Greetings and Welcome from The Lady Mage!
Sorry that this chapter took so long to get out here- I have had a LOT going on. New man in my life to keep me happy and occupied . . . and he's so feral I'd swear that mutants were real . . . *swoon* There's nothing like someone really biting your neck and growling at you while you . . . Um, anyway, yeah. That, and I've been going blind in one eye and trying to figure out why. MRI's are so much fun-not. So, sorry to have kept you waiting!
Shoutout to my BFF, Leonaria, for helping me with wording and personalities! I love you, sugar!
The Lady Mage
And of the legalities: . . . If I owned him, I wouldn't share. But I don't, so . . . damnit all, I still don't want to share . . .
". . . ring around the rosie . . . a pocket full of posies . . . ashes, ashes . . . we all . . fall . . down . . ."
She wasn't sure where the soft voice was coming from, or what it was singing, but the tune seemed to seep into her psyche, rousing her.
" . . . ring around the rosie . . . a pocket full of posies . . . ashes, ashes . . . we all . . fall . . down . . ." A soft giggle. Young.
Why wouldn't her eyes open?
"Pocket full of posies . . . ashes, ashes . . . we . . all . . fall . . down . . ."
She tried to move her arms, but they felt as though they weighed a thousand pounds. She tried to move her legs with the same results. She couldn't turn her neck, or open her eyes. All she could do was lay still, and listen.
"Ashes . . . ashes . . . we all fall . . . down . . . "
Panic was beginning to flood her senses. Why couldn't she move? She felt no restraints- she could feel no damage to her spine. What was holding her down? What kept her eyes from opening? She channeled all her energy to her eyes.
"We all fall down . . ."
With a jerk, her eyelids came free, blinking open.
The regen fluid stung her eyes- burned them- as they darted back and forth across the medical room. The panic was swiftly beginning to overwhelm her, and she struggled harder, gaining control of her arms. She had to get out- escape! She couldn't stay in this test tube any longer!
She lifted one heavy, uncoordinated arm, and smashed it through the glass.
For the second time, Zosia jerked awake in bed, a lioness's roar echoing in her ears. She couldn't help breathing hard, panicked eyes taking in the dark shadows of her room before turning to the startled cub beside her. This time, Sari didn't cry- just lay frozen, her tiny eyes black and her little claws extended- sharp.
The feral mother quickly purred, pulling her cub into her arms to soothe. Again her door was nearly knocked from her hinges as Scott burst in- dressed in only a pair of white boxers with little red hearts printed on them, and mismatched blue and black socks, his red glasses hanging haphazardly from the bridge of his nose. Behind him was Jean, a robe tied tightly around her. Zoe could smell the reason for their undress, and it only further agitated her.
"What the holy heck?" Scott demanded. Zosia only hissed at him, a low warning growl rumbling up her throat. With the light from the hallway, he watched her eyes bleed black. It gave him a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. 'Good God, that's creepy.'
"Another nightmare?" Jean asked, breathing quickly from the sprint up the stairs. She glanced at the lamp on the desk, using her teke to click it on, illuminating the dark bedroom.
Ororo appeared behind the two of them, pulling a white satin robe over her matching gown. She shimmied between the doorjamb and Scott, coming around the side of Zoe's bed. The feral eyed her, but let her approach. "Are you alright?" she asked quietly, cautiously reaching one hand out to put on Zoe's shoulder.
"Is this going to be an every-night thing?" Scott asked, taking a jerking step into the room, ignoring his gut. Zee hissed again, baring her fangs at him in silent promise. "You're going to wake the entire school! We can't have this! The student's need their sleep!" He quickly adjusted his glasses back into place.
"And you need to back out of the room before she attacks you." said Jean, pulling on his arm. He resisted. "Scott!" The telekine watched Zoe slowly lower Sari beside her on the bed, never taking her eyes from Scott, scooting the cub protectively behind her back as his glasses again scooted down the bridge of his nose. Her mind was going back and forth between calm rationale and envisioning slicing her claws into Scott's face- easily readable in such intense focus.
