Gen 13: Untold Stories (Closed)

[Lady_Gamer]

This thread is closed for Eazy.

Note: If you're not here for the sake of the story, you should probably start reading at about post #18. kthx, enjoy!

*****​

Caitlin Fairchild had never expected to become...this. She was an academic. She wasn't meant to be - she didn't consent to being exposed to the Gen Factor that changed her so drastically. She truly felt betrayed.

"Project: Genesis". Caitlin had thought that she had been accepted for some government internship that would vastly help her career upon graduating from Princeton. She couldn't have been more wrong. They - International Operations - had decided that Caitlin and the other recruited youths were little more than lab rats. They were unknowingly fed drugs and distracted with some cutesy smoke and mirror show from their handlers. Caitlin didn't know that anything was awry until everything crashed around her.

It was all pretty fuzzy. Caitlin didn't want to re-live those moments, anyway.

She stood in front of a mirror in what she was told was her room. It didn't feel right. Her reflection was...it wasn't her. And this magnificent house that John Lynch had somehow arranged for her and her "team" (the other youths that were exposed to the Gen Factor - they had escaped together) to stay in - it certainly didn't feel like home. The others were so... They really were like kids. No doubt they were near Caitlin's age - 19 - but they were...immature. She had to consider that maybe it wasn't them. She was the one who took everything so damn seriously. She wondered if the others at all felt the weight of the situation on their shoulders.

International Operations would be coming for them; there wasn't a doubt in Catilin's mind. And if not for the kids they so lovingly called "Gen 13", then for their former director, Mr. Lynch. Caitlin was still trying to figure out that man. He directly betrayed the government in order to help her and the others escape their captivity - without him, there would have been no chance. Caitlin had to idly wonder if they would've been put to death for their resistance or if they would have been further tormented with medical experiments. In either case, it would seem that she and the others owed the man a great deal.

Caitlin bit down on her lower lip and dropped her arms, which had been covering her chest. She allowed her eyes to trail over her reflection.

She was wearing a white swimsuit. The top was halter-style, reaching up and tying behind her neck. She had thought the piece would cover her new ridiculously large rack better than other styles of bikinis. She suspected she wasn't entirely wrong; it just seemed it would be impossible to lessen the attention such breasts demanded for themselves.

Caitlin felt like a fucking Amazon. She was uncomfortable in her new skin - her body's reaction to the Gen Factor had left her...like this. The mirror would indicate that she was fit and trim as only a genetically superior experiment could be - but she certainly didn't feel confident about any of it. She was uncertain about her ability to lead her team...she wasn't strong, or tall, or gorgeous. She just wasn't. Or, at least, I shouldn't be. she thought to herself.

Stop torturing yourself. You need to just go to the pool, burn off some of this energy swimming. Maybe lay out in the sun for a few hours.

Caitlin couldn't watch herself in the mirror anymore, anyway. She spun on her heel and headed out into the hallway, making her way through the house. She paused slightly as she passed the route that would have led her Mr. Lynch's office. She had only been here a few days, and she found herself bothering the man frequently. She couldn't confide her doubts to her team members - and, honestly, she found herself somewhat resentful of their care-free attitudes. Mr. Lynch seemed to understand her, and he...

She forced her feet to keep moving. You're going to the pool. You're already in a bikini, right? She reminded herself. She abandoned her train of thought - or, rather, forced it elsewhere - and distracted herself by seeking out her sunglasses before heading outside.

Sarah was swimming laps. She didn't directly acknowledge Caitlin's approach. That was okay. Caitlin was used to being the computer nerd girl that other women didn't really like.

She let out a soft sigh as she placed her sunglasses on a table. She took steps towards the pool and stopped for a moment to consider the water temp with her one of her feet.

"The water is great," Sarah spoke as she swam up to the ledge. "Even if Anna is enforcing a bullshit swimsuit policy." She and Caitlin laughed.

Caitlin wouldn't admit that she had been startled by Rainmaker's ability to walk through the house naked and skinny dip in front of everyone - as had been shown the previous day. "I uh...probably would've worn a suit even without a policy in force."

"Shame," Sarah responded with a sly smile. Caitlin gave her a stupid grin in response, assuming it was some hippy talk relating to really experiencing the elements. Rainmaker didn't give Caitlin a chance to think it over too much. "Well, dive in!" she said encouragingly before resuming her lap swimming. Caitlin was glad to oblige - the two women passed each other uneventfully as they used what could be a fun swim time to exercise. Caitlin was keenly aware of the changes of her muscular structure. She cut through the water with a new found grace and speed - it still felt like she had invaded someone else's body.

Caitlin couldn't be sure of how much time had passed before Roxy showed up. She, too, was suited up for a swim. Her conversation with Sarah indicted that she wasn't interested in getting wet, though - she was just looking to show off a little for Grunge. Sarah climbed out of the pool and expressed a knowledge that Grunge and Bobby had taken off to go skateboarding. Kids, Caitlin couldn't help but say to herself. She continued to swim and tried not to eavesdrop on the other girls' conversation.

Sarah offered to apply sun block to Roxy's back, who accepted happily. And while Caitlin did not hear their conversation, she somehow knew it was about her. She could feel their eyes on her as they spoke. You're just being paranoid, she told herself. Caitlin swam to the ladder and pulled herself out of the water. She glanced in the direction of Sarah and Roxy before walking to the opposite side of the pool. They had definately been looking at her.

And while Caitlin did not hear the end of their conversation, it will be related here:

Sarah and Roxy had been discussing Grunge's habit of staring at Fairchild. As his girlfriend, Roxy felt it was hardly fair that she would need to compete against "ultra-babe"...and she hated even more that she couldn't hate Caitlin because of it. She had always treated Roxy well, and didn't flaunt herself in any way. In the end, Sarah shared, "I can actually understand Grunge's...'desires', primitive as they may be. But it's an altogether different matter whether Grunge can satisfy Caitlin's needs...in a way only another woman truly can..." Rainmaker slipped her hands down Roxy's back and firmly took the other woman's buttocks in her grasp. "...If you know what I mean."

Caitlin heard Roxy's response to this, which was to cry out "Grr--ooss!" Caitlin glanced in their direction momentarily before putting on her sunglasses and laying back on an aqua colored lounger. I don't even want to know... She closed her eyes and tried to relax.

There was further disturbances on the other side of the pool. It seemed the boys were back and Grunge had given Roxy some reason to toss his ass into the pool. Caitlin took a deep breath and reminded herself that it wasn't her job to ruin their fun.

She didn't notice Mr. Lynch approaching her until he spoke. "Caitlin? May I have a word with you?"

"Hm?" she responded as if she finally found a calm. She pushed her sunglasses up on to her forehead and considered the man with her bright green eyes. "Sure, Mr. Lynch. What's up?"

 

[Eazy]

So many changes in such a short amount of time. For himself, and for the rest of those kids which fate had placed under his guidance. John Lynch had been many things during his long and eventful lifetime. An adventurer. A war hero. An agent of International Operations and, eventually, one of its Director of Operations. He was also the leader of Team 7, an elite military force of the finest operatives the government had to offer. It was during this time where the once naive Lynch and his brothers in arm had their trust betrayed by the very people they served; exposing each of the men to an experimental 'Gen-factor' while on a bogus mission for their superiors.

The resulting effect left each of the men, Lynch included, with greatly enhanced mental powers along with other abilities unique to certain members. Some, however, were driven to madness by the resulting after effects. Needless to say, Team 7 was never the same, and the group eventually disbanded, with John himself being the only one who stayed with the government on a regular basis for reasons of his own. That is, until his hand was forced by a return of the Gen-factor testing which had this time focused largely upon the very offspring of his former teammates.

Each of the teens were adjusting to life on the run from the government in their own ways, with a couple seemingly treating it like an extended road trip. It was perhaps for the best, as they each got better used to their new lives together and with their powers. For himself, the role of a mentor and teacher, if you will, had been an interesting (if often taxing) new experience. But even living out here next to the sunny beaches of La Jolla, one can never fully escape from their past.

"So, Helmut is back in business... and it looks like he's making up for lost time. I warned them 25 years ago that a maximum security prison wasn't going to be enough to hold him." Reflected the older male seated in a leather chair before the small assortment of television monitors, acting as the lone source of light within the darkened room as they broadcast news reports on a recent super criminal activity.

"You actually know this criminal, sir?" Came the curious voice of Anna, the private maid Lynch had entrusted with helping to look after his new charges, whom watched on with concern while standing behind her employer.

From there, John Lynch would reveal how he'd been responsible for putting the rampaging brute away during his first crime spree. It was one of his earliest adventures, and one which ended in a typical bravado from the vanquished foe about getting revenge one day. At Anna's query on whether the villain would still come after him and the safety of the others, Lynch could only relate to how his years in I.O. had taught him to always expect the unexpected.

The following day, after a night of reflection, the older man decided on having a word with his young charges about the potential threat. Unfortunately, as the darkly clad male stepped out into the poolside area of their shared home, he was treated to a reminder of just how....inexperienced, these young men and women were. Roxanne and Eddie were apparently in the midst of another of their fights, with Bobby and Sarah standing by as spectators to the foolishness. Taking in a deep breath, Lynch then moved onto the one person on this 'team' whose intelligence he not only respected, but oftentimes was impressed by.

Unlike the majority of men closer to her age, John Lynch didn't tend to look at Caitlin with the same libido fueled lust of a teenager. She was beautiful, no mistake there, but any physical attraction seemed well hidden under his 'business first' approach which had lingered from his I.O. days. Besides, he'd imagined the poor girl had enough trouble adjusting with the unfamiliar attention brought about by her new body, without having somebody old enough to be her father joining in on the gawking.

"Caitlin? May I have a word with you?"

"Hm? Sure, Mr. Lynch. What's up?"

Taking a deep breath, Lynch started, "I don't want to alarm you, but I thought you and the other kids should know--"

"About Helmut?" The sunbathing redhead cut in, evidently having an idea of what their 'teacher' had weighing on his mind, "The guy who broke out of prison and has been robbing all those munitions depots? You're worried he may come after you?"

"How did you know?" The older male inquired, feeling genuinely curious and a little surprised despite already knowing how on the ball Caitlin could be for someone her age.

"I saw the news report about him last night... and then I remembered the photograph of him in your office."

Brains and beauty. A sadly rare combination in the youth of today, he'd mused to himself before grimacing slightly at how old such a thought made him sound. Either way, it served as a fresh reminder of how often the former Team 7 leader would feel impressed toward the young Fairchild during their short time together. Faintly, Mr. Lynch reflected upon the possibilities if he were only a younger man, before refocusing his thoughts on the subject at hand..

"Do you think he'll be able to find -- huh?" The teen's query was interrupted by an increasing rumble as she reached for her drink, "My glass! It's shaking!"

Soon as those words escaped Caitlin's lips, that rumbling grew into so much more, as the ground itself shook with an increasing force beneath the group of gen-actives.

"Is it an earthquake?" Questioned a nearby and understandably startled Sarah Rainmaker.

"No! It must be-" The teams mentor began to correct the girl, before their collective attention was drawn toward the source by Caitlin, "Look! Down on the beach! There's something moving under the-"

PHOOM

Before she could finish, out came the cause of the supposed tremors, as the heavily armored Helmut came shooting out of the ground of the fortunately private and thus empty beach side property. Quickly uncurling from his ball-like formation, the super criminal stood before the group of mostly inexperienced superheroes; proud and menacing as he called out his primary target, "Come out and face me, Lynch! It's payback time for all those miserable years I spent in prison!"

Staring down his old nemesis from the short distance between themselves and the metal clad villain, Mr. Lynch silently reflected on how he could only hope his young team would be ready for this most unexpected field test of their developing talents.

 

[Lady_Gamer]

Caitlin watched Mr. Lynch from her position on the lounger as they discussed Helmut - she couldn't deny that she felt a little proud of herself as she watched his reaction to her knowledge of the situation. He had to have realized, though, that she had quite the advantage to figure it out; it just so happened that she had already spent enough time with him that she recognized a potential adversary from an obscure photograph he had hanging on the wall of his office. And maybe she thought about him...and felt compelled to care for his well-being.

Mr. Lynch reacted to her like teachers had her entire life - he gave her a praising look that said he appreciated her intelligence more than he worried about how much Caitlin over-worked things in her mind. She watched him with a concerned expression and only reached for her drink to keep herself from letting her eyes get a little too friendly with Mr. Lynch's black-clad form. He's twice your age, she reminded herself -- the trembling of her glass brought her out of those concerns rather quickly --

Kat immediately recognized Helmut. She watched him carefully as she sat up from the lounger and rose to her feet; she moved evenly, so as not to immediately draw attention to herself. She wasn't really used to being strong -- it honestly took her a few moments to realize that she could do anything to oppose such an adversary.

In the meantime...

Rainmaker was the first to throw herself into battle. "You'll still have to get past us, monster!" the woman calls out like a true warrioress. Her hands begin to crackle with the sound of electrical energy jumping over her flesh.

Bobby was less prepared than his counterpart. "Uh... So... What're we supposed to do now?"

Sarah growls in response, telling him simply to fight. Despite the great light show the woman was providing, she wasn't wearing her ampli-bands (she was just swimming, who can blame her?) so her attacks did little more than tickle Helmut. He taunts her accordingly.

Bobby blasts the strangely armored man - Freefall follows his attack with a sudden force of gravity upon the man, throwing him face down on the ground. His taunting is able to break her concentration, though, and he climbs to his feet and menacingly approaches her for retribution.

Kat interrupts; her insult towards his costume is enough to gain his attention before he can damage her teammate.

