Mouse & Blakesley.
Blakesley picked up a public phone in a quiet part of Las Vegas and dialled. He waited for someone to pick up.
Mouse picked up the phone.
"Hello? Mouse speaking."
"I've always wondered, Jane, why you call yourself after a rodent," Blakesley said.
Mouse gripped the phone and her face went white.
"Do you see yourself as some type of vermin...worthy only to be exterminated? No matter. How is your pregnancy progressing? That of course being why I called..."
"Dieu..."
"No smart comments this time? Oh Jane, you disappoint..."
Taylor
Taylor felt Mouse's sudden surge of fear, and made his way through the house toward her.
"Mouse?" he frowned slightly, when he saw her on the phone.
"Who is it?"
Mouse & Blakesley.
Mouse started to shake and she couldn't stop, not even hearing Taylor.
"Many unexplainable occurences lately? Plants, for instance. Have they grown around you?" Blakesley purred.
"You know, when the children start killing, you will need to call me."
"The F*CK you're getting your hands on my babies! And they're not going to kill anyone!"
"They won't be able to help themselves...it's their nature. Avery's a telepath, I believe Jordan said at one point. Tell me, how will you face the Hansons on the day one of your children eats her?"
Taylor
Taylor gulped slightly, putting a hand on Mouse's shoulder and another on her waist in an effort to calm her down.
"It's just a phone, he can't see you," he reasoned softly, so Blakesley just couldn't hear.
Mouse & Blakesley.
"They won't," Mouse insisted, fear curling through her stomach and making her feel sick.
Blakesley just laughed.
"Your wolf hunts, yes? Well, will you make them betray their nature? They're killers, hunters. I designed them so they would be. It's written into their cells."
Taylor
Taylor squeezed Mouse a little as he nuzzled her neck, feeling more and more hatred toward the scientist.
He let Mouse feel his emotions, hoping the anger would somehow mask her fear for her.
Mouse & Blakesley.
"They don't have to be like that," Mouse said tearfully.
Good. He was getting to her. Sometimes the best wounds were the ones in the psyche, the ones you couldn't see.
"They won't have a choice. Do you think Taylor will kill them? Or perhaps Isaac?"
"They wouldn't..."
"Watch them. When the children need blood and minds to continue to grow, watch them distance themselves in order to get the perpective to kill them."
"No..."
"They will. Do you think he'll still love you if your child kills and eats his sister?"
Mouse let out a muffled sob.
Taylor
Taylor leant his chin on Mouse's shoulder and closed his eyes, concentrating on sending Mouse soothing vibes. She needed to turn that fear into anger. It'd be the easiest way to get something over old Blakesley.
"Don't let him get to you," he whispered, moving his head slightly so he could kiss her cheek, "focus on the wolf if you have to."
Mouse & Blakesley.
Mouse nodded and breathed in deeply. Blakesley waited for her to say something.
"That is never going to happen."
"How will you pick up the peices if it does?"
"That doesn't matter cos it's never gonna happen."
Taylor
Taylor opened his eyes, not even bothering to try and hear what Blakesley was saying.
He hesitated for a moment, thinking of what he could do to distract her.
Mouse & Blakesley.
Mouse took Taylor's hand in hers and gripped it tightly.
"It's what will happen," Blakesley said.
"You won't be able to prevent it. They'll kill as innocently and withought forethought as a kitten scratches. Eventually, they'll grow to need it. Then to love it. Children are there to be trained."
Mouse bit her lip so hard she bit through it.
"If *I* don't get them, someone else will. Other people know what I know, Jane. I'm not the only one hunting them."
Taylor
Taylor's other hand shot to his lip, before he growled slightly.
Realizing what he'd just done, he turned to look back down the hallway. Where was the other phone...?
Mouse & Blakesley.
"Are there names and faces to go with the threats?" Mouse said in a low, angry voice.
She hated this. Hated to be so afraid, with no where to run and no way to fight back. She preferred to run, rather then fight. If she could. Blakesley wasn't giving her either option.
"Who paid me?" Blakesley said.