"No- this is ridiculous!" he continued, pushing his glasses back up with one finger. "I know the Professor said that she was welcome here as long as she wasn't a detriment to the students, but making them lose sleep because she can't make it through the night without some kind of commotion is not right!"
"Scott!" Jean yanked on his arm again, using her teke to give him a shove. "Seriously- get out!"
"Go!" Ororo said to him, moving back a step when Zoe pulled her knees under her for leverage. "Zoe, calm down!"
"Let's just go back to bed. She's alright- the baby's alright." Jean said, her voice more forceful.
"Awful short leash you're tied up with." Zee growled at the fearless leader. "Does she dress you, too?" She glanced at his boxers, then back at his glasses. "I bet she does, doesn't she."
"Nice." He growled back. "What is it with ferals and the insults?"
"You're such an easy target." retorted the feral, standing up on the bed. She smirked when his hand went back to his non-existent visor, feeling for the button. "Gonna bet I can't slit your throat before you can blast me? Can you take me out without taking out the school, too? I hear the train station has a lovely new sunroof because of your . . . little disability."
"Disability?" he snorted. "That Toad-thing stole my-"
"Yes, disability. You can't control your mutation." she hissed, hands on her hips. "And you likely never will."
"At least some of us try." he growled. "Instead of letting them control us."
"You think I am not in control?" she actually chuckled. "My dear boy. There's a difference in being controlled by your mutation and being your mutation. You're fighting against the inevitable- you can't control your DNA- you are your DNA."
The little elevator at the end of the hall dinged as the doors slid open, and the familiar sound of rubber wheels and a near-silent motor powering Professor Xavier down the hallway was easily heard. In seconds, he was beside Jean at the door, gently nudging her out of the way to enter. "What is going on here?"
"Scaredy-cat had a nightmare." said Scott, taking a step back, letting Xavier come between him and the feral. "And look at her- she's not only a disruption, but she's a danger to the entire student body! She's going to hurt someone!"
'Just you.' she mouthed at him over the professor's head, smirking when he grit his teeth.
"And I see you have complete control of the situation." Xavier said to Scott with a disapproving expression. The elder student only looked away, ashamed. "You come running in here and start further agitating her. You don't grab a tiger by the tail." He looked the younger man in the eyes. "The only danger in here right now is you if you let those glasses slip off your nose." The professor touched the bridge of his own nose as he spoke as if he were settling his own glasses in place.
Scott huffed once, adjusting his glasses. Zosia smirked wider, mimicking him pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with her middle finger. He glared at her, opening his mouth as though he were about to say something. He paused, trying and failing to regain his composure. Finally, he huffed again before turning and storming out of the room. Jean watched him, concerned, but stayed behind.
"And you, my dear . . . " Charles said to Zoe turned his chair back towards the doorway. "-need a little more clothing."
The feral crossed her arms over the purple bra she wore. "At least I don't sleep naked anymore." she shrugged, but went to the pile of clothing she'd left on the dresser, and pulled out a long t-shirt. She pulled it over her torso, then looked back at him. "Better, mon professeur?"
"Yes." he nodded once, folding his hands in his pajama-ed lap. "Now, my dear, what are we going to do about your sleeping arrangements?"
"What do you mean by that?" she asked suspiciously.
"Obviously you can't make it alone." said Jean. The feral hissed at her. "I don't mean it in a bad way! I only mean that you cannot sleep well on your own- you said so yourself when you told us that Mystique used to let you bunk with her!"
"I can't help it!" hissed Zoe. "It isn't like I fucking enjoy it! You wanna trade places?"
"Calm down." Ororo said again, her voice calming, soothing. Zoe took a breath, trying to let the black fade out of her eyes.
"I'm not trying to be insulting to you when I say this," the professor began, "But perhaps we should arrange for you to have a room-mate of sorts. At least overnight."
"But-"
"Zosia," He cut her off, his tone of voice full of authority. She narrowed her eyes at him, but then turned to glare at the carpet, obstinately submissive. "I want to help you." His chair wheeled up close to her, and he reached out to take one of her hands, drawing her eyes back to his face. "You and little Sari are more than welcome here as long as you need to stay. This is and always will be a safe place for mutants. No one is going to throw you out in the snow."
