Prompt Request Fic: Dearly Beloved
Yeah, that's right. I haven't been entirely slacking off on this. lol Damn, Gin... this one went a little epic on me. LOL Hope you guys enjoy it.:D
Title: Dearly Beloved
Pairing: Haley Stone/Jamie Madrox (shades of Jamie/Theresa "Siryn" Cassidy, and Haley/Johnny)
Rating: R
Prompt: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."
Given By: The unbelievably talented (and obviously very patient ;)) ginevrasm
There were moments that he’d look back on, ones that had meant something, ones that were special for whatever reason. Those moments were usually related to a realization of how he felt about her. They were usually the same kinds of relationship moments that everyone remembers about their high school sweetheart. Like their first kiss…
~*~*~*~
“Don’t you ever relax?” He grabbed the book in her hand and set it down on the table.
“Don’t you ever take anything seriously?” She glared up at him.
He turned on a very charming smile. She didn’t seem all that impressed. “Not if I can help it.” He perched on the table in front of her. “Seriously, don’t you ever go out? Have fun? Every time I see you you’re studying.”
“Well, this is a school, Jamie.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself every so often.” He grabbed her hand when she reached for her book again. She looked up at him again, shocked by the contact that she obviously hadn’t been expecting. “So what do you say? Wanna have some fun?”
“I… w-what kind of fun?” He was sure he felt her hand shake a little and he took it as a good sign.
“A movie? Dinner?”
“A date?”
“Yeah.” She was even prettier when she blushed, he was sure of it. “So, Friday?”
“Umm…”
“Come on, I’m actually pretty good company.” He picked up her book and handed it back to her. “Might even enjoy it more than studying.”
“Yeah, I bet.” She smiled and took the book. “Okay. Friday.” She began reading again, assuming that the conversation was over. She’d assumed wrong.
“You know what the worst part of a first date is?”
“You’re not helping your cause much, Jamie.” She tried to sound a little annoyed but she smiled at him again.
“It’s waiting for that first kiss. All that nervous energy… it’s hard to get past it and just enjoy yourself.”
“Jamie…”
“So why don’t we get it out of the way?” He smiled down at her before hopping off the table.
She actually laughed. It was a wonderful warm sound that made him smile a little more. “You’re crazy.”
“But I’m right.” He pulled a chair over from another table and sat beside her. She bit her lip a little, drawing his attention fully to her lips. He couldn’t help but wonder how soft they were, how they’d feel when he kissed her, because he was sure he’d get a chance eventually… even if he ended up blowing this shot. “Let’s just get it out of the way.” He leaned in, resting his arm on the back of her chair.
“Okay.” Her voice was quiet as she looked at him through her lashes and smiled.
He slowly closed the distance between them, his hand slipping into her hair a moment before their lips met. It was electric. He’d only really intended on a quick kiss, but as his lips moved with hers, he decided against pulling back. She obviously had a similar thought. He softly teased her lips apart with his tongue, and she moaned a little, letting him deepen the kiss. There was no telling how long they would have stayed connected if the quiet sound of someone clearing their throat hadn’t pulled their attention back to where they were. “I think we can find a better use of this time, don’t you?”
“Yes, Professor.” Haley’s cheeks were flushed, but Jamie couldn’t tell if it was because she was embarrassed or if she’d just been enjoying the kiss as much as he had.
A moment later the Professor had left, and Haley was gathering her things. “So, Friday?” He smiled up at her.
Her cheeks grew a little redder. “Yeah, Friday.”
~*~*~*~
It hadn’t take long after that for him to realize something else, something other than the fact that Haley was attractive, funny, smart… though he hadn’t been nearly as smooth about that revelation as he’d wanted to be…
~*~*~*~
It was a quiet night, nearly full moon, warm breeze… damn near perfect actually. “Haley?”
“Yeah?” She smiled at him as they walked. He didn’t speak again right away, searching his mind for the right words. “Jamie? Are you okay?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah… yeah, I’m good. Great, actually.”
“Okay…” she shook her head a little and kept walking. He didn’t. He stood, staring at her until she turned around to stare right back at him. “Jamie, what is it? You’re kind of weirding me out here.”
