Aberrant: Dead Rising - Life and Death [Mature] [ Complete]

[Jasmine Gentian]

It was the first opportunity she'd really had to breath now that it was all over. She'd made her way back to the tent she and Jim had spent the night in before the raid, for lack of anywhere better to go. Her mind had briefly toyed with the idea of going to see Violet, maybe she could push away all the horror and despair and disgust that was threatening to overwhelm the young super. But she pushed that thought to the back of her mind - that was a dangerous road, and not one she was willing to travel down, no matter how much pain she might be feeling.

She was relieved that there wasn't anyone waiting for Jim at the moment, hoping to trade for supplies or luxuries that he'd brought with him from Des Moines. One would think that it would be obvious this would be a bad time for trade, but with some people you never know. She pushed aside the tent flap and stepped inside, letting it close behind her and block out the early-morning sun. She glanced around the tent quietly for a moment, taking in her surroundings. Jim had cleared away dishes, candles, and other such finery during the day yesterday, before leaving for the meeting and then the prison. But the table was still there, and the cooking arrangement, and off in the back area of the tent the mattress and pillows where they'd slept.

It was there Jasmine retreated to. She lay down and curled up on her side, wrapping her arms around a pillow. She might have lay there for a few minutes or a few hours, she lost track - but it's where Jim found her once he arrived, looking quiet, and serious, and painfully innocent in her grief.

[Fox]

Bond had stayed busy. Since catching some perfunctory sleep in his armor, the mercenary had been wandering the Refuge, taking the measure of it's newer inhabitants and making sure in his own way that they were receiving a warm welcome from the residents, before entering his storehouse and sorting through what was there for a couple of hours. taking stock. He knew what he was doing, objectively. He was keeping pressure on a wound, not letting up in case all that was vital to him poured out on the dusty ground. Even his icy-blooded self control had limits, and these had been tested by the things he had witnessed and heard about at the horrifyingly named 'Paradise'.

Finally he had done about all he could with his time. He stripped off his armour and showered, donning t-shirt and jeans before heading back to his large tent. With a sigh, he stepped into his tent... and froze. Someone was here, but his mind caught up with his hand as it reached for a gun. Jasmine. He'd been avoiding her without realising the fact, but it came to him now. In so many ways she was all he wanted to see, but at the same time...

At the same time, she was the hole in his defences. His need for her was not merely physical, and whilst that didn't frighten him (not much did that anymore), it did concern him on an abstract level. His usual emotional defence was his arms-length charm and cold-bloodedness. But there was a limit to pretence with Jasmine, especially since the other night. Their lovemaking had torn a cold scab from Bond's soul, revealing fresh new skin beneath, skin that was tender and sensitive to the touch.

For a few seconds Bond stared at her past the parted curtains of the sleeping compartment where she lay, his gaze meeting hers and studying the turmoil and pain in those liquid brown eyes. He dumped his armour over the back of a chair in the main area and moved over to the bedspace, peeling off the dual shoulder holster rig containing his gold-plated pistols and looping it onto a hook sewn into the inner wall of the bed area, within easy reach of the bed. He sat down beside Jasmine, his hand gently running up her back to her shoulders as he leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey." he said by way of greeting, a lopsided and charming smile on his lips.

[Jasmine Gentian]

Her eyes closed briefly at his touch, a soft sigh escaping her at the feel of his lips against her cheek. It was such a simple action, but poised as she was on some tentative bridge between disconnected and devastated it made the tenderness of it was almost overwhelming. Her eyes opened again to meet his, and he caught the shimmery reflectiveness of tears she wasn't allowing herself to shed. But one corner of her lips lifted just faintly in return - no one could say she wasn't trying.

"Hey."

She gazed at him quietly for a moment, and then sat up slowly, letting go of the pillow in favor of the hand he offered to help her up. Her eyes flickered around their surroundings again, as if she hadn't quite realized where she was in awhile, or perhaps hadn't thought about it when she came here and was only now realizing where she had wound up. She glanced back at him again, looking a touch embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I hope you don't mind, I just.. the refuge is so busy right now, and loud, and I wanted somewhere.. quiet. Safe."

