Deviation Actions
A/N: Well, this turned out weird. Swear warning and mentions of mature themes. Love triangle, between Adam, and my OC's, Hadley and Blaine.
Chapter 13: Tackling Giants
Six months later
Tonight was the meal, that was going to celebrate Stefan Finch's birthday. There was one massive problem though. Of course Hadley had been invited. But, so had Blaine, and they were not talking to each other. He was struggling to forgive her, for sleeping with Adam.
But what he didn't know was, that it had happened, again. Under completely different circumstances, mind. This time, both were sober, careful, and it was wonderful.
But, he wouldn't see it that way.
Neither Adam, nor Hadley were in love. They just got along, understood each other, and took pleasure in each other's company.
But, at some point, the agent accepted that she would have to speak to her techie nerd friend. She owed it to him.
Four months ago
Hadley heard smashing in Adam's apartment, and used her shoulder to barge her way through the door to it.
What she saw made her want to tear her eyes out, and her heart made it's way into her throat.
Adam was sat up, on the floor, shirtless, and blood covered his chest, and ran down his arms. His face was littered with bruises, and thin cuts.
The smell of his blood was heavy in the air. Thick, like an iron forge, and the agent barely held back her wretches.
She automatically went on autopilot mode, and walked over to the kitchen area, to fetch the first aid kit, under the sink. She grabbed it, and walked back over to the severely injured man, on the floor.
She knelt down next to him, and used some a towel, to wrench the huge, jagged edged shard of glass from his hand.
From the mirror, I take it. But shouldn't it have shattered? Not broken into shards?
Adam tried to get the shard back, but Hadley swattered his hand out of the way. It was a feeble effort on his part. He could have easily just moved her out of the way, and grabbed the shard of glass, but he really couldn't be bothered right now.
He'd been struggling, once again, and Hadley had almost missed the end, his destruction.
The Brit washed her hands, and got out some cotton wool balls, from the kit, and some antiseptic lotion. When he again tried to swat her hand away, whilst cleaning the cuts on his face, the woman burst into tears, and screamed at him. She couldn't take him being like that anymore.
"ADAM, STOP IT! Just stop, please". She used her sleeve to wipe her eyes. "Just stop it. Fuck, Adam, this isn't okay. This isn't how you deal with issues. I know you aren't happy. I know you think you're an aberration, a monstrosity. But, god, you aren't! If you want to scan me over with your fucking"...
Shit, I can't think. What the hell are they called again?
Ugh, fuck it...
..."Implements, than do it! But you need to know. I'm telling you the truth. Please, please let me help you".
The agent put the cotton ball down, and frowned at him.
Implements? The fuck are you on about?
Adam started laughing, and laughed until his chest hurt. Hadley just stared at him, confused, and then started laughing with him, unabashed.
Her prodding a clean cotton ball against his cheek made him stop laughing, and shake his head.
"Hadley I...".
Hadley waved her other hand and groaned. "If you weren't as injured as you are now, I'd have slapped you, multiple times by now. Can I clean you? And you could do with a bath, clean off the dried blood, then I'll bandage the cuts for you. Or do I have to supervise you, to make sure you don't try and drown yourself?"
Adam grimaced. "I can't drown. I'd end up having to come up for air, and vomiting the water out. I'm not a child, I can bathe myself".
The woman rolled her eyes. "Really? You sure you aren't a big baby? Sitting on the floor, playing with a toy? Okay, glass isn't a toy, sweetheart. It's kinda dangerous. Glass should only be used by responsible adults".
Now, it was Adam's turn to roll his eyes. "Ah, never mind that. The cheek of it. Now, shut up and let me clean and bathe you, like a good little boy. You never know, I may even reward you afterwards".
Now Adam smirked, and Hadley blushed, looking away. "Who says I meant that? Honestly, you perverted sod. Besides, you're injured". She gestured to the steady trickle of blood, running from a cut, near his ribs. "And I don't like being covered in other people's bodily fluids. Now, shush".
After half an hour, Adam's cuts had been cleaned, bandaged up, and he'd had a bath.
Not without Hadley, treating him like a fractious child, every five minutes.
God, he wanted to hate her, prove he was angry.
And he did, when he slammed his arm against the wall, mere millimeters away from her head. She shouted at him, and he'd heard enough.
But, he never intended on actually hitting her. Though, he'd definitely scared her. He didn't need his augments to see that.
Her hand drifted on to his cheek, and a cut. that had opened up again, when he snarled. She tutted, and pulled out a plaster, from her pocket. She unpeeled it, stuck it on, and kissed his cheek.
He was so warm, from his bath, and so was she. But her warmth was caused by him, and heightened by him.
"I behaved, didn't I? So, what do I get?"
Hadley smiled, and ducked under his arm. "You just got it".