"What is this? A Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Photo-shoot?" Helmut asks as if he thinks himself to be funny - he continues, "You're a fool if you think a hot bod's gonna keep me from tearing you apart."

Caitlin wasn't sure if she should thank him. It sounded more like a compliment than a threat. "The only fool I see around here is you, Helmut. It's hard to believe you'd be stupid enough to go after the one man who locked you up in the first place." She then, again, insulted his armadillo outfit.

This enrages Helmut. He rushes forward and swings widely to strike Caitlin in the face - he also takes down a nearby palm tree, which Eddy pretty much throws his body under as it's falling. Roxy and Sarah struggle to extract him.

Kat wipes blood from her mouth as she climbs to her feet.

Helmut swings at her again, but the red headed Amazon is prepared to deftly jump over his strike; when she lands on the ground, she swings herself under the armored man and knocks him off of his feet. He strikes the ground on his back.

Rainmaker steps in to direct the waves of the ocean to spill upon Helmut's position on the sand - she creates a strong enough quicksand effect that the man is temporarily disabled.

Apparently, Mr. Lynch is more familiar with Helmut's weaknesses than these inexperienced kids. He tells Bobby (who is standing around, still not quite sure what to do) to set up his electric guitar.

Caitlin begins to crawl away from the make-shift quicksand pit, only to have her ankle grabbed by Helmut. Her ability to resist being pulled in allows him to pull himself out.

Thankfully, Bobby is ready to rock! He plays an absolutely horrible self-written riff that distracts Helmut - he cries out in pain as he holds his ears. The speakers aren't going to hold out, though.

Mr. Lynch manages to yell loud enough to tell Grunge how to defeat Helmut, "The locking mechanism for Helmut's armor is in his belt!"

One button to un-assemble all his armor? Nice.

((Please note the above battle is essentially the content of the actual comic - my apologizes for what basically amounts to plagiarism. Or a bad parody. I'm not sure.))

*****

Grunge was excitedly babbling about how he had won the fight with his ninja attack. Even Kat had to laugh at the cheesy chop motion he made as he retold what had happened just hours before. They were sitting around the dinner table, sharing a meal. The group generally seemed to be getting along - Kat joined in the conversation somewhat. She might have been a little distracted. Her mind was everywhere. So much had happened, it was hard to know how to take everything in.

Caitlin wasn't feeling sorry for herself anymore, at least. She understood that she had to treat what happened as a gift...as something she was obligated to make good use of. It did bring up some philosophical questions that she didn't want to fully explore just yet.

The redhead must've been lost in thought; before she realized it, half of the people at the table had finished their food and left the room. She straightened herself suddenly and lifted her gaze from her plate. The only thing she really noticed was that Mr. Lynch had gone. She could hear some of her teammates heading off to the living room to play video games; they were already issuing formal challenges to each other. Caitlin rose and brought her dishes to the kitchen. She had to pause after she placed her plate in the sink.

She knew where she wanted to go. Would that appear odd to her teammates -- would they assume that she was throwing herself at Mr. Lynch?

Am I?

They didn't seem to expect Caitlin to join them for video games - she made her way off from the group eventually. She considered returning to her room - she had books and such to entertain herself until she was actually tired. Again, she paused slightly when she came to the passage that would take her to Mr. Lynch's office. She closed her eyes briefly as she recalled her last visit - she had wandered in without waiting for him to answer the door. She studied pictures of him when he had been close to her age. When he entered, he commented that, "It's hard to believe I was ever that young."

Caitlin was startled. Her eyes sank in his image as compared to that of his youth; his features were more defined now, and his scars and cybernetic eye certainly made him more distinguished.

Mr. Lynch comforted her. He assured her that she was good leader, took her hand and told her, "If your father were alive today, I know he'd be proud of what you've accomplished." When Caitlin turned to look into John's eyes, he was her height exactly - he somehow made her feel --

Caitlin shook her head. She wasn't sure what she felt exactly.

Well. Hopefully he wouldn't find her to be horribly intrusive. She wasn't quite sure what excuse or conversation she would strike up when she got there. Her feet found their way down that path, though.

She knocked softly on his office door.

 

[Eazy]

In his office, after everything had been said and done, John Lynch stood before his desk while speaking with an unknown voice over his secured line. "Thanks again for your help in picking him up. Didn't have many options for dropping ol' Helmut off with the proper authorities without too many questions being asked."

The voice on the other end was male. One of the few reliable connections the former director of operations had left since being on the run, "You've done enough good by me to owe you a favor or two, John. Even after all that's gone down in the past few months. Just try not to make this a habit, y'hear?"

After the conversation was completed, the older male let out a deep sigh while leaning against his desk; taking a sip from his wine glass while considering the days events. Helmut. A name so buried deeply into his past that he'd almost forgotten about him over the years. But clearly the feeling wasn't mutual. More so, John was distressed over the fact that he'd managed to find their location. The how's were bothering, but also was the reality that if he could find them, it may not take long for others to follow.

Letting out a deep breath, Lynch tried not to stress himself too much on the matter. It could be days. Weeks. Months before a real threat to their security arose. That risk was always part of the game. If anything good could be taken from this, it was how those kids managed to handle themselves, given the situation and allowing for sloppiness that would require work. Despite his usually stern demeanor, he could help but smirk at how the fight ended. Surprisingly, it was his idea to pose for the group photo around the captured Helmut. A touch of ironic humor, along with hoping it'd help to further lighten the mood for the kids after the surprise attack. Seemed to go over well enough.

Taking another drink while gazing at the lit fireplace in his office, the older male's reflections were interrupted by the sound of light knocking at his door, "Enter."

Mostly expecting it to be Anna at this hour, it was a slightly unexpected, but certainly not unwelcomed surprise when he saw who entered, "Caitlin? Is anything the matter? Anna said the others were settling in for games in the living room. I assumed you were joining them?"

Curious of what may be on the young woman's mind, Lynch put the glass down before approaching the lone figure as the door closed behind her. Gazing into her green eyes, at first trying to get a read of what had brought her here, he did find himself briefly getting lost into them. John had seen photos and training footage of the teen prior to her gen-factor activating, and this was one physical aspect which had remained constant before and after the change. In many ways, it was her most attractive feature.

After giving her a chance at voicing whatever her reason was for coming to his office, the older male took a moment to place a strong and reassuring hand upon her shoulder while confiding, "I realize today was....unexpected. But I do want you to know that I'm proud of how you and the others handled yourselves. I'm just sorry you had to deal with a problem from my own past on top of our present concerns."

It wasn't rare for Lynch to compliment his students when they did a good job (though it was admittedly rare at this point in their career of super heroics), but it was unusual for him to voice any type of apology toward them. But he had felt remorse here, especially toward Caitlin considering the physical abuse she'd taken during the battle.

 

[Lady_Gamer]

Caitlin entered the man's office, shutting to door softly behind her. She turned to face him and realized that she was biting lightly on her lower lip as he spoke - she let the flesh slip free, hoping he wouldn't notice.

"I...I've never been one for games, Mr. Lynch," she spoke honestly. She held his gaze with hers and continued, "I just...I just feel so out of place here. Not that I'm not grateful for all you've-- I mean, I think it has more to do with the situation."

Mr. Lynch had been approaching her as she spoke and he now placed a hand on her shoulder. She gave him a small, grateful smile. It was as if he could sense that she didn't really know what else to say - he rescued her from babbling like an idiot. His voice soothed her as much as his words; the depth of it struck just where Caitlin imagined a mysterious man's voice would be. He spoke evenly, with confidence. She would call his voice dark, but that was more reasonably an attribute that would be applied to his appearance.

Caitlin had to agree that she was glad that the team had worked together so well. Despite their complete lack of training, they seemed aware enough of each other that they accomplished what needed to be done. She smiled as John expressed that he was proud of them. It faded slightly when he apologized for the Helmut incident, since it had arisen because of him.

"Don't apologize, Mr. Lynch," she nearly had called him John - but for some reason she felt like that might seem disrespectfully informal. "You've taken on a fair amount of danger to yourself for our sake," she reminded him. "I'd say you're as much the team as we are... And we take care of our own." She gave him another full smile before taking a few steps in to his office. She placed a hand on her hip and tilted her head slightly as she studied the wall that held the earlier picture of John capturing Helmut. "Are you going to put ours up next to this one?" she indicted the picture with her free hand, though it was entirely unnecessary.

She seemed more relaxed than on previous occasions in his office. This was the first time she had taken deliberate steps to lighten the mood with idle banter. She studied the picture for a few moments while he responded. She had to admit, he had done a good job of setting up the new shot. It very much resembled this one - although there were five extra people in it. At least all the girls had still been in their swimsuits - it would make a nice addition to his wall.

Caitlin had changed since, of course. After the picture was taken, she had gone to take a short shower (she had been quite covered with wet sand) and dressed herself appropriately before dinner. She was now wearing a plain white t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts.

 

[Eazy]

Her feelings of being out of place were ones he could relate toward. John Lynch had faced his own problems adjusting to being part of and then leading a team of his own back during his military days on the field. Granted, the dangers and worries faced back then were a lot different compared to what the current generation of gen-actives were facing. But there were some base emotions which allowed him to share an empathy of sorts with the younger Fairchild as she showed a harder time adjusting to these conditions then the others.

A faint smile nearly cracked the corner of his lips in return as she stated he was as much a part of the team as themselves. He had to admit to often seeing their relationship as strictly one of teacher and students, rather then a mutual camaraderie. After all, what did he know about being able to relate with teens these days? Watching as she entered further and neared the wall holding a few mounted photos, Lynch reflected on how Caitlin was the one obvious exception. While still adjusting toward each other and how they felt about their given situation, she had indeed become the one he felt the most comfortable conversing with out of the group.

Focusing his attention toward the referenced photograph, he gave off an amused little 'hmph' sound while stepping closer to inspect the walls space, "The thought had crossed my mind... though I was also thinking it might not be a bad idea to make a separate spot available for photos of the teams own accomplishments as they come."

Along the way over, Lynch had reached over for the unframed copy of the newer picture; standing beside Caitlin while holding it up with one hand beside the other for a comparison. A light smirk appeared on his features, as for a moment John had almost felt twinge of pity for ol' Helmut, before the reality of what he'd do if left unchecked kept him grounded in reality. At least his appearance made for a most unusual of bonding sessions for his new team of young heroes.

"What a difference a few decades make. I hate to admit it, but ol' Helmut's done a better job of holding up over the years then I have." The older male remarked as he contrasted his youthful, unscarred appearance with the picture from earlier today. There was a ping of regret within his tone, while at the same time seeming more reflective then remorseful as he slowly shook his head, "That almost seems like a lifetime ago, and yet I can remember that day as if it were yesterday."

Holding the photo out for a few moments longer before turning to place it upon the nearby table, John Lynch once again considered his star pupils earlier concerns. There were many facets of the young red head which were admirable, with the way she'd managed to cope considering everything they had been through being just one of them. Returning to stand behind her, the older male placed his firm hands upon her shoulders, as he remained close enough to where a few gusts of his warm breath managed to reach along her exposed neck and collar while he spoke.

"Caitlin? I know you've been through a lot these past few months. So many things have changed. For all of us. You more so then any, perhaps." He explained, giving a light squeeze upon her right shoulder while continuing, "I may not be able to place myself in your shoes, but I can emphasize with the notion of feeling out of place in a strange new setting with people whom you barely know."

Slowly, he had her turn around to face him once more, while repositioning his hands so as to remain resting on her shoulders; though a few inches lower to where his rugged hands were making contact with her softer flesh where the white sleeves ended, "It will prove difficult at times, but I have the utmost confidence in you rising to the challenges waiting ahead. You're a smart, capable, and beautiful young woman -- One whom I continue to place my trust within as the leader of this team."

That last descriptive term he may have let slip by accident, though there didn't seem to be any outward sign of regretting his choice in words. She was beautiful. It may have held little direct connection toward her abilities as a leader, but it was a simple fact of reality in his eyes. Besides? Maybe it was something she needed to hear, if only once, from a mature source of confidence and conviction; as opposed to through the drooling mouths of the average juvenile miscreant closer to her age group.

 

[Lady_Gamer]

Caitlin watched Mr. Lynch as he approached her, glancing at the picture in his hand as he held it up. She let her eyes shift between it and the framed "older version" on the wall. She felt the urge to dispute his remarks about not holding up as well as Helmut - but it seemed...well. Perhaps if she weren't so attracted to him, she wouldn't hesitate to offer him reassurances of his appearance. But as it was, any statement of that caliber felt revealing. She wondered how long she would be able to hold out before becoming obvious.

She let her eyes wander along the other objects on the wall while John placed the picture on a table. She had already seen them all. Given her current train of thought, though, she was avoiding looking directly at Mr. Lynch. She had never been so concerned with her potential transparency.

She couldn't help but wonder why she was actively resisting what she felt. It wasn't his age - she could tell herself he was twice her age as a superficial dismissal - but it was likely that her attraction was largely because of his greater amount of experience. It wasn't only that he was leaps and bounds more intelligent and mature than most Caitlin knew; he looked manly. More so than any baby-faced teenager ever could. She could get lost studying the lines of his face - the wear of his flesh from living a life of danger.

She felt his hands fall on her shoulders. He was standing behind her, close enough that she knew his body would only be inches away from making contact with hers. She closed her eyes briefly as he began to speak - she might have just imagined the heat of his breath on her neck as he spoke. Not knowing for sure made Caitlin feel uneasy. She was more aware of his touch and the slight pressure he applied to emphasize his statement than she was aware of what he actually said. She was sure it had been something supportive and reassuring.