[Fox]

"I don't mind in the slightest." Bond told Jasmine as he slipped one arm around her waist. She shifted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "In fact, you're welcome here anytime. Not many people can say that." he told her with a touch of humour, but his eyes were warm as he brought one hand up to her face, lightly tracing its lines with his fingertips.

"How are you?" he asked simply in a low murmur, but there was no trace of idle curiosity in his expression. He examined her face gently, then met her eyes, his own gaze a tender interrogation.

[Jasmine Gentian]

"I'll be okay."

She smiled a little at his arched brow, though it didn't quite make it to her eyes. She let them close instead, and turned her cheek towards his hand with a soft sigh.

"I will.. really. I just.. don't want to think about it yet. Dad.. it was different, I mean.. I don't know why. I just.. can't think about it yet, you know? What about the other women.. they're getting taken care of and everything?"

She moved closer to him, one hand resting on his chest lightly as she curled into the comfort his embrace offered.

[Fox]

"Dr Shattuck is working wonders, and not just with her more-than-human abilities." Bond told her quietly, stroking her hair. After a moment he kissed the top of her head.

"The whole Refuge is giving the rescued women and children the red carpet treatment, too. It's heartening to see." He grinned slightly. "I suppose we'll have to pick up more clothing on our next resupply run. I gave Myfwany what she needed out of my stores, and that cleaned me out of pretty much every article of clothing except the formal wear, lingerie and men's footwear."

[Jasmine Gentian]

She laughed softly and glanced up at him with an amused smile.

"If we have any women running around in over-sized men's boxer shorts, we may have to make it a priority."

She caught his free hand, the one not wrapped around her, and her fingertips ran lightly over his palm, across his wrist and over his fingers, moving gracefully and slowly, her eyes following the movements as if the only thing she had to focus on was the texture of his skin. Finally, she glanced back up at him with that soft, almost vulnerable expression on her face.

"Thank you.. for being here. For the prison.. and for Dallas. It made it.. bearable."

[Fox]

"You're welcome." He smiled, kissing her lips gently. He was briefly tempted to say more, but contented himself with "We'll have to try visiting nicer places together in future."

His instincts were warring with his cold intellect, but the feel of her touch on his skin was swinging the fight. She needed him, but his need was as great, and Bond was nothing if not a realist. He kissed her again, longer and more lingering this time, his lips tasting hers.

[Jasmine Gentian]

Her lips moved against his, warm and willing. It felt different than the previous night, driven more by an instinctive need than by any sort of romantic atmosphere, and for a moment her own eagerness, despite the graveness of the situation, took her off guard.

She broke away from the kiss, molten brown eyes gazing up at him with a combination of desire and guilt. She was too new at this to realize it was natural, this instinct to affirm life in the face of so much death and tragedy. She knew only that she wanted nothing more than to drown away all the the unhappiness she was feeling in the sea of pleasure his kisses hinted at, and that she felt wrong for wanting that after everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

She reached up and brushed her fingertips lightly over his lips as her own tongue moved lightly over her own, moistening them to a soft shimmer. She looked on the verge of saying something, but whatever words she meant to say seemed to stall on the tip of her tongue as she gazed up at him.

[Fox]

He kissed her fingertips, his calm eyes never leaving hers. He gently captured her hand in his and mimicked her earlier exploration, gently running his fingertips over her skin. With a faint smile of mischief he added his lips to the mix, tenderly kissing her palm, then up to the tip of each finger, then the inside of her wrist.

"I feel it too." he told her simply, his eyes a pale fathomless blue.

[Jasmine Gentian]

Her eyes studied his, and he could see the desire beginning to win out as her breath quickened ever so slightly at his touch. She reached up with her other hand and rested it against his chest.

