Constant Craving

CONSTANT CRAVING CHAPTER NINETEEN (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply


A/N Goddess Foxfeather is de-lovely and de-lightful for beta-ing. (I'm on a musical kick...go figure). Ted, Kristen, Lucas and the Dolphin (He really needs a name...) adore her abjectly, each in their own little way! ;) InterNutter, TC and Maxwell Pink get special brownies for archiving (take that as you will). Vampyre: Give 2-D a break...time for Murdoc to play... ;) Readers/Reviewers: er...I suck. I didn't mean the HMS PINAFORE a few chapters ago...I mean PIRATES OF PENZANCE....the ducks are very annoyed with me now and there's rumors of a platypi invasion.... I'd be careful where I stepped if I were you...


Kitty edged slowly out from under Kurt's arm. After nearly an hour of wakefulness, he had slid into an uneasy sleep born of stress and tears, Kitty's presence a balm to his tension but not without it's own problems. Kitty padded softly to the door and, with one final look at Kurt, phased into the hallway. Somewhere in the mansion she could hear shouting but it was distant, like several doors and hallways lay between her and the noise. Shrugging it off, she trod silently down the stairs to the foyer and the phone room, securing the door once she was inside. She had been planning this call since the summer but today seemed as good a time as any to do it, the best, in fact. She dug in her pocket for the much-folded piece of paper, blue numbers a tad blurred around the edges where sweat or moisture had furred the ink. _Okay, Kitty...he's taught you enough between running the bases to know how to do this... _ Looking over her shoulder nervously once or twice, she dialed the row of numbers and listened as the phone rang. And rang. And rang. _Fuck me...what time is it? _ Kitty did the mental math... _ It's eleven here, so that makes it about five there. Or six? No, five...so long as it's not midnight! _ The phone stopped ringing suddenly and Kitty caught her breath. She barely heard the greeting, launching instead into her prepared statement, already written out below the number. "Hallo, könnte ich bitte mit Herrn oder Frau Wagner sprechen?"1 Kitty did not recognize the female voice that answered the phone so she knew it was not Astrid. There was a pause, then she heard a scuffling noise as the person who answered set the phone down and called for Mama. _Great. One of his sisters. Okay. Breathe. So long as she doesn't come back on and ask questions, I can do this. I don't think I know enough German to have a proper conversation. At least not with anyone other than Kurt. And even then it's most likely to be R-rated... _
"Kitty?" Astrid said, somewhat tinny over the international line.
"Ja...er...yes! How did you know?" Kitty breathed a sigh of relief. _At least I won't have to run the gamut with Kurt's father... _
"Well, Katja2 said it was someone for me or Johannes and that they had a weird accent." Kitty could almost hear her shrug. "I figured it had to be you...the only other person who calls here that doesn't speak German is the Professor, and he only had to call once..."
Kitty swallowed hard at the memory of several months ago when Magneto kidnapped her. "Ah..."
"Kitty, I know you didn't call just to chat...not that I mind! I'd love to hear from you more often...and my son! Tell him to call home once in a while! Letters and email are great, but sometimes it's nice to hear one's voice!"
