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"Things That Go Bump in the Night"Written By: Honor Disclaimers: Oranges are purple, the Wizard of
OZ actually exists, and the boys have signed a contract saying they
legally belong to me. And, no, they weren’t under the influence
of drugs or alcohol when they signed it either…well, okay, not
much. ^_^ Pairings: 3x4, existing 5xM Rating: Velvet says it’s an R Spoilers: Nope Warnings: AU (so, SOOO AU), supernatural, lime,
violence, some language, my twisted sense of humor…need I say
more? Author’s Chaotic Rambling on No Particular
Subject: Yeah. No idea where this came from. Sat down
to work on the 4x6, and wrote thirty pages of this instead. Granted,
I was in the mood for some supernatural kinkiness, but I wasn’t
planning on writing it! Ah well. *emphasized*
" Things That Go Bump in the Night" Chapter 6 Whatever you are from nature, keep to it; never desert
your own line of talent. Be what nature intended you for, and you
will succeed; be anything else, and you will be ten thousands times
worse than nothing.
That night I was introduced to Chang Wufei, and his mate Meiran. Wufei was very serious, somewhat quiet—until Duo started to casually tease him, then he proved to have a very dry and wicked sense of humor. I liked him. Meiran was feisty and intelligent, and was very sympathetic with me. She and I were the only humans in the pack, Meiran being a clairvoyant of considerable power. We agreed to see if her ability could augment mine. It would be…interesting, if it could. Meiran dragged me to a different house, one slightly smaller than the one I lived in. As I entered, I started to realize that it was their house, Meiran’s and Wufei’s. She led me straight to a large room that was probably meant to be a den, but there was little furniture here. Just a few large pillows. The walls were a muted blue, the pillows in light greens and tans. The whole room just felt relaxing to me. Wufei followed us in, gracefully folding up on one of the pillows. I emulated him…not as gracefully, I must admit. Meiran sat right in front of me, eyes alert and filled with anticipation. “Have you ever worked with someone before?” “No.” I shrugged sheepishly. “Before this week, I could count on one hand the number of people who even knew of my ability. Is it complicated, melding powers?” “Sometimes. Especially if your partner,” Meiran shot a pointed look at Wufei “is used to being in control and is stubborn.” Wufei glared right back, but didn’t comment. Ah. I think I could guess. “It doesn’t matter to me who is in control. I’ll let you lead.” Nodding, she extended her hand. “It’s easier at first to connect with touch.” Actually, the first time I had tried to emit emotion I had done it by touching Trowa. Maybe it was instinctual? I took her hand in mine, holding it loosely and concentrated on just extending my sense to her. “Good,” she approved in a low murmur. Her power came out, touching mine. It must be noted at this point that a clairvoyant’s power feels like you stuck your pinky into a high voltage socket. I yelped in surprise, snatching back. Meiran blinked at me. “Quatre?” “You could have warned me it hurts!” “Wait, wait, wait, it hurts?” She had a dumbfounded look on her face that really didn’t do much to soothe my smarting head. “It’s not supposed to hurt! Just the opposite, it’s supposed to feel almost overwhelmingly good.” I shook my head to negate this, a little gingerly. Oww. I was so going to have a headache later. “I feel like I got struck by a bolt of electricity.” “Hm.” She was too surprised and confused to give me a better response. Wufei stirred a little, studying us both with an unreadable expression. “Meiran. Study his power levels for a moment.” She gave her mate a sharp look. “You know what is happening?” “I have a suspicion. Check the power level.” Meiran shifted until she could lay her hands carefully over my head. With her eyes closed she stayed there for a moment. I could feel her power barely touching mine, but it was a feather-light sensation. Slowly she drew back, and when she opened her eyes again it was clear she was very unnerved. “He’s…” “Ah. As I thought.” Wufei didn’t look particularly satisfied in being right. Actually he looked rather unnerved himself. “The reason Meiran’s power hurt you Quatre is because you’re too powerful. Your body is barely handling your ability as it is—adding more power to that just scorches your nerves.” “Oh.” I couldn’t figure out if this was a good thing or a bad thing. “I can’t amplify you,” Meiran muttered almost thoughtfully. “How far is your range?” “Er…well, I’m not sure. I called Duo once when he was about twenty miles away.” Meiran’s eyes bugged out of her head. So did Wufei’s. It