(Eight)

Unlike Remy, Logan wasn't quite so ready to back off. Now that Simone was more stable, he decided it was time that he and the boy had a talk. It was a few days after Simone's session with Asher that Logan came down to see him. Wolverine unlocked Simone's cell door and opened it. "Let's take a walk."

Simone looked around suspiciously. His Mistress wasn't here and he had been given no advance warning that this meeting was going to happen. He didn't know if it was okay.

Logan sighed with no small amount of impatience. "I ain't gonna hurt ya kid. We just need to talk. Better to do it in the Solarium than here. Unless you'd rather stay."

Simone enjoyed the Solarium too much to argue. He stepped out of his cell but was still wary, not letting Logan get too close to him. They walked the short distance to the nearest Solarium doors and then stepped out onto the grass. It was nighttime now and the ceiling was lit with an artificial starry sky, brilliant and lovely. Simone couldn't help himself but smile. It reminded him of Leroy and the Yum Yum flowers. The only thing missing was the moths.

"So how ya been', kid?" Logan asked, getting started. He couldn't smell Simone, but he could sense the Siskan's unease just the same. Simone was getting better around people, but it would probably be a long time before he would be able to relax completely with them.

Simone regarded him warily. " 'M fine."

"So Rogue's your Mistress now?"

"Yeah," Simone replied, a defensive edge to his answer. His answers were typical of him with others, short and sweet. He didn't like talking to anyone other than his Mistress.

" 'S funny thing about love. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it don't."

Simone just squinted at him, unsure what he was on about.

"There's a thing or two you might want to know about your girl before the two of you get too carried away," Logan said, beginning this. Of course he had no way of knowing that it was much too late for warnings. In spite of all the times Remy had tried to explain this, Logan didn't fully comprehend the deep bond that occurred between a Siskan and its owner. His words would have no effect.

"What's that?" Simone asked, just the same. He was better now about reading the shines and knowing what they meant, thanks to Asher's gentle guiding hand. Simone could see no malice in this man, this wasn't a game or a trick.

"She tell you she can't touch anyone?"

Simone grinned with pure Siskan pride and no small amount of arrogance. "She kin touch me. Me an' no one else."

Logan just snorted softly. "That ain't entirely accurate."

Simone bristled, ruffling his feathers in irritation. "Yes it is!"

"No. It ain't. Ash said he taught you a thing 'r two about the shines. Tell me I'm lyin'."

Simone glared at him but was forced to drop his eyes when he saw the truth of it in Logan's eyes.

Logan paused as they walked. They had come to a stop in front of one of the park's many picnic tables and he sat on the table itself, his feet up on one of the bench seats. He fished in his pocket for a pack of smokes, found it and shook one out, lighting it. He had no idea how long this was going to take and wanted to be comfortable. "She ever tell you that she an' 'ol Red Eyes had a thing a long time back?"

"Yeah," Simone answered. Granted she hadn't given him many details, but she had at least told him that much. Even if she hadn't, Simone could still see evidence of it in the shine of his precious Mistress.

"Well, one of the reasons they didn't make it was because she found another guy that could touch her in ways he couldn't. Even that didn't work out anyhow because while I love the girl like my own daughter, she don't understand that just being able to touch isn't enough for a relationship to work. It takes hard work, patience. Give and take, and most of all trust."

Simone raised his chin up high. "I trusts her."

Logan squinted in amusement, but nodded knowingly. "Hmm...right. Just the same, there's one thing I think you really need to know. These things you do with her, the kissin', touchin', whatever... you can do them with others too. If for some reason it don't work out 'tween you and her, you don't hafta go back to the way you were, bein' all rowdy and mean."

Simone looked at him then with no small amount of suspicion. "There ain't gonner be no trouble 'tween me and m' Mistress."

"Right," Logan snorted softly. "And when you can't make love to her, what then?"

"That's private!" Simone snarled, defensive now. He didn't like having his weaknesses shoved in his face. His hands had fisted but they remained low and at his sides.

