Carne Vale

CARNE VALE CHAPTER FOURTEEN (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply


A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, Joris has left the closet, but I found fin marks in the bathroom...is Dodo missing? Joaquin and Billy are making fun of my German...I may have to relegate them to the futon tonight. Grrrrr. InterNutter, TC and Maxwell Pink are loverly archivists who will one day have a shrine built to them somewhere on a tropical island that's big on tiki heads and little on clothing. Readers/Reviewers: Hear that? It's the sound of thousands of hung-over Mardi Gras revelers wishing they hadn't had that last Hurricane last night...The Killer Kitties(tm) built a float and threw beads at people's heads, but I think it was all a clever ploy to distract us from noticing the sudden decrease in the duck population...



Remy edged closer to Jubilee, not moving close enough for her to actually hit him but certainly close enough for her to notice he was near. "Jubilation," he said out of the corner of his mouth as they crept around the side of the Boardinghouse, "we be needin' ta talk..."
Jubilee crossed her eyes in annoyance. "Time and place, Gumbo. Now shut it and go around the other side! You know your way around this place...go find somewhere to sneak in!"
Jean snapped in their heads, *_Shut up! You're as quiet as a herd of stampeding elephants! _ *
Jubilee stuck out her tongue, then mouthed, "Move it!" to her erstwhile companion before pushing through the scrawny hedge ringing the house to shadow along the exterior wall. Remy sighed ruefully and headed in the opposite direction, following Kitty's footprints towards the back of the house where he knew there was a casement window leading into the basement.
Jean and Scott had been quite proud of themselves. While Rogue had taken Todd back to the mansion in the throes of argument, they had found evidence that Tabby had been taken to the Boardinghouse. "It wasn't hard," Scott snorted. "She scorched the Hell out of the Dumpster! See?" Indeed, one singular ball of plasma had been left, glowing, where Tabby had not detonated the charge. It winked out of existence even as the gathered mutants stared at it. Scott had continued, "Look here! Pietro tore his uniform!" A rather large, silver scrap of fabric hung off a corner of the trash bin, almost glittery in the early afternoon light. Beast had made a doubtful noise and Scott hastened to add, "We can tell its Pietro's! Look!" He grabbed the scrap and held it out to Rogue. "It stinks like that cologne he bathes in. Smell it!"
"Why me?" Rogue had asked, recoiling into Cecilia before jerking away, mumbling an apology, startled as always by a near miss.
"You'd know," Todd muttered darkly, earning an elbow in the stomach from Kurt.
Remy sighed again, thinking of this. _Dat boy ain't right...none of 'em are... _ Pietro had obviously, at least to those who were now lurking around the Brotherhood's headquarters, taken Tabby. _Or she go wid him on her own...but why de plasma? _ Remy shook his head and slowed to a stop, seeing Kitty crouched near the small sliver of a window set high in the wall of the basement, on level with the ground outside. "What you see, gal?" he whispered softly, his voice barely heard.
Kitty twitched in surprise and turned her head enough to see him. "I think it's Tabby...I can't be sure. Where's that Cecilia woman?"
"She in de Jeep. Beast not lettin' her come near."
"Hmmm...You sure she's there?" Kitty asked roughly. She was putting more and more credence in the idea that Cecilia was Mystique, something she whispered to Rogue in their rush to join the others at the mall a mere hour before. Rogue had practically crowed her happiness at being believed but had managed to stifle herself in the light of Beast's scowling visage.
Remy rolled his eyes. "Oui, Remy sure. Where you see Tabby?"
"There...that lump by the bigger lump." Kitty pressed one finger against the grimy glass, grimacing just a little as she felt the dirt and grease transfer onto her skin.
"What lump?" Even as he spoke, what seemed to be a pile of clothes and rags moved, a leg stretching out from beneath the material. "Ah..." Remy smiled to himself, pressing his fingers against the glass near Kitty's. "Move yo' hand, Kit. Don' wanna blow yo' fingers off, eh?"
Kitty blinked and suddenly realized what he was about to do. "No! Don't!" she snapped, sotto voce. "You'll make too much noise!"
Remy frowned but realized she was right, but a thought occurred to him. "You go on in, den. Slid on in an' den open de window from de inside."
