Constant Craving

CONSTANT CRAVING CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Mad Queen of Plotbunnies, I throw roses and chocolate at your feet in thanks for beta-ing and being so wicked w/ideas...Vampyre: shiiiiiiny. InterNutter, TC and Maxwell Pink, mille, mille grazie!!!!!! Readers/Reviewers: The ducks are making a last valiant effort to salvage the musical. Next time, they tell me, they would prefer to do something less dance-intensive, like Sartre or something. I can't see ducks doing French existentialism...the platypi, however, would kill in No Exit...


Kitty had been hit before, make no mistake, but Tabby packed a wallop. As her head hit the corner of the coffee table, Kitty wondered if she put on underwear under her sweatpants. _I'd hate for Beast to see me naked if they have to take me to the infirmary. _ She was so startled by Tabby's swing at her that she did not phase as the fist made contact with her jaw, nor even as her head hit the table then the floor. She laid there for a moment, stunned and tasting copper, before Tabby's face loomed over her.
"I ain't talkin' to you about _shit _ , girly. Take your Little Miss Perfect act and go fuck Blue Boy or something...You ain't gonna tell me what to do!"
Kitty forced her hand to move, grabbing Tabby's ankle as the blonde tried to pass. With a yelp and a twist, the girl was on the floor next to Kitty. "I outweigh you, Tabby. I can hold you down all night if I have to." For once, Kitty was glad of her slight extra mass. She rolled on top of Tabby and pinned the other girl's arms and legs with her own, a twisted mass of humanity that would trigger any male in the mansion into a fit of cold sweats and showers should thappeappen upon them.
"Let me go, fucking whore!" Tabby growled, grappling for a hand-hold on Kitty's arms. Kitty phased briefly, enough that Tabby lost purchase but not long enough so that the girl could get up.
"Play niTabbTabby," Kitty snapped, feeling distinctly Logan-ish. She dug her nails into Tabby's arms and tightened her legs around the girl's knees. "I'll let you up if you listen to me."
"Why should I?" Tabby hissed. She closed one hand tightly and felt the small balls of energy form, pulling from her core even as she feigned nonchalance. "I'm just trying to go to bed and you attack me...I've got half a mind to scream for help."
Kitty very nearly relaxed her grip but mentally shook herself. _No...no one would believe her...hold strong. _ "Do it then...while you're at it, you can explain to Lance and Todd why you ditched them. And tell the Professor all about the vandalism."
"Slut!" Tabby said harshly. She opened her hand and sent the charges rolling, the first one detonating several feet away, the concussion startling Kitty enough to make her let go. Tabby leapt to her feet and lurched forward at Kitty even as footsteps crashed down the stairs. Her hands closed around Kitty's neck, feeling skin briefly before Kitty phased and fell back, pushing herself to her feet before kicking out, catching Tabby in the ribs.
Her head throbbed and she was sure she was bleeding, but Kitty stayed on her feet, keeping distance between her and Tabby, circling the couch. Scott reached them first. Seeing the scorched floor and wall and the destroyed whatnot shelf, he felt any sympathy he had for Tabby evaporate. "What the Hell is going on here?" he thundered. Kurt 'ported in, panting. "Took you long enough," Scott bit out.
"I had the headphones on...I didn't hear anything until Rogue about took my door off the hinges trying to get my attention." Kitty was within arm's reach so he grabbed her, shoving her behind him. "Tabby, back off!" A scattering of glowing balls littered the floor to the right. Kurt had no idea if she had set them as timed charges or not and was not going to wait and find out.
Logan's entrance was more subdued than was expected but as intimidating as ever. "What the fu...Hell is going on in here? Oh. Tabby..."
"She attacked me!" Kitty and Tabby cried as one.
"I highly doubt Kitty started this," Scott said gruffly, hands clenching and unclenching by his sides.
"I didn't! I just asked her to talk and she jumped me!"
"I did not! You accosted me!" Tabby cried as she was seized roughly by Logan. "Lemme go!"
Kitty could see the plan flying out the window even as Logan tried to drag the blonde past the gathered crowd of sleepy mutants. "Wait!" she cried, stepping around Kurt. "Maybe I surprised her or something...I'm sure she just reacted without thinking..."
"Katzchen, what are you doing?" Kurt hissed, trying to turn her and failing.
"Half Pint, I'm goin' with Elf on this one...what are you doing?"
Kitty was acutely aware of the myriad eyes on her, all round and surprised. Taking a deep breath, she pinned Tabby with a stare and repeated slowly, "I'm sure she just reacted without thinking." Narrowing her gaze, she continued, "She and I will clean this up in the morning...right, Tabby?"
"Why the Hell should I?" Logan shook her just enough to rattle her teeth but not actually hurt her. "Okay, okay...I'll help clean this up. Even though it _isn't my fault!" _
"Tabby...the charges...." Scott said, pointing to the four glowing balls on the floor.
"If he'll lemme go, I'll take care of 'em," she growled. Logan let her go with a shove and she scooped up the charges. Todd hurried to open the front door and, with a flourish, Tabby flung them out into the night air. "Kam-e-ham-e-ah!"1
Storm's icy tones cut through the murmur that followed the concussion. "Now I suggest that everyone get to bed. Now." Logan held Kitty and Tabby back, Kurt remaining despite Storm's persistent throat clearing.
"Nein...I'm sorry, but I want to stay with Kitty..." he eyed the congealing blood on his girlfriend's scalp with ill-disguised concern. "I promise I'll go to bed soon..."
Storm nodded curtly. "Logan will see to it, I'm sure...Just as he will see that Tabitha is secure in her room," she added, making clear that she thought he should do nothing short of locking Boom Boom up in the basement.
Logan watched her go with a hidden sigh. "Chuck," he finally said, "is gonna have your hides in the morning, you know."
Kitty looked defiant rather than scared. "We'll clean up the scorch marks and the whatnot shelf in the morning."
Tabby grumbled, "I didn't use a full charge...she had me pinned and I couldn't concentrate enough to do it right."
_Thank Heaven for small mercies. _ Logan sighed and looked at Kurt, standing behind Kitty with a look of fierce protection on his face. He looked ready to throttle Tabby and Logan finally saw why. "I thought I smelled blood..."
Kitty's hand stole up to her head and she winced as she made contact. "Oh...that...I didn't think it was too bad. Head wounds, like, bleed a lot, right?"
Tabby had the good grace to look guilty as Logan gently prodded her scalp. "Looks like you might need a stitch or two, Half-Pint..." He glared at Tabby. "What'd you hit her with?"
"I whacked my head on the table...I tripped." Kitty said hastily.
"Liebes, are you sure that's what happened?" Kurt rubbed her back absently, staring at the blood gumming Logan's fingers. "If it isn't..." The threat against Tabby was left unvoiced.
"I'm sure," she murmured, still gazing at Tabby. "I'm sure she and I will have a nice talk in the morning while we clean. Right, Tabby?"
Tabby had no doubt that Kitty would turn her lose to the wolves if she so much as squeaked in protest. "Yeah...a nice talk..."
Logan grimaced in doubt. "Fine...fine...Kurt, take Kitty to her room...no funny business, right?"
"My sisters are in there!" he protested.
"Right..." _Like that would stop a horny teenaged boy... _ "Tabby, come on..."