Logan wasn't the least bit intimidated. He had brought down the Anger before, Simone wouldn't be any more difficult if things got out of hand here. "You met Kimble, or so I been told. You probably didn't say much, knowin' you, but he's got his own story to tell. He had a crush on someone who wouldn't return it. You know what he did? He went and found himself a new Master, someone who beat the snot out of him and treated him like dirt. Kimble stuck with it 'cause he thought he couldn't do no better. It ruined him, you know? He took the long road back to bein' well when the short would have served him just as fine. What I don't want to see happen is you falling into that same pit, thinkin' that since you can't serve the one you want because you have this problem, that you ain't worth nuthin'. Understand?"

Simone snorted, his mouth curled in an disdainful sneer. "Oh? And who's gonner takes care of me? You? Please!"

"You'll be looked after," Logan repeated with authority. This was so very hard to say, but at the same time, so important for Simone to know. "I won't let no one hurt you like Ebon did."

"You hit me like he did!" Simone snarled again with a bright flash of teeth. How ridiculous this was, this poser thinking he could ever do as good a job as his Mistress.

"You hit me first!" Logan growled back, rising from the table and to his feet, all the better to make his point. "You came at me, not me at you! I defended myself! Ebon beat that crap into you and I beat it out. It was the only way you were gonna understand at the time! Go ahead and deny it!"

Simone's hands fisted but he took a defensive step back. These things this man was saying were true. The Anger had always attacked first, never waiting for the other guy to gain advantage. He had been trained that way and he had learned it well.

"And don't you forget, boy, that the one who decided who got access to you was me," Logan continued. "You wouldn't even have a Mistress if it hadn't been for me so don't even give me any of your self righteous, martyr bullshit!"

Simone turned away, feeling his temper rise to a near unbearable level. "Takes me back to m' cell now," he demanded, this conversation was over as far as he was concerned.

Logan looked at him, displeased. This wasn't the way he had wanted this to go. The boy wasn't getting it, or he wasn't explaining himself well enough. At least Simone was sensible enough to walk away instead of fight. It was a sign the boy was surely on the mend. "I ain't laid one hand on you since then. Not for sport, not for nuthin'. But here I been, watchin' over you just the same. I ain't like Ebon and I won't ever be. Just because I'm a man doesn't mean I can't keep you safe, just like Rogue does. I won't take ya for a roll, but ya gotta understand, if things don't work out with Rogue, you still got a place. You still got a home. A safe place to be."

"Why're you so sure things ain't gonna works out fer us?" Simone countered with some frustration, finally grasping what it was that Logan was trying to say. This wasn't jealousy Logan was showing, this was real concern. "She hurt someone before? Someone likes me?"

"Not like you," Logan answered, calming down and retaking his seat. "Someone stronger. Not quite so..." Logan trailed off, fishing for the right word.

"...broken?" Simone finished for him, getting it now.

"Yeah. You come a long way. You been doin' real good. You've come too far just to quit."

Simone looked at Logan sharply then, really seeing the man as if for the first time. "All this time, when you wuz watchin' us, you weren't just makin' sure I didn't hurt her, you wuz makin' sure she didn't hurts me neither."

"Yer a smart boy," Logan replied, a faint smile of triumph on his lips. "You got folks keepin' watch over you. Me and Ash and Remy. You ain't all alone."

"That guy, the one with the red eyes. He keeps followin' us around," Simone complained. If Logan was claiming to be so watchful, maybe he could put a stop to it. "I don't likes it."

"Well too bad. He's got good reason for keepin' watch, now ya see," Logan replied. While he hadn't seen the thief patrolling, he wasn't so surprised to see it had been done. Gambit watched over all the Siskans here, no exceptions. Wolverine wasn't about to do anything to stop it. "He's yer friend."

Simone sighed, tired now. He was doing better yes, but conversations like this tired him. "Nuthin's gonner happen 'tween m' Mistress an me," he repeated, his voice showing the strain. "But if sumpthin' did... If..." he emphasized, raising a dubious finger. "I gits it. You'll looks after me."

"That's right," Logan agreed, crushing his cigarette out. It was time to go back. "Or I'll find someone who'll do it better."

Simone looked at him sharply again, reading deep things in this man's shine. "Is that what 'Father' means?"

Logan was confused by the strange change in tack. "I guess so, Why?"

"M' Mistress says you looks after her like a father. That's why she listens to ya."