"It seems like we shouldn't.. but.. we both do. Does that mean it's normal, do you think? To.. to want someone.. so much.. after all this?"

She spoke of their mutual desire in a low murmur, and the difference between knowing she wanted him and hearing her say it with that particularly throaty inflection in her voice was a bit surprising.

[Fox]

"It's normal enough." Bond's heart was thumping under her hand. "It's about proximity to death and wanting to wipe it away with something life-affirming. At least," he smiled "that's what the experts say."

"Jasmine." He kissed her fingertips some more. "Here and now, we are alive. We're alive and want, deep down, to do something to confirm that, or we remain in the cold, in the realm of death." His eyes roamed her face, his voice a low murmur of intimacy. "There's no-one I'd rather drive out the cold with."

[Jasmine Gentian]

"Me either."

She gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment and then nodded slowly, as if what he said made sense to her, and wiped away some of the guilt. Very slowly, she threaded her fingertips he had been kissing through the fingers of his hand that had still been holding hers. Using that hand to brace herself she very deliberately shifted so that she was sitting closer to him on her knees. Then - her eyes still locked with his - she slid into his lap, one leg on either side of his so that she was straddling his thighs. Her eyes were dark pools of desire and emotion, and her other hand slid up over his chest to his shoulder, her fingertips running lightly across the back of his neck. She moved her lips closer to his, and with a soft purr in her voice that had to come naturally considering her inexperience, she murmured to him.

"So.. tell me what I can do.. to help drive away the cold."

[Fox]

"Feeling warmer already." Smiling, he kissed her, then again, then again, each kiss deeper and lingering longer than the last. Her lithe figure pressed against him, Jasmine responded with equal enthusiasm. Bond's hands kneaded her shoulders, then smoothed down her back, pressing hard as though to feel every contour before slipping under her t-shirt and feeling the warm skin directly. He smiled at her for a moment, then dipped his head, lips and teeth grazing her throat.

"How about you?"

[Jasmine Gentian]

Her head tilted back, exposing her throat, and he felt her inhale sharply. She was quiet for a moment, eyes closed, just feeling his lips and teeth on her skin before she murmured back breathlessly.

"You're.. doing fine.. so far."

She slid both her hands over his shoulders, and let her nails run lightly over his shoulder blades through his t-shirt. He felt her thumbs run softly across the back of his neck and slowly up across his jawline before tilting his chin back up to look at her. Then she lowered her mouth to his and kissed him again deeply, her tongue flicking lightly across his lower lip.

[Fox]

He loved the tigerish look in her eye as she cupped his face and kissed him, loved the untaught, unfeigned passion in that kiss. He smelled the scent of her hair, felt the warmth of her skin as his body responded to her nearness.

Slowly he lay back, letting her lead whilst encouraging and stoking the growing desire. His hands roamed her body, and yet wherever she pressed against his touch it lightened. His lips sought hers in swift, sweet kisses, yet these broke before she was sated. He pressed his body to hers, but always changed or ceased the movements just before she could adjust to the rhythm. Jasmine half moaned, half groaned in passion-wracked frustration, a soft sound of protest, and her velvety eyes met Bond's amused pale gaze. He trailed his fingertips up her spine, the touch sending trills of silver pleasure down her back and into her loins as he kissed her again, more intently, holding the sweet embrace for longer this time.

[Jasmine Gentian]

He felt her shudder against him as they kissed, her mouth moving eagerly against his. When he finally broke away, she looked up at him with an playful, accusing sort of innocence.

"You're teasing me, aren't you? Hasn't anyone ever told you it isn't nice to tease?"

Her lips curved in a slight pout, and he chuckled at that because he couldn't help it. She was too cute as she said it, even as she slowly pulled his t-shirt off over his head and began to run her fingertips across his chest slowly, down across the contours of his muscles. The amusement of the situation only lasted as long as it took her fingers to the buttons of his pants and begin to work at them, her eyes both playful and curious at the same time. The first time they'd been together had been so much of him showing her how wonderful it could be that she hadn't had time to properly explore his body, and she couldn't think of anything better to distract herself from all the ugliness of the past twenty-four hours or so than to absorb herself in investigating every muscle and line of his toned physique.