"Rest assured, they do want to see a return on their investment. And besides the government, there are other groups to which those children would be immenseley beneficial. The Eye, perhaps. Catch them young and raise them...right."
Taylor
Taylor gave Mouse a quick peck on the cheek for support, before making his way down the hallway and into their bedroom.
He grabbed the cordless phone, but debated whether or not to turn it on.
Biting his lip, he made his way back to Mouse.
Mouse & Blakesley.
Mouse looked at Taylor questioningly for a moment, then her attention was captured by the cultured tones of the scientist again.
"I wonder...have you bitten anyone yet?" Blakesley mused.
Mouse felt a sinking fear race through her.
"Shut up."
"Ah, so you have? Who? Did you perhaps bite...your *love*" Blakesley said scornfully.
"Do you think one day you'll kill him?"
"SHUT UP!"
Mouse dropped the phone and started to hyperventalite.
Taylor
Taylor's eyes widened as he suddenly felt it hard to breathe, then raced over to her.
"Hey, hey... he talks $#!+," he insisted, "don't worry, don't worry."
He knelt up - on hand on her shoulder - and turned the cordless phone on before putting it to his ear.
"Leave us alone Blakesley."
Mouse & Blakesley.
Mouse looked at him tearfully.
"He just...he knows exactly where to put the knife and *twist*."
"Hello, Taylor..." Blakesley purred.
"Highly unlikely. You have something of mine, I want returned."
Taylor
Taylor clasped one of Mouse's hands in his and knelt so she could lean into him.
"We don't have anything of yours," he declared.
"What we have belongs to us now. You gave it up."
Mouse & Blakesley.
Mouse leant into him thankfully, wiping her eyes.
"On the contrary, you stole it," Blakesley corrected Taylor.
"I never gave up claims of title to my creations. Tell me...when she bit you, did it hurt?"
Taylor
Taylor scowled, stopping himself from growling.
"What the hell do you think?" he scorned.
"And it's not our fault you impregnated her. As far as we're concerned you gave them up. They're ours now, as much as you don't like it."
Blakesley.
Blakesley laughed.
"I will have them back, eventually. Once they start killing your family, you'll reconsider, I think. I know how to control them. You don't. How is Avery these days? Do you think one of your brothers will kill the child when it kills her? Or will you do it?"
Taylor
"I'm not as cold hearted as the person I'm talking to," Taylor raised his eyebrows.
"And what exactly makes you think they're going to do as you predict? You don't know what kind of influences they're going to have from birth."
Blakesley.
"You talk to enough animals, surely?" Blakesley asked.
"Just as it is the nature of the wolf to hunt and kill, so is it the nature of the three. It is what they were designed to do. It is built into them. It is what they are. They are hunters and killers. And all the good intentions in the world won't change what they are."
Taylor
"How can you be so sure?" Taylor smirked.
"If you are completely sure about what you just said... that beings can only rely on their instincts as to what path they choose to go, then why the $#!+ are Christian and I so different, hm? Tell me that."
Blakesley.
"Christian is fully alien...the children are not."
Blakesley smiled slightly.
"They're demons, Taylor. I built them that way. And demons? They tend to eat people. Inherently evil and all that. Sentinent life is their natural prey...and it will probably hold true in the children. They contain less then 45% of Jane's DNA. They're primarily demonic. They don't have souls. They don't have consciences. They'll kill you both, and then they'll kill everyone around you. Probably, they'll go for the weakest members of the household first. How dearly do you love your little sister, Zoe? Enough to weigh her life against Jane's love?"
Taylor
"Sorry to burst your bubble Mr. Hot-shot, but I don't live with my little sister anymore," Taylor raised his eyebrows again.
"And you don't know who we're living with at the moment. How do you know they wouldn't be able to counter anything that might happen?"
He gave Mouse's hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Did you call for any reason other than to talk $#!+?"
Mouse & Blakesley.
"I find it highly unlikely that you've cut off *all* contact with them," Blakesley said.
"And I *truly* doubt you would be able to stop them, if they truly focused on something. Or someone. I called to check up on Jane's pregnancy and my property, of course."