Logan smiled, he couldn't help it. Yes, Rogue had been like a daughter to him so he supposed it was apt. "Then yeah, it's what bein' a father is. You lookin' after yer kids."

Simone nodded. "Okay, then. But she ain't gonner hurts me."

"If she did, would you at least talk to me or Asher about it?"

"All right," Simone agreed. It was easy to say yes since in his heart, he felt he had no need to ever use the help. "Kin ya takes me back now? I'm tired."

"Sure," Logan said, getting to his feet. He escorted Simone back to his cell and watched as the boy crawled into his bed and covered up. Simone never rebuilt his mound of fluff. More civilized now, he was happy to snuggle up under the blankets with his face to the wall for comfort and security. Logan left him, confident that, for now, he'd said his piece and it had been listened to. He couldn't keep watch on the kid forever. New trials would come, they always did, to take his attention away elsewhere. At least now, he felt the kid would be okay. It was time to back off and let things happen they way they would.

(break)

The next day, Rogue was aware that some subtle change in Simone had happened, though she wasn't sure the cause. He was loving as always, but was somehow less resentful of them being watched. He didn't look over his shoulder anymore and did his best to simply tune everyone else out but her.

The days passed and like Logan had expected, other problems took precedence over his time. He was there less and less and the thief was increasingly absent as well. It gave Rogue and Simone more freedom and it wasn't long before they had gotten bolder and bolder with their affections. Like two randy teenagers out on frequent dates, they pushed the boundaries further and further each time they met, Simone being more of the aggressor. Not that Rogue didn't want his hands on her, she was all for it, but she wanted Simone to be the one who decided the pace. She wouldn't push him. Before long, it was clear they needed to play someplace other than the Solarium and his holding cell.

Rogue took her chances and one evening, snuck Simone out and took him not to the Solarium as usual, but to her apartment. Logan had vanished, taking off on one mission or another, and no one was watching them. Simone had been so well behaved, they had both simply fallen under anyone's radar. She was quick to use this to their advantage and took him to her home, the place she hoped he would soon be living full time.

They wasted no time, not even a minute inside her door and their clothes lay in a heap on the floor, both of them regarding each other with real heat. Simone stood still and black, his back straight, but his body trembling as if with fever. Indeed he was burning up, but not from any sickness. His Mistress was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"Ah won't hurt you," Rogue whispered, her naked body right up close to his. "You're a Kintay du Lushna-esk Siskan Courtesan of the highest quality. A Rogue. Ah can't hurt you."

He was listening to her, but still afraid. Not that it dimmed his desire for her any, as much as he was trembling, there was no hiding how much he wanted her. This had been building up for weeks, he was fit to burst. He was achingly hard and more than ready, the perfect picture of male arousal if there was ever one. He was so magnificent looking to her, her Dark Angel. He was perfect and black, a living ebony statue.

Rogue traced a finger down his arm, just to watch his eyes close from the simple pleasure of it. This was an odd reversal of roles for her, she had never been in a position of absolute control of a sexual situation. It was always her giving in and making the surrender. Fortunately, Remy had taught her a trick or two in their time together and she remembered. She licked her lips and brushed his mouth with her own.

Simone whimpered softly but yielded easily enough, putty in her hands. He raised an ebony hand to keep her face next to his, his kiss tentative and learning. He was doing his best to keep his memories at bay as he quickly reviewed his large supply of pleasure files, wanting to be sure to please her and not disappoint. As he tried to prepare himself, always in the corner of his eye he could see the flash of that silver pipe coming for him. Ghostly pains made him shiver and for a moment he wasn't sure he could do this, no matter how badly he wanted it.

"Shh..." she whispered, having felt his fear. He was loving the kiss, but she could feel him twitch and flinch at the same time. "No one else is here, Sugah, it's just you an me. No one else. No one is ever gonna hurt you like that again."

How much Simone wanted to believe that, he wanted it more than anything. He let her take his hand and sit him on the bed. He watched as she lay slowly down on her back and gracefully spread her creamy white legs for him, her hand held out in invitation. She was offering him a position that gave him the most control, one that wouldn't cause him to feel trapped in any way.

