(Seven)

Fallen was dreaming. She was falling down slowly in the middle of a big empty room. She was on her back looking up as she drifted down, but could see little else besides a dim light coming from an unseen source above her. It wasn't very bright, it didn't hurt for her to look up into it. Her descent was gentle and easy so she wasn't afraid of it at all.

She wasn't alone in her journey. Kimble was lying on top of her, his big arms wrapped around her securely. He looked like he was asleep and dreaming happily from the expression of absolute peace on his face. She was warm and comfortable with the heat of his larger body against her and still felt no fear, even as she looked below her and saw the ground rushing up to meet them. She braced for impact, but instead they landed lightly onto a big black silky mattress. They rolled slightly as they sank into the deep cushion of the bed and Kimble giggled out loud like a small child who'd been tossed. She looked into his face and watched, surprised, as he groaned and shuddered against her from the rush of her power cascading into him. There was no mistaking his reaction for anything less than orgasmic ecstasy.

He opened his eyes to look at her, drunk from the rush, and started to speak. He was cut off as Lucky's mechanical voice chimed, "Unpassworded client. Connection failure."

Both of them abruptly woke back in the cage on the Lucky Dragon and gasped as they looked around themselves, bewildered.

Back in her bed, Fallen looked into Kimble's eyes with confusion. "What was that?"

Kimble was fiercely aroused from the unexpected rush and heat of her power. He wanted to kiss her mouth and taste her for real. He wanted to plunge into her body and feel her heat consume him. He desired only to hear the thunder of her heartbeat followed only by her screams of joyful ecstacy as he made her cum and cum again. He knew he could do it, oh, yes. He could make her feel things she had never dreamed of, it was his one true purpose after all. He was trembling with a bright white lust for her, but the look of fear and jealousy on Seth's face was enough to cool him down. He knew Fallen did not belong to him so he just gently kissed her forehead and whispered, "Nuthin'. Fergits it."

Fallen sensed Kimble's powerful desire for her and how he'd squashed it. Spooked and momentarily frightened, she yanked her hand away and withdrew away from him towards the wall.

Kimble stayed as he was, giving her space, hoping she would calm down. He waited a moment for her to say something. When she didn't he said, "Don' be scared. I ain't never hurt ya an' I never will."

"What just happened?"

"I needed ta recharge. The cubes're gone. I thought if maybe I touched ya, you could still power me up. I wuz right. I gots ta take from ya directly fer now," he explained slowly so she would understand.

"Are you okay, Fallen?" Seth asked, concerned. He'd watched the whole exchange in confusion. He had full access of Lucky's cameras and viewing screens, but still wasn't clear about what he just saw.

"Yes, Seth. I'm fine." She gave her attention back to Kimble. "I saw you in my mind."

"I sawr ya, too," he replied, the teasing smile comfortably back in place.

"How?"

Kimble sat down and shrugged. "Gots no clue. It wuz fun though, huh?"

"I suppose," she said, calming down. She lay back down where she had been before, seeing he meant her no harm, and motioned for him to come closer. He came and slowly raised himself up to her, putting his arms on the bed. She reached out and brushed his face, looking at him closely. He was more beautiful now than she could ever have imagined. He was vibrant, intelligent and very much alive. She noticed a thousand little details that hadn't been there before. She could tell his eyes were a pale blue, but now they were flecked with grey. He had lines around his eyes, not from age as he was still young looking, but from perpetual laughter. She could see the individual hairs of his long black side burns and the pores of his skin. She touched his lips and felt the warm air of his breath from his nose. When he returned her smile, he had her elongated canine teeth.

"You guys unlocked the last of the codes, didn't you? The ones I couldn't figure out."

"Well, what do ya know 'bout that?" Kimble teased. It was his favorite expression of discovery. She had never programmed him to say it, it was just one of the quirks of his pre-existing personality. It came with the drawl and never failed to make her smile.

"I found the access code," Seth said, wanting his share of credit.

"When did you do it?"

"Right before we left. I was going to tell you, but it didn't work out. We were busy." He didn't want to talk about Valentin and their horrible last day with the Clan. "Are you okay with it?"

"Are you?" Fallen asked Kimble.

"Guess I hafta be. Don' knows if I kin go back. Sumpthin' happened in the power surge." He looked a little nervous when he said it.

Fallen tried to reassure him with a brush of her hand. She knew how much he liked to be touched. "Why did you do this?"

"Cuz ya needed me," he said simply. "Now I needs ya ta do sumpthin' fer me."

"What?"

"I needs ya ta makes me yer Second fer while I'm out."

"You always have been, you know that."

"That wuz different, I wuz part of the ship. Now I'm out. I wants ta be yer Second fer real, Fallen. Decisions gots ta be made. I needs ta take care'a ya. Make me yer Second sos the others knows ya trust me."

Fallen turned to their audience, noticing them for the first time. Wolverine still hung on the cage, slouched now with his permanent scowl. He looked really angry and she wondered how he could stay so intense without exploding. Gambit and Henry stood behind him, waiting to hear what she had to say. Maylee greeted her with a silent wave, looking drawn and tired. Fallen sat up slowly on the bed, her body complaining with every movement. She faced them, locked eyes with Logan. "I name Kimble as my Second. His wishes are mine."

"That don't mean shit ta me, darlin'," Logan drawled, his accent so close to Kimble's. "Yer sick. Fer all we know, he's controllin' you."

Kimble looked up at Fallen amused and grinned when he saw her face flush with anger. This was going to be good. He hoped she kicked Logan's ass.

"Kimble is not controlling me," she said with ill concealed fury. "This is my ship and I'm in charge."

