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It was Christmas Eve when a bright red Mustang pulled up to the mansion, and a woman climbed out of the car to bang on the front door. She had short hair, dyed — this time in black with bright red streaks — and she looked to be in a bit of a state, if the bottles of expensive liquor in the front seat were any indication.She kept banging on the door for some time before she started to shout as well, "Katherine Bishop, I know you're in there, you cheat. Stop hiding and come out!"When the door finally did open, it clearly wasn't who Susan Bishop had expected as a tall brunette with his arms crossed was standing in the entryway."Can I help you?" Scott asked as he looked down his nose at the obstinate woman.Susan peered up at him for a moment and glared. "You're not him, are you?" she asked, slightly slurred. "The one she's engaged too?""I'm afraid not," he replied, holding up his left hand to show that he was already taken."Good." She drew herself up a bit taller and gave him her best glare, and though it was obvious she was related to Kate, the glare had none of the power Kate's did. "It's Christmas Eve. And I'm going to see my sister."Scott looked over his shoulder for a moment before he turned back to her. "I'm not sure she's around, to be honest. She had plans tonight.""Well that's just typical." Susan tried to see around him as best she could. "Little Katie hiding behind people again. Can't even be bothered to tell me her plans.""I'm sorry, but — did you tell her you were coming? She's been here for quite a while now, and I can't say that I've ever seen you before.""Like I'd ever be caught dead here," she said with a sneer."Then perhaps it's best you just leave if that's how you feel," Scott said, already closing the door."You tell her she can't just — I'm her sister," Susan said in an increasingly scandalized tone."If that's true, then you shouldn't have any trouble giving her the courtesy of a phone call." He gave her a tight smile. "The number hasn't changed.""You tell me where she's gone," Susan demanded.At that Scott slipped outside and crossed his arms over his chest again as he glared down at her. "Lady, I don't have to tell you anything. If you want to talk to your sister, give her a phone call and tell her you're here. Outside of an act of God, you're not getting past me otherwise."She matched his glare for a long moment before she sneered at him and turned on her heel. "Giuletta was right. She's fallen in with freaks and losers. No wonder she's gone down the drain."Scott actually laughed at that one. "Yeah, that's gonna make me want to give you what you want."She just tipped her chin at him. "Laugh if you want, but when I'm through with her... " She glared again and stomped off, muttering something about the "board.""Drive safely," Scott called out before he picked up his cell and called up Anton. "I've got a drunk driver leaving the school right now. Red mustang, you need the plate number?"Kate and Kurt came back from their midnight Christmas Mass all smiles the morning of Christmas Day, completely in the dark as to Kate's "family visit" the previous day as they settled in for breakfast a bit later than everyone else, seeing as they'd been up all night."It's even more fun when I feel like I understand more of it," Kate told Kurt as she poured them both a cup of coffee. "Next year, I'll go up with you for the communion."Kurt just grinned her way and nodded. "It really does complete the experience."She sat down beside him with the coffee and leaned into his arm. "It'll be our first Christmas as a married couple too," she muttered. "So lots of firsts next year.""How was Mass?" K asked as she and Logan came into the kitchen."Really fun," Kate said earnestly, picking her head up off of Kurt's arm to grin at them as Kurt nodded his agreement."Merry Christmas," he said, the smile steadily growing."God Jul," K replied, leaning into Logan. The two of them seemed to have come to an agreement after the Japan trip and as a result, both of them were a little easier for everyone to deal with."Did you get the presents we got you?" Kate asked. "I asked the bamfs to 'port them in last night, but I wanted to double check.""Yep, sure did. They woke us up with all the brimstone," Logan told her. "They don't get time zones, apparently.""Sorry about that," Kurt said with a sheepish grin. "They do try."Logan just shrugged and took his coffee into the dining room to do the slow wake up. "I was going to make Swedish pancakes, but … I got distracted. Sorry," K said to Kate.Kate made a show of looking thoroughly disappointed before she let out a breath. "That's alright. It's the thought that counts," she said with a little grin. "Have you seen Annie yet this morning? She hasn't had the twins yet, has she? I'm still hoping for a birthday share.""There was no rampant panic in the halls, so I think she's probably still entirely miserable," K replied. "Thought about bringing her breakfast but I don't want to screw with the sweet tea."Kate clicked her tongue in sympathy and nodded. "Well we found a couple really cute onesies in Switzerland. I would've had the bamfs 'port them in too, but Annie gets super sick around the brimstone smell.""Not for much longer, I'm sure.""So, did we miss anything while we were gone?" Kurt asked over his coffee. "It sounds like we didn't miss the big things, anyway."Logan and K both looked to each other just before Scott walked in. "Slim has a message for ya," Logan said. "Don'cha, Scotty?"Kate and Kurt glanced at each other before Kate waved at Scott. "Heya, boss man. Merry Christmas. What's the message?"Scott huffed a bit and shook his head. "Depends on how much of a message you want, honestly. Your sister showed up yesterday afternoon ... or, she said she was your sister. She was drunk and rolled up in a bright red mustang — got a little heated when I told her I needed more than her word to let her inside.""Bright red mustang sounds like her," Kate said with a sigh. "I'm sorry — she's a handful when she drinks.""I told her to give you a phone call so you could clear her. She was drunk enough that ... well, I doubt she drove herself all the way home."Kate raised an eyebrow and checked her phone. "She hasn't called or texted me in ages," she said, shaking her head. "What the heck's she doing at the mansion, anyway? I thought she was up in Maine with her second husband.""She wouldn't say — more than just to scream at the door and make a scene. She wanted to talk to you."Kate sighed and ran a hand over her face, but she nodded. "Yeah, I'll give her a call. Who knows what she wants, but hey, it's nice to know she was thinking about me on Christmas Eve," she said with a bit of a snort."I don't know what kind of a relationship you have with her, but the next time she comes back like that, I'm going to send Logan and K to answer the door," Scott warned."She won't come back," Kate promised. "I'll… figure out whatever this is and get her sorted out. We're usually pretty square, but her second husband's a jerk, so... " She shrugged. "Family drama. Holidays. It's a thing." As she said it, she leaned over and planted a kiss on Kurt''s cheek. "Sorry in advance for the in-laws. Sadly, we can't just lock mine up on an island somewhere.""You don't know that for sure," Kurt teased."That's true. She might like a tropical island home," Kate said, pretending to think about it. "She spends half her time sailing around on cruises and yachting anyway.""Sounds boring as hell," K commented dryly. "Palm trees and no fires to warm up by.""Yeah, without the pirates, what's the point of the high seas?" Kate teased Kurt's way and he just smirked at her for a moment and pressed a kiss to her temple."Utterly boring," he agreed.The Christmas morning continued that way for a while — mostly quiet as everyone who had a significant other seemed to have decided to take a page out of Kate and Kurt's book and disappear for a while. It wasn't quite the big party affair that it had been last year.But there was a flurry of excitement toward the end of the day, as Annie's sister Theresa had come over to help make a big Christmas dinner while Annie wasn't feeling up to it — and of course, right as it was time to eat, there was a knock at the door.Everyone kind of looked at each other for a moment, and K shook her head, gave Logan a quick kiss and slipped off to see what kind of lunatic was wandering around waaaaay out there on Christmas Day. But she still had to laugh when she opened the door to see Tony standing there with a few crates and wearing a Santa hat.He grinned at her and picked her up in a hug. "Have you been naughty or nice?" he asked when he set her back down."I'm not entirely sure? But I'm not sitting on your lap to find out," K shot back with a grin.He just grinned wider at her as he threw his arm back to gesture at the crates. "So, I loved the ideas you sent? And I improved them, of course.""Naturally," she said with a nod as a few of the guys started to step into the entryway."And then I thought — well, it's Christmas. So why not bring some for some of my favorite X-Men?" he added with a grin. "So I made a few more of those bracelets, and wait 'til your resident Hawkeye gets a load of the EMPs — those should knock out your cyborg and robot problems. What is it with you guys and cyborgs, anyway? Don't answer that — I don't want to know.""I'm not sure," she said with a little smile. "Come on in, ya lunatic." He stepped the rest of the way inside, and before the rest of the group could say or do anything, his hired men picked up the crates and hauled them in. He threw an arm around K's shoulders and waved Kate over when she peeked around the corner."Santa Stark," K said, pointing at him."I see that," Kate laughed, shaking her head."I'm confused, though — are you the milk and cookies type or more the whiskey and ice type?" K teased."Oh, definitely whiskey and ice," he said. "I think itty bitty Kate's old enough to know the truth about Santa now, all grown up. No ponies this year, huh, Katie?""Barn's full already," Kate answered with a shrug.Tony just laughed and shrugged. "Second crate's yours, Hawkeye. Clint won't touch the EMPs, but I figured you should have a good collection of 'em." He grinned at K under his arm. "Seriously. So many robots. What is this obsession?""I know, right?" she said, shaking her head. "Okay, show us what you have — in the crates. Please."He grinned wider as his hired men levered open the crates and then launched into an explanation for their benefit of all the different toys he'd brought. K's specifications for a DNA-specific gun, he said, was brilliant, and he'd even figured out a few fun rounds that she hadn't asked for. He opened up the case and made a point not to touch it before he let her hold it. "There ya go. First touch. All yours, sweetheart.""You say that to all the girls, don't you?" K shook her head with a grin, picked up the pistol, and went through all of the usual safety procedures. "We're gonna need to play with this later," K said looking up at Logan. "After-dinner explosions I think.""Why do you think I brought it here personally?" Tony asked with a grin. "Come on, K. A man's got to see his inventions in action.""I'm game," she said. "Okay — Kate's turn." She moved to slip out from under his arm so he could hang on Kate for a few minutes, sure to bring the gun with her to hand to Logan to check over too.Kate had to laugh as Tony ran over the explanation of the new arrows — from new putty ones that would "stick faster and harder and longer" (he said, waggling his eyebrows) to the EMPs to deal with their "weird cyborg infestation problems" to the quiver that he promised she could take through security and never set off a single alarm.He was in full exhibition mode, showing off the inventions and explaining well over their heads half the work that had gone into it before Annie politely noted that dinner was waiting for them and invited him to eat with them.He grabbed both Kate and K by the arms with a wide grin. "Come on, ladies. Dinner — and then explosions."Logan and Kurt both shared a look before Kurt quietly reminded Logan that the whole point of these inventions was to keep the girls safer as they headed into the dining room to take their seats next to their fiances. K grinned at both of them and leaned over to kiss Logan before it could get out of hand with Stark's ridiculous games.Theresa's little boys were also there at dinner, and Aman, as usual, went straight to Kurt, which got a little suggestive eyebrow wiggle from Tony Kate's way as Kurt's biggest fan crawled up in his lap, still clutching his bamf doll in one hand.And both of Rachel and Anton's little girls were giggling shyly and 'whispering' about Iron Man from down at their end of the table until Kate waved them over to say hi. Mary Beth crawled right up to steal Tony's Santa hat and refused to give it back, though Tony didn't seem to mind at all.Somehow, Tony kept the energy up all through dinner, to the kids' delight, answering all their questions about what it was like to be Iron Man — and by the time they were all done, he was practically bouncing in place asking where the target range was."Seeing as you have EMP's?" Scott said with a severely disapproving look. "Take it outside."Kate shot a little smirk Scott's way. "I'll show you where I set up for the archery classes when the weather's nice," she told Tony. "I want to test out the putties. Those are great for messing with big and ugly guys." She shot a glance K's way."I loved the pictures, by the way," Tony said with a grin."I did too," Annie said with a little smirk as Scott looked like he was doing his very best not to say something about that in front of all her family."All her." Kate jerked her thumb over K's way as she gave them a tiny bow."Let's get it over with while you still have some light to shoot with," Logan said.The two women were more than happy to test out their new toys — and as expected from a Stark invention, the explosions were spectacular. It was exactly the kind of show they'd been hoping for on Christmas Day, and both women were grinning widely by the time it was through."Do you ever shoot rifles too?" Tony asked when K cleared the last of the targets with the explosive rounds."Why?" she asked. "You think you've got something big and bad enough for little old me?""Just curious as to what you consider too big of a gun," he said with a smirk."If you need to mount it to a vehicle, it's too big," she replied easily. "Unless you're just a little bitch.""Well. If you guys ever have need of a sniper rifle — I think … I have something perfect for you.""Not likely an issue," K told him. "But it sounds like fun. Tell you what, I'll call you if the occasion comes up." With that, Logan and Kurt stepped up and gave Tony a warning look, but it was clear that his mood was pretty well unsinkable tonight as he bounced all the way back up to the house, even turning to the guys and promising to keep the girls well-stocked in fresh arrows and rounds.They sent him off, laughing to themselves, and when the four of them got into the house, Scott was standing there with his arms crossed and one eyebrow raised."What's up, boss man?" Kate asked with a grin."Is this going to be a regular occurrence? Stark just ... inviting himself over with new and more dangerous weapons?" Scott asked."Kinda sounds like it," K said with a shrug. "Is that a problem? I mean ... Mr. Big Bad Iron Man making sure that the poor defenseless little girls here have some super special tools to take down creeps like the one that tried to snatch your beloved?" She tipped her head to the side and stared up at him with slightly widened eyes."I'd like a little heads-up," Scott said with a dry look. "Not all our uninvited holiday guests are so…" He let the sentence drop and shook his head."I didn't know he was coming over tonight," K promised, keeping up her innocent look. "And honestly, I expected he wouldn't finish this thing for a few months."He just shook his head. "Alright. Next year? He has to call ahead.""I'll just tell him that's a general rule, okay?" K offered. "But I can't promise that he'll listen.""He'll listen," Logan said with a nod, and K smiled and kissed him hard, promising to keep her cold hands to herself just this once.Scott tipped his head Logan's way and smirked for a moment before he turned back to go find Annie. "Merry Christmas," he said over his shoulder.Logan looked over at Kurt "Can you have the bamfs bring all that crap upstairs? I'll take care of this one." He tipped his head toward K. "DNA specific or not, those rounds shouldn't be near the kids here." Kurt nodded and gave the bamfs their directions as Logan gave K a kiss then tossed her over his shoulder. "G'nite," he said with a little smirk before he headed off with her.Kate watched them leave with a smirk before she slid her arms around Kurt from behind and leaned her head into the space between his shoulder blades. "I think they have the right idea.""Yes, in situations like this, they usually do," Kurt agreed. "Did you want to walk tonight or take the quick route?""Oh, I think I'm way too tired out from all the Christmas fun," she said with a laugh. "Walking just sounds like no fun.""Santa Stark took it out of all of us, I think," Kurt replied. "If not for the girls being too young to catch those innuendos, I think Scott might have had a stroke.""Yeah, he's… Tony." Kate laughed into his back. "I hope he didn't take all your energy.""We'll just have to see," Kurt teased before he teleported them right up to their room.
