The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER CHAPTER THIRTY THREE (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply


A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, Kristen and Lucas have decided it's their mission to find the Killer Kitties (tm) . I'd have the first aid kit ready if I were you... Unless they take Joris. That'd be most helpful. InterNutter, TC and Maxwell Pink get peppermint Skittles of thanks for archiving the mounds of fic I send their way. :) Readers/Reviewers: This is the last chapter....Who'd a thunk it? The Killer Kitties are still on the loose, the platypi have entered the Federal Witness Protection Program and are now ing ing blonde wigs, living in Minnesota and going by the last name Gunderson. Just so you know.




Todd and Rogue were not oblivious to the stares of their fellow students, though they gave every appearance of being so. The open back of her dress necessitated that he either keep his hands on her hips or rear as they danced and she was quite happily, despite the scrutiny, pressing against him in the fairly dark corner they had chosen to prevent any errant brushes of random students against Rogue's skin. "I swear," she murmured through tight lips, "I'm gonna kick the next person who makes a snarky comment square in the nads."
"That'll only work if it's a guy, sweetness. Just ignore 'em. I do." Todd shrugged philosophically and leaned his head against her PVC-clad shoulder.
"They're being fucking stupid. What's the big deal about us being together?" She turned Todd so that his back was to the rest of the gym and she could glare over his head at those that were staring at them. "Freaks."
Todd snorted. "Go get 'em, babe...Want some punch or something? All this actin' normal is really makin' me thirsty."
"Sure..." She let him lead her carefully through the crowd, her growls at anyone who made a comment within her earshot either unheard or ignored as they reached the cafeteria's bank of cups and punch bowls. "Huh. That looked like Kurt..." Rogue was looking fixedly at the rear door of the cafeteria, Todd's glance following hers in time to see the door swing closed.
"Eh. If it was, he probably jus' snuck off to mess around with Kitty." He pressed a cup of watered-down red punch into her hands. "Here ya go..." They took simultaneous sips of the punch only to both spray it out onto the table. "Ugh!" Todd said, swiping his hand across his mouth.
"Parking lot punch1," Rogue stated, the very faint taste of Everclear tingling the back of her throat. She grabbed another cup and tried the next bowl. "This one is fine..."
"So this one," Todd said, sampling from the last bowl on the table. "You know, usually I'm all for spiking the punch and whatever, but who the Hell can get Everclear in Bayville? That shit is hard to find..."
"Someone got it from Daddy's liquor cabinet...Oh." Her knees went wobbly. "There's something else in there, too..."
Todd felt mildly dizzy but not enough to be concerned. Rogue, however, was blinking rapidly and clutching the edge of the table. "C'mon, let's go sit down." Rogue only stumbled a little as he led her to the bleachers, snorting in vague surprise when she saw Amara being led onto the floor by Paolo. "Guess Kurt is dateless, huh?" Todd said, striving for jovial but sounding more concerned due to the sudden slump to the wooden seat by his girlfriend. "Need some water?"
"No, no...just need to sit...It's passing." Rogue took a long, slow breath and rolled her head on her shoulders. "We need to dump that shit out or something. Tell someone..."
"Taking a turn for the civic-minded, are we?" Todd asked, leaning against her gently, keeping the odd purple cloak between them.
"Nah, just don't want this to somehow come back and bite us on the ass...you know our luck." Rogue sighed and rose shakily to her feet. "Wonder what the Hell is in that?"
Todd shook his head, standing as well. "I don't _erk! _"
"You don't what?" Rogue said, turning to face where her boyfriend had been standing. In his place stood Pietro, glaring and red in the face, hardly panting though she knew he had been running. Todd was clutched by the neck, almost on his knees from the pain Pietro was inflicting. "Fuck!" Rogue growled. "Let him go before someone sees what an ass you're being," she ordered, calm despite Todd's purpling face.
"Rogue, you have such a hard time listening...you and Tabby," Pietro hissed, keeping his voice low so that no one nearby could hear them. "I left you a message, did you get it?"
