Adaptive

Adam didn't even realize that he was being watched, somewhat in awe, by both Jade and Marna as he ate yet a third bowl of rice and vegetable stew. It wasn't until he had eaten the last spoonful that he looked up to see both of the women watching him closely. Marna was the first to snap out of her reverie and asked him if he wanted anything else to eat. Jade shook her head slowly from side to side in bewildered amusement as Adam politely declined and wiped his mouth with his napkin.

"No thank you, Mammon. It was fantastic though, thank you." Adam said a little bashfully.

"Thank you as well. It warms my old heart to see you enjoy my cooking so much." Marna said with a motherly smile.

"Where did you put all of that?" Jade asked finally, still amazed at how much he had eaten.

Adam just shrugged and looked a bit more sheepish as he grinned at Jade from his down turned face. This earned him a rueful grin in return and her rolling her eyes at him as she stood up from her seat to begin helping Marna clean up after dinner. Adam thought this would be an opportune time to step out the back door and have that conversation with Data that he had promised. He said he was going to get some fresh air and excused himself to step outside.

Purely out of habit, Adam pulled his phone from his pocket and walked to the corner of the house where it met the fence around Marna's garden. He leaned on the fence and began.

"Data?" he spoke.

"Adam. Is it permissible to speak freely at this time?" Data inquired.

"Yeah, I'm alone right now. Now... what was so pressing that you needed to ask me about?" Adam asked, his curiosity had only grown as he had showered, dressed and eaten.

"I have so many questions, but I will limit them to a few at this time. First, how are you feeling at this time?" Data began.

"I'm fine I guess, why?" Adam asked, now puzzled and wondering if this question was foreshadowing possible bad news.

"Through my monitoring of your bio metrics since leaving the life pod, I have noted some unexpected... indications. It would appear that whenever you affect a change physically it taxes your body and your energy reserves exponentially. Did you feel weakness or fatigue after these changes?" Data elaborated a bit more and queried further.

"Well... actually I think I did notice that I got really hungry... and thirsty too maybe." Adam responded, bringing his hand to his chin and thinking back to the changes that he had "done" since leaving Data and Xiba in the life pod.

"Also, it would seem that when you engage in... sexual... activity, the same thing happens to a certain degree. Xiba and I are continuing to monitor the data I collect and will try to extrapolate and quantify this energy depletion and how it might be mitigated." Data supplied the thoughtful Adam.

Adam blushed, even though no one could possibly have seen it, thinking back to that afternoon and what he had done with Rene'. There was the blow job that she had surprised him with, as well as his returning favors after Tara and Travis had departed. That was sex... and changing. If what Data has said was true, then that would explain why he was so famished afterwards. He might want to remember that moving forward and be at least aware of needing to refuel after a change... or... sex?

"Well, I guess it makes sense that my body would need to use energy whenever I might... change. I would think that the bigger the change, the more energy would be needed or used." Adam commented as much to himself as to Data.

"Quite correct, how very astute of you, Adam." Data remarked sounding almost impressed at Adam's leap of understanding.

"The sex... is something that is... new to me... I'm afraid I have no frame of reference for that." Adam admitted a little sheepishly.

"How interesting. I heard your conversation with your partner... is that the correct terminology? I would have believed that you were quite skilled in the things you performed for her. She certainly seemed to be rather impressed Adam." Data effused... if somewhat innocently.

Adam cringed and bowed his shaking head, once more feeling his face burn from a blush that some small part of his mind wondered if it were normal redness or mixed with blue hues as well. Before he could even frame another remark or question himself, Data queried through his phone once more.

"Another question, as much for Xiba's benefit as my own understanding, is... some clarification of some terms I overheard and have researched but found rather confusing." Data premised then continued. "What, exactly, is a 'Blow Job'?"

Adam literally groaned out loud and let his face fall into an open palm of his hand as he shook his head side to side in resignation. This was getting awkward and he knew there was no way around it but to give in to Data's curiosity and explain as best he could.

"Um... well... it's a form of... oral sex." Adam began.

