Fractals

Fractals Chapter Thirty Five (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply


A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE ™, Prophetic Muse , Hamster Witch and Uberbeta… You could make a killing importing Paracetamol. Really. ;) InterNutter, TC, Maxwell Pink and Dracena are glompworthy for archiving/hosting. ProPhile: Smut next chapter. *poke * Morgan: *GLOMP * Readers/Reviewers: *gasp * Plot! I know, it’s a surprise coming from me and all but… here ya go! Killer Kitty ™ approved. ;)


Storm pressed her forehead against the greenhouse wall and sighed. “Sean,” she said quietly, “they were supposed to be back four hours ago. We need to go look for them.”
Sean paced between the abundant pots of foliage blooming waxy green and yellow in the false summer of the hothouse. “I know… but we need someone else here with the children. Forge isn’t due back until tomorrow and I don’t want to wait that long.”
Storm nodded. “I’ve put a call in to Warren and Betsy but they’re at an art opening and probably won’t get the message until late tonight. Or early tomorrow, depending on your point of view.” She sighed and rolled her neck gently, making it pop. “I do not want to leave Astrid in charge. I trust her but she is a guest. And Logan would be with us so that leaves Beast, alone, with two dozen or more students.”
Sean blew out a harsh breath. “I’ll stay. You and L go. go. You know better than I where they went anyway.” He raked his fingers through his hair and sighed again. “Besides, I’m supposed to have a sit down with Theresa. It’s Therapy Day.”
“Therapy Day?” she asked, one brow creeping up. “Pray tell… what is Therapy Day?”
“Ah… Charles suggested we pick one day a week to just have it out. Let her yell and rant and rave and let me do the same. No harm, no foul when it’s done. It gets a lot off our chests.”
Storm blinked. “The of of you yelling… it’s a wonder this place is still standing.” She smiled faintly. “How’s it working out?”
Sean smiled crookedly in return. “Some hurt feelings at first because she felt like I’d abandoned her and I felt she was being unfair—I mean, I didn’t even know she existed! Now I think she’s a bit…confused…because Black Tom did know about me, that I wasn’t dead…” He sighed again. “I’ll just say it’s going well.”
Storm trailed her fingers across one wide leaf and closed her eyes briefly. “I’ll call Cecilia to come ov If If we’re going to be gone more than a few hours, I’ll contact Warren again.”
Sean nodded. “I don’t want to make this into a big brouhaha. You know the students will try to come if we do. We should wait a bit longer, until well after lights out.”
Storm shook her head. “It’s nearly ten now. Wanda and Tabby will be by soon to get Lucas. We wait until they come and go, then we leave. It’s less than an hour out but we need to be subtle.”
Sean nodded again. “We would have heard if there had been an accident,” he said after a moment. “The hospital would have called.”
“I think you know as well as I do that any accident that has occurred in this case is not a natural one.” She strode to the glass door of the greenhouse and paused, one hand on the knob. “I’m going to call for Firestar. We might need all the help we can get.”
Sean felt his brows creep up. “Why do you think that?”
“Call it a hunch. Magneto is verging on having nothing left to lose. He won’t hold back now.”


Wanda glared at the gas gauge. “It SAID it was full!”
“I told you last week,” Tabby growled, “the fucking thing is BUSTED!” She shoved the car door open and let it slam shut behind her as she started striding down the dark street of downtown Bayville. She mentally cursed the small town, wishing the streets did not roll up at nine pm, even on weekends, wishing that, just once, she did not feel trapped there. She ignored Wanda shouting her name and booted footfalls behind her until she felt her girlfriend was close. Whirling on one foot, she snarled, “You never fucking listen to me!”
“Maybe because you’ve never said anything I wanted to hear.”
Tabby recoiled. “Pietro!”
“Guilty as charged,” he smiled, sketching her a mock-bow. Tarot stood beside and behind him, frowning. “We’ve come to extend an invitation to you. For a visit.”
“Where’s Wanda?” Tabby demanded, her initial surprise replaced by anger. _Wait, _ she told herself. _Don’t tip your hand yet… _ She could feel the power boiling in her veins and it was difficult to resist the urge to produce a handful of plasma balls and shove them in Pietro’s face. “If you hurt her, I’ll hang you from the bridge by your dick, you hear me?”
Tarot snorted. “How…classy,” she purred. “We come to extend a simple invitation, a request for a visit, a request from an old man to see his only grand child, and you threaten us?” She clucked her tongue disapprovingly. “Wanda is just fine. Incubus won’t let anything bad happen to her. She’s far too pretty for him to hurt her, he thinks. Not my taste, though. I would have no such qualms.” She smiled slowly and extended one hand, palm up. A card rested there, brilliantly colored and rich in detail. “Death means change,” she said softly. “Physical or emotional or spiritual. It’s not often painless, but the same could be said of birth, neh? Change is a good thing to have.”
Tabby swallowed hard and glanced at Pietro. His smile seemed false but he did not move to stop Tarot’s threat. The blonde stood up straight and said calmly, “You can threaten me all you want but no way in HELL are you touching my son!”
“Our son,” Pietro corrected her. “Ours.”
“You’re a sperm d,” s,” she spat. “Not a father!” She let her powers go then, flinging her hands wide and sending an array of bright plasma balls flying at the duo. She heard Tarot cry out and a tremendous crack and the sound of hooves on cement sounded in her ears as she flung herself away from the burst of light and heat. Wanda was somewhere behind them, she knew, and she was not going to leave her there. Rolling to her feet, she started to sprint past Pietro but felt the back of her neck grabbed by something cold and hard.
Tarot, her face red and eyes watering, shouted, “Take her! Get rid of her!”
Tabby choked on a scream as she saw who held her. A skull peered out at her from beneath a red hood, expressionless and pale. She felt herself flung across something and could not help thinking _who the hell has a horse in downtown Bayville _. “I’m going to fucking KILL you,” she screamed at Pietro and Tarot. “I’ll rip your goddamned spines out!”
Tarot waved cheerily. “Bye, cherie. We’ll tend to Lucas for you.”
Tabby struggled but could not move as cold seeped through her body and her eyes went dark. _No, _ she tried to scream, but the sound would not come out. The boney hand passed over her lips and she knew no more.