The X-men run missions and work together with the NYPD, striving to maintain a peaceful balance between humans and mutants. When it comes to a fight, they won't back down from protecting those who need their help.
Haven presents itself as a humanitarian organization for activists, leaders, and high society, yet mutants are the secret leaders working to protect and serve their kind. Behind the scenes they bring their goals into reality.
From the time when mutants became known to the world, SUPER was founded as a black-ops division of the CIA in an attempt to classify, observe, and learn more about this new and rising threat.
The Syndicate works to help bring mutantkind to the forefront of the world. They work from the shadows, a beacon of hope for mutants, but a bane to mankind. With their guiding hand, humanity will finally find extinction.
Since the existence of mutants was first revealed in the nineties, the world has become a changed place. Whether they're genetic misfits or the next stage in humanity's evolution, there's no denying their growing numbers, especially in hubs like New York City. The NYPD has a division devoted to mutant related crimes. Super-powered vigilantes help to maintain the peace. Those who style themselves as Homo Superior work to tear society apart for rebuilding in their own image.
MRO is an intermediate to advanced writing level original character, original plot X-Men RPG. We've been open and active since October of 2005. You can play as a mutant, human, or Adapted— one of the rare humans who nullify mutant powers by their very existence. Goodies, baddies, and neutrals are all welcome.
Short Term Plots:Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
The Fountain of Youth
A chemical serum has been released that's shaving a few years off of the population. In some cases, found to be temporary, and in others...?
MRO MOVES WITH CURRENT TIME: What month and year it is now in real life, it's the same for MRO, too.
Fuegogrande: "Fuegogrande" player of The Ranger, Ion, Rhia, and Null
Neopolitan: "Aly" player of Rebecca Grey, Stephanie Graves, Marisol Cervantes, Vanessa Bookman, Chrysanthemum Van Hart, Sabine Sang, Eupraxia
Ongoing Plots
Magic and Mystics
After the events of the 2020 Harvest Moon and the following Winter Solstice, magic has started manifesting in the MROvere! With the efforts of the Welldrinker Cult, people are being converted into Mystics, a species of people genetically disposed to be great conduits for magical energy.
The Pharoah Dynasty
An ancient sorceress is on a quest to bring her long-lost warrior-king to the modern era in a bid for global domination. Can the heroes of the modern world stop her before all is lost?
Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
Adapteds
What if the human race began to adapt to the mutant threat? What if the human race changed ever so subtly... without the x-gene.
Atlanteans
The lost city of Atlantis has been found! Refugees from this undersea mutant dystopia have started to filter in to New York as citizens and businessfolk. You may make one as a player character of run into one on the street.
Got a plot in mind?
MRO plots are player-created the Mods facilitate and organize the big ones, but we get the ideas from you. Do you have a plot in mind, and want to know whether it needs Mod approval? Check out our plot guidelines.
The call from Lee inviting him to join the married couple at a bar had been rather unexpected. To be honest, with so much going on in Jacen's life involving Lori and then Kealey, he had forgotten that they were even supposed to try and get together again. He hadn't been familiar with the bar that Lee had mentioned but after a few questions around the police station he had a pretty good idea what kind of place it was. The clothing was meant to be casual, but with a touch of class but more importantly it was yet another chance to dress up and impress Kealey.
Denim jeans were also the way to go, and as such Jacen grabbed out a pair of black/slate gray jeans from off of a hangar in the closet. Narrowing his eyes, Jacen perused his shirts trying to come up with what would be the winning combination. Finally he settled on a white paisley shirt that seemed to accent his jeans the best. Not being a fashion expert there was no way to know for sure but it seemed to work. Grabbing a pair of black sneakers, Jacen headed out to the living room to wait for his date to come out.
***
Thanks to it being a Wednesday there was plenty of parking at the bar. After climbing out of the truck and walking around to offer Kealey his arm, Jacen made his way up to the front door where a couple of bouncers were standing.
"We're just here to meet up with another couple. Don't mind us." Jacen said with a grin.
"Lee & Tarin? They're inside." One of the men offered without the slightest hesitation. Apparently Wednesday's were even slower than Jacen previously thought.
The inside of the bar fit in with most everything that Jacen really knew about bars. Sure it was a little nicer than most but it still fit in with the basic layout. There were tables and booths spread throughout the area, a long bar with at least one bartender behind it, and some sort of music playing through either the sound system or from a jukebox of some sort. Scanning the room Jacen spotted Lee & Tarin over at the bar chatting with the bartender.