Jamie jittered nervously as Rahne paced before him. Kitty's intrusion on their amorous attempts could not have come at a worse time. They had not reached the point of consummation but they had been close. "I saw you naked," he finally blurted.
Rahne turned and stared incredulously. "Aye...and I saw you." She closed the distance and made a moue of thought. "Well, what did you think?"
Jamie felt the flush start on his chest and spread to the roots of his hair. He could not meet her gaze and instead looked steadily at her feet, stammering, "I...you...I mean...I..." Rahne's rough sigh tore his words free. "You're beautiful!"
"Eh?"
"I mean...I know what naked women look like," he flushed deeper, if that were possible, at the memory of Scott's secret stash of magazines and the one time they had accidentally seen Remy and Jubilee going at it like bunnies. "But you...I mean, you're real."
With a wry grin, she said "Flat as a board, brown as a berry, an' skinny...aye, that's a real woman for ye."
"It's you..." Jamie whispered. "I don't know what else to say...I mean, I was scared to death to be with you but when we were...you know...I couldn't think of anything but how you felt and how we felt..."
Rahne was just as red as he was. "Do you...do you want to try again?"
Jamie gulped. "More than anything...but not tonight..."
Rahne sighed. "Aye...everyone is up now and it's not the best time, is it?"
"No...but we'll know when the best time is, huh?" Jamie smiled and laid his hand atop hers. "Night."
"Night, Jamie," she sighed, giving and accepting a kiss. His eyes followed her with nascent hunger as she let herself out of the room. The hallway was empty but the murmur of many voices rang in her sensitive ears. _Outside _ , she decided. Avoiding Logan's scent, she made her way out of the mansion and broke into a run, heading into the woods as she changed into wolf form. Stretching her legs with the sheer joy of running without the constraints of clothing or a mere bipedal gait. The grass flashed beneath her feet and Rahne felt a joyous howl rise in her throat but held back. Don' wanna be scarin' the kiddies now, do we? A whiff of tobacco and rich cologne made her skid to a halt at the edge of the woods. _Remy. _
"Bon nuit, Rahne," he drawled, shifting out of the sha wit with barely a sound. "Out for a run, eh?"
Rahne growled softly, a friendly sound meant to be in the affirmative. She could not change in front of him without her clothes nearby, despite the sure knowledge that nothing she had would surprise Remy in terms of anatomy. He seemed to understand and nodded. "I'm jus' leavin'...don' lemme stop ya..." He walked a few paces, drawing deeply on his cigarette. "Jubilee...she always on me ta stop wit dese tings but lemme tell ya...some habits be hard ta break, eh? Likin' in' alone..." She cocked her head to one side in a canine gesture of askance. "Like Jamie, eh? He always be alone...mebbe you kin fix dat, eh? Make him not so 'fraid? Sometimes," he added, walking off, "it's nice to be safe..."
Rahne huffed out a sigh and trotted down the slope towards her clothes. Running in the moonlight had suddenly lost its charm when she had so much on her mind.

