Sins of the Father

Sins of the Father Chapter Twenty Nine (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE (tm), Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta...*sends energy * InterNutter, TC, Maxwell Pink and Dracena are wonderlicious for archiving/hosting! ProPhile: *GLOKE * Morgan: *CAJUN GLOMP * Readers/Reviewers: The armadillos are hiding. This can't be good... Thank you for reading/ reviewing!!!

Professor Xavier was not one given to violence, but he was finding his principles sorely pressed as Doctor Beck paced the breadth of the well-appointed office. "I cannot stress this enough," the professor said slowly, steepling his fingers beneath his chin. "I want this to end now. Immediately."
Doctor Beck stopped in his tracks and turned slowly to face Professor Xavier. "Charles, you cannot sever ties so easily."
"This isn't the Mafia," he chided. "I can end this and I will. Now. The three can stay here but I will not allow the continuation of the project in any way, shape or form."
Doctor Beck smiled slowly, shaking his head. In a voice reserved for especially slow children, he said, "Charles, you know it's poor science to end an experiment so brutally."
They were interrupted by a frantic knock then Beast's sudden, unbeckoned entrance. "Charles, there's been an accident..." He paid scant attention to the other man in the room as he paused to catch his breath. "In town... Paige just called, frantic. Remy..." He closed his eyes and schooled himself into his usual calm demeanor. "I think you had better come with me. It's on the news downstairs."
Professor Xavier glanced aside at Doctor Beck. "We'll continue this later. Five o'clock?"
The other man looked very thoughtful. "Let's play this by ear..."
Beast fairly grabbed the back of Professor Xavier's chair and pushed him from the room, leaving the doctor to let himself out of the mansion. "It's bad, Charles," he murmured, knowing he was being scanned.
The Professor tensed. "There is no confirmation on mortality?"
"Not yet," Beast sighed. "Though it does not look good."
Professor Xavier forced himself to close off, blocking out all the extraneous thoughts and feelings fluttering through the populated air. He felt a sharp tug of memory, of himself as a young man and being betrayed by someone he thought of as a brother. _I've betrayed you all, _ he thought painfully. "Gather the others, Henry. Call them back. Send Logan into town for the girls. Bring them all to the rec room. We'll meet in twenty minutes, when I have more information."


Wanda jiggled Lucas on her hip, humming under her breath as Tabby fished in the diaper bag for her key ring. "I'm sorry," she muttered to Rahne. "I threw 'em in here when we were getting him out of the car..."
Rahne shrugged and smiled. "That's alright. I'm in no hurry..." She made faces at Lucas as Wanda rolled her eyes. "Let me hold him then, if it's bad as all that," she sighed, reaching for the baby.
The goth girl snorted. "It's not bad as all that. He's just heavy as Hell. And we have an appointment..." She glanced meaningfully at Tabby. "In twenty minutes."
Tabby swore. "Chill, Wanda. They'll wait! A ha!" She held up the keys triumphantly. "Okay," she began, shoving her bag at Rahne's free hand. "His bottles are in there, the formula is in there, the cereal is in there, the diapers are in there..."
"It's ALL in there," Wanda cut her off. "Come on, Tabby!"
"Hello..." Annie was pressing her face against the railings of the stairs, smiling brightly. "I'm Annie. Who's he?"
"This is Lucas," Rahne said kindly. "I'm going to be babysitting him a bit." She smiled at Annie, thinking how sweet it was for a little girl to be interested in babies. "He's Tabby's son."
Tabby tossed a wave in the direction of the blonde girl. "Okay, Wanda. NOW we can go!"
"Wait!" Annie scrambled to her feet and skipped down the remaining stairs, sliding to a halt between the couple and Rahne. "They can't go yet!" Her wide violet eyes looked fearful. She pouted prettily and added, "I want to show you something!"
Rahne rolled her eyes indulgently. "They've got an appointment, Annie. Can it wait?" Lucas began to squirm in her arms as if agitated greatly. "Maybe just show me?"
Annie shifted from one foot to the other, openly petulant. "No. It has to be ALL of you!"
Wanda groaned. "Fine, fine. What is it?" She was already writing off making a good impression on the admissions director. "Make it fast."
Tabby merely vented a snort of irritation as Annie scurried towards the study, her sock feet slipping and sliding on the parquet flooring. "Is she always so...babyish? She's what, ten?" she murmured to Rahne.
"Got no idea. I was thinkin' she were eight." She shrugged and adjusted Lucas on her hip.
Wanda took the keys from Tabby and tossed over her shoulder, "I'm going to get the car started. Move your ass, Smith, or I'm leaving you here."
"She isn't," Tabby muttered. "I've got the house key in my shoe... What's taking the kid so long?"
Annie returned at that moment, carrying a wooden box very carefully in her hands. "Open the door please!" she sing-songed. "It's prettier in sunlight!"
Tabby sighed and opened the front door, standing aside for the young girl. She and Rahne fell into procession behind her, indulging girlish whim "What's in the box?" the blonde demanded as Annie set it down carefully on the stoop. "Is it....Hey!" She glanced up in time to see a girl strange to her climbing into the driver's seat of her car. "What the fuck?"
Lucas immediately began wailing at an ear-splitting volume on Rahne's him, Her heightened senses translated sound to pain as she instinctively growled, making the baby even more scared. Aggie leaned on the horn of the car as Tabby sprinted towards her. "I'm sorry," Annie said suddenly, opening the box and holding it up to Rahne's cringing face.
Rahne opened her eyes and inhaled sharply in preparation for a shout for help, but it was too late. The white powder entered her nose, her mouth, her eyes, blurring her vision and choking her before she felt herself hit the porch on her knees, someone lifting Lucas from her grasp.