"Come here," she gently ordered and Simone could do nothing but obey his precious Mistress. He came slowly, tentatively and she let him take his time. He lay over her, careful with his weight and spreading his wings over them like a canopy, his feathers silky soft against her skin. She whispered soft encouragement in his ear and then shifted, guiding him and letting him plunge into her.

Simone cried out from the blast of sudden heat and pleasure. This was nothing compared to the flashback file dreams he'd had, this was real and alive. He whimpered with joy but then a sudden flash of silver exploded over his eyes. He jerked back, his body aching from remembered pain. The beating had been so severe, he couldn't possibly forget it. It was too much and he tried to pull back, but she held him in place with her legs, whispering to him. "Shh... he can't hurt you anymore. Ebon is gone, Simone. He's not here."

"It hurted so bad!" he gasped in his broken, gravelly voice. "I cain't!"

She wouldn't let him go, not just yet. "Shush now. Just lie still and take a deep breath. Shhh... yes, that's it."

Simone allowed himself to be held in place. He was shaking, gel sweat dripping from his forehead down to his chin. He was at war with himself, she hadn't allowed him to withdraw from her fully and her heat was awesome and beautiful. If he could only get past the silver, he would be all right. He could have this, he could have her.

"Just feel it, Sugah," she was saying in his ear as she gently sifted her hands through his hair. "Feel me. This is what's real. The rest was all a bad dream long gone. It cain't hurt you any more."

He calmed and tried to relax, concentrating on her heat and the gentle beat of her heart in his ears. No file playback could ever match the thunder of her heartbeat, the sign that she was a real living client and not a dream. Her vibrations of love and caring were more intense now with the physical connection giving them a boost, intoxicating him. He was growing used to her personal feel and it gave him comfort. He dared to kiss her again, liking the taste of her in his mouth. It calmed him and increased his desire for her, relaxing him and helping him to forget.

"That's it," she whispered again and shifted her body, moving him along, teaching him.

Simone whimpered again, this time with happiness from the feel of this. Her heat, the slip and slide of her. His body took up the rhythm with inborn compliance and the waves of pleasure were more than he could have imagined. He grasped her tightly and then he was doing it, he was loving her. He could feel her vibrations of joy increase with every stroke and then it was all a blur of happiness and ecstacy. It was blowing his mind and he was swept away by it, swiftly losing control.

"Yes... yes!" she was gasping, "That's it... Oh that's real fine!"

Simone could feel the whole thing coming at him in a rising crescendo of sensory input, teetering on overload. His body hit a peak and then exploded with ecstacy, a climax sudden and hard. He shouted with surprise and exaltation, red glitter dust sparkling from his skin as if it was celebrating his release as well. Sadly, it was all cut short by another flash of silver, one he couldn't possibly ignore. It came at him like a real physical blow and his cry turned to agony. He forced himself away in a violent sweep of wings and feathers, lifting off the bed in a rush of air and then tumbling into a corner.

Rogue wasn't quite with the program. She had expected their first time might not be to her satisfaction, that it was more for him than for her, but that was okay. Her concern was getting him past the memory of being beaten, the association of that pain with sexual pleasure. She hadn't counted on the experience to be so rewarding for herself. Their coupling had been brief but intensely passionate, intensely pleasurable. She finished the same moment Simone had, his climax forcing her own in a shared burst of empathy. It had come at her like nothing else, making a similar remembered shared moment with Remy long ago pale in comparison. This was sweet and fine, the most erotic moment in her whole life, liberating and wonderful. Then came Simone's cry of pain and a rush of cold wind as he was suddenly gone. She heard him hit the floor and she scrambled to her feet in alarm, her body instinctively obeying in response to his outcry of pain, even if it wasn't yet functioning quite properly. She hardly noticed the glittering shimmer of crimson fairy dust hanging in the air, she was too concerned for him to feel the heat and sparkly essence of it as she passed through it to get to him.

"Hey, Sugah. You okay?" she slurred, groping for him in the half light.

