(Two)

Kimble looked to see where Fallen had gone. He looked into the cage room and saw the door to her lav was shut. He tried to open it but it was locked. "Fallen, open the door!"

He got no response, but he could hear her moving around. He heard the clink of a glass jar and Seth pleading with her. Shit! He had admonished his Mistress not to use any of her funtime narcotics while on the Lightening and it sounded like she had wasted no time in disobeying that order. He needed to get in there now! "Fallen, let me in!"

No dice. He put down the piece of fruit he brought and leaned against the door. He knew he wouldn't be able to break in. He had to get inside before she did anything stupid. He remembered the last time he had to get by an immovable object - Wolverine. He concentrated and pushed against the door, wishing as hard as he could to be on the other side. He felt a strange liquid sensation and then he was there, looking at her. He'd phased through the door. He stood for a moment, stunned that he had actually pulled it off, then saw what she was doing.

Fallen was sitting on the commode, naked now with her pants tossed off to the side. She was bent over her leg with a loaded syringe in a vein and was about to push the plunger. He'd seen this before all too many times, she always shot in her legs to hide the needle marks she had from using so much.

Seth was on the nearby viewing screen pleading with her to stop. He stopped talking abruptly, shocked silent when he saw what Kimble had done. He had no idea Kimble could pass through a locked door like that. Yes, Kimble had confessed to him about walking through Wolverine, but part of him didn't quite believe it had actually happened. Kimble had just proven him wrong and it left him breathless.

Kimble didn't notice the shock on Seth's face, he had only his disobedient Mistress in mind. He moved quickly, smacking the needle away and out of Fallen's hand. It hit the wall and broke from the force of his anger. Fallen shrieked, startled by his sudden appearance, she had locked the door on purpose to keep him out. "How did you get in here?"

"What the fuck do ya think yer doin'!" he snarled, angry.

"That's none of your business!"

"It's my business ta keep ya alive! I toldja ya cain't take that shit with the Lightnin'!"

"I'll do as I please!"

He gripped her arms and leaned in close to her face, boldly establishing some dominance while doing his best not to be cruel. He cared about her deeply, but had to make his point. He was doing this for her, he could only hope she would eventually see that. "No, you won't. This ain't just about you, Fallen. It's about alla us. These people're countin' on you. So am I."

"It's not fair!" she cried, sobbing.

"Lotsa things ain't fair, but they happen all the same," he replied sadly, wiping her cheeks. He really hated it when she cried, it ate right into him. He was an emotional creature and the pain and suffering of others had always bothered him. He wanted so much for this all to go away and he tried to express that by being gentle with her now. He kissed her forehead, lingering so she would know how much he loved her.

She knew it and surrendered, falling against him in her misery. "I feel terrible...I need a shot."

"No. Whatcha needs is ta eat."

Kimble left her long enough to retrieve the piece of fruit he'd left outside. He didn't show off by phasing again, that was just too freaky, he simply unlocked the door to get out. He sealed it back up after, not wanting them to be disturbed. Seth started to ask him about phasing through the door the first time but Kimble silenced him with a dark look.

Kimble grabbed a blanket from the floor and wrapped it around his Mistress, making sure she was comfortable. He sat on the floor and moved her between his legs so he could wrap his arms around her and keep her warm. He carefully sectioned the fruit and fed it to her a slice at a time like before. She took what he offered, chewing slowly without speaking. It was very warm and comfortable with him wrapped around her now and she was relaxed, calm once more.

"What setcha off, Fallen? Talk ta me. Talk ta us," Kimble insisted gently. He was calmer himself now and wanted only for her to talk and get rid of her pain.

She didn't answer, just leaned tighter into his embrace.

"You gots ta talk ta us, kiddo. Stop keepin' all that junk inside of ya. This is still me, still good ol' Kimble, ready ta listen. Ain't nuthin' you kin say that'll change what I think boutcha."

"Fallen, please..." Seth pleaded. He put his hands up to the screen where she could see. "Talk to us."

"I don't want to think about that place," she whispered, her voice low and miserable.

"What place, Fallen?" Seth wanted to know.

"The pens... The Dognan pens."

Seth nodded. He knew she had been in the pens, the same as the X-men and others that they had rescued, she had told him that much, but nothing else. She refused to talk about it or what she had done there to survive. She dreamed about it, though, he knew that well enough. She would have the same terrible nightmare over and over again. It came whenever she was especially stressed out or Valentin had been away too long. She'd lie still, twitching and dreaming, then wake suddenly, screaming in hysterical horror. Sometimes she'd even run around a little bit before she woke, breaking things, and bellow Dognan curses at monsters she thought were trying to eat her.

Seth, being the closest to her emotionally, usually was the one who comforted her. It was especially difficult for him because all he could do was watch her from a viewing screen and try to talk her down. One of his primary motivations for trying the hologram was so that he could give her better comfort. She settled down much more quickly when he was out and could physically hold her. His main trouble was that he was fearful of her terror and hysteria, the violence in her dreams disturbed him and made him tremble with fear. Sometimes he couldn't handle it and Kimble would come out in his place to offer their Mistress comfort.

Sometimes after she recovered from her spells, she'd go get high and not talk to them for a while. Seth hated those times most of all because she isolated herself away from them where she could not be reached or consoled. She was too far away from Seth then and he would weep until Kimble would come and offer him comfort as well. Kimble was the bridge between them all, the one that bound them all together.

When Fallen was finally sober, Seth would ask her about her nightmares, what they meant, but all she'd say was that the dream was about the pens. Any further attempts to goad her into confessing only led to arguments Seth had no will to entertain, and so the matter was never discussed as it should have been.

Now, today, Kimble was hoping that that might finally happen, "What do the pens gots ta do with what happened today?" Kimble asked softly, petting her in the hopes he could coax her to talk and free her heart from all of this pain.

Fallen didn't answer right away, but heaved a weary sigh and closed her eyes. Kimble couldn't hide his relief when at last she began to tell them what she'd been holding back for so long.