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It was well after midnight when the scanners on the outside of the mansion recorded Kitty's handprints, and Mystique slipped into the mansion quietly, with Azazel close behind her looking smug."And here I was expecting more from the famed X-Men," he chuckled quietly as the two of them made their way upstairs in the darkened mansion, moving quietly and in tandem — and most importantly, away from the island where Azazel was supposed to be banished.Of course, the mansion was far different than the last time Mystique had infiltrated it, and when the silent, secondary DNA scan didn't match the handprint that she had tried to pass off as Kitty's, it sent a silent alarm straight to Scott — with a backup alert to Noh in case Scott was out of contact for any reason. It was a good system.The alert woke Scott, and as soon as he checked the comm, he sent another alert, this time to Logan — to let them know they had some kind of shape shifting problem. The benefits of having a Skrull hunter design their security system were starting to show through.Still, for the time being, both Azazel and Raven thought their infiltration had gone unnoticed, as they made their way upstairs toward the bedrooms. Both of them moved silently, but with a specific purpose: Azazel planned to get rid of Wolverine, still mad at him for stopping his previous escape attempts and believing that putting him out of the way would make his plans to use Kurt to his advantage that much easier. And Raven… well, she was absolutely on board with getting rid of him.But while Raven's knowledge of the mansion's security was extensive, she didn't know which of the rooms was Logan's, and they peered into a few empty rooms along the way until they found one that was occupied — though not by who they'd expected to find.Kate and Kurt were sound asleep, Kate sleeping with her head on Kurt's chest and her arm over his middle, with his arm around her shoulders. Raven looked surprised to see that Kate was still alive, considering how she had come to be stranded on an island with Azazel and subsequently forced to work with him, but Azazel looked simply delighted, especially when he noticed the sparkling diamond on Kate's ring finger.As Azazel stepped into the room, chuckling to himself at his good fortune, and closed the door behind himself and Raven, the noise woke one of the bamfs, who startled and let out a squeak, and in a second, the rest of the little guys had simply scattered, hiding under the bed or behind furniture. They knew better than to teleport — and risk giving Azazel a "path" to the other side — but they found other ways to hide, with a couple of them even going for the window or hiding in the bathroom.Of course, since some of the bamfs had been curled up asleep on the bed with Kate and Kurt before they woke up, their scattering stirred the sleeping couple. Kate picked up her head for just a moment, and Kurt stirred to look around. His gaze fell on Raven first, and he positively stiffened, but Kate had seen Azazel by the door and let out a soft soft of gasp that, thankfully, alerted Kurt to his father's position before he would have teleported over to get in his mother's face for coming into their home.Azazel still looked delighted as he looked over at Mystique for a moment. "And here I thought you said she was dead, my dear. You must be getting sloppy.""This is what happens when I allow someone to live out their own little revenge tales," Raven said coldly."Don't just stare, boy — tell dear old Mom and Dad about the nuptials we missed," Azazel said with a toothy grin.Kurt was glaring hard between the both of them and flat ignored the question. "How did you get off the island?" he demanded, his arm around Kate in a clearly protective gesture, though his tail was straight and still behind him."Actually, I have you to thank for that," Azazel said as he paced a few steps closer, still looking happier than he had any right to look. "Your mother told me about how she came to wash up on my shores — I didn't think you had it in you, boy. There may be hope for you after all."Both Kurt and Kate were simply glaring — unable to find the words. They could see Kurt's swords and Kate's bow just across the room, but both Azazel and Mystique were between them and their weapons, Mystique with a sort of smirk and Azazel with that same toothy grin. And on top of all that, when Kurt moved to shift position — meaning to get ready to pounce as soon as Azazel was close enough — he found that he couldn't.After K and Logan caught the message from Scott, they split up. Scott was outside, Noh was running the sublevels, Logan was on the main floor, and K was working her way through the dormitory areas. So far, as far as she had found, all of the kids were safe and sound — and she'd finished one wing of the teachers' quarters when she heard a voice that she was totally unfamiliar with.She padded silently to Kurt and Kate's room and listened for a minute as this random person sounded as if he was taunting Kurt, daring Kurt to stop him. She frowned deeper when a familiar woman's voice echoed the room alongside the man's, though both were obviously still trying to keep quiet, considering the volume they were using.She glared at the carpet before she simply opened the door and burst in — though she froze once she was inside. Kurt and Kate were in bed, unmoving, as a man not unlike Kurt in appearance was playing with Kate's hair, seated close behind her with his other hand gripping her arm as clearly, this was what he was taunting the frozen Kurt to try and stop, all while Kurt looked furious — but was unable to do a thing about it.And the familiar blue shapeshifter was near the foot of Kurt's bed. She wasn't participating in the taunting, though she was watching with a look of pure amusement — and for a moment, on seeing the blue-skinned witch, K simply ignored the other threat and rushed her with a snarl.Mystique tried to catch K as she sailed through the air at her, but she moved differently than Raven was used to and K sank her claws into Mystique's shoulder on the first blow — nearly in the same spot as last time. Raven landed a punch to K's side, but before she could pull her arm back for a second strike, K bit her above the elbow, earning a cry of pain much more acute than the one from the stab wound.And as the two women fought, the red-furred man was lazily leaning back and watching the entire exchange with a wide smile on his face — though when it was clear that Mystique was losing, he almost lazily waved his hand and shot an energy blast their way that simply froze K in position for a moment.Azazel grinned ear to ear after K dropped, and he chuckled as he looked over at Kurt. "I see you found a pet for your wife as well," he said. "This one seems a bit more vicious than yours." It didn't look like Kurt was able to do much else but glare, and he just chuckled low as he looked for a moment toward Mystique. "That's twice I've saved you, my dear."Raven glared hard at him as she kicked at K and let out a sneer, her gun drawn and pointed at K as she let out some of her frustration. "Let's just get what we came here for," she said low. "If this one is awake, the others are likely just behind her."Azazel let out a long sigh. "I suppose," he said, as if this was an imposition. He stood up slowly and smirked Kurt's way for a moment. "The next time our paths cross, I expect more joyous news," he said as he flicked his tail through Kate's hair once more before he broke into a small laugh. "Don't make me wait too long."Kurt was glaring harder than ever, and that just seemed to entertain him more. "You'll want to move faster, my boy — I'm sure you'll feel the absence of your pets keenly. It's just a shame the little one won't have one of their own." He grinned at both of them as he headed for the door. "It was a pleasure to see you alive, dear girl. Please do stay that way — at the very least, until I can see my next grandchild… or two."Azazel was nearly to the door, still wearing that same amused smirk, when Scott arrived, with one of the bamfs pulling on his hand. One of the little guys who had scampered through the window had clearly gone for backup, and while he was shrinking away from Azazel, Scott wasn't. At all. As soon as he saw the demon king, he simply lifted his glasses and full-on blasted him into the far wall.Azazel sank to his knees, stunned and nearly unconscious from the unfiltered blast, and at last, the others in the room could move as Kurt shouted, "You can't kill him! That will only help him!" as both he and Kate rushed for their weapons.With the tide clearly turning out of her favor now that backup had arrived and the other three X-Men in the room were able to move again, the still-injured Mystique made a break for the door, though she didn't get more than a few steps forward before Scott blasted her back as well, rushing her after she hit the wall. She fought him briefly hand-to-hand, though with the damage K had already done to her shoulder, not to mention the hard hit Scott had just delivered her, there was simply no way she could win.And as Kurt reached his swords, and Kate her bow, the still-recovering Azazel let out a cry, and both of them turned to see that K had hauled his head backwards by his ears. She'd more or less dove at him and was using her legs to pin his arms halfway behind his back. "If I can't kill him, what can I do?" K asked, cranking on him harder."Another vicious little animal bent on violence," Azazel spit out through his teeth. He snaked his tail around her neck as he spoke to try and strangle her, but she simply dropped her chin before he could tighten the tail bit the hell out of it until her teeth met bone, and he cried out, immediately retracting the now-badly bleeding tail."Get him restrained or unconscious so we can put him back where he belongs," Kurt spit out, absolutely livid, as he reached his swords and jumped in to help Scott with Mystique while Kate pulled out her bow and shot a couple putties at Azazel to keep him in place for K, hitting him with a tranquilizing arrow next that she knew wouldn't stop him, not with his healing, but might at least keep him slightly subdued so he wouldn't take over anyone's minds."And keep him out of your head," Kate said, still not happy about how things had gone down when she first met the guy.K just nodded before she turned her attention back to the demon in her grasp. She tore off one of Azazel's ears just to get him howling — and to throw his head further back for her — before she wrapped that arm around his throat until he blacked out, the whole time whispering to him that she wasn't going to kill him yet.With Azazel out of the picture, the fight was over as soon as Kurt pinned Mystique with both of his swords crossed underneath her chin. And that was when Noh arrived and took in the scene with a quizzical expression. "You… seem to have this matter well in hand," he said mildly."Noh, we need to keep these two separated," Kurt said over his shoulder without taking his gaze off of Mystique. "And send my father back where he belongs.""I can put them in stasis for transport," Noh offered, looking between the unconscious and bloodied demon and the bleeding assassin at Kurt's mercy. "When last we were in Hala, I might have liberated some of the requisite technology.""As long as there's no chance of their getting out," Kate said, shouldering her bow and wrapping her arms around herself at her elbows.Noh nodded and disappeared in a flash, only to reappear a few moments later with a small device that he clicked twice — and both Mystique and Azazel, who was starting to stir, healing fast, were rendered motionless.Kurt let out a sigh and took a step back from Mystique but didn't sheath his swords as Noh said, "If you tell me where you would like them delivered, I will make sure it happens.""I'll give you the coordinates," Kurt said. He let out a sigh and then sheathed one sword. "I'll come with you — if you can stay with Kate," he said, over his shoulder toward K. "I'd just like to make sure they stay where they're supposed to.""Sure," K said, though she looked a bit green now that the fight was over. "I'll be here.""I'll prep the jet for you," Scott offered. "You two just focus on getting these guys out of here." He glanced K's way for a moment with a frown but shook his head, and the three men took their captives out, every one of them making sure to keep their eyes peeled for the slightest movement and to keep their grips tight so that there wouldn't be any chance of escape.As soon as they walked out of the door, Kate did a full-body shiver and started to tell K about what had happened before she arrived, but K held up one finger and made her way over to the bathroom — and after a rush of activity, she started to throw up.Kate gasped and then rushed over. "Are you — how did—" She gave up on trying to ask anything, considering she knew she wasn't going to get any answers, and instead just reached over to help K hold back her hair and waited for whatever this was to pass.It took some time — much longer than either of them could have anticipated — and by the time she was done, K could practically hear Kate's line of thought. She knew she had to put that assumption to rest immediately. "I think … I think it was the blood," K said finally. "From when I bit him.""Ooh, right." Kate let out a breath. "Yeah, that makes sense. Last time I saw him, Logan's blood — it hurt him, but it made it easy for Azazel to control him. Makes sense that his blood would work the opposite way on you guys." She offered K a towel to wipe her face. "Sorry.""It's fine," K replied. "He tried to strangle me with that stupid tail. It was all I had available — teeth."Kate let out a breath and nodded. "He's… he's a creep," she said, her head tipped to the side as she watched K and her arms wrapped around herself once more. "He's supposed to stay on this stupid island in the Caribbean, but you can see how well that is going for us.""Right," K said as she glanced up at Kate. "Why can't we kill him? Because he was poking around in my head — and I did not … like that at all.""Yeah, I know. Trust me, I know," Kate said with another full-body shiver. "He's…" She let out a breath. "He's trying to bait Kurt into teleporting — or one of us into killing him. So he can go to Hell, where his armies are," she explained, knowing that K hadn't been around for the first time Kate had met him and learned about his stupid plans. "When Kurt teleports, he travels through Hell, and Azazel wants to piggyback on that trail, I guess." She wrapped her arms a little tighter. "I mean, if he dies, he gets there too — but otherwise, apparently, Kurt did something that banished him from Hell, so those are the only two ways he knows he can get there." She shook her head lightly. "Honestly, I think he's trying to get Kurt to teleport more than he's trying to die. He's too… vain to go that route, not to mention he heals…" She trailed off, still creeped out and absently pulling her hair off of her neck where Azazel had been playing with it because she could still feel his breath on the nape of her neck.K frowned as she watched Kate. "What's with the creepy baby talk?""That's ... I mean, I don't understand the magic involved, but apparently he gets power from his descendants," Kate said, scrunching her nose."Typical in-law problems," K teased with a smirk."Yeah. Not even married and already he's asking for grandchildren," Kate said with a weak smile."So pushy," K said, shaking her head. "He needs a puppy."Kate pulled a horrible face. "He'd kill the puppy. Let's not do that to any dog, please.""Then he can't be trusted with grandchildren. Clearly." K rested her forehead on her arms. "Maybe a houseplant.""There ya go." Kate let out a sigh and put her hand on K's shoulder as she leaned against the wall. "Though he'd probably kill that too. Kurt ... Kurt told me he killed just about all his descendants. Made them sacrifice themselves... and now he's trying to build up a new batch to regain his powers because he's, I guess, weaker while he's stranded here," she said, whisper-quiet. "Which… is hard to believe, I know, because he's just so…""That's disgusting," K replied. "Do I want to know … nevermind. No, I do not.""It's disturbing." Kate shuddered. "And he just ... ugh.""Well. I guess be happy he's not eyeing you for himself," K pointed out, peeking up at Kate to watch her reaction. "If you want to nibble on his ear, it's still on the floor over there."Kate shuddered and wrapped her arms even tighter around herself. "Don't joke," she said, eyes wide. "You should've heard what—" She swallowed. "—what he said when Kurt told him we weren't planning on having kids.""I think I got the jist," K said quietly. "But seriously. You can go Viking and put that ear on a string. Claim it as a victory.""Yeah. No thanks. You can mount it if you want, but that — that's gonna give Kurt all sorts of twitches for a while."K giggled just a little. "Sorry. I like to leave an impression on people that poke into my head without permission. I wonder if he'll remember me.""Oh, he will," Kate promised. "And that's not exactly a good thing. Or didn't you notice who they were here to kill?""Yeah, I heard that. It's why I went for him as soon as I could," K said, tipping her head toward Kate. "Territorial.""Very," Kate agreed with a smirk. She watched K for a moment and then held up a hand to tell her to stay put before she grabbed a water bottle off her desk and filled it up in the sink. "Here. Might help wash him out.""That sounds so nasty," she said as she took the bottle from her and did just that, pulling a face and gagging after a few rounds of water before moving on to mouthwash."He is nasty.""Yeah, makes me sick," K said with a nod. "So. I think … I think I'm okay. Logan's standing guard over Annie until Scott unclenches, so unless you feel like camping with a pregnant lady, I'm free. What are we going to do until Kurt gets back? Movies and snuggles? Because I am not sleeping tonight.""Yeah, I don't think ... I don't think I could sleep in that bed tonight either," Kate said, shuddering again. "Let's… the couch in the living room sounds good. And something with explosions.""Sounds good — though we could go to my room and just kick Logan out if he gets back before us. He probably wouldn't mind. Much."Kate smirked. "We'll just tell him you're taking care of your poor, traumatized friend," she joked. "How could he say no to that?" She leaned back with a small smirk. "I'll even cry if you think it'd help.""Nah, I think if he heard what happened — and that I got sick — he'd probably start fretting over us. In his own little way of growls and grumbling and offers to boot someone.""That's true." Kate leaned against the counter and tipped her head at K. "Help me strip the covers off the bed so I can wash them before our movie night?""Sure, you got it," she said as she got to her feet, closed her eyes, and took a moment to remember how it felt to be upright. "I'm okay," she assured her."Yeah, I believe you? But I'm going to keep my arm here around your shoulders anyway," Kate said with a smirk.It was more or less silent in the blackbird on the flight out to Isla Des Demonas after they had dropped Mystique with SHIELD, and Kurt was watching his father for any sign of movement that would indicate he was going to get out of the stasis they had him in.It was bad enough that Azazel had managed to slip his banishment, but being unable to stop him from bursting into his room and menacing not only Kurt but his fiancee — it had Kurt on edge. And listening to all his father had to say about what he would do with his freedom from the island, what he'd like to do when he regained his full powers as well… it just had Kurt sure that he was pulling Kate into something horrible.They were careful, of course. Kurt wasn't going to give his father what he wanted. But that didn't mean his father would stop pushing. He would outlive Kurt, and Kurt knew he'd spend every minute of that long life trying to break free, regain his power — and menacing his family to do so."He won't be able to break that," Noh called out, breaking into Kurt's train of thought."All the same, I'd rather be safe than sorry," Kurt replied without shifting his gaze in the slightest, his hands clasped underneath his chin."If there is something further you think we could do …""He's only ever been able to escape his island with help," Kurt said at last in a quiet breath. "First with Margali and then with Mystique.""Then he should be properly marooned soon enough," Noh decided.Kurt nodded at that. "Yes, and he should stay that way," he agreed, though that didn't mean he was going to relax in the slightest until after the blackbird landed and they dropped Azazel off on the sandy beach.The real trick here would be actually stranding Azazel, though, when Noh wanted to take the stasis field back with him, not only for any other future encounters with supervillains but so that he could study it, seeing as it had been so recently used against him. So as soon as Scott set the plane down, they had to move fast.Kurt had thought ahead as much as was possible, and before the stasis field was off, he was sure to slip an inhibitor collar on his father. "Since you can't keep your powers off of anyone around you," Kurt said in a muttered breath.Noh waited until Kurt gave him a little nod before he switched off the stasis field and pocketed the generator, though it took only a split second for Azazel to unfreeze, take in his surroundings — and the collar — and then pounce, snarling mad, for Kurt, taking them both down into the sand in an instant as he