Of course, all Bond knew was that the intent, curious look on his young lover's face was enough to send a slight shudder of anticipation through him, and perhaps just a little wariness.

[Fox]

He smiled up at her, his hands slipping her own t-shirt up and off her body. Jasmine shot him a mock-frustrated look as she was forced for a moment to leave the waistband of his jeans alone, but her smile was radiant as the shirt came up over her head. He kissed her again, his own hands busy roaming her body with a practiced touch, by turns teasing and exploring for the pleasure of the exploration, treating each curve, each expanse of smooth dark skin as something entirely new. New, and wonderful.

Jasmine was not easily deflected from her own explorations, her slender fingers finishing their assigned task of unfastening Bond's buttons. With a shy yet sensually mischievous smile for her lover, she slipped one hand into his pants, noting his soft intake of breath as she traced the outline of his arousal through the cotton of his briefs.

[Jasmine Gentian]

In a gesture he was starting to realize indicated a very wonderful sort of trouble, he saw Jasmine bite down just slightly on her lower lip as she studied him. Ever so slowly, she began to run her fingertips across the soft material, lightly touching him through the white cotton, her thumb running lightly over him before she ever so slowly slipped her fingers through the slit in the material. As she brushed the very edges of her nails softly against his attentive skin, her lips curved into a playful little smirk.

"Warm yet?"

[Fox]

Bond took a deep breath then let it out, smiling back. Propping himself up on one elbow, he reached out and cupped Jasmine's cheek with his free hand. His smile turned gentle, with its own touch of playfulness evident as he trailed a thumb across Jasmine's lips, then brought her face to his for another kiss.

"Nice and warm, thank you." He whispered as their lips parted, his eyes sparkling merrily into hers from a few inches away. "We can stop if you like."

[Jasmine Gentian]

"Mmm.. thanks.. but I'm good. You let me know if it gets too hot though, okay?"

With that she smiled back teasingly, her own gaze as playful and amused as his. Then her attention skimmed back down the length of his body, and she shifted to her side, moving next to him with graceful ease, one leg twined lightly over his at the thigh. She began to tease and torture, fingers and nails and palm running over him.. stroking and exploring with a lack of hesitance or self-consciousness that was arousing in and of itself.

After God only knew how long of such sweet torture, Jasmine's gaze moved back up to his, and he could see the desire shimmering in her eyes, saw her tongue move across her lips softly to moisten them. She shifted slightly, moving her body down against his. And then, very gently, she moved her head down and brushed her lips lightly against him, her gaze never leaving his.

[Fox]

Bond's intake of breath was quiet, but definitely noticeable from Jasmine's perspective, as well as emboldening. She began to gently, lovingly kiss up and down his length, exploring it with lips and fingers, her eyes watching his.

Bond's head rolled back for a moment as her warm breath played over a particularly sensitive part of his shaft, then forced himself to watch her, smiling back at her mischievous expression. She was unknowing but eager, in her first flush of romantic carnal love, and he was no less smitten with her. It showed in his eyes as they met hers again, the darkening of the china-blue depths as much from genuine feeling as from physical arousal, though that was fast becoming overwhelming.

[Jasmine Gentian]

Playfulness turned slowly into intense focus, and her eyes finally broke away from his gaze as she devoted her full attention to the task at hand. Her tongue stroked and flickered, teasing and pleasuring him with naive zeal, though the natural fullness of her lips and the lightness of her touch more than made up for any inexperience.

She broke away long enough to unlace his boots and help him tug off the rest of his clothes. Her own breath was quick with excitement, but he could feel more than just lust in the gentleness of her touch, the feel of her fingertips brushing over his thighs and the press of her palm moving across his hip. She pulled away from him only when his smile had faded into distraction, and her name slipped out of him in the form of a low moan.

