Constant Craving

CONSTANT CRAVING THIRTY-NINE (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Mad Queen of Plotbunnies, Dodo is hiding something that looks suspiciously like a Yule present under his left fin...I'd check that if I were you. It might be from Ted-he's always hiding things in odd places. Vampyre: Hello? InterNutter, TC and Maxwell Pink are happy shiny people for archiving. :) Readers/Reviewers: I don't care what the ducks, platypi and Killer Kitties (tm) say...I still love you! ;)


It was half past ten and the mansion was silent. Well, almost silent. Doors up and down the hall creaked open, little slices of light spilling into the hallway before silent feet made an intricate pattern across the carpet. Kitty nodded to Rogue who sidestepped her friend with a tight smile before continuing to Todd's room. Jubilee waved at Lance as he turned sideways to pass between his old friend and the Asian girl to get to Amara's room. Rahne morphed into human form as she reached Jamie's door and ducked her head at Jean's raised brow, standing next to her as she was at Scott's door. There was a moment where soft knocking and entreaties were heard and then the silent hiss of wooden doors sliding over carpet and the halls were empty again.

"Where are the girls?"
"Asleep...they pretty much conked out as soon as their heads hit the pillows," Kitty murmured, herself resting against Kurt's pillows, piled at the head of his bed. "That was quite a little show down there earlier."
"I'm not sure if Tabby bought it or not. I hated to look like such an ass in front of my sisters, though."
"Better than showing your ass," Kitty said in an attempt at levity.
Kurt groaned. "Yeah...thanks for reminding me. No one saw you come in, did they? If we're going to keep this illusion up for Tabby..."
Kitty held up a hand to silence his words. "I passed a few people in the hall, but no one asked any questions."
"Good," he sighed, drawing her close. "I wish she'd go."
"I don't want to talk about her right now." Kitty rolled onto her stomach and rested her head on Kurt's chest, his hand coming to stroke her back automatically, as if they had been doing this for years instead of weeks. "I'm sleepy."
"So why'd you come in here?" he teased. "Hoping I can give you good dreams?"
"Pervert. Your sisters are great, but baby...one of them snores like a bandsaw."
"That would be Anja," he snickered. "Have you heard Erika talk in her sleep yet?"
"Something about monkeys...I think that's what she said. My German is still rusty."
"Katja sleepwalks when she's under stress. At least that hasn't happened here yet...I'd hate for her to fall down those stairs!" Suddenly worried, he sat up, dislodging Kitty with a yelp. "Katzchen, did you lock your door?"
"No...do you want me to?" she sighed, feeling that she would get no snuggling that evening.
"Would you mind?" he asked anxiously. Kitty sighed and kissed him on the ear before rising.
"Sure... Be back in a sec." But he followed her into the hall, acting every inch the nervous brother as she phased through her door and the lock clicked into place. After a moment, he heard murmuring voices and Kitty's arm came through the door, pulling him in without so much as a by-your-leave.
"Vas?" he said with some surprise. Katja and Anja sat up in bed, eyes wide with excitement. Erika was awake and yawning sleepily on the air mattress on the floor.
"Kurt," Kitty said a bit nervously, "your sisters have something you need to hear..."

Jean waited as Scott went through his nightly flossing routine in his half-bath, sighing as she stretched out on his bed. _Predictable, responsible Scott. Something to be said for security, isn't there? _ Jean turned onto her side to face the bathroom door, inhaling deeply of the scent in the bedding, a mix of Scott's shampoo, aftershave and the scent of his skin mingling with the Institute's laundry soap and fabric softener. The feel of the pillowcase against her cheek made her mind take a more carnal route and Jean smiled to herself. _ No one would guess that safe, predictable Scott is so passionate in bed...My little secret._ Jean had a sudden flash of what life would be like with Scott in twenty years down the road, she laying in bed reading, glasses pushed into her hair, Scott flossing his brains out in the bathroom, the bedside lamp the only illumination as he came to bed and pressed a kiss to the curve of her neck. _Oh, gods. That doesn't scare me...I don't want to run and hide. _ Her eyes were still wide with mild surprise as Scott came out of the bathroom, clad only in pajama bottoms, and turned off the overhead light.
"What's wrong, Jean? You look like you've seen a ghost," he said quietly, sliding under the sheets next to her.
"I think I just did...but not a dead one. One that hasn't been made yet," she murmured cryptically, brow furrowed as she stared at the pattern on the sheets.
"Do I need to get the Professor? Are you having a...er...a moment or something?" Scott asked with worry in his voice, already halfway out of bed.
"No, no...stay!" she grabbed his wrist to hold him in place. "I was just thinking and got lost."
Scott eased back into bed but looked at her quizzically. "What were you thinking about?"
Jean turned over many possible answers in her mind and decided truth was the best option. "I was thinking about what you asked me last Christmas."
He flushed a dull red and swallowed hard. "Oh."
"Don't be embarrassed, Scott..."
"I'm not embarrassed. More along the lines of mortified."
"Scott!"
"Well, I poured my heart out to you and you rejected me! How was I supposed to feel?" he snapped, then sighed. "Sorry."
"No, I understand. I really do. It's just that last Christmas wasn't the right time. The more I think about it, the more I realize that it wasn't because of Duncan or our age I said no and panicked like I did."
"Why was it then?" he breathed, turning to lay on his side facing her.
"I was scared. More scared than I even let on. It wasn't because I wanted a normal guy or because I wanted to be on my own. It was because I'm afraid of failing." She scooted closer to Scott and laid a hand on his jaw, her touch light as a butterfly. "Scott, I didn't want to fail you. I didn't want you to be disappointed when you found out I wasn't the girl you wanted after all."
Turning to kiss her palm, Scott felt a sharp twinge in his chest, his breath hitching for a bare moment. "Jean, you know that won't happen."
She smiled and said teasingly, "Well, of course not. How could you do better than me?"
"Minx," he said, nipping at the palm of her hand.
"Minx? Scott, 1872 called...they want their word back."
He mock-growled at her and rolled her onto her back, claiming her mouth in a kiss even as someone knocked on his door. "No one's home!" he said after the second knock.
"Scott, it's me," Kurt's voice sounded as if he were pressing his mouth on the doorjamb. "Come to Kitty's room-you need to hear something!"