"Yes, ma'am," Kitty said demurely. "Actually, why I called has something to do with Kurt."
"What's wrong? How soon do I need to be there?" Astrid said sharply.
_Yowza. Hello, mama bear! _ Kitty rushed to reassure her, mostly truthfully, "No, no...Kurt is fine! It's just, there's something I want to do for him, and I kind of need your help and, actually, your permission."
"Oh? Do tell..."
Kitty detailed her plan as best she could, Astrid stopping her once in a while for more specific information. "And I have the money from Yaya and want to do something nice and, well...this is it. I know he misses them a lot."
Astrid was quiet for a long moment. "Can you hold on a second? I want to get Johannes." Kitty murmured agreement, then chewed her lip in fear of being caught as she heard Astrid set down the phone and call for her husband. She could hear the sounds of many people coming and going, much more than five people in a house. _Was that...did I just hear a tiger? _ "Kitty?"
"Yeah? Er...yes?" She was startled from her reverie but made a mental note to ask about the roar.
"Kitty, Kurt's father wants to talk to you about this..." Astrid said pleasantly, hoping that Kitty would not panic over talking to her husband.
"So this is the girl I've been hearing so much about!" he said by way of greeting. "Every letter home, Kurt talks about you. It's Kitty this, Kitty that..."
"Oh, um....I don't know what to say!" she giggled, feeling at once at ease and embarrassed.
"You can tell me more about what you're wanting to do for Kurt...Astrid told me your plan but I want to make sure..."
"Oh, well, it's no problem for me to do this...My Yaya...er, grandmother...left me some money and I had not idea what to do with it. In fact, I don't want to be immodest, but it's more than I could ever do anything with! So Kurt's been kind of stressed lately and this came to me..."
"It's very kind of you to do this, but are you sure it would not be an imposition?"
Kitty chewed her lip a moment and said, "Nein, wirklich... ich möchte das machen... sehen Sie es als ein Chanukah... äh, Weihnachtsgeschenk für Ihre Kinder."3
Kurt's father barked in laughter. "Astrid told me he had been trying to teach you German...so far, so good, I see. Kurti can be quite the instructor when he wants...just ask Erika how she learned to use the trapeze! Astrid is clamoring for the phone back, but I say that it's a very good plan. I'll let you two women work out the details, ja?"
"Ja...er, yes...Thank you very much!" Kitty said happily, bouncing on her heels in delight.
Astrid's voice came back over the line. "So how are we going to do this?"
"Well, when are the girls on break?"
"Actually, it starts Monday for them...we did some late performances this year so their tutor gave them autumn break in November."
"Well, I can have the tickets done overnight...they'll be there Tuesday...um, where's the nearest airport and where do I send these?" Kitty wrote down the information Astrid gave her and they said goodbyes when Kitty suddenly remembered her burning question. "Oh, Astrid?"
"Ja?"
"I have to know...did I hear a tiger a few minutes ago? I feel silly asking..."
Astrid laughed. "We're in the caravan, actually...and it was a lion!"
"A lion! What number did I call?" Kitty was mildly confused. "I thought this was your home number."
Astrid's laugh was infectious. "Welcome to the twenty-first century, Kitty...it's called a cel phone!"