tried to throttle Kurt then and there."I'm not surprised that you can't take a level playing field," Kurt growled out as the two of them fought, moving a bit too fast for Scott to manage a clean shot."I should say the same thing," Azazel sneered at him. "You cannot take me yourself, so you bring two friends and this… device of yours.""You can't take me without your powers," Kurt countered, emphasizing his point when he decked him hard enough to make Azazel lose his grip on Kurt's neck.Azazel pulled back, glaring hard, though he dove right back at him, not willing to put enough distance or slow down enough that either of the other two would be able to step in, not that Noh didn't offer — "Is this a family affair, or would you like me to bury him in the sand?""I don't need anything right now, Noh," Kurt called back, grinning at his father as the fight got dirtier, going from the grappling and punches into a headbutt that had Azazel bleeding from his nose and blinking hard. Kurt did not, however give him a chance to recover before he hit him with two quick, hard punches on either side of his head in rapid succession followed by a knee just under his ribcage that knocked Azazel flat on his back in the sand."So uncivilized," Azazel gasped out in his most patronizing tone.But at that, Scott looked between the two of them and decided enough was enough as he blasted Azazel clear back into the treeline, leaving him smoking the slightest bit — though still alive, of course, and definitely unconscious — and knocking over a few trees in the process."Alright, let's head back," Scott said, already turning toward the blackbird. "I'm sure Kate's missing you, and Annie's going to be nervous until we're back, and she's supposed to be on bed rest."Annie had, in fact, been nervous when the alert went off, but she had settled down quickly when Scott promised her that she was in the best hands as he zipped off to deal with the security breach. As a result, Logan had spent nearly two hours trying to keep Annie settled as he strained his ears to catch any odd sound or sign of trouble. And when the fight with Mystique and Azazel reached his ears — although it was down the hall — he was confident when he reassured Annie that it was handled. Even if internally he was fighting the urge to run down and do some damage himself.So when Scott finally returned and gave Logan a tired, weary, dry look and told him it was handled, he was more than happy to clap Scott on the shoulder and head back to his own room. He was in a rush to find K and finish out the night after being so rudely interrupted. He was not expecting to hear the television on or smell popcorn on his way in, however. He frowned to himself and opened the door only to stop in his tracks when he saw that Kate and K were curled up in his bed."Hard night?" he asked as he stepped in and closed the door behind him, walking a few paces closer. K shrugged in response and tipped her head toward Kate."I promised Kurt I'd stick with her," K said. "And I don't think I'd be very relaxed right now either. It wasn't fun." He nodded and looked to Kate to see how she was holding up, since the two of them were pretty tight at the moment."It was futzing Azazel," Kate told him outright when she saw the look. "Just waltzed into our room, Logan. Him and Mystique. In our room!" She shuddered at the memory and tucked into K a bit more, clearly not over the intrusion."Both of em?" he asked, letting his arms uncross. "Noh said they were banishing a demon. What did they want?""Well, they were here to kill you?" Kate picked her head up for a moment to look toward him as he snorted out a 'good luck'. "But they got… distracted. Apparently Mystique told him I was dead, so he was pleased when he… you know. Saw the rings." She pulled a horrible face. "Thought we were already married. Just started going on about how fortunate it was. 'Totally unnecessary', he said. Ugh.""I suppose it's not for the way he handles things. Is he trying that same trick again?" Logan rumbled as he walked toward his side of the bed, where K had taken up camp."Apparently," Kate said, still glaring at the thought of it."That's not good news. But what's with the slumber party?""Neither of us felt like sleeping," Kate explained in a low tone. "Me 'cause ... creepy guy in my room playing with my hair and no Kurt? Yeah, no thanks. And K… K got sick when she bit him. Something about the blood."He let out a breath and tipped his chin at them, though he didn't look thrilled with how the evening was panning out. "Move over then. I can't have my girls uncomfortable — but I'm not sleepin' on the couch."The women shifted over to make room as Kate told him it was her turn to pick the movie next, but he could pick the one after that if they were still curled up.They were most of the way through Raiders of the Lost Ark when Kurt finally reappeared after he'd made doubly sure that both Azazel and Mystique were locked up — and separately. Of course, he'd teleported to his room at first, but when he didn't find Kate there, he'd had to do a bit of searching before he found the three of them, curled up and snacking, and had to shake his head at the scene."Come join the slumber party," Kate called out, waving him over. "Logan's picking the next one.""She didn't want to be alone," Logan told him. "And I wasn't about to bust it up, but you're more than free to take yours and go."Kurt let out a weary sigh and nodded before he simply teleported over to curl in next to Kate, clearly fairly exhausted himself. "I can't say I blame you — a few hours alone with my parents... and if it's not too much of a bother, I think I'd rather not stay in that room tonight.""No bother," K said, covering Logan's mouth with one hand before he could say otherwise, snuggling into him to keep his complaints low. "Kurt, your mother is a piece of work, and your dad makes me puke," K grumbled lightly as she and Kate shared a little look and the guys pulled them both close."Just so you know.""Trust me — I'm well aware," Kurt said with a long and heavy sigh."Glad it's over," K told him. "Impromptu movie night isn't the same without both couples."Kurt smiled the slightest bit as he wrapped his tail around Kate's middle. "How could I miss this?"They weren't very far into Die Hard when K let out a little sigh and Kate had to giggle a little as she realized that K and Logan both had passed out. Though to be honest, she wasn't that far behind, snuggling up with an Elf and her friends and well-worn out from the night's excitement — and she could already hear Kurt's breathing evening out as well by the time she drifted off too."Oh. My. God. This is the best thing ever." Jubilee was giggling and had her phone held out in front of her by the time Kate had opened her eyes and looked over to realize that Jubilee was taking pictures of the four of them, though K and Logan were already awake by the time she started to sit up. "I am so jealous right now! Why wasn't I invited? Noh would have loved this!""You weren't there last night," Kate said sleepily."Yes! I know — but any night that ends with a snuggle fest in Logan's room has got to be the best night ever!""Jubes, no. There was no snuggle—" Logan said with a shake of his head. "This is not — just no.""It actually sucked, thus the cuddles," Kate said with a grumble as she tried to curl back into Kurt, who was watching the whole exchange through half-opened eyes."I'm sure. But still. Come on. This — this has never happened before, right? Wait. Is this a regular thing and I'm just now hearing about it? UNFAIR!""Loud sparkly one — shhhhh," K muttered as she burrowed into the pillows and Logan. "This bed is at maximum capacity. Go snuggle the shimmering moonbeam you call a husband.""He should still be asleep," Kurt pointed out. "We had a long flight.""We should still be asleep," K said, reaching over to put her hand on Kurt's arm as she couldn't help but pet him a little, making him smile into Kate's hair. "Shhhhh.""What she said," Kate agreed, already very nearly back to sleep as she snuggled into Kurt's chest."Later, Jubes," Logan agreed. "We'll be down eventually. Tell Scott no reports this early."…..When the group of them finally made their way down to breakfast, Scott was down there was well — not getting a late breakfast for himself but working up something for Annie to eat."Why are you … this is very late for you. Were you out carousing all night again?" K teased on her way to the coffee maker when she saw Scott, though she looked very tired still.He looked up at her and gave her an incredibly dry look. "Annie's not feeling good," he explained, then gestured to the plate he was preparing for her with the usual 'not feeing good' fare — toast and a little honey as well.She frowned at the plate and headed to the refrigerator to pull out a small bottle of ginger ale and pressed it into his hand. "This will help her too."Scott smirked as he took it. "She's got a half-liter of Coke up in our room, but she'll appreciate it.""Not the same," K insisted.Scott gave her another little smirk before he shook his head and put the bottle on the tray he was preparing. "What about you?" he asked."What about me? I'm always fine," she replied with a little shrug."Don't try and tell me you weren't off after the fight last night," he said as he pulled another two slices of toast out of the toaster."Well that was last night. I threw up for a while, all is good now," she said with a little shrug.He turned to face her fully. "You what?""He made me sick. That happens sometimes. I mean. Once. So far.""That's never happened before," Scott said. "Did he do something? What's different that you'd react that way?"She turned toward the rest of the group and held her breath. "As I have been told, it was an issue with his blood."Scott raised an eyebrow and turned toward the others, and Kurt nodded lightly. "We've seen that Logan's blood can hurt him," he said quietly. "And now, it seems, the same is true in reverse.""Yeah, seems like," she agreed. "Glad to help expand science I guess."Scott frowned her way and shook his head lightly. "If you get sick again, tell Hank — or at least tell me. I don't want to find out after the fact that there's any lingering effects.""Sure," she said, picking up her coffee mug again. "You need more to fret about."He gave her a dry look for that one. "I'm just making sure my team is safe, K.""Okay," she replied, though it was clear she didn't want to get into it. "Go take care of your wife."For a little while after that, there were thankfully no more demonic intrusions or assassination attempts — and the next few days were actually a bit more lazy than any of them liked to admit. K stepped in to try and cook more just to keep Bobby and Remy out of the kitchen so close to Annie's due date, and even went so far as to humor her when she half-jokingly asked K to make her 'real' Swedish meatballs as Annie kept folding and refolding the baby clothes next to her.But it was the morning of New Year's Eve when Logan came in for coffee while K was working up breakfast for Annie that there was a little change. He got his coffee and took a seat, though he had his nose wrinkled up pretty severely for a few seconds until he realized what he was smelling. He looked across the table to Annie, got up, crossed the room, and switched her usual morning sweet tea for a bottle of water right from under her nose.Annie frowned at the switch for a moment. "What have you got against tea?" she asked grumpily, still tired and propping her head up with one hand."Nothing," he promised. "But you don't need it."Kate nearby was watching the exchange gleefully. "Oh, does this mean we're drinking water now?" she called out to Logan."No," Logan said silkily. "It means she's drinking water. Today.""He has somethin' against tea," Annie grumbled as she buttered her toast."I do not have anything against tea," he said, shaking his head. "But if there are any problems later, you and Blue both'll thank me for taking out the extra sugar this morning."Annie looked positively scandalized. "Are you suggestin' I drink unsweetened tea?""I did no such thing," he said, stone-cold serious. "That's why I gave you water," he said with a little smirk."Good. Because if you'd done that, I'm not sure I want to know you," she said, returning the smirk as she unscrewed the bottle cap.But Scott was looking between Logan and Annie with a strange expression on his face. "Today?" he managed to ask as he slid the raspberry jam out of Annie's reach without even looking at it, clearly catching on to what Annie had missed."Yeah," Logan told him as he tapped the side of his nose."Okay," Scott said, nodding almost to himself. "Okay. Right. No sugar.""Hank'll probably still okay protein," Logan said before he started to watch to see if Annie caught it. "You know. So the painkillers work better."It was hard to tell if Logan's hint or the expression on Scott's face was what tipped it for Annie, but she simply dropped the toast she'd been buttering and looked up at Logan. "Wait. How can you possibly know… I feel just fine!""Major hormone shift. I can smell it, and it will hit you sooner rather than later," he told her.She tipped her head at him for a moment and then just let out a breath, her eyes a bit wider now as she reached over and grabbed Scott by the sleeve of his shirt. "Call Mom," she said with a serious look, and Scott nodded before he all but ran out of the room to start contacting her family."I'll start up some sausages and eggs, then," Kate offered."K's already on it," Logan told her with a little smirk."Of course she is." Kate scooted her chair a bit closer to Annie's as Kurt sat down beside her with their morning coffees. "Hope you've got names ready," she joked lightly, to which Annie just gave her a dry look."Oh yeah. That's what I'm worried about. Rememberin' the names we picked out months ago," Annie said, shaking her head at Kate, though the tone just got Kate to put a hand on her arm."You'll do just fine," K said over Annie's shoulder as she brought in breakfast. "Don't let anyone psych you out.""Yeah. Right." Annie looked up at K for a moment and then took in a deep breath. "I was hoping to make it to January. That's what Hank said. This — was not in my plans.""It never works that way," K said. "Damn kids make their own schedules. But you've got this."Annie let out a soft, high-pitched laugh at that. "That's true. That's very true." She just took another drink of water from the bottle Logan had given her before, after a moment, she just looked to Logan. "Would you go get Scott back for me, please?"He simply got up and left, heading after Scott. "He might be a pain, but he listens well," K teased."Yes, you've trained yours well," Annie said."Nope, he came that way. You — you had some work," K said with a smile. "In the meantime, what can we do for you?""I just… need Scott. And my mom — she's been through this twice with Rachel and Anton. And… y'all, I want sweet tea. It's completely unfair."K gave her a smile and pulled the glass over to her. "You need your strength.""Stars above," Annie leaned back and shook her head. "I… am so not ready for this.""Have you seen the look on your husband's face this morning? You are so ready for this.""Yeah, time to meet the mini bosses," Kate said with a little smile. "We're all dying to spoil them so you can have a break as soon as you're done."They didn't have to wait too long for Logan's prediction to come true, though there was a bit less panic than there likely would have been, since Annie knew what was coming. Both she and Scott still looked terrified — but it was a little less chaotic, since Hank was already just waiting for them by that time, and the family members had started to trickle in, too. Annie's mom went back with Scott and Hank — and everyone else simply settled in to wait.Both of Annie's sisters arrived soon after that with their husbands and kids, and of course all the adults waiting for news were more than happy to help keep the little ones entertained. Little Leslie Ann went right to her favorite, Bobby, and he and Peter kept both her and her sister entertained, sprawled out on the floor playing "Go Fish" and "Chutes and Ladders."And of course, Kurt's biggest fan was there with his bamf doll and his baby brother, Mateo, who was too young to understand Aman's shy attempt at explaining who all the X-Men were. And as the night wore on, it was clearly bedtime for some of the littlest ones, and Kurt wasn't the least bit bothered when Aman simply crawled onto his lap and promptly fell asleep there.It was about fifteen minutes before midnight when Annie's mom popped her head out for just a moment to tell them that the first of the twins had been born and that she was "healthy as can be" before she ducked back in to help once more. It was another long wait, though, before finally, Hank was the one to emerge, grinning widely as he told Annie's family they could go in now — and Annie's father, not to mention both of Annie's sisters and their husbands, were quick to take him up on that.By the time the Hale clan had all cleared out, they were into the wee hours of the morning, but Annie insisted that Scott's family had to have their turn as well, so one by one, the X-Men started to trickle in to see the Summers family. Annie was holding one of the twins and looked very nearly exhausted, and Scott had the other — completely and totally wrapped up in the little girl and not paying attention to anyone who had come in.When Storm sat down beside Annie and looked over her shoulder at the little one, she had to smile at the pair of them. "Congratulations," she murmured, and Annie gave her a tired grin. "She's beautiful.""Oh, no — this one's a boy," Annie said, the grin widening a bit at the surprise on Storm's face as Scott finally looked up from his little girl with a huge smile. "He was a surprise after little Charlotte came out first.""Charlotte?" Jubilee repeated, her head tipped to the side as she thought it through. "So … oh! Are you going to call her Charlie for short?" She was beaming at the two of them as she danced in place and covered her mouth with both hands.Scott's broad grin was almost answer enough on its own, though Annie was chuckling quietly. "Yes, that's the plan," she told Jubilee. She held up the little boy a bit so Jubilee could see him. "And this — this is Chance. Charlie and Chance — what do you think?"Jubilee couldn't help but wipe a tear away as she bounced in place. "That is so perfect!" she said before she rounded on Scott and hit him in the arm. "Scott! You dork! Why didn't you tell us sooner!""It was a surprise," he replied with a little laugh, not looking sorry in the least and still grinning wider than should have been allowed."You are terrible," Jubilee said, bouncing over to meet Charlie. "But you, little girl, are perfect." With that, she popped up on her toes and gave Scott a little kiss on the cheek."They both are," Storm agreed as Annie insisted that Storm should hold Chance."Of course they are," Annie said with a sedate smile, tipping the little girl into Storm's arms. "They're ours."With Annie's family rescuing the other X-Men from the sleeping kids outside, a few others started trickling in. Remy got his turn holding Chance after Storm (and already remarking on how much he looked like Scott), and it took some doing before Kurt convinced Jubilee to let him hold Charlie — but then he didn't want to give her up either, especially since she was quietly sleeping and totally curled into him, as opposed to the very awake and more active Chance squirming around when Kate tried to hold him.Annie was still looking toward the door — since someone was missing and she wanted the whole family there — until finally it opened with Anton standing there with both Logan and K. "Told 'em you were askin' for 'em, Annie," he said with a crooked grin."And I told him you didn't need the crowd," Logan countered. "We can go.""I asked for the crowd," Annie said, already waving him over. "You haven't met my twins yet, and that's a cryin' shame."Anton kept a hand on both of their shoulders as he pushed them forward toward the little pink and blue bundles. "What happened to two girls?" K asked, smiling a little Annie's way. "You lied to us. Successfully.""Ah, no. He hid from us. Successfully," Annie corrected her."So, he takes after his father. Got it," K replied with a little laugh. "So modest."Scott just gave her a dry look for that one, though it didn't last long at all before he was right back to grinning over the kids, holding Annie's hand as he motioned with the other. "Go on — say hi," he directed them as Kate obligingly handed the squirmy little Chance to Logan and Kurt not-so-obligingly and rather mournfully gave up his hold on Charlie to K.K tried to tell Kurt he didn't need to do that, but it was pretty clear that once that decision was made, he wasn't going back on it, and Kate was simply speechless as Logan muttered something quietly to the little boy to get him to still and snuggle in."That's Chance," Annie told Logan with a steadily growing smile. "He surprised us after Charlotte — Charlie, for short," she added helpfully.At the name, he gave her a little smile. "Nice. Good catch, Slim."Scott just kept right on grinning as he nodded Logan's way. "They're pretty perfect, yeah."Logan looked over to K, who nodded his way, and the two of them started to move back toward the babies' parents. K handed off Charlie to Annie with a whispered 'congratulations' as Logan did the same with Chance and Scott, and the rest of the gathered X-Men started to follow their lead, giving the new family the space to rest and recover together.