Devourer of Sins

DEVOURER OF SINS CHAPTER SIX (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, is ankle-deep in a menagerie...but that's okay because Ted said he'll walk the dragon and feed the dolphin while she's at work. So long as he doesn't get the two confused... InterNutter, TC and Maxwell Pink are loverly and sparkley and shiny for archiving! Readers/Few Reviewers (you know who you are!): I'd like to take the opportunity to thank you before the ducks catch up with me...they've been watching Alfred Hitchcock and are gaslighting me... I'm sure of it.


Rogue was fairly certain she was going to scream her brains out before she got back to the Institute. Remy and Jubilee were all over each other like white on rice, snuggling in the Blackbird while she scrunched in the copilot's seat next to Logan. "I hate this."
Logan suppressed a smirk. He had a strong idea what the poor kid was feeling, he thought. As much as he missed Storm while she was in D.C., he could only imagine how much it would bother him if he had raging teenaged hormones surging through his system. "Look at it this way, whatever doesn't kill ya, makes ya stronger."
"It wouldn't be so bad if those two," she jerked her chin in the direction of the couple in the back, "would come up for air every once in a while."
_May as well have pity on the girl... _ "Break it up you two," he said loudly, dipping the wing of the plan sharply to the left, sending Remy sprawling and making Jubilee jerk against her restraint.
"That, homme, was not nice!"
"Tough, Gumbo. Keep it in private, got it?"
Jubilee sighed. "Just because Rogue's all pissy about Todd being away doesn't mean that..."
"Stuff it, Lee," Rogue growled. She really loved the girl as a friend and, at times, a sister, but Jubilee knew just how to rub Rogue the wrong way.
"ExCUSE me?" Jubilee's California valley inflection kicked in with a vengeance. "Don't be telling me to stuff it when you know it's true!"
"Mebbe, chere, she jus' don' wanna hear it, eh?" Remy had seen the two girls fight each other on one memorable occasion and had no wish to see an encore of it in the confines of the Blackbird.
Rogue ignored Logan's murmured warning and unbuckled her restraint to better turn and face Jubilee. "Listen here, girly, just because you and Gumbo are all googly over each other doesn't mean we all wanna see it!"
"What's the big deal, Rogue? I thought you were getting' laid regular now!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Jubilee knew it was the wrong thing to say. She flattened against the seatback as Rogue pushed her way to the back of the plane. Logan was muttering under his breath, already lowering the landing gear, and Remy was trying to put himself between the two girls, heading off a fight.
"Unbuckle," the Southerner snarled.
"What?"
"I ain't gonna hit a gal who's buckled in. Unbuckle."
Jubilee wanted to say "NO!" and stay in the jet until Rogue fell asleep and it was safe to go inside, but instead, she straightened her spine and unfastened her seatbelt. The plane sloped forward as Logan adjusted for landing and Rogue stumbled backwards a pace. Remy grabbed for her out of instinct, trying to stop her fall, and came into contact with her bare waist.
Rogue emitted a strangled gasp and arched away as Remy froze, his eyes widening and blood draining from his face. Jubilee pitched forward as Remy fell away, hitting the floor with a thud. Rogue was panting, trying to control Remy inside her head, images of thieving, murder, betrayal and hate mingling with softer things-Jubilee, Café du Monde in New Orleans, magnolias and a wild vine strangling a bridge that she knew was kudzu, the scourge of the South.1 She felt her head strike the back of Logan's seat as Jubilee landed a savage kick to her ribs. "What the Hell did you do that for?"
"I didn't...I didn't..." Her voice was thick and her accent was strange in her mouth. She knew Remy's personality was trying to assert itself over hers. Rogue had the strong urge for a cigarette all of a sudden. "He touched me..idenident."
"Bitch," Jubilee growled.
"Girls!" Logan couldn't take his eyes away from the controls as he landed so he missed what happened next. Rogue slapped her hands down on the floor to push herself to her feet and there was a brief red glow around her fingers. Belatedly, she realized what was happening and rolled to one side as a hole blew through the floor of the Blackbird, air rushing in as metal sprayed out. "Shit!" Logan yelled. The plane bobbled as it landed, sending Jubilee falling across Remy and Rogue bouncing off the door. Soon the only sounds were the creaks and groans of the plane settling in the hangar, followed by a groan from Remy. Logan gripped the controls convulsively, willing his rage to subside before he spoke to the teenagers. He failed miserably.