was actually kind of funny. “Twenty miles?” they demanded in stereo. “That wasn’t my limit, I think I can go farther out.” After several seconds of impersonating a beached whale, Meiran got her mouth to cooperate again. “Wufei, go fly out beyond twenty miles. We need to test him.” He nodded in immediate agreement. “Until I get there, practice with him. I don’t particularly want an amateur empath loose in my clan.” “I wouldn’t hurt anyone,” I protested. “On purpose,” Meiran agreed, arching an eyebrow at me. …okay, that was a good point. I buckled down, really starting to focus as I practiced emitting emotions with Meiran. This was harder than it looked, and by the time that Wufei was in place I was starting to sweat with exertion. I played mental tag with him for nearly half an hour, until I lost all contact. I had no idea what distance he was away from me, so had to wait until he came back before I could find out what my range was. It’s funny, I’ve learned more about my ability in the past week than I have in years. “Let’s take a break,” Meiran suggested. “You look like you’re about done in.” “I feel like it.” Gratefully I closed my shields back up and let my ability rest. I’ve never really exercised it before, so I wasn’t sure what kind of effect this session was going to have. I’d just as soon avoid a migraine, thanks. “Quatre…do you mind if I ask something?” From the little that I know of Meiran, she doesn’t do ‘uncertain’. Whatever it was on her mind must be serious. “No, go ahead.” “Duo told me that you have journals from an ancestor who had joined a pack. Do those journals tell you anything about…relationships with wolves?” “No,” I slowly answered, watching her face carefully. “Oh.” She bit her lip a moment, then nodded decisively. “Alright, I’m going to fill you in. I think you know that just about everyone in this pack would die for you in a heartbeat. It’s not just what you are, but you’ve proven to care about us. The story of how you helped Heero and Duo after the attack on you spread—everyone knows it now.” I reddened at this. Actually, I hadn’t known what the pack thought of me. I was still trying to keep faces and names straight in my head. I was trying to do my job, and keep them happy and sane. I hadn’t really thought if I was completely accepted among them or not. “There is one person that admires you more than anyone else.” Meiran paused, looking at me expectantly. Huh? I had no idea who she was talking about. “Will you tell me who that is?” “You really don’t know?! Argh! Men are so dense!” It was a perfectly reasonable question! I wisely didn’t say that. “Trowa!” Meiran threw her hands up in the air. “It’s Trowa! Haven’t you noticed how protective he is of you? How he sees to your welfare without being asked?” Trowa? Quiet, sexy Trowa? Likes me? Holy smack! “…I thought it the actions of a friend…” I muttered in a complete daze. “Like I said, men are dense.” Again, I didn’t argue the point. “Meiran, just how different is a werewolf’s idea of dating from a human’s?” “Not that different. He is going to be very touchy feely with you though. More than a human would be. It’s a wolf’s way of showing affection.” I had no problem having a physically demonstrative Trowa around. Actually, my hormones were all for the idea. She narrowed her eyes at me thoughtfully. I recognized that look all too well. My sisters often wore it when they were curious about something that was sure to embarrass me. “Would you accept being courted from him?” The word ‘courted’ sounded so old fashioned, but she said it with a completely straight face so I knew she was serious. I didn’t need to think about this one. My idiotic smile gave her an adequate enough answer. She fell back against the pillow, sighing in relief. “Good. Now I don’t have to deal with a moping Trowa. He really has the biggest crush on you.” That was mutual. “So…is he going to make a move or do I have to do it?” “Oh he’ll make a move alright.” There was a sardonic weight to her words that made me wonder just how much of this situation she was aware of. I decided to let the subject drop. I had way too much to think about as it was. As we waited for Wufei to come back, I cast a casual ‘glance’ around my clan’s territory, just checking to make sure that everyone was okay. It was a habit I had developed after that first day of being here. My job was to keep everyone in my pack balanced, and I didn’t want to be caught asleep on the job. On the far outer boundary, and coming pretty quickly, were six weres that I didn’t recognize. They felt different too…like Noin, actually. Wait, I think one of them is Noin. Hm. “Meiran.” “Yes?” “We’ve got company.” + By the time our unexpected visitors had arrived, we were all settled and waiting