"I-"
"But," he cut her off again. "While you are here, you do have to abide by the rules of the school. Scott, though a bit more brash than necessary, does have a valid point, and that is that this is a school full of students, and they do need uninterrupted sleep." He tipped his head a touch, thinking. "Now, we could either set you up a room in one of the lower levels-" He watched the girl shudder. "-or we can set it up for someone to stay at night with-"
Lower levels? Down with the med-lab? The cold, sterile underground? Zosia shook her head. "I'm not staying downstairs."
"I'll stay." Ororo interjected. "I don't care to sleep over."
"I think that would be for the best." said Charles, his voice conveying that this was the end of the matter. Problem solved.
The feral scowled, but didn't protest. Having the weather witch as a pillow was a hell of a lot better than trying to sleep in the basement. With a soft but stubborn snort, she watched Charles and Jean leave the room, listening to them head to and enter the elevator. Once they were out of sight, Ororo slipped from the side of the bed and out the door. Zosia pondered her curiously, listening to her once she was out of eyesight, as the weather witch walked back to her own room and rustled about. Moments later, she returned, a white satin-cased pillow along with a little silver alarm clock and a well-worn novel all tucked under her arm.
The redhead held in an obstinate growl, not sure whether or not she wanted the woman in the room with her. Yeah, she felt she could trust the windrider, but at the same time, her feline pride felt bruised as Ororo set her clock and novel on the other nightstand. She was no child to be coddled!
"Maybe we will both sleep better this way." Ororo said, her voice soothing again, as she laid her pillow on her side of the bed. "You won't dream, and I won't be startled awake by the lioness down the hall."
"Panther." Zoe murmured, watching Ororo sit down.
"Hmm?"
"Victor's a lion. I'm a panther." corrected the feral.
"Excuse me: Panther-ess down the hall." said Ororo, settling down under the blanket. "Now, think you can sleep?"
The feral scowled, unsure of whether or not she was being teased. "I'm not five."
"I thought you said you were one hundred and five?"
"I never said I was-"
"I'm just playing, Zee." said Ororo with a smile, turning her attention to the cub laying against the pillows. "Hello, little one." Sari clenched and unclenched her fists, turning her head to the windrider with a soft sigh. "Do you remember your Ororo already, little cub?" The cub only sighed again. "Is that a yes? Hmm?"
Still feeling somewhat slighted, the feral pulled the over-sized t-shirt off, tossing it back to the pile of clothes on the dresser. She was going to have to put her things away soon if she was going to be able to find anything. With a soft grunt, she flicked off the desk lamp, casting the room in deep shadow. Silently, she slunk to the bed, slipping in between the sheets, and sitting against the headboard on her side of the bed.
"You should try to rest, Zee." Ororo said softly, rolling onto her back to look in the general direction of Zoe's head. "You must be tired."
"I am." confirmed the feral, her voice a bit sharp. "But it takes me a while to resettle." She hmphed, lifting Sari up into her arms. "Enfoncer joli garçon."
"Hmm?" Ororo raised her eyebrows, unsure of whether or not the redhead could even see her.
"Nothing, mon moka." Zoe said. The cub, settled, nursing, raked her tiny claws across the swell of her mother's breast, drawing four little lines in blood. Her mother gently pulled her hand away and looked at her little claws in the dark room. They would have to be filed down in the morning for sure. She felt the other set of kitten's claws cutting into her ribs. 'Nope- getting filed tonight.'
'MUTANT TERRORISTS STILL ON THE LOOSE!'
Victor raised one eyebrow, glancing at the newspaper someone had left on the table in the sparsely populated diner. He sat in a booth in the corner, his feet stretched out under the table to rest on the opposite bench. A half-full mug of coffee- no milk, two sugars- warmed one big hand, while the other casually flicked through The Graphic. The blonde mutant had put in his order ten minutes ago, and was still waiting on his breakfast.
