Sins of the Father

Sins of the Father Chapter Forty Seven (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE (tm), Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta... so tired...must...finish...writing...*snorrrrrrrrrrre * InterNutter, TC, Maxwell Pink and Dracena are squishy goodness for archiving/hosting! ProPhile is around here somewhere... Morgan: *sends naked Orlis * Readers/Reviewers: *GLOMP *

Tabby clutched Lucas tighter, only peripherally aware that she needed to let him breathe. He whimpered once and seemed to glare at her as she eased her grip slightly. "Sorry," she muttered, brushing a nervous kiss against the blond curls above his ear. Remy was very careful to keep himself between her and Sabretooth even as Wanda and Rahne flanked him. Tabby was not quite sure but she thought that Rahne was somehow bigger, her muscles heavier and eyes strangely lit as they moved further into the house, for that was indeed what the place seemed to be, judging by the thickly carpeted hall and the ornate, old fashioned wall paper. She had learned, in the nearly a year since having Lucas, to pay attention to his moods. His mutation, the Professor had said, was rare in that it started so early in life. She was not sure if this meant he would have an easier time controlling it or not, but at this point she had found that when he bawled a certain way, something bad was going to happen, or when he acted especially happy and well behaved, Wanda or Kitty was bringing something over for him. Right now, as they came to a halt at a junction in the hall, Lucas was very still and strangely intent. She wished for one blazing moment that she was a telepath and could read his mind, but contented herself with being able to read his body language. He was as uncertain as his mother and that was oddly reassuring to her. _At least he isn't screaming and crying... _ Tabby sniffed haughtily, slipping back into her public persona easily. "So what's the occasion, Sabretooth honey? A Brotherhood reunion? I didn't even bring a card."
The massive man snorted derision. "Shut up." He seemed to be weighing his options in terms of which direction to go before finally nodding and heading down the left side of the junction, the group following per force.
Wanda rolled her eyes and whispered, "Any bright ideas?" She glanced at Remy and added, "Other than blowing things up?"
Rahne's voice came out as a growl. "I have a few ideas..." She narrowed her feral eyes and curved her fingers into claws, making a slashing motion low by her hip in a physical mimic of her internal imaginings.
Tabby blinked. She had not been mistaken. Rahne did seem larger, elongated somehow but not abstractly so. Her nails were darker, longer, a little thicker. Her body had taken on a longer gait, almost a lope. Shooting a glance at Remy and Wanda, she hissed, "Rahne, don't!"
"Sorry, ducks," she smiled, her teeth showing white and not a little pointed, "I don't have much of a choice right now."
Wanda frowned. She did not break stride as Sabretooth led them down another corridor but her face became mask like as she obviously exerted her power over Rahne, trying to stem if not stop the change. "Fuck," she bit out.
Sabretooth's voice, a rusty rumble from disuse, seemed smug. "You're not the only one who can bind, little girl."
Wanda growled, not sure whether to be insulted or nervous. "Fuck you, hairball."
Remy made a motion near his waist, a "shut up" gesture. "So where you takin' us?" he asked over Wanda's annoyed snort. "Easier ways to kill us, mon ami."
Sabretooth merely grunted and drew to a halt before a green wooden door with a brass knob. It looked out of place in the largely wood paneled hallway, strangely bright and shiny. He did not bother knocking but simply opened the door to a paradigm shift. A row of lab tables graced the center of the surprisingly large room, giving them all the impression that the house itself had been built as a cover up for the lab. The room was sterile and silver, entirely done in stainless steel and chrome. A low bank of computers sat against the far wall and nameless medical equipment stood in neat racks and glass-fronted cabinets around the edges of the room. What made the Institute quartet stop short, however, was the small group of people in the center of the room, on the middle table. Lance sat, his back very stiff, his shirt off and his pants unfastened, looking up at them with a mixture of anger and relief. Amara stood next to Poena, her hands red and brown with drying and running blood, her sweater sleeves sodden and her white skirt, an odd juxtaposition of Nova Roma with modern times, was splashed with bright gore. Poena stood between them, a hand on each. "Sabretooth," she snapped, her dark eyes flashing as she tossed her long braid over one shoulder in a universally imperious gesture, "I sent for you an hour ago!"
"I don't take orders from you," he grunted, shoving Rahne forward. She growled and curled over herself, bending and snarling, not quite becoming her in between form but definitely showing her dual nature. "Back off," he snapped at her, grabbing her elbow to throw her aside.
Rahne reacted, her hand lashing out and fingers curling, nails leaving long, deep furrows on Sabretooth's face. Even as she flew to land on her back, his roar of surprised pain deafening in the room, she grinned. Poena leapt forward, skidding on her knees the last few feet to fetch up next to Rahne. "Are you okay?" she asked in near childish concern. "Did he hurt you?"
Amara seemed about to collapse, but she turned and trudged to Poena's side. "Does she need ice?" she asked numbly.
Lance got to his feet and strode to Amara, ignoring the others for the moment. "Sit down, Princess. You've lost so much blood."
"I'm fine," she lied, looking haggard and ashen. "Poena commands me and I obey."
"Moonie," Wanda muttered.
Poena took Rahne by the wrists and tugged her to her feet. "He was not to harm you, Rahne Sinclair! Not you, first among my people!"
Tabby could not help it. She burst into a laugh. "You are one fucked up bitch, you know that?" she crowed. Tucking Lucas against one hip, she brought up a handful of plasma balls. "Hit the deck!" she cried, flinging the lot at Poena.
The explosion was deafening, sending equipment rattling and crashing to the floor. Amara cried out and fell flat on her face, her fingers lacing to cover her neck even as Lance threw himself atop her, shards of glass nicking his bare back and arms. Wanda cried out incoherently but joined Remy in lunging at the suddenly off balance Sabretooth. Tabby turned and curled over Lucas, covering him with her own body. Poena snarled as the echo died, getting to her feet and leaving Rahne on the floor. "You have just made your last mistake, Tabitha."

A/N And Just where IS Rogue anyway? ;)