Constant Craving

CONSTANT CRAVING CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather holds court in a lovely sea-side kingdom with Dodo as her majordomo and Ted as her consort. Kristen and Lucas are seneschal and man-at-arms, respectively. So there. InterNutter, TC and Maxwell Pink get legions of Cornish Pixies to do their bidding for archiving! Vampyre: I've had to listen to this for centuries... ;) Readers/Reviewers: Okay. Small problem with the staging of Westside Story... Ducks can't snap. For that matter, neither can Killer Kitties (tm) or paltypi... That totally throws off the street fight numbers...and I have a strong suspicion that none of them can mambo.


Rogue was uncomfortable. Her neck had a crick in it, her back felt like a herd of elephants was dancing a fandango across her spine, and sas aas aware of a cold patch of drool under her cheek and chin. _Where am I again? _ She stretched her arms and came into contact with both a warm body and a cold, metallic rail. At the same time, the scent of antiseptic assed hed her nose and she sighed miserably. _Todd... _ She slowly straightened from her position of half sitting, half laying on the bed, wondering what woke her up. She had her answer in the form of a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Logan..."
"Darlin', you have to get home. You need rest...They need to run some more tests on Todd and he's not even gonna be in the room most of the day..."
Rogue blinked blearily. "It's after eleven at night..." she muttered, focusing on the green clock numbers across from her.
Logan sighed. "They just got the pediatric cardiac guy in and he wants to see Todd now."
"Pediatric? We're sixteen..."
"Until you're eighteen, you're still a kid to them...C'mon, Rogue. Up and at 'em." Logan tugged on the sleeve of her shirt, gently forcing her to rise. "Todd'll still be here when you come back."
"I can't just leave him alone!" Rogue felt worry rise like bile in her throat. She twisted under Logan's iron grip but failed to break away. She readied a harsh statement but a new voice from the other side of the room stopped her.
"I'll stay, Rogue." The Professor spoke in low tones, calming to the practiced ear, and wheeled into view. "You go home with Logan and rest. The others are doing some leg work for Beast, trying to find some information that might be helpful to the doctors here."
Rogue was coming fully awake now and felt Logan's grasp relax as she focused her attention on the Professor. "What sort of information?"
Logan and the Professor exchanged glances. "Why don't you let Beast tell you back at home? You've been here for hours...If Todd wakes, I'll let him now I am the one who sent you home and you did indeed want to stay..." If Rogue did not know any better, she could have sworn that a ghost of a smile skated across his face. "Now go home. Sleep, eat, shower, change clothes...come back during visiting hours."
Rogue sighed. She was too tired and sore to protest. With one last, lingering look at Todd, she let Logan lead her out of the room. Not a word was spoken between them until they left the parking garage, Logan finally saying softly "So you really like this kid?"
Rogue snorted. "You could say that."
"Rogue...I don't know what to say here. I mean...Toad?" Logan suppressed a shudder. "You're a brave girl..."
She smiled faintly. "_Todd _ isn't like you think..."
"Kitty says he's started showering on a regular basis..." the man offered helpfully.
Rogue barked in laughter. "Yeah...and brushing his teeth."
"Your influence?" Logan swung out into the scant traffic of Bayville's main drag and cut Rogue a narrow glance in the process.
She shook her head a bit tiredly. "His own...I guess he decided something was worth cleaning up for..." She shrugged as if disaffected. "Why the sudden interest?"
Logan sighed. _This father figure thing is insidious. _ "Just...concerned."
"Don't be." After a pause, she said "If you want to worry, worry about Todd...Logan, I'm scared."
He thought then that she had never sounded so much like a little girl before. "Darlin', Todd will be fine. The doctors..."
"The doctors," she snapped, "don't know jack. Not if Beast has the others out looking for Todd's information or whatever the Professor said...Why can't they just run a CT Scan or something? I mean, don't they have machines that can see inside and stuff?" Rogue flailed her hands as she spoke, a sure sign of her agitation and worry.
They were nearing the mansion so Logan slowed, hoping to prolong their conversation. He had a soft spot for prickly Rogue; he considered her one of his own, much like Kitty but not quite. _Aw, Hell...I love 'em all...damn me for an old man. _ "Rogue, medicine may be wonderful and all, but they can't work magic and just tell right off the bat what's wrong...they have to check for all sorts of problems. And the lack of medical records about anything that could have been wrong when he was younger...well, that just makes it all the more difficult for them to tell what's going on in there."
Rogue bit her lip, fighting sudden, unwanted tears. The car rocked to a halt as Logan waited for the gates to slide open then bounced gently over the sensor strip as they entered the grounds of the Institute. "Logan, I think I love him."
"Huh?" Of all the things he had expected and feared Rogue saying, this was not one of them.
They rolled to a halt in the dark garage. Rogue said louder but still with trepidation, "I think I love him."
Logan sighed and shut off the car. "Darlin', go to bed. Get some sleep. We'll talk in the morning."
Rogue nodded and slid out of the car. As she passed to the door into the mudroom, she called back softly, "I'll still love him then, you know..."