Remy rolled over on his stomach and reached sleepily for his pack of cigarettes. He patted the top of his nightstand blindly, feeling only bare wood. "Huh?" he asked aloud. Eyes finally opening to focus blearily on the empty corner of the tabletop.
"None for you, loverboy. Thought you were quitting..." Jubilee's voice drifted from the vicinity of the floor and Remy's eyes flew open.
"Chere, you come see me for some mornin' lovin'?" Even without caffeine, he managed a sexy grin that made Jubilee's eyes go wide.
"Of course not," she snapped after a telling pause. "I came to talk. And since you always maul me when you're awake, I figured I'd sneak up on you while you were asleep."
"Mmmm. Come get inta bed wit dis Cajun boy an' see how awake he is..." Remy lifted the edge of his sheet and patted the mattress invitingly, revealing the universal state of all males upon waking in the process.
Jubilee threw his pack of cigarettes at him. "Get over yourself, Gumbo." She stood haughtily, striving to ignore the low chuckle emanating from deep in Remy's chest. "Look, this is serious."
Remy sighed, still grinning, and scooted over to make room. "D'accord, chere. Siddown and tell me..."
"No funny business?" Jubilee scowled doubtfully.
Remy sighed and made and X over his heart with one finger. "I, Remy LeBeau, de mos' handsome man in all o'Lousiana an'pert damn near mos'a de Southern states, do hearby solemnly swear to Mademoiselle Jubilation Lee, de mos'lovely, adorable, breathtaking femme o'my acquaintance dat I not do nothin' funny while she be in de room."
Jubilee snorted. "Fine, fine...you and your effusiveness." She sank down next to him, absently rubbing the top sheet between her fingers. "Okay...it's like this. We've both been kinda stupid lately." Remy's raised eyebrow was his only acknowledgement she had spoken. "I've been kinda...well, bitchy, to you and you've been a bit...childish about this whole Scott thing."
Remy's breath hitched momentarily and Jubilee thought she had touched a nerve. Sure enough, when she chanced a peek at his face, Remy was scowling, frown lines marring his strong features. "Chere, I not be de only one bein' childish, eh? Scott..."
"Scott was very bratty, too, Cajun!" Jubilee interrupted loudly, stemming his outburst. "But we're not talking about him. We're talking about you," she said softly, taking one of his much larger hands in both of hers. "...about us."
"Ma petite," he sighed, the words no more than a breath as he pulled her to him. She fell lightly against his chest, looking up at him through her lashes. "What you want from me, mon ange?"
"I want you to make nice with Scott. He may be a prick but just think of it like this, you'll be getting laid and he won't."
Remy laughed aloud. "How you figure?"
"Let you in on a secret...Jean's not gonna sleep with him, give him a handjob, blowjob or even a dry hump so long as he's being this way to you guys."
Remy snorted. "So you want me to apologize, eh? Dat be all?"
"Well, that, and be nice..." Jubilee said coyly, letting one finger trail down his chest and circle his rapidly hardening nipple.
He groaned. "Dat be a tall order, ma chou, mais si it can be done, dis Cajun can do it, eh?" He wrapped one arm around her waist and held her tight. "Seal wid a kiss, d'accord?"
Jubilee frowned a little and sighed. "A little one..."
"After dat show and de panties? Chere, I be tinkin' dis kiss better be spectacular..." Remy cradled the back of her head with one hand and, as she drew in a sharp breath, sealed his mouth over hers with a slow, burning passion, drawing on her lip with his teeth and laving the tender flesh with his tongue. Jubilee sighed and melted against his chest, her hands moving to slide around his neck. As he deepened the kiss, she moved to straddle him, Remy groaning against her mouth as she pressed against his burgeoning arousal. "Chere," he breathed, the words tickling her chin as she moved to take a breath of air.
"Remy?" Scott's voice came, muffled, through the door. He knocked twice-sharp, hard raps on the door. "Remy, open up!"
"Well, Gumbo," Jubilee smiled softly. "Show me what you got..." She rolled off of him and tugged his arm to lead him to the door.
"Dats what I be tryin' ta do when he knocked," Remy growled. Flinging the door open, the Cajun bit out, "What you want, Scott?"
"We've got a problem...Where are your clothes?" Scott's eyes widened as he took in Remy's state-obvious as he was clad solely in boxer shorts.
"Dat what de prollem be? I be undressed?" Remy flung a hand up in a very Gallic manner. "I don' got time pour dis..."
Jubilee ducked under Remy's arm and, defying Scott to comment at her presence, said loftily, "What is it, Scott?":
Scott shook himself mentally and said, rushed, "Toad...Todd...is going to Bayville General Hospital. We're all going. You need to get dressed." He gave them both a pointed look.
"What happened?" Jubilee gasped. She pushed past her boyfriend and came out to stand between the two males.
"He got drained by Rogue and was out of it for a long time. While we-Jean, Rogue and I-were down in the infirmary, Todd's heart monitor went weird Beast had to use those paddles on him."
"Oh, my God!" Jubilee breathed.
"Merde!" Remy snapped. "D'accord. Y'all go on ahead. I be down in jus' a sec."
Scott let the door close halfway before he said "If Todd hadn't have jumped her, this wouldn't be happening."
"Pardon?" Remy said.
"Todd...he...he attacked her, I guess is the best word for it. He got drained because he grabbed her with his tongue."
Jubilee held up her hand warningly, stopping Remy's words. "Scott," she said softly, her words tinged with anger, "if you are suggesting Todd attacked Rogue, you're in for a world of hurt."
Scott jerked his chin in defiance. "Whatever. I just know what I see...I'm going to the hospital. Rogue's not doing too well herself. They had to sedate her." He turned on his heel and left, leaving Remy and Jubilee staring after him.
"Cajun," she said after a moment. "He keeps that up, I'll take back what I said about apologizing."

1 "Hello, may I please speak with Mr or Mrs Wagner?" (thanks Foxy...contributing to my limited German...lol.)
2 Thanks InterNutter for the info on Kurt's sisters...I drew an absolute blank about a month ago when I was planning this story and she emailed me in response to my desperate plea...lol.
3 No, please...I want to do this. Consider it a Chanukah, um, Christmas present for your children.