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The excitement of the holidays — and of little Charlie and Chance — was finally starting to die down after a few weeks as school got back into swing. All of the returning students had made it a point to grin at Scott or Annie every time they passed once the news started to spread, hoping to get a chance to have some face time with the mansion's newest celebrities. Those kids were going to be so spoiled with all the attention they were getting, and everybody knew it.Of course, Kate, on the other hand, was starting to just get busier and busier. Between wedding planning, taking classes at the Catholic church in town so she could be confirmed by Easter to give Kurt the Catholic wedding he deserved, and the movie company that had reached out to her about Kamala's first book, not to mention the fact that she was still creeped out by the visit of the future in-laws and Kurt was still a little bit down about the whole thing no matter how many times she promised him that she was still going to marry him not matter how evil his family was ... she was in clear need of an excuse to get out of the house.She'd just closed another email from Susan — this one along the lines of her sixth or seventh attempt to accuse Kate of cutting her out of the company, even though Kate made it a point to give her a huge percentage every month, since she felt bad that she'd gotten everything when their Dad died. Susan hadn't tried to visit her at the school again, but she also hadn't called. Angry emails were about the extent of their communication at this point, and no matter how nicely Kate responded and how clear she was that there was no reason to be this upset, it just seemed like Susan was getting more and more worked up.And Kate was just downright annoyed to boot, because Susan's most recent email had ended out with "And I hope you've finally come to your senses and stopped this wedding nonsense to that freak." As if that was going to go over well. Kate sighed, closed her laptop, and put her head on her desk for a while. She wanted Susan at her wedding, she really did, but this was sending up all kinds of red flags, and she was half convinced she should just… not invite her own sister. Which would really just seal the deal on neither of them having their families at their big day.There was a gentle knock on her door before the door opened to reveal Scott with a little frown on his face when he saw how she was spending her office hours. "Are … are you okay?"She picked her head up and shrugged at him, painting on a small smile that didn't look like she was contemplating whatever-the-heck the patricide-equivalent of killing your sister was. "Oh, you know. Just trying to convince myself not to go yell at my sister. How're you?""I was getting ready to go on a run... but if you're having a bad day, I can ask someone else. I'm headed to Northern California to the giant redwood forest for a kid that got run out of town. That's all I know right now," Scott said."Oh, no!" Kate picked her head up further and pushed back from her desk. "No, no, you can't leave me here. That sounds perfect. Getting out of the house, a little fresh air, I am there." She held up her hand to tell him to stay put as she started to put things away."Alright, great. If you didn't want to go, I was going to have to ask K, and she's been avoiding me lately." He shook his head at the thought.Kate just snorted out a little laugh. "Don't take it personally, boss man. You're dripping with baby glitter. And some of us aren't ready to become parents.""The fact that she's adopted half the mansion speaks to the contrary," Scott said with a little laugh."This is true," Kate agreed, grinning and glad that the discussion was on K, not on her… especially with the recent "family" visit she and Kurt had just had and the way Kurt was around Chance and Charlie… She shook her head and then raised an eyebrow at him. "You gonna be able to stand being apart from the twins for so long?" she had to tease.He grinned at her, letting the jibe slide — which he had been doing more often lately since the twins came around, she had noticed — and tipped his head to the door. "Come on, I have no idea what kind of shape this kid is in, and there's an outside chance that he might be a telepath or another feral, since Rachel's had trouble pinning him down.""And we had such success with the last one." Kate grinned at him. "Lead the way, boss man. I'll grab a couple quivers on the way. I've been dying to use an EMP or two."Scott held the door open for her, and the two of them headed out. For most of the trip, they chatted about the little ones and how Kate's classes at the Church were going. Kate loved being able to talk about her classes with Kurt and get clarification from him on any questions she had — and Scott, for his part, couldn't help himself gushing over the twins, talking about how the two of them already seemed to know each other and were calmed by each other's presence — sure to be the best of friends when they got older.Kate couldn't help grinning and getting swept up in his enthusiasm as she shook her head at him. "You're such a good dad," she told him, earning herself a look of surprise as he turned her way. "Well, you are. It suits you boss man; run with it."At that, Scott returned the grin and gave her a light shrug in return. "I'm trying to be," he said quietly, though she could see that he was still trying not to smile too widely at the comment.When they finally hit the area with the reports of the small mob running a young mutant out of town, the entire forest was covered in thick fog, and the landing was a complicated one. Scott was very serious and quiet as he gently set the plane down over a half mile from where he'd originally intended — not trusting the terrain there."Nothing I can do about it. I'd hoped we wouldn't have to go looking that hard for the kid, but we're just gonna have to walk a little further for this one," he said ruefully as he finished up the landing. "With all the rain, the ridge I was shooting for…" He shook his head. "I didn't like the look of it when we got close."Kate smiled at him for a second and patted his shoulder. "No big. I don't mind walking, and I'm pretty sure Annie and the kids want you back in one piece. Nice flying, Ace." With that, she got up from the copilot seat and made sure her second quiver was secure at her hip as the two of them slipped out into the forest to find their missing kid.It took them over an hour to hike over to the ridge that they'd originally intended to land on — and they had both taken a moment to catch their breath from the climb when they spotted a tall, broad figure in the trees. "I think that's our guy," Scott said as he tipped his chin toward the blonde-haired young man, though it was hard to tell from this distance."Well, let's go introduce ourselves," Kate suggested as she got to her feet.The two of them split up, with Scott circling around to cut him off at the pass should Kate manage not to catch up with the tall blonde with her more direct route. She was already making her way down the ridge with a broad grin and a wave as she called out to the kid: "Heya! What're you doing out here all by your—"She got about halfway through the sentence when the ridge very suddenly, and without warning, gave out underneath her, and she went crashing down, slipping and sliding on the rocks all the way down to the bottom of the cut, her arm crushed underneath her at a horrible angle when she finally did lound with a sickening sort of noise that didn't even register to her at first in the chaos of the small rockslide she'd just been part of.It took her a long second to even realize what had happened as she blinked down at her arm in pure shock before the simple panic set in at the sight of it. That… that did not look like an injury that any archer should have. Ever.But she didn't have the presence of mind to call for Scott or hit her button, and the ridge hadn't really made much noise when it gave way to tip Cyclops off to the fact that there was, indeed, trouble. Instead, she was just sitting there, hyperventilating, clearly in shock and trying not to be.Her hearing all seemed to come back to her as she saw the unfamiliar young man sliding down the hill a little further down the way, still somewhat hard to see through all the dust and debris, calling out to see if she was alright. "Don't move!" he said in as calm a tone as an upset teenager could manage. "Try to be calm!"Calm, yeah. That's gonna happen, she thought, even though she closed her eyes and at least tried to get a handle on it.When he got down to her, he took off his backpack and crouched over her as he started to dig her out from the mess, being very careful as he moved anything near her arm, repeating himself over and over as he told her not to move.She had closed her eyes tighter when he started to shift the rocks near her arm — she didn't want to see more of what she was sure would take her off the shooting range for months if she even got full range of motion back, which was shaky at best — though when she did finally get her breathing under control and went to look at the kid to try and tell him he had to be careful, that her arms were her lifeline — what came out was something like a scream and a gasp all at once.Because that — that kid definitely looked like Sabretooth. And that could not be good."I'm not going to hurt you! I swear," he said, wide-eyed. "But I have to dig you out. You can't stay in the dirt like this." He paused when he saw that he'd made no impact on her believing him and backed off, with his hands outstretched and fingers spread wide as he spoke slowly and clearly. "Hi, I'm Tyler. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help. I swear. What can I call you?"She watched him for a long moment, her teeth clenched as she took in a few shallow breaths. "Hawkeye," she said at last."Alright, Hawkeye, where are you from?" Tyler asked as he very carefully went back to digging her out. "I'm from a tiny little no-where's burg in Idaho. Nothing there but rednecks in flannel shirts that get way too excited about elk.""Typical," she said with almost a smile, starting to relax despite herself at how genuine the kid sounded.He gave her a real smile that danced in his eyes as he shook his head. "Sad, but true," he said quietly before he frowned hard at seeing the full extent of damage to her arm. "Alright. Don't look, that's first. I don't want you going any further into shock. Before I can move you out of here, I have to ask — does anything else feel broken? Can you feel your legs?""Yes on the legs," she said through her teeth, glad for that much, at least."Good," he said, nodding his head. "That's good. Okay. I'm going to touch your hand, but I promise not to squeeze, okay?" He very slowly reached out to touch her hand, watching her reaction before he reached out with his other hand to rest on her shoulder. "Can you squeeze my hand at all?"She was wide-eyed for a moment as she tried to do just that. "I can't," she said in a whisper."It's okay," he promised — looking and sounding incredibly sincere. "It'll heal up good as new." At that, he tightened his grip on her shoulder, and Kate's arm suddenly felt very very warm as he focused on her, looking far more serious than he had a moment before. All at once, she found herself on the verge of screaming as the crushed bones in her arm began to snap back into place with an audible popping sound — until it was too much and she did start to scream.That was what Scott found when he finally got to the bottom of the ridge — muddy and dirty himself as he took in the scene before him. There was Kate, screaming, and the kid kneeling right next to her and not even moving could have been Sabretooth's younger doppleganger. It wasn't hard to put together, and Scott let him have it with a blast that knocked the boy away from Kate as he rushed to go help his injured teammate. "Are you okay, Hawkeye?"Kate was gasping hard, and she nodded, though she was searching for Tyler. "Scott — wait," she tried to tell him."I wasn't done!" Tyler half shouted as he gathered himself up from the brush Scott had blasted him into, stumbling a bit as he got to his feet. But when Scott turned his way — the red glow burning brighter — Tyler held up both hands. "I'm not hurting her. I'm trying to fix her arm."Scott was still glaring his way until Kate tried to cut in with, "My arm, Scott. Look — it's… better.""It's not crushed anymore," Tyler said as he started to walk toward them. "But it's not healed either. I'm sorry. It hurts, I know. But I only need another minute or so."For a moment, Scott looked between the two of them and then positioned himself so he was clearly blocking her off from Tyler's view."I swear, I can fix it. And then I'll just go back into the forest," Tyler promised, his hands still outstretched. "If you think I'm doing something wrong, go ahead and blast me. I won't come back."Scott didn't move for a long moment before, finally, he turned to Kate. "It's your call, Hawkeye.""Let him do it," Kate said, her jaw set. "I can't lose my shooting arm, Scott. I just can't."Tyler waited for Scott to look his way and nod before he walked back to Kate and knelt down next to her again, pausing for a moment to glance up at Scott before he took her hand in his. "Can you squeeze my hand now, Hawkeye? Even a little?"She tried and, with a gasp, managed the pressure on his fingers.He gave her a tiny smile. "Good. Okay. You're past the worst of it. I'll try to be quick, but it's going to take another minute or so." He rested his free hand on her shoulder again. "Ready?""Go for it," she said, her eyes already closed.He set his jaw and went right back to work, and though the sensation was intense, and seemed to last a long time — definitely longer than Scott was comfortable with watching Kate hurt as the bones popped back together — it wasn't long at all before everything felt sort of like she was just regaining sensation. Tyler didn't let go of her hand or her shoulder as he waited for her to open her eyes again, though he still looked concerned.She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand in hers. "How's that for introductions?" she asked very quietly and with the tiniest of smiles."I was headed your way when you said hello," Tyler said, smiling himself as relaxed on seeing that she was alright. "You didn't have to go jump off a mountain.""More dramatic that way," she replied. She leaned her head back for a moment and closed her eyes before she looked over at her arm, which no longer looked like it was sporting her favorite color or like it was trying to get away from the rest of her body. "Thank you. Seriously.""No problem," Tyler replied as he sat back on his heels. "It was way worse for you.""Yeah, but I'd rather scream a little than lose that arm," she admitted, tipping her head at her quiver a few feet from her. "Archer. Thus the Hawkeye name. And you've got some serious healing talent, Tyler.""You get what you get, right?" Tyler said with a sigh, glancing over to Scott. "Not quite as cool or dramatic as laser face over there."Scott had been watching the whole exchange rather warily but had to smirk the slightest bit at that. "Well ... you get what you get.""So, am I in like ... big trouble or something?" Tyler asked. He was still keeping his hands clearly where Scott could see them, as if he was used to being treated like a threat. "I'm used to cops being on my case, but this is the first time superheroes have been called out. I swear, I was just trying to help that little girl that got hit by a car."Scott frowned at him for that. "I … hadn't heard about that.""We were coming to rescue you from the townspeople with pitchforks or whatever people use in California — tanning bed pieces, maybe," Kate said with a little smirk."Gluten-free yoga mats, most likely," Tyler countered.Kate chuckled. "Yeah, that. So ... do you feel sufficiently rescued?" She grinned up at him brilliantly."Totally," he agreed, nodding seriously as he offered her a hand up. "I'm guessing you're not taking me to jail or something, right? I mean, I didn't do anything wrong."Scott frowned deeper but shook his head. "No, that's not how we work.""Yeah, haven't you heard of the X-Men?" Kate asked with a wide grin."I have, but ... I didn't think that it was even an option to me to ask for help?" He gestured to his face. "I know what I look like.""We sort of make it a point not to judge anyone based on how they look," Scott pointed out with a small smirk. This kid was just so genuine that it was hard to keep up the frown, even if what he was hearing about how people had reacted to him had him frustrated — and feeling a bit guilty, if he was honest with himself."Yeah, that's fine and good for everybody else, but that seems to be the root of most of my trouble ... really crappy basic genetics."Kate let out a little laugh as she rested a hand on Tyler's arm. She definitely liked this kid — especially now that he'd saved her arm — and now that she'd decided she liked him, there was just no way she was going to let him keep thinking that he wasn't going to be able to get anywhere in life just because he too had stupid in the family. Especially considering everything that had happened recently. "Oh. I'm… I'm going to have to introduce you to my fiance. And the stellar genetics problems there," she said with a brilliant, warm, reassuring smile. "You'll be okay. I'll hit anybody who says otherwise."Tyler rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well. You're gonna need to eat your Wheaties and work out, because that seems to be most of the people I meet.""Like you said, I'm a superhero," Kate said with a little grin. "So that'll be my morning workout. Sorry, but you're too nice to get picked on. I said so.""You know, if you don't have anywhere safe to go, you're welcome to come back with us," Scott offered. "Most of what we do is making sure people don't come after innocent mutants for stuff like that. We've made a whole school for kids like you — though I understand if you don't know about it." He glanced toward Kate with a small smile. "We've even got a stellar archery teacher.""I … may be a little behind in my schoolwork," Tyler said. "But I really would like to finish. I ... um, is there a way I can call my mom? Let her know I'm okay?"Scott had to grin at that as he handed Tyler his phone. "Of course. Don't want her to worry. In fact, she's welcome to tour the school if she'd like.""I'll relay the message," Tyler said quietly. "But I don't know how she'd get there. You can talk to her and explain — it's been a few months, and I haven't seen her.""Take all the time you need," Scott told him, pressing the phone in his hand. "We'll figure out the details if she does decide she wants to look around. We don't get too many parents that back their kids, so we do try to encourage it when it comes around."Tyler thanked him quietly and made his phone call, though he kept it fairly short, promising to call back once he got settled then he offered the phone to Scott with a sheepish look, telling him "She wants to talk to you."Scott covered the phone with one hand for a moment. "What's her name?" he asked."Oh. Daisy," Tyler said. "Her name is Daisy."Scott couldn't hide the smile at that, though he didn't go as far as Kate, who was mouthing the words 'of course' over Tyler's shoulder. He put the phone up to his ear, "Hello, Daisy, it's nice to meet you. I'm Scott. I don't know how much your son has told you about us, but you really do have a talented young man. We'd love to have him at our school."On the other line, it was clear that Daisy was over-the-moon about the idea, the pure relief of her son getting a chance to finish school. So it didn't take long for Scott to grin Tyler's way and give him the thumbs up before he waved them along and started back toward the blackbird.Kate was pulling Tyler along by his arm and grinning up at him. "The semester just started, like, a couple weeks ago, so you're not too far behind, and we get kids at all sorts of random times, so it's not a problem — but there are all sorts of things you could do. I mean ... math, science, all that stuff, sure, but I teach archery, and we have self-defense classes, and Kurt teaches drama, and there are dance classes and horseback riding classes, and classes on aliens and gymnastics and home ec — and seriously, if I'd known about this place when I was in school? I would have paid through the nose to join. It's awesome." She was practically babbling as she kept pulling him along.And she just kept going on the way back to the school, shifting from telling Tyler about the different classes, to the different people ("oh just you wait; Remy has the most hilarious way of teaching you how to cook" and "sometimes I sit in on Storm's literature classes; I'm in publishing myself, you know, so it's good to read up") and promising him that he was going to love every second of his time there."Not to rain on the parade, but ... what does it cost to go to this place?" Tyler asked with a concerned expression when he finally managed to get a word in edgewise.Scott had to smirk on hearing it. It wasn't that long ago in his mind that he was asking the same thing himself. "Time and hard work," Scott told him, his smirk widening. "You don't mind putting in the effort to go to class, do you?""No, not at all," Tyler replied quickly. "And I'll work if I need to.""He means hard work studying, you goof," Kate said, laughing."No, I caught that," Ty said, nodding. "I just meant — I can work too. You know. Cover costs. All that.""If you want to get a job in town to save up for college, that's not a bad idea at your age," Scott said. "But I don't