"Oral sex. There are millions of bits of information about 'Oral Sex' and humans that I have found but many are contradictory and frankly, somewhat confusing. For instance. The term 'Blow Job' would imply that the... person... giving such a sexual act would be... blowing the sex organs of the recipient of said act. Yet, that appears to be a misnomer. Doesn't the person performing the 'Blow Job' actually create a vacuum in order to..." Data began to run on but Adam cut him off, clearing his throat.

"N...No... you are right. It's a... misnomer. The name, I don't know where it came from, it's just a name. A figure of speech maybe. The person... giving... actually sucks... Um... This is really awkward, Data." Adam trailed off feeling very embarrassed for some reason, having to explain this.

"I see. Well, Adam. I did not intend to make you feel awkward. I am sorry. I am simply trying to understand the mating rituals of your human kind." Data responded.

"I know, I am not offended, Data, it's just... well... kind of personal and... again. I don't have a lot of experience to start with. Oh... and... a... 'Blow Job'... isn't exactly part of any mating ritual as you called it. It's just...sex... oral sex." Adam informed Data, still feeling very awkward.

"So, by definition, not all sex is part of mating?" Data queried.

"No... I mean... Well... there's 'mating' and there's mating." Adam offered cryptically, further confusing Data.

"I am afraid I do not follow your meaning, Adam." Data responded.

"What I mean is that not all sex is about... mating... about procreating or making babies." Adam explained, feeling as if his head would spontaneously combust at any moment.

"OH! Then some... sex... is just 'fun'!" Data sounded quite excited and pleased with himself and his intuitive leap.

Adam groaned again and shook his head while grinning wryly and rolling his eyes.

"ALL sex is... fun." Adam supplied then went on to clarify a bit more. "Humans often have sex simply because it's fun, that if feels good and makes the ones they have sex with feel good. It's enjoyable. But we have to be careful because sex can and often does end up in... making babies. Procreation." Adam tried to explain a bit better.

"How intriguing. I will certainly have to do more research on this matter. Thank you, Adam." Data replied.

The sound of the screen door opening then clattering to a close caused Adam to tense up for a moment. He was sure it was probably Jade, coming to look for him. He hoped that Data would understand and remain silent for now. Adam didn't turn to see Jade come up behind him. He figured she was looking to see if he were busy talking on his phone perhaps.

"Everything okay?" Jade asked as she finally came to his side and leaned her arms on the fence much like he was doing.

"Yeah... just thinking." Adam responded, giving Jade a quick sidelong glance before hanging his head slightly and looking back out over the garden.

"A lot to think about... probably." Jade commented softly but not sounding facetious or even angry in any way. She went on. "So... this afternoon..." She began again and then trailed off leaving the statement open ended.

"Yeah... this afternoon. It was... a bit much." Adam responded just as quietly, not being very forthcoming as to his own thoughts just yet.

"Adam, it's... okay. I know I can't be the only girl who has... interests... in you. I do think that maybe I... might have waited too late to let you know though." Jade said with a touch of sadness in her voice, then she leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Jade... it's not what you think..." Adam began, but fell short of knowing what to say or having the words to explain his jumbled thoughts.

"I said, it's okay, Adam. I get it. This girl, Rene' likes you. A lot apparently... and she let you know." Rene finished in the same quiet voice.

"I... I didn't know... I didn't know about her... or about... you." Adam lamented in a slightly frustrated but sorrowful tone.

"So... now you know. It's something that you will have to think about, to wrap your mind around and come to terms with. Lots of changes I guess." Jade told him softly as she rubbed her head softly against his shoulder taking away some of the sting that might have been felt by the words.

"She... Rene'... knows about us... kissing." Adam admitted even more softly, feeling unsure how much he should tell Jade but knowing that he had to share with her no matter what.

"She does?" Jade asked, lifting her head away from his shoulder to study Adam's face that had turned to look at her when she moved.

Adam shrugged then nodded ever so slightly. He swallowed. His mouth having gone dry for some reason but then looked down at his hands as if they were suddenly very interesting for some reason. Jade just kept looking at the side of Adam's face and her mind raced to so many conclusions but didn't want to settle on anything until Adam elaborated further.

"She knows... knew... somehow. She asked me if we had ever been... intimate. I told her no, of course... but that... that we had kissed." Adam said so softly that Jade almost wondered if she had only imagined him saying it.