"There the are." Jacen said before glancing over at Kealey and giving her a reassuring smile, "Come on. Let's get introductions out of the way."
Threading their way across the floor, in between a bunch of empty tables Jacen walked up to stand behind Tarin and Lee. "Hello again you two." He said, waiting for the two of them to turn around before introducing the pretty blond on his arm. "Tarin, Lee, I'd like you to meet Kealey. Kealey, this is Lee and her husband Tarin."
Jacen watched Kealey carefully as she opened the door of the truck and then slipped out. She had met his eyes for the first time since they had stared at each other in the bathroom which was definitely a good sign. From all appearance it did look like she was ready to face whatever they found inside.
"Well, if you need to feel better later, I'll be glad to help." Jacen replied with his own smile as he climbed out of his side of the truck and then closed the door. After fastening his badge on his belt so that it would be clearly visible, Jacen grabbed a knapsack out of the back of the truck that held plastic bags, gloves, and a couple of flash lights in case they needed them. "What would work for you? Maybe I can pick up some marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers and then we can make microwave s'mores. I'd offer to toast them over a fire but I don't think the fire marshall would be impressed with an open flame on my patio."
It was at least an attempt at humor to try and make the situation easier for Kealey. Moving in front of her, Jacen took the lead as they ducked under the police tape. Pausing for a moment to let one of the officer's take down Kealey's name as well as Jacen's badge number, they continued on and headed up the stairs to find out what was left of her home. Jacen could already see the door up ahead. The whole he had busted through in order to give room for himself and Kealey to escape was all the splintered evidence he needed to prove exactly which place was hers.
"Slow and cautious Kealey." Jacen warned quietly, glancing back at her and giving her a stern but comforting look all at the same time. "Stay with me and don't run off anywhere."
The shower was awesome and Jacen took special pleasure in enjoying quite a bit of the liquid that his extra large hot water heater could produce. Finally however it had to come to an end so, after a quick scrub down and shampoo, he turned off the water and climbed out of the shower to begin towling off. Moving quickly and methodically he focused on the task of getting all of the moisture off of his body before going on to pull on the clothes. There was nothing worse that going around all day with damp clothes on your body. Finally dropping the towel Jacen turned to face his stack of clothing just as a gasp came from the direction of his bedroom.
Brown eyes locked on blue ones as Jacen's snapped around to focus on Kealey as she stood there. Before he could say anything she was suddenly turning, covering her eyes, and then tumbling to the ground.
"I'm so sorry Jacen..." Kealey's first uttered words finally spurred Jacen on to action. Moving over he pushed the door mostly closed and then quickly pulled on his shorts following moments later by his khaki pants. He could feel himself flushing in embarassment probably almost as red as the blond that now lay outside his bathroom door trying to apologize for what was most certainly an accident. He hadn't planed... she hadn't meant... ah hell.
"It's OK Kealey." Jacen finally spoke up as he opened the bathroom door while pulling on his shirt. "It was an accident. A few days from now we'll probably be laughing about it." He tried to reassure her even though he could still feel the heat filling his face and neck. He knew that it was probably true but he still couldn't imagine the two of them laughing about what had just happened.
"Let's just try to forget. Your clothes should be in the dryer and once you're dressed we'll go grab some breakfast. Maybe get you some clothes before our first stop." Jacen said, never quite looking Kealey directly in the eyes as he walked around the room to grab socks and brown work boots. They needed to forget it. They HAD to forget it.
"This is not how I imagined it happening the first time either of us saw the other." Jacen thought to himself as he focused on pulling on his shoes, thus giving Kealey a chance to slip out of his bedroom. "Not how I imagined it at all."
IC: They hadn't been able to get out of the apartment fast enough. The awkwardness had seemed to last as long as they were in the apartment where Kealey had seen, well, more of Jacen than he had seen of her. In what seemed like record time they were both ready and out in the truck heading off to their first stop. The blond had tried to say that the clothing she had on would be good enough for what they needed to do but Jacen had refused to accept that. Taking her to the store he made her pick out a decent outfit while he selected some good quality boots. While not the most stylish things in the world they would make the most sense for someone that was going to be climbing through a ruined apartment.
Once the clothing was taken care it was through a drive through to grab a couple of breakfast biscuits and some drinks followed by a trip down to Immigration. After a few hours of paperwork and people asking silly questions, the were once again off and running. It was almost lunch time but Jacen thought it was probably best to push through looking over Kealey apartment before they stopped to eat again. If it was to much for her and she had a full stomach...