think you understand — we're not asking for tuition. We just want to give you your best shot at being successful and, if you want it, to be part of the Xavier Institute Family. That's how this works.""It's kind of cheesy, but totally true," Kate said in a low whisper that she knew both of them could hear. "Once you start at the school, sorry, but you'll be ours, and we'll just have to have way too much fun. You should totally sign up for my archery class.""I'll think about it, but I don't know when I'd ever use that," Tyler said. "I'll try it, though.""It's just a sport for most of the students," Kate said. "I mean, I use it for superheroing? But mostly it's just fun. You know — fun?" She grinned at him. "That thing people do sometimes?""I've heard stories about that, now that you mention it," Tyler said with a mock-thoughtful look."Oh, we'll have to introduce you to fun," she laughed outright. "When it gets warmer, we've got a pool, too. The parties are epic. And I throw a big bash every Halloween.""Pool sounds good," Tyler said. "I like kayaking and swimming.""I've never been kayaking," Kate said, her grin widening. "I'd love to go sometime. I'll rent out something, and we can make a trip of it.""If you go in the right places, you can see a lot of wildlife," he told her. "I had a moose stick its nose in my boat a couple years ago. And I watched a bald eagle that couldn't figure out how to perch right. He was hanging upside down for a while.""That sounds both terrifying and awesome." Kate was grinning ear to ear.At Kate's clear enthusiasm, Tyler started to tell a few other stories about kayaking adventures and the like — and the kinds of things he'd seen growing up in small towns and occasionally on the run, though he never outright admitted that he'd been on the run, just… outdoors a lot.By the time they got back to the mansion, Kate had already decided that he needed some new clothes and a hot meal and maybe some ice cream after that and was planning to do just that as soon as she made sure he had a tour of the school. She waited long enough for Scott to say goodbye and head off to go find Annie and the twins before she seized Tyler's arm again and started up the grand tour — from the stables to the archery range to the closed-up pool to the classrooms. All of it."Let's grab something to eat before we start signing you up for classes," Kate suggested. "I can practically see the gears in your head smoking after that information overload," she teased as she pulled him along toward the kitchen. "I think there's still some leftovers from Kurt's turn cooking last night if you want something hearty, but you know, snack food in the pantry and stuff."He was starting to relax a bit, though she was right — there was a lot to take in — and he let her drag him along, already having decided he'd follow her lead. After all, he was fairly sure he would get lost in the huge institute without her. When they stepped into the kitchen, with Kate still chattering about what she personally recommended as his best possible class list, the little cheerful tour was interrupted by a deep growl.Kate looked over to where both K and Logan had been sitting at the kitchen table with their coffee, though Logan was on his feet. Kate put her hands on her hips to glare at Logan, unconsciously stepping in front of Tyler as she did it. "Hey. That's not a nice way to introduce yourself to Tyler. He's already nervous about starting school up, and growling isn't helping.""Where the hell'd you find him?" Logan asked, though his growl didn't drop in the least, and he looked ready to spring."California, being chased out because of his genetics. You know. Like people who are stupid tend to do," Kate said, her tone nothing like the earlier warmth she had shown Tyler as she looked like she was ready to go toe-to-toe with Logan. All while Tyler looked like he couldn't figure out what to make of the whole situation as he glanced between Kate and Logan."You're not funny or cute," Logan told her. "And it ain't the same. That whole family is crazy.""You're seriously gonna talk to me about crazy families this soon after Azazel?" Kate shot back, eyes narrowed. "That's really the road you want to take?"K stood up, and Logan grabbed her arm before she could take two steps forward. "What classes are you interested in?" Her tone was much more brusque than Kate had ever heard from her."The basics for college — math, biology, literature, history, drama, statistics. Then you know. Riding and archery if I can," Tyler said quickly."No self-defense or martial arts?" K asked with her eyes narrowed.But Tyler shook his head. "I'm really not a fighter," he said slowly, his hands held up in front of himself again. Logan scoffed outright. "I'm not. I have no interest in that," Tyler insisted as K tipped her chin up and studied him, and Tyler shrunk in on himself a bit.Kate nodded her agreement, still standing in front of him. "He's, like, seventeen and smart as all get out, and he should go to college.""They're not lying, love," K said softly, half over her shoulder, though she didn't take her eyes off of Tyler. And Logan was still glaring."Okay, look, I get it. My biological dad is a total creep," Tyler said. "But I sure didn't pick him, and I've never even met the guy, okay?"The two little ferals shared a look, though Logan did not look the least bit convinced. So, taking a different track, Kate relaxed her stance for a moment and leaned forward with a much softer look. "Logan, he saved my shooting arm," she said in a quiet tone."How?" Logan asked, finally getting in front of K and smoothly crossing the span to get closer.She held out her arm and flexed it a few different ways. "This," she said, "was totally shattered a few hours ago. A mountain fell on it." She tipped her head Tyler's way. "He healed it right up.""Wait, what?" K asked, moving up to look at Kate's arm where the uniform was shredded and bloodied. "He healed someone else?" K looked from Kate's arm up at Tyler. "That's interesting."Tyler rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, that's why I'm not a fan of fighting," he tried to explain. "I see enough of what happens after the fact."It was clear that Logan and K were watching him and weighing it out. "You know you have a major uphill battle with this one, right?" K said at last, tipping her head toward Logan. "I'm not convinced, but I'll wait a little while before I decide."The rueful grin on Tyler's face tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Story of my life on that one," he said with an attempt at a wider smile. "Thanks for not kicking me out, though.""Not my call," K told him honestly. "See you in class." With that, she took Logan's hand and pulled him along with her, though he looked more than ready for a fight, and Kate was still sort of standing in front of Tyler without even realizing that she was doing it.Kate let out a long sigh after the two of them had left and headed right to the pantry to start pulling out some snacks. "Sorry about them. They… well. Sabretooth likes to make their lives miserable in particular. He almost killed K a few months ago, actually, and I'm sure you've heard about him and Wolverine duking it out all the time.""Yeah, we do get the news even out in nowheres-ville," Tyler said with a small nod, quickly looking to where Logan had disappeared."It's way more personal than the news will admit," Kate tried to explain as she got some popcorn started and pulled down a few mugs for coffee, though Tyler shook his head when she offered. "Your d- Sabretooth totally has it out for Logan. I mean, in the meanest 'I want to make your life miserable in personal, gritty ways' possible… It's just bad.""I think, from what I understand — that's what he does to everyone he crosses paths with," Tyler said."That's true," Kate agreed as she sat down across from him and tossed him a water bottle. "But with Logan it's different. Literally like, a hundred years of just trying to beat him down. In every possible way. Mentally, emotionally, physically. So to say Logan has a problem with Sabretooth? Is seriously underselling it."He let out a low whistle and nodded as he reached for the bowl of chips she'd put out. "So... the uphill battle ... we're talking a ninety degree incline.""He'll come around," Kate promised. "He's a sweetheart, and you are too — just give him a chance to see that." The microwave went off to tell them the popcorn was ready, and she poured out a bowl and pushed it onto the table with a grin. "You want me to punch him for you? I said I would if they looked at you sideways.""If I understand it right? You do that, and I'll just have to heal your hand for you," Tyler teased.She grinned at him. "I've trained with him a few times. I could do it without breaking anything," she promised. She looked around the table at the chips and popcorn. "Do you want anything else? I mean ... dinner's in a few hours, but the pantry's yours if you have a favorite or something.""No thank you," he said with a little shake of his head. "I can hold out just fine."Kate tipped her head at him and pushed the popcorn bowl closer. "You're gonna need to find some kind of exercise, because Scott's wife, Annie, keeps us in good supply of the best desserts.""I think just walking around this place is going to keep me in shape," he laughed. "I'll probably get lost five times before the first class."Kate had to laugh at that as she got up to refill her coffee. She had just topped off her second cup when a familiar bamf rang out in the kitchen, and Kate had to grin when Kurt wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Did you miss me, Engelchen?" she teased as she leaned back into him."Always," he half purred before he kissed her behind her ear. "Did it go well with Scott?"She grinned and nodded as she pulled down a mug for him. "Brought him another hawkeye for my class," she said, tipping her head toward the table, where Tyler was watching the exchange with a bit of a bemused smile.Kate could actually feel the double take that Kurt did as he looked over her shoulder at Tyler and went sort of stiff, holding her a bit tighter as his tail went straight up behind him. "Kate…?""Say hi, Tyler," Kate laughed, then laughed even harder when 'hi, Tyler' was the response from the kid at the table. "Be nice. He's an adorable sweetheart, and I'm keeping him," she added as she turned to give Kurt a kiss on the cheek and laugh at his surprised expression. "He can't help who his dad is, after all."Kurt's entire body seemed to slump at that as he let out a sigh and gave her a wan look. "No. I don't suppose he can," Kurt said finally before he let Kate go and crossed the room to offer Tyler his hand and introduce himself."You're welcome to join the impromptu party," Tyler said, gesturing at a chair. "I think your Hawkeye is trying to fatten me up or something. Sure the outside of this house isn't made of gingerbread and candy?""Only on Halloween," Kate said with a grin as she sat down between the two of them and put her head on Kurt's shoulder, showing him with her body language as much as possible that she was totally relaxed around this mini-Sabretooth."So, are you ready to sign up for classes yet, or do you need a day to decide?" Kurt asked, genuinely interested in the young man. "Scott will want you to start right away, I'm sure.""I think I've more or less decided," Tyler said, leaning forward. "I'm sort of behind, but I was just going to catch up on the basics, and then a few electives Hawkeye here says are can't miss." He smiled a bit wider. "Apparently, the drama teacher and the archery teacher are in high demand, but I think she might have been a little biased there.""Lies," Kate said over her coffee mug."Well-intentioned," Kurt said fondly. "But you are biased.""And yet you agreed to marry me anyway. Silly Elf.""Has he met our little friend yet?" Kurt asked with a frown, ignoring her teasing for the time being."Yeah, that was before you came in. That's… gonna take a while," Kate said, frowning to herself."Well," Kurt said in a breath. "There are ways. Indirect routes."She kissed his cheek with a little smirk. "Sneaky Elf.""I don't know what you're talking about, Vögelchen," Kurt replied with a grin. "But you and I will have to spend some time chatting before I can help you with that," Kurt directed to Tyler.Tyler nodded. "Yeah, I get that. Really.""I'm sure you do," Kurt said with a smile before he leaned forward. "So. Tell me everything. We have some time before dinner — and nothing better to do, if you have your classes chosen."Tyler nodded again and then sat back with a small smile as his shoulders relaxed. "Where do you want me to start?""Wherever you'd like," Kurt said.Tyler took a deep breath and let half of it out in a woosh before he started to tell him about where he was from, and how he was raised — though he got terribly side-tracked bragging about his mother and how she'd worked so hard to go from being a waitress to an EMT. How she worked two jobs and went to college at night to make sure that he was taken care of. How she always made sure he'd gotten to go to scout camp and that he always had chances to learn neat stuff and go places with her, even if they ended up camping out of the car.He told Kurt about how she pointed out to him who his father was — as a warning — and promised to whip him if he ever tried to be anything like him — not that he ever would. But the kicker — the thing that really got Kurt engaged — was when the young man started to very shyly tell him about his faith. And when he started to look almost embarrassed by it, Kurt was quick to pull him out of it and encourage him to keep talking, sharing his own experiences balancing his faith and his status as an X-Man as the two of them killed time far quicker than should have been considered normal.By the time dinner was nearly ready, Kurt was so firmly in the 'adopt Tyler' camp it wasn't even funny."And how do you like the idea of starting at Xaviers?" Kurt asked with his chin resting in his hand as he leaned toward Tyler — still completely engaged in their conversation."Honestly, I'm just glad to be able to go somewhere and try and catch up," Tyler told him with an open expression. "Though I have to admit, it's kind of intimidating when your teachers are on the news every morning? It's a bit of… you know…. sheer terror when you meet your childhood hero."Kurt tipped his head to the side and glanced at Kate for a moment. "Oh?" he said, intrigued and probably a little bit competitive at the running count among the students for most popular X-Man. "Do you have a favorite on the team?"Tyler broke into a shy grin. "Yeah, I grew up thinking Wolverine was the best hero — I still do think that, actually. Even with the…" He waved his hand with a self conscious look. "The growling. You're not half bad, though — do you give extra credit for being a favorite?" he teased.Kurt was grinning now. "No, but perhaps I should; I am once again losing the race." He watched the boy for a moment before he scooted closer and leaned toward him to offer a bit of advice. "If you want to get on Logan's good side, you will never do it by being nice to him. Ever. I'd suggest taking riding classes, and perhaps dance if it's not a conflict with something else.""I was thinking about riding classes already. I grew up in Idaho; I know a little about animals," Tyler said with a teasing smile and a little nod as he leaned forward too. "Why? Is there some secret riding club obsession or something?"Kurt just chuckled a bit. "That could be one way to put it," he laughed. "His fiance is the teacher. Get on her good side, and he will be much more reasonable.""Ah, makes sense.""She's not a pushover though. You will have to work for it, and she will know if you even consider lying to her. So, even for something small — just don't," Kurt advised."Yeah, I met her earlier," Tyler agreed. "And I try hard not to lie, as a general rule. Mom would kill me if I did," he added with a little smile as Kurt nodded approvingly."While you're in Logan's classes, stay respectful and you'll be fine," Kurt said."And study hard and all that, too." Tyler nodded."Study harder than the rest of the class. He grades on a curve — with a baseline from the semester before.""Thanks for the heads up," Tyler said, still looking and sounding totally sincere and honestly grateful for the advice. "I'll make sure to put in the effort. Like I told Mr. Summers— I'm not afraid of hard work." He grinned at both of them. "Really, I appreciate it. This — this'll help a lot.""You'll know if K likes you if she gives you a squishy nickname," Kate told him, joining on the "help this sweet teenager get past the growling stage" advice bandwagon."And you'll know when Logan doesn't when he gives you something horrible," Kurt agreed.Kate grinned and leaned forward. "My friend Noh? Gets Sparkly Angel Moon Dust Baby from K — and Bug Boy from Logan. You know. If you want a general idea."Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Sparkly Angel Moon Dust Baby?""One of many. I think she makes them up on the spot." Kate leaned back and grinned at him before she grabbed the empty bowls that had been filled with chips and popcorn before to rinse them out. "You know we like you because I'm taking you shopping for some clothes that don't look like you wore them through the last season of Survivor, and Kurt looks like you just made his whole day." She gave Kurt a fond smile. "He loves getting to talk spirituality — with anyone, really.""Yes. It is nice to meet a kindred spirit. But I think... he needs the Jubilee test," Kurt said in a false whisper, matching her smile with one of his own as he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead."Ooh. Yes. Send one of our little friends to go get her. That's a fun test." She grinned over at Tyler. "I very nearly failed it when I first started dating Kurt and met the rest of the X-Men. I made the mistake of getting into Wolverine's phone, and she is protective.""She's probably not going to like me then," Tyler said, looking down at his hands."Perhaps, but I'm going to make sure to snap her photo when she reacts to blackmail her with later after she's come around," Kurt said before he turned to Kate. "A little turnabout for the after-Christmas pictures.""Sneaky, sneaky little half-demon," she whispered his way before she turned her attention back to Tyler, still grinning. "Come on," she said. "Let's go find Scott and get you registered for classes, huh?