She felt him guiding her to turn to face him. She did so without any hesitation and Mr. Lynch repositioned his hands accordingly. Caitlin was keenly aware of the roughness of his hands against the bare flesh of her arms. She had to stop herself from focusing on the sensation before she started imagining his touch elsewhere.

She looked in to his eyes and found it didn't make the situation any less tense for her. His words didn't help much, either. She couldn't help but soak in his compliments and think, Maybe I'm fighting all this for nothing. He might return your affection. You'll never know if you don't try.

Before the voice of doubt could make it's points on the matter, Caitlin found herself blushing. She could feel the heat of her face as her cheeks took on a pinkish hue. She had no doubt that she had crossed the threshold of obvious at this point - she quickly considered her options.

Do I try to play this off as anything other than it is and potentially look like an idiot - or do I...?

Caitlin parted her lips slightly, as if to speak. She looked to the side for a brief moment, as if looking away might help her to control herself. When her eyes returned to John's, she found herself leaning in towards him.

She felt a rush of reckless abandonment. Was it this blissful state of mind what made it seem that he was moving in to accept her kiss?

CRASH!

Caitlin visibly jumped in response to the sudden noise. She quickly looked towards the door, where the muffled sound of Roxy and Grunge arguing emitted.

"I uh..." She released a breath that she hadn't been aware she was holding until now. She looked back at Mr. Lynch briefly as she said, "I'll go...take care of that."

She brushed her hair behind her ear as she turned away from him. She took several steps towards the door. She tried to resist the urge to turn back - but she failed.

"And for the record, Mr. Lynch. Helmut couldn't hold a candle to you. Not then...and especially not now."

She gave a shy-ish smile before turning back towards the door. She let herself out and didn't start to question herself until she was several steps down the hall.

I seriously just did that? Jesus Christ, Caitlin! Let's see if I can make myself any more awkward. What were you thinking?

She was actually happy to be on her way to chewing out the others. At least that would give her a distraction.

*****

Caitlin awoke the next morning, no less aware of what had happened then when she went to bed thinking about it. Was it similar for Mr. Lynch? Did he think she was out of line - did he think less of her now?

She let a "Fuck," issue from her lips before she stretched and pulled herself out of bed.

She tried to let her morning routine mask the issue at hand. She didn't have to think to shower or dress herself. After she was prepared for the day, she left her room and headed for the kitchen for coffee.

You can't let this get in the way of...everything. Maybe he'll just act like nothing happened? Certainly he wouldn't do or say anything in front of the others.

She couldn't stop herself from wondering what he thought when he looked at her, though. Today wasn't going to be easy. She entered the kitchen and greeted Anna, who happily gave her a mug that was already prepared to Kat's preferences. "Sleep well?" the cheery blonde asked.

"Yes, of course," Caitlin responded quickly. She let her eyes scan the dining area, taking note that the table was already loaded with breakfast and plates. Rainmaker, Roxy, and Grunge sat at the table. None of them were really morning people, so the room was much quieter than usual. "Thank you, Anna. You really are too good to us," she remarked as she walked to go join the others. She took a plate and began to serve herself an assortment of the available items. "Good morning, everyone."

She mostly received grunts in response. Rainmaker was the only one that used words - and she added a little smile, just for Caitlin.

Caitlin was sure that Bobby would nearly miss breakfast, as usual. She wondered if Mr. Lynch had already made his way through the morning ritual - she couldn't help but feel somewhat anxious about seeing him.

 

[Eazy]

Understanding how Caitlin continued to hold a few insecurities about her physical changes, the Gen 13 mentor briefly worried over how she may react toward his slight slip. However, the next thing John Lynch knew, that lovely young face of hers had suddenly lit up with a light pinkish hue which only added to her beauty. It caused his heart to skip a beat as it dawned on him just how much of an effect his words had on the young prodigy. His hands remained upon her forearms for the time, lightly squeezing a little more firmly, as he found himself equally at a loss for words. His own lips parted, seemingly to break the silence, before noticing just how she was leaning in closer toward the older male. More surprisingly, without a second thought, the man in question had started to lean closer in return.

CRASH!

John similarly jerked in response of the sudden noise; his at times paranoid mind immediately leaping to the worse case scenario, before the sounds of his two youngest charges verbal arguments reached their ears. It had, however, served as a (fortunate?) means of breaking the moment, as Lynch had removed his hands from their embrace of Caitlin after having turned enough to eye the door. Letting out a heavy sigh over whatever damage those two had caused this time, the tall male almost reluctantly returned his attention to the red head beside him only a moment before she excused herself to deal with them.

"That... would probably be best." He spoke after a short pause; perhaps speaking as much on how wise it may be to part ways for the night, then on the notion of her being the one to deal with her teammates.

Standing his ground as the tall beauty started to depart from his office, he almost felt his heart skip a beat when she paused to turn and face him one last time. Caitlin's words were a surprise, as the older male watched her smile shyly before letting herself out. But they were a pleasant surprise, as Lynch was left alone in his office now, reflecting on those words enough to let the ghost of a smile peak out from the corner of his lips. It lingered for a moment, before the dawning realization of what he was about to do hit upon him. What was he thinking? She was young enough to be his own daughter. Hell, he knew the girls father since before she was born.

Shaking his head, he stepped over toward his desk to reclaim the glass of wine he'd left there earlier. Picking it up to take a drink, his eyes lingered on something, as the photo from a few minutes ago remained laying there. That 'something' was the portion of the photo which featured Caitlin in her clinging white two-piece bikini. If only he were a younger man, his mind reflected, before grimacing slightly in frustration at allowing himself to again entertain such thoughts. Flipping the photo over for now, the man took a long sip of his drink, before stepping toward his small library of books to grab something to read and busy his mind until Anna showed up to let him know about the damages downstairs.

*****

Lynch was late to bed and early to rise like on any other day. He had a lot which needed tending toward that the kids didn't require knowing about where it related to insuring the security of their safe house and I.O. activity. The former Director of Operations was always thorough in his work, with today being no exception in that department as he reviewed a few reports leaked his way through various sources.

One difference in this morning, however, was how his mind kept wandering back toward the night before. It was already affecting his day as it were; evident by the cup of coffee the man reached for which came with the breakfast he instructed Anna to bring to his office. Not a totally unusual request on his part, but one perhaps helped on this day by a reluctance of facing Caitlin so soon. A notion which sickened the man, as he reflected on how such actions were teetering on the selfish side. If nothing else, she deserved an apology, though the question remained on exactly when.

A short while afterward, when the kids would likely have enough time for finishing their own meals and getting dressed, Lynch decided on stepping out of his office to finally address a couple of issues. Rolling up the sleeves of his black sweater as he headed downstairs, it didn't take long for the sound of video game related explosions and Grunge's loud boasting to reach his ears. Finding Eddie and Roxy lounging on the couch while playing some shoot-em up, their teacher showed zero hesitation in speaking up and being a potential 'buzzkill' as they say, "Where are the others? I wanted to go through a few basic exercises after your fight with Helmut yesterday."

Letting out a loud groan at this, Grunge was quick to turn around and complain, "Awww, c'mon! I'm about to beat my high score at-"

The sudden sound of computerized explosions quickly redirecting the teens attention toward the television monitor as the GAME OVER screen started flashing.

"Not anymore you aren't." Roxy responded with a hint of amusement in her voice after blowing out and popping the gum in her mouth.

Both Lynch and Freefall watched for a moment as the devastated teen crumbled to his hands and knees; pounding a fist upon the carpet while mourning his lost moment of glory until the older male reiterated, "Roxanne? Where are the others?"

"Sarah went to attend some protest at a local college, Mr. L. Some 'fur is murder' rally or whatever. Bobby tagged along. Probably trying to score a few brownie points with her. Big waste there." She remarked while giving a slight shiver at the memory of yesterday's tanning lotion incident before finishing, "And I think Kat's been up in her room since after breakfast."

Truth be told, that last part was what John cared about the most for now, but the other information was useful, "I see. Well I want you two to get prepared and meet us outside by the beach. We'll be with you in a minute."

"WHY?!?!?!" Came the sudden cry of agony from Grunge; whom was currently cradling the game controller in his opened palms like one might a wounded animal.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Lynch shut his eyes for a moment and began to rub at the bridge of his nose while walking away, "Give me strength...."

The short trek toward Caitlin's room had been one filled with anticipation, as he considered exactly how to address the events of last night. Or if now would even be the best time, for that matter. But it was perhaps best to nip it in the bud promptly, and he wasn't about to avoid the issue or her like many other would. She deserved better.

With a light knock at the door, the older male called out to the young woman presumably inside, "Caitlin? Roxanne said she last saw you in here. May I come in?"

 

[Lady_Gamer]

Caitlin had returned to her room after breakfast. She felt restless - she couldn't just idly hang around in the common areas and give the others the opportunity to notice her intense distraction. Which, it seemed, was so much so that she didn't even consider telling Sarah and Bobby that they should refrain from protesting and focus on cultivating their skills so they could really make a difference. Not that Caitlin didn't support people voicing their First Amendment rights, or judged the usefulness of protests in general. It was simply that Caitlin was more concerned with the team as a force that could get things done - they were the ones that needed to stop evil when the law couldn't or wouldn't bring justice. But rather than think of mentioning such things when Rainmaker asked her if she'd like to go along, Caitlin simply declined and told them to have fun.

It was about the time she entered her room that she had a facepalm moment. They needed to train - and she had just indirectly allowed 2/5th of the team to leave the house for an undetermined amount of time.

Kat gave a sigh as she approached her desk. Reading usually allowed her to forget the outside world - and it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a little break about now. No doubt, Roxy and Eddie would enjoy a little game time before she forced them to practice their powers and train their physical skill, anyway. Kat settled in to her office chair, inclining back as she opened her book to its marked page. She would let her eyes scan the words of an entire page, only to realize that she had read but somehow managed to think at the same time. She read the same page again. She absorbed a little bit more information but she closed the book when she wondered if she needed to read it a third time.

She set the book down and glanced over at her closet. If she was going to train, she may as well try to become more comfortable with her costume.

It wasn't much later that the young woman was studying herself in the mirror. As she turned herself slightly, she considered how the fabric clung to the details of her body. Her suit, which was primarily green with a few strikes of purple, was a long-sleeved leotard with gloves. The only covering of her legs was a green band around one of her thighs. Caitlin didn't watch her reflection for long - it was still a little too much like staring at a stranger. As she was crossing her room to fetch her boots, she heard a light knock at her door followed by Mr. Lynch's voice.

She resisted the urge to rush over to the door. "Yeah, it's open," she called back.

Caitlin considered Mr. Lynch for a few moments as he entered the room. His expression looked serious - she immediately realized that he wasn't coming to her room with certain expectations, as she might have considered amid the scenarios that were playing out in her mind.

Oh god, he's here to tell me that I've made a complete ass of myself.

She waited for him to close the door and watched him for a few more seconds - hoping for an indication that this conversation would be anything more a rejection of her advances. He'd probably have a speech prepared about how she didn't know what she was doing - or that what she wanted was foolish - or that...he genuinely wasn't interested.

"Hey, Mr. Lynch," she said as casually as possible. "I...uh...should probably apologize about...well. You know." She shrugged, as if it wasn't something she had agonized about the last ten-ish hours. She had been sleeping for most of that, anyway. She forced a small smile. "I just...lost myself for a brief moment, I guess." There's some conviction for you... she chided herself. "Thank god the kids broke stuff, right?"

She forced her feet to carry her to her closet, where she knelt down briefly to pick up her boots. She carried them with her across the room and sat on the bed to put them on. As she did this, she continued speaking, "Anyway...I'd rather not talk about it if you don't mind, so..." She slipped on her boots and looked up at the man. "We having some training or something else we can discuss, right?"

She stood and approached Mr. Lynch, trying to hold a friendly smile. She really hoped her bravado would work.

 

[Eazy]

The older male took in a heavy breath when she responded on the other side of the closed door before making his way inside. Still uncertain of exactly what to say, he had decided on the direct approach being best rather then tiptoeing around the subject and drawing it out further. One look at her and it was evident she realized what he had primarily come here to talk about, as the Gen 13 mentor closed the door behind him. There was a brief silence. Both knew what had to be said. What was expected to be said.

"Hello, Caitlin." He started, breaking the silence as she began to speak following his basic greeting, and perhaps mercifully spared him the duty of engaging the conversation in the direction it needed to go. She apologized, for which John felt a twinge of guilt over, but let it go for now as he allowed his student to say her piece.

At the mention of being thankful for the interruption, the man gave a light sound of amusement before agreeing, "I suppose even Eddie and Roxanne's bickering can serve its greater purpose at times." Crossing his arms for the moment as she got to her feet and headed toward the closet to collect her matching green footwear, he simply nodded when training was brought up, "Yes, that's actually the other reason I'd come here to call for you."

Watching her for only a few seconds longer, Lynch could tell that despite her bravado, the incident was still weighing heavily on her mind. It was something which the older man felt guilt toward, especially seeing as how the sight of her in that skin tight uniform (the fashion statement of all superheroes these days) had brought about a similar yearning which caused his own spell of weakness earlier.

"Caitlin?" He spoke up once more, momentarily wanting to take a step forward but preventing himself for the time being as he continued, "There's no need for you to punish yourself in any way over what happened last night. You're a healthy young woman with needs and desires like anybody else. I simply wish I'd not come so close to potentially taking advantage of your trust in me as the guardian and mentor figure for you kids." Finally, he did step closer, just enough to place one hand on her shoulder as he normally might as a sign of not wanting to further strain their relationship, "For that, you have my own sincere apologies."