'. . . still on the lookout for Raven Stokholme, a.k.a. the mutant Mystique . . .' he read silently, bored. Just how long did it take to make fried eggs and a fuckin' ham-steak? He grunted, a half chuckle, at the terrible picture next to the mutant article. Mystique never had been terribly photogenic. Sipping his coffee, he turned the page, searching for his horoscope. He found it on the last page beside the comics.
'Unlucky in love at the moment, but don't give up- something wonderful is waiting for you just around the bend! Financial troubles may await you, but should be resolved within the month. Your stars are all lined up with . . . '
He snorted. These things were always wrong. Just the same, he quickly clicked his claws across the screen of his phone, checking his banking app. Everything in order, as always. He growled again, checking the time. What the hell was taking so long? It shouldn't take any time to throw a hunk of pig on the grill, fry up some rubbery-yet-still-underdone eggs, and burn some fucking potatoes!
No one could cook like his Zee could- she always made his breakfasts perfect. His mouth almost watered, just thinking about it, before the aging waitress stuck a plate of 'food' down on his newspaper on the table. Without a thank you, fuck you, kiss my ass, she turned on her heel and walked back to her cigarette in the ashtray on the counter beside the cook's window.
"Well, fuck you very much, bitch." he growled to himself, lifting the plate. He scowled at the ring of grease the grungy plate left on his newspaper, shoving it aside and scooping up a bite of eggs. As he had guessed, they were runny and rubbery at the same time. His ham-steak was both burned and cold, and the little pile of friend potatoes were crunchy from being raw instead of fried. "Wow, they must have an uber-talented fucking chef to fuck this shit up this fucking bad."
A surge of homesickness drew over him, and he snarled at himself. He wanted Zee- wanted her in the little kitchen of the lair, cooking his breakfast after a long night of fucking- his eggs done just right, his steak rare but hot all the way through, and the potatoes soft all the way through, the only crunch the browned, caramelized outer coating with just a touch of salt and rosemary . . . He snarled again and glared at his satphone. The damned frail had him going soft! His eyes shifted back to the plate before him.
"God damn it."
Ororo half-groaned, blindly reaching behind her to silence the buzzing alarm clock on her nightstand. It was too early to wake- she was too tired to get up yet. Jean and Scott would just have to start breakfast for the children. She wondered if she could feign sickness and get away with it. Probably not with the two telepaths in the house.
She sighed, then groaned, groping across the edge of the bed for the corner of her little table. Supposing she must have shimmied down the bed in the middle of the night, she resigned herself to having to open her eyes. With a little grimace, she did so. Suddenly, she was face to face with two tiny brown eyes. Sari?
The windrider glanced around the room, remembering the previous night and her agreeing to bunk with the feral mother and cub.
"Speaking of feral mothers," Ororo mumbled to the purring cub curled up to her, running a gentle thumb down Sari's cheek. The cub opened her mouth, turning to root against Ororo's palm. ". . . Where is your's?"
"I'm in the bath." Came Zoe's voice from the open bathroom door. "I'll be out shortly, mon moka."
The bathtub was to the right in the little bathroom, so nothing could be seen when Ororo glanced to the open door, save for her reflection in the big mirror above the single vanity. "Okay. I think Sari is hungry."
"You can bring her to me if you like." The water was turned back on for a few seconds, followed by the sound of the tub draining.
The tiny cub grunted, continuing to root against Ororo's hand, her eyes slid shut. "I think she'll be alright until you get back out here." In protest, Sari let out a warning whimper, the soft purring gone. "If you hurry." amended the weather witch. Pushing back the blankets, she sat up and lifted the baby up into her arms, letting Sari curl into a ball against her chest. The baby whimpered again, then let out a little squall. Zoe's figure could be seen in the mirror now, her hair pulled up into a messy bun that had half-fallen out, a simple white towel covering most of her wet body, save for a sliver down one side that revealed her set of stars.