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Jacen asked quietly as he pulled into a parking space about a block away from Kealey's building. With the police tape still up there would be no parking any closer but the fire marshall had cleared the building for residents to go back in as long as they were escorted by trained personnel. Thankfully, Jacen just happened to fill that bill. "It can wait until tomorrow if you need it to."
Jacen's breathing was slowing down as he drew closer to the sleeping state from which Kealey's scream had jarred him awake. The young woman was commenting about his soap and shampoo stock pile, all samples swiped from various hotels, as well as something about how he felt. He felt fine but why was she talking about how he felt? It was to much for his tired brain to put together so as Kealey snuggled into him he pulled her a little closer and just gave up on listening. There would be enough time for talk the following morning. Right now it was time for sleep.
***
"Where am I?" Was the first thought to cross his mind as his eyes slowly blinked awake. Staring up at the white ceiling which led to white walls, it was quite obviously that he wasn't in his own bedroom. The feeling of something soft and silky on his chest made him glance down to see the blond curls belonging to the attractive woman that currently slept there. Suddenly it all came crashing back into his memory and Jacen let his head fall back onto the pillow once again, a contented smile on his face. He and Kealey had slept together. Slept as in actually sleeping, but still... who woulda thought?
About fifteen or twenty minutes of waking up, Jacen moved slowly and cautiously in order to extricate himself from the dozing woman. Once he was free he covered her back up with the sheet and then walked out of the room and headed for his own bedroom. Leaving the door cracked so he would hopefully hear Kealey when she woke up, Jacen tossed his boxers into the hamper, and then pulled out fresh, clean shorts, some light khaki pants, and a tight fitting black t-shirt. Heading into the bathroom he set the clothing on the counter and then went through his morning ritual of shaving, gargling with mouth wash, and then heading for the shower. When he stepped in and felt the warm water hitting his skin he felt his muscles and body relax even more. With the busy day he knew they were going to have, it was probably a good idea to enjoy this quiet moment while it lasted.
"It's just a part of life Kealey." He responded quietly when she expressed her regret for what he had faced and dealt with. Sure he had the occasional nightmare but really he had gotten of easy. Many men had died and even more had come back from battle completely changed in their personality and psyche. Those were the men to feel sorry for. "There are bad people out there, both human and mutant, that have to be dealt with. I did my part and while it may have left scars it needed to be done."
Falling silent once again his eyes drifted closed as he just enjoyed the feel of Kealey's form up against his while she told her own story. The pain was obvious in her voice but at the same time she seemed to be regaining a control that had been lacking during her actual nightmare.
The hardest part about her whole story wasn't actually the story itself but instead the distraction she was providing by running her fingertips over his ribs. Did she have any idea what that felt like? He wasn't extremely ticklish but he was a little bit and what she was doing was making it hard for his body not to react. Finally he was spared the exquisite torture as Kealey moved her hand to push up on the bed so that she could get slightly above him and look down at his face.
"Quit keeping score Kealey." Jacen said with a soft chuckle as Kealey lowered herself back down and once again rested her head on his chest, "And don't worry about waking me up. I'm just glad I was hear when you needed me. Tell you what... if you're around next time I have a nightmare, you come in and cuddle with me and we'll call it even."
As far as Jacen knew he had never screamed during his own nightmares but maybe it would be enough for Kealey to feel a little better about their arrangement. Inhaling deeply, he took in the scent of her hair and then dropped his hand down to slip under the back of her shirt and trail lazy circles around the small of her back. He was careful not to trace the actual lines of her scars so that he didn't remind her of them but he also wanted it to be clear that he didn't care if she had scars.
"You smell good." He murmured quietly, allowing them both to begin to drift back toward sleep if that was what they so desired.
Jacen felt himself flush even more when Kealey observed that the whole shirtless deal was a good look for him. Sure he had heard women compliment him on his physique before but there was just something different about the way Kealey said it. Something innocent yet sensual.
"Hold me? Just for a while?"
It was a dangerous request for both of them but there was no way that he could deny her the comfort she was asking for. He would just have to work extremely hard to deny himself the "sweetness" he had thought about earlier.
"If you want me to." He spoke softly as he moved closer to Kealey, wraping his arms around the woman and then slowly laying back so that they were now reclined with her head resting on his chest. Lifting his right hand somewhat tentatively, he began to gently run it through her somewhat curly hair as they lay together in the darkness.
