Fractals

Fractals Chapter Twenty (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE ™, Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta… any box yet? InterNutter, TC, Maxwell Pink and Dracena are lovely bunnies for archiving/hosting! ProPhile: *poke* There’ll be more. Morgan: *glomp! * Readers/Reviewers: Mille grazie! Thank you thank you thank you for reading/reviewing!


Jamie stared out into the dark and wished it was cold enough to snow instead of rain. He breathed against the windowpane and watched the white smudge spread as air left his lungs. Dragging the tip of his finger through the condensation, he winced as Sam snorted in his sleep, sounding like a cross between a pig and a human, the noise drawing out into something like a moan. He did not, he decided, want to know what his roommate had been dreaming about. Below him on the grounds, Logan’s dark form moved between the house and the thick stand of oaks rising dark and ancient in the middle of the moonlit landscape. Unless Jamie missed his guess, he knew that Storm was out there, waiting. He was not quite sure when he realized that Logan atormtorm were sneaking around like guilty teenagers, but he knew that it did not bother him like he thought it might and that he felt as if he were the keeper of some wonderful secret and to ever let on that he knew would be ruination for the romance. Even though he could not see into the copse, he turned away from the window and let the curtain fall back into place, closing the room off from the silver spill of moonlight. The mansion had been quiet for hours, ever since Kitty’s soft footfalls past their bedroom door had sent Sam into gales of muffsnicsnickers and a comment about one part of Kurt’s body that he knew was not blue. Jamie had forgone the rejoinder on the tip of his tongue, about how would he know, and pretended to be asleep. Now, hours later, he was no closer to Nod than he had been then. Easing from the room quietly, he shivered as his bare feet touched the wooden floor not covered by the thick Aubusson runner. He padded lightly down the stairs, hissing as the cold marble sent aches through his feet and calves, and sighed with relief when he reached the carpeted Rec Room. Within minutes, the blue glow of the television bathed the room as he settled back onto the sofa, the volume just loud enough for him to ear, more of a soft murmur really, and his feet tucked under a heavy blanket left behind by one of the girls. A rerun of _Taxi_ was on and he relaxed back onto the cushions. He was just starting to feel sleepy when something cold and wet pressed against the back of his neck. “GAH!”
Rahne woofed softly and padded to sit in front of him. She thumped her tail once on the floor before jumping up to snuggle beside him on the sofa, licking his hand in greeting.
Jamie paused, uncertain. Logically, he knew it was Rahne but all his mind saw was a wolf. He barely checked the urge to scratch her ears and say “Good girl,” and he surely could not give her a romantic snuggle. Instead, he flipped off the television and yawned widely. “I couldn’t sleep,” he murmured. “Stress, I guess.” She gave an answering whimper and yawned herself, exposing sharply white teeth in an elongated snout. “Midnight run?” he asked, eyeing the clock. She woofed softly again and seemed to nod. “Sam snores…”
Rahne jumped off the sofa and trotted to the window seat overlooking the side garden near the lanai. Without warning, she shifted back into human for, something disturbinr thr those not used to witnessing such things. Jamie was among those not quite used to it. He had to avert his eyes as bone and skin shifted and rippled, lupine becoming human. The process was actually not as fast as one might expect and Jamie was glad when it was over. She plucked her nightgown from behind the throw pillows on the window seat and shrugged it on as she moved quietly towards Jamie. “You talk a lot when you’re nervous,” she pointed out, standing over him.
“I’m not nervous,” he protested, knowing it was a lieI’m I’m just… stressed about school is all.”
“Jamie,” she said patiently, her brogue thicker than usually, “you’re a straight A student at what is essentially an exclusive prep school. Which just happens to be where you live. What is there to be stressed about?”
He shrugged. “Um…algebra?”
She narrowed her eyes and sighed. “I came in because I saw you through the window. I thought ye might like to talk a bit but I guess not…” She started to leave but was secretly gratified when she felt his hand clamp around her wrist and hold her in place. “Yes?”
“I just want you to know,” he said in a rush, “if you need to talk, I’m here for you.”
“Thank you…” She raised a brow. “That isn’t why you’re nervous though.”
“No,” he admitted. “I’m nervous about this whole coming out thing. I don’t… I don’t want to! I feel safe here—I don’t like the idea of going into town and people staring at me or throwing things or worse!” His fingers tightened on her wrist and he peered desperately at her. “Why can’t they stop it?”
“Jamie,” she said quietly, reaching up to lay her free hand against his cheek. “I admit I’ve got a sight more to worry about than this but I’ll tell you what I think… if now is the time we are shown to be mutants, then we cannot change that. We deal with it, though, and any bigots who come along.” She thought fleetingly of the church that morning and sighed anew. “I don’t think it can be avoided at this point.”
He nodded slowly, hating to admit she was probably right. “Walk you to your room?”
“Is Kitty done?” she asked cattily, lacing her fingers through his and letting him lead her to the stairs.
“Hours ago… she goes to Kurt’s room, you know.” He paused one step above her and bent to kiss her chastely across the lips.
“Except when she’s at school,” Rahne pointed out. “Then I have it all,” kiss, “to,” kiss, “my,ss, ss, “self…” She punctuated that statement with a long, lingering embrace which made Jamie flush red and damn thin pajamas. “Good night, Jamie,” she whispered, breaking away from him. “Love you.”
He stood at the bottom of the stairs for a moment, gathering his wits and forcing blood back to his brain through sheer will. After he heard her bedroom door shut, he turned and padded back to the rec room and flipped the television back on. Their watcher smiled with a rapier glint in the dark. This was more than he had hoped for—the girl phasing, the other one shifting… It was too perfect, too much to ask for… He felt a rush akin to sexual excitement as he slipped out of the barely-open window in the study. The best like man was still under the trees with the goddess so he had a clear path to the gate. A night’s work and a lifetime of glory…