Her mouth moved up then, slightly swollen lips moving across his tight stomach and over his chest, her body sliding up against his as she made her way back to his mouth. She whispered softly against his lips as her fingertips moved over his arms and shoulders and her body pressed close to his.

"James..."

[Fox]

He held her close and kissed her passionately now, tenderness giving ground to the desire Jasmine had stirred. Rolling over so that he was atop her, Bond smiled down at the girl with the lust-drowsed eyes before beginning his own assault on her body. In a haze of touches, kisses and nibbles Jasmine's clothing seemed to evaporate, so scarcely did she remember any part of it coming off.

What she DID notice was two blue eyes peering at her with sensual mischief dancing in their depths from between her legs as Bond's hands caressed her body, cupping her hips and holding her steady as his tongue began to do wicked, wonderful things to her heated flesh. She wriggled a little, her hips gently rolling as she tried to press against that knowing tongue. Bond rode the wave of her peaking lust with considerable skill, pausing now and then to drop kisses on the inside of her thighs or the top of her mound, making her groan in protest before he would smile and bend his head once more.

[Jasmine Gentian]

So it went, each one teasing and torturing the other to the very brink of their limits before pulling back. Something whispered that this was different, as if in the back of their minds they knew that the longer they could draw out this exquisite torture and the more pleasure they could bring each other, the easier it would be to face the following day.

Finally though it was too much, and amongst sensual touches and attentive tongues and breath that had become labored not with exhaustion but with the strain of their self-control, Jasmine's willpower finally broke. Her hand moved to his chest and she moved with him, rolling him over and pressing him back against the bed with one hand as she straddled him. She did it easily and without thinking, and he knew that it had taken her only the smallest amount of her strength to do so. Her eyes burned into his, and he could tell he'd driven the tigress he knew was hidden inside of the beautiful young woman to the brink.

Her hips moved over his, but this time there was no barrier between them, and he could feel her moving against him, her hips flexing slowly, savoring. She moved her hips to rub against him, and she was warm and ready and so very, very willing.. but she paused, briefly, her eyes searching his as if asking permission to take what she needed from him so terribly.

[Fox]

Bond's answer came in his smile, in the warmth of his normally-cool eyes as he looked at Jasmine, in the gliding touch of his fingers and palms as they slowly ran down her lithe body to rest on her waist and grip there. He didn't pull her down onto him; there was no need to. As soon as she felt the insistent pressure of his fingers, Jasmine had rolled her hips down, sliding onto him to the accompaniment of their twinned gasps of mutual satisfaction.

Eyes wide, they met each other's heated gaze for a long frozen moment, he feeling her molten warmth tighten around his shaft, her feeling the gently pulsing heat of his intrusion. One of Bond's hands left Jasmine's waist and cupped her cheek gently. For that moment, it was enough.

But moments end. The sensations sweeping over both lovers needed answering, the urges needed fulfillment. Jasmine leaned forward, kissing Bond hungrily as her hips began to roll atop his. Slowly at first, but with mounting rhythm as his hands slid over her warm skin, cupping her breasts, his fingers toying with her nipples.

[Jasmine Gentian]

She moved against him in a rhythm that came as naturally as breathing.. or as not breathing, as the case was sometimes in this strange new world. She rocked against him, hips flexing slowly as her mouth moved insistently against his. He felt her nipples tighten under his touch as she squirmed with satisfaction against him, and he could hear the soft whimper suppressed by their kisses from the back of her throat.

Their first time together had been hurried and passionate, their coupling one of strong attraction and suppressed desire, kindled by flirtatiousness and romance. Once that thirst had been slated then the rest of the night had been spent in mischievous exploration and gentle lovemaking. But tonight.. this time.. this was different, they had taken the time to stroke and tease and torture in a way they hadn't done before, not without having satisfied each other first. And so, as much as she wanted nothing more than to stroke this fire they were created together into a blaze, she didn't want it to burn too hot and fast. She was enjoying the feeling of anticipation and need they were creating in each other. So she pulled back from the kiss and sat up, her hands sliding over his chest and stomach, her eyes locked with his as she continued to thrust against him.