"I dream about the army sometimes... all the friends and fellow soldiers that I lost over there." His voice remained quiet, not directly asking about Kealey's dream but instead simply talking about his own experinces. "They've gotten to be few and far between but every now and then they still happen. It's always teh same. I'm frozen in place, unable to do anything as I just watch them die on after another."
Falling silent Jacen waited, giving Kealey time to decide to talk or simply fall asleep if she wanted. His one hand continued its gentle stroking of her hair while his other hand idly trailed fingres up an down the arm that she had thrown over his stomach.
The back and chest of Jacen's orange t-shirt were damp from sweat as he jogged down the street on the way back to his house. His black jogging pants swished with every step as his black sneakers connected with the pavement. The ear-buds in his ears connected to a tiny MP3 played on his left bicep. The beat of the music, currently "Welcome To The World" gave him the perfect tempo to keep his energy up as he finished his run. Kicking up the pace just a notch, Jacen pushed himself into a full out sprint up to his building. Slowing down into a jog and then a walk, Jacen made his way around the outside of the building three times before he finally felt that he'd allowed his body to recover enough. A minutes later after jogging up the stairs, Jacen was back in his apartment.
Pulling the buds out of his ear, Jacen left the music playing as he walked into the kitchen to pour a glass of water. He was currently alone in the apartment since Kealey was off working at the library. They had fallen into a nice rhythm with their work schedules and then time together in the evening. As easily as things were going you almost would have though they had been room mates for years instead of just the couple of weeks that it really was.
As Jacen turned to make his way back toward the bedroom and a hot shower, there was a loud knock at the door. Unable to think of anyone that would stop by he walked over to the door and opened it to reveal a delivery man holding a parcel. "Jacen King?"
"Yes." He responded cautiously.
"Delivery. Sign here please."
A few moments later Jacen was once again alone in his apartment though now he was holding the mysterious package in his hands. Walking over to the couch he took a seat on the edge of the cushion so he wouldn't push his sweaty clothes up against the back and then ripped open the seal. The first thing that tumbled out was a digital voice recorder followed by several copies of what were obviously police reports. "What the hell?" He murmured softly as he pulled out a small square piece of paper with a handwritten message saying, "There's no such thing as normal. L."
***
An hour later Jacen was now fully sitting on the couch, still in his jogging clothes. The music from his MP3 player continued to pulse through the ear buds but he ignored it as he focused on the information that had been sent to him. Report after report of deaths in Florida that matched his parents death exactly. Written across each page were the words "Victim of Pulse". The digital recorder was the recording of Lori talking to this 'Pulse' and getting him to confess by acting drunk and innocent.
"What is she saying? My parents didn't die naturally?" Jacen murmured to himself, his mind whirling at he tried to understand the information he'd been given. He had expected that he might have to deal with Lori stopping by once or twice but he never would have predicted anything like this. The information on the package showed that it had been shipped from Jacen's home town of Tallahassee, Florida. "What's going on?"
***
For the next few hours Jacen took his time to fully read and re-read every page of the reports and information that Lori had sent him. The reports, note, digital recorder, and photo of a man labeled "Pulse" were the easiest to understand. The part that continued to confused and frustrated Jacen was the baggy of shredded papers. Though some of them had been reconstructed with names highlighted and color coded to match the papers that detailed the deaths of parents of the offspring, he couldn't figure out why anyone would have information like this. What could it all mean?
As he continued reading the phone next to his couch began to ring and without even thinking about it Jacen reached over and picked it up, answering it as he pushed it up against his ear. "Hello?" He said rather distractedly as he continued to look at the papers in front of him.
Pulling back from the kiss Jacen just looked at Kealey for several moments until finally she said the words he had been hoping to hear. Smiling slightly, he nodded and listened his grip a touch more though still without completely releasing the pretty blond.
"Want to take me up on my offer?" He asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked at her questioningly. As soon as the words left his mouth he realized that maybe he shouldn't have asked. Even if she wanted him to stay, the fact he was wearing only his boxer shorts could easily outweight any other desires.
"Uh... forget I said that." Jacen said, fully releasing Kealey and flushing ever so slightly though she was unlikely to notice the change in coloring due to the faint light in the room. "Sorry, I, uh, just ran in here when I heard you screaming. I should have grabbed a shirt or something."
It was an odd thing to say the least. Even though Jacen wanted to stay and comfort Kealey the lack of clothing was making it slightly uncomfortable. Instead of the innocent situation that it really should have been Jacen was feeling a sudden tension due to his lack of clothing. The last time he had been dressed like this around a woman was the last time he and Lori had been intimate. "Hell!" Jacen thought to himself, "Why do I keep thinking about her? It's over. We're done!"