Rogue felt a faint, icy prickle of fear in her stomach. "Why don't you let Todd go and tell me how you got into my room?" She held out a gloved hand in invitation, hoping she sounded calmer than she felt. She knew people were starting to notice the commotion, and she saw Rahne and Jamie emerge from the cafeteria, Jamie's hands full of cookies. _Great. My backup is Joan of Arc and an English soldier...This won't end well, will it? _ "Pietro, why don't we go to the locker room and talk? I'm sure it's nice and quiet in there." She laid her hand on Pietro's arm and was relieved when he let go of Todd's neck. As her boyfriend dropped to the floor, gasping, Rogue closed her fingers around Pietro's wrist and said, "You know, I'd like some punch first...can we go get a drink?" She was desperate to get him away from the gathering crowd and away from Todd before something else happened. _Where's Kurt and Kitty when you need them? I could really use some help here... _ Pietro let Rogue lead him into the cafeteria and sat next to her at one of the tables set up for that purpose. "Pietro, how did you get into the Institute?" she asked softly, aware of the trail of people who had followed them in there, headed by a concerned looking Rahne and Jamie. Todd was nowhere to be seen and the icy panic became a full-fledged snowball in the pit of her stomach.
Pietro smiled, twining his fingers with her glove-clad ones. "I'm faster than those _things _ Xavier has...But I got a few bruises..." He let go of her hand and pushed up his sleeve to reveal a large black and blue mark the size of a fist. "See? Wounded in the name of love," he said in a sing-song voice, thinking he was being cute but not realizing he was being creepy.2
Rogue smiled thinly. "Look, Pietro, we really need to sit down and have a talk, but this isn't the time or the place. Can we do this tomorrow? I'm on a date with Todd tonight and I really want to get back to it..."
Pietro's smile slid into a deep frown. "No. No, you don't get it, do you? You're mine. I ditched Tabby because you're mine. She bothered you so I told her to fuck off, even though to stupid whore got knocked up..." His voice was rising but he did not seem to care or notice. "We love each other Rogue...you let me touch you, see you..."
Rogue felt her face turn red. Even without knowing about her mutation, she was well aware that the gathered students thought that statement sounded lascivious. "Pietro, keep it down. C'mon, let's go outside..." _Where's a chaperone when you need one? Grinding your date on the dance floor and they're all over you...getting assaulted by a crazy mutant, they're taking a powder. _
"No! I'm not going to keep it down!" He leapt to his feet and grabbed her by the silver loop on her choker, pulling her up as well. "You don't fucking understand!"
"Yes, she does...Pietro, you're fucking insane!" Todd said thickly, rubbing his neck as he lurched through the growing crowd. "Let go of Rogue and go home..."
"You abandoned us, _Toad _," Pietro spat. "There's no place for you in my life or anyone else's. Rogue is just trying to hurt me, aren't you babe?" Pietro tugged on the loop and brought hengerngerously close to his face, his breath feathering over her skin in a way that made her shudder and feel repulsed at once.
"Let her _go _, Pietro," Todd growled, not sure where the voice coming out of his mouth was originating, just knowing that he rather like the intimidating effect it had.
Rogue took advantage of Pietro's distraction with Todd and punched him solidly in the stomach, making him let her go and double over in surprised breathlessness. She skittered to one side, putting distance between her and everyone else. _Let 'em think I'm a wuss...Just don't let me drain 'em. Last thing I need is to have some chess club3 member in my head for a week. _ Pietro straightened and made a grab for her. "Rouge, you just don't _understand _," he said in a plaintive tone.
"Yes," Todd said, "she does!" He mustered his courage and fought back whatever remaining intimidation Pietro inspired in him and grabbed the blond youth by the shoulder, turning him around at the same time he let fly with a punmeetmeeting him square in the nose. Pietro stood for a moment, then swayed back into the table, upsetting the punch bowls in a wash of pale red liquid and ice cubes.
Rogue delicately stepped away from the spreading puddle and smirked down at Pietro. "See? Told you I got it..."
Todd stuffed his hand in his pocket and pretended not to hear the hoots of the students who saw the punch. "C'mon, Rogue...I didn't hit him that hard...Let's go home before he gets up...I think I just stunned him."
Id, Pd, Pietro seemed to be rallying. "Lead on, Prince Charming," Rogue laughed. She shot a glare at someone who dared to make a snide remark. "You know, I've never had someone fight for me before..."
"Yeah, well, just don't get to used to it. I think I broke a finger or something."
"When we get home, I'll show you how to punch someone without hurting your fist," Rogue giggled.
Todd rolled his eyes. "Great. I'm dating Xena."
"Look at it this way," she said as she gathered her coat and took his arm again, "would you rather date Xena or Gabrielle?"
"Early Gabby or late in the series Gabby?" he asked seriously as they emerged into the night air, the doors closing behind them and shutting out the sounds of rumors flying.
Rogue pretended to give it great thought. "Early. And you can only have one of us at a time, so don't even think of saying both."
"Damn, woman, spoil my fantasy why don't you?" he groused, though smiling.
"Ah, my work here is done."
"Love you, Xena," he laughed as he helped her into the car.