Great… he nearly kicked himself. “Iloveyou.”
Her eyes got a little wider. “What?”
He swallowed past the lump in his throat and took a deep breath, forcing himself to speak at a normal pace. “I love you, Haley.”
She bit her lip a little, as if trying to force herself not to smile. “Really?” Her cheeks flushed and she moved closer to him.
“Yeah, really.” He slipped his arms around her waist as she got close enough.
She let out a bit of a laugh. “Wow…” Her eyes locked on his. “I… I love you too, Jamie.”
“Really?” He smiled, pushing her bangs off her forehead.
“Yeah,” she leaned into him, pressing her lips to his. “Really.”
~*~*~*~
It had gotten so easy to tell her that she meant the world to him, to tell her he loved her. It was like he couldn’t not say it sometimes. She’d smile indulgently and tell him she felt the same; that she loved him too, and everything was right with the world. Then, it got so much better…
~*~*~*~
“Jamie…” She bit her lip again, trying to keep herself from crying out. He hadn’t thought it was actually going to happen. Through dinner, the movie, the rest of their evening, he knew she’d said that tonight was the night, but he couldn’t make himself believe it. And now here she was, in his bed, naked, flushed and calling out his name. He swallowed thickly before kissing her again.
“You’re sure?” He brushed her bangs off her forehead again as he settled between her thighs.
“Yes, I’m sure.” She ran her fingers through his hair as his fingers continued to tease her. She bit back another low moan. “Jamie, I… I love you.” She moaned again, “I want this.” Her eyes closed for a moment and she gasped as his fingers pressed a little harder on her clit. “I want you.”
He pulled his fingers from her, and she just barely stifled a whimper, her hips lifting to follow his touch. He pressed against her a moment later. “Haley,” He kissed her softly. “I love you too.” He pushed forward, feeling her tense for a moment. His lips moved to her neck and up to her ear. “You are so sexy.” He pushed a little further. “I’ve wanted you like this for so long, Haley.” A little further. He fought even instinct that told him to bury himself in her as deep as he could get. “I love you.”
She gasped as he pushed further, her body arching into his, her fingers digging into his shoulders. “Oh god…”
“Haley?”
“I…” her breath was coming in short gasps. “I love you too.” She lifted her head and pressed her lips to his. “Jamie…” her hips lifted a little.
He pulled back, and she trembled in his arms. As he pushed back in, daring to go deeper this time, she moaned. “Is that good, sweetheart?” He smiled down at her.
She nodded and moaned again as he repeated the process.
~*~*~*~
He barely suppressed a chuckle. Had it really been that long ago? Had she really been that timid at first? It was hard to believe, given how open and ready she was to try almost anything. If fact, he was hard pressed to remember anything they didn’t try. She never looked at him with anything less than that same love and affection that had always been there when he asked if she was interested in trying something new. Things had been damn near perfect for longer than anything had a right to be. Looking back, he should have known it wouldn’t last forever…
~*~*~*~
” Damn it, Jamie! I’m busy!” She brushed him off and went back to her scheduling.
“You’re always busy.” He crossed his arms. “You know you don’t have to do this, right? You know you’ll get a spot on a team eventually, don’t you?”
“That’s not….” Her jaw clenched a little. “How many times do we have to go over this? I don’t just want…”
“I know, I know… believe me, I’ve heard enough about your ambition to last me a lifetime.”
“Well, that’s a surprise.” Her eyes narrowed a little and she put down the schedule. “I thought you stopped listening long before we usually get to this point.”
“You’re a hard woman to block out.” Normally, it would have been a joke; he would have smiled and the tension would have broken. He’d gotten good at that in the last few months.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Her brow furrowed.
“It means that nothing is more important to you than what’s going on in your head or your team or any of your stuff.” The words were angry, but his voice showed none of it. It was resigned. Tired. He was tired. “Do you even care if I’m here anymore?”
She sat back in her chair. “Jamie… that’s not…. I love you.”
“Yeah, I know. I love you too. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t still be here.”
Her cheeks flushed. “If things are that bad, why don’t you just go then?” Her temper was getting the better of her. But she had a point. Why didn’t he just go? He loved her, sure. That wasn’t really something he could argue, but it had changed. Something had shifted when they weren’t looking. “Jamie?”