Kitty rolled her neck to release the tension. Kurt was in the study with Storm and Tabby, voices ebbing and flowing loudly. "What's going on?" Jean slid up next to her, almost silent save for the faint sound of the rubber soles of her shoes against the marble tiles of the foyer.
"When'd you get back?" Kitty asked by way of response. She finally popped her neck and sighed with relief. "You and Amara find anything?"
Jean sighed loudly and sank to the floor, sitting cross-legged against the wall. "Not one damned thing. All she did was go to one of the bedrooms and stare and sigh...I guess it was Lance's old room." Jean shuddered delicately. "Though I don't want to think about how she knew where it was or why she looked like someone had just taken away her favorite Christmas present, standing there and sighing like that."
Kitty smirked faintly. "She's all heartbroken. She did it to herself, you know. Breaking things off with him..."
"She what?" Jean's eyes widened in shock.
"According to Lance's mumblings, she said she 'needed a break'." Kitty joined Jean on the floor and they both took up staring at the door. "Kurt's brought Tabby back..." she said, quickly relating the story of the break in. "I'm not sure what she was doing there, though."
Jean shook her head. "Stealing stuff to sell, probably. She's dropped out of school and has no job..." she shrugged. Jean let her mind reach out briefly and nodded in confirmation. "That's what she was going to do..."
Kitty snorted. "Well, she wasn't doing a good job of it. Too noisy."
"Why did Kurt bring her back here?"
"Nearest I can figure, since he got back before I did, Tabby put up a fight and wouldn't go back to the Boardinghouse." Kitty shook her head ruefully. "I think Tabby's angling for a room for the night."
"I don't blame her! The boardinghouse is falling apart! The heat's off, the place stinks like mold and rotten food...no electricity...Blob smells like sweat and snores louder than Todd ever thought of doing...how is he, by the bye?"
"No idea. Storm says Logan's bringing Rogue back soon so maybe she'll tell us." Kitty sighed again and tensed as the voices stopped and the door to the study flew open. Kurt strode out, a scowl etched firmly in his features. "Sweetie?" Kitty called as she scrambled to her feet, Kurt passing her with nary a backwards glance. "Wow."
Jean rose beside her and glared at the blonde girl emerging ahead of Storm. "Jean," the former goddess said in tight tones, "please show Tabitha to the boathouse for the evening. She'll be leaving in the morning."
Jean raised one brow. "Which room?"
Storm sighed, a faint rumble of thunder indicating how deep her displeasure ran. "Take her to Lance's room...he won't be back until tomorrow anyway."
Tabby grinned, her split lip garish in her pale face. "Hey, Pretty Kitty..."
"Shut up, Boom Boom." Kitty turned on one heel and set off after Kurt.
"Tabby," Jean said with a faint hiss, "you'd be better off keep your mouth shut for the evening." With that, she took the girl by the arm and led her forcibly past Storm and out the door to the boathouse.