Gazing down into her beautiful green eyes, Lynch did give a small, yet reassuring smile to his prized student before removing his hand and excusing himself, "Now then, if that's all there is to say on the matter? I'll meet you outside by the beach with Freefall and Grunge."

With that said, John Lynch would give her a chance to say anything else she may wish to get out before his departure, but did eventually leave before the red head as he let her finish preparing herself to join the rest outside.

When she came out to the private beachside area of their safe house, she would find Mr. Lynch waiting there alongside a loud as usual Grunge and seemingly anxious Freefall. "Hey, Kat! Nice of you to join us." Called out the purple dye jobbed teen, whom seemed a little eager to get through this so she could return to doing whatever else she may have had planned for the day.

"Attention everyone." His words mostly intended for the younger two of the trio, though directed to each of them as he spoke, "I'd wished the entire team was here for these exercises, but we'll have to make due with the four of us."

This may have seemed a bit primitive, as they had other options for training, such as VR devices which could run them through various battle situations they may come across. But as the former Team 7 veteran explained to Eddie and Roxy when they complained prior to Caitlin's arrival, there were some things your body only learned through actual physical experience.

"The battle with Helmut yesterday went off nicely, all things considered, but it also exposed several areas which needed further work for future encounters with other super powered beings." He explained to the trio, before directing his attention mainly toward the team leader while continuing, "For starters, Caitlin, I'd like to work on further refining your reflexes and hand-to-hand combat. You handled yourself well enough, but took hits early on which could have been easily avoided. So I feel it would prove beneficial if you had somebody to work with on further improving your raw combat skills." A short pause, glancing amongst the three briefly before admitting, "Ideally, I would have picked Sarah to help you out, but since she isn't here..."

It didn't take long for Grunge to lift an arm and start waving it around like a child trying to get teacher's attention, "Ooo! Ooo! Over here! Mr. Lynch!"

"Oh gawd..." Roxy remarked with a roll of her eyes as she watched this while leaning partially against a nearby tree.

Crossing his arms while giving a slight glare in the teens direction, Lynch almost reluctantly admitted, "Yes, Grunge, you were a possible replacement candidate for this exercise. Assuming you can treat the training seriously for a change?"

"When do I not?" Remarked the younger gen-active with a good natured shrug while trying to ignore the daggers being stared into him by Roxy.

Taking in a deep breath, the teams mentor turned toward the oldest of the three and decided on having the final call be her own to make, "Caitlin, if you have no objections?"

 

[Lady_Gamer]

Mr. Lynch's counter apology made Caitlin feel foolish. She couldn't help but be a little unsettled by the way he grouped her into the category of "you kids" - of course he'd feel like he had some advantage over a typical teenager. She had secretly hoped that he saw her as more than just a student. As it was, it made Kat feel even more shameful about her willingness to throw herself at the man.

As his hand slipped from contact with her shoulder, the young woman felt a short rush as she imagined grabbing his retreating form and pulling him against her. You've really learned nothing, have you? she scolded herself. When John gave her an opportunity to express any other thoughts on the matter she looked to his eyes and forced a small smile before responding. "Yeah...I'd say we're good. I'll be out in a couple of minutes."

She would see John out and close the door behind him. Caitlin stood there for several moments, leaning against the door slightly. She closed her eyes. Just focus on anyone else. If Rainmaker really has no interest in Bobby... She opened her eyes suddenly. She tried to reassure herself that she didn't need anyone - and she honestly couldn't see wanting anyone quite like she wanted --

That's a dangerous loop, Caitlin. She took a deep breath.

Bobby does kind of resemble Mr. Lynch, though. She couldn't help but feel a little better as she compared the two in personality - the differences were so vast that it was genuinely amusing.

The young woman took enough time to stop by the bathroom to splash her face with cold water. She tried to settle herself before heading outside.

Caitlin approached the group and returned Roxy's greeting with, "Hey there!" She didn't want to defend what had taken her so long, so she didn't. Kat was glad that there wasn't an opportunity for an awkward silence; Mr. Lynch moved the ordeal along nicely. She watched him as he spoke. She again felt badly that she hadn't kept the other teammates around - and even worse when John expressed the obvious fact that she was improperly trained. At least it helped to distract her from other issues at hand.

She was somewhat surprised by Grunge's eagerness to spare with her. He had to have known that she was vastly stronger than -- Caitlin's gaze fell on Roxy. She could see in the other's expression that she suspected ill intent of her boyfriend in the matter. The idea of rolling around with and potentially getting groped by the immature teenager wasn't pleasing: and no doubt it would cause some sort of strain between herself and Roxy. But she couldn't assume the worse of him, could she? Caitlin glanced at Eddie as he promised to take the exercise seriously. Besides, what was the alternative? Roxy couldn't fight with her. And Mr. Lynch - well.

"No objections here," she responded casually. She took a few steps forward and reached her arms upwards with her fingers interlocked. She moved her body sinuously as she stretched. She turned to look back at Roxy as she dropped her arms, "I'll try not to damage him too much," she said jokingly.

"Oh. Don't hold back on my account," Roxy said bitterly.

Caitlin gave an uncomfortable laugh.

"Aw, babe. It's training," Grunge defended himself. He was rewarded with a cold stare in response. "Training, babe." He took several steps and continued, "We gotta be team players, you know?" he added somewhat smugly.

 

[Eazy]

The older male let out a brief sigh at the exchanges between Eddie and Roxanne following Caitlin's agreement to partake in this exercise with the lone male teammate. It wasn't unexpected, given what they knew of the pairs penchant for immature squabbles over various subjects, but nonetheless annoying to get through. Honestly, it may have been better for himself to have handled the direct combat portion of these exercises, but with Sarah away and their earlier strangeness, Eddie seemed the better of the remaining options. He just needed a little extra push.

"That's enough, you two. This is a simple enough exercise and I'll be supervising the entire exchange, so let's get started." He stated plainly, both as a means of assuaging Roxy's concerns and warning Grunge of any shenanigans. Though it seemed to do little of either as Freefall stood there with a distrusting look on her young features; silent aside from the occasional sound of her bubblegum popping while her odd choice in a love interest kept the hint of a smirk lingering upon his features.

At least it got them to quiet down for now, John Lynch reasoned, as he instructed to the younger of the sparring partners, "Grunge? No powers on your part, but don't worry about holding back outside of that. Caitlin's gen-factor will make it near impossible for you to harm her on physical strength alone and she needs further experience in blocking and avoiding full on assaults."

"No problemo, Mr. L." The teen responded while giving a mock salute to the older man who stood there, arms crossed while inspecting the action, before returning his full attention to the beautiful redhead standing before him, "You heard the boss man, Kat. Get ready for it!"

Mr. Lynch watched carefully as both of the youths got into their respective postures; making mental notes like a true tactician as a list of areas for improvement on both of them continued coming to mind with every movement. For all of his bolstering, Grunge did seem a little reluctant about striking at a teammate, let alone a female one at that, but did make good on his part in the exercise. His jabs were fast, targeting toward her upper body on most occasions, which Caitlin was having mixed success on avoiding, and where several hits that she blocked had hit in ways that could damage against an opponent using powers.

"Caitlin. Your arms are too far apart when attempting to block his attacks. You need to better protect your center." The team's mentor instructed while watching for how she may adjust on the spot following his corrections. Unfortunately, his words also provided a nugget of 'inspiration' from the red head's sparring partner.

"Yeah, Kat! You heard the man. You've gotta protect your center... " The often hormone driven Edmund Chang stated, before a rather smug expression crept onto his features before suddenly lunging forward with both arms; latching the connecting hands onto the rather generous chest of the young Fairchild and administering a quick squeeze.

"Hey!" Shouted the suddenly angry and scowling Freefall, "What do you think you're-"

"Grunge!" Interrupted the surprisingly angered, yet still restrained Lynch, while the male Gen 13 member had already removed his hands as quickly as they had grasped onto their intended target.

"It was a joke! Hey, I'm sorry! It was a one time thing, I swear!" He responded with about as genuine an apology as one might expect; his hands held up in a similarly apologetic stance while backing away of Caitlin a few steps.

"You got that right!" Quickly interjected the still upset Freefall, whom quickly made good on her codename with a wave of her hand which guided teens powers in her boyfriends direction.

Immediately being lifted in a by now familiar fashion, Grunge started kicking vainly at the air while still pleading his case, "Woah! Babe, waaaaiiiiittt!!"

SPLASH

John Lynch rubbed lightly at the bridge of his nose as Freefall stomped her way back into their shared home; leaving Grunge splashing about in the nearby pool before managing to work his way to the edge. Giving chase to continue with his apologies, it wasn't long before the remaining two left on the beach could hear the distant sounds of Anna scolding Eddie for dripping water all over the carpet. If nothing else, those two saw to it that there rarely was a dull moment in the house.

Shaking his head over the ordeal and deciding to deal with it later, Lynch returned his full attention toward Fairchild, "I'm incredibly sorry about all of that, Caitlin. I should have known better then to trust Eddie to handle this with any prolonged sense of maturity." His voice was calm, firm, yet at the same time apologetic; knowing she didn't exactly need that type of stress while continuing to adjust with her new body and the types of unwanted attention which came with it.

Awaiting any response she may have over that resulting debacle, he then returned their focus toward the training exercise, "If you're feeling up to it, I would like to work on a few touches to your technique which I observed during your match?" Seemed like a waste to not make the best out of what had been accomplished before everything went south, but he also recognized how she may not wish to continue after the little stunt Grunge pulled, "I'll respect your wishes, however, if you'd prefer we call it a day on any further training."

 

[Lady_Gamer]

Caitlin wasn't expecting Grunge's open-handed assault on her chest - her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open as he made contact. No doubt she was prepared to cry out some protest but a moment of shock allowed for Roxy and Mr. Lynch beat her to it. The young man's grasp retreated nearly as quick as it had come: it wasn't necessary for Kat to forcibly remove him. She stood there, not quite sure what to do with herself, and watched as the event escalated between the young couple.

As Eddie started apologizing to Roxy, Caitlin cast her eyes away from the two and crossed one arm over her chest, placing her hand on the opposite upper arm. She wasn't accustomed to this sort of thing and she felt more awkward than indignant. For now, the other teenage girl would focus her anger on Grunge and Caitlin would soon hear the familiar grunting of Eddie as he helplessly struggled against being lifted in to the air.

Kat's emerald eyes would glance up in time to see Grunge crashing into the water of the pool. Roxy was already well on her way towards the house; Caitlin watched her back for a few moments before turning her attention to Mr. Lynch. He apologized for the incident.

"...It wasn't your fault, Mr. Lynch," she spoke as she unclenched her hand and allowed her crossed arm to drop by her side. "And it's fine."

She quickly accepted the opportunity to continue training. "Oh, I'm not so traumatized that I need the rest of the day off," she responded lightly with a small smile. "It would be a pleasure to continue."

Caitlin had been correct in her assumption that John was extremely skilled but was somehow surprised by the level of grace in his movements. The young woman replicated the motions he showed her and seemed to easily commit such things to memory - though she was aware that she was missing subtle intricacies, a fact that frustrated her. She lost all concept of time while the two worked together on the beach. After a substantial training on basic defense and counter opportunities, Mr. Lynch and Caitlin sparred for a short time. His superior technical ability was obvious as the both held back on the force of their blows and Caitlin was visibly displeased when he managed to cause her to lose her center of balance or made contact past her guard.

Her mentor expressed that she was over-thinking the process of the movements, a habit that led to rigid shifts in motion. He was likely right, but Caitlin didn't see a way of quieting her mind; the reactions were not natural to her yet. "It's much harder than you make it look," she said almost defensively. "I'm getting it, but I can't pretend I don't need to actively determine my movements. That's going to take some conditioning, I think."

Mr. Lynch took several steps towards Caitlin, explaining that she was predictable because of her limited training - her intention of tactics could be masked greatly if she could just add a little fluidity. Certainly, she couldn't expect that it would be something that was easily learned. John walked behind her and reached for her wrists, taking them gently in his hands.

He guided her through some of the more simple motions; with each repetition, her body sank closer in sync with his. It was several minutes later that the young woman suddenly realized that her back was fully pressed against her mentor's chest. His grip on her wrists was lightly applied but the sensation caused her to close her eyes momentarily as she imagined him holding her possessively. Her resolve to not make a further fool of herself was quickly melting away.

He offered a few words of advice, his voice low and quiet. Caitlin was able to resist pretending that he was whispering sweet nothings but their embrace was quickly having an effect on her. She may have suddenly tensed or shown some other indication of a disturbance in her thoughts, because her mentor slowed his movements gradually before he began to remove his hands from her wrists.

"Don't let go," she begged before giving herself time to think about what she was saying. His hands abruptly halted their movement, though they were no longer holding her, they hovered near her. He seemed to hesitate.

Caitlin leaned her head back on to the man's shoulder, moving her hands to take his. She slipped her palms over the back of his hands and pulled him in against her chest. Her ass pushed against his crotch suggestively.

"I...I want this, John. I want to feel your hands on me..."

 

[Eazy]

The older male figured Caitlin was made of sterner stuff then to let Grunge's antics dissuade her training. So, aside from a slight concern of any awkwardness over yesterday, it was indeed a welcomed response when she agreed on continuing the training with him. "Very well, Caitlin. Let us begin..." Was his own response to her willingness to continue, as they went about learning from what the skilled former military man had observed.