"No, yer in bed 'cuz yer crazy an decided to kill yerself and us, too. I don't think yer qualified to decide anything."

Fallen shook her head and Kimble groaned in mock dismay. She swung her tiny legs down to the floor and carefully placed her feet. She rose unsteadily and Kimble's amusement changed to sudden concern. He moved to stop her, but she pinned him with a sharp look. He held his hands up in mock surrender, knowing better than to argue with his willful Mistress.

Fallen put her hands against her stomach in obvious pain and shuffled slowly to where Logan stood. He moved from the fence to the door opening so they could see each other unobstructed. She wasn't much shorter than he was and they stood to face each other, eye to eye. She held her chin up high and showed him her teeth in an irritated smile.

Logan could see the strength in her, that the force of her will was equal to his own. For a brief moment, it called to him and he wondered what it would be like to fuck her like some insane wild animal. That's how it was with any woman that looked at him so fearlessly, it was the same with Jean and it was the same with Fallen. He just knew she could take anything he could dish out, take it and then some, the answer was right there in her eyes. He immediately dismissed the idea as absurd of course, and met her challenge. "What," he said arrogantly.

"I am Captain of this ship, Logan. I power it. It goes nowhere without me. I won't fly for anyone but me. You're not going anywhere without my co-operation. Is that clear?"

He looked into her pale blue eyes. "Yeah," he said with a short laugh.

"Kimble is my Second. No one knows this ship as well as he does. I trust him a hell of a lot more than I trust you. Is that clear?"

A ghost of a smile played across his lips. "Yes, ma'am."

"I give him full authority to deal with all matters of this craft. I name Seth as my Third for matters of my care should I be unable to address them. Maylee will be his advisor. Is that clear?"

"And in matters of Security? As in the Clan fer example?"

"You and Kimble can work that out. I could care less what you guys do. Dump them out the damn airlock if it pleases you." She almost laughed then and he knew she was under no one's control and never would be. It just wasn't possible. They were very much alike, the two of them.

"All right. Fer now. Yer boy said somethin' about batteries and supplies. I wanna see 'em. I hafta be sure my people're gonna be okay."

She squinted at him, tilting her head just slightly in confusion. "Why are you so concerned about the supplies? Earth isn't that far from here."

Kimble came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "We gots trouble."

She turned her head to look back at him. "What kind of trouble?"

"Both engines 're down. I don' know how bad. And yer sick, Fallen. Real sick. We ain't goin' nowheres fer a while."

"Sick?"

"Hurt. Hurt bad. Worse than the time ya got shot down in the Red Sky. I checked the files. It's how I found out about the Lightnin'. I sawr ya used it ta keep up then, so I tried it fer this."

Fallen closed her eyes and started to shake as she realized what Kimble was saying.

Logan wanted to reach out to her. He was so close, not even a foot away, but the security screen that Kimble controlled still blocked him.

Kimble was there for her. He slid his hands from her shoulders down to her waist, pressing her against him. The heat of her body warmed him and he had to shove back his desire again. He needed her to listen. "S'okay, baby doll. Doncha worry 'bout nuthin'. I'm gonna help ya. That's whatcha gots me for. We're gonna take care 'a this like we done evrathin' else. Just you an me together."

"I was so stupid..."

"Yeah, but we'll git over it," he teased with a chuckle. "I gots some things ta do ta git started, but I gots ta git ya squared away first. I wantcha ta git some rest. You shouldn't even be standin' up right now."

"We have to get these people home," Fallen continued to protest.

Kimble turned her to face him, putting his hands on her shoulders. He locked her with his eyes. "We ain't goin' nowhere fer a while, I toldja that already. The engines're fried and yer in no condition ta fix 'em. Accept it."

Fallen cursed and put her head down against him.

He gently put a hand on her head. "Ferget it. We'll worry about that later." He looked at Wolverine who was still waiting. "The X-men wants ta see the ship. They needs ta be shure 'bout the batteries and the supplies. I'll shows them round. It won't take long. Have a bath. Relax." He grew stern. "Doncha take nuthin'-Ya cain't use with the Lightnin'. Better yet, let's have Maylee sit with ya, make shure you behave." He paused and the security field shut off at his mental command. Maylee walked into the cage and Kimble looked at her, willing her to obey him. "Git some Rishna. Have her sip it," he ordered with his usual authority.

Maylee nodded, going along with this only because it was what she would have done anyway. She hadn't forgiven him for any of this, it was clear in her eyes. She left for the galley.

"What's Rishna?" Beast wanted to know, his question directed at Kimble.

"It's a high calorie, high protein drink that pilots use on long flights. They don't hafta git offa the stick ta eats. Fallen hates it, but she's gonna drink it fer me like a good girl, ain'tcha?"

"I'll throw it up."

"No, ya won't," he scolded as if to a child. "You'll drink it and keeps it down. Ya gots ta clean up and put on some weight if we're gonna git out of this."

Maylee returned with a cup and a dark colored bottle. Wolverine could smell the Rishna as she walked by, it smelled sickly sweet like Coke syrup and he could see why Fallen wouldn't like it.

Kimble opened his arms to let Fallen go, but she leaned against him, wanting his warmth. "I gotta go, kiddo. I won't be long," he said and moved away.

She swayed unsteadily and Maylee took her arm. She allowed the girl to lead her into the lav. Seth went with them, changing screens.

Kimble watched them go, concern all over his face. Showing the X-men around was clearly the last thing he wanted to do, but Wolverine wasn't going to let him off the hook. Logan cleared his throat and Kimble nodded. "This way."