Kitty found Kurt in his room, headphones firmly over his ears but the music so loud that she could hear it anyway. "Scooter1...nice choice," she said as she pulled the headphones from his ears.
Kurt glared. "Katzchen, I don't feel like being cheered up right now." He turned on one side in an attempt to shut her out.
"Good. I didn't come to cheer you up," she lied. Gingerly, she sat on the edge of his bed, careful not to touch him in anyway. "I just wanted to see how things went with Tabby."
Kurt rolled to face her again, eyeing her with some suspicion. "You saw how things went. She wouldn't go into the Boardinghouse, she was going to tell the cops we were there, so I brought her back here. Now she's staying for who knows how long..."
"Just the night, love." Kitty let her hand come to rest on his ankle then, a comforting gesture she half-feared he would throw off. Instead, he relaxed almost imperceptibly and sighed under his breath. "Kurt, I promise she'll be gone by tomorrow night if I have to throw her out myself."
"You hit her good, Liebes," he said after a moment, faint amusement glinting in his eyes. "I never thought I'd see the day when you hit someone unprovoked."
"She provoked me plenty!" Kitty cried, indignant. "She insulted the women!"
Kurt sighed and rolled onto his back, one hand flopping out to rest on her knee. Studiously avoiding her gaze, he traced small circles with his thumb on her jean-clad leg and said with only a faint tremor to his voice, "Kitty, are you still mad at me?"
"Kurt," she sighed, "I was never mad at you like you think. But I still want to wait a day or two..."
"I hurt." He scooted closer, sliding his hand down her calf to rest on her bare foot. "I love you."
"I love you, too. More than you think, I think."
Kurt chuckled softly. "Let's just say that we both love each other one million times infinity and leave it at that..."2
Kitty smiled then and leaned forward to peck him on the cheek. "I think you'll be feeling better by Wednesday."
"What happens then?" he asked, sitting up halfway and looking at her with naked hope. "Happy things?"
Kitty grinned openly then. "You could say that." _His sisters should be here before bedtime...I hope I don't let it slip before then! _
"Can I get a preview?" he asked, sitting up all the way then, so close Kitty could smell the faint scent of his shampoo and the tang of lemonade on his breath from the vending machine at the school.
Kitty giggled. "Well, I don't think what's going to happen is what you think is going to happen...but I can give you a preview of what you think is going to happen..."
"Katzchen, I speak English very well, but what the Hell did you just say?"
Kitty laughed again. She couldn't help it. "Fuzzy, anyone ever tell you how cute you are when you're confused?"
"Nein...but you can tell me all you want...." He kissed her then, before she could respond. His mouth was warm over hers and she felt her body respond without question, leaning into him, practically purring under his caress, his hands tangling in her hair and holding her close as he could. Kitty let her hands go to his back and knead his soft fur, pressing against his spine rhythmically, drawing moans and nips from her boyfriend. Kitty parted her lips at his questing tongue, allowing him entry and laving in response. She mimicked their lovemaking with long, slow licks along his tongue and inside his mouth, making him groan loudly into her kiss,tingting her take control of the embrace and rake her nails along his back before pulling away, leaving slightly stunned and thoroughly aroused Kurt in her wake.
"Enough of a preview for you?" she asked smoothly, her inner turmoil of desire and lust hidden beneath exterior calm.
Kurt sighed shakily and said with great control, "Kitty, after that, Wednesday had better be fucking spectacular..."

Rogue stared at Beast's massive blue head, not really hearing what he was saying. He had drawn three vials of blood since she had been there and was trying to explain the test kit to her. "Rogue? Are you even listening?"
"Huh? Oh....pee on a stick, take my temperature in the morning...got it. Can I go to bed now?"
Beast sighed. "Yes, go...just bring me the test strip and temperature reading in the morning, okay?"
"Sure, sure..." she mumbled sleepily, the stress of the day finally hitting her full force. As she stumbled out, she turned back to ask, "How's this gonna help me?"
"If what I think is happening is happening, these tests will tell us in little time..."
"Ah..." she nodded. "Gotcha."
Beast watched her disappear from the room and sighed. _Twelve hours ago, she'd have been jumping all over me to hurry. For her sake as well as his, I hope the boys find something about Todd's heart in Brooklyn. I don't think she'd last long otherwise... _
1 I fully blame Foxfeather for my liking them...
2 Ever do that as a kid? "Oh, yeah? Well I do times four..." etc... Maybe it's just me and my brothers...