Mouse squeezed his hand gently.
"Speaking of property, I should probably go check on Christian."
Taylor
"We have more friends than you could even comprehend. There are a lot of people watching over us," Taylor scowled again.
"And Christian does not belong to you, just as these babies don't."
Mouse & Blakesley.
"Don't fool yourself as well, Taylor...you belong to me. As do the children, as does Christina and her child...Christian's, by the way. Good bye. Think very long and hard about what demons exactly your fiancee is bearing."
Blakesley hung up.
"He gone?" Mouse said quietly.
Taylor
Taylor dropped the phone, then leant down to hug her tight.
"He's not gonna win," he promised, kissing her forehead.
"We don't belong to him. We don't belong to anyone."
Mouse & Blakesley.
Blakesley stepped off the curb and got into his car. He smiled slightly, feeling generally better about life in general. As he had said to Taylor...he really should check up on his property.
Mouse shuddered.
"I love you so much. I can't...I can't lose you."
Taylor
"I'm not going anywhere," Taylor insisted.
"If anything... If anything happens, we have Bee and Riss here, right? And I know Steel has surveillance over the neighbourhood. Now he knows what Blakesley looks like, they're becoming more confident in finding Christian."
He took a deep breath, then kissed her again.
"They won't let anything happen to us."
Mouse.
"I hate being this scared..." Mouse said softly.
"He just..."
She shuddered again, almost convulsively.
"He's nothing inside."
Taylor
"He's too set in what he was brought up to be," Taylor closed his eyes.
"He can't feel like we do. And it's like he's trying to pass onto his subjects what was made of him."
He sighed, then kissed her again.
"I wish I knew what he was doing to Christian..."
Mouse.
"I didn't like Christian...and I hate Christina, but no one deserves to be in that monster's hands," Mouse said.
"Je t'aime, toujours."(I love you, always.)
She sighed, eyes distant as she closed herself off slightly, withdrawing her empathy inside herself.
Taylor
"Je t'aime," Taylor whispered back, then looked up.
He grabbed the phone and turned it off, then put the other one back on the hook.
"Christina is not in my good books at all, and I'm yet to judge Christian."
He closed his eyes.
"It's just a bit hard to forgive her for what she did to you."
Mouse.
Mouse looked at him.
"At least she was alive. Blakesley might as well be dead. It's difficult to judge Spook..." she trailed off.
"Natalia liked her. Though Nat is such a wonderful judge of character."
Mouse shrugged slightly.
"She was jealous. And hated me because I was what she could never be."
Taylor
"Spook had always been a jealous person... that's why she became a hunter. It was a sort of vendetta. Not having a power of her own when she was part alien fueled it."
Taylor sighed, the sudden reference of Natalia throwing him a little off guard.
He tried to push the feeling away so Mouse wouldn't worry.
Mouse.
Mouse tilted her head slightly, looking at Taylor sharply.
"Why, whenever Nat gets mentioned, do you get so uptight?"
Taylor
Taylor tried to look innocent.
"I... I don't know," he shrugged, "a lot happened, you know. I guess... I guess she's just a reminder."
He let Mouse go and stood up.
"Umm... I'm gonna... I'm gonna check on Malory..." he pointed his thumb over his shoulder, and headed in to where they'd left the fuzzle.
Mouse.
I *really* hate being lied to," Mouse informed the now empty room.
She got up, frowning in confusion and not a little anger and went to ther bedroom. She lay down on the bed carefully, slipped her headphones into her ears, spun the volume up full and snapped her book open.
"Cul."
Taylor
Taylor made his way out to where Malory's tank was, and sat down on a nearby chair to watch him.
Hearing Mouse go into the bedroom, he let loose and let some tears fall. After a moment, he wiped them away angrily. What if Mouse saw that he'd been crying? What if she concentrated and felt it?Looking out across the yard, he began tapping his heel on the ground. He knew he had to tell her eventually. Maybe once the triplets were born, then it wouldn't be too dangerous for her to know.
