Title: Child Of The Snows Chapter 13.
Author: Andrea The Mad
E-Mail: andreaslaymaker@hotmail.co.uk - good, bad and ugly welcome. But if you hate it, at least try and be polite.
Disclaimer: Only Smoke belongs to me, a fact she is unlikely to let me forget. Everyone else belongs to Marvel - please don't sue me, I'm skint.
Archive Rights: DDFH - where else? But if you want it, just ask.
Rating: R for general unpleasantness, squickiness and quite a bit of bad language. But then, if you're squeamish you probably bailed out ages ago.
Summary: In which Smoke is reassured, her friends prepare her house, Logan gets frustrated and Jubilee learns not to tease the wildlife.
Chap13
Transition Phase
Dr Henry McCoy, 'Hank' to his friends, was finishing off some small tasks around the medlab and worrying. Or perhaps fretting would be a better word. He cocked his head and pursed his lips for a moment, regarding the ceiling solemnly; yes, he decided, fretting definitely described it better.
Their little team had settled upon a plan of action which would - they hoped - settle Smoke's fears and induct her into their midst if not happily, then at least with her mind intact. Logan and Marie were out doing their part; the Professor had retired to his office to complete his, leaving Hank to pluck up the courage to try and break one important barrier, and therefore set their new friend on the road to recovery. Mentally, he reminded himself, as her healing factor had her in superb shape physically. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the covered tray by the door and made his way down the hall to Smoke's room.
As he came into the room on her quiet reply to his knock, he pulled up short in surprise. She was leaning on the window frame, looking out over the grounds; what had startled him was that this was the first time he had seen her out of bed. He smiled at her.
"Doctor McCoy" she smiled back at him.
"Smoke!" he beamed "It is indeed good to see you out of bed under your own steam and at your own volition. It bodes well for your recovery."
She chuckled at him, and shook her head ruefully.
"I suppose you mean that it's time I got my lazy butt out of my pit."
"Not at all. Considering what a series of massive shocks we have all put you through - all unintentionally, I might add - I think you are coping remarkably well. In fact, that ties in rather neatly with my mission here this morning."
"Mission?" She gave him a small frown.
"Food. Not to put too fine a point on it, when did you last eat? Because it has undoubtedly been far too long. Am I right?"
Try as she might, she couldn't hide a small smile from him.
"Couple of days before…He…found me. I've been drinking plenty, though. Honest."
"That I know. But there is a distinct limit to what I can do for you with glucose drinks! So, thinking that you might find American food a little unfamiliar, or perhaps associated with unpleasant memories, I have indulged myself in an extensive web search, spoken at great length with the professor, argued with the chef and - voila!"
He pulled the cover from the plate with a flourish, and Smoke's eyes widened with surprise at the aromas that coiled from the steaming plate.
"Is it Sunday?" she whispered, then pulled a face at the arrant stupidity of the question.
"No. But I understand your question; this sort of meal is traditionally associated with Sunday lunch in England, is it not? Roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and parsnips, carrots…horseradish sauce…gravy…my dear, have I left anything out?"
Smoke flung herself at the blue furry doctor and hugged him hard, tears clouding her vision. She sniffed hard, then held him at arm's length and regarded him gravely.
"It's perfect. I can eat this. Will you join me?"
Hank beamed again. The professor had been right; familiarity was what this poor wight craved and providing it was an important first step. He regarded her with deep satisfaction as she began sampling the food before her; and as a smile began to spread out across her face, he could not help but answer it with one of his own.
*****
"We nearly done, sugah?" called Rogue from where she was arranging the last few supplies from the kitchen.
"Yeah. Hope the poor kid appreciates all this." Logan stalked in to join his mate, stopping behind her and burying his head in the angle her neck made with her shoulder and inhaling her sweet, spicy scent. He gripped her hips in his large hands and rumbled sweet nothings against her throat; she responded by giving a little moan of her own and leaning back into his broad, warm chest.
"Not here…I know we're supposed to be making this place smell familiar but…" Logan growled with frustration as she twisted away from him. Honestly, he agreed with her; but it seemed like everyone in the place was conspiring to keep them from having any private time together.
Yeah, sure, they were sleeping together; just that, sleeping. What with 'extra training', updating the mansion's security systems - now that had to be a bunch of crapola; the computers were spot on and between him and the wolf, Xavier had the two best sets of mutie senses on the continent on site - the Professor's project for Smoke was rapidly becoming the final straw. He wasn't about to insist on anything when his beautiful Marie was tired out of her mind, but he had needs for chrissakes!
She sighed with disappointment as she moved away from him, then turned back, twisted her hands into his hair and whispered seductively in his ear, "I know, Sugah... I want ya just as bad... and if I don't get ya soon, I'm just gonna hafta jump ya at breakfast."
