Institutionalized

INSTITUTIONALIZED CHAPTER SIXTEEN (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies and BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE (tm), the crisis has been averted...pants are now firmly on the male menagerie and drooling has ceased. InterNutter, TC and Maxwell Pink are spiffy. :) Readers/Reviewers: The ducks have launched an audio assault on the armadillos and Killer Kitties(tm) and their Minions (tm)... the birds are playing "Brand New Pair of Roller Skates" at loud volumes at all hours...the most disturbing bit is the one who thinks he's Roller Girl.


Storm felt a great sympathy for Jean and the Professor by the time she was done talking to Wanda and Tabby. She was not psychic or even empathic, but the sheer magnitude of the emotions flying between and from the two girls was enough to make even the most unfeeling person want to scream. She flinched awaom Lom Logan's touch, intent on finding pain killer before the headache became too bad. "Not now," she snapped, her frowning visage not only an unusual sight but a disconcerting one as well. An angry weather goddess meant lightening and Logan was not fond of lightening.
"What's going on, Ro?" he demanded, following her at a brisk pace.
"Wanda's mouth runs a mile a minute and Tabby kept stopping to be sick in the trash can." After a pause, she added, "If I didn't know better, I'd think she was doing it on purpose."
Logan chuckled a little at that. "I would be prone to agree with you...what did you find out?"
Storm drew to a stop outside her room, fiddling for her keys held on a ring in her pocket. "Tabby started acted strangely late yesterday evening, going through periods of melany thy then suddenly lashing out or saying something nonsensical. Wanda wrote it off to hormones, mainly because Tabby did not seem to consider it odd that she was doing such things. However, around seven or eight, Wanda said Tabby seemed to have a seizure of some sort: falling to the floor, becoming rigid, grinding her teeth, her eyes rolling back in her head...She nearly called 911 but Tabby began talking in someone else's voice." Storm shook her head, finally getting her door open and heading straight to her bathroom, rummaging in the medicine cabinet and coming back with two aspirin which she dry swallowed, wincing in the process. "Wanda figured things out pretty quickly after that...Tabby was saying some very specific things and acting in a manneich ich indicated that an outside force wished her harm."
Logan raised a brow. "They would've hung her here not too long ago for that sort of thing."1
Storm rolled her head from side to side, trying to relieve some of the tension. "All I know is that Wanda is actually nervous about this...she said it was Incubus and Tabby agrees. Apparently, this particular...I hesitate to call him a mutant just yet...has possessed each member of the Brotherhood at one time or another, usually to gather information or perform a task for Magneto. He gains strength through their sexual energy, which is not to say he engages in intercourse with them. From what has been said, it seems that he favored a few members in particular..."
"Let me guess...Remy and Tabby. Their libidos seem to run high," Logan said mirthlessly.
Storm nodded. "Incubus found the others not quite as satisfactory after initial use. Though, Pietro was a close favorite. At least," she added carefully, "according to Wanda. Tabby was very reticent on the entire matter."
"Why are we just hearing about this character recently? Why hasn't Magneto trotted him out before?"
"I think...and I'm just guessing here...that Magneto may not be able to control Incubus as he has the others. I think that, maybe, Incubus comes and goes as he or it pleases, and finds Magneto's cause to be most advantageous."
"When's Chuck due back?" Logan sighed, leaning against the doorframe. Any ideas he had of amorous advances had become sublimated by a spike in his stress level. "I haven't heard from him in a few days..."
"He is supposed to be home tomorrow evening, early. But Warren contacted me earlier today and said we should expect them earlier."
"Warren?"
"He's decided to come back with Charles in order to help oversee the planning phase of the school...after all, he is providing a large piece of the funding," Storm smiled, somewhat amused. A knowing glint in her eye, she said "Again, if I didn't know better..."
"You'd better be kidding, Ro!"
"Maybe," she laughed, pushing past him and into the hall.
"That's not even funny!"