Despite her greater physical prowess and youth, John Lynch would prove himself capable of impressive grace and maneuverability for his age. Or perhaps even if the similar talents were shown in a younger man, as they moved through the motions of his instructions together. She was indeed catching onto the basics. Learning the postures for different stances. The ways of deflecting or reacting toward attacks. Though she lacked the proper conditioning, which the young red head would soon point out after a moment of frustration.

"You won't get these down to an art after a single session, Caitlin. But with enough time and conditioning, along with further battle experience, you'll begin to pick it up like a second nature." He assured her with a calm, assertive expression which showed an unspoken confidence in the young Fairchild's ability to adapt.

Almost forgetting about the previous night at this point, Mr. Lynch walked behind her and reached for the girls wrists; taking them within his strong yet gentle grasp to assist in his guidance. Slowly, her body began to familiarize the movements, allowing her to go through them on feel rather then taking the extra time of mapping it out in her mind.

Though his own mind did begin remembering the night before, as his body pressed closely into her own at points, while her sweet scent manage to catch itself within his senses when an occasional gust of wind blew it his way. His head leaned forward slowly, almost toward her neck, before catching himself and starting to remove his hands from her wrists.

"Don't let go"

Her words caught him by surprise. Both in how she had said them at all, but also with the way they made his heart jump. His hands hovered near her wrists, almost stuck in motion, as they fought with the urge to grant her request and his logic dictating how it was wrong for him to even consider it. John worried, like many times since the team moved in together, about possibly taking advantage of her trust if he did give into his own urges.

However, Caitlin asserted her own desires by leaning her head back into his strong shoulder, before slipping her palms over the back of his hand to guide them around her. Not just anywhere, however. No, it was a considerable shock for John Lynch when he felt the palms of his hands pressing over the teens ample chest. Almost instinctively, his strong hands began to lightly massage at her spandex covered breasts, as the feel of her toned ass pushing into his groin caused him to let out a low gasp.

"Caitlin...we shouldn't...." The older man tried to assert, even as the feel of her beautiful young body pressing into his own had caused a familiar stirring in his pants. One which she would certainly feel, at the tenting head of his arousal began to press into her toned rear. "We....this isn't right...." His voice barely managed to let out, even as his own head moved lower, letting his lips come dangerously close to her neck as shallow breaths of warmth lightly tickled along her flesh.

The hands at her chest started lightly kneading at her green leotard covered breasts, making certain to pay special attention to the outline of her budding nipples. The materials used in making the teams costumes were durable, while also designed for allowing their body's to breathe easily during strenuous combat. As such, the material was as such where the older man's touch over her form fitting outfit was the next best thing to actually having her naked in his arms.

This also proved to be felt in the way his arousal was pressing into, as Lynch moved his own hips in such a way as to let the outline of his thick length nudge between her inner thighs from behind. The comparatively rougher material of his pants were felt through her costume as they brushed suggestively along her covered sex. His hips moved in slower motions which stimulated the act of penetration as the covered head of his manhood pushed into her tender lips through the leotard. Rubbing at her like so, as his hands continued to knead at her breasts, lightly pinching at her nipples through the top while finally pressing those firm lips of his onto her neck in a tender kiss.

 

[Lady_Gamer]

Caitlin felt momentarily lightheaded as John's strong hands accepted her breasts - the way he pressed his flesh against her thinly covered body thrilled the young woman. A gasp escaped his lips and Kat nearly believed that he beyond resisting her advances; still, when his words of protest came, Caitlin found them far less concerning than on previous occasions. John might have felt that what she wanted of him was wrong but his words didn't outright deny her. Shouldn't is quite a bit different than won't, after all.

She could feel his warm breath on the skin of her throat as he finished speaking. Despite his arguments, it was obvious that he wanted her. His physical response was welcomed with a soft moan as Caitlin rubbed herself against his hardening length. She closed her eyes briefly and reached a hand up to stroke the side of John's face.

Her nipples were pressing noticably against the material of her costume and Caitlin was keenly aware of a growing dampness between her legs. She felt Mr. Lynch's fingers dance over the rising flesh of her breasts - the sensation caused her to let out a ragged breath as she opened her eyes and stared up at the dark haired man. "Please don't stop... I want you so badly, John..."

She moaned approvingly in response to his continued handling. Caitlin was unprepared for how overwhelming her desire would suddenly become; she was completely inexperienced and the older man's skilled hands proved to melt her into willing submission rather quickly. The thought of losing her virginity was, for the first time, more thrilling than it was frightening. She was hesitant to tell him that he would be her first - she worried that it would give him further reason to resist.

Caitlin could feel the material of John's dress slacks pressing between her thighs; the thickness of his cock became obvious as he rubbed himself against her slit. The young woman felt her face flush and her mind immediately succumbed to bliss. She began to breathe shallowly and a near-whimper moan escaped her throat. A change in his thrusting caused for the head of his member to press against her opening; his motions drove the teenager to desperation. Just imagining him pushing his way inside of her caused her a light shiver of pleasure.

She allowed her hand to slip farther up, her fingertips brushing into the man's hair. She wanted to profess her desire to him again - to tell him that she was dangerously close to removing their clothing barriers. All that came out from her mouth, though, was a moaning of the man's name.

She gave a small cry as she felt pressure applied to her nipples; it caused an unexpected spike of pleasure that coursed through her body. It was nothing compared to the thrill of feeling his lips against the flesh of her neck.

As John continued to press the head of his cock between her legs, Caitlin couldn't help but realize that she was, quite literally, dripping wet. She could feel her juices overflowing her outfit and knew that she would be leaving evidence on John's pants. As she felt his lips depart from her skin, she suddenly pulled herself away from his embrace.

She turned her body towards the man before throwing her arms around his shoulders. Her lips immediately sought to take his, and her tongue followed shortly after. She held on to him possessively as she kissed him with a depth and passion of a young lover. Caitlin pressed her body against him eagerly, raising one of her legs to half wrap it around his waist.

 

[Eazy]

His mind kept repeating to itself on how wrong this was for him to give into the advances of one of his young charges. Caitlin was a grown woman of a vastly greater intellect then many other twice her age. John Lynch knew this, yet continued to feel there was a trust barrier which he was further eroding with every movement of his hands on the red head's ample breasts through her team uniform. Every slowly thrusting movement of his hips, which pressed the outline of his erect cock into her barely covered mound The way his lips had began to lightly kiss, before nipping gently, upon the sensitive flesh of her neck as her strong fingers curled into his dark hair. It was all so wrong.

That's what his mind kept saying, at least, while his body continued to show how it didn't care. If anything, those thoughts on the taboo aspects of what they were doing only added to his arousal as she suddenly turned around to embrace the older man. Without thinking, his own arms wrapped around her slender waist to hold her closer as their lips met in their first kiss. Mr. Lynch's strong arms held her closely as his mouth parted to accept her tongue while lightly teasing his own against it while letting out a light groan into her lips. Their passions had quickly escalated beyond a point of no return, as the waves of the beach hit the shore with a force matching those of the gen-active's beating hearts.

Feeling he leg wrapping around his waist, the older male took advantage of this by slipping his hands down to firmly grasp at her tight, spandex covered rear and lift her slightly until his hardness was firmly nestled within her inner thighs. The Gen 13 mentor's experience in such matters showed by not breaking the embrace, his eyes even having nearly closed shut as their kiss deepened, while those wandering hands eagerly worked at grasping and pulling aside the thong-like portion of her uniform. Lynch could feel how wet to the touch she was under there, along with the radiating heat of her sex as his rough fingers lightly brushed along her tender folds while mostly using his hands to hold the uniform aside as the clothed head of his cock nudged into her bare sex. God, the man thought as his hips rubbed into her in an increasingly aggressive manner, how he could so easily give into taking her right there on the beach without a concern for anyone else in this world.

"Mr. Lynch?? Sir, you have call for you on your office line!" Came the sudden call of Anna from the house, which immediately acted as a jolt back toward reality for the pair.

Or at least it had for John, whom had quickly (though rather reluctantly) slipped out of Caitlin's embrace in order to face the house. Fortunately, it seemed the house's loyal maid hadn't actually seen them as she glanced about from an opened window before finally spying the Gen 13 leader and her mentor. "Thank you, Anna! Let whoever it is on the other line know that I'll be with them in a moment." The man responded to the call; trying to refrain from sounding out of breath or in any way flustered by nearly being seen, nor the rather intimate encounter itself.

The blonde haired maid seemed satisfied with this before popping her head back inside and closing the window. With that out of the way for now, Mr. Lynch turned around to face the amazonian red head with a momentary loss of words. A rarity for himself, as he struggled briefly before simply speaking from his desire or falling back on supposed rational thought. Slowly, the older male did raise a hand to lightly cradle her chin; holding it as her beautiful green eyes gazed his way. He didn't think less of her for what had happened. But there was still that doubt, of that much there was certain.

"I...I do need to get this." The man finally spoke, which was the truth, as any call made directly to Lynch's office usually had a greater importance to the team's safety behind it. But this also acted as a means for him to pull back before doing anything they may regret. Age differences and trust issues aside, he was a dangerous man of many past mistakes, while she was a beautiful young woman with her whole life ahead. Many conflicting thoughts and emotions clashing within his mind behind that calm exterior.

"Caitlin, I....." He started to speak, before giving a prolonged pause. Words failed him at the moment, as his hand slowly lowering away of her chin and settled on resting at his side. Slowly, his feet began to turn, only stopping long enough to give her a parting glance as he told her, "I'll see you inside, Caitlin."

On his way inside, the older male did take note of the dampness along his groin (not to mention his own continued arousal) and adjust himself to cover this as best he could; including untucking the front and back of his black shirt to let it fall down over the incriminating evidence. The former Team 7 leader barely acknowledged the by now changed Grunge whom was seen trying to get the still annoyed Roxanne to speak with him on the other side of a locked door while making his way into his office. It was often best to let those two resolve their own issues.

Raising a hand to close the door to his office after Anna excused herself, the man did take notice of how traces of Caitlin's arousal had remained drying on his fingers. Despite a moments hesitation, Lynch did allow himself a brief final taste of her; licking at his moistened fingertips before moving to receive his call while also retrieving a piece of tissue paper to clean up. She did taste rather nice, the man silently reflected while forcing his full attention to the call at hand for the time being.

 

[Lady_Gamer]

Caitlin was pleased as she felt John's arms wrap around her waist. He returned her kiss - the young woman focused her attention on the feel of his lips against hers for a moment before reaching a hand back into the man's hair. Her fingers curled and pulled lightly forward on his scalp; she slipped her tongue beyond Mr. Lynch's willfully parting lips. She felt him out gently at first, allowing their open-mouthed kiss to fall under the category of "sweet" or "tender" - his groaned response seemed to translate to an invitation for Kat to pull his face towards hers harder as she kissed him in a style that might be compared to a devouring. Her leg lifted to his hip without her directly willing it to.

The man knew exactly how to respond. He placed his strong hands on her shapely rear and lifted her slightly - she moaned softly into his mouth as she felt his hard length returning to the space between her legs. Her hips rocked against him instinctively and she dared to hope that he would be unable to stop himself.

She felt his fingers brush across her lips as he grabbed at the covering material. As he pulled the bottom of her leotard to the side, Caitlin felt a rush. Her wetness was met by the sensation of a light breeze of fresh beach air - and somehow, Caitlin wasn't concerned in the least about being exposed where anyone could just happen along and see. The tip of his manhood pushed against her opening - Kat pressed herself eagerly against him, but his clothing limited her ability to take him inside of her. She gave a lustful moan and kissed the man deeper (assuming such was possible at this point). His thrusts caused Caitlin to give small thrilled cries - she knew that he would have her. She began to reach a hand towards the top of John's pants when she heard Anna's voice.

Caitlin was at least as surprised as Mr. Lynch - but it certainly didn't stop her from her current activity. John was the first to react to the outside world and Kat suddenly found herself with both feet on the ground as their embrace quickly dissolved. She listened in disbelief as he responded that he would be there in a moment. The young woman couldn't help but feel a little more than disappointed. Not quite devastated - she had to expect that the call might be important, so she couldn't really take it too personally - but she quickly wondered if the interruption would allow him to rebuild his resolve to not be intimate with a student.

Caitlin let her emerald eyes shift to Anna in time to see her closing the window as she went back inside. Her gaze returned to John as he turned back to her and took her chin in hand. The gesture somehow felt more parental than intimate - likely because of the young woman's fears. He expressed that he needed to take the aforementioned call - Caitlin tried to shield her expression from showing anything beyond understanding neutrality. He, of course, had a calm composure that the Kat found hard to read.

"Caitlin, I..." he started. The moment of pause allowed Kat to guess a vast array of what he was going to say. When he failed to finish the communication, Caitlin naturally assumed the worst. He began to turn away but glanced back to offer that he would see her inside the house. She only watched him for a few seconds before turning to face the ocean. She let out a long, drawn-out sigh as she properly repositioned her suit. The young woman stared out at the waves and let her mind rest for awhile - she sat on the sand and just...well, she was obviously avoiding going in to the house. It wasn't that she'd see Mr. Lynch - he'd be in his office, no doubt. No, beyond that awkward situation was another. One in which a couple were no doubt still fighting over the fact that Grunge had groped Caitlin in front of his girlfriend Roxy. It was bold. It was stupid. And Caitlin worried that Roxy might hold a subconscious grudge against an object of her boyfriend's alternative attentions.

Give Freefall some credit, she told herself suddenly. She knows it wasn't your fault.

Caitlin smiled softly at the reassurance. Maybe if she gave her younger team members the opportunity to act like adults, they would. She had to give them a chance - she couldn't afford to treat them like children that she was above conversing with.