She should have known better, knowing his past. The moment her hands found him, he came at her, instantly rabid and feral, the Anger in Simone's place. This time there were no bars to separate them, he was at her without restraint. Her X-man training came in handy and she was ready for him instinctively, faster than the time it took to think. He fell on her and she twisted, using his momentum against him to wrestle him into helplessness, his face down to the floor and his arms wrenched behind him in a full body lock. She next used her power of flight to levitate them off the ground, denying him leverage. He was quickly subdued and controlled, utterly in her power.

He fought against her uselessly, his chest heaving as he howled his rage and fury. She was preternaturally strong as well, far more than he was. He couldn't break free and it only fueled his rage. He was spitting and trying to scrabble at her with his nails, but she held him fast, waiting for him to tire.

"I'll kill you!" he spat at her in a voice that was entirely new. "I'll kill you all!"

Rogue shuddered at that but did not let him go. She knew who this was now, it was the Anger who had spoken. The voice was deeper and even more raw than Simone's usual shout strained tone, but it also spoke without Simone's Rogue accent. She was sad to hear it – the Anger hadn't come out since Asher's Morrowhiem treatment, some long time ago. It only pointed out her blatant stupidity in pushing this so soon. She should not have been so greedy.

Well, it was up to her fix this now.

Rogue grasped him tightly, bringing her lips to his ear. "Come back to me, Simone. There's no one to hurt you here. There's only you an' me an' Ah'd never hurt you like Ebon did."

"You can't have him!" the Anger snarled. "He's mine! I won't let you hurt him, I don't care what you say! All you people do is lie and lie and lie!"

Rogue ignored him and continued to speaking her gentle lover, to the one she loved best. "Simone, come back to me, please. You don't need this guy ta protect you no more. Ah love you so much and Ah've been waitin' on ya for so long. I'm not lyin'. I wouldn't ever lie to you like that. Please... please come back to me."

She was taking Remy's advice seriously now, trying to appeal to Simone directly in the hope that he would hear her and fight for his right to be in charge. There was no reason why the Anger was even needed, not if Simone had no real reason to fear. She was reaching out to him with love, not with angry shouts or heavy fists. She was asking him to help himself.

It worked. Simone's body shuddered hard and with a sharp gasp of relief, he went limp in her arms. His head relaxed forward and tears streamed from his eyes as he softly cried out to her, "Mistress...!"

"Ah was hopin' you'd hear me," she said with real relief, changing her hold on him into less of a restraint and more of a real hug. It was telling that he had responded to her command so quickly. He was stronger now, more in control that he had been before Asher began working with him. He was trembling now, shaking as he silently cried his tears of woe down to the floor. She continued to soothe him, "Shush now, Sugah. There ain't no need for that. Ah called you and you came. Ah'm so glad. Ah loves ya so much."

"I'm gonner hurts you...! I cain't... I cain't do this...!" he gasped, the tears still streaming down his cheeks. "I cain't loves you the way you wants..."

"Hey, hey now..." she said to him, brushing wet hair back from his face and clearing his cheeks. They were still floating above the floor now but her hold on him was firm and steady, he would not fall. "Ah can love you just like this, Sugah. Just holdin' ya and feelin' ya warm against me. The rest can wait, until you're ready for it. Ah'll wait for ya, as long as it takes. We're a team, you and me, an' together, Ah think we can do pretty much anything."

He calmed at that, trying to control his crying, and dared to look at her with his poor tear reddened eyes. "You – you still wants me?"

She laughed at him just a little. "You sweet little thing, you. You're stuck with me and that's a fact. Ah ain't lettin' you go, not one little inch."

He blinked at her. "You means it?"

"Of course Ah do and don't you ever forget it. Ah'm your Mistress," she replied, the word sounding right in her mouth for the first time. "Ah been waitin' on someone like you for a real long time. Now that Ah found ya, Ah'm not gonna let ya go for nuthin'!"

Simone gave one final sob of joy and squirmed, turning around as best he could in her arms. He wanted to kiss her and so she floated them back over to the bed, the two of them tumbling down happily back into the blankets. He buried his hands in her hair, kissing her freely and with childish delight. She loved him! Even as broken as he was! He couldn't contain his happiness. He was loved, he was owned, he was finally complete.