Zosia met Ororo's eyes in the mirror briefly before slipping back out of the reflection to quickly dry. "Put her on your shoulder." she said loud enough for Ororo to hear. "If you hold her to your breast, she'll only become more frustrated." It took a second to sink in, but the windrider nodded, quickly sliding Sari up to the crook of her neck. The squall died, but the whimpers continued as the baby waited impatiently for her breakfast.
"Didn't you feed her before you got in the bath?"
"She's been nursing off and on all night as usual." returned the feral mother, walking out of the tiny bathroom in a pale pink t-shirt and a pair of black lacy boyshorts. She took her place against the headboard of the bed before taking her cub into her arms. "Hungry all the time, aren't you, little cub?" she said to her daughter, lifting her shirt for the cub to nurse. "Just like you Papa, non?" Sari happy, she turned her attention back to her new 'roommate' beside her. "Are we going in to town today? I miscalculated how many diapers Sari would go through." She smiled prettily with an amused shrug.
"Yes." nodded Ororo. "We have to get supplies of our own as well."
Three hours later found Zosia following Jean and Ororo through the parking lot of a rather small stripmall, their main goal being to stock up on groceries for the week for the school, as well as pick up the things that the feral mother and infant would need to get by. The grocery store at the end would suit the collective need, and so they meandered their way past the other store fronts.
The redheaded feral pulled Ororo's spare jacket closer around herself and Sari, tucking the little fox pelt tighter around the cub in her sling. She hadn't thought to pack a nicer coat in her bag when they had left home so quickly, and didn't think that wearing her hunting furs in town would be a terribly good idea. Thankfully, the dark-skinned woman had come to her rescue yet again, and loaned her this grey wool peacoat to cover herself and the cub. Sari slumbered away, tucked close to her mother's chest, and Zoe couldn't resist running the pad of her thumb lovingly over her tiny daughter's cheek.
"Ooh, those are cute." commented Jean, gesturing to a pair of auburn boots in a store window. Ororo paused beside her to look, and gave a little nod of approval before pointing out the same pair in a charcoal gray. "Those are cute, too." said the telekine. "They'd match about half your wardrobe."
"Don't knock it til you try it." returned the weather witch with a little smile.
"I could say the same about you with colours." said Jean. "Everything you own is either gray, white, or lavender."
"What's wrong with lavender?" asked Zoe boredly, giving the shoes in the window little attention.
"Nothing- unless that is the only colour you wear." Jean said, amused.
"That is not the only colours I wear, Jean." Ororo crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her fingers in feigned annoyance. "I have several other colours that I wear, thank you!"
"Like . . ?"
"Like that blue and green blouse I wore just a week ago when Wendy's mother came to the school for that little surprise visit."
"And . . ?"
"A light pink skirt."
Zoe smirked. "Don't forget sky-blue underwear." she teased lightly, looking at the clothes hanging in the next window.
Jean chuckled. "Underwear doesn't count. No one sees them."
"Is that what you told Scott to make him wear those awful underwear?" asked the feral with a snort. "Those valentine monstrosities. Ha!"
"Hey, those were cute!" defended the telekine. Ororo snorted beside her, chuckling. "You don't buy things like that for your . . . I forget we're talking about Sabretooth. I bet he wouldn't be caught dead in anything but leather."
The feral only raised one eyebrow, casually tucking her hands into her jeans pockets. "Actually, he prefers satin and silk over leather when it comes to underwear. Leather can be horribly chaffing after a while." She changed the subject before her mind could wander. "But anyway, are we about to purchase the school new Coach knock-offs or are we after something else?"
The two schoolteachers chuckled. Jean nodded, turning to lead them on past the clothing stores and into the large grocery chain at the end of the shopping center. She and Ororo grabbed a large basket, pulling it along behind them while Jean pulled a long, hand-written list from her pocket. The red-headed feral followed along, eyes scanning the people shopping around them as they headed first to the general merchandise side of the supercenter.
"I think the baby stuff is in the back." said Jean, going over the list in her hand while she used her teke to pull the cart along behind her. Ororo kept one hand on the basket to cover the telekine's trick, turning to check on Zoe and Sari behind her.