Rogue bit her lip, shifting her weight nervously. "What's up with you?" Todd asked, smiling faintly. Rogue had been standing there for almost five minutes, just staring at him or the wall, opening her mouth every few moments as if to say something, then snapping it shut with a shake of her head before resume her swaying.
"It's just...I dunno how to say it." Rogue finally turned black-rimmed eyes to meet Todd's muck-colored ones.
"Just spit it out...no pun intended..." he snickered.
Rogue rolled her eyes and slowly walked over to where Todd was sitting on the edge of his bed, idly kicking at Lance's desk chair between the two beds. "It's just that...okay. Here it is. Beast said my tests are showing that I might be able to tough again in a few days."
"Really?" he squeaked, then cleared his throat. "Really?"
"Mmmm. But it's still only gonna be for a little bit and we have to be careful still for...um...other reasons."
Todd felt his heart racing. His experiences with Rogue were few but not for lack of trying on both their parts. "Do you...do you want to, um, you know...when you can...um...."
Rogue took pity on him. "Todd, I always want to 'you-know' with you, not just when it's easier." His sudden red flush made her smile briefly. "What? You don't think I want to have sex with you?"
"Just still trying to wrap my mind around the idea, ya know..." Todd licked his lips nervously. "When do you think...?"
"In a day or two, from what Beast says." Rogue shrugged. "I really can't tell myself yet but he says I'll be able to after a month or so, that I won't have to keep doing these tests." He had actually told her that once her periods become regular, she could time her ovulation without the use of blood tests but she still might want to use test strips to make sure of her date if she were going to use the opportunity to touch people.
Todd nodded seriously. "But until then?"
"I'm a safety girl!"1 she sighed.
"But you're my safety girl," Todd said stubbornly, putting his arm around her shoulders.
"Anyone ever tell you that you're a cornball sometimes?"
"Do your worst for alas, my heart is pure and my strength is that of ten men!2" he sighed melodramatically, falling back onto the bed.
Rogue snickered. "Baby, as much as I love that you and the other guys are getting along outside of this trap-Tabby thing, you've got to stop watching those old movies with Kurt!"
"Guys!" Kitty hissed outside the door. "Open up!"
"No," Rogue and Todd snapped together. They were just falling into a comfortable atmosphere and Kitty was tearing it wide open with her knocking.
"Come to my room, NOW....there's something you need to hear."

Lance stared at Amara for a long moment and sighed. "I know you're awake Princess." She did not move, just continued breathing slowly and evenly. "You're not snoring..."
"I don't snore," she snapped.
Lance smiled. "Yes you do, Princess. Like you're cutting sheet metal."
"I would have no idea what such a base thing sounds like," she muttered, turning onto her back and peeking at him through narrowed lids. "What do you want?"
"Is that a general question or specific?" Lance slowly approached her bed, still smiling. "If it's general, I'd have to say money, health, and to be out of school. In no particular order. Specific, well, that's easy. I want you." He knelt on the bed next to her and poked her in the ribs. "Shove over. There's no room to lay down."
"Did I say you could lay down?" she huffed, scooting over anyway. "Lance, I don't feel like another session today."
"Neither do I," he lied, finding he did not necessarily want sex but just to be with her. "I want to lay down, though."
"Fine." She waited until he settled and kicked off his shoes before saying, "Your legs are too long. You take up too much room."
"Sorry...I'll wear my short legs next time," he snorted. "Come here..." Even as he spoke, he drew her to him and felt her tense before she relaxed into the curve of his arm. "You smell nice."
"Thank you. It's attar of roses. For Venus."
"Venus? The planet?" Lance searched his mind for where else he knew the name from as Amara sighed.
"The goddess. I've been making offerings and roses are sacred to her." Feeling sleep tug at her eyelids, she nuzzled his shoulder almost unconsciously and murmured, "I'm going to sleep now. You can stay if you wish."
Lance chuckled lightly and squeezed her to his chest, her sigh tickling his neck when she exhaled. Kurt's soft knock made him throw a pillow at the door. "Whoever it is, go away!"
"My, Amara, but your voice has changed!" Kurt chuckled softly. "Come to Kitty's room now...we need to have a meeting."

Erika had volunteered to get Jamie, jittering in excitement. She knew he was with Rahne but she could not help the little shivers that ran through her heart whenever she saw him or heard him. _I've only been here three days and I'm going ga-ga over a guy. Go me. _ Knocking softly, she called "Jamie? It's me, Erika!"
Rahne flung the door open, shirt partially unbuttoned and her hair mussed. "What do ye want?" she snapped.
Jamie, behind her on the bed, pillow clutched over his lap like a life preserver, muttered, "Be nice!" when he saw Erika's startled expression.
Erika, feeling her heart break into a million pieces for the second time that day, said stiffly, "Jamie, you're needed in Kitty's room. Now." She turned on her heel and marched back down the hall.
"Well," Jamie said after a moment. "I think she's over it..."

A/N Logan/Storm next chapter...I promise!

1 Line taken from Pretty Woman, where she's offering him the condoms.
2 ((sigh)) I'm a thief again. The Changeover by Margaret Mahy. Sorensen is teasing Lolly...so....yeah.