"Remy LeBeau, you never told me you were psychic," Kitty grinned. "Should we get the others?"
"Like you say, too much commotion...you know ol' One-Eye wanna go chargin' in like de Marines, eh?" They shared a slight chuckle, for they knew Scott would indeed do something like that, and Remy scooted back to give Kitty room. She paused, though, and frowned. "Quoi?"
"What sort of wiring is running through here? I'm in enough trouble with the Professor a is is for what I did to the Danger Room. I don't want to have to blow my college savings on rewiring the Boardinghouse!"
Remy looked blank. "Ya know, I don' know. Never gave it much thought 'fore..."
Kitty sighed. "I'd better not, then."
"How else we gonna get ta Tabby?"
"Find Kurt...He can port in to her." Kitty was already standing to go look for her boyfriend but Remy grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down.
"Le hee here..." Inside the basement, Pietro, torn uniform and all, could be seen settling onto the floor next to Tabby, removing the pile of blankets and old clothes from around her. A small tray sat next to his knee on the floor and Kitty cringed, seeing the hypodermic needle and ampule of fluid there, blurred through the dirty window.
"Fuck," Kitty swore, making Remy choke on a laugh. "Ah...Why didn't we think of this a second ago?" Kitty grinned suddenly and moved onto her hands and knees, crawling towards a low spot in the ground next to the house.
Remy could not help it-he stared as she wiggled her way towards the storm cellar doors he had forgotten about. Clearing his throat and his thoughts, he whispered loudly, "Dem doors ain't been open since de Professor was on leadin' strings! We never could pry 'em apart!" Kitty looked back at him over her shoulder and glared. "Remy not be tinkin' straight dese days, chere," he sighed, feeling stupid.
"I forgive you. And I won't tell Kurt you're staring at my ass if you stop it now," she grinned, feeling quite giddy herself. She had never been the one to actually lead a rescue before, even a minor one, and the rush was making her feel bold. "You coming or you waiting outside?"
A crash from the front of the house answered for him. "You go! I'm goin' round de side!" He was on his feet and running before Kitty could nod. She braced herself mentally and phased through the old doors, falling several feet to the floor and landing on the same hip she had landed on the night before. Great. My ass will never be the same! The dull throbbing of the impact on her fresh bruise made her limp a little as she felt her way along the wall, the dim light of the basement not letting her eyes adjust fully. From what she could tell, the storm doors opened to an alcove of sorts, where the stairs that used to lead to it had long since rotted away to useless, soft pieces of wood that nterntered and bent as she stepped on them. She closed her eyes, hoping she had not been heard and passing into phase again, long enough to move into the main area of the basement and off the traitorous wood. Pietro was about ten feet away, Kitty noted, crouching low to the ground and wincing as her hip protested the movement and posture. Tabby seemed to be unconscious, for she was not struggling, and Pietro readied the hypodermic needle, thumping the air bubbles from it as if he were a professional. _Oh, God. I'm going to have to get his attention, aren't I? Great. Fanfreakingtastic. This is how I end up with concussions. _ Steeling herself, she moved closer, concealed in the shadows of the basement, close to the steps leading up to the main part of the house. Pietro was murmuring something, stroking the inside of Tabby's arm in an almost loving gesture but the tang of rubbing alcohol made Kitty realize he was merely preparing the girl for another injection. _He hates her guts and pretty much wants her dead, but he wants to make sure she doesn't get an infection. Touching. Really sweet. _ Kitty was at the foot of the stairs and barely five feet from Pietro when several things happened at once. Tabby groaned, startling Pietro into dropping the needle, which rolled towards Kitty. Kitty lunged forward and snatched it, most assuredly getting the silver-haired teenager's attention as she crashed to the ground, overbalanced and with a suddenly stiff hip. "Shit!" she cried, feeling the dull crush of tissue and vessels breaking, another bruise for the collection.