Well, that settled it. Caitlin climbed to her feet and brushed the sand off of her bottom as she started for the house.

She took time to change into normal clothing before heading for Roxy's room. Eddie was there, pleading with the teenage girl through the door. Kat approached and lightly put a hand on Grunge's shoulder. "Perhaps you should let me talk to her," she offered with a sympathetic look. He cast his eyes downward, having at least momentarily learned his lesson about lusting after other women. He agreed that it might help.

"Umm...babe?" he spoke a little louder, looking at Roxy's door. "Kat's here, and she wants to talk to you. I...uh...I'm still sorry...but I'm going to go because...well...Kat said I shouldn't eavesdrop on you ladies."

There was a momentary silence, which was no doubt longer for Eddie than it was for Caitlin. The sound of a moving bolt was heard and the teenage boy let out a relieved sigh. "Good luck," he whispered to Caitlin. "And...um...thanks. And sorry," he added. Caitlin gave him a smile and a nod of her head. "Don't worry about it."

Eddie scampered off, daring to hope that Caitlin would somehow get him off the hook. For now, he could go play games and not worry about it too much.

*****

Caitlin and Roxy spent a fair amount of time talking. Eventually, the red head was able to coax Freefall out of her room and the two ate lunch together. The younger of the two was more or less willfully ignoring Grunge, who only dared to speak at her from a distance. When Sarah and Bobby returned, the five hung out together in the common areas. It was soon apparent to Caitlin how badly the Burnout was pursuing Sarah - he was always thinking up something for them to do whenever the tan woman seemed even the mildestly bored. It proved to be entertaining, at least. The general well-being of the room seemed to help Roxy and Eddie be together without a long conversation about it - Caitlin observed that he was able to put his arm around his lady without resistance as they listened to Bobby play his guitar.

The team was playing Texas hold 'em for hours prior to dinner time. The activity kept them busy up to the point of Anna telling them it was time to eat. As they got up from their positions around the coffee table in the living room, Caitlin was happy to realize that she had genuinely enjoyed her time hanging out with "the kids".

Caitlin watched Mr. Lynch only briefly as everyone settled in around the table. The conversation was lively and left very little room for whatever side-thoughts Kat may have - primarily thanks to Grunge and Roxy. Caitlin took note that John had no problem in maintaining face, which soon reminded her to worry about what he thought of her. He didn't give any indication as to their situation while in front of the others.

She carried on as casually as possible. As individuals finished their meals, Caitlin found herself gravitating back to the living room. For the first time, Kat accepted an offer to play a video game with the others. A consensus was formed in favor of the fighting genre and Fairchild soon found herself with a controller in hand. She felt a little foolish as Sarah leaned over her shoulder and indicated what each button did.

Caitlin got her ass kicked. She gave a few startled cries as she mashed on the buttons in an attempt to keep Roxy's character from executing combos on her. "Oh! Oh!" she'd exclaim when she thought she was doing good. And "Oh no!" as Roxy stomped her into the ground. Defeated, Caitlin laughed and gave grats to Freefall for her easy win. They let her keep her controller and took turns fighting against her. She didn't make a huge improvement, but not every match was a sound beating. She eventually gave up her position in the two player game and watched as her teammates did real battle against each other.

After a couple of hours, Caitlin excused herself and said goodnight to the group. She went directly to her room and told herself that she needed to stop throwing herself at John. He knew what she wanted of him, she had made that clear enough. She stripped down to her panties and removed her bra before donning an over-sized shirt. The young woman slipped in to bed and focused her attention on a book. She managed to lose track of reality and time - when she glanced at a clock, it seemed insane to her that it was nearly midnight.

Her mind quickly returned to John. Seeds of doubt had been given a considerable amount of time to grow and she found herself suddenly restless to know where she stood with the man. He might still be awake...

Kat convinced herself that facing the situation was better than another mostly sleepless night. She pulled herself up from between the sheets and swung her feet to the floor. She considered dressing more properly but decided it was completely unnecessary. She highly doubted the probability of anyone seeing her on the way to his office - and John shouldn't be too offended at her showing up in such a state.

She opened her door a little more cautiously than was necessary, peering out into the hallway before emerging from her room. Her footfalls were deliberate, as if she were a teenager sneaking out of the house for the night. She caught herself doing it and tried not to feel like she was really doing anything wrong - still, she didn't stop the stealth-like creeping to Mr. Lynch's office. When she arrived, she was somewhat surprised that his door was slightly ajar. She positioned herself several feet away as she lined up her sight through the crack to fall on John's desk. The light of his lamp spilled over the surface of his work area and Kat let her eyes search for the man's form.

 

[Eazy]

The string of calls resulting off of that first one had largely kept the Gen 13 caretaker and mentor preoccupied for much of the day. It was always important for him to keep tabs on I.O.'s activities relating to their search for the missing 'test subjects', along with his trying to fulfill the promise of finding each team members parents. So it wasn't a purposeful attempt on his part which kept the older male from interacting with the others, or more specifically Caitlin, until dinner time rolled around. But it hadn't been a source of distraction from seeing her which darkly clad man was completely against.

Still, when dinner time did arrive, Mr. Lynch had come down to spend time with the young men and women whom had trusted their lives to him due to circumstances beyond any of their control. His gaze did fall upon Caitlin on a few occasions, as John questioned how she was feeling after their earlier encounter. There wasn't a shadow of a doubt for either of them how her mentor felt toward the book smart red head. The question was how to deal with it from there, as he remained largely silent during the meal, while only speaking when somebody, usually Roxy or Eddie, addressed him in any way.

As they each finished their meals, it was indeed a result of mixed feelings when Caitlin agreed on spending time playing games with the others. Normally, the older male would feel pleased to see her spending even further time playing with her teammates. But there was the question, perhaps a paranoid one, of whether she had decided on it to avoid being on the upper floors with him alone while the others played in the living room. Regardless, the former Team 7 leader did return to his office for a time, as he asked Anna to bring him a cup of tea when she had the chance.

A couple of hours later into the night had found John Lynch going over paperwork which had been finished hours, if not days beforehand. It was with a frustrated sigh that he put the current file back into its drawer; accepting what he'd realized earlier on how this was only an attempt at distracting his mind from earlier. In a way, John had wished to speak with Caitlin and get what happened out of the way. There was a concern, however. A very real concern, as proven during their training session, of how such a discussion may result in actions beyond simple words.

Feeling rather exhausted on an emotional level, the older male returned to his desk, where he plopped down onto the seat while helping himself to a glass of the wine he'd switched to after the tea had been finished hours before. Putting it down after taking a small drink, his gaze fell upon the still unframed photo from yesterday's battle with Helmut. Picking it up in one hand, Lynch's focus was placed squarely on the bikini covered Fairchild whom had been the source of much inner conflict for the man.

"Caitlin, Caitlin, Caitlin...." The darkly clad male mused openly while leaning back in his chair, holding the photo up for him to continue staring at while finishing, "What am I going to do about you? ....Or about us..."

While consider the seemingly constantly escaping question, John did let his eyes wander along the curves shown of the beautiful young woman's rather perfect physical appearance. His interest may have extended beyond physical beauty, but there was no denying what the teenage prodigy had been gifted with since her recessive gen-factor activated during Ivana's testing. Coupled this with how Lynch hadn't been given an opportunity to relieve certain 'stress' from earlier, and it was little wonder why the man had felt a familiar yearning building within.

Holding the photo still, with his eyes focused on the amazonian red head, Lynch scooted his rolling chair further back while lowering his free hand toward the growing bulge in his pants. He may have felt a tad dirty for what was to come. However, he reminded himself of how this was simply fantasy, as the sound of his zipper moving down was heard followed by the unbuckling of his pants. Not mindful (or perhaps even aware) of the door being ajar, Lynch didn't realize how his current position had given one a pretty good view of where his hand went as it released his straining arousal from its confines.

The older male was of an impressive size, both in terms of length and girth as his hand grasped around it near the base of his cock. Not taking his eyes off the photo, Lynch began to slowly work his hand up and down along his already throbbing hardness. While perhaps too far away for any spying eyes to notice, there already were drops of precum forming out of the slit, which he used a finger to lightly spread further around the sensitive tip. This left a light sheen onto the tip, which began to spread slowly further along the upper portion of his arousal while his hand carried out its work.

John's finger continued working around the sensitive head while gazing at the picture of Caitlin and inwardly imagining if it were her soft pink tongue lapping at him while kneeling down at his feet. The fact of such a normally shy and restrained young lady as herself coming shown such passion during their earlier encounter was a great source of excitement for the man; thus making the idea of her taking it further by letting him use her mouth in such a lewd fashion a very ideal fantasy. His breathing grew labored, body reclining further into the chair, as that strong hand began working faster while refusing to take his eyes off of her picture while getting more caught up in his erotic daydream.

 

[Lady_Gamer]

Caitlin wasn't quite sure why she felt compelled to spy on her mentor - and she immediately felt guilty as she peered in to Mr. Lynch's office without his knowledge.

Her timing, it seemed, was perfect. Her line of sight through the crack in the door revealed John just seating himself at his desk. Caitlin wasn't sure why she hesitated to reveal herself - he obviously wasn't busy - but instead she simply studied the way the desk lamp cast shadows across the man's sharp features. He took a sip from his wineglass and turned his attention to a sheet smaller than a typical document. Caitlin, of course, would have no way of knowing what it was. Maybe he was trying to work, and she should just leave him be.

The young woman bit her lower lip and shifted her weight, breaking her line of sight. She hesitated to abandon her position, still considering the option of 'walk in and actually talk to him'. She heard his voice and listened as best as she could. When he finished speaking, she risked leaning back in to see what he was doing. She knew she had heard her name...and he was studying the - well, she could probably assume it was the photograph from earlier, it was the right size. She focused her attention on John's expression for several long moments - what was he thinking?

What was she thinking? She suddenly felt a little self-conscious and she quickly checked the hallways for other signs of life. She was alone. God, she was such a creep! He obviously wasn't busy, she should just go in and...

Caitlin was surprised at the sudden noise of the office chair's wheel rolling across the floor. The man had moved himself back from his desk, just far enough that the tall woman could see his lap from where she stood. She watched as he reached a hand to unfasten his pants - it was at that moment that she realized two things. One: that Mr. Lynch was about to masturbate to a picture of her, and two: that she really wanted to watch.

She pretended that she tried to resist and was just unable to tear her eyes away as John unzipped his pants and unclasped his belt. She had ample time to leave him to his privacy - it would've been the right thing to do - but she didn't. She let her jaw drop slightly as his cock came in to view. Allowing her eyes to soak in the image of his thick length immediately brought to memory the sensation of their morning training session. Caitlin didn't allow herself time to consider anything else before trailing and hand down the front of her panties.

Oh god...I can't... And yet, her fingers quickly found her clit and she began to rub herself softly. Her eyes remained focused on John's cock as he wrapped a hand around the base of his shaft. He began to stroke himself and Caitlin let her fingers slip down the outside of her slit, pushing her lips open. She teased herself with the tips of her fingers. Kat repressed a moan and lifted her gaze to John's face. He was staring at the picture with such intensity - the assumption that the image was hers was extremely hot for Caitlin. She wouldn't ever admit to...well...this ever happening. But she would never forget that she knew - she watched - John Lynch get himself off to her picture.

Her fantasy was suddenly shattered. She felt a soft hand on her shoulder - she jerked her hand out of her panties quickly and turned to face Sarah.

The darker woman had a knowing smile on her lips. "Hey, Caitlin," she whispered, glancing towards the ajar office door of Mr. Lynch. "Am I missing something interesting?" Sarah silently positioned herself in an attempt to peer inside.

"Oh! Oh, no...um...you probably shouldn't..." Caitlin whispered back, using her hands to gently guide the other woman away from getting proper line of sight.

Sarah raised a brow. She, of course, already knew what Caitlin had been touching herself and she didn't really care to see how Mr. Lynch was involved. "Oh, Kat. Don't be embarrassed," Sarah said with a smile. She took the fair skinned woman's shoulders and assisted her in turning back towards her previous viewing pleasure. "It's perfectly natural to..." Sarah started.

"I don't really need a lecture about --" Caitlin tried to interject.

Sarah shushed the other woman, going so far as to redirect Caitlin's chin back towards Mr. Lynch. "There's nothing wrong with watching..." Sarah continued calmly. "And there's certainly no shame in enjoying yourself." Before Caitlin could contest the statement, Sarah allowed her hands to make contact with Kat's sides. She slid them downwards, feeling the red head's curves. Caitlin had a moment of speechless shock. When Sarah started to slip a hand up the front of her shirt, Kat found herself moving a hand to block the other woman from continuing upwards. "What're you--" Caitlin started.

"Relax," Sarah replied. "You're much too tense, Kat."

"I...uh..."

Rainmaker used her untrapped hand to reach for Kat's barricade - she did little more than guide the blocking hand away. Kat looked confused but she let her defenses be broken pretty easily. "I just want to help you," Sarah continued. Her hand, now free, continued to trail upwards. It found one of Caitlin's breasts. She circled the other woman's nipple just long enough to cause the flesh to erect; she then grabbed the nub rather tightly.

Caitlin nearly let out a cry. Not the painful type, either. "Just watch him," Sarah whispered in to the red head's ear. Kat's head was reeling. Before she could form a coherent thought, much less express one, she felt Sarah's hand reaching between her thighs, coming in from behind. Her fingers rubbed through the fabric of her panties. Rainmaker's other hand continued to kneed at her chest. "Pretend he's doing this to you," Sarah said reassuringly.