"Back atcha, Joxer."4

Jubilee chanced another peek at Remy over the top of her menu. _This fucking sucks. He hasn't spoken to me since we got out of the car and even then it was "Watch yo' step, chere...dis sidewalk slippery. _" She sighed and pretended to debate the merits of salad versus soup as she examined Remy's tense expression. He was staring out the window, watching the late winter snowflakes pile on the sill and almost totally ignoring her. When he looked over at her, she smiled. "You know what you want?"
"Oui."
"Well?"
"It ain't on de menu, chere," he murmured, turning his face away from her again.
_Fucking Hell... _ It was not that she did not want to have sex with Remy, Jubilee thought, it was just that she wanted to see what it was like to be courted for once instead of hunted. _I think I like the hunting better. _ Remy began tapping his fingers on the table top, obviously irritated. The restaurant was buzzing with conversation, every table full of couples and sometimes groups celebrating the holiday that Rogue had so aptly defined as "shallow, materialistic and bollocks." _Gotta remind Rogue I want my Sex Pistols CD back... _ Jubilee closed her menu and stared steadily at Remy until he finally turned to face her again, one brow raised in an expression of questioning and boredom. "Okay, Gumbo, it's like this," she said plainly, working one of her feet out of it's shoe. "I just wanted to try this whole romance thing for once in my life and see if I liked it. You've had every opportunity, I'm sure, with all the women you've known, to try out this whole hearts and flowers and poetry thing but I haven't. It's not that I don't like what we have and what we do, but I just wanted to try this." She sighed and slid down slightly in her chair as if sulking. Instead, she found his ankle with her toes and began running her foot up and down his calf, making both of his eyebrows shoot up this time.
"Oh?" he said a bit thickly.
"Mmmhmmm," she said, sliding further down and moving her foot higher on his leg, raking her toes against his inner thigh. "I've been doing some thinking and it seems that I don't really need romance, not like I've been thinking I do."
"I be tinkin' I okay wid dat," he sighed, sliding a little lower himself to allow her to continue her game of footsie.
"Thought you would be," Jubilee murmured. She brushed against his growing erection and smiled like a cat in cream when he jumped, yelping a little at he sudden contact. "Too bad we already ordered drinks."
"Don't matter...we can go..." he made an abortive attempt at pushing his chair back, a sudden movement on Jubilee's part making him think better of the idea. With a tiny smile, she slid all the way under the table, covered by a luckily long tablecloth. "Cherie," Remy hissed, bending over as if to pick up a dropped fork or napkin, "you lost yo' damn mind!"
"Shhh...act cool, Cajun," she said, smiling broadly and giving him a nudge on the forehead. He sat up but she could tell by the jiggling of his leg that he was uncharacteristically nervous. Despite his apprehension, he was still obviously aroused and she thanked whatever deity was in charge of lust that evening. Carefully, so as not to knock against the table, she worked his zipper open and freed him from his pants, making sure the tablecloth covered all that was necessary. Just to make sure, she tugged on his knees, telling him without words to scoot towards her, which he did after a moment's pause. She took him slowly into her mouth, teasing him with her tongue and teeth as Remy's legs tensed under her hands. She gave his knee a pat of reassurance and took him as far into her mouth and throat as she could, his sudden jerk of surprise making her knock her head against the bottom of the table.
"Desole5, chere," he said in a strangled voice.
She responded by increasing the pace she had set originally, sucking harder and alternating that with long, slow licks along his length. Jubilee nearly had her undoing when the waiter came to the table. "Have you decided, sir?" he asked in a fake French accent.
Remy said tersely, "Gimee five minute, d'accord?" Jubilee sucked harder at that and he amended, "Trois minutes..." He said sotto voce as the waiter left, "You gonna be de death o' me, Jubilation."
She murmured wordlessly around the member in her mouth and Remy tensed again. Jubilee had always been blatantly pleased that she could bring him to climax so quickly from oral sex while he took forever (not that she minded, not one bit) during more conventional methods. Sure enough, she tasted the first salty spurt of release against her tongue and became more enthusiastic and random in her attentions, all the while making soothingly erotic noises in her throat in the way she knew he liked. Remy made a low noise of frustrated pleasure and fisted his hands on his thighs, twisting the material of his pants between his fingers in an effort to keep quiet. Jubilee was always surprised at the first hot jet of his seed that spilled into her mouth, but she swallowed it all as she always did, still suckling even as he softened. Considerately, she made sure he was set to rights clothing-wise again before she rememerged from under the table...to come face to stomach with the waiter. "Er...hi," she giggled, suddenly elated and embarrassed at once.