He groaned deeply and shut his eyes. Now that was an image he could really have done without. Sweeping cutlery and crockery off the table with a crash…Marie jumping on to the table and tearing his shirt open…pulling him down and and opening his jeans with swift and practiced movements, her mouth hot on his...bellowing with delight as they finally fulfilled their desire in full view of the shocked staff and students…
"Logan? Logan! Say something, sugah, if it's only goodbye!"
He opened his eyes to find his beloved grinning at him and shaking with laughter. He groaned deeply and crushed her to him with a sigh; yeah, they really, really had to get some private time. Before he lost his mind. She laughed again, wriggled out of his grasp and held him at arms length.
"C'mon. We're done in here. Now for the outside."
She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the door. As they left the house, Logan noticed a puzzling detail to the doors; long handles. Marie saw the direction of his small frown and filled him in.
"Easier for paws." Oh. Right.
Once outside, they walked the small garden that surrounded the cottage. The idea was that Smoke would be able to relax here if it only smelled of the very few people she had come to trust - Logan and Marie, mainly. No-one else was to enter this small 'zone' without her explicit permission; it was to be a safe house, place of refuge, whatever she needed to bring her slowly into their little society.
Marie spotted Logan facing one of the bushes and beginning to unbutton his jeans. She just stared for a moment, jaw slack in astonishment.
"Logan!" she yelled, blushing bright crimson.
"Yeah?" he answered, over his shoulder.
"WHAT are you doing? I mean - there's a bathroom in the house!"
He gave her a look which could best be described as 'old fashioned'.
"Marking the territory."
"NOT like THAT you're not. What are you thinkin'?" She felt like she was blushing from her toes to the top of her head - any hotter and she's explode. Logan cocked an eyebrow at her, sighed and zipped up.
"Bad idea?"
"Yeah!"
"Too much?"
"Sugah, you have NO ideah …"
"Oh."
"Just…just…do something else, will ya?"
And with that, she fled, face still flaming. Logan sighed again, shook his head, and followed her.
Jeesus. Women.
*******
Smoke had finished her late lunch, and sat back to regard her doctor carefully.
"That was wonderful. Thank you, doctor."
"Hank, please!"
"Ah…no. It's…an English thing. Perhaps in ten years or so."
He sighed sadly. The Professor had warned him that this might be the case; it would take her a long time to relate to most of them as friends, non-threatening people. Relating to them all as ideas - Alpha male, Alpha female, Good Doctor, Red Doctor, The Yellow One, Man In Charge and the various other identities she had created for them would be easier for now. Even so, he felt a real affinity for his little patient and it saddened him that she couldn't be as easy with him as many of his other patients were.
"Give me time, doctor. I'll get there."
He looked at her in surprise; she had leaned across the table and gently patted his hand, eyes full of emotion. Of course.
"I will confess, I had forgotten about the empathy. But thank you, Smoke; your response gives me a great deal of hope that we will eventually be able to help the way - well, the way we should have done from the beginning."
He shook his head ruefully.
"Anyway, I have something else I would like to discuss with you. Do you remember Rogue mentioning a house?"
She nodded, eyes never leaving his.
"It is all prepared for you. It is all yours - you don't have to share it, you don't have to let any of us in there if you don't want us there. Only Logan and Rogue have been inside to prepare it for you and to make it all just so. We have designed it especially for your - unique - needs, long handles on the doors and so on and so forth. Would you like to go there?"
Smoke looked out of the window and frowned slightly.
"You can go in any form you like. If you would be happier in your coat of silver fur, then please feel completely free to explore the property in that form. No-one will hurt or inconvenience you, I can assure you that you will be quite safe here. What do you say?"
"No-one minds me wandering around like that?"
"No-one."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Where is it?"
"Logan said - and I quote - 'tell her to follow her nose north. When she smells me an' Marie, there it is.' A little vague, I know, but he claimed that it would be enough for your remarkable abilities. I would imagine he will be lurking around in the woods somewhere to give you a little guidance. How do you feel?"
He experienced a brief wave of emotion from her - a feeling, for the first time, of excitement.
"I can go now?"
"If you like."
She stood up, then hesitated, flinging Hank a sideways glance. Aware of her shyness about transforming in front of people, he raised his hands and swivelled around so that his back was to her. From what Logan and the Professor had told him, he was glad to. Doctor or not, the sound of flesh flowing and connective tissue grinding it's way to a new position was a decidedly queasy one. He turned to her when the noises stopped.
"Better?"
*Oh yes*
"Would you mind walking out through the building with me? It will do you good to see it from a - ahem - somewhat calmer perspective than the last time you passed through these halls."
He felt her acceptance, and they left the room together.
*******
*These people…they're not afraid of me*
Hank had to smile at the feeling of wonder that coloured her mental imagery.