"I'll go if you want me to. If you're ready to be alone again." Jacen offered as he scooted just a little bit away from Kealey. Being in this close proximity with so little fabric between them was far more dangerous than she could ever realize.
Slowly she was calming down and the scream became a sob and in moments was simple hiccups and slightly heavy breathing. Finally she spoke, once again apologizing for things that were beyond her control. Jacen wanted to say something but before the words come come out, Kealey was already trying to pull away, saying that she needed to go.
"No, you don't." Jacen replied quietly, loosening his grip slightly but refusing to actually release Kealey. "Kealey, quit trying to run away. You don't need to be worried just because I've seen you at some of your weakest moments. I'm not going anywhere and I'm not ashamed by what I've seen."
Releasing one hand, Jacen reached up to gently tilt the young woman's head up so that her blue eyes would be staring into his own brown ones. Looking at her Jacen suddenly felt himself at a loss for words once again. What could he say to make her feel better? What could he do that would be a permanent solution? She had to deal with the emotions of the world as well as her own every day. What could he do to help?
Before he knew it, Jacen's lips were pressed against Kealey's in a sweet, comforting kiss. There was no heat and no coaxing for more. Just the simple kiss of a friend and lover that wanted to share your pain without really knowing what to do.
Hours of tossing and turning found Jacen still staring up at the ceiling with thoughts of beautiful blonds dancing through his head. One was the girl that he had enjoyed for several weeks and then left because of her lack of commitment while the other one was the innocent woman that slept in a room just down the hall. One was sassy and dangerous, the kind of woman that every man fantasized about while the other was sexy and kind, the kind of woman that you could bring home to your parents. Sighing to himself, Jacen rolled over and finally, finally succumbed to weariness.
***
The sound of screams made Jacen leap out of bed before he was even aware of his surroundings. For a moment he stood there, dazed and confused as he tried to figure out what had just happened. Then yet another scream rang out and Jacen was off at a sprint. In a matter of second he had covered the living room and hallway and was darting through the door. Another blood curdling scream escaped Kealey's lips as she seemed to be twisting and thrashing in the sheets. A nightmare had obviously struck since there were no real threats anywhere in the room.
Quickly Jacen slid into a sitting position on the bed and wrapped Kealey up in his arms. He was lost as to what he should do but then instinct took control. Gently rocking back and forth while making quiet shushing noises Jacen focused on just waking Kealey up and then comforting her. Words escaped him for several minutes before finally something clicked. A memory from his childhood of his mother doing the same thing for him when he had experienced a nightmare.
"It's OK Kealey." He murmured, replacing her name for his in his memory while pressing kisses against her hair as he rocked back and forth with her in his arms, "Everything's OK. You're safe. No monsters and no bad men. You're safe."
While they were the same words that had comforted a nine-year old boy, somehow Jacen knew they were the right things to say. Waking from a nightmare, no matter how old, everyone just wants to be held and loved on. Something instinctual and child-like is awakened by the trauma of the dream and now Jacen did his best to comfort the young woman.
"I'm not being nice because your a wounded lamb or anything like that." Jacen said quietly as he watched Kealey suddenly turning thoughtful, "You're a kind and beautiful woman. I enjoy your friendship an until we get in an argument I have no reason to be anything but nice."
Her cheek was so soft and the way she leaned her head into his hand just made him want to scoop her up in his arms even more. She was so innocent and trusting even though she really didn't know him all that well. She had no idea if he was being truthful about his breakup with Lori but she gave him the benefit of the doubt. How in the world had she survived in New York City this long?
"Good night Kealey. Sleep well." Jacen replied as he watched the blond dissapear down the hall and into the guest bedroom. Turning around he walked over to the window and stared out into the darkness. Now that some of the emotion had drained off he found himself remembering a blond woman other than Kealey. He hadn't seen Lori since their run in at her trailer and even though he had been hurt and walked away while swearing to forget her, it was a lot more difficult to put her out of his mind than he thought. This part of the day, as everything wound down and he got ready for bed was when she began to pop into his mind even more. While he was busy he could forget about her but at this time of night it was hard to forget the passion and the heat that they had shared on multiple occasions. Her smirks and smiles that were wo beguiling.
Suddenly shaking his head, Jacen mentally cursed the fact he was once again thinking about the woman that had chosen free love over him. Spinning on his heel he walked back to his bedroom, leaving the door cracked slightly so that he could hear if Kealey called out. A few minutes later clad only in his boxers he closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep while thoughts of two very different blonds danced through his mind.