"Did mademoiselle lose something?" he asked snootily, obviously sure of what she had been doing.
"Nope. Didn't lose a thing. You?" she asked brightly, spreading her napkin across her lap.
Remy cleared his throat. "Another few minute, eh?"
"Of course, sir," the waiter said in bored tones, wandering off to tables where people were actually ordering an tipping, not conducting fellatio.
Jubilee smiled at Remy, picking up her menu again. "Happy Valentines, Gumbo."
Remy just stared at her with a bemused expression on his face and nodded. "Right....Valentines."
"You know, just to make sure, I think I'm going to need to compare this whole romance thing with the whole sex thing...what do you say we blow this joint6 and go back home?"
Remy sighed, rising quickly and moving to pull out her chair. "Dat's de bes' idea I hear all day..."


Logan peered worriedly at Kitty over the top of her chart. Kurt was perched on the edge of the infirmary bed, alternately holding her hand and stroking her face. She had fallen asleep in the car and had not woken up since, though she did mumble some interesting things about pirates and bodices. "Hank, tell me something good," Logan snapped as the doctor lumbered into the small room, nearly filling it with his presence.
"It's not RHP,"7 he said, flipping through pages of lab work. "The best I can tell at this early stage is that it was a combination of alcohol and a sleeping draught."
Kurt frowned. "Is she going to be okay?"
"She'll be fine once she sleeps this off...she's going to have one heck of a hangover in the morning, though," Beast said with a slight tint of mirth to his voice. "I'm sure Miss Pryde will never want to drink alcohol so long as she lives after this." irstirst one's always the worst, huh?" Logan said, though he himself did not remember his own first hangover. Or any, for that matter.
"Storm is on her way down to help get her changed and cleaned up so she doesn't wake up...well, like that." Beast indicated her costumed state, the cheerleader outfit decorated with bits of grass and, unfortunately, vomit.
Logan tensed. "Storm?"
"Yes?" her mellifluous voice broke through the tenseness of the room. She carried Kitty's night shirt and a towel in one hand, a bowl of warm water with a sponge floating in it in the other. "It's not nice to talk about people when they're not around," she said. Her voice, though light, seemed edged somehow.
Kurt shifted uncomfortably. "Should I go while you do this?" He did not like the way Logan was glaring at him and, despite the fact he wanted to remain by Kitty's side, he much rather would keep himself unventilated.
"No, stay," Storm said. "I have to make preparations first so we'll be a few minutes."
"Can I see you for a bit afterwards, Ro?" Logan murmured near her ear, making her flush though she would deny it to anyone who dared point it out.
"Anything you have to tell me, say it now. I'm busy, I'm afraid."
"Don't make me do this here, Ro," Logan rumbled. Kurt pretended to find the eye chart near the bed fascinating as Beast busied himself making notations on Kitty's chart.
Fuck it. "Fine. I've been thinking about what you asked me and I have an answer."
"Oh?" she said somewhat shakily, sloshing the water a bit in the bowl as she poured lavender oil into it. "Really."
"Yes and I know that...that..." _God help me I sound like a pansy. _ "I know that I don't want to wake up in the morning if you're not there. I don't want to go to bed at night unless you're with me. When we're apart, all I do is think of you, how you sound, how you look, what you say, what you _are _, your soul and essence and everything about you." Logan closed his eyes, well aware of the trio of stunned stares he was receiving. "Ororo, I can't promise you I'll always be the person you want me to be, but I promise I'll be the person you _need _ me to be."
Storm gasped, suddenly aware she had been holding her breath. "Logan..."
"Just...just know that what I wanted to say." He shrugged and suddenly became engrossed in the blanket across Kitty's legs. "Just so you know..."
"I love you." Her words were heavy with meaning and emotion, their simplicity doing nothing to hide the myriad meanings it had for her and now, him.
"Ditto."8
Beast cleared his throat and Logan started. "Oh, well...guess I'd better go make sure Tabby's settled."
"Tabby's here?" Kurt cried. "Why?"
"Until Kitty can help set her up in a new apartment, she's here in one of the guest rooms downstairs." Logan shook his head. "I don't like it any more than you, Elf, but we'll live with it for the time being."
Kurt whimpered and closed his eyes. "I don't think this is a good idea."
"Talk to Sleeping Beauty there," Logan jerked his thumb at Kitty, his eyes softening despite his irritation over Tabby's presence. "Only reason I haven't thrown Blondie bodily off the grounds is because Half-Pint would kill me." There was a chuckle from Beast's direction and Logan smirked. "Uh, Ro, want to talk about this later?"
"Yes," murmmurmured, already starting to undress Kitty, making Logan and Beast beat a hasty retreat out the door.