"All we need are diapers." said the feral flatly, looking at the racks of children's clothing they passed by.
"Here we are." Jean pulled a package of diapers off of a tall stack against the far wall of the store. "She should be in newborn, right?"
"Newborn." confirmed the feral, rounding the telekine and pulling a package of Huggies off the next stack. "This kind."
"The organic?" asked Ororo. "They're twice the price."
"But unscented and don't scratch her skin like cheaper brands." replied the feral. "And why should you care how much it should cost me?"
"Because the professor is paying for everything at the school." answered Jean with a little scowl.
"I've my own money- I don't need his." shrugged the feral, dropping the box in Ororo's cart. "So don't worry your pretty little head over it, telekine." And she turned on her heel to go look at the clothes.
Ororo and Jean shared a look, watching the feral scowl at a rack of sleepers, then continue on to the main aisle, finished already. Jean snorted softly, but put the store-brand diapers back on their stack. The windrider only shrugged, pulling the cart behind her to follow Zoe.
"Have you ever noticed the smell of most diapers?" the feral asked when the others reached her. When they only looked confused, she continued. "The manufacturers scent them- flowery, powdery scents- to make them more attractive to the women who buy them."
"Well, what's wrong with that?" Ororo chuckled.
"I can smell about 50 women in here on their menses. Hell, I could tell you what day they were on." deadpanned Zoe, touching the tip of her nose with one finger. "If I can smell that from across a crowded store, how strong do you think those cheap diapers reak to me? Or to Sari?"
"Just set them there on the island top, Piotr." Jean said with a smile as the tall Russian set his two armloads of shopping bags on the counter. "Thank you for the help."
The teenager smiled. "Anytime, Miss Grey."
Ororo set her handful down on the floor beside the island as Zosia brought in the last bit, slung over her shoulder. They were settled next to Ororo's pile.
"Alright, where are those kids?" Jean asked absently, putting one hand up to her forehead. "You heard the car pull up."
"Coming!" came Kitty's voice from down the hall, followed by the sound of several feet jogging. Kitty, Rogue, Jubilee, Bobby, and John appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Sorry, Miss Grey, we-" The mouse-haired teen glanced at the tall, dark Russian teen standing by the island and blushed crimson. "Oh, hi Piotr." Piotr grunted with a little nod, turning and walking towards the other door. He paused at the hallway, glancing back at her with a hint of blush.
Bobby and John shared an amused smirk before grabbing food from the bags and beginning to pack it all away. The girls quickly followed their lead, with the help of Jean, to put the school's weekly food ration away. Zosia grabbed a bag of apples and put them in the big bowl on the side-counter next to some oranges, stacking them together.
"Dr. Pepper? Cool." said Bobby, putting a six-pack in the giant fridge. "I'll just set one of these under my bed for you, Rogue, for later . . . " He winked at the skunk-haired girl, making her blush prettily.
"No you won't." chided Jean gently, handing him another six-pack of sodas for the icebox. Behind them, John snorted softly, then turned to wink at Rogue. She stuck her tongue out at him playfully.
"Oh, hey, I forgot!" Jubilee suddenly exclaimed. Rogue, standing beside her, dropped a bag of potatoes in surprise. The bag broke open, and potatoes rolled to the four corners of the kitchen, prompting Bobby and John to scramble to help her pick them up. "Ooops- sorry, Rogie-Chika!"
"Forgot what, Jubilation?" asked Ororo, settling cans in the cupboard.
"The professor and Mr. Summers have a package for Zoe in his office." said the girl.
"How did you possibly keep that to yourself?" asked Rogue, one eyebrow peaked.
"I told you I forgot." Jubilee explained. "As soon as I heard Mr. Summers threatening to throw it out, that new boy rounded the corner- the one with the blonde hair and that cute butt-"
"Anyway-" Rogue cut her off with a little chuckle.
"Well, anyway, there are two boxes for Zoe or something in Professor Xavier's office. You know, unless Mr. Summers blasted them already or something."
Well, what did you think? Like it? Love it? Tell me in a review!