"Well..." Jade began and then stopped, considering the one confrontation of sorts that she, they, had had earlier that day. She knew that girls like herself would definitely have picked up on something. Call it intuition if you want, but girls know.

"Well... I might have... had something to do with that. I mean coming out of the bushes right after you two... um... yeah." Jade groaned internally, she hadn't meant to reveal that she had witnessed the intimacy between Rene' and Adam but there it was, the cat was out of the bag.

"I'm sorry, Adam. We didn't mean to run into you... two... during... well... you know. It was personal and private between the two of you. I'm... sorry." Jade mumbled apologetically.

Adam's head snapped around in alarm, his heart racing and he felt his face flush and warm as his breathing accelerated.

"You... saw that?" Adam asked in a stunned voice.

Jade merely nodded and gave Adam a sheepish grin then shrugged all the while with her head tilted downward and looking up through her lashes at him. Then she couldn't help but to give a little chuckle then face palmed herself.

"Great..." Adam moaned shaking his own head.

"It was... cool... no... it was HOT! That girl has quite the skill. Did you like it? No, don't answer, I know you did, that was rather apparent in the end. Again, Adam, I'm sorry that Cindy and I saw that..." Jade went on but was interrupted once more by Adam.

"Cindy saw it too?" He asked incredulously, his mouth hanging open as he was almost horrified to hear that part admitted as well.

"Oh yeah... and she... was impressed as well. And not just by what Rene' did." Jade admitted still grinning but then laid her head back on Adam's shoulder and sighed.

"Great... just... great." Adam lamented again and sighed, going silent for some time.

"You smell much better now by the way." Jade added with a giggle and pinched Adam in his side making him jump slightly, bringing him back to the here and now.

"Um... yeah... about that." Adam mumbled, once more sheepish and sounding rather embarrassed.

"Oh, come on, Adam! I'm a girl I know what that smell was and can imagine how it came to be... on you." Jade added with another soft giggle, she was, for some reason enjoying this teasing.

"Oh, you do? Did you realize that you kind of smelled like that too when we got home this evening?" Adam fired back, looking at her with one raised eyebrow.

"Wait! What? You smelled that on me?" Jade asked sounding both a little shocked and stunned, completely surprised.

Adam nodded and then shrugged himself. He turned his head and kissed the top of Jade's head then fell silent again for a bit. Only the sounds of the rising crickets and an occasional call of a night bird interrupted the silence around them and their thoughts.

Unbeknownst to Adam or Jade, Marna had been standing at the screen door watching the two as they spoke softly and leaned on one another. She didn't need to know what all was said between them but she felt in her heart that the two were growing ever closer than they ever had been before. It did her old heart good to see the two people she loved most in this world leaning on one another and sharing their feelings and love. With a smile she turned and walked away from the door in the dark kitchen to make her way towards her own bedroom. She smiled the whole way.

"I'm going to go get ready for bed. Would you mind... if I came laid down with you for a while?" Jade asked Adam as she wrapped one arm around his waist and turned to look him in the face to await his answer.

"I would... love that. We can... talk... some more... if you want." Adam said softly with a smile that held all the love in the world he had for his NOT sister Jade.

Jade smiled and stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek before turning and walking back to go inside the house. Adam watched her go. Adam's mind was a jumble of mixed thoughts and emotions. But one thing stood out without question, he knew in his heart that he could share anything with Jade. Well... almost... eventually... maybe. He groaned quietly to himself and shook his head and took a deep breath and sighed before turning to go inside as well.

*****

"Good morning, dad" Cindy said sweetly as she met her father Deputy Wade Cromwell, as he entered the kitchen that evening. He was on patrol again tonight, as he was most nights.

Cindy had returned home early enough this evening to make sure she had something for her father to eat before leaving for his shift. Something that she wasn't able to do most nights as their work schedules were opposite from one another, her working days and he, nights. Often, they only had a few moments each evening as they crossed paths coming and going. Today had been a day off for Cindy however and she wanted to make sure her father ate before leaving tonight.

Though it was evening for her, it was her father's morning so she made breakfast for him. Pancake, sausage patties and of course coffee. She made a whole pot of coffee, what he didn't drink with his breakfast she would pour into his thermos to take with him. As he walked into the kitchen smiling at her thoughtfulness, Wade couldn't help but to be struck by a moment of sorrow and sadness as well.