Pietro was startled silent for a brief moment, the sudden appearance of one of the people he considered his enemies making his brain lock up on him. Another moan frobby bby made him snap back to life, though. He was on Kitty in an instant, scrambling to free the hypodermic from her clenched fingers. "Fucking cunt!1" he growled, pressing her face against the dirt floor of the basement. "Let it go!" His fingers dug cruelly into her wrist and Kitty grimaced determinedly as she phased, making him fall through her. She rolled to one side and became tangible again, not quite able to gain her footing and scooting back towards the wall, seeking to keep herself safe from a surprise attack. Tabby was making noises like she was gaining wakefulness and Kitty had some hope. Upstairs, she heard a commotion and wondered if Remy had been taken in, too, or if the other X Men were scuffling with Blob and Mystique.
This all happened in the course of a few seconds, as long as it took for Pietro to become reoriented and fly towards her as if on wings, his preternatural speed coupling making him a blur, barely giving Kitty time to react. She screamed a short, sharp sound and phased again as he impacted where she was sitting. She hated phasing through people, part of her mind registered; she hated seeing inside them and almost feeling the blood and tissue around her. The thought made her feel a tingle of nausea as Pietro paused, not quite sure what had happened, still meshed with her body in a horrid parody of intimacy. Kitty forced herself through him, crawling on her knees several feet before rolling onto her side, the side without the bruising, and brandishing the needle at Pietro. "Stay back!" she cried fiercely, rather proud that she kept the tremor out of her voice. She had never known Pietro to be like this, driven and nearly animal in his attack. _Where are his bad jokes and that fucking cocky attitude? _
Pietro grinned, his lip bleeding from where he had hit the wall. "Pretty Kitty...I see why Lance had it bad for you for so long. Too bad he fucked around with Amara, huh? Maybe you'd like to come live here. We're gonna get you in the end, anyway!" he said softly, rising to his feet and prowling towards her. Kitty used the banister for leverage and pulled herself to her feet.
"What's in here? Is this what you used on Rogue? On me? Is this the last of it or is Magneto back?" she said without a trace of panic. "You're sick, Pietro," she continued. "You are one fucking sick bastard. You can't have Tabby so you kidnap her? Is that it?"
Pietro snorted, a spray of blood flying from his lips at the sound. "Tabby's a whore, just like Amara. Both of 'em can't keep from getting' knocked up and that's all they're ever gonna be good for. I could care less about Tabby. She's only here because Mystique wanted her here."
_Yep. Really gonna puke now. _ The sounds upstairs had all but stopped, except for the occasional thump, and Kitty knew fear. No one was coming down the stairs, no footsteps thundered overhead, no one cried out her name, looking for her. _What if Mystique got them all? Can she do that? _ She did not have long to consider this idea. Pietro lunged again and this time he made contact. Kitty was stunned, her head hitting the banister with great force and making her see stars. "Kurt..." she said, not as loud as she would have liked. "Logan?" Belatedly, she remembered Logan was gone. "Kurt?" she tried again, louder. She was still seeing sparkles and now struggled to stand, only to have Pietro shove her head into the banister again, then again, until Kitty slumped to the ground, not quite unconscious but not quite alert. Pietro smiled snarkily and pried the hypodermic needle from her fingers. Kitty made a token protest and seriously considered just closing her eyes. _I don't think I've ever been knocked out before. Yes I have...have I? Hurts too much to think... _ Pietro was muttering under his breath and Kitty tried to push with her arms, to sit up, but could not manage more than weak twitch. She was about to let herself slip into darkness when she saw Tabby looking at her, eyes barely a slit but definitely alert. Kitty felt a faint happiness and sighed. At least one of us can kick his ass. A steady thumping resolved itself into a body hitting wood and Kitty sighed again. _Good. The cavalry. Better late than never. _ Kitty smiled and let her eyes close, feeling her body relax and ache.

Kurt was pretty sure he was going to tear something important off of Pietro's body. Soon. Beast had knocked the door down after three strikes and they had poured into the basement on Remy's direction, all feeling wrung out. Behind them trailed the one responsible for the crash Remy heard around front, the one who had kicked the door in to the Boardinghouse without regard to stealth or cunning. Beast and Scott dealt with Pietro, binding him quickly and tightly, going so far as to gag him, while Jean knelt by Tabby's side, checking her pulse and breathing, trying to get her to talk coherently. "Katzchen?" Kurt called, not seeing Kitty right away.