[Fox]

Blue eyes admired the play of muscles under the smooth dark skin as he reached out, letting his fingertips graze her abdomen then move higher, drawing patterns on Jasmine's stomach. As he felt her body rocking against his, Bond slipped his hands into the curve of her waist, feeling her muscles clenching around his shaft as the tigerish young woman rocked upon him.

His hands moved slowly up over Jasmine's ribcage as he let out a half-sigh, half-moan of pleasure, his splayed fingers trying to touch as much of his lover as possible. Her own hands were doing likewise, tweaking the flesh of his nipples or the thin covering of hair on his chest, now and then giving the suggestion of raking with her nails on his sensitive skin. He cupped the smooth rondure of Jasmine's breasts, letting the stiff buds of her nipples press into his palms as he moved his hips in tandem with hers. Time fell away from Bond as his eyes met hers again, his hands roving with sensuous abandon over her body.

[Jasmine Gentian]

She moved against him, eyes locked with his and her hands roaming his body eagerly. But as their passion mounted so did her desire to be close to him, and eventually she leaned down, her body pressing against his as her lips pressed against his mouth in a demanding, passionate kiss. She continued to move against him, and she could feel his fingertips press firmly into her hips in response as he urged her on.

[Fox]

The bed beneath him, the sounds of the Refuge beyond the tent, all of the world slipped away as his own pleasure began to crest, held back only by tender patience as he lavished attention on Jasmine, lip to lip, tongue to tongue, her hips dancing against him as he sat up with her atop him. He buried his face in tumbling black curls, kissing her shoulder and neck passionately, feeling his gasps and murmured moans echoed in her body. Bond's hands remained on his lover's hips, gripping as though her gyrating body was an anchor against the tempest.

[Jasmine Gentian]

Finally though, his patience was rewarded with a cry of pleasure, and he felt her clench tightly around him as her body shuddered against his. Through the rushing sound in her ears she could hear his growl of desire, and felt his hands tighten on her hips as he pulled her against him one more time. Then she clung to him through his release, feeling the warmth of him explode inside her as she whispered his name breathlessly against his ear over and over.

Finally the waves of pleasure had passed, though Jasmine gave no indication of any desire to move from Bond's embrace. She nuzzled against him, her lips brushing lightly over his jaw and neck. She sighed his name softly into his ear, her breath warm against his skin.

"Jim..."

Then she pulled back just slightly, enough to meet his gaze though her body was still pressed close to his. She tilted her head a little, a sensual half-smile flickering across her lips.

"What should I call you? Jim.. Bond.. James?"

Her eyes narrowed mischievously, and she moved her lips against his, kissing him for a moment before she whispered softly his lips.

"...mine?"

[Fox]

"If the shoe fits, I'll wear it." Bond said with an enigmatic smile as he lay back, his arms folding around her and drawing her down to cuddle with him. "But try to avoid 'Jimmy'. I hated that growing up."

That was good for a small giggle as Jasmine nuzzled her face against his chest, his chin resting in her hair as she lay quietly for a moment, listening to his heartbeat, their bodies still joined.

Bond gazed up at the roof of the tent sightlessly, his lips still curved in that faint smile as his blue eyes fixed on nothing in particular. His fingers stroked the smooth skin of her back, drawing idle patterns on her nerve-endings, or so it seemed.

[Jasmine Gentian]

They lay there quietly, neither feeling the need to say anything to the other in the comfortable silence of the tent. Finally though, Jasmine murmured softly but seriously to him, her cheek still resting against his chest.

"Mmmm. Thank you.. for distracting me."

For a moment he was concerned that her mind had gone back to all the unpleasantness, and that she would begin to linger on it again. But after a beat, her felt her lips press against his skin softly through the light layer of hair on his chest, and when she spoke again she sounded less somber.

"You're very good at it."