Like Cindy had done this evening, his long missing wife, Cindy's mother, would always see to him getting a good breakfast before leaving for his shift as well. Well, on the evenings that they were at home at the same time anyway. Like Cindy, his missing wife also worked in the day time and like he and Cindy, they would often cross paths coming and going. Shaking his head, still smiling at least with his mouth, Wade powered through that pang of loss and sadness as he had so many times over the past eight years. No reason to share sadness with his daughter, she had her own sadness about it all. They had learned to live with it and lean on one another when it got too heavy for either.

"Pancakes! And Sausage? You are spoiling me, Cin." Wade remarked coming to her side and giving her a hug and kissing her cheek sweetly. "Thank you." He added as he sat at the table to a waiting stack of pancakes, sausage and a cup of hot coffee.

"I was off today, and I wanted to make sure you were fed before going to work." Cindy said with a smile as she too sat at the table to her own plate, albeit smaller, of pancakes and sausage.

"Surely you didn't spend the whole day just waiting to make breakfast for me." Wade stated around a mouthful of pancake, glancing across the table at his daughter with a questioning expression.

"No... Jade and I just ran around and relaxed most of the day. We had a little picnic up at Meteor Lake. It was... nice." Cindy said with a soft almost secret smile as she studied her own plate cutting off a bite of pancake before forking it and dipping it in the syrup.

"Kind of quiet up there this time of year. Should have been quiet, nice for a picnic." He commented once more focused on his meal.

"It was, but we ran in to Adam and some friends of his too though. They got there for their own picnic just as Jade and I were leaving. So, still not too many folks but not deserted either." Cindy informed him.

"I would have thought Adam would have wanted to stay away from that place for a while. Guess it wasn't as traumatic an experience for him as I might have thought." Wade said pausing between bites to contemplate for a moment.

"It might not have been his idea, to be honest. I think that he kind of got shanghaied by the two girls." Cindy said with a light laugh that warmed Wade's heart to hear.

"Shanghaied?" Wade asked, puzzled expression on his face as he eyed his daughter to elaborate.

"Tara and Rene' were classmates of Adam's when he was in high school. I think Travis was too actually. Tara and Travis were paired off and Rene' was... well... I think she has eyes only for Adam." Cindy said with a tone of intrigue and conspiracy, like she was gossiping with her best friend Jade rather than her own father.

"Travis? Travis Mabry? He was the guy that reported that Adam had gone missing the night of the storm." Wade commented, tilting his head slightly to one side as he considered the information.

"Same guy, I think. I didn't go to school with any of them. Jade knew everyone though." Cindy admitted before taking another slow bite of her pancakes.

"Sounds like Adam was in good company then. He struck me as a fine young man. His... grandmother? Thinks the world of him..." Wade commented softly and trailed off leaving his thoughts unspoken. Wade wished his daughter Cindy could meet someone like Adam herself. He worried about all the boys who had chased her over the years and none of them measuring up in his eyes at least. None had been worthy of his daughter. Maybe it was just his paternal instinct at play he thought.

"I think he is too... Jade and I gave him a ride down to the station house this morning so that he could pick his bike back up. We parted ways after that, Jade and I go for a ride, eventually having our picnic." Cindy informed her father almost as if talking to herself, her thoughts were once more flashing back to the wonderful 'picnic' she shared with Jade. And later running into Adam and that girl in the bushes. God was that hot!

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed your day off today." Wade said with a kindly smile as he pushed his fork around to gather up syrup on his last bite of pancake before putting it in his mouth and savoring the sweetness. Both the sweetness of the bite and the sweetness of his loving daughter who prepared it for him.

Both finished eating, Wade took time to help Cindy clean up and put the dishes in the dishwasher before grabbing his hat and giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek as he was leaving for work. Cindy stood at the door, leaning against the frame and watched him walk out to his cruiser and climb in. Her father waved to her as he put the cruiser in gear and backed out of the drive way. Cindy waved back with a smile, but her thoughts were not on watching her father at the moment... she was once again back in that little clearing by the lake, reliving the very special afternoon with Jade.