“This is… I don’t think we are working anymore.” He kept his voice low. He expected her to argue, to fight, scream or cry… anything.
“I know.” She heaved a sigh. “But…”
“But what? This isn’t good, Haley. I care about you, but…”
“But it’s not the same anymore? Yeah… I know that too.” She fiddled with the edge of the schedule on her desk. “So, what do we do?” She finally lifted her eyes to his. There was a tear or two there. That didn’t make it any easier, though, for the first time in a long time they seemed to be on the same wavelength.
“We… break up.” He tried for a casual shrug.
“Yeah. I guess so.”
The tension level was too high. He couldn’t stand it. It was too much. “Wanna have sex one last time?” He smiled at her.
She started to laugh. “Yeah, you wish.”
~*~*~*~
That seemed like a lifetime ago. Things had been… odd for a while after that. But eventually she was back in his life. Not the way she’d been before, of course. She had other people around to fill that void… good guys too. He’d never had any real cause to be jealous. She was a great friend to have after all, and being all crazy about the new men in her life would have messed that up. He leaned back in the folding chair and looked out over the New York skyline, losing himself in more memories until the music started, and there she was.
His eyes followed her down the aisle and he smiled. He’d been lucky. He’d loved her in a lot of different ways through their time together, but the best way so far for the two of them was as friends. Still, something stirred deep down, adding a touch of sadness to his smile.
Theresa touched his hand, and gave him a confused look. He shook his head and focused back in on the couple standing before their gathered friends and family. He focused on the smile on Haley’s face as she took the hand of the man that, with any luck, she’d spend the rest of her life with. Jamie recognized the look on Johnny Storm’s face, and took it as a good sign. The man loved her. Good. That was really good. The touch of sadness that had invaded Jamie’s smile melted away. She deserved this. She deserved to be happy.
“Dearly beloved…”
He let out a quiet sigh as the minister spoke. Dearly beloved… they were nice words. Kind of vague… but nice. After all, he had come to realize that there were many ways to love someone. It was just a matter of finding the way the worked the best between you and the person you loved. He took Theresa’s hand and kissed it softly. Thank god, he’d figured that out.
Title: Dearly Beloved
Pairing: Haley Stone/Jamie Madrox (shades of Jamie/Theresa "Siryn" Cassidy, and Haley/Johnny)
Rating: R
Prompt: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."
Given By: The unbelievably talented (and obviously very patient ;)) ginevrasm
There were moments that he’d look back on, ones that had meant something, ones that were special for whatever reason. Those moments were usually related to a realization of how he felt about her. They were usually the same kinds of relationship moments that everyone remembers about their high school sweetheart. Like their first kiss…
~*~*~*~
“Don’t you ever relax?” He grabbed the book in her hand and set it down on the table.
“Don’t you ever take anything seriously?” She glared up at him.
He turned on a very charming smile. She didn’t seem all that impressed. “Not if I can help it.” He perched on the table in front of her. “Seriously, don’t you ever go out? Have fun? Every time I see you you’re studying.”
“Well, this is a school, Jamie.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself every so often.” He grabbed her hand when she reached for her book again. She looked up at him again, shocked by the contact that she obviously hadn’t been expecting. “So what do you say? Wanna have some fun?”
“I… w-what kind of fun?” He was sure he felt her hand shake a little and he took it as a good sign.
“A movie? Dinner?”
“A date?”
“Yeah.” She was even prettier when she blushed, he was sure of it. “So, Friday?”
“Umm…”
“Come on, I’m actually pretty good company.” He picked up her book and handed it back to her. “Might even enjoy it more than studying.”
“Yeah, I bet.” She smiled and took the book. “Okay. Friday.” She began reading again, assuming that the conversation was over. She’d assumed wrong.
“You know what the worst part of a first date is?”
“You’re not helping your cause much, Jamie.” She tried to sound a little annoyed but she smiled at him again.
“It’s waiting for that first kiss. All that nervous energy… it’s hard to get past it and just enjoy yourself.”
“Jamie…”
“So why don’t we get it out of the way?” He smiled down at her before hopping off the table.