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Tyler was knee-deep in a biology book, sitting in a corner of the living room with the book on one knee and a notebook on the other and a cup of hot chocolate beside the chair he'd pulled up by the fire — when he heard the telltale bamf that meant Kurt had just teleported into the room. He looked up for a second, shot Kurt a little smile, and then went back to his notes until he realized that Kurt had simply settled into the chair close by him."How was your first week?" Kurt asked, genuinely curious as Tyler marked his place in the textbook and set his things aside."Ups and downs," Tyler said. "Storm's class is really great, and I enjoy biology. The algebra is fine — but Bobby really really needs to not joke, because he is not that funny.""He can be if he gets the timing right," Kurt chuckled. "But it's a rare thing." He leaned back and tipped his head at Tyler. "And what about history — and your riding classes?"Tyler scratched his head and shrugged. "I am … 99% sure that Logan hates me. No matter what I do. And although I really like the riding, it's like I'm part of the scenery. K doesn't say anything to me unless it's to correct me on what I'm doing wrong.""If you talk to any of the students here, I'm sure they'll all say the exact same thing," Kurt assured him with a small smile. "They're all convinced Logan hates them — and the riding classes, well, that's how she teaches. But I promise, your experience isn't unique. Not entirely, anyway.""Is it normal to have Logan trying to kill me in self-defense class?" Tyler asked. "Because I'm pretty sure he's trying to kill me."Kurt laughed quietly. "That ... I'd have to see for myself. But I can tell you one of Kate's favorite students, Tammy, said almost those exact same words her first week here, and she's tiny and wouldn't hurt a fly." He shook his head for a moment. "And Scott told her: 'If he was trying to kill you, he'd kill you.' She was very annoyed with him.""That's not exactly reassuring," Tyler pointed out."But still true." Kurt smiled a little brighter and leaned forward. "He's not trying to kill you, Tyler. It's only been a week. Sometimes it takes him more time to warm up to even students who don't come to school with an uphill climb like you're facing." He smirked a bit. "Have a little faith."Tyler smiled at that and nodded his head. "I'm trying." He let out a breath and looked over at Kurt. "I signed up for the trail ride next weekend. Hopefully that goes well and I don't have to drop the class. Any pointers there?""I'd suggest you try not to fall off and don't get lost," Kurt said with a little grin. "And don't worry — if you're applying yourself as well in your other classes as you seem to be in biology," he said, pointing with his tail at the biology book, "you shouldn't need to drop anything."Tyler grinned. "Thanks."Susan Bishop was staring out of the window of the dark, stuffy boardroom, not truly paying any attention to what was going on around her, though when someone said her name, she simply turned their way with a pleasant smile and nodded at whatever was being said.She didn't even bother asking any questions when they stuck a stack of papers under her nose with very well-marked neon flags in several places, even though her eyes didn't want to focus well enough to read the words on the page. She just signed where indicated as they told her that this was what her father would have done.She had nothing to concern herself with when her dear friend Giuletta Nefaria was guiding her through it like she was, kindly encouraging her and assuring her that she was doing the right thing and that furthermore, she was ultimately saving Kate from herself.As soon as the papers were signed and much sympathies were passed about on the scandal that Kate was bringing down on the good name of Bishop, Giuletta led Susan from the room with a nod to her counterparts.The heavy mahogany doors closed with a resounding click, and Wilson Fisk let out a deep breath before he turned to the other members of the board. "We're in agreement then? Alternative means while she's hiding under the X-Men's protection?" He looked from one nodding head to the next."And keep our men on her. Sooner or later, she'll slip up and — we all know how easily accidents can happen."Masque didn't look too pleased about the arrangement, as she was sitting in her chair with her arms crossed. "I still say this plan requires too much waiting. There are ways to draw her out. If we can simply devote a few resources, she'll be ours next week instead of next year at the rate you're going."Fisk looked irritated as he glanced down at his hands. "We hired an assassin, and you got in her way. We looked foolish on the public stage when that report proved to be false. So now, at this point, I am willing to make sure it is done right, rather than quickly, though if you were so efficient, it would have been done months ago." He glared at her openly. "By all means, if you think you can do it faster — go ahead, but you'll do it outside of our support."She still had her arms crossed and let out a little tch before she nodded. "If that's the board's decision," she said brusquely. "But in that case, if I beat you to her, I kill her my way.""There are no arguments there as long as you manage to get the job done this time," Fisk replied, with such a tone of finality that the entire Board knew that the meeting had come to an end as soon as he finished his pronouncement.Tyler had decided to go out on a run. He was stuck on a particularly rough math problem and figured maybe a quick change of scenery might help, so he headed out around the grounds after classes to clear his head.While he was out, he figured he'd stop by the mailbox, and he was carrying a nice big stack of mail back to the mansion when he noticed the deliveryman walking back from the front door. The guy tipped his head at Tyler for just a second, and Tyler nodded in response when he saw the package that had been left on the doorstep. He grabbed that, too, and balanced it in the stack of letters as he was headed inside.As soon as he stepped through the door, K made a beeline over, looking for a package with a few supplies for the barn — but when she picked up the one that Tyler had brought in, she wrinkled her nose and deftly stepped outside with a muttered 'nope'. As the door closed behind her, he heard her shout at the deliveryman, who was now rushing at top speed to get away from the house.The guy barely got out of the gate before K chucked the box, and when it landed in the middle of the lawn, it blew up with an impressive little blast. It wasn't anything compared to the ones that Stark had come up with for the bullets or arrowheads he brought Kate and K for Christmas, but in an enclosed space, it would have been devastating.When she stepped back in the house looking livid, she looked up at Tyler and narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you have enhanced senses or not?" she demanded, backing him up all the way to the wall.He nodded at her, wide-eyed."Did you notice anything about that package? Little bit of sulfur maybe?" K demanded. He started to stammer, totally taken off guard by, well, everything — but she was in no mood to listen to it. "Unless you smell sulfur from Kurt or the little bastard demons — it's not supposed to be there. Especially in a package. Got it?""Yes, I got it. Sorry." He stood there for a moment as she glared at him, but he wasn't going to back down either. Thankfully, it didn't last too long, as she shook her head with a grimace and a growl."You have a lot to learn," she muttered before she took about six steps further inside and bellowed for Scott. "Got a new problem!" she called out, stalking toward his classroom.Tyler looked upset and worried as he followed after her. "I don't mean to be a problem. I'm sorry — I didn't know about the sulfur," he said quickly, trying to explain himself a little better.But that just had her waving him off. "You aren't a problem. You didn't know. That is the problem. But … that's not what I'm talking to Scott about. Well. Partly. You need a mentor. Go ... talk to Hank. He's perfect for you." She stopped and looked him over for a moment. "You could have gotten hurt because you don't know. Go learn chemicals. I'll tell Scott what's what."Tyler looked downright surprised for a moment before he simply nodded, and with an "okay" tossed over his shoulder, he headed to go find Hank, his head still spinning at the fast turn of events. He definitely hadn't expected a quick run around the grounds to turn into a mentor assignment."How are things with our newest student?" Kurt asked with a smile as he sat down next to Hank in the teacher's lounge. He stretched out on the couch as he kicked his feet up on the nearby table, worn out himself from his drama class. The kids were working on a musical, and while they were certainly talented, it was a little more work than the usual kind of plays they would put on.Hank smiled brightly as he turned Kurt's way. "Taking to the work like a fish to water," he said, and Kurt could already tell by the warmth of Henry's tone that he, too, had decided he liked the young man, appearances aside."He's driven to be better than what people think of him," Kurt said, and Hank nodded."Not unlike many of us at that age," Hank said.Kurt smiled at that and leaned back. "Maybe one day it will be less common."Hank nodded his agreement at that then smiled at Kurt, setting down his cup of tea. "And how are things going with your play?"Kurt grinned widely. "They really seem to be taking to it," he said. "The biggest problem, actually, is that Sylvia's powers make it difficult to resist following any instructions in the lyrics when she sings."Hank chuckled at that. "I can imagine."Sylvia, the girl in question, was the first mutant that Kurt had taken Kate to rescue on a mission with the X-Men after she joined up — even before she was wearing the X patches on her hips. She was the girl with scales, and the kids liked to tease her that she was part mermaid — but her mutation was more than just her ability to breathe underwater. More than that, she could get anyone to do as she wanted by singing to them.It was a deadly useful talent if she ever decided to join the X-Men — though she hadn't made up her mind yet on whether she wanted to. But in the meantime, she was still trying to learn the difference between singing normally and singing with the purpose of ensnaring the mind."She has a beautiful voice," Kurt explained. "But we're still working out the bugs.""As ever," Hank laughed, though both men looked up when Logan entered the room."How was history?" Kurt called out, knowing that there had been a test that afternoon and that Logan would probably be waist-deep in essays for a little while, which was probably what had him wearing the resigned sort of expression that he was."Same as always," Logan grumbled. "That much don't change.""And what about Tyler?" Kurt asked, careful to watch his friend's reaction. "He's been studying to catch up." But Logan just let out a little noise from the back of his throat that didn't sound very encouraging either way.Kurt frowned and teleported over to where Logan was so that he could stand in front of his best friend. "Logan," he said firmly. "Have you even tried to get to know him? He's nothing like Victor Creed, I can promise you that.""I don't make it a habit to get to know all of 'em," Logan said in a flat tone. "You know that.""I'd think you would want to make an effort here, after what I understand was a spectacularly bad first introduction," Kurt countered, the frown still in place."When have I ever tried to do that?" Logan challenged.Kurt met his friend's gaze with a little glare. "If you had, you would know that he has looked up to the X-Men — and you in particular — since he was young.""Right."Kurt folded his arms over his chest. "So don't give him reason to stop.""No more'n anyone else," Logan countered, matching Kurt's stance.Kurt shook his head. "Give him a chance, Logan. That's all that I'm asking. He already believes you hate him — not like the other students," he added quickly. "But because of who he is."Logan glared at him for a moment. "What's the difference to you in this one?" Logan asked.Kurt gestured openly. "He's a remarkable young man," he said simply. "And perhaps—" He smiled slightly. "—I've been recently reminded that a father shouldn't define your life.""Even your dad ain't that ugly, Elf," Logan replied. "Better reputation too.""And yet," Kurt said patiently, "the point still stands."Logan took a long drink from his bottle of water. "Flimsy.""Your excuses? Yes, they are," Kurt said with a little smirk as he leaned against the wall, arms crossed.Logan didn't even look as he tossed the bottle at him with the lid off. "Your point. Flimsy. You know it."Kurt spluttered slightly as the water hit him, sloshing out even though he caught it, then frowned Logan's way. "I've always had faith in people, Logan. And it's nice to be proven right once in a while in my belief that even the worst parents, the worst situations, can produce good people."Logan worked his jaw for a moment and finally shook his head as he rolled his eyes. "I'll think about it."Every horse in the barn was spoken for, and the kids going on the ride had all picked out their mounts and were nervously tacking up for their first actual trail ride. The trails were nonexistent after the last fresh snowfall, and everyone was bundled up and ready for what K promised would be a simple matter of 'busting snowdrifts'.Tyler was a bit more nervous than most of the others when he saw that Logan was riding with them too. K had explained that they'd have another staff member riding with to help in case of trouble with the horses or the tack — but for some reason, he'd hoped that it would be Kurt or someone a bit more … friendly.As soon as they were all mounted up and K had run down the line to check on them, she headed to the front of the line and started them down the trail. The snow was light, and the horses went through the deep drifts at a good solid trot, causing the fluffy hills to simply explode as they kicked through them. It was every bit as fun as it looked, too, and several of the kids were grinning from ear to ear before they even got to the tree line.The ride wasn't nearly as cold as the kids thought it would be, either. The snorting horses gave off a little bit of heat — even through the saddles — and after they'd been out for a little bit, one of the girls' horses started to feel pretty good and started to prance.It didn't look bad to start with, and the slim blonde — Tammy, the telekinetic from Tyler's math class — certainly didn't seem to think it was a problem, but Tyler started to pay closer attention to what was going on when K turned in her saddle to watch for a moment and then told the girl to pull the horse into a circle. "Make him stop. Now."As soon as Tammy tried to pull the horse around, it yanked its head and then threw its head up. Both K and Logan rushed for the rider and the horse. The little gelding started to truly misbehave and was doing an odd little crow-hop that his rider was not ready for. At that, K kicked her horse up to rush there, but Tyler could see that just wasn't going to be quick enough.Before anyone could tell him otherwise, he dismounted quickly and grabbed a very wide-eyed Tammy around the waist to simply pull her free of the horse as it spun — kicking him in the back on his way out.Logan got to the kids and checked both Tammy and Tyler over, then quickly turned his attention to calming Tammy down once he saw that they were both alright as K chased down the horse. By this time, the whole class had stopped — and once Logan was sure that both Tammy and Tyler were alright, he hopped back on his horse and rushed over to where K was.She was using her horse to push the gelding around, though he was still acting incredibly upset and a bit stubborn. As soon as Logan took a hold of K's reins, she switched horses and started working him over hard, inviting him to misbehave as she got after him. Logan simply led K's horse back to the line of kids and told Tammy to take K's. She looked a little nervous but mounted up as the kids lined up to watch and Logan just kind of smirked to himself."This is what happens when you misbehave in her class," Logan said dryly as she flat-out kicked the horse into a dead run and made it go around about six or seven times before she firmly told him to woah — which, he did immediately, almost sitting down to comply faster. She worked him over a little more then called out for Logan to take up the front of the line. As she walked past the line of kids, they all kind of stared at the horse she was riding. He was wide-eyed and sweating hard, nostrils flared, but ... he was listening perfectly. As she passed Tyler and Tammy, she asked if they were both alright, then continued on her way as they both nodded that they were fine.The rest of the ride went on without incident, though it took a little while for the kids to get back into the laid-back mood they'd been in to start with.When they got back to the barn, K congratulated them all on the job they did and told them to take care of their tack and stall the horses while she concentrated on the troublemaker — a horse named Bo.There was no question that K was irritated with the horse, even now, as she was absolutely unforgiving in her commands. Tammy stood back and watched as K led the gelding into the barn finally, walking next to it with a very loose rein and looking straight forward as she very quietly gave him his commands. "Bo," she said low and gentle. "Woah." She stopped in her tracks as she said it, and he did the same. Without moving, she continued. "Bo, back," and the horse quickly took three steps back before she waved with the hand nearest him and he came up to rest his nose at her hand before she made a clicking noise at him and they started back down the aisle.After she put the horse away and blanketed him, she slid the door closed and stopped next to Logan to watch the kids file out. When Tyler went by, she let out a shrill whistle to catch his attention. "Nice work today, Kitten Whiskers."Tyler didn't miss it when Logan seemed to roll his eyes and look her way either. He broke into a bit of a grin. "Thanks.""Go warm up," she told him. "Everyone else will be up before you know it."When Tyler had mentioned the new nickname to Kate almost as soon as he'd seen her, she'd done an actual happy dance right there in the halls on his behalf before she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him toward the kitchen, declaring that this was cause for celebration."It's too cold out for ice cream, so we'll do hot chocolate instead," she said as she got out the mix and the peppermint sticks. "But usually, ice cream. That is the way to celebrate, my friend." She grinned at him as the pleased smile was widening the whole time he leaned against the counter with her. "This is a milestone.""Well, that's what Kurt said, anyway," he agreed, unable to stop his chest from puffing out the slightest bit. "What was yours?"Kate blinked at him for a moment in surprise and then laughed. "I don't have a specific one, actually," she admitted as she got the water heated up. "But sometimes she just breaks out with 'darling baby girl' or things like that. My personal favorite is 'Kate Bishop: Age 25.'""Is that how old you are or is it some kind of joke?" he asked, then held up his hands. "I mean, I know you're not supposed to ask a lady about age, but you brought it up."She snorted at him. "The original joke was age 24. That was forever ago. Actually, she hasn't used 26 on me yet.""Bet she forgot how old you are," he teased. "Probably thinks you're my age.""Ha ha." Kate rolled her eyes at him. "You've been listening to Brye in my Hawkeyes class, haven't you?" When he grinned, she rolled her eyes. "She's been calling me a teenager since Logan called her out on using the Mr. and Mrs. Elf thing where we could hear it.""Way she tells it, you didn't even notice."Kate leveled one of the peppermint sticks at him. "Brye exaggerates."He grinned wider at her and shrugged. "If you say so. She was pretty insistent.""Do you want hot chocolate or not?""Yes, I want hot chocolate," he laughed, and she playfully smacked him in the arm before she mixed them both up some, complete with mini marshmallows.They were halfway through their second cups of hot chocolate apiece, their peppermint sticks well and truly melted, when Kurt popped into the room — meaning to stop by and surprise Kate with a kiss and perhaps a little more if she was in the mood before he popped off into town for a few supplies for his drama class — and seemed surprised that there wasn't any coffee going, especially when Kate was sitting there with her purple mug. He started a pot with a little smirk as Kate called out to him, "Hey, Ty got a nickname today!""A good one or a bad one?" Kurt asked."A good one I think," Tyler said. "K called me Kitten Whiskers?"Kurt grinned and nodded. "If it was Logan, I'd say you have problems, but from K, that is good.""We're celebrating with chocolate," Kate informed Kurt with a grin as she saluted him with her hot chocolate. "Too cold for ice cream, sadly.""Well I guess congratulations are in order," Kurt said with a nod as he slipped up and gave Kate a kiss on the cheek. "It's just a matter of time before Logan lightens up.""Here's hoping, anyway," Tyler agreed with a grin before he couldn't resist adding to Kurt, "I'm trying to have a little faith."About then, the door opened and there was muted laughter as K and Logan stepped into the kitchen and headed right for the coffee maker, though Kurt had to shake his head when the pair of them blocked what they were doing, with K half giggling before they turned and looked over the little group, shared a significant look and took a very deep pull off the mugs."What did you do to your coffee?" Kurt asked with a laugh, knowing full well what they were up to."International," Logan said with a little smirk that had Kurt chuckling as the two little ferals disappeared again."I guess I'll get him a new bottle of Glenfiddich then while I'm out too," Kurt said with a little sigh."And water," Kate teased."He would argue that there is water in the coffee," Kurt pointed out."Any argument to avoid water," Kate said with a longsuffering sigh and a grin. She leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Don't take too long shopping. I know ornamental skulls for Hamlet are so hard to find," she teased."Yes. Shakespeare. That's what we're up to," he said rolling his eyes. "So many uses for fake skulls in a musical."She just laughed and kissed him again. "Have fun, Rosencrantz. Come back fast, or I'll go through withdrawals."Kurt grinned and that and picked up her hand to gently kiss her knuckles, a twinkle in his eyes as he couldn't resist a little Shakespeare himself. "I can express no kinder sign of love than this kind kiss," he told her, grinning at her over the top of her hand as he was still halfway bent over.She just laughed and pulled on his hand to pull him toward her and in for a proper kiss. "You are too much," she teased him.He slid his arms around her waist and grinned. "You've never complained about that before."At that, she laughed out loud again and locked her arms around his neck to pull him into a good, long kiss that lingered long after she took a breath, and Kurt grinned delightedly as he teleported them a little somewhere that Tyler wouldn't have to watch them get any more involved after that.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Kate was up in the booth in the Danger Room as K and Logan were at it again with their training down below. She'd gotten bored waiting for Kurt, and Tyler had homework, and Jubilee and Noh had gone off on a date, and there weren't any missions to run right then, according to Scott… So, she was texting back and forth with her old teammates just to catch up on how things were going with them.There was, of course, the usual brushoff from Tommy when she asked him if he was ever going to take them up on the offer to join the team — I'll get around to it.And Cassie had finally moved out of her parents' place and had a steady enough job that she was pretty sure she could support herself and maybe start doing a little moonlighting again, to which Kate could only respond, Come here and practice first. Don't want you to go out all rusty and fall on your butt in your public debut.
Sure that's not just an excuse to hang out?
Oh, it's definitely that too.
And in addition to messing with Cassie, Kate was having a particularly good time teasing Billy and Teddy about "Santa Stark." Yeah, he called ahead. K has him trained to do that now.
You mean he doesn't just waltz up like he owns the place?
Nope. He calls ahead AND brings presents. Be jealous.
