Mourning After: Part 1
by Red Monster
Disclaimer and such: All characters are property of Marvel Comics. Non-profit, dirt-poor, don't sue. This is a follow-up to Who's the Boss? by Samy Merchi, which I encourage you to read, as it's an excellent story, albeit not child-friendly. Just so you know, I don't do accents, so don't be surprised when you don't find them.
thoughts emphasisThis is dedicated to everyone who's ever lived to regret living in the moment.
Theresa Cassidy and Roberto DaCosta walked through the front door of X-Force's home in very close proximity to each other. Not surprising, considering that the former was helping the latter hold his broken arm against his chest to keep it from flopping around, for lack of a splint.
"Anyone here?" Theresa shouted into the empty air. Roberto winced at the volume of the voice shouting so close to his ear.
"Not in my ear, Theresa! My arm is already broken, I don't need a fractured eardrum as well."
"Hah. I know how you got that broken arm, don't whine to me about your poor little ears," Theresa quipped dryly. However, their time for witty banter was cut short when Dani Moonstar ran into the room.
"Roberto! Thank God you're safe." She noticed his arm. "Wait a minute, what happened?"
"Bobby was too proud to tell you over the phone, but his arm got broken when we were fighting with the FOH. He'll be okay, see, it's just a simple fracture," Theresa lied. It was just a simple fracture, but it did not come from fighting the FOH.
"I'm glad you didn't get hurt too badly. Come on, let's get you to a doctor. God, first it's Jesse, then you," said Dani.
"What happened to Jesse, Dani?" Roberto asked, just as James Proudstar walked into the room.
"Deadpool came over and shot Jesse in the knee. I wish I'd been there to see it," he said.
"What was Deadpool here about, other than shooting Jesse in the knee?" Theresa asked.
James looked at her and swallowed a lump in his throat. He didn't know whether he should be glad she was okay, or kick himself for not being able to get over her. The more he had to see her, the more it hurt him...
"According to Domino, he teleported over and asked if he could move in with 'his chick.' Meaning you, of course. She wouldn't let him, fortunately," James said.
"That lunatic, what business does he think he has, showing his face here after what he did to you?" Theresa growled through clenched teeth. The last time she'd seen Deadpool, he'd assaulted James without provocation and then asked Theresa to help him get his head straight. She was not amused.
"Guys, I'm taking 'Berto to the hospital. Theresa, are you okay?" Dani asked.
"I'm fine, Dani, no need to take me. Thank you, though."
As Dani and Roberto left through the front door, James couldn't help but wonder, Why does Bobby smell like he's been tied up to Theresa all night, while she smells like she just had a shower?
Two days later, Dani was sorting laundry, and she felt something suspicious in the pocket of a pair of pants. She took the object out, and found it was a small brown prescription pill container. The label said, Trivora, 4 caplets. Trivora is an oral contraceptive, it's used to prevent pregnancy. So why is this such a small prescription? Dani remembered that Theresa had been wearing that pair of pants the day before. What in the hell?! Where is she?
Dani found Theresa in the computer room, replying to an email from her father. "Terry, what's this?" she asked, holding up the bottle of Trivora.
Theresa's eyes widened to twice their normal diameter when she saw the bottle. "Oh, Dani, thank God you found this. I can't afford to have these go through the wash!" she sighed and took the bottle from Dani.
"Terry, why are you taking 4 pills of Trivora? If you're going on the pill, you're supposed to take one of those every day. This won't last you very long."
Theresa's stomach started to twist and fight to escape from her abdominal cavity. WHAT DO I TELL HER?!!! If she finds out what happened...no. That can't happen. "It's emergency contraception, Dani. After you and Bobby left for the hospital, Jimmy and I...well, you know. We were just so happy to see each other, and we forgot to use a condom. So I got these," she said.
"You had sex with Jimmy?"
"I just told you, yes."
"Then can you explain to me why James has been acting so weird around you lately? He looks like he's not really happy to see you."
Theresa sighed and put on a resigned look. "We've been trying not to let you guys find out about this, but Jimmy and I are actually dating. We started a few weeks ago, and we weren't ready to tell anyone just yet. So it's made us a little uncomfortable to be together in front of you all."
"You two have been dating?"
"Yes, Dani, I just told you that."
"Okaaaay..." Dani said uneasily, and turned to leave the room.