She actually laughed. It was a wonderful warm sound that made him smile a little more. “You’re crazy.”
“But I’m right.” He pulled a chair over from another table and sat beside her. She bit her lip a little, drawing his attention fully to her lips. He couldn’t help but wonder how soft they were, how they’d feel when he kissed her, because he was sure he’d get a chance eventually… even if he ended up blowing this shot. “Let’s just get it out of the way.” He leaned in, resting his arm on the back of her chair.
“Okay.” Her voice was quiet as she looked at him through her lashes and smiled.
He slowly closed the distance between them, his hand slipping into her hair a moment before their lips met. It was electric. He’d only really intended on a quick kiss, but as his lips moved with hers, he decided against pulling back. She obviously had a similar thought. He softly teased her lips apart with his tongue, and she moaned a little, letting him deepen the kiss. There was no telling how long they would have stayed connected if the quiet sound of someone clearing their throat hadn’t pulled their attention back to where they were. “I think we can find a better use of this time, don’t you?”
“Yes, Professor.” Haley’s cheeks were flushed, but Jamie couldn’t tell if it was because she was embarrassed or if she’d just been enjoying the kiss as much as he had.
A moment later the Professor had left, and Haley was gathering her things. “So, Friday?” He smiled up at her.
Her cheeks grew a little redder. “Yeah, Friday.”
~*~*~*~
It hadn’t take long after that for him to realize something else, something other than the fact that Haley was attractive, funny, smart… though he hadn’t been nearly as smooth about that revelation as he’d wanted to be…
~*~*~*~
It was a quiet night, nearly full moon, warm breeze… damn near perfect actually. “Haley?”
“Yeah?” She smiled at him as they walked. He didn’t speak again right away, searching his mind for the right words. “Jamie? Are you okay?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah… yeah, I’m good. Great, actually.”
“Okay…” she shook her head a little and kept walking. He didn’t. He stood, staring at her until she turned around to stare right back at him. “Jamie, what is it? You’re kind of weirding me out here.”
Great… he nearly kicked himself. “Iloveyou.”
Her eyes got a little wider. “What?”
He swallowed past the lump in his throat and took a deep breath, forcing himself to speak at a normal pace. “I love you, Haley.”
She bit her lip a little, as if trying to force herself not to smile. “Really?” Her cheeks flushed and she moved closer to him.
“Yeah, really.” He slipped his arms around her waist as she got close enough.
She let out a bit of a laugh. “Wow…” Her eyes locked on his. “I… I love you too, Jamie.”
“Really?” He smiled, pushing her bangs off her forehead.
“Yeah,” she leaned into him, pressing her lips to his. “Really.”
~*~*~*~
It had gotten so easy to tell her that she meant the world to him, to tell her he loved her. It was like he couldn’t not say it sometimes. She’d smile indulgently and tell him she felt the same; that she loved him too, and everything was right with the world. Then, it got so much better…
~*~*~*~
“Jamie…” She bit her lip again, trying to keep herself from crying out. He hadn’t thought it was actually going to happen. Through dinner, the movie, the rest of their evening, he knew she’d said that tonight was the night, but he couldn’t make himself believe it. And now here she was, in his bed, naked, flushed and calling out his name. He swallowed thickly before kissing her again.
“You’re sure?” He brushed her bangs off her forehead again as he settled between her thighs.
“Yes, I’m sure.” She ran her fingers through his hair as his fingers continued to tease her. She bit back another low moan. “Jamie, I… I love you.” She moaned again, “I want this.” Her eyes closed for a moment and she gasped as his fingers pressed a little harder on her clit. “I want you.”
He pulled his fingers from her, and she just barely stifled a whimper, her hips lifting to follow his touch. He pressed against her a moment later. “Haley,” He kissed her softly. “I love you too.” He pushed forward, feeling her tense for a moment. His lips moved to her neck and up to her ear. “You are so sexy.” He pushed a little further. “I’ve wanted you like this for so long, Haley.” A little further. He fought even instinct that told him to bury himself in her as deep as he could get. “I love you.”
She gasped as he pushed further, her body arching into his, her fingers digging into his shoulders. “Oh god…”
“Haley?”