The response was a picture of Teddy in his natural green with the caption "green with envy" that had Kate cackling.She took a second to look down at where K was fighting Sabretooth again — she was getting better every time — before her phone buzzed again and she sat back, wondering if it was America finally getting back to her. She was hard to pin down when she was out with the Ultimates — or sometimes out of their reality. There was no telling with her.But the number on the text message wasn't familiar, and Kate frowned the slightest bit as she opened it up — only to very nearly drop the phone in pure shock.The text contained a picture of Kurt — unconscious and tied up and wearing a collar — and an unsigned message, though there was no mistaking who it was from: I hope you check your phone often, Hawkeye, because I told you before that you owe me a few days in the Pain Room. I'm starting right now. Up to you how much time I spend with HIM and not you.It took her a full half a second to remember how to breathe, and she wasn't even looking as she slammed her hand down on the intercom. "Logan!" she gasped out.He called out his kill code, and both of them looked up at the tone she had taken. "What are we doing?" he called back as he picked K up onto her feet."Get up here. Fast. Please," she told him. She had the phone in one hand in such a tight grip that her fingers hurt, and she both couldn't stand to look at it and couldn't make herself look away. "It's — it's Kurt."Logan took off at a run, with K on his heels, both of them skidding into the control booth before he rushed up to her. "What are we looking at here?"She wordlessly handed him the phone so he could see for himself. When his eyes narrowed as he read through the threat, she took a breath that caught in her throat and didn't actually help her that much. "I don't even know where he went shopping. I don't know where to start.""Call her up and find out," Logan told her, handing the phone back to her and watching her carefully."But don't cry, and try to stay calm," K added, taking a seat on the other side of Kate.Kate took a few deep, centering breaths. "Right. Calm. That's what I'm feeling right now," she said through her teeth as she looked at the unfamiliar number. She took a deep breath and pressed the call button, half leaning on Logan and clutching his arm as she waited for the pickup on the other side.She honestly didn't care that she was digging into Logan's arm as the phone rang. She had finally gotten used to the idea of getting married… Sure, she'd had to come to terms with the fact that her gorgeous boyfriend wasn't as invulnerable as she'd thought when she first met him, but that had always been X-Men problems. Demons and hate groups and… and not Madame Masque.When Kate had started dating him, she'd understood that there would be dangers that she had never faced before. She'd been kidnapped by a demon king, nearly turned into an Omega Sentinel, and met the one and only Charles Xavier in the next life.For some reason, it just hadn't occurred to her that it would go both ways. Sure, she'd been looking out for hateful people at her company, but… that sort of more or less fell under "X-Men problems." She'd always sort of thought that her problems would be hers.She didn't know why she thought that, but standing there holding onto Logan's arm with an image of her fiance on her phone — it was pretty clear that she was oh so very wrong.Kate was having trouble remembering how to breathe as the first call went to voicemail, and she had to place a second one before she got an answer in an almost bored tone. "Oh, so you do check your messages.""Give him back, you psycho," Kate snapped out."Watch the names," Logan whispered to her low in her opposite ear."You know, it's true what they say about your generation. Manners are really a thing of the past," Masque said in that same bored tone, though no matter how she spoke, it was clear to hear she was overly pleased with herself."Ask what she wants," Logan prompted when Kate seemed too upset to formulate the words — which was really saying something, considering she usually couldn't stop herself from a verbal vomit when she was upset.But this was Kurt. She was supposed to get married to him in a matter of months.Kate followed Logan's lead automatically, still holding onto him. "What do you want?""Just a simple business deal," Masque said, her tone growing a bit more involved and entertained now. "A plain and simple trade. That shouldn't be too hard, even for an amateur businesswoman.""Terms," Logan said quietly.By that time, Kate was hardly keeping herself upright — and was pretty sure she was going to go back on Logan's earlier advice not to cry. "What — what are the terms of the trade?""Oh, nothing that will surprise you, Hawkeye," Masque said, clearly sneering now. "You'll come alone, you'll get in my taxi, and I'll send out your fiance in more or less one piece.""Calm," Logan said. "She's trying to rile you. Find out where.""Where's the taxi supposed to be, anyway?" Kate asked automatically, glad that Logan was paying attention when her heart was pounding in her ears a bit too loud to focus that well."You've been there before," Masque said, clearly enjoying herself now. "New Orleans, the French Quarter. I'll tell you the taxi number when you arrive — alone.""Tell her you'll be there when you can.""I'll be there," Kate repeated, then added a beat later, "as soon as I can.""I'm sure you will be." With that, Masque hung up on her end, and Kate grabbed onto Logan's arm with the other hand, forgetting her phone in a clear state of shock for a moment."She's a rank amateur," Logan promised. "You got the pros on your side. C'mon, let's go get the Elf.""It's gotta be a trap. She knows I'll bring backup," Kate said numbly."Of course it is," Logan said with a nod. "The question is: can you go in and keep it together or do we need to send in someone else with an inducer?"She straightened up the slightest at that and shook her head hard. "No — it's.. I'm not letting anyone else go after Kurt without me.""I didn't say you wouldn't go, just that you might not be what she gets in trade."Kate looked surprised for a moment. "If that goes wrong — I can't ask that!" she said, sounding totally scandalized."It'd work out fine if it wasn't for the height difference," K replied, gesturing between herself and Kate. "I think she'd notice that Kate had shrunk a couple inches.""Can we figure this out on the way?" Kate asked, eyes wide. "Please?""Yeah," Logan said, already leading her out of the room. He picked up his phone and called Scott, asking him to send Remy to the plane. "No one knows the city better," he explained.Kate took a breath and nodded her agreement. "Yeah. Good call," she said, trying to force her brain back into something resembling thought. "Let me… I'm going to grab a tracking arrowhead or nine and hide those somewhere for just in case purposes.""Good call," Logan told her as he and K broke off, headed for the jet, and let her grab whatever she needed. The two of them went right past the lab as Tyler was about to step out from a good lesson with Hank on identifying different chemicals. And as he saw them go past — in uniform — he couldn't help but follow them."What's going on?" he asked as he caught up to the angry little ferals."Don't worry about it; just got a quick mission to deal with," Logan said. "Go study.""Can I come? Cyclops said I could go on a mission to observe," Tyler asked with a frown. Logan visibly cringed as he came to a stop just outside of the hangar."Then you can go with him," he half-growled. "This isn't the kind of mission you should observe. Too much for your delicate sensibilities.""I think I can handle observation," Tyler said, his head tipped to one side. "If you're worried I'll screw it up or something, I can stay back, really."Logan took a step forward, clearly ready to start chewing on Tyler, when K put her hand on his chest and fixed Logan with a look before she turned to Tyler."He's worried you'll get hurt," K said — totally busting him out as Logan glared at her for a moment from right behind her. "Don't try givin' that to me unless you want it back in spades," K warned as she glanced over her shoulder at him. But Logan just chuffed out a breath and shook his head. "It's a team rescue effort," K told Tyler. "Not likely something you want to be around for. Probably messy."Tyler frowned for a moment. "Yeah, maybe not," he conceded before he tipped his head again. "Who are you going after? Maybe I can help Dr. McCoy get prepped if you need it."Logan stopped and frowned at him, almost as if he was just realizing something important. "How reliably can you heal others?""I've been able to heal everything that's been thrown at me so far," Tyler told him honestly.Logan looked at K for a moment, who only raised her eyebrow at him as he thought it over. "If you go along — you don't touch anything," Logan said finally."Got it. No touching," Tyler nodded quickly and shoved his hands in his pockets for good measure.Logan glared at him hard and nodded. "Fine. Might find a use for you before it's over." He jerked his head toward the jet and told Tyler to find a seat and shut up. K watched Tyler rush into the plane before she stole a kiss from Logan."Be nice. He might be able to do some good," K said before she left him to tell Tyler what to expect and who, specifically, they were going after. It wasn't long before Kate and Remy showed up, and Remy was sure to give Logan a little nod."I'm gon' stick close to Miss Kate," Remy said quietly before he followed her up the steps of the jet.It seemed Tyler was in the same frame of mind as Remy was. He didn't move, but he watched Kate from where he was sitting, the frown obvious on his face since K had told him that it was Kurt who was in trouble.K and Logan were up in the cockpit as Remy stayed close by Kate, talking to her in low, calming tones with one hand on her shoulder to try and keep her as calm as possible, as she still had her phone in her hands and was simply staring at it."Don'tchu worry, Miss Kate," he told her quietly. "Ain't nobody gon' be able to stand up to de X-Men once we catch up wit' dem." Kate simply nodded at that, quiet and only not-panicking because Remy was there.When they finally landed in New Orleans, Tyler stayed put and promised — again — not to touch anything, and the X-Men in the group filed out, though Logan paused for a moment at the door just before he left."Touch anything, and I'll cut your fingers off," Logan promised."Got it." Tyler held up his hands and then put them underneath his legs to sit on them.Logan glared his way a moment longer before he left and walked up behind Kate, his hand at her elbow. "We've got you covered," he promised. "Remy's got his connections covering the whole quarter. Anyone sneezes around you, and we'll know it.""It's not me I'm worried about," she told him frankly, though she looked a bit relieved all the same on hearing it."I know, but you're not going to be alone." Logan gave her a little smirk, and K looked extra wicked when she tapped the weapon in her drop holster.Kate squeezed his arm and nodded. "Thanks."K slipped back and came up on Kate's other side to lean over her shoulder as best she could. "Incendiary rounds," K whispered. "I won't just burn the house down — I'll light her ass on fire too.""I knew there was a reason I liked you," Kate said with a small smirk.Once they got down to the center of the quarter, more or less, and the other X-Men were hidden, Kate took a breath and called Masque again, wishing she could just ... shoot her in the face and be done with things and get Kurt back. This was so much worse over the phone. "Alright, I'm here," she said, not bothering to wait once she heard the click on the other end that meant Masque had picked up. "You said there would be a taxi.""The one with the last few digits of this number," Masque said smoothly. "I'm sure it won't be hard for a Hawkeye to spot."Kate looked around the quarter with wide eyes for a moment until she spotted it and looked over her shoulder several times before she headed over to the door of the cab. It didn't surprise her in the least when the driver was wearing one of those stupid bellman suits or when there weren't any handles on the inside of the doors — but Logan and K and Remy were following her, so she forced herself to just. Not. Panic.The cab took her down lesser-used roads so that it would be harder for anyone to follow them, though what they didn't know — and Kate did — was that the two ferals behind them could drive just fine without their lights. Not to mention Remy's contacts, who knew where most of the winding roads were headed and could get there ahead of the taxi, which was taking more circuitous routes anyway.When they finally arrived, it was to pull into a huge plantation home, with plenty of land and trees on all sides, far from town and relatively secluded, which made it the perfect Masque hideout, really. They pulled into the long driveway, and Kate had to admit ... it wasn't that she didn't trust her teammates. It was that it was really hard to trust her teammates when the bad guys took all her weapons and put her hands roughly behind her back before they brought her in, and she was pretty sure they'd done something to her wrist when they tied her hands, because it was throbbing..When they got to Masque, she was in what must have been a ballroom at some point, leaning back in a chair with a look of pure delight that was obvious to see even with the mask on. She was leaning forward in anticipation as the two guys on either side of Kate dragged her in.Kurt was there, too, all but propped up between two huge guys and looking very much worse for the wear. He was battered and bruised, and — Kate saw with a deepening glare — his tail was broken in a few places.Kate could guess at what the game was here — even though she couldn't stop staring at her clearly hurt fiance. It was all head games with Masque, showing Kate what was in store for her, what she could do in a short time to someone who wasn't even her target — and trying to rile her up because it was Kurt held up by his tied arms just a few feet away from her and out of reach."Alright, I came here, now let him go," Kate said through her teeth, though Masque chuckled a bit."Let him go please," the older woman corrected. "Manners, Hawkeye."Kate was shaking with rage, and between that and the low growl that escaped Kurt, it was clear neither of them was at all pleased about the situation as Kate said through her teeth, "Let him go. Please.""Mmm. I don't think I will," Masque said in an airy tone as if she was just considering her options. "What would be the point? He'd only come back for you, and we can't have that."Kate looked thunderous, and Kurt bared his teeth in Masque's direction until she reached over and grabbed the tail where it had been broken to twist it up, and he let out an involuntary cry followed by a string of curses and oaths in German that had Kate shouting too.Masque turned her attention back to Kate and lazily stood up. "No, I think we'll send the X-Men a message about meddling in my affairs. You and your dashing demon aren't going anywhere." She waved her hand, and the men on either side of Kate took her in a tighter grasp. "And you and I are just getting started."Logan had killed the engine outside of the long driveway that led to the plantation and stashed the car down the road before the three X-Men bailed out and started sneaking up toward the large building. Security outside was tight, and even high tech, but it was almost a joke when taking into consideration that Logan, K, and Remy were hands down the sneakiest on the team — and there wasn't a place yet that they couldn't get into.Between feral senses, ninja training, and Remy's years of service in the Thieves' Guild, it was practically like strolling openly down the lane. Breaking into the house was just as simple of an affair, and it hardly took them any time at all before the three of them were inside, watching and listening as Masque tortured Kurt and Kate.They didn't wait to decide that enough was enough, and the little bit about manners had K fuming — and more than ready to give a lesson or two of her own. They didn't bother trying to come in under the radar once they made the decision, and as they dove in, Masque's men opened fire.It wasn't until the fourth or fifth shot that K even realized that she wasn't healing.Logan realized it, but seeing K continue to bleed on top of Masque's other crimes just tipped him over the edge, and he lost what little bit he was reining in, slashing and slicing bellboys left and right as they fired on him.K and Remy took a moment longer to work through the group, but Remy's armor protected him from most of the damage that the two ferals couldn't avoid while he danced through them with his bo staff twirling and ringing like a bell as the end of the staff made contact with one skull or another. The first chance he got, he cracked the staff over the men holding both Kurt and Kate, getting them to release the two captives, at least — seeing as Logan had other things to do and K seemed to have her sights set on the woman running the show.And K, bleeding and angry, stalked right up to Masque. The masked woman, seeing K focused on her, fired two shots in a clearly desperate attempt to keep her back. The first one hit her in the shoulder, but the second missed entirely.K returned the favor with two incendiary rounds that did not miss her marks — both shoulders. Both of them exploded with the force of impact before they burst into flames and launched what K could only equate to napalm, seeing as it stuck like tar as it burned."How rude of you to fire upon a lady without first expressing your intentions," K growled out with a touch of a Southern drawl before she fired a shot at Masque's feet as the woman screamed. "Kate, are you alright?" She was stalking toward where Kate and Kurt were tied, her gun fixed on Masque's head. "I'd offer for you to shoot her … but I know you have much more important matters." She shrugged. "Pick the placement.""If she had a tail…" Kate said low under her breath, her gaze flitting between Masque and Kurt until K got close enough to stoop and cut Kate loose with one claw."Well ..." K said, walking up to Masque before she turned Masque around, kicked her to the ground, and stomped down hard on her tailbone, eliciting a scream and a somewhat satisfying crack. "It is impolite and unladylike to hide your face from your guests, Madame." K said as she wrenched the mask off of her face and glanced over to Kate, waiting to see if she had any other requests.Kate had just finished untying Kurt when K looked her way, and she frowned for a moment. "I don't care. Just... I don't care." She had her full focus on Kurt as she brought her hands to his face as soon as he was free, with pure worry in her gaze as he met her eyes and looked nearly as upset for her."Are you alright, liebchen?" he asked gently, caressing her face with one hand."Am I…?" Kate choked on the question. "Are you?"The answer to that question was fairly obvious as even the light-hearted shrug Kurt tried to give her looked like it hurt, so instead, he simply kissed her to keep her from worrying — or looking too closely, at least until they were out of there."Ah, I've got it," K said, turning back to Masque and searching the woman for a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. She lit two at once and perched on Masque's chest, pinning her in place. "When one takes part in a pleasant evening cigarette, it is only a sign of good upbringing if you offer one to your guests." She pulled one cigarette out of her mouth and held it just a millimeter over the spot between Masque's eyes until she started to scream and panic. K took a moment longer to let her squirm before shoving the lit end up Masques' nose. She then took a deep drag of the other one and blew it into Masques' face. "Your parents spent no time on you, did they?"As Masque squirmed and panicked, K looked toward Kate and Kurt as Kate had finally convinced Kurt to let her look him over — and by the looks of things, he needed the looking after. It looked like the tail wasn't the only thing Masque had broken, which was why he hadn't made a move to get up on his own steam. He was doing a good job of redirecting Kate's attention to keep her from a full panic or full-blown guilt — but K knew Kate was going to need help getting him out of there.K let out a weary breath as she watched Kate try to tend to Kurt's injuries, while her own wounds actually started to drag her down a bit. "I do hope that I'm not too heavy for you," K said with a lazy drawl. "But I shall remind you that it is rude to ask a lady her weight or her age." She was rasping as she breathed. "It is also considered poor manners to put your guests at a disadvantage," K said with a wheeze. "So I ask you, Madame, where does a person of your standing keep their dampener safe from prying eyes?" Masque shifted under her with a bit of a chuckle. "Don't fool yourself, lady. You will die before I do."To emphasize her point, K very very slowly released one claw under Masque's nose. "They are quite sharp, I assure you. I'm sure I can peel your face off without making you bleed more than a paper cut if I'd like. I've done it before. So — where is the dampener?"Masque glared at her openly for a moment, but that just had K moving her claw closer, just beneath the woman's eyes until she finally whispered quietly, "Parlor.""Thank you," K said. "But if I find that you have lied to me, I promise I will return to make you wish you were dead days before I begin to give you hope that death might be your fate." She growled at her to be sure that her point was made before she called out for Remy to deal with the trash — and Remy was only too happy to step in, his bo staff in the center of Masque's chest to keep her from getting up.But K only made it halfway across the ballroom before she slowed to a stop and lost her balance. She looked over to see that Logan really wasn't faring any better either — the shots they had both taken with the healing turned off and the dampener still functional were starting to catch up to them. Logan had already hit his knees, and K wasn't going to make it any further across the room than where she'd fallen.Kate heard K's stumbling steps over the sound of her own muttered promises to Kurt that she was going to take care of him… and when she saw what was going on with both Logan and K, it was the first time since K had cut her loose that she even had any concept of the idea of doing anything else but making sure Kurt was alright.She was seriously going to have to get a handle on herself if she was going to get married and still be Hawkeye."Remy, don't let them die," she said suddenly in a bit of a shaky voice as she got to her feet. She glanced over at Kurt, who simply muttered a promise that "I'll be fine" before she took a breath and ran for the parlor, her expert gaze raking over the room until she found what she was looking for. She grabbed up the nearest heavy-looking decorative knick knack and demolished the dampener into bits before she tossed the ornamental ball aside and made her way back to the ballroom. She almost didn't spot the guy who reached out in a flash to snag the jewel-encrusted thing before it could hit the ground, and when she turned to look at him, he just grinned."Remy done said we kin take what we want in dis place soon's you and m'su diable were safe, cher."Kate almost had to smile at that. "Of course he did," she said softly before she went back to the ballroom, where it was clear the X-Men were going to need help getting back to the plane.Both K and Logan were passed out in puddles of their own blood, though they were likely already starting to heal. Kate was feeling alright physically, though she was having a major adrenaline crash, and her left wrist was starting to bother her. But she was more concerned with Kurt, who still looked the same — that is to say, battered and bruised and stupidly