He wiped his eyes again, before his eyes turned back to Malory. The fuzzle returned his stare, swaying lightly on his feet.
Mouse.
Mouse read her book and listened to the scream of guitars and the crash of drums.
She was annoyed. No, she was angry. He didn't want to tell her? Fine. She didn't want to talk to him. Secrets got you killed.
She flipped over another page and cursed as she sliced her finger open. She stuck it in her mouth to ease the sting and kept reading.
Golden flickers chased across her eyes.
Taylor
Taylor frowned as he watched Malory, before sitting back in his chair.
"I know it's your doing," he said softly in mix, "it's only when you're around that I have thoughts of suicide."
He leant forward and put his hand up to the glass.
"You know what you're doing is wrong, and you revel in it."
Malory continued to sway, his eyes gazing up into Taylor's. Without one quick move, Taylor's hand was suddenly bleeding.
Cursing, Taylor pulled away, seeing that the glass had broken away in a small part of the tank and cut his hand. Grinding his teeth, he pulled a hanky out of his pocket and wrapped it around his hand, keeping his eye on the fuzzle.
He could break that glass if he wanted to. So why wasn't he?
Maybe he was waiting for the right moment. Taylor cursed silently again, trying to think of something else to use to contain him.
Mouse & Clarissa
Mouse looked up from her book briefly as Clarissa sat on the end of the bed. She turned the page of her book as she returned to reading.
Clarissa sighed and leant forward to pull the earphones off Mouse's head.
"Do you *mind*?" Mouse said to Clarissa frostily.
"What are you so mad about?"
"I know he's not telling me something, and he's probably not telling me cos he wants to *protect* me," Mouse spat.
"I hate it and I'm pissed. Answer your question?"
"So why don't you tell him that?"
Mouse rolled her eyes and slid the earphones back over her ears.
Bets padded in to stand next to Taylor. She could smell the blood on the glass and Taylor's hand.
Sure there's no way to kill it?
Taylor
"There is one way," Taylor replied, reaching down to scratch the malamute behind the ears.
"But it's not going to be easy. We have to find a white fuzzle, and they're just as rare as black."
He couldn't help but chuckle slightly.
"With my luck I've probably got the only one on the planet at the moment."
Mouse & Clarissa.
Ask lone and crazy. If he comes back. Bets said.
He probably won't. Mm. Maybe he might. He knew things.
"Mouse..." Clarissa tried again.
Mouse glared up at her, eyes flaring gold.
"Stop *bugging* me! When I put the headphones on this loud, it means I don't wanna *talk* to *anyone*!"
Flames roared up at Clarissa's face and the mutant fell off the bed.
"Holy shit!"
Mouse was bathed in firey radiance and the delighted giggle of one of the children flickered through her mind.
Taylor
Taylor frowned.
"Something's wrong..."
He instantly disregarded Malory's tank, and headed back inside. Hearing Clarissa cursing in the bedroom, he began down the hallway only to bump into Bee emerging from his room.
"Sorry Taylor..."
"What's going on?" Taylor frowned.
Mouse & Clarissa.
Clarissa crouched near the bed, afraid to say anything in case she disturbed whatever it was keeping the flames off Mouse. Steel was going to f*cking kill her. She was a dead woman walking.
Mouse closed her eyes as the book in her hands shrivelled into ash. The sheets were burning but the bed wasn't on fire yet. Her hair floated around her face, bouyed up by the flames.
^Warmsafehavenshhshhwarmprettyfirefirefire...^
I smell smoke. Bets said in a worried voice.
Taylor & Jason
Taylor's eyes widened as he rushed into the bedroom, then stopped short at the sight.
Bee came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, more to hold Taylor back than an reassurance.
His eyes flew between Mouse and Clarissa, as Bee created a small forcefield around Mouse to stop the flames getting any further.
"Ah... I..." Taylor stuttered, more worried than anything.
Mouse & Clarissa.
"No one said nuthin bout her being able to do that," Clarissa said.
"How did you do that?"
"Not me..."
Mouse kept her eyes closed as the flames surged against Bee's forcefield.