“I…” her breath was coming in short gasps. “I love you too.” She lifted her head and pressed her lips to his. “Jamie…” her hips lifted a little.
He pulled back, and she trembled in his arms. As he pushed back in, daring to go deeper this time, she moaned. “Is that good, sweetheart?” He smiled down at her.
She nodded and moaned again as he repeated the process.
~*~*~*~
He barely suppressed a chuckle. Had it really been that long ago? Had she really been that timid at first? It was hard to believe, given how open and ready she was to try almost anything. If fact, he was hard pressed to remember anything they didn’t try. She never looked at him with anything less than that same love and affection that had always been there when he asked if she was interested in trying something new. Things had been damn near perfect for longer than anything had a right to be. Looking back, he should have known it wouldn’t last forever…
~*~*~*~
” Damn it, Jamie! I’m busy!” She brushed him off and went back to her scheduling.
“You’re always busy.” He crossed his arms. “You know you don’t have to do this, right? You know you’ll get a spot on a team eventually, don’t you?”
“That’s not….” Her jaw clenched a little. “How many times do we have to go over this? I don’t just want…”
“I know, I know… believe me, I’ve heard enough about your ambition to last me a lifetime.”
“Well, that’s a surprise.” Her eyes narrowed a little and she put down the schedule. “I thought you stopped listening long before we usually get to this point.”
“You’re a hard woman to block out.” Normally, it would have been a joke; he would have smiled and the tension would have broken. He’d gotten good at that in the last few months.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Her brow furrowed.
“It means that nothing is more important to you than what’s going on in your head or your team or any of your stuff.” The words were angry, but his voice showed none of it. It was resigned. Tired. He was tired. “Do you even care if I’m here anymore?”
She sat back in her chair. “Jamie… that’s not…. I love you.”
“Yeah, I know. I love you too. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t still be here.”
Her cheeks flushed. “If things are that bad, why don’t you just go then?” Her temper was getting the better of her. But she had a point. Why didn’t he just go? He loved her, sure. That wasn’t really something he could argue, but it had changed. Something had shifted when they weren’t looking. “Jamie?”
“This is… I don’t think we are working anymore.” He kept his voice low. He expected her to argue, to fight, scream or cry… anything.
“I know.” She heaved a sigh. “But…”
“But what? This isn’t good, Haley. I care about you, but…”
“But it’s not the same anymore? Yeah… I know that too.” She fiddled with the edge of the schedule on her desk. “So, what do we do?” She finally lifted her eyes to his. There was a tear or two there. That didn’t make it any easier, though, for the first time in a long time they seemed to be on the same wavelength.
“We… break up.” He tried for a casual shrug.
“Yeah. I guess so.”
The tension level was too high. He couldn’t stand it. It was too much. “Wanna have sex one last time?” He smiled at her.
She started to laugh. “Yeah, you wish.”
~*~*~*~
That seemed like a lifetime ago. Things had been… odd for a while after that. But eventually she was back in his life. Not the way she’d been before, of course. She had other people around to fill that void… good guys too. He’d never had any real cause to be jealous. She was a great friend to have after all, and being all crazy about the new men in her life would have messed that up. He leaned back in the folding chair and looked out over the New York skyline, losing himself in more memories until the music started, and there she was.
His eyes followed her down the aisle and he smiled. He’d been lucky. He’d loved her in a lot of different ways through their time together, but the best way so far for the two of them was as friends. Still, something stirred deep down, adding a touch of sadness to his smile.
Theresa touched his hand, and gave him a confused look. He shook his head and focused back in on the couple standing before their gathered friends and family. He focused on the smile on Haley’s face as she took the hand of the man that, with any luck, she’d spend the rest of her life with. Jamie recognized the look on Johnny Storm’s face, and took it as a good sign. The man loved her. Good. That was really good. The touch of sadness that had invaded Jamie’s smile melted away. She deserved this. She deserved to be happy.
“Dearly beloved…”
He let out a quiet sigh as the minister spoke. Dearly beloved… they were nice words. Kind of vague… but nice. After all, he had come to realize that there were many ways to love someone. It was just a matter of finding the way the worked the best between you and the person you loved. He took Theresa’s hand and kissed it softly. Thank god, he’d figured that out.