Logan stopped Beast from entering his office with a steely hand on the larger man's elbow. "Sorry 'bout that."
"About what, violating my privacy or stealing my words? Or both?" Beast was far from amused. Logan held out a thick letter, never sent but often read, and Beast took it gingerly with two fingers. "Not a word, Logan."
Logan grinned. "I needed inspiration and I found it in your little dossier on Doctor Reyes. Hank, take your own advice...talk to her."
"Go check on Tabby, Logan."
"Aye aye, mon Capitain!" Logan's laugh rang off the walls as Beast trundled into his office.
He slid the letter back into the binder, his brow furrowed in thought. "What the Hell..." he said to no one in particular, picking up the phone and dialing a number he had memorized the first time he saw it. _Ring...ring...pick up please... _"Cecilia! Hello! Hank McCoy here...no, no, I wasn't calling about that. I was wondering...would you like to come over for coffee tomorrow? I have something I'd like to discuss with you..."

Kurt had averted his gaze while Storm bathed Kitty, despite the fact he knew every single inch of her body better than his own. "Storm, what's the deal with Logan?" he asked by way oeakieaking the silence.
"If you don't mind me saying, none of your business."
"Got it. I hear nothing, I see nothing."
"Good man..." There was a slosh as she re-wet the sponge in the lavender scented water. "Have you spoken to the Professor yet?"
"Ja...I told him all that I knew and he picked some things up from Kitty as well..."
"What did you do with the camera that Kitty had with her?"
Kurt coughed softly. "What camera?"
"Hmmmm...Deny all knowledge?"
"You got it, Scully," Kurt laughed. Kitty made a small noise in her sleep and shifted as Storm worked her way down her legs. "Can I...would it be alright if I spent the night in here with her?"
"Officially, no. Unofficially, I know there is no way to stop you, so yes." She smiled despite her gruff tone. "So what _did _ the Professor pick up from Kitty?"
Kurt sighed. "The nearest we can all figure is that Duncan thought Kitty saw him...in a rather embarrassing state of undress a week or so back when she went to drop off attendance forms in the coaches' office right off the locker room."
"Oh?"
"It seems the football hero rather likes wearing women's underthings and he felt that Kitty was going to blackmail him...The Professor put that together himself. Kitty doesn't consciously remember seeing Duncan but part of her mind picked up t wht when she went to the locker room..."
"So Duncan was going to blackmail her in turn to keep silent with incriminating photos?"
Kurt sighed thicalically. "Our life is a Scooby Doo plot..."
"Could be worse," Storm opined, squeezing out the sponge and standing. "Could be Hong Kong Phooey."
Kurt snorted, then laughed. "You're a complex goddess, you know that?"
"That's what makes me special," she rejoined cheekily. She gained the door before turning and saying, "Oh, before I forget, a young man stopped by for you earlier. I thought he was a delivery person because he had a large bunch of flowers (which are on your bed, by the bye) but he said his name was Brian and anteanted to let you know he was your..." Storm cleared her throat, "your secret admirer."
Kurt's jaw fell slack. "Brian? Big guy, letter jacket?"
"I believe so, yes..."
"Mein Gott!" he groaned, falling back next to Kitty on the bed.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Kurt," Storm chuckled, closing the door behind her.
"Kitty," Kurt asked the sleeping girl, "what do we do to get ourselves into these messes?"
Kitty surprised him by blinking sleepily, yawning and saying, "It's Karma. In our last lives, we must've done something cosmically odd to get this mess..."
Kurt smiled and pulled her close to him, inhaling deeply of the floral scent of her skin and hair, faint traces of sweat and grass tickling his nose. "I think, in the morning, we need to have another _German lesson _," he said, the inference plain to her.
"So long as you wear the pirate costume agaishe she yawned, snuggling against him.
Kurt choked on a laugh. "For you Liebes, anything."

A/N That's all folks...Tabby and Pietro will make a reappearance next story-continuing their thread from this one. More smut, romance, humor and Kurtty goodness next story...:)

1 I don't know what y'all call it up north, but down here Parking Lot Punch is a mix of every single alcohol you can find OR Hawaiian Punch with Everclear in it. And Everclear is GREAT for fire spinning fuel, in case you ever wondered.
2 For some reason, I keep thinking of Woogie in There's Something About Mary. I think he possessed Pietro.
3 No offense to chess club members out there. I was one once, too, in the dim mists of high school.
4 Yeah, not sure what came over me there.
5 Form of "I'm sorry."
6 Er, would you believe no pun intended?
7 Date rape drug
8 From Ghost.