Bobby had no idea what came over him. One minute, he was sitting between Empath and Rahne, waiting their turns to play with the new games Remy had brought back from town, then the next, he had his tongue down Rahne's throat and seemed to be enjoying it, as did she. He felt as if he were outside his own body, watching with horror as his hands slid around Rahne's waist and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. She clutched at the front of his shirt, murmuring low in her throat as he crushed her against his chest, her breasts feeling alien and interesting at the same time. Bobby could only focus on one clear thought-_I've never kissed a girl before _ ...-- in the few seconds the kiss lasted, until St John turned around to say something and emitted a noise somewhere between a shout and a gasp. Jamie looked up from his control and cried, "Rahne!"
The Scottish girl broke away, looking sick to her stomach. "What the Hell was that?" she asked weakly.
Bobby felt the color drain from his face even as his body announced its arousal. Empath chuckled next to him and elbowed his ribs in some sort of show of jocular humor, but Bobby groaned. "Oh, my God...I have no idea what the fuck that was..."
St John leapt to his feet, glaring at them both. "Bobby...I...damn it all!" he shouted, storming from the room.
"St John! Wait! I really don't know what happened! Come back!" Bobby took off after him, tripping over the ottoman and falling flat on his face, giving St John the chance to disappear out the front door. Regaining his feet, Bobby dashed after him, all the while calling his name and asking him to wait.
Jamie seethed. "Rahne, what the hell were you doing?"
"I wasn't doing anything!" she insisted, wishing Empath would leave the room for even just a minute. "I was just watching you play the game and the next thing I knew, Bobby and I were kissing!"
Jamie stood slowly, trying not to lash out. He did not have a quick temper, but when it flared, he could be very thoughtless with his words. "Rahne, all I know is that I turned around and saw you with his tongue in your mouth. That took at least a little cooperation on your part..."
Rahne hated that she was going to cry but she could not help the tears welling in her eyes. "Jamie, I swear! I didn't start it and I don't know why it happened!"
Jamie exhaled roughly. "I need to talk a walk..."
Empath waited until the younger mutant was gone before saying to Rahne, "Maybe he slipped and fell..."
"Shut up!" she snapped, growling for effect. "What the fuck are you still doing here still? Don't you have havoc to go wreak somewhere?" Even as she spoke, she felt a wonderful sensation of peace washing over her. She felt exceedingly friendly towards Empath, scooting closer so she could touch his face as she murmured, "Though I suppose that if you had a few moments, we could go somewhere to be alone..."
"Rahne, have you seen...oh, uh...hello..." Kurt paused in the doorway to the rec room leading off the foyer. "Empath, right?"
Rahne felt immediately angry again. "Fuck!" she swore, pushing herself to her feet and storming from the room, her footsteps indicating that she was headed to her own room.
"Empath...right," the new recruit said, smiling.
Kurt tried not to frown. He did not quite like this new one, though he could not put his finger on why. "So, I see you've met Rahne..."
"You could say that. Friendly. Lots of people here are friendly."
"I'm sure. So, what's your gift?"
"My mutation? Empathy...like the name says."
Kurt had a strong feeling that that was not the entire story. "I see...so have you been to the Danger Room yet?"
"Still offline, last I heard. But I went on my first day here. Quite a set up you folks have here. Who put it together?"
"Not sure," Kurt lied, sitting in the chair across from Empath. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what brings you here?"
"The eternal quest for security and forward thinking associates," he said grandly, smiling to indicate his self derision. "I was sent by...someone who cares for my well-being. She thought this place would be useful to my...upbringing."
Kurt nodded as if he believed him. "I see...same thing with your friends?"
"Roulette and Sunspot? Yeah, I guess."
"Roulette your girlfriend?" Kurt asked casually, trying to get a feel for Empath's frame of mind.
"Not hardly," he snorted. "She's good for the random occasion, but nothing steady."
"Sunspot seems pretty shy."
"He's got a lot on his mind." Empath shifted uncomfortably. He was not quite sure of the cover story Firestar had devised for Sunspot and did not know how to deal with Kurt's questions. Not for the first time in his brief life, he damned himself for not studying. "You know, that whole discovering you're a mutant thing."
Kurt nodded sagely. _That's believable...I think. _ "Well, I was just looking for Kitty...have you seen her?"
"Yeah, she was with that big Russian guy up in her room earlier. I think they're still up there. Knock first, though...they seemed awful close!"
Kurt almost missed the mean spirit lighting Empath's eyes-almost, but not quite. "Sure thing..."
Empath smiled and nodded, turning to watch Kurt go up the stairs. "Okay, Roulette...you're good to go."
The blonde emerged from the kitchen with a scowl. "Occasionally? Which occasions would these be?"
Empath smiled thinly. He had almost forgotten she could hear him, that she did not know about the times he had manipulated her mind so thoroughly and she had no memory of it. "Lying, my dear...I was lying."
"One of these days, Empath," she said, flipping a black poker chip in one hand, "you're goin lie lie one too many times."

