Timelined right after Eliza Shaw
<Shaw> Handing Jessica her drink, he tried to catch her eyes as he caught her elbow to lead her toward the back rooms of the Hellfire Club. Sebastian cast a glance at Tony and Madelyne - still talking at the other end of the bar - and took a pull of his scotch.
<Jessica> Jess frowned and avoided his gaze, allowing him to lead her but not sure how she felt about being ushered into one of the back rooms. At least it probably meant he knew he was in trouble.
<Shaw> He sighed and took her to the private lounge beside his office, closing the door behind him and taking another fortifying drink.
<Jessica> Jess flopped down onto the sofa and leaned back, raising an eyebrow at him, "Well?"
<Shaw> Oh, excellent. He wasn't going to get any more clue as to which part of that had pissed her off more. Sebastian turned around slowly, taking his time in swallowing the burning liquid. "I suppose I should have warned you about her."
<Jessica> Jess nodded, "Yep. Would have been nice."
<Shaw> "I'm sorry." He sat down beside her.
<Jessica> "What also would have been nice? Not doing whatever that was with her hand."
<Shaw> "Well," he started, then paused to stare into his glass. "That was actually a warning."
<Jessica> "You couldn't have used... I don't know... words? I know it's a novel concept, but I hear it works well...."
<Shaw> Sebastian sighed and put his tumbler down on the table.
<Jessica> "What? You're not even going to tell me I'm being ridiculous?"
<Shaw> He leaned back on the leather sofa. "Would you like me to?"
<Jessica> Jess stared at him for a long moment before getting up and running a hand through her hair. She was going to have to pace.
<Shaw> Sebastian watched her pace and gathered his thoughts.
<Jessica> "How well do you know each other?" She paused in her pacing to turn and look at him.
<Shaw> "Once, I thought very well." He sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees, rubbing his face.
<Jessica> Well this was just getting worse. "So... you dated?"
<Shaw> "Perhaps you'd best sit down." His voice was somewhat muffled behind his hands.
<Jessica> She frowned a little but moved back to the sofa and sat down, shifting to face him.
<Shaw> Sebastian looked over at her and moved to face her, taking her hand with his own. "I was eighteen, and she was already a graduate student. She is a telepath. Once she sensed an unshielded telepath, she sought me out."
<Jessica> Jess looked at their hands rather than his face and remained silent.
<Shaw> "My self-taught shielding was... flawed. I kept to myself, for the most part, as too much contact - too many people..." He watched their hands as well, taking her hand in both of his now. "She taught me how to remedy that."
<Jessica> She nodded, "Okay..." she wondered if there was more, she felt like there was even if she vaguely hoped that was all.
<Shaw> "At the time, I was foolish enough to believe - to hope - that she cared for me as I cared for her." He licked his lips and glanced up at her before his gaze fell back to their hands.
<Jessica> She frowned a little, not sure what to say, her eyes still on their hands.
<Shaw> "Instead, I found she considered me more of a pet project."
<Jessica> Jess chewed her lip for another long moment of silence, "I'm sorry..."
<Shaw> Sebastian just nodded, keeping his own eyes down.
<Jessica> "It's just..." she glanced up at him before dropping her gaze again, "Sometimes I'm worried that that's what I am... and someone like her would be better than me..."
<Shaw> That made him look up at her in surprise. "What?"
<Jessica> She sighed, "I'm not... I don't mean that you make me feel like that..." she lifted her head to look at his face, "But everyone else... it's like they're waiting for this to fail or go wrong or for you to find someone better... Maybe they're not and it's just me being paranoid..." she shook her head, "I don't know..."
<Shaw> "I don't care what others think of this," he said, brow furrowed in confusion. "What matters is how you and I feel, yes?"
<Jessica> After a brief pause, she nodded. "Sorry..."
<Shaw> "You are correct - I should have told you." He met her eyes.
<Jessica> "Why didn't you?" She shifted a little closer to him.
<Shaw> "I've told very few people. Even Tony knows only the edited version." Relieved that she seemed to be relaxing, he brushed his fingers over her hands. "Much of what I am... what I have been, rather, is due to her, I suppose."
<Jessica> She sighed, nodding and chewing her lip, "There's nothing else like this likely to show up, is there?"
<Shaw> "Oh no, there's been no one else like her, because I never allowed myself to become so..." Sebastian sighed, wondering how he got himself into this situation again. "Blinded by my emotions-"
<Jessica> "That's not what I mean..."
<Shaw> "Not until now, at any rate," he finished quietly.
<Jessica> Jess extracted her hand from his and, hesitantly, leaned to hug him instead. "I'm sorry... I'm just being silly...."
<Shaw> "No, it's quite understandable." He hadn't expected Madelyne to actually try to humiliate him like that, after all. Sebastian held her tightly and buried his face in her neck. "Sometime... at a better time, I can tell you the whole story, if you'd like."
<Jessica> She nodded, giving him a gentle squeeze, "Thank you... you don't have to if it'll make you uncomfortable..."
<Shaw> "I've already told you more than anyone," he said.
<Jessica> She smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "I appreciate that... a lot..."
<Shaw> Pulling back enough to meet her eyes again, he smiled softly and showed his appreciation with his kiss.