"Believe me or no, you are far from the strangest thing that has ever roamed these corridors of learning. And, stop me if I am wrong, but you are not giving them cause to be afraid, are you? Here, you see, you are just one of us…another mutant."
One of the students they were passing looked up from her computer and waved at them, smiling cheerfully.
"Hi Hank, Hi Smoke. Hank, can you give me a hand with this program later? It's all buggy, and I can't seem to find where they're hiding…"
"I certainly shall, Kitty. I will be with you as soon as I can." She nodded and went back to staring at her monitor. Hank had to smile when he saw Smoke frozen next to him, apparently in shock.
*She…said hello. She knew my name. She…is not afraid*
"I know."
*Wow*
"Come on. The exit is just up here, then you can stretch your legs and gallop off some of that tension. That's bound to feel good, am I right?"
Smoke just snorted, shook her coat, and followed him up the short flight of stairs.
Moments later, they were standing at the doors of the mansion, Smoke inhaling the scents of the winter afternoon and feeling the wind ruffling her coat.
"There you go. If you want anything - anything at all - I have no doubt you could find your way back to my office. Or ask a student…anyone. If it feels right, just sit out here and vocalise to your heart's content - I'm sure someone will come and get me. But feel free to explore - take your time and most of all -" here he peered earnestly into her eyes "- don't worry about anything. All will be well."
She looked at him for a second, then did something unexpected. She suddenly reared up on her hind legs, placed both forepaws on his shoulders, and gave him a long, wet lick right up one side of his face. Before he could get over the surprise, she had streaked away, toward the far line of trees, leaving him with a lingering feeling of…freedom. That was it.
He started as someone came up behind him and clapped him firmly on the shoulder.
"How's it going, Hankster? You making some progress?"
"Do you know, Bobby," turning to face his friend with a wide smile across his expressive features, "I really think that we might be."
*******
Pacing quietly around the edges of the extensive lawns surrounding the mansion, Smoke suddenly stiffened and lifted her head as the breeze brought her a familiar - and unwelcome - scent. The Yellow One. Still, she mulled to herself, she does live here, and we will have to encounter each other…so best we make peace now.
Jubilee hove in sight, chattering away excitedly on her mobile phone. An idea began to shape itself in Smoke's mind; she kept pace with Jubilee and ran the details through until they seemed about perfect.
"And I said 'That's like, so totally out there, dude' and….I gotta go. Call you back, OK?"
Most of the mansion's residents would have been amazed at the speed with which Jubilee switched off and stowed her mobile phone. She was, after all, famous for causing the Professor, Scott and Wolverine all to lose their cool with her in one day; for running up an astronomical bill, interfering with the Blackbird's avionics by taking a call, and having her beloved mobile ring in the middle of a self-defence class, respectively. Logan's ire had been further stirred by the fact that he had frisked her before allowing her into the lesson; as he later roared at the Professor, himself less than pleased with Jubilee's lack of restraint: "I ain't conductin' no strip search on a girl that age!"
What had caused the sudden halt to her absolutely-life-or-death-situation call was the sight of a large, black and silver animal sitting quietly in an alcove in the bushes some distance away. Watching her. Watching her with an intensity that caused Jubes to suddenly swallow hard as she realised that help was much, much further away than the animal that had every reason to wish her harm.
"Hey…ahhhh…y'know that…that thing with the…y'know…it was an accident, yeah?"
*I know*
"Soooooooo….no ill will, and all that crapola?"
*Come a little closer*
Despite all her instincts yelling at her not to, Jubilee edged closer, cracking her gum nervously.
"This isn't gonna be, like, see what big teeth you've got?"
*Sort of*
And with that, Smoke launched herself into an attack.
Jubilee flung herself backwards, letting out a startled yelp as her field of vision was filled with snapping teeth, swirling mane, and madddened grey eyes. She lifted an arm to protect her face, too scared to summon a firecracker; then realised that she wasn't, actually, being torn apart.
*Scary, huh?*
Jubilee lay quietly on her back, looking up at the rapidly darkening evening sky.
"I think…I think…I've swallowed my gum. Gross." She sat up, glaring at Smoke who was quietly sitting in the position she had been in before, regarding her with those pale grey eyes.
"Soooooo…are you plannin' on doing that again? 'Cause if you are, I need clean panties."
*No. Not unless you give me a reason*
"I get it, chica. I don't scare the shit out of you, you don't rip my throat out - am I right?"
*Clever girl*
Jubes peered into the gloom, hoping to give Smoke a piece of her mind for that condescending comment; only to discover that she had already left the scene. She sighed, and scrambled to her feet, dusting herself down.
"Jeez Lou-eeze! Where does the Wolvster find these psychos? Shouldn't be freakin' allowed….gad, hope I don't see anyone…" So grumbling, Jubilee headed back to her room - and clean underwear.