Adam and his mother, Maria, stare out into the setting sun. They sit a few feet away from the tide, in silence, as they let the day's events sink in.

Adam stares at the sunset in silence. He had left the hospital in an instant, and had waited hours for his mom to get back home. When she finally did, she had a look of utter shock, and to help her wind down, he suggested to teleport them both to the beach.

Maria watches her son closely. She still feels some doubts about whether Adam can handle the complexities of this power he now has to deal with, something she wishes that Adam wouldn't have to face.

"Police asked if I knew anything about you." She says, still staring at the ocean.

"What did you tell them?"

"I didn't want to draw unwanted attention, I told them I didn't know you."

"Thanks." Says Adam "because I was going to suggest exactly the same thing myself."

They stay silent for several minutes before finally breaking their long peace.

Maria looks down at the ocean and says: "If you were me, you'd think I'd be happy after all this, right?" Then she turns to look at Adam, one eyebrow raised expectantly.

He takes his time to respond. He actually pauses before saying, a little too confidently perhaps, "I would."

At once both frowns on each other but break into smiles. Both realize it is a good start.

Once the sun had disappeared under the horizon, Adam teleported them back home. Maria walks slowly through the house, looking around in a daze. She catches sight of herself in the mirror in the living room. Her forehead wrinkles in what could easily be described as worry, then she realizes what she must do.

"Can we talk?" She asks, taking a seat on the living room sofa.

"Yeah, definitely." He answers.

Adam takes a seat next to her on the couch, crossing his legs.

For a moment they simply sit there, looking at each other with the usual intensity between them. Adam's heart is beating very fast in his chest, faster than this afternoon after taking out the gunman.

"I'd like to apologize for the way I was behaving." She brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. "You opened up to me, you were honest, not only about how you feel, but this strange new thing that you have going on. I just didn't respond as well as I should have."

Adam nods and smiles bashfully. "I know. You don't need to explain yourself again." He says. "I did sort of unload a lot on you, that wasn't fair."

Maria nods in affirmation and closes her eyes, smiling at him ever so slightly. "I just wish I was able to be as honest and open as you are. There are so many things that I wish I had the courage to tell you, but-" Maria cuts herself short, unwilling to continue.

Adam remember how he had tried entering his mother's mind a few days ago, and how adamant the Eternal Mother was towards keeping Maria's secrets. He has no clue what is going on in his mother's head, but he is willing to take a leap of faith, and hope for the best.

"You said that you wanted to take things at your own pace, mom. That's totally fine by me." He affirms.

Maria smiles, her eyes blinking gently.

With a shock Adam realizes, for a second or two at least, that she is blushing.

"Don't get me wrong, I am glad that you were honest, you should've never feet guilty about talking to me. Maybe I should try to be as open as you." Maria says quietly, almost nervously, then gives him a knowing smile. But, there is something else that I wanted to talk to you about, something I think you would like to hear."

"Like what?" Asks Adam, perking up.

"Well, I've spoken to the therapist I work with, Olivia. I told her about our situation, with you coming out with your feelings towards me."

"You told your therapist about me wanting to have sex with you?"

Maria grumbles before continuing. "Don't sound quite so surprised. Yes." She admits sheepishly. "Anyway, I thought it might help me process everything out."

Adam exhales heavily and nods a couple times. Maria sees he doesn't seem annoyed, and certainly doesn't look shocked anymore. So she continues on her cue.

"I also told her my intention to be more open and free about the relationship I have with my son. She thinks this may be too much, and we should take it slow."

"We already established that." Affirms Adam.

"Right. What she suggested was that clear boundaries be established, and I thought that you should have a say in what those limits be."

Adam smiles warmly, returning an emphatic nod of agreement.

"So, I know you said you can see through my clothes." She continues before Adam interjects. "That's fine, I actually find it flattering that you find me so attractive."

"Before you continue, mom, I should confess that the other night I sneaked into your room and masturbated while you were asleep."

"Where did the semen go?" Maria asks.

"I came in my gym shorts." He confesses with a chuckle.

"Okay, that's a good place to start. I have no problem with you masturbating to me, so long as I don't have to clean up for you. You have been doing a good job at cleaning the house recently, and I think that should be something you could handle."

"Right."

"So, about physical contact." Starts Maria. "Again, I fully understand and accept your attraction to me, but I think there should be some restrictions as far as kissing goes."

"Restrictions like what?"

"Well, a peck on the lips is fine, I think, but an open mouth kiss is a bit too much."

"Oh, come on, mom."

"Only on special occasions." She concedes.

"How about loving hugs?" Asks Adam, a smile on his face.

"What about them?" She raises an eyebrow.

"I have a hard enough time keeping my hands off you as it is." He replies, accumulating courage.

Maria laughs softly. This is easier than expected, being so relaxed with him already, though it may be partly because of the truth of everything that just happened earlier today. Her heart races when Adam stands up to approach her again, pulling himself closer to her on the couch, forcing his body up against hers. At first she panics but then relaxes as her own body yearns for his touch.

"Adam, what are you doing?" She breathes, softly.

But he pushes the question aside. Instead he leans in and kisses her soft mouth, pressing deeper to taste his mother, then shudders lightly against her, releasing his mother from the silence, eager to move forward. Maria cups Adam's cheeks with her palms and presses her lips harder against his, an experiment. She finds out that she really enjoys it. Much better than the day before.

Without realizing it Adam wraps his arms tightly around his mother's waist, holding her as close as possible, both breathing hotly onto each others faces. Maria can feel her heart pounding wildly inside her chest, adrenaline coursing freely through her veins, rapidly making its way through her bloodstream.

Their kisses soon intensify, mouths craving one another, tongues thrusting together. Maria responds with a fervor that surprises even herself.

"Adam, stop." She says, suddenly.

He stops instantly, placing his hands upon her hips as she pulls back slightly. A beautiful image strikes her mind, of Adam wearing nothing and her wet hand smoothing over his exposed flesh, lowering him into her awaiting mouth.

Suddenly a brief pause seems to wash over them. And then without thinking she whispers in Adam's ear: "That was nice, but we should stop." Her breathy voice barely audible.

Adam stays motionless for a minute, continuing to hold his mother's body against his. If anything, he feels he wants to hug her tighter, run his fingers through her silky dark hair, bury his head in her neck, but decides to control himself. The easy familiarity between them doesn't make sense, somehow feels out of order.

"Hey, it was just a kiss." Claims Adam.

"Yes, I know, but just bear with me please, okay? I need a bit more time." Maria replies, sliding backwards from him slightly on the couch.

Adam sighs deeply, still breathing rapidly, trying to keep cool. He knows that he can't push his mother too hard to accept his urges so early on, at least not yet.

Maria notices how troubled he looks and the tension filling the air between them. Wanting to ease him up a bit, she stands up gracefully and adds, "Let's watch a movie, hmm?"

This seems to cheer him up immensely, to the point where Maria notices he returns to normal in seconds. Like the chill air outside isn't stinging his skin any longer. With his cheeks flushed pinkish, he happily accepts, collapsing onto the couch to watch the film.