Kurt almost succeeded in not glaring at Piotr. The much taller teenager was laying across Kitty's bed as she tapped away at the keyboard, probably, he thought, not even aware that Piotr was there. The puppy was licking the Russian's fingers with enthusiasm. "You must taste like dog food," Kurt said.
Piotr caught the poor insult. "Not feeling yourself, Kurt? Usually you're much better than that!"
"Klappe," he sighed. "Stress."
"I'm sure...Kitty tells me that you two are dating."
"Dating isn't the right word," Kurt said, somewhat irritated. He was sure that Kitty had said "together" rather than the ambiguous "dating," but it still irked him that she might have given the impression that their relationship was less than it really was.
"Oh? What is? Married? Engaged? Lovers?"
"For all intents and purposes," Kurt snapped, coming closer to the seemingly unflappable Piotr, "we're betrothed."
"Betrothed?" Piotr laughed. "People haven't gotten betrothed for decades!"
Kitty sighed loudly and turned, flinging a pencil at the bickering teenagers. "Boys! Silence! Working woman here!"
Kurt looked appropriately contrite. "Apologies, Liebes..."
"It's okay, sweetie...I love you anyway! And Piotr, I did not say we were dating. What I said was that Kurt and I are very much in love and _you don't stand a chance." _
Piotr managed to look chagrined. "Ah, Kitty...you don't need to go revealing my little infatuation to your obviously jealous boyfriend." He stood with little difficulty, Baby finally scampering off to hide under Kitty's desk. "Though, it might be interesting to ask him just why he thinks he needs to be so proprietary."
Kitty stuck out her tongue at Piotr's retreating back. "Me and him...as if! In what universe would _that _ happen?"2
Kurt looked a little sheepish as he said, "I'm not really jealous, Schatz...I guess I'm just insecure."
"Don't be. You've ruined me for anyone who isn't blue and fuzzy," shid, id, turning back to the computer.
"So my competition is Beast?"
"Eeeeew. Like, how Lolita can you get?"
He sat down on the edge of her bed and watched her type for a while before saying cautiously, "Jean said you're mad at her."
Kitty froze. "Oh? Did she tell you why?"
"Ja," he admitted. "Though I can kind of see her point...you have been slacking off lately."
"Out," she said sharply. "I don't want to talk about this now. I'm a hair's breadth from fixing the systems properly and resetting the passwords. Logan and Beast are matching fingerprints and going over security tapes. I don't need this right now, Kurt."
Kurt sighed. "Look, Kitty, I know you're pretty stressed right now, but if you want some help..."
"No, Kurt, I really don't. I want to finish this and then take a really long nap. Alone."
"Jawohl, Schatz," he sighed sadly. "I'm sorry."
Kitty felt scummy when he said that. "Look," she said, turning away from her work again, "I didn't mean to be such a bitch, but I'm pretty mad that Jean thinks I'm some sort of lazy bum who sits around doing nothing."
"She doesn't think that," Kurt began, but cut himself off with a gesture. "We'll talk later. Is there anything I can do? Do you want some tea or a soda or something?"
"Tea would be nice...no cream or sugar. I'm on a diet...oh, and could you put Baby out back? He needs to go..."
Kurt nodded, filing the diet comment away for later discussion. "Will do, Liebes."
In the hall, he passed Roulette. "Hey, your girl in there?" she asked.
"Ja...she's busy, though."
"Well, I won't talk long. I just need to make sure she's free tonight. I want to go somewhere and would like for her to come with me."
"Okay..." Kurt returned her smile with considerably less enthusiasm than with which she offered it. "She has temple tonight."
"She's Jewish?" Roulette seemed vaguely surprised, then shrugged. "Whatever...I won't have her long!"
Kurt frowned then. "Sure...well...I'll see you around."
"Not if I can help it," she said cryptically, heading towards Kitty's room.
_I don't like these new people a bit. _

A/N next chapter...Sam talks more...lol. Lessee...Sam, Paige, Jono, some smut (ah, but who?), more plot...ooooooh aaaaaah....all together now!



1 Vague witch trial reference, though it happened mostly in Salem. Turns out, the most likely cause of the witch outbreak was ergot poisoning (later manifested in France in the fifties and producing hallucinations the like of which were reported as witchery in 1692 in Salem) and mass hysteria triggered by a small group of girls, most likely because of one of them having an affair with the local reverend. Maybe.
2 Ha ha ha.