt for Lexa. She knew how much he cared about her and she knew that seeing that Lexa was attracted to Blake hurt him.
"She slept with him." He hissed quietly as she tied the wrap and reached for his other hand. "She willingly gave herself to him."
Shalimar could hear the hurt in his voice. "Are you sure? Maybe she just seduced him. Maybe nothing ever happened." She said trying to comfort him a little.
"Oh, I'm positive that she slept with him. I saw the look in her eyes before I left her with him. He put his arms around her and she smiled. It wasn't an act; her back was to him. If she was just seducing him for the mission I don't think I would care as much, but there was no reason to really sleep with him. She did it because she wanted to." His voice rose slightly with anger. Pausing for a moment he regained himself. "The worst thing, Shal...is that she knows I love her and she still walked all over me."
Shalimar was almost brought to tears. He was heartbroken and to see someone she cares so much for, in this state was painful. "Jesse, I'm not siding with Lexa, and I'm not saying whatever she did was right, but I think she's afraid of being with anyone she'll see more than once. I don't think she's had many steady relationships where there's more then just sex involved and I think it really frightens her to think about getting into one that's deeper than that. She doesn't let her guard down easily, you know that. I think she's afraid to really give in. Plus, she's just lost her brother and she's still trying to heal from that."
"Shal, hurts heal. You get over them and you learn to trust again. I thought she was just finally beginning to let me in. Then it was like this guy showed up and was all over her and she just slammed the door in my face. Would she prefer I just attack her like he did?"
"I don't think that's what she wants from you. It's easier to disconnect your heart and have an affair than it is to learn to love and trust after you've been hurt." She tied the other bandage and then just held his hand in hers. "I was hurt a few times. I mean really badly hurt. It took me forever to trust someone with my heart again. Even though the hurt from what happened isn't there anymore I still find myself worrying about getting hurt again. It makes me very careful with trusting anyone. "
"Is that why, you haven't let Brennan kiss you yet?"
Shalimar smiled. "Jesse, I trust Brennan with everything and I know he would never hurt me, but it's still hard not to be afraid, even with him."
He nodded in understanding.
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Don't give up on Lexa just yet. She may just need more time." As she stood, she smiled seeing most of the anger disappear from his eyes, and knew that the hurt would be dealt with in time.
"Hey, Shal," he called, as she started toward the door.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks," he smiled slightly
Her heart jumped seeing him smile. That assured her that everything would work itself out. "Anytime, Jess," Shalimar walked out and headed to her own room where she found the person she had been looking for in the first place waiting for her.
A set of deep blue eyes watched from a shadowed corner as Jesse came out of the lab and walked toward his room. Lexa felt hot tears slide down her cheeks and roughly brushed them away, but more came. She had heard everything that Jesse and Shalimar had said. Now that the mission with Blake was over she too, was hurting. It killed her to know that she had hurt Jesse so badly. In her heart she knew he loved her and she knew that she felt the same way for him. Why couldn't she just give her heart to Jesse like she gave her body to Blake? Lexa rubbed her aching temples. Shalimar was right, she was afraid and she needed more time, but was time running out?
~*~* Did anybody else want to kill Lexa after this episode, beside me?? I seriously wished I could have smacked her. Anyway, I must thank my mother for helping me out with this chapter. Hope you liked it. Please review!*~*~