Rogue let him have his way with her. Letting him kiss her freely. She knew it was just a matter of time, that the bolder he felt with her, the less fear he felt, the more the Anger would vanish. All they needed was time and well, as far as she was concerned, they both had plenty of that.

It was an hour or so later when Simone slipped from the bed of his Mistress. They had both fallen asleep in a warm and happy tangle, but something had disturbed him. He was unsettled, as if he was being called.

(break)

At first he thought it might be the Anger needling him. There was a soft whisper from that vengeful spirit's dark corner - she's going to hurt you, just like Logan said... But that whisper was faint now, almost inaudible. One look at his Mistress sleeping blissfully beside him put that tiny voice to rest. If she meant him harm, he would see it in her shine. All there was there was peace. No, this unease was coming from somewhere else.

Not wanting to wake Rogue, Simone crept off to her nearby bathroom and shut the door. If he was being called and it wasn't his Mistress, that only left one other. Simone was ashamed, these past days he'd been so self absorbed with his Mistress that he'd been neglectful of his otherworldly friend, Leroy. It was time to put that to rights. Now alone, he closed his eyes and saw the clock in his mind. The hands spun and spun and then slowed, stopping just as the doorway shimmered into view. The door opened out onto the familiar field of flowers.

Leroy was there as he always was, amongst his precious Yum Yum flowers, but instead of turning towards Simone in love, he stood as he was, hunched over with his face turned away. Still, he acknowledged Simone's arrival by saying, "Traveler! Thank the spirits, you have come!"

The greeting was less than Simone had expected, Leroy wouldn't even look at him. He must be so angry! Simone was immediately apologetic and stammered out his excuses. "I'm sorry I ain't comes to see ya. I gots a Mistress now. She loves me and she done a healin' on me that I really needed. I'll makes it up to ya, I promise."

Leroy nodded, raising a trembling hand that asked for patience. He turned to face Simone, his body stiff with pain and suffering. "My dear Traveler. I may yet hold you to that promise."

Simone gasped in shock, instantly alarmed. His dear friend had been injured, his face and body battered and bruised as if he had been beaten. Simone, in his eagerness to explain his absence, hadn't even noticed until now that his friend was even leaning on a wooden cane for support. That was why Leroy's greeting had been so odd, his friend was in pain. "What's wrong? Yer bleedin'. Did someone hurts you?"

Leroy nodded and looked around him as though he was still danger. "You must help me! You must come through the door!"

"Simone stepped back in fear, terrified at the idea. "I cain't do that! I ain't never done it. What if it kills me?"

Leroy shook his head, dismissing Simone's fears. "You must! You must help me! Others are here. They want the flowers for themselves and I can't hold them back. They will kill me!"

Simone's loyalty was being sorely tested. He wanted to go, but his Mistress, he couldn't leave her. "What kin I do? I.. I ain't nobody..." Simone protested lamely, his eyes falling.

Leroy's eyes gleamed at him, knowingly. "In that, my child, you are so very wrong. You will be my defender. These meddling fools will taste your wrath! You must help me!"

"I cain't..."

"You must!" Leroy insisted harshly and with real authority. "Haven't I always been here? Have I never once asked you for anything?"

Simone whined sharply, his heart tearing. Leroy saw it and was quick to continue his persuasions. "I see things, Traveler. There is magic in the Honey to be sure. I knew you would come before I ever laid eyes on you all those long years ago. And so, now I know that all you have endured was necessary to make you what you are now. You will be my defender."

Simone nodded. Leroy's words rang true and he knew this was something he must do. Leroy was correct that he was stronger now than he had ever been, the healing that had been done to him preparing him for this moment. It was time. Time to go.

Simone took a deep breath, called on his newfound courage, and closing his eyes, stepped through the door.

The end...for now. To be Continued in my Twilight series.

Author's notes : Thanks again to all of you who have read and reviewed. I have been working fast and furiously on Twilight and hope to begin posting it soon. My work hours have changed and I have less time to play with my dear friends here in Kimbleverse. To compensate, I have decided that while I enjoy illustrating my work, if I wait for pictures before I begin posting Twilight, it will simply take too long. There will be very limited art for Twilight if any pictures at all. I hope you will all bear with me for a short while while I get things situated, I hope it won't be too long.

Thanks Squeekness