Rogue eyed the clock with disdain. The sun would be up in a few hours and she was certainly going to be awake to see it. She decided to go ahead and do her morning routine of test strips and temperatures, following the instructions Beast faithfully set up for her. He had even showed her how to read the results on a rudimentary level, giving her a chance to understand the changes going on in her body. Carefully recording the results in her notebook, Rogue looked over the fluctuations in her temperature the the most disgusting of the tests, her cervical mucus checks, and felt a pang of hope. _If this is right...I don't want to wake Beast up but if this is my best time...Fuck all! He'll nap later to make up for the lost sleep! _ She dashed helter-skelter out of her room and down the hall, narrowly missing Kurt in the process.

"What the hell?" he murmured, watching her pass at top speed.
"Lurking, brother dear?"
"Shit! Anja, if you're going to give me a heart attack, at least wait until I'm wearing clothes! I don't want to die in my pajamas!"
Anja smiled. "How about if I just startle you into wetting your pants?"
'Mildly more forgivable, but you'd still get a good talking-to from Mama..." He eased himself to the floor to sit next to his sister. "What are you doing up?"
"Kitty's tossing and turning...keeping me up." She sighed. "Don't look so worried. She's asleep, just restless."
Kurt sighed. "I can't help it. If I love someone, I worry."
"You have got it bad, haven't you?" Anja smiled faintly. "I'm jealous."
"Why?"
"Don't be daft, Kurt. You have Kitty. She loves you unconditionally, with her whole soul. She'd die for you if you asked, I'm willing to bet. Me? I've got a crush on a man three times my age..."
"I'll kill him if he's touched you," he growled.
"Beast would never do any such thing," she said softly.
"Beast? You have a crush on _Beast _ ?" Kurt bit back a guffaw. "Well, blue fur _is _ rather sexy..."
"Klappe...you're not funny any more." She smiled, though, and rested her head on Kurt's shoulder. "Kitty's going to fix this whole Tabby thing, you know. We came up with a plan and she's going to do it..."
"What kind of plan?" Kurt had a sinking feeling. His sisters plans were infamous for being not only complex but dangerous. _ Runs in the family, I guess._
"Tell you what," Anja said, rising to her feet, "I'll tell you the plan if you can teach Kitty how to use the trapeze for her third Chanukah present..."
Kurt groaned. "Not fair...she's afraid of heights."
"Well, then, you'll just have to wait!"

1 I'm having a Dragonball moment...