Taylor & Jason
"It's... it's one of the babies," Taylor stammered, glancing up at Bee, "it has to be. There's no other..."
Taylor spotted the bottom drawer of the bedside table open, the fuzzles watching, frightened. He made to go over to them, but Bee stopped him.
"Not until we know it's safe," he insisted.
Taylor gulped.
Mouse & Christina.
"When he gets bored, he'll stop," Mouse said.
"At the moment, he's having too much fun."
Clarissa slowly stood, uncoiling out of her crouch.
Taylor & Jason
Taylor glanced across at Clarissa.
"Can't you do something telepathically?" he almost begged.
"Like what?" Bee looked curious.
"Well the baby's taken over her mind, can't you push it away?"
Mouse & Clarissa.
"He has not," Mouse said, crossly.
"I'm prefectly aware of what is going on."
Clarissa shrugged.
"It's her in there."
Mouse & Clarissa.
"Sitting right here, and perfectly able to hear you," Mouse said crossly, eyes still closed.
"I haven't been taken over or anything. I'm trying to persuade him that he can play later and he should kill the flames now."
Clarissa shrugged slightly at Bee's look.
"It's only her in her head. Well, besides the wolf thing but that's normal for her."
Taylor & Jason
Taylor frowned, slightly confused as he watched Mouse.
She'd known he wasn't talking to her, so what was that about?
Bee put both hands on Taylor's shoulders, keeping the force fields in place.
Mouse & Clarissa.
"She's mad at you," Clarissa explained to Taylor kindly.
"And yet she's *still* sitting right here," Mouse said.
The flames roared up and out for a moment, beating at Bee's forcefeild.
"Zut." (Damn.)
Mouse's face took on a look of intense concentration and the flames slowly started to die.
^PleasepleasefirePRETTYWARMpleasemoooooothhhheeeeerrrrr!^ The fire child whined.
"Let it die now. Yes, I know it's pretty."
Taylor & Jason
"Mad?" Taylor's face took on a look of concern, "...why?"
"Let us concentrate on the problem at hand first, Taylor. One thing at a time," Bee insisted.
Mouse & Clarissa.
"Males," Clarissa said, then shook her head.
^Alright,GEEZ!KillingitnowohmomIwantitprettyprettyPRETTYFIRE!^
The fire winked out and Mouse opened her eyes.
"Bee, letting the shield down now?"
Taylor & Jason
Taylor stepped aside and leant against the wall with his hand.
"It was only precaution Miss," Bee insisted, thinning the shield, but not destroying it.
It wasn't as if she could tell it was there.
Mouse.
"Going to have to change the sheets," Mouse said distractedly.
"And annoyance, he burnt my book."
Taylor & Jason
Taylor looked her up and down, and gulped slightly.
"We can take care of it," Bee insisted.
"Umm... do you want anything? Mouse? Can I get you something?" Taylor asked softly, indicating the hallway.
Mouse & Clarissa.
"I need something to drink," Mouse said as she got up and away from the charred sheets.
"And a shower wouldn't be a bad idea, either."
"You go do that, and we'll get cleaned up here," Clarissa said.
Taylor & Jason
Taylor left to get a drink, and Bee went to fetch some clean linen.
Taylor soon returned with a glass, and slowly held it out to Mouse.
"Well, I guess I'll... I'll go and set the water running," he offered.
Mouse.
Mouse nodded and took the glass.
"That would be nice...I'm sorry, Tay. I..."
Taylor & Jason
"You don't have to be sorry," Taylor insisted, shaking his head.
"I'm sorry for making you mad. If... if I can make it up to you, I will, you know."
Mouse.
"Don't worry about it," Mouse insisted.
"I just..."
Taylor
Taylor tilted his head slightly, then looked to the ground.
"I'll... go get the shower ready."
And he left the room again.
Mouse & Clarissa.
"God, I'm so stupid..." Mouse murmured to herself.
"You're hormanal and pregnant, you don't have to make sense," Clarissa said.
Mouse smiled slightly.
"Guess this has to be good for something, huh?"
"Hey, milk it for all it's worth, baby."