Jacen finished up the last of his two slices of pizza and then sat back against the couch cushion in obvious contentment. His stomach was full, not stuffed, and he was in the company of a beautiful woman that seemed to enjoy flirting with him as much as he enjoyed flirting with her. She was definitely a special girl but as they sat there a question had begun to float through his mind. "Am I really the right one to be her first if it were to come to that?"
"Well if you have any extra strange dreams you can always call me." Jacen said with a slight smile, "I won't be that far away after all."
What could she mean by "strange" dreams? Were they just weird because of the emotions she felt? Did she deal with anger, sadness, and joy all in the same one? Or what about erotic dreams? Did she drift in that direction from the lust of those around her? Maybe those were questions that needed to be left for another day and another time.
"You don't need to say thanks." Jacen replied with a smile as he stood and took the empty plates, carrying them into the kitchen to dispose of them. "Friends help each other when they can and I'm glad I can do that for you." As he talked he went through the motions of grabbing out some storage bags and putting the extra pizza in them before tossing it in the fridge. "Looks like we've got leftover for a little while."
Walking back out, Jacen smiled down at Kealey while reaching over to gently caress her cheek. "You sleep well tonight. We'll see about getting everything done tomorrow."
With a mouth full of pizza there was no way to respond to Kealey comments about comparing war wounds so instead Jacen just nodded and gave her a quick smile. In one way conversation over food was a great way to pass the time but in another way it was rather annoying. It seemed that one or the other was always asking a question or saying someone that required a comment while the other person had their mouth full of food. But even with that slight inconvenience Jacen wouldn't have traded his time with Kealey for anything.
"The kissing was more than OK." Jacen corrected with a slight grin, "And we'll have to see about a repeat performance when there are no delivery people on their way. And yes, I really think you'd look great in nothing."
Lifting his glass of water Jacen's eyes twinkled playfully as he added a few more words before sipping at his beverage. "Maybe some day you'll allow me the pleasure of finding out."
It was nice to be able to distract Kealey from the events of the previous week and especially earlier that day but Jacen knew that even with their playfulness it was probably preying on her mind at least a little bit. Suddenly a though occurred to him and he set down his water glass while looking at the young woman very carefully.
"Will you be OK in the guest bedroom?" Jacen asked softly, his voice serious and obviously concerned, "You're welcome to sleep in my room if you want. I promise to be a perfect gentleman if you need some emotional silence in order to rest."
Jacen was silent as he listened to Kealey's story while he worked on eating his pizza. Being a typical man both of his slices were completely gone by the time she had made her way, rather haltingly, through the tragic revelation. He didn't know what to say or think on the subject. It was obviously that the pain was still very real for Kealey. After all, how much mourning could she really do when her own emotions were being over ridden by the emotions of people around her? How could she be sad about her parents if someone extremely happy happened to come by? Or extremely angry? How could she really vent her own emotions when everyone else was intruding on her private space.
Rising to his feet Jacen walked around to the kitchen and gave himself another two slices of the loaded pizza. As he headed back to his seat, he detoured by the end of the couch where Kealey sat. Leaning down he pressed a kiss to the top of her and then moved on to take the seat he had vacated a few moments before.
"I was in Iraq, patrolling with the rest of my squad. We were attacked by insurgents. I took two bullets through my left bicep and then when a grenade exploded I had shrapnel slice into my back." Jacen related, pulling up his own shirt to show the scars that peppered the small of his back and then slowly traced up to the large patch over his right shoulder blade. Pulling his shirt back down, Jacen continued. "I was dieing... bleeding out right there in the sand when one of the men in my unit placed his hands on my chest. It was like there was pure heat running through my veins. And then suddenly I was healed. I owe my life to that man... that mutant. Apparently his saving me activated my own powers. A few years later he was the one bleeding in the dirt until he couldn't heal himself because I didn't know enough to step away from him."
It was a story that Jacen had never fully told to anyone until now. Sure people knew about his injuries and officially there was paperwork detailing the loss of one Corporal Larry Bryant but no one really knew the full story. For the next few minutes Jacen was silent, eating and thinking before finally he shook himself and tried to break the somewhat melancholy mood that had been set.
"Will those clothes work for you to sleep in tonight or do we need to run out and do at least a little shopping this evening?" He asked, giving the blond the best smile he could muster up right at that moment followed by a wink at the end of his statement, "Personally I think you'd look good in nothing at all but we might not be quite ready for that."