Theresa slumped in her chair and let out a long breath. She had barely touched James Proudstar in the past few weeks. A few days before, she and Roberto had gone out running together and checked into a hotel after she collapsed from exhaustion. They then proceeded to drink very large quantities of alcohol and fornicate repeatedly. Their method of birth control was a combination of condom use, withdrawal, and uncertainty. Theresa thought it best to get the morning
after pills, just in case. Roberto, being already committed to Dani, warned Theresa not to tell anyone of their affair. He broke his own arm to boost his cover story of fighting with the FOH. Theresa made a mental note to keep her pills in a safe place until she'd taken them all."Jimmy, I need to talk to you," Theresa said to James when she found him reading in his bedroom later that afternoon.
She knows I'm trying to get over her. And she doesn't want me to succeed. "Yes, Terry?" he said, putting his book aside.
"If anyone asks, we've been dating for a few weeks, we had sex on the afternoon that Bobby and I came home while Dani took him to the hospital, and we forgot to use a condom. Okay?"
"No, Terry. We have not been dating, we did not have sex, and I know enough to use condoms. Now, what's going on?" he asked. Shut up, Jimmy. The more you know, the more you care, and you'll never get over her that way.
"No, I can't tell you that. I just really need your help on this. Please do this for me?" she asked with that scared look in her eyes.
Shut up, Jimmy. "Tell me what's going on. Are you pregnant? I'm not going to lie for you unless I know the truth." Say it, Proudstar. You're hopeless.
"I'm not pregnant, Jimmy. Just, please cover for me on this. I'll never ask a favor from you again if you just do this one for me. It's really important, honestly it is," she pleaded.
"Okay, Terry. I'll lie for you. But don't ever ask me to do it again," he sighed.
"Oh, thank you, Jimmy-darlin'!" she bent down and kissed him on the forehead. "You don't know how much good you're doing." She then left the room and left James alone.
She kissed me. I'm so screwed.
"Why is it that we didn't get around to doing this until you hurt yourself?" Dani asked Roberto through the steam of the shower.
"Because I have been a fool up until now," said Roberto, with his good arm curled around Dani's soaking-wet, bare back.
"A DaCosta admits to being a fool?" They kissed. "Has Hell frozen over?" They kissed again.
"The difference between a DaCosta and an ordinary man, in that respect, is a DaCosta knows when to admit to making a mistake," Roberto began, between kissing Dani on the lips, cheeks, jaw line, and neck, in that order. "And an ordinary man repeats his mistakes rather than admitting to them."
"That's very big of you, 'Berto," Dani murmured into the back of his neck. "What say we continue this in the bedroom?"
"It would be a challenge with this injury," Roberto referred to the cast on his arm.
"Yes, it would."
"And a DaCosta never runs away from a challenge."
"No, he doesn't." Dani turned off the water and reached for a towel big enough to go around the both of them. "You're mine, DaCosta."
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
In the next room, Domino was happily trouncing Jesse at a game of chess. She was soon distracted, however, by some very conspicuous noises emanating from Dani's bedroom. This was not good. She was about to put Jesse in check, and couldn't concentrate on the game.
"What is going on in there?" Jesse asked.
"I think we all know what's going on in there," grumbled Domino. "Hey, you two! Keep it down for a minute!" she threw a shoe at the wall. The moaning and tossing soon quieted down, and Domino made her move. "There. How does it feel to be in check?"
In the weight room, James spotted Sam while the latter squatted 600 pounds.
"18...19...come on, Sam, you can do it...20!" said James. Then, the noises started back up again after a brief period of quiet. Sam couldn't hear it, but James could.
"Jimmy, what's the matter?" asked Sam when James started frowning at the ceiling again.
"That better not be Terry up there," said James. He climbed to the top of the exercise apparatus and pushed his ear against the ceiling. Let it go, Jimmy. You should be trying to get over her, not worrying about who's under her. He soon distinguished a young male voice moaning in Portugese and pronouncing Dani's name at intervals, followed by a female voice that didn't sound the least bit Irish. "Okay, it's just Roberto and Dani going at it up there."
"Those two are doin' it, huh? Well this is just great. We're down here pumping iron while Broken Arm Boy is getting nooky from a woman 5 inches taller than himself," said Sam.
"Oh well, at least it isn't Terry. Or Tabitha, for that matter," James added. "Call me possessive, but if Terry were involved with another guy, I wouldn't want to know about it."
"I know what you mean, Jimmy. Terry and Tabitha, however..." Sam began.
"Ooooh. Now that I could give my blessing," James said with a growing smile.
"But don't tell my momma I said that. I'm not sure how she'd feel," Sam said gravely.
"I won't tell her, Sam. I promise."