for them. I had appraised Duo, and he had sent out several wolves immediately to escort them in. Then he had me ‘call’ Trowa, Heero, Wufei and Rashid, bringing them all to a fairly elaborate room. I can see right now I’m going to be Duo’s living pager. This room was somewhat like Duo’s meeting room upstairs, only fancier and with more chairs. It was set up like two opposing battle lines, and I had to think it was designed for the purpose of meeting with another clan. As we waited for them to arrive I leaned in close to Trowa and asked softly, “Another pack coming without warning is a major no-no isn’t it?” “Duo has every right to kill their packmaster over it,” Trowa whispered back darkly. Ah. Yeah, that’s a no-no in my book. “Would he?” “Depends. If they are coming here to ask for help, which I grant you isn’t likely, then he won’t. If they’re here to try and take over our territory, then fur will start flying.” I didn’t have time for any more questions as our unwelcome guests had arrived at that point. Noin was there, as was a very tall man with platinum blond hair and ice blue eyes. Four others followed him in that I didn’t recognize. He’d only brought six when coming into our territory? Surely this couldn’t be a declaration of war, he’d have brought more people otherwise. Duo stood as they entered, fairly radiating anger. “Zechs,” he growled out. “Why are you entering my territory?” “You’ve broken the law, Maxwell,” the platinum blond snapped back. “Why do you claim an unregistered empath as part of your pack? You know such a thing is forbidden!” Huh? Now this was something interesting. I glanced at my Packmaster, wondering what the hell was going on. This was the first time I had heard that my presence here was against the rules. Actually, Duo had acted as if my being part of the pack was solution not problem. “I did not claim him,” Duo refuted swiftly. “He chose this pack to be his own.” “Technicality,” Zechs retaliated heatedly. “You are still monopolizing the only empath on this continent!” I was really curious about the werepanther packmaster. I dropped three shields, but was careful to not extend my sense, just letting myself be open to emotion to avoid tipping anyone off as to what I was doing. I probably shouldn’t be doing it at all, but I wanted to get a feel for what was going on. Zechs was a bundle of power and anger and…desperation? I dropped another layer of shields, trying to understand exactly what was driving him to this. Ah. The desperation was linked to love. Someone important to him was in danger and he was desperate to save them. Considering how important this person was, I had a hunch he had brought them with him. I moved my sense over the crowd, but a little heavy-handedly. Noin stiffened when I accidentally brushed her. Damn, I really had to practice more. At the moment it didn’t make a difference however because I found her in the next minute. The dark blond standing in Zechs’ shadow was so close to losing her balance with the panther side of her it wasn’t funny. Sheer tenacity was keeping her from slipping. I stepped out of Duo’s shadow, and everyone’s eyes snapped to me. Slowly I crossed to her, and with every step I took the tension in the room went up a notch. By the time I reached her I felt like I was being oppressed by it. Very carefully I extended my arms, drawing her against me. She was watching me warily, unsure of my motives. At the first wave of calm, she shuddered slightly in surprise and pleasure. “Relax,” I whispered to her. “Let me help.” She sank into me by degrees, my hands soothing along her back and hair as I calmed her inner beast. By the time she was balanced again, she was purring with her head comfortably settled on my shoulder. I gently untangled her, lifting her head with my hands. “Better?” “Yes, thank you.” She smiled up at me. “How did you know?” “I could sense it,” I answered simply. Turning, I went back to Duo’s side. Time for damage control. “Packmaster, I ask for leniency for Packmaster Zechs. His…” I scratched my head a moment, before turning back to her. “Actually, what are you to him? I only know of your importance to his heart.” “Sister,” she supplied with slightly raised eyebrows. “Ah. Anyway, she was very close to turning. It was his concern for her that made him so desperate to have me.” Duo listened with a neutral expression. I could almost see the wheels spinning at high speeds. Zechs was staring at me in complete shock and with that strange greed I’d sensed from Noin the other day. That really did make me nervous. After a long moment Duo exhaled, and lost his rigid stance. “You truly are a Raberba through and through,” he muttered to me. “Very well. Zechs, I will allow this trespass—but only once. If you do