"So the floor of the Blackbird is..."
"Damaged, sir," Rogue sighed.
The Professor nodded slowly. "I see...and Remy is...."
"Sleeping, sir," she replied.
"Hmmmm....where is Miss Lee?"
"Hoverin' over him like a mother hen..." Remy's personality was fading back but Rogue still felt like being a smart ass even when she knew better and the urge for a cigarette had not left her.
Logan barely suppressed a snarl as he ground out, "I'm sorry Chuck, but there's no way I'm taking these spoibratbrats back to Manhattan..."
Professor Xavier held up a placating hand. "Logan, please... Rogue, did you act out of anger?" he asked, knowing the answer already.
"Um...not...not really. I was," she sighed, looking sideways at Logan, "I was jealous."
"Yes...and jealousy is productive how?"
"I'm sorry Professor...it was just like they were rubbing it in that they could be together and me an' Todd couldn't."
Logan snapped, "They weren't doin' it on purpose!"
"I know, I know!" Rogue cried. "It's just...damn it! I don't know how to act! I don't know what to do!" She began pacing, forgetting for the moment who she was speaking to. "I have no idea how boyfriends and girlfriends are supposed to act!"
Logan shifted uncomfortably. _Same boat, kiddo. _ "Rogue..."
"Rogue," Professor Xavier cut in, "this is something you need to discuss with Todd when he returns. For no, go apologize to Remy and Jubilee."
"Yes, sir," she drawled glumly, letting herself out of the room.
The Professor waited a beat before turning to Logan and saying, "I'll contact the Salvation Army and let them know there's been a change in plans. Rogue will help you repair the jet-it's time she learned to solder, I think-and Remy and Jubilee will help decorate for Christmas."
Logan rolles eys eyes. "Yes, sir..."

Lance was lurking. He knew it and was not ashamed to admit it. Amara was in her room, "doing something," according to Jubilee. He could hear faint thumps and a scraping noise emanate from behind her closed door every few minutes and was loathe to ask just what that something was. _I ain't liftin' anything... _
"Whatcha doin'?" a small, thick voice rang in his ear.
"Jamie!" he yelped, spinning to face him. "I wasn't eavesdropping...you all look like shit."
"Thanks." Five Jamies stood in a neat row, all looking horrible. "I feel bad."
"What do you want me to do about it?" Lance snapped, feeling guilty as a look of resigned loneliness came over all the Jamies' features. "Why are there so many of you?"
"I can't get back to one...I think it's because I'm sick." The Professor was at a loss when Jamie spoke to him earlier, turning from the boy to murmur in hushed tones with Beast, each giving him covert looks where he lay in the bed.
"Bummer." Lance was starting to feel uncomfortable. Amara was still moving things around in her room, growing louder, and Lance was anxious to see what she was up to. Something in him, though, was tugging. He felt a warm squeeze in the area of his heart when Jamie swayed on his feet-all the Jamies, actually-and looked vaguelyseatseated. _Damn it, I've been here too long. I'm actually starting to feel for the kid... _ Lance felt the words come from his mouth unbidden. "Come on...let's get you to bed. You look like hell..."
Amara found Lance an hour later, balancing a tray with several bowls of soup on it, trying to open the door to Jamie's room. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing!" he snapped, finally getting the door to swing open. Amara's eyes widened as she saw three Jamies, two propped in the double bed and one in a cot on the floor. Lance sighed. "The other two are in my room...one's in Todd's bed, the other's in mine."
"Ah..." She watched with amusement as Lance glared at her, then hurried to set the tray on Jamie's dresser, handing out bowls of what was apparently chicken noodle soup. "This is quite domestic of you."
"Hush up." Lance did not look at her as he adjusted the pillows behind one of the Jamies and picked up a pile of tissues next to the one on the cot. He picked up the tray again and stopped short when he realized she was still in the doorway. "What? Should I sell tickets or something?"
Amara smirked and shook her head, turning to head back to her room. Over her shoulder, she said "I don't celebrate this whole Christmas thing, but if it has this kind of power over people, I may start..."