But Adam stopped her, and pulled her back towards him. She shifted. "We can't. Not that I don't want too, but, unless you want a mini Adam, or god forbid, a mini me, or you want to accompany me, on the awkward walk to the clinic, then we can't".
Adam shook his head, and reached into his back pocket. He pulled out a condom packet.
Hadley's reaction mirrored her words. "Wha? Okay, I'm not even asking".
Adam mulled over his reply. "I figured if I'm going to start having sex again, I need to be careful. I can't just expect the woman to be. I need to be, too".
The agent smiled, a serene and quite pretty smile. "How responsible. Okay Adam".
Hadley walked into his bedroom, and he followed her.
"Fuck though, a mini me. That would be a giant 'Fuck you' to the world".
Hadley giggled, and cuddled into Adam's chest. When he didn't respond, she figured he'd fallen asleep.
But when she heard sniffling, and moved away, and looked up. "Hey, hey now. What's triggered this?"
Adam shook his head and buried it into the pillow. The agent sat up, and lent down, near his ear.
"You aren't alone, you never will be. I know Sarif and your tech guy, I forget his name, annoy you, but you're never alone. Though, Adam? I can't always be there, when you fall. I'll be here, you'll be in Detroit most of the time. But, there's always someone there. Oh, you, come here".
As sobs wracked his prone from, Hadley moved, so she was almost on top of him, and cradled him, in his arms. He rolled over, onto his side, and lay his head on her chest.
Words failed him, but he hoped she knew what he'd say, if he could speak.
I know Hadley, I know...
Present day
Hadley fiddled with the buttons of her suit jacket. She'd chosen to go for the formal look tonight, for Stefan's party. Her hair was styled into a bun, and she wore a burgundy coloured suit, with a frilly white blouse underneath.
When she saw Blaine, who arrived a few minutes late, in a classic charcoal grey suit no less, she grit her teeth, and felt herself well up. She'd missed him more than she realised.
That, and she knew she had to tell him that she'd slept with Adam, a second time.
That'll be fun, her brain interjected.
The pair exchanged pleasantries, and headed into the dining hall.
Finch's house was gorgeous. A sumptuous pallet of golds, and burgundies. Huge paintings adorned walls, luxurious Victorian carpets, decorated with black, red and green flowers, with elegant, fluid stitching between them. Edward certainly loved all things Victorian, and the house felt regal as a result.
The dinner itself, was divine, although, neither Hadley or Blaine were used to three course meals, so they were full by the time they'd finished pudding. And then, the cheese, fruit and meat board came out, and the pair hid groans of discomfort.
The two put their gifts down, in front of Stefan and congratulated him. He revealed that he was going to be a father. Edward teared up, and cheered, and Rosalind squealed and hurried over to her son, to hug him. Cressida and Vivienne were excited too.
After letting their food settle for a while, Blaine asked Hadley, to meet him in the garden, so they could talk.
She did so, and let herself admire the few acres of land that Edward had.
"Hadley?"
She turned and saw Blaine, so she sat down on the wall, nearest him.
"Hey. It's been a while".
Hadley cursed in her mind.
Well, this is awkward. May as well just spit it out. Here goes almost thirteen years of friendship, right down the manky drain.
"You're right, it has. I said I'd explain myself, and I will. When I first met you, you annoyed the shit out of me. You were rude, impulsive and didn't take orders well. Then, I saw why, when I realised that I was a major asshole, and that you didn't take well to that. Not sure who does, really".
Hadley chuckled and nodded. "I still am rude and impulsive though".
Blaine chuckled in response. "And I'm still an ass, but, we are both way more tolerant then we used to be. You okay with me continuing?"
She nodded. "Okay. After my wife left me, I finally saw that I'm not a good man. I'd like to think I was, but I'm not. I got drunk, I partied, I barely spent any time with her. I get why she left now, and I am over that. But, quite some years later, I started seeing you differently. I felt like you and I understood each other, accepted each other. Hell, we could take the piss out of each other, rip each other to shreds, and we'd end up laughing. How many people can do that now, huh? People take things way too seriously though, and it's just crap".
Hadley agreed. "Yeah, we can make fun of each other. I love when I can do that, I never mean any harm by it, it's harmless. But people will think I'm harsh and nasty because of that. Instead of taking a few minutes, to think, this could be a joke, people just take offence, immediately".
"I fell for you, because you were, still are, unlike anyone I've ever met. You're witty, full of disgraceful, unfunny puns, that somehow make me laugh, and your mind is dirty as hell. I love that. You don't over-complicate things, or get too stressed about things. Things barely phase you sometimes, you keep a cool, level head, most of the time anyway, and you are fucking gorgeous. You are. You can say, I'm little, or tubby, or I'm old all you want. Being little is hot to me, really, I like that. Tubby? Fuck no, you aren't. And I prefer a bit of meat anyway. Old? What am I, if you are old, huh? I'm forty four, for fucks sake".