this again I’ll rip your throat out.” It was a perfectly serious threat and everyone in the room knew it. “Now leave.” “Maxwell.” Zechs was calmer now, but no less determined than before. “I am thankful for your El-Szen’s efforts. Truly. But I still cannot let you monopolize him. We need him as much as you do.” “He chose us,” Duo reminded him sharply. Definitely losing his temper, my Packmaster was. “If you wish to negotiate borrowing his talents, then we will discuss it. You cannot have him however.” “He is an empath, you have no say on where he goes! Only the Council can decide that.” The words were reasonable enough—the feeling behind them was something entirely different. Zechs wanted me, he didn’t care about the Council (mental note, get explanation for that later). There was just greed in him, and something…twisted. Then he looked at me, and I felt exactly what he wanted. He wanted me—to dominate me, not just my power but me. It made me sick to my stomach feeling that from him. I wanted to crawl out of my own skin to escape it. Instinct rose and all the anger and disgust I felt built and sharpened. Before I fully realized what I was doing it spun out of my control and slammed straight into Zechs, hitting him hard. The werepanther flinched, doubling over with a sharp gasp. He dropped to his knees, curled in on himself and fought to breathe. I was just as stunned as everyone else. I…didn’t mean to do that. I did not mean to do that! Someone’s hands grasped my shoulders and I looked up into Trowa’s face, panicking. “I-I didn’t mean to—” “Calm down,” he murmured, gripping my shoulders firmly. “Calm down. Tell us what you did.” “He—what’s he’s feeling is wrong, he wants to use me…control me. I—it made me angry and, and I just lashed out without—oh god.” Trowa caught me up in a tight embrace, curled protectively around me and rubbed his cheek against the top of my head. I burrowed into his arms and tried to come to grips with the fact that I could hurt someone with my ability—without even meaning to. This was not something that I liked. Not at all. As garbled as my explanation was, Duo must have deciphered the gist of it because he started growling in rage. “Get your packmaster out of here or so help me I will rip his throat out!” I didn’t pay much attention when people quickly left the room. I just rested against Trowa, soaking up his warmth and strength. I felt a hand settle on my shoulder and I looked up into concerned violet eyes. “I don’t like this, Duo,” I whispered hoarsely. “I don’t like it that I can hurt people like that.” “Quatre, I don’t think anyone here can blame you for your response. From what I gathered, you felt that he wanted to dominate you, right? Not just your ability but to use you. Hell, if I felt that from someone else I’d lash out too.” “But not like that,” I repeated in panic. “My ability is to help not hurt!” Trowa turned my face up with a gentle hand until I looked up into his eyes. He was so calm about this, the exact opposite of how I felt. It made the panic in me fade a little. “Quatre, you’re wrong to think that. You were born with this ability, weren’t you? I was born with claws and fangs to help protect me. You were born with empathy—why shouldn’t you be able to use that as a means of protection?” You know, I had never thought of it like that. Most of my life my ability had been a sort of, well, dangerous crutch. Useful at times, but something that would alienate me from most people if they found out about it. Recently I had realized that it could help people as well. I guess it should have dawned on me that I could emit emotions other than calmness or pleasure, but it didn’t. “Still…I think I better get more control over myself.” “Practice never hurts,” Duo acknowledged with an approving nod. “Go get some rest, Q, I think you need it.” Trowa took it upon himself to make sure I obeyed that order and led me out of the room. He had an arm around my shoulders, keeping me tucked against his side and I was just as happy to stay there. There was something about touching Trowa that was very soothing, and nice in a tingly sense. We went up to my bedroom and the bed just looked so enticing that I couldn’t resist crawling onto it. Oh lord was my head pounding…I wriggled around on the mattress until I could put my aching head on a nice soft pillow. Ah. Much better. I felt the mattress dip, then Trowa spooned up against my back. He wanted to take a nap with me? You’ll notice I’m not complaining. I reached back, taking one of his hands and moved it until he had an arm wrapped comfortably around my chest. Hmmm. Much better. Barely, I felt him nuzzle against my temple before I was out like a light. ~*~*~*~
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