Kitty was warm and comfortable, her duvet pulled up to her chin and rain tapping on her window. She sighed contentedly and rolled over, her check coming into contact with cold, hard rock. Her eyes snapped open and reality sank in. Kurt wast tot to her, radiating heat and deeply asleep, breathing evenly and slowly. They were on some sort of raised dais, about as large as a king-size bed, in a chamber that was lit by guttering torches, the scent of resin heavy in the air. Kitty choked on a strangled gasp as she struggled to sit up, bones and muscles crying in protest. The walls were richly adorned with hues of red and black and white, one continuous mural depicting what, Kitty did not know. Animal heads on human bodies loomed behind stylized men and women, hands raised in supplication over prone figures, one wall dominated by gruesome forms, twisting in a bizarre dance. Easing herself off the dais, Kitty forced herself to walk the perimeter of the room, searching for a door or window or some sort of portal. Finding none, she fought back tears and tried again, running her hand along the wall this time, feeling for unseen seams or cracks to indicate a passage. Kurt stirred and groaned behind her, making Kitty start briefly before she completed her circuit, forcing her fingers over the gruesome dancers that seemed to follow her with their dead eyes when she moved. _ Nothing in the walls...the floor then..._ Kitty walked over every exposed inch of the smooth stone floor, repeating her search and again coming up empty. _I'm not going to cry...I'm stronger than them. They won't make me cry... _
"Eat."
The smooth, low female voice sent a sharp jab of fear down Kitty's spine. Turning slowly, she saw two forms rise from the shadows, knowing that they were not there during her search of the room. A woman, clad in a skirt twined with serpentine patterns, approached slowly, holding out two shallow bowls of something Kitty could not identify. "How did you get in here?"
"Eat." The woman shoved the bowls at Kitty, who took them perforce. The smaller shadow, a slight man, appeared at the woman's elbow and looked nervous. He eyittyitty with something akin to pity and nodded at her, mouthing "eat."
Kitty felt disoriented as she looked at them, her mind whirling and dizziness overcoming her. The woman backed into the shadows, taking the man with her, vanishing from Kitty's sight. As soon as they were gone, she felt better. Her mind cleared and the dizziness ceased. "Oh, God," she murmured. Kurt stirred again and she snapped her attention to him. He had been unable to 'port when they were shanghaied, knocked unconscious by something neither of them had seen. She had no idea how much time had passed but she knew Kurt had not eaten in a long time and was going to be weak when he awoke. _Well, I'm always bitching about my thighs...I can miss a meal. Our first problem is getting out of here, then finding Jean. _ She dumped the contents of one bowl into the other and went to Kurt's side. "Baby," she murmured. He blinked at her, slowly waking.
"Katzchen..."
"Shhh...here, eat this." She helped him sit up and put the bowl of what seemed to be rice and beans in his hands.
"Where's yours?" He asked, tasting the dish hesitantly, then diving in with hungry enthusiasm.
"Er...all gone!" she said, showing him the empty bowl. Kurt shrugged and continued eating, accepting her implication that she had already eaten.
"Who were you talking to?" he asked after he emptied the bowl.
Quickly, she related what happened. "I'm sc," s," she finished. "Wn't n't know where we are, how long we've been here...what happened to Jean?"
Kurt sighed. "I don't know any of that...I'm scared too. Can you phase?"
"Yes..." she phased her hand into and out of the dais. "But I don't want to try going through these walls. We have no idea how thick they are and I can't hold my breath forever..."
"And I don't kno I c I can 'port...I'd be doing it blind and I think I'm too weak..." Kurt bit his lower lip. _Must be strong for Kitty...don't let her see me panic. We'll get out of here...The Professor will find us, if all else fails! I hope... _
Kitty squeezed her eyes shut. "This is some fucked up nightmare...there's no way in or out of this room but those people came in...we have no idea how we got here, if Simpson knows we're missing...or if he's involved."
Kurt slid from the table and paused as his body swayed in protest. "Schatz, we'll get out of here. We have to."
"How are you so sure?" she sniffed, finally giving in to threatening tears.
"Because," he forced a smile, sliding his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her head, "you still have to give me my Christmas present."

The woman in the snake skirt tasted the air, smiling as she detected fear. Soft, so soft it was barely audible, one word hissed from between her lips. "Sinners..."





1 Kudzu is evil. It will take over whatever it grows on. You can cut it back in the morning and by the end of the day the bastard is back... (I'm from Texas...we exaggerate to prove a point...lol). But it's evil. It weakens brick and such since it's got these little roots that dig in. Entire bridges have had to be closed b/c kudzu is rampant on them and weakens them.