Sins of the Father

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

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE (tm), Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta... And more is on the way! InterNutter, TC, Maxwell Pink and Dracena are sparkled for archiving/hosting! ProPhile: Send some smut muses this way! Morgan: *bite * Pass it on! Readers/Reviewers: Soon, there will be cohesion! Yes, poppets, all the lovely little plots will come together! ;)

Kitty closed her eyes tightly for a long moment, then opened them slowly. "You're still here."
"I'm always here, Kitty."
"Okay. I'm going to go ahead and say this here...I mean, you haven't smited me yet..."
"Smitten."
"Huh?" She opened one eye to find him closer than a moment before.
"The proper word is 'smitten.' Smited is not a word." He held out the hand not holding the trident. "It's been a long time, Kitty."
"A year," she responded. "About a year anyway..." She eyed his hand warily, not sure if she was supposed to shake it, kiss it or give him five. She decided to just place hers on his palm and let him do whatever he was going to do. "Um, can anyone else see you this time?" She felt it was best to ask, just in case someone saw her talking to herself.
"If they have eyes to see..."1 He tilted his head to one side and closed surprisingly warm and strong fingers over her hand. "You worry too much, you know that? Your friends are fine...They live on."
Kitty jerked her chin in defiance. "Is this some reincarnation thing? They live on in the next life?"
"That, too," he grinned. "But not until this one has passed." He tucked his trident into the waist of his loose, flowing pants and smoothed his top over it, the weapon still presenting a bit of an obvious bulge in the line of the cotton fabric. "I decided to dress for this visit... I find that most Westerners seem to think my usual attire is scandalous."
She blinked rapidly, trying to follow the shift in conversation. "Wait," she finally caught up, "Remy's...not dead?"
"No, he's not dead. None of them are." He let Kitty's hand drop and folded his own behind his back, looking around the rubble. "I think we had better rejoin your friends at the car."
"None of who?" Kitty demanded, following him. For someone who looked so old, she thought bitterly, he sure moved fast. "Stop a second!" she cried as he began climbing a ramp-like pile of rubble to the sunlight above.
He turned, poised on to go back down the pile towards her. "Yes?"
"Hey!" They both jumped at the voice. A fireman was making his way rapidly down the rubble towards them. "What are you doing in here? It's off limits!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," Shiva said pleasantly. Kitty was shocked that he was interacting with someone other than her, and even more so that the fireman did not seem surprised to be spoken to by a god, much less one of the Hindu pantheon. "We were just looking for any survivors...we're from the volunteer brigade..." He gestured vaguely past the fireman.
"Oh..." He seemed lost for a moment. "Right. Okay then!"
Kitty knew her jaw was hanging open as the fireman disappeared. "Did you just do something to him? Why can he see you? What're you doing here anyway?"
"All questions are answered only through questioning," he replied, smiling.
Kitty fumed as he resumed his climb up he rubble, the trident protruding awkwardly from his hip. She muttered under her breath and followed, careful not to slip into phase just in case someone was watching. He did not look back at her as they reached the surface level but rather continued steadily to the street, ducking under the barricade and heading across the street and down the sidewalk to where the car was parked. She followed, torn between confusion, elation and sheer annoyance as she caught up with him at the car. "NOW will you give me some clue?" she demanded, seeing that they were alone for the time being.
"If it's clues you want, Hanuman2 would be your best bet," Shiva opined. "Always ones for games, Hanuman. Very good at guessing and clues." He stretched, turning his face up towards the sun, smiling beatifically. "He is a good one, Hanuman. Faithful, devoted, strong..."
Kitty clutched at her forehead, a headache threatening. "Please, please, please tell me he's not going to show up!"
"Do you want him to?"
"NO!" Her shrill cry made several bystanders turn and look at them curiously. "No," she repeated in a calmer tone.
"Then he will not," Shiva shrugged.
"I didn't want you to show up," she muttered. "But here we are."
"I told you before," he sighed, though kindly, "I'm an archetype, a construct..."
"Please...no psychology now. Just tell me where Remy is. Show me he's alive!" She stepped forward, her hands held out pleadingly. "I promise I'll...I'll..." she bit her tongue on offering to make obeisance at his house of worship. "I'll be less whiney."
Shiva laughed, a rolling and rich sound that seemed to wash over Kitty like a warm wave. "I want nothing from you. I don't work like that. Lately, anyway." He shrugged and looked around, his smile fading. "We haven't much time. Your friends will be back in a moment. We know of the troubles here and the ones that have not yet come. You must be prepared, be watchful. The enemy is among you and strong. The fight will cost heavily."
"The... what?" She shook her head as if to clear cobwebs. "Don't talk like that! I can't think! Is Remy dead or not? Or Ernie even?" she added belatedly. Her face felt hot and her eyes were dry as she tried, tried as hard as she could, to have hope. "Please?"
"Your friends will be home tonight. It is the opening salvo. Be watchful. Be strong. Do not let faith override reason." He laid a hand on her arm. "You will see me again."
"What? Wait..."
He paused, stepping out of her reach. "Tonight, she will come. She will give you the answers you seek. She will destroy but in destruction, you will be reborn."
Kitty blinked and he was gone. "Fuck."
"Liebes," Kurt breathed, jogging up to the car. "I'm so sorry... Sam thought he saw Ernie and..."
"Take me home," she cut him off. "Now."
1 Yeah, I'm riffing off the New Testament here, lol.
2 "Monkey god" of the Hindu faith. http://www.koausa.org/Gods/God5.html