Hadley grinned, and laughed. "You're old...er".
Blaine laughed, and held his stomach. "Smartass. See? Witty".
Hadley's laugh died down, and she went quiet, linking her fingers, to stop from fiddling with them. "You're such a sweetheart Blaine. And now, I'm going to say something that's about to shatter you heart...".
He interrupted her. "You slept with Adam again, right? He told me".
The agent jerked back and her pupils were blown wide. She felt her eyes well up, so she looked away. "Look, I won't apologise for it. I don't regret it. You spoke with him? When?"
"A few weeks ago. He told me it meant nothing, but, I'm not too sure. Hadley, if you fancy him, just tell me. I won't lose it. When we spoke, I knew. He's a good guy really. He gives off the dark and brooding vibe. But he's a decent guy".
Hadley looked back and shook her head, so quickly, that her bun had started to fall down her head. "I don't. I don't want to be with him".
Blaine stood up, and fixed his tie. "And that's another reason why I love you. Because you're honest, regardless of the subject".
Hadley blinked away the tears on her lashes, and looked surprised. "You still love me, after I slept with another man, twice? How? Any other man would lose their mind!"
He shifted onto one foot. "I did. I hit him after the first time. But, it's my fault. I should have told you ages ago, that I cared. Then I could have gotten an answer, and hopefully walked away. But, I can't walk. I've tried. Leaving you was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. I feel empty without you, completely worthless".
Hadley stood up abruptly and took his hands. "Don't say that. You aren't worthless. Please, don't say that".
She continued. "So all these years, everything you did, you did because you love me? I thought that was just you being overly nice, but I liked that. So that's why I responded the way I did. Because I liked the niceties, and the praise, the help, the guidance. Shit, I missed all of it, the meaning behind it. It took another man, to make me learn too. Christ, I'm such a whore. And don't say I'm not, I am".
Blaine wiped away the tears, that were precariously perched on her cheekbones. "I won't argue with you. I don't expect you to feel the same as I do. I just want to let you know that I'm here, no matter what. And I won't jump on you, I'm not like that".
The Brit smiled. "I know. You've seen me in my underwear though, yet, I've not seen you. I call unfair".
The American stifled a laugh, and shook his head. "Maybe sometime in the future. Not now though, I look like I'm expecting a food baby".
Hadley looked at her own stomach, and sighed. "Me too. So this is what being pregnant feels like, huh. Ugh, I feel so heavy. Want to some back inside, get a drink, apologise to Stefan for just fucking off, out here, on his birthday?"
Blaine let go of her hands and nodded.
"Sorry Sir, forgive the panda look. I don't look my best, at the moment".
Edward sat next to her, in the dining room, and handed her a glass of scotch. "Nothing to forgive. So, have you two kissed and made up yet?"
Hadley's head shot around to face her boss, and she groaned. "NO! No, no no no no...no".
Cressida and Stefan, who were still in the room snickered, and the little girl ran up to the agent, and moved her arms up. Hadley picked her up and smiled.
"Hey sweetie. Hope you haven't eaten too much cake. Sorry Stefan, for just walking out before".
Stefan shook his head. "It's fine. I know you two needed to talk. Glad it's all sorted out. I'm not mad or anything. Thank you for the gift, by the way".
Hadley waved her hand. "It's nothing, and you're welcome".
The young man excused himself, leaving his Father and Hadley to talk.
"I'm rather glad that the two of you finally sorted things out too. I knew, you know. I saw the way he acted, especially around Adam. He acted like a territorial lion".
Hadley sighed, and tickled Cressida, who giggled. "Did everyone know?"
Edward shrugged. "I'm not sure, but they may have wandered".
"Fatherly advice, please?"
Edward nodded, and asked his daughter to leave the room. After she had, he motioned for his agent to continue speaking. "What the fuck do I do? I felt something, but I'm not sure if it's love or not. Right now, I just feel stuffed".
Her boss laughed. "Do you miss him a lot? Want him around? Feel safe around him?"
Hadley made a face. "Waxing rhetorical, right?"
"See? There's your answer. You won't always feel you heart beating faster around him. Love works differently for everyone. You don't always just know. You have to work, a lot of the time. It isn't easy. You give away everything to this person. They could potentially destroy you, but you trust that they won't".
Hadley sighed in relief and hugged him. "May be inappropriate this, but I don't care. I wish my father was like you. You seem to know everything. When you leave MI5, it'll be worse off for it".
Edward shook his head. "I know, through making many mistakes. That's how I learn. I've put Rosalind, and the children through a lot, and yet, they stick by me. They are my everything, and I couldn't bare to be without them. Keep Blaine close, Hadley, as friends, otherwise, or both".
The agent kept on hugging her mentor, until and small cough alerted them to Blaine, who was standing in the doorway.
"Is everything okay?"
Edward nodded. "It will be son..."
...it will be".