Caitlin couldn't really argue with that. She wanted to be pleasured - and even though she had never really considered whether or not she was a lesbian before, the prospect of... She didn't really need to think about all that right now. It felt so good. She couldn't deny the wants of her body anymore - she needed to get off. Sarah moved the fabric of Kat's panties aside and ran her fingers along the length of her pussy.

Kat's eyes were focused on John. She shivered slightly at Sarah pinched her clit gently and shifted her other hand to a new breast. She soon felt a single finger prodding at her opening; teasingly at first. She nearly gasped when Sarah suddenly buried two fingers to their middle knuckle in Kat's pussy. Caitlin nearly made a noise - and had a few seconds to recover before Sarah plunged the fingers as deeply as she could into Caitlin's cunt. She pinched the woman's nipple hard and bit lightly at the back of her neck.

Sarah wouldn't go all feral on Kat...yet. She continued to pump her fingers in and out of Caitlin's warm and slick lovehole until she felt the other woman's pussy tightening around her fingers. Caitlin couldn't help but lean against John's doorframe as her knees suddenly weakened - she found it extremely difficult to not make a noise as Sarah continued to thrust her fingers into her wanting cunt. Sarah released the red head's breast and used her newly freed hand to stimulate Kat's clit. It pushed her over the edge rather quickly. She couldn't see John, but she hoped that he was also approaching climax. The thought of his warm seed spilling out in to her - or even on her - was...

Caitlin found her legs suddenly useless and she allowed herself to slide to the floor after Sarah removed her hands from her. The darker woman waited for Caitlin to look up at her before licking Kat's juices from her fingers.

"Mmm...delicious, Caitlin. If you ever need...anything," she gave Kat another knowing look, "I'd be more than happy to be of service to you."

Caitlin flushed deeply. "I..." she started, but quickly stopped. She looked up at Rainmaker with a helplessly confused expression.

The other woman simply smiled and turned to return to her room. Kat took a few moments to climb back to her feet - she again peered in to Mr. Lynch's office. It appeared that she had missed the finale. She suddenly had a fear that he might have reason to look towards his door and realize that it was cracked open, as he was less distracted than before. Caitlin was pretty quick to take off for her own room after that.

Caitlin climbed back in to her bed and tried not to over-think what had just happened. No doubt she would have the entire next day for that... For now, she let the satisfaction of a recent orgasm lull her concerns as she slipped into a restful sleep.

Her last thought before drifting off was, oddly enough: Poor Bobby. Does he even know?

Caitlin certainly hadn't. Now she did.

 

[Eazy]

The image became increasingly vivid for the team's mentor as his head lulled back slightly into the top portion of his chair. The vision of sweet little Caitlin, kneeling before the older male while working her soft tongue over the head of his cock while wrapping her slender fingers around the length to lightly stroke at his length. Her exposed breasts brushing along his thighs as she started taking him deeper. Those erect nipples which he'd been teasing earlier now brushing along his legs, feeling them through the material of his pants as she gazed up at him with those big, beautiful green eyes of hers.

His body tensed up as the erotic imagery, along with his own manipulations, had sent him closer toward that inevitable climax. John's hand gripped a little tighter now while letting his finger flick a little faster, a little harder at that sensitive head; paying special attention to the underside of the fleshy crown as his precum began flowing out steadily now. The man's teeth start to grit slightly, with small breaths coming and going through those clenched teeth, as he grew very much lost in the fantasy of his daydream.

So lost, in fact, to where the faint sounds of Caitlin's own approaching orgasm had nearly gone without notice for the darkly clad male. For the moment, however, Lynch's lust filled mind had assumed them a result of his fantasy world as the imagery in his head had shifted toward him sliding that thick cock between the red head's ample breasts. Fucking her tits as she held them together for him, with her head leaning down enough to lick and suckle loudly at the tip without taking her eyes off of him.

The man's feet began pressing into the floor, his legs parting further as he softly, lustfully, whispered out her name on several occasions while that orgasm approached. His free hand did manage to reach out and grab a few sheets of tissues paper, barely in time for him to cup the cloth holding hand over the head as John let out a low, deep groan, before starting to spill out his thick seed. His cock twitched within his hand as it continued to glide up and down along the length, riding out that self-induced climax while simultaneously milking out a days worth of pent up cum.

The hand holding the thin sheets of paper could feel the warm substance against its palm as the semen kept on pouring out and seeping through while he jerked off into those tissues. Low grunts and groans escaped the man's throat, which resulted of his trying to refrain from making too much noise, even as he experienced what had been one of his greatest moments of pleasure in perhaps months. Continuing to jerk his hand along the length of his cock, Lynch slowly began coming down off that orgasmic high, as he soon slowed the motions until finally settling on simply giving the occasional light squeeze which still allowed for small amounts of his cum to seep out of the tip.

His body slumped back into the chair, grasping onto his softening cock for a while longer while allowing himself a few moments of basking in the afterglow as his strong chest heaved lightly with those heavy intakes of breath. So relaxed was the man after this release, that he could have easily let himself drift to sleep on the spot if allowed the opportunity. It was at this point, however, that the man took a glance toward his doorway and remembered how he'd left it ajar earlier in case any of 'the kids' needed anything. It was also at this point where John realized it seemed to have slipped open a little further then he normally leaves it.

Cleaning up and doing up his pants, the older male quickly went to inspect the hallway for any sign of life. It'd be a rather embarrassing ordeal if anyone had seen or even overheard him during such a shameful moment. Fortunately, this didn't seem to be the case, although his thoughts did roll back to earlier when the man thought he'd heard Caitlin's own voice during his daydreaming. His heart nearly skipped a beat at the thought, before trying to push it aside. A understandable concern, but one without cause for alarm, he rationed while closing the door shut and then deciding to turn in for the night. Though it would prove a nagging thought which lingered about in his head from there and until the call of sleep finally claimed him as its own.

The following day rolled around with a fairly usual beginning to its events. The team gathered for breakfast which Anna had prepared, with Mr. Lynch appearing after several of them (namely Eddie and Roxanne) had already began helping themselves to their servings. The man tried keeping those earlier suspicions out of mind during his time with the teens, yet found himself gazing in Caitlin's direction on a few occasions. Had she seen him the previous night? The very notion had left him a bit worried. But perhaps more so? It tended to arouse the man, especially if those sounds of pleasure were indeed of her making.

Regardless, breakfast had gone by with minimal change from the usual hectic pace which one would expect from a house full of teens full of energy. Afterward, Eddie and Bobby helped themselves to some video gaming, while Roxanne would hang over her man's shoulder from the couch. Lynch did need to make a few calls, but came back out toward the middle of the afternoon and actually had hung around with the living room crowd; having realized how much time was being spent in his office due to either work or a level of discomfort around Caitlin. Mostly it was just observing the two teenaged boys playing while leaning against the wall, arms crossed, kindly turning down any offers of joining in whenever they switched games while also answering the odd question from the young lovebirds about what teens did for fun 'back in his day'.

On the next opportunity, however, John did step over to approach Caitlin with obvious intention of saying something. For both of their sakes, they needed to get a few things out there and in the open between them. "Caitlin?" The older man started, gazing at the tall beauty and speaking with a calmness which left his exact feelings about everything rather hard to read, "When you have the chance, I'd like to speak with you in my office before the end of the day. There are a few matters we need to discuss."

Having left the open invitation out there, Lynch did wait for whatever else she may have had to say, before excusing himself and retreating back toward his office. The former I.O. operative taken care of his daily business earlier in the day, so aside from double checking ahead of her arrival to insure they wouldn't have any further interruptions, they should be able to get everything out there in the open and resolved between them. To whatever ends those may detail.

 

[Lady_Gamer]

Caitlin opened her eyes and stared contently at the ceiling for several moments. Leisurely lifting herself to a sitting position, she stretched out her arms and let out a soft groan. She hesitated only briefly before glancing over at her clock.

Her alarm had yet to go off. She reached over to preemptively deactivate the device as she swung her feet to the floor. It was as she stood that the events of the previous night came rushing back to her - or was it a dream? I wouldn't really let Sarah... She allowed the thought to trail off. Maybe she should allow herself a little more time to wake up before she started thinking about it too much.

The young woman was able to put off confronting the issue while she performed her usual morning routine. Or issues.

Eventually, she made her way to the kitchen. She greeted Anna and received a mug of coffee - she made idle pleasantries with the maid as her green eyes scanned the dining room. Everyone but Bobby was present -- Kat had to wonder if everyone had just happened to get up early or if she took an absurd amount of time getting ready this morning. She glanced at a clock and it seemed that the case was the latter. Apparently waking up before her alarm only encouraged her to take her sweet time.

She approached the dining room and casually took a sip of her coffee as she entered the room. "Good morning," she said to the room in general. She couldn't help but let her gaze fall on John before seating herself, giving him a small and uncertain smile. She didn't maintain eye contact for long - and when she looked away it was rather abrupt. She distracted herself with another drink from her mug.

Rainmaker had returned Caitlin's greeting - as she always did. But on this particular morning, the words struck Kat oddly. She slowly lowered the ceramic mug from her lips and glanced in the other woman's direction. And there it was - that knowing smile. Oh my god... Caitlin sat frozen for several moments, watching Sarah with a carefully masked expression.

"I trust you slept well, Kat?" the tan woman asked.

Caitlin's lips parted a few seconds before a reply passed through them. "...Yeah, I slept fine..." she said as evenly as possible. She knew that Sarah's question didn't impart any inner knowledge to anyone else at the table, but her choice of wording made Caitlin feel like the other woman might be hinting that she had an involvement with Kat's quality of sleep. Was that crazy to think? Maybe it wasn't as deliberate as Caitlin was making it out to be. "And you?" Caitlin asked after a long pause.

"Mm. Could have been better - my bed was quite cold, actually." Caitlin immediately took another sip of her coffee in response. Sarah continued, "But that could be because of the comparative warmth of our evening activities."

Caitlin nearly choked.

"Last night was pretty fun," Eddie offered.

"Yes. We should certainly make more time for all of us to hang out like that," Caitlin added quickly. "It was a lot of fun."

"Mmhm." Sarah smiled broadly at Kat.

Okay. So...that happened. And apparently Rainmaker isn't going to let you forget about it. How long will she torture me like this before she just...tells everyone that you...

Caitlin cleared her throat. She suddenly had a complete loss of appetite. She knew if she excused herself now, it would be obvious that Rainmaker had made her uncomfortable. Or at least that something was going on, or...

Kat forced herself to make a small plate of food, which she picked at. She tried not to be obvious as she considered both John and Sarah - how did she get herself into this situation? How was it that she was so shamefully attracted to Mr. Lynch? Was she..into..Sarah, or did the other woman totally take advantage of finding Kat in a compromising state?

Caitlin spent the rest of the morning avoiding Rainmaker. The other woman seemed willing to give the red head her space, so the endeavor wasn't that difficult. Still, Kat knew that the issue wouldn't just completely dissolve. Her attempts to distract herself around the house largely failed and Caitlin was left to analyze what had happened a hundred times over.

I was watching John, she reminded herself. And I didn't exactly invite Sarah's attention. I mean, I didn't stop her, but...

Caitlin found herself back in the common areas by the afternoon. She tried to let the going-ons of the others keep herself from living too deeply inside her own thoughts. It worked - for awhile.

She was supremely surprised to find Mr. Lynch joining the social atmosphere. She glanced up at him as he entered the room, but only briefly. She had a notebook in which she was scribbling to turn her attention. Kat had hoped that she could write something to make herself feel...more in control?...of her emotions, but she suddenly feared what may come out. So, instead, she mindlessly doodled.

Caitlin would glance up at Mr. Lynch on occasion. She realized that he had no way of knowing that she had tried to come see him the previous night - and, while she had seen him, it was entirely possible that he felt stood up. That, or maybe he was under the false impression that Kat suddenly had a change of heart. Or maybe he had been given too much time to consider all the reasons that he didn't want to...or wouldn't...sleep with her.

Woah, Caitlin. Draw a kitten or something...

Despite her efforts to drown out her thoughts, she couldn't help but continue to glance up at Mr. Lynch. On a few occasions, she watched him for a considerable amount of time. Her eyes soaked in his build of his body - the way he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest displayed his trim figure marvelously and Caitlin found her gaze traveling to his hips and...

She looked back at the paper before her. It didn't stop her memory from reminding her exactly how well endowed the man was. She closed her eyes briefly and felt a rush of warmth.

She opened her eyes and noticed that John was approaching her. He spoke to her briefly, expressing that they had "matters to discuss". His tone didn't give her much hope - it sounded so...professional. And a professional attitude in this particular matter wasn't exactly what Kat was hoping for. "Sure thing, Mr. Lynch," she responded. "I'll stop by in an hour, if that works for you."

An hour later, Caitlin approached Mr. Lynch's office with a feeling of dread. She felt a tightening in her chest as imagined him considering her as nothing more than some vile temptress - whereas he could dismiss whatever passions he might have felt the previous days as something sick and perverse. She swallowed hard before knocking.

Her heart jumped as the door swung open to reveal John's darkly clad form. She didn't hesitate in the least before making a leap - she wrapped her arms around him and guided him back a few steps before using a foot to sweep the door shut behind her.

She didn't give him a chance to say anything. She pressed her lips eagerly against his and hoped that her fears were unwarranted.

 

[Eazy]

The older male awaited within his office while idly browsing over sections of a book he'd read through many times in the past. It was a means of keeping himself busy after alerting Anna to not interrupt him for the rest of the afternoon unless it was a matter of absolute urgency. They needed to get everything out there at this point. Caitlin and himself. This should have been properly addressed on that first night, only for it the end up dragging out toward its third day now. And then there were his suspicions about the night before....but regardless, they needed to finally deal with this foolish fancy of theirs.