Rogue, standing near Jean, looked over to where Kurt stood with Lance and Todd, each looking agitated for their own reasons. Something pale caught her eye near the steps, on the floor, and she exhaled sharply. "Kurt," was all she managed to say.
Kurt followed Rogue's gaze and was on his knees next to Kitty in a heartbeat. Beast shoved Pietro off onto Scott and joined Kurt at Kitty's side. "I think she's just knocked out," the doctor murmured. "We need to get her out of here and back to the infirmary. I may as well name the wing after her if she keeps getting hurt," Beast sighed, only mildly concerned. Kurt was warring between anger at Pietro and panic over Kitty. He scooped her up in his arms and rose with little difficulty. "Scott, you and Lance take Pietro out to the Jeep. Make sure no one sees you and don't let him loose from the binding. Jean, you and Rogue take Tabby to the station wagon. Todd, help them. Kurt, can you port with her like this?"
"Ja, but what about her?" he said, tearing his attention away from Kitty to the person on the stairs.
"Don't worry about her. We'll deal with her at the Institute." Louder, Beast added, "You're coming with us, you know."
They nodded, not entirely upset. So long as Pietro was bound, she was happy.2


Kurt made it to the mansion in two ports, Kitty's added weight lagging him down. He heard Belladonna complaining loudly as he appeared in the foyer, but he knew it was not at him so he did not even bother looking at her. Instead, he ported once more, ending up in the lab and setting Kitty down on the low exam table. "Katzchen! Why do you keep ending up like this? Is it something I said?" he said in an attempt at levity. "You know you don't have to try and get my attention, you already have it!" He patted her hand as if it would be enough and decided to busy himself making her ready for Beast's exam. He had seen the doctor do this enough times to be aware that Kitty would need to be in a hospital gown and laying flat on her back, not on her side as she was currently. Kurt managed not to think one sexual thought the entire time he gently removed her clothes, careful of the obvious bruising, new and old, spreading down her side and across her shoulder where she had landed in the basement. "Oh, mein Katzchen...I'll kill Pietro..." He knew it was overstatement but Kurt was glad the offending youth was not in the room at that point. Kurt found his hands skimming over Kitty's skin as he pulled the hospital gown over her, but instead of the lustful thoughts he had worried over, all he could feel was pained concern and all the love he had for her welling in his heart, making him mutely frustrated that their lives would lead to her hurt, no matter what the cause or capacity. Kurt realized he was lucky-so far, none of the mutants who had remained at the institute had come to see what was going on and he thanked God for that bit of privacy. Kitty stirred and groaned a little, her brow knitting and mouth drawing down into a frown. "Schatz," he said softly, leaning over so she could see his face when she opened her eyes.
"Kurt?" she said thickly, her tongue not quite working correctly. "Am I in the infirmary again?"
"Ja, Liebes. Welcome back." He pushed a strand of hair away from her face and cupped her cheek, stroking his thumb over her parched lips. _I'm not breaking my promise, God. See? No sex, no lust. _
"I'm thinking Lance has the right idea..."
"What do you mean?"
"Helmets are a good thing..."
"Ja, but you would not be able to get your ponytail under one," he pointed out with a hint of a smile.
"It's a sacrifice I'll make..." She sighed and opened her eyes again. "Lay with me?"
"Schatz, you know I can't..."
"Sweetie, I love you, but I really don't think I could do that even if I wanted to right now. I just rest better with you next to me. Please?"
Kurt bit his lip. "I don't know," he finally sighed.
"Here," Kitty responded, scooting over as far as she could, wincing at the pain the movement caused. She brushed away Kurt's fluttering hands and pulled the light blanket off of her body, tucking it against her side in a sort of barrier. "Now. A veritable Marginot Line..."
Kurt smiled weakly and crawled onto the bed next to her. Kitty sighed happily and closed her eyes, not even reaching for his hand out of deference to his Lenten promise. Kurt stared at the ceiling. _Didn't the Marginot Line fail? _
1 I so hate that word. I want to take this moment to apologize for my muse's potty mouth and just say that that is the one word I absolutely hate beyond all others in relation to women and names for body parts and such.
2 Three cookies to anyone who can guess who it is. *g *