PotH: Revolution [PART 3] (NSFW)

He gathered her in his arms, quickly made back for the basement.

*

Oh, how he wanted to kill this bastard right then and there. However, he would honor Cross' wishes to be the one to finish him. "...A parting gift, from all four of us." He drove the knife down the wolf's front, leaving a clean slash down his chest. "Cross is the predator, not me. Not get out of my sight, before I change my mind. And I'll know if you've left or not, so don't try anything."

She wheezed, curling her fingers into his fur. She couldn't see straight.

*

The wolf looked up at Dart, smile vile, and walked off. Big mistake.

He burst inside the room again. "Luna!"

The hedgehog was quickly upon him. The bleeding had stopped, but the wound was still open. Yue pulled a sewing kit from her jacket, tossed it to her sister. "Table!" she commanded, and Briggs swiped the table clean, Cross setting the hedgecat on top.

She quickly got to work, patched up the wound, sealed it with another serum.

*

Dart watched him leave, eyes narrowing slightly. He knew he was going to regret that... But left it, slipping through the wall, and back into the house.

Danny sat up, eyes wide. "Mom?!"

The hedgecat tried an encouraging smile, but this wasn't in any way fun. She'd been an idiot going up the stairs like that. And now Sever was alive and... Damn it all... Her eyes closed.

"She'll be okay," Trip assured the cat and his wide-eyed son.

Cross took a seat in a vacant chair, holding his wife's hand. He felt empty. He had failed... again...

"Cross..." Briggs looked up at him, shook his head. "Well, fuck."

Dart walked in soon after, went right to his wife. "...He got away," he said, holding her hand gently.

Star squeezed his hand, sitting up once her breathing had steadied. She grabbed Cross and held him tightly. "I'm sorry."

Danny whimpered softly, worried.

Cross shook his head, tears falling. "It's all my fault. What was I thinking, trying to end it on his terms? I should've just kept shooting..."

Dart pulled Danny into a tight embrace. He hated himself for letting Sever go like that, knowing full well that it was over... "Third time's the charm. He won't get away again."

Luna sighed. "You guys better not let Damien know. He'll have a conniption."

Star kissed him softly, trembling. "You're just good, Cross. And he takes advantage of it. It's not your fault. He's a sick bastard; it's okay."

Trip shook his head, rubbing his wife's belly. "No, we can't just keep it a secret from him. We'll just have to tell him that he escaped..."

Cross heaved a shuddering sigh. "Twenty years, and I'm still just another goody-two-shoes hero... Damn it all...."

"And if he finds out Dart let him get away? C'mon, Trip, we all know Dart's the best there is. If Cross couldn't kill Sever, Dart's right after him."

"Cross... I love you."

Trip sighed. "And when Sever shows up again? What do we say? 'Oh, look, a ghost' isn't going to cut it."

"...I love you, too." He brought their mouths together.

"Come on, Trip," Luna mused. "We've got all kinds of powers, cursed blades, and they're not gonna omit a ghost theory?"

"Sure, I've seen ghosts before and I'm open to such ideas around here, but I'm not taking a bullshit lie." He walked in, helmet under arm. "So, the main target escaped I presume?"

The fox sighed. "Yeah. How did you fare? And what about Filch?"

Cross broke the kiss, sighed. "...I underestimated his cunning."

Dart averted his gaze slightly, focusing on Danny. He was too mentally and emotionally unstable. That human couldn't know...

"Shit happens," Briggs said simply. "He knows not to fuck with us, now. By the time he gets it together, everyone'll be here, and we'll be ready. And the rat's dead. I gotta go back out there, and shove his tail up his ass."

"I'm fine, Katherine's got a few cuts, but it's nothing that a few band-aids won't fix. With the help of Grace, her sentinals, and a plenty of SS personel, there is nothing left of Sever's little army. Most are dead, the rest are captured and are awaiting their 'interrogation' by some of our 'interrogation specialists'. I anticipate names and locations...and anything else that can be squeezed out of them before we let them die."

"Good," Cross said, finally looking up at him. "Any information would be beneficial, for us and the Europe team. By the way, heard anything from Akira?"

"Negative. Last I heard, her and the rest of the Europe team were gearing up to find Zidane's wife, and that Kane did something to himself. Something about him going from showing his age to acting twenty years younger in the minutes he left her line of sight and hearing range."

Star looked up, then sighed, pressed her face into Cross's shoulder. "He took it... At least his family's with him..."

Trip sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "Damn."

Nat blinked. "Is something wrong?"

Luna straightened up. So, he's finally used that, huh? She remembered working on that serum with her mother, and presenting it to him. "...Sounds like, unlike here, it's the final chapter of the war in Europe."

Dart nodded. He felt sorry for Dusk. Even though they argued to no end, he knew that his cousin loved his father.

"What did he do? She did mention Mani may have been involved, what did she give him?"

Luna sighed. "It's a special energy serum. Mani's been exploring the possibility of a 'fountain of youth,' but in light of Kane's failing health, she went a different path, creating a 'last stand' serum for him. He has the potential of his prime now, but once it wears off... he may not last much longer."

"So, it restores him to his youthful vitality, at the cost of killing him upon wearing off? He wants to go out with a bang, huh? I can respect that."

Dart sighed. "Aurore... Dusk... Dawn..."

Luna looked over. "It must be crushing them, right now..."

Cross shook his head. "They might not look it, but they're just as hardened as anyone else."

"This just means we need to make sure that everything they have is everything they need." Sunny voice's was uncharacteristically soft. "It'd be a hell of a waste if they weren't completely ready to take that French idiot out."

"They have SS's support. The Revenge of the Fallen is in orbit right now. All they need to do is ask."