At the sound of her knocking at his door, the man promptly closed the book shut with a light clapping noise before moving to open the door within a breaths time. In a way, without actually knowing what to expect in a logical sense, John had found himself prepared to embrace that sudden leap of judgment which sent her into his body. His lips started to part as she swept the door shut behind her, but she was ready, having taken the opportunity to plant her lips into his own for a heated embrace.

Lynch's hands remained largely at their sides for the beginning of t his kiss, before slowly raising up to almost reluctantly wrap around her slender figure. His strong hands actually did begin to clutch at and pull her closer into him as John's lips started returning the embrace. Yes, this is what he wanted. Perhaps more then anything else since they began their life on the run. But before the darkly clad male could grow too wrapped up in the moment, his hands suddenly grabbed at Caitlin's waist and slipped away of her grasp; though only enough to break the kiss, as his hands lingered upon her hips.

"Wait! Caitlin, we.... we shouldn't...." His tone slightly panicked, trying to catch his breath after having come so close toward giving into the moment yet again while gazing upon the red head with mixed emotions. The man's hands continued to rest on her hips for now, stabilizing his breath a little further, before managing to gather his thoughts.

There were a few things which Lynch needed to get off his chest before anything else could happen between them, with now seeming a better time then any to get it out there, "Do you realize what kind of man I am? The type of decisions I've had to make in the past with peoples lives?" A short pause, observing her reaction to see if there was any change in her resolve toward him before noting, "A girl your age? You should be going after the shy guy in the corner who works up his courage to ask you out after school. Or the quarterback who offers to carry your book between classes."

Granted, these were normal examples of a teenage life which, while the team would ideally resume attending school in the next few months, weren't exactly a definitive standard of what the younger gen-actives could expect in their new lives. But the general point remained on how different Fairchild and himself were in terms of their places in life. It wasn't to where anything other then a professional relationship was impossible, but it was still a concern which John felt the need to voice in case she hadn't considered this factor.

After a short pause, Lynch's hands moved away from her hips before finding their way onto Fairchild's forearms; giving the teen a light squeeze as their eyes met. "Caitlin? You're a beautiful and intelligent young woman with so many possibilities ahead of yourself." He began to summarize his point, letting out a short breath before finally admitting his feelings, "I....want you.... but I don't want you to begin something you might later regret."

 

[Lady_Gamer]

It wasn't lost on Caitlin that her lips pressed against a mouth that was on the verge of forming objections. She was terrified. The several moments of hesitation from the man caused her a large amount of anxiety - it was obvious that he wasn't entirely certain if he should accept her affection or push her away. She closed her eyes and slipped her tongue past those lips that had parted with the intention of speaking.

Her heart jumped when she felt his hands on her body, his arms wrapping around her. It felt as if he was suddenly using the embrace to pull her tighter against him as he began to return her kiss. Caitlin, again, dared to hope. He couldn't reject her.

It seemed he was willing to try, though. Kat felt John's hands fall to her hips, holding her gently with his strong hands as he pulled himself away from her. Despite her want to follow his form, she couldn't deny the man a chance to clear the air. Her leap had proven to her again that he did, indeed, want her: it was only a matter of working out John's concerns. Her arms slowly fell from his shoulders as he pulled away.

His first objections came. Caitlin watched him carefully - she was somewhat surprised by the tension in his voice as he declared that they shouldn't. She wanted to ask him why but she feared what sort of response such a question may cause. Honestly, she didn't really want to give him a reason to compose a list of such things at this particular moment. She remained silent and allowed John to gather his thoughts, listening to his irregular breaths as he recovered from her assault. She took some comfort in that fact that she had such an obvious effect on him - that, and the fact that he was still making physical contact with her.

"Do you realize what kind of man I am?" he asked. As he continued to speak, she was actively considering who John really was. She didn't know his full history but it was obvious that he was a man of combat - and his former position at I.O. suggested that he had probably been ordered to do things in which he didn't entirely agree with at times. Caitlin's green eyes reflected the image of John's face as she considered him; she wasn't afraid of Mr. Lynch's past. He had enemies - Helmut had been a reminder of that fact. Convicts and suits were interested in settling hard feelings towards John Lynch. Kat didn't want him any less because of it.

There was a short pause. John shifted his hands to lightly grasp Caitlin's forearms. She stared in to his eyes as he gave her compliments and she smiled softly when he admitted that he wanted her but feared that she would regret such a thing between them.

"John..." she started softly. She moved her arms, causing his hands to slip down to her wrists and then to her hands. She stood there for a few seconds, just holding his hands with hers. "I'm in lust with you; its not like I'm expecting you to marry me." She paused for a moment. "I have no fear of your past and I couldn't possibly think less of you for whatever arises from it. I'm not going to regret our time together - not over the past or in the possibility that it doesn't work out in the future."

She released her grip on John's hands. "I want you to have me, John - and I, you. And...if you can find it in yourself to deem that as acceptable...well." She glanced off to the side for a second, considering whether or not she should say what next came to mind. In the end, she thought perhaps he could appreciate...something...about it. She returned her emerald eyes to his before continuing. "Then maybe I won't have to constantly fantasize about you or..." she gave a short pause before forcing herself to say. "Well. Maybe I should just admit that I was outside of your office last night, and I'd feel a lot less creepy about getting off to watching you if you were on-board about the whole ordeal..."

Caitlin's cheeks had taken on a considerable pinkish hue as she spoke. She watched John's reaction to her words and hoped that he would find such information something other than repulsive. She would wait breathlessly for his response, wanting to kiss him but entirely uncertain if her babbling had ruined the moment.

 

[Eazy]

His gaze remained steady as she spoke softly, watching as Caitlin moved her arms, causing his hands to slip down toward her hands which then held onto his own. Strange. For somebody like John Lynch, whom lived a life of cold solitude with rarely a moment allowed for softness or affection, it was a simple gesture like this which perhaps came closest to making him speechless then any previous amount of intimate fondling. As she continued, he listened. Taking in those words as she spoke with clarity, with maturity, which perhaps made the older man feel a tad foolish in retrospect.

Not so much due to any misunderstands on exactly how her current feelings had developed. More so, it was a foolishness brought on by this reminder of exactly why he found there to be an attraction for Caitlin aside from her physical physique. Her mind. She knew what she wanted, perhaps even more so then himself. At the very least, she knew more then he'd been foolishly failing at giving her credit toward. As she released his hands, John let them fall back to his side, though immediately felt the urge of reaching back out toward her in an embrace.

At the shy little revelation about her 'visit' to his office the previous night, the darkly clad male's non-cybernetic eye widened a bit; feeling a slight jolt of arousal at the thought of her seeing him during such a moment of unbridled passion brought on by the thought of her. Though his brows soon returned to their former positions, while finding himself oddly amused by the pinkish hue which took over her features. So mature, so intelligent, yet very much needing actual experience in many aspects of life.

With a light smirk on those ruggedly handsome features, the older male rationed she could do a lot worse then himself on finding somebody to help guide her through a few early steps of womanhood. "Truth be told? I had a feeling somebody was there, though I couldn't be certain of whom until now." John admitted, reaching a hand up to cradle at her slender chin and making sure she wouldn't feel the need to turn those beautiful eyes away from him as he added, "You really do make some rather enticing sounds when you're worked up enough."

A short pause, gauging her initial reaction, before deciding it was finally his turn to finally initiate that heated meeting of their lips. John moved in slowly, yet steadily, with only enough time to let Caitlin build up a deceptively short moment of anticipation before claiming her soft lips with a firm embrace. His freed arm slipped around her slender waist to pull her closer toward, feeling her ample breasts press into his strong chest as his own body leaned forward; almost tilting her back like in one of those lovers embrace in a classic cinema scene or poster.

Almost as soon as Lynch had begun the kiss, the older man had stopped it by pulling his head back; although only enough to do that much as he remained close enough for the unlikely pair of lovers to feel the others breath brushing along their lips and toward their necks. "I now know one thing for certain, Caitlin." He took a moment to explain, wanting to address her earlier words briefly, "I do need to stop treating you like a child and more like a young woman. A woman, with needs and desires which deserve to be satisfied by a man whom knows what he's doing."

Giving her a confident smile which sealed the fact that he was up for being the person to deliver on those words, Lynch then moved both of his hands lower until coming upon the underside of her top. Grasping at the material, his gaze kept onto her lovely features, watching for any sign of reservations now that her subject of lust was willingly giving her what they both wanted. Letting Caitlin raise her arms, John pulled the top up and over her head before flinging it behind his desk; leaving the teens upper body bare for his enjoyment aside from her bra.

Rather then going straight for her breasts in the manner of a hungry savage like a younger man might, John had different ideas in mind as his hands rested on shoulders before steadily inching their way around her body. A life spent working on the field for many years had resulted in his fingers having a certain roughness to them. Not entirely unpleasant by any means, but certainly those of a man with experienced, as his fingertips ran down along the comparatively soft curves of her back. Letting her feel the firm caress of his fingers, John lightly dug those nails into her nearly impenetrable flesh at several points while claiming her lips with another kiss, before then lowering his head to kiss a trail toward her neck.

"I believe your sweet spot was right about here...." He teasingly whispered into her ear, before reclaiming the area he'd managed to stimulate during their last encounter; nipping down firmly as his hands found their way toward slipping into the waistband of her jeans.

 

[Lady_Gamer]

John's initial reaction to Caitlin's shameful admittance - his surprise - was quickly followed by a grin that melted away the girl's anxiety in the matter. Mr. Lynch wasn't the most expressive individual; it felt like an accomplishment to receive a genuine reaction from him.

Caitlin immediately realized that she hadn't stood a chance. She had already proven it to both of them - he certainly hadn't done anything to seduce her. Aside from being an intelligent, dark and mysterious man of danger. She knew she was doomed to throw herself in to his arms the first moment they met. He was so calm and confident - and guarded. She would freely admit that her initial attraction was primarily physical. But that attraction couldn't have flourished to such a magnitude without his particular disposition. He might as well have been the most interesting man in the world.

It was good that the man held her chin while he spoke; the fact that he had heard her masturbating in the hallway - well. It didn't make it any less embarrassing when Caitlin reminded herself that Sarah had helped in making her lose control vocally. It wasn't something she was going bring up in conversation (not yet, anyway), but it was present in her mind... She might have looked away if John weren't cradling her face. As it was, she gazed in to his eyes with an appreciative smile as he turned what could be supremely awkward moment into an assuring compliment.

Failing to have a direct response to his words, Caitlin watched his cybernetic eye briefly. She wouldn't call it his best feature - that would be outright insulting, probably - but it certainly was his best accessory. Her eyes trailed over his face, noting the sharp lines of his bone structure and the scars of his flesh. She was well on her way to melting.

He began to lean towards her. The young woman allowed him to close the distance between them entirely with his movement - she received his lips with hers and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she felt his arm settling around her waist. He pulled her against him; Caitlin felt a rush of heat pass through her body as she felt his embrace coupled with a slight backwards inclination. It wasn't so severe that she feared falling if he were to let go - but enough so that she found that she completely trusted him if such were the case. Admiring the feel of his form against hers and the strength of the arm that held her, the kiss seemed to abruptly end for the woman. Caitlin looked up at John as he vocally acknowledged that she was an adult. That she was ,"a woman, with needs and desires which deserve to be satisfied by a man whom knows what he's doing."

She couldn't agree more. Caitlin returned his confident smile with broad grin - his words almost sounded like a promise.

He didn't disappoint. She felt his hands on the hem of her shirt, his fingers lightly brushing against her skin as he lifted the material upwards. She didn't hesitate to reposition her limbs to allow for the clothing to be easily removed - shortly after, she heard a quiet ruffling as the garment was tossed aside.

The feel of his hands on her bare skin was thrilling. They were strong, with a hardened flesh that testified to their rough use. As his fingers trailed over her skin, making their way downwards, Caitlin's breath became obviously irregular. He kissed her again and she knew that nothing could possibly dissuade him now - and his willingness was far more satisfying than their previous guilt-filled encounters.

She felt euphoric as his whispered words allowed her to lose herself in his rich voice - she moaned softly as she felt his lips trailing down her throat, biting at her resistant flesh. His hand slipped past the waistband of her jeans and Caitlin shifted her legs to allow easier access between her thighs. As his hand continued to the depth her panties, however, the woman found herself suddenly anxious. She wanted it - badly - but she couldn't help but be aware of the fact he would learn of her virginity, regardless of whether she offered the information. Would the fact be something that would give the older man pause? Or would it be a credit to her character? Surely she wasn't so hideous before that she couldn't have gotten laid.

Her body stiffened slightly; the action was not lost on her mentor. He removed his mouth from her flesh and looked to her eyes. Her lips parted slightly - the thought that he might think she was having doubts caused her to offer the truth quite quickly. The hesitation of his hand was killing her.

"John...I..." she started. She paused for a moment. "I'm...a virgin." Her voice was quiet, just above a whisper. "I hope that doesn't change anything between us, I just didn't want you...to be surprised." She bit her lower lip as she considered his reaction. She wanted to promise that she wouldn't fall in love with him and helplessly follow him around afterwards - it seemed that was a common thing of female teenagers with their first - but she couldn't. She didn't know with any certainty if her feelings for Mr. Lynch would increase because of their interactions - but she knew she had too much pride to outwardly express such things if it came to that. Their situation would make it particularly difficult for Kat to smother John with affection; it wasn't something she was planning on announcing to the team.