Chapter 10

Remy woke without knowing why.  Logan twitched, his
hand clenching briefly on Remy's hip. Logan's mind was
full of fear and conflict; no longer the smooth,
contented simplicity of his feral self.  He was having
a nightmare and Remy blinked, throat tightening.  It
was over then.

He rolled over as Logan muttered and thrashed, soft
protests growing louder.  "Nno.  Uh - n-no.  Don't -
mmgh."

"Sssh, cher."  Remy soothed, voice trembling only a
little.  He stroked dark hair from Logan's sweating
face.  "Shh - you safe.  Safe here, no hurting.  Cher
- be easy."

Logan jerked, trembling under Remy's hands, then
slowly quieted.  He was not quite awake - busy
processing the memories of the past two weeks - but
Remy could sense him slowly coming back to himself.
The growing complexity of his emotions was familiar,
everyone would be glad to see the familiar Logan
again.  All Remy felt was pain and guilt - the return
of Logan's intellect also brought back all the
conflicts and suppressed anger that the man usually
carried.  And Logan would know that Remy had taken
advantage of him.  The thief couldn't face the angry
words or blows he knew would come.  He wished for a
bitter and terrible minute for Paul's gift - to
somehow *change* the man - make him love Remy back.

"Cher, mon amoureux - "  Remy breathed Cajun
endearments in Logan's ear, a language the man could
not understand, speaking words he would not tolerate.
Logan stirred restlessly, moments from waking. "My
heart - s'v plait.  You are my heart."

Remy pressed a last kiss to Logan's temple and slid
silently out of bed.  He fished his clothes from the
floor and slipped out the door -  cursing himself for
choosing the coward's path.  But he had no interest in
those final words, the look of loathing or
indifference.  He didn't want to hear any excuses and
he didn't want to make any of his own.  It was easier
to simply - leave.  The thief made no sound as he
padded down the hallway,  as silent as the tears
streaking his face.

In the darkened room, Logan's eyes snapped open and
his nostrils flared, scenting the salt of grief.

********************************

Paul was avoiding the stairs.  And dark rooms and the
garage and the pool - and Marco, Jubilation, Fred and
the creepy little dwarf girl that could walk through
shadows.  The mansion had suddenly gotten too small
with half the kids in it looking for a chance to hurt
him, no one sticking up for him and the unspoken
agreement to keep the adults out of it.  Everyone was
blaming him for Logan's fucked up condition and Paul
was bitterly regretting being such an asshole when
he'd first come to the school.  Even John was mostly
staying out of it.

He spent most of his time in his room.  It was the
only place he was safe.  The other kids had been in
the mansion longer and they knew all the hiding
places.  Paul dug out his last pair of clean pants,
trying not to wake John as he struggled with the
zipper.  They'd shrunk in the wash or something.  They
were too tight - or maybe he was finally putting on
the weight Hank was so eager to see.  He'd never
gotten fat before and he wasn't sure he liked it.

Passing the third floor, where the adults were
sleeping, Paul paused.  Logan was awake - and normal
again - and Remy was in his own room for the first
time in days.  No one was happy.  He chewed on his lip
uncertainly.  Maybe he should go bug Remy - make him
feel better.  But, Marie was waiting and they were
going to try more stuff and Paul knew he wasn't going
to get laid at all if he went to Remy's room.  The
Cajun was buying into the whole kid crap, just like
everyone else.

"Fuck you."  Paul whispered to the tears he could
sense, throat aching with Remy's grief.  Closer it
would only be worse.  "You don't want me around, you
think I'm a kid,  I ain't going to be around."

Marie was waiting and she had condoms and the veil and
he had a pair of latex gloves and some K-Y he'd
snatched from Dr. McCoy's kit when he wasn't looking.
There were all kinds of things they could do now.
Things that kids didn't do.

"You want me to fuck you?"  Paul panted into Marie's
hair.  He had his fingers inside her and he could feel
the thin barrier there - her cherry just waiting to
get popped and Paul's cock ached to get inside her.
He'd never fucked a girl and he'd certainly never
fucked a virgin.  "Ah - Marie - please - "

Just thinking about it almost made him come.

"N-no."  Marie was riding his hand.  She'd already
come once and Paul could feel her getting close again.
 Paul closed his eyes, feeling the heat in his
fingertips spread through Marie.  The rosy flicker of
light spreading from where he was touching her had
scared him at first but it was so faint no one could
see it but him  - even in the dimness of the attic.
He rode her pleasure, humping her thigh, mouth locked
on her breast and tonguing her nipple through thin
fabric.  "But - I want you to - to show me how to - um
- ah - suck you?"

"Ohhh - jesus!"  Paul groaned loudly and arched,
gritting his teeth and fighting not to come.  "God -
yeah - I can show you that.  Show you everything -
M-marie."

Soon he wasn't paying attention to anything else.
Marie had her mouth wrapped around his cock and he had
one hand in her hair - moving her, coaxing her to take
him all the way.  Paul  had tried to push his feelings
into her but he couldn't concentrate enough to make it
work.  Marie was playing her own clit, moaning softly
around his dick and someone was at the door.

"Oh - shit!"  Paul's hand tightened in Marie's hair
and he wrenched her off, eyes flying open as the door
did.  It was Bobby.

"Wh - at's wrong - did I -?"  Marie gasped, twisted
around and saw her real boyfriend, hand still on the
doorknob.

"Fuck - oh, look - Bobby - "  Paul struggled to his
feet and tripped on his own pants - reminded of the
last time he'd seen Kristof with a rush of real fear.
"It wasn't anything - "

"Marie!"  Bobby cried, tears springing up in his eyes.
 "Marie - I thought - you liked *me*!"

"Bobby!"  Marie wailed.  "I do - Bobby!  Wait -"

"Look - it was just - practice!"  Paul yelled.
"Really!  It wasn't anything real!"

And Bobby slammed the door shut and was running down
the stairs, taking his hurt and jealousy with him.
Marie didn't even glance at Paul, pulling her
nightgown down and running after her friend.

"Bobby, wait.  Please!"

Paul was left there, pants around his knees feeling
all that hurt and caring and knowing that none of it
was for him.  He'd thought maybe he was lying to Bobby
but it looked like he wasn't.

TBC