acting like he wasn't hurting as badly as he was on the other side of Masque's twisted torture session — and still had that stupid collar on top of everything else, keeping him from teleporting back home so Hank could patch him up.Remy, meanwhile, had knocked Masque out and had just finished tying her in a corner. As he worked, he was talking low to some of his crew, who nodded and went to go help the two unconscious ferals — though they all looked surprised at how heavy Logan and K were. They carried those two off, and a couple other guys helped Kurt toward the waiting car as well, propped up between them with his arms over either of their shoulders. Kate took a few steps Kurt's way, but Remy put his hand on her shoulder to stop her."SHIELD's on de way to pick up this here couyon, Miss Kate," he said, poking Masque in the side with his bo staff. "Dey prob'ly want to hear what you got to say 'bout dis one. And I'm tinking you'd like to see de end result."Kate paused for a moment and looked toward Kurt again before she turned back to Remy and nodded, leaning against the nearest wall. "Yeah. I'd like to stay and make sure she actually gets arrested this time."By the time SHIELD did arrive, Remy's crew had gone through the entire house and picked it clean — and the lot of them were gone before the first agent even got as far as the front door. The responding SHIELD agents were quick to take Masque into custody as Kate half-shouted at them that they'd better make sure she stayed locked up before she gave her report to the agent in charge, complete with detailed threats about what she was going to do if she found out they let Masque escape after what she'd done.So by the time Remy and Kate made their way back to the plane, she was wiped out and half leaning on Remy the whole way back. She hadn't even really fought much, but she was so emotionally spent, and she knew Remy was the only thing getting her to the blackbird.When they got to the jet, K was sitting up, leaning on the wall of the plane with Logan's head in her lap and her hand resting on the center of his chest as they watched Tyler work on Kurt. It was hard to watch, because she remembered how much it had hurt when Tyler put her arm back together. The bruises were starting to fade, and the discoloration that had told her where things were broken was starting to return to the normal blue, but Kate was more concerned with the way Kurt was holding his breath, his eyes squeezed shut.Tyler paused and glanced up at Kate. "Almost done," he promised before he got right back down to work.Remy went right into the pre-flight checklist, promising to make the flight an easy one for all as Kate practically dropped right beside. She watched the tail snapping back into place with a grimace, though she was reluctant to hold his hand or anything like that for fear of getting in the way — she wasn't sure if Tyler's powers would try to help her too if she was touching Kurt, and she wanted to make sure Kurt was safe. She settled down next to her fiance to wait until Tyler was finished, her jaw set and her eyes a bit wide, though as soon as Tyler sat back from Kurt, she all but threw her arms around Kurt and held onto him for a moment as she whispered over and over that she was so, so sorry."It's not your fault, liebchen," Kurt said in a soothing tone as he smoothed her hair. "Evil is simply evil.""Still." She pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead and then hugged him tightly again. "I don't like seeing you hurt.""I don't like seeing you hurt either," Kurt said as he held her close, kissed her cheek, and then whispered gently, "You should let Tyler fix that wrist; it looks painful."Kate rested her head on his chest for a long moment before she even responded. "I didn't notice it until just a bit ago, actually. I mean. Not after the fight broke out. Adrenaline, you know?"Tyler scooted a bit closer so he could see Kate's wrist and then offered her his hand. "I'll fix you right up," he promised. "We wouldn't want our archery teacher to be stuck without her hands."Kate smiled at Tyler and let him take her hand, and this time, the healing was a much easier affair than the last time Tyler had fixed her up. It took hardly any time at all, and when he was done, Kate was sure to pull Tyler into a warm hug. "Thanks," she whispered to him, "for taking care of him.""No problem," he whispered back as he gave her a little squeeze. "Just make sure you both eat, alright? I've heard a rumor that all that healing takes it out of you," he added, this time with a little more of a tease to his tone.She just laughed and hugged him once more before utterly abandoning him for Kurt, who took her newly-healed hand in his to raise to his lips. He kissed the back of her hand and then, for good measure, turned her hand and pressed a kiss to the palm there.She grinned at him before she scooted closer to lay her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Kurt," she said quietly."Kate…" He shook his head at her. "It's not your fault.""It is my fault when Masque kidnaps you just to get to me."He gently tipped her chin up with one finger so he could look at her better. "Evil will always come after us as long as we continue to do good," he told her gently. He tucked her hair behind her ear as he added, just as gently, "And as you recently, repeatedly told me when my own problems came to call — nothing anyone else does will change the way I feel about you." At that, Kate simply melted, pressing her face into his hand, and he pulled her into a gentle kiss.Tyler, by that point, had turned pointedly around to give Kate and Kurt the privacy they clearly needed and then made his way a bit closer to where Logan and K were. "I can help you two," he offered. "Try to speed things along, if you want.""No thanks," Logan said. "The bullets are working their way out on their own. Only thing we need is fluids.""Okay. Where do you guys keep the water bottles?" Tyler held up his hands. "I swear I'll only touch where you send me."Logan gave him a dry look and pointed to the cabinet. "Don't be a smartass."Tyler had to smirk just the slightest bit before he got to the cabinet and tossed each of them a couple of water bottles. "Let me know if you need anything else.""Just keep 'em comin'," Logan told him, though even with the extra water, it was pretty clear he was about tapped out and ready to sleep."Hey, before you pass out," Kate said as she and Kurt slipped over. "Can you…?" She looked up at Kurt, who pulled on the collar he was still wearing as a wordless completion of her sentence.K and Logan shared a look, and each of them held out a fist, but when Logan's hand shook the slightest, he simply relaxed and closed his eyes to let K handle it. She very carefully let out a little bit of one claw — just enough to slip under the collar, with no extra waiting to nail him if they were to hit a patch of turbulence — and a moment later, it was cut in half, ready for Kurt to wrench it open enough to slip it off."Thanks," he said with a broad grin as Kate almost immediately reattached herself to his side."Anytime," K replied as she rested her now bloodied hand on Logan's chest.As soon as the collar was off, the bamfs were able to find Kurt again, and they popped in, all wearing looks somewhere between concern and anger — though all of them turned to mild curiosity and confusion when they saw that not only was Kurt okay but so was Kate, and the two ferals were asleep together and healing up.One of the little guys crawled up into Kate's lap and started chattering at her, and Kate let out a bit of a sigh. "Yeah, you did miss everything. Sorry, but I was pretty sure Masque wouldn't have considered me 'alone' with you guys along — and I didn't know where you'd gone, either. For all I knew, you got grabbed too."The little guy put his hands on his hips and chattered at her angrily some more, which just got another sigh and a nod."Yeah, I know you guys were with him when he went shopping. That's why I thought you—"The little guy took her face in both of his hands and gave her such a look that she couldn't possibly have misunderstood."Okay. Got it. We need to figure out a way for me to call you guys so you can help when this never happens again," Kate told him seriously."Do you see what you're doing?" Kurt broke in with with a growing smile."I was just…" Kate turned to look his way for a moment as the bamf let go of her face, and then she looked back at the bamf. "… hey!""Yes, yes you were."She broke into a delighted laugh and kissed first the little bamf on top of his head and then Kurt. "When did — I didn't even realize!" She was still laughing and grinning wide."That seems to be how it works more often than not," Kurt said as he pulled her into a tight hug. He was clearly just as excited as Kate was — probably moreso, since the bamfs were his, and he had hoped Kate would eventually be able to understand them as easily as he could, especially if she would be spending the rest of her life with him — and them.She kissed him again, delightedly, and settled into the hug. "Two and a half years of training. I'm slow, but I get there."Kurt chuckled low as he rested his chin on top of her head. "Kitty's been around much longer, and she still doesn't get it. Storm and Henry don't understand them. It's not the training, liebling."She grinned and hugged him tighter. "Maybe I just need to be totally wiped out and tired before it starts making sense," she teased."That could be," Kurt said with a laugh. "Logan was completely frustrated when it all clicked for him.""Well they are little demons. Can't do anything the easy way," she laughed as she ruffled the hair on her little buddy's head and a few other bamfs came to join the cuddle pile now that they knew one had started.
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It was a nice, clear, crisp Friday when K poked her head into the library to find Tammy and Tyler, who thankfully for her were actually studying their algebra together. She made her way over and totally ignored the little bit of flirting that was going on — the way Tammy was sitting closer than she needed to or the way Tyler kept smiling at her — before she crossed her arms and cleared her throat."Do you two want to stay in my riding class?" K asked.Both of them looked up at her wearing identical expressions of surprise and confusion. "Yes, please!" Tammy said in her usual soft, excited voice, and Tyler nodded his agreement beside her."Then let's get going," K said. "You can't keep riding without a few things. You both need boots, and you, mister," she pointed to Tyler. "You need a saddle that fits. Be in the garage in ten minutes." With that, she turned and left them wondering where the heck that had come from."Think this is about when I couldn't control my horse riding that trail ride?" Tammy asked in a little whisper once K was gone.Tyler shrugged. "I doubt it, somehow," he said, though he couldn't exactly answer her any further on the matter when he didn't understand it either.They took Logan's jeep to head out further from town, away from the city. They drove for several hours before the two kids were looking at each other in a bit of confusion until they saw the first horse and buggy on the side of the road moving along. K narrowed her eyes as she watched it for a second and turned her focus back to the road without a word.A few minutes later, they spotted two more. "The second buggy. Watch the horses' legs move. It's racking. Only certain breeds can do it. It's like a coasting gear. Somewhere between a walk and a trot." The horse in question moved both left legs together as it pulled the cart, almost looking like a rocking horse as it snorted in the cold air."That's pretty cool," Tammy said, though K simply nodded as they kept right on toward… wherever it was she was taking them.When they got to the half-falling apart barn, they could easily hear the auction happening inside — even Tammy, who didn't have enhanced senses like the other two. K turned toward the kids with an easy smile. "Walk through the barn with me, just for fun — pick out which horse you like best, and we'll stick around if there's not too much going on to see who picks the high-dollar horse."The barn was darker inside, but both teens picked the prettiest horses they could find. Tammy fell for a palomino that looked like it had been rubbed down with oil — skinny but still very pretty. Tyler picked out a paint horse that looked like it had fallen off the movie screen by its markings. K just shook her head at both of them and pointed out a very sturdy, plain bay with one sock that was calm and steady looking. But the auction was packed, and there were far too many lots going through of dusty old tack and fishing poles and junk, so she quickly re-routed them to the diner near the auction house and got the kids a bite for lunch before they spent a couple hours picking out a saddle and boots.They were in good spirits, and the kids had actually enjoyed the impromptu trip much more than they'd expected to. In fact, the usually-shy Tammy was starting to come a little more out of her shell, not bothering to hide her excitement as she asked, "Can we go back to the auction? I want to know who won."K nodded, and the trio headed back toward the auction house. And as an old Amish man held the door open for them with a kind smile, a familiar, unwelcome voice rang out from around the corner. "Field trip? Really? Didn't think you'd bother without takin' someone a little bigger along with you," Victor Creed said as he stepped around the corner of the building with a menacing smile. "Nice little bit of sparkle you're sportin' there."K let out a breath with a very put-on smile. "Yeah. You're not invited, either. Sorry, not sorry." She tipped her head toward the door to tell the kids to go inside before she simply rushed at him, taking Victor back a step. Clearly, he hadn't expected her to attack.When she slipped between his arm and his body, she left three deep gouges in his side, and he moved toward her as he spun, intent on chasing her down and working her over, but as he got moving good, she dropped down on the icy pavement and slid neatly between his legs, slicing deeply into one thigh. He spun and caught her, but as he drove his fist forward to hit her, she lifted her fists in defense, and he ended up getting claws through the forearm.He was doing her some damage, but he was clearly the one losing more blood as she continued to surprise and frustrate him. But when the hits she had managed really got him to lose his temper, though, the tides started to turn. She was faster, but with every strike he landed, there was simply far far more power behind it — and she was losing steam. She had the element of surprise initially by rushing him, but she had to work much faster to keep out of his grip.He'd just batted her across the lot with five deep gouges in her side when she realized that it just wasn't going to happen today.She pulled her sleeve back and leveled her arm at him, to which he simply laughed ... a split second before the weapon discharged. And then he positively sparked until the charge was shot. He wavered for a moment before simply falling backward, with smoke spiraling off of him in several places.The kids rushed over to help K up now that they knew they weren't going to get slashed, and once she was fully upright, she took a few slightly shaky, quick steps just to kick Creed in the face before she straightened what was left of her jacket, pulled out her phone, and took a few pictures. "We need to get moving before he wakes up," she told them. "I think we've scared the locals enough for one day."Tammy didn't hesitate to nod and let out a little squeak, though Tyler was staring at Sabretooth with a little frown on his face for a while. The fact of the matter was that he had never seen Sabretooth before. Not in person. And he was still trying to figure out how to process that whole mess. Finally, Tammy tugged on his arm, and he nodded too.On the way out, K had to give a couple of tourists a hard look before they opened up the wide arc of people that had gathered to watch the fight. When the kids followed close behind, she had to stop dead in her tracks as she heard one of the more popular conclusions the crowd was making after having seen both Tyler and Victor."No," K said between gritted teeth at a scandalized-looking woman who was watching K warily. "This is not a custody issue. Clearly, he stays with me. You got a problem with that, lady?" The woman shook her head and backed off a few steps as K glared at her before she strode off with the two blonde teenagers in tow.When they got loaded up into the jeep, K took a moment to pinch the bridge of her nose and let out a long breath before she simply started it up and headed off down the road. It was a long stretch of silence before she finally asked if they were alright."Yeah," Tammy said, looking to Tyler, who took a bit longer with his answer. He wasn't entirely sure what to say, if he was honest, but he'd start with something a little more familiar."You didn't have to stick up for me back there," he told her at last. "It's okay. I get it a lot, and I'm used to it.""Do you have a problem with me sticking up for you?" K asked with slightly narrowed eyes."No!" He shook his head quickly. "I just … thanks.""It's none of their damn business what is going on, and I am not going to explain myself to strangers. Let them think whatever the hell they want. I really don't care," K replied. "They're just making up stories anyhow. Boring little lives.""It was pretty exciting for a while though," Tammy said with a small smirk. "I didn't know you could do that to Sabretooth.""What, fry him? Electricity will do that to anyone," K said with a little shrug."Yeah, but you were fighting him first," Tammy argued. "I've never seen anyone but Wolverine do that.""Birds of a feather I suppose," K muttered. "Lots of people fight him, though. Noh did a pretty fair job of it last time, if I remember right."Tyler let out a subdued smirk her way. "The sparkly angel moonface man?""The snuggly moon-dusted star child, yes.""You mean the big Kree guy who runs security?" Tammy wrinkled her nose at both of them."I mean the sweet, angel-faced boy who runs security," K replied. "He's a darling. And light on his feet.""I thought Brye was kidding about him going to dance classes," Tammy giggled."He's one of the best students out there. He's good — and it shows."At that, Tammy seemed to decide something all at once and spun to tug on Tyler's arm. "Ooh, maybe I should sign up for dance classes next semester. What do you think, Tyler? It could be fun! You'd be great at it, I'm sure!"Tyler looked a bit surprised but then just grinned and shrugged. "Sounds fun," he said simply, and Tammy beamed at him.K shook her head slightly — sure that Tyler was missing the obvious flirting signs — and just turned on the radio for the duration, not about to touch that mess.But when they got back to the house, she had to turn to look between the two teenagers after she spotted Scott and Logan both waiting in the garage. "Which one of you narced?"Both of the kids looked at each other and then back at K, shaking their heads earnestly. "Wasn't me," they said, almost in unison."But ... you probably wouldn't be able to hide it with all the blood all over you anyhow," Tyler added, gesturing to her ruined outfit."You doubt me," K said with a look of disbelief. "But how the hell—" She turned the car off and then smiled sweetly at the two X-Men waiting for them. "Did you both miss me that much?""We got the alert when you used the bracelet," Scott explained, frowning over all three of them like he was checking for injuries — and he probably was."Kids are fine; no one touched them," K said as she straightened her barely-there coat. "Trip was successful. Thanks for asking."Logan let out a little sigh as he got up to her and openly started looking her over for injuries that clearly had long healed. "Looks like it was bad," he said quietly. "How long was he followin' you?"K just shrugged for an answer."He asked her about the ring — sorta," Tyler cut in. He was frowning hard as he looked over at K. "I don't think he liked being told he wasn't invited, either," he added, trying to smirk K's way — it had been a good shot, he thought.Logan looked a bit deflated at that and nodded. "Pack a bag, we're leavin' for the weekend," he told her before he turned to Scott. "He's gonna be a pest — and he'll come straight here once he gets himself together.""If he can get past Noh's security measures in one piece, I'll blast him," Scott told him with a single, sharp nod."He's probably going to stick around is the problem," Logan said before he turned to look at K again. "So when we get back, I'm sorry, but you can't be heading off on little trips like that without another team member than can handle him. He'll get a lot worse before it's over."K looked livid but didn't really argue the point — simply because she knew he was right. "It's because I'm tiny, isn't it?" she grumbled."It's because you're a target," Scott told her frankly."Tiny target. Harder to hit," she shot back, crossing her arms over her chest."Only for amateurs. And I hate to say it, but we're dealing with a pro here," Scott returned. "At least when it comes to this kind of thing.""What … kind of thing, exactly?" she asked, her head tipped to the side and a smirk on her face that Logan couldn't see from where he was standing.Scott tipped his head Logan's way for just a second before he let out a huff and replied with, "Attempted assassination, torture, kidnapping, and a laundry list of other nasty things.""Uh huh, that's it." She shook her head at him. "Okay, see you on Monday, sweet pea," K replied in a sing song tone. "Så skyddande av hans nalle."Even with Logan and K gone, Scott had made it a point to ask Noh to tighten the security around the mansion, and so when Sabretooth did inevitably make his run that night, they caught him on their alert system well before he even got to the front gate, much less on the grounds.As soon as the system was tripped, Noh sped out to where the alert had been to simply tackle Sabretooth to the ground, and they set into a solid rhythm pounding on each other until Scott got there with Storm. About a dozen optic blasts and two precise lightning strikes later, the big guy had no choice but to turn tail and run.Still, Noh wanted to stay outside for a bit longer and run the perimeter a few more times in case the retreat was short-lived. After all, Creed wasn't known for giving up easily. So, after Storm and Scott went back in, he did just that, running the perimeter twice before he sat down on a nearby bench in the gardens to get a breath and heal from some of the hits Creed had managed to land.He still had a pocketful of sweets from the candy shop he and Jubilee had gone to earlier that day on a "just because" sort of date, and he was munching happily on them when he spotted someone near the gate. He frowned and stashed the candy back in his pocket before he sped over to investigate — and fell into an immediate glare when he recognized the visitor."I take it either my father is hidden away or he simply isn't around," Daken drawled out when he saw Noh. "Why else would he let you fight his battles for him?"Noh glared at him hard. "I think you'll find that as the security advisor here, it's my job to fight those battles," he said. "Which brings me to: you shouldn't be here either.""I have a right to speak with my own father, don't I?" Daken asked with a barely restrained grin. "When can I expect him back?""He was not specific on a time," Noh said."Of course he wasn't," Daken said in a bored tone. "If not him, then his pretty little friend would do just fine for the time being."Noh drew himself up taller and bared his teeth. "She is not here either. And if she were, she would not meet with you.""You say that now," he replied with a smirk. "I can draw my own conclusions with her. Tell me, security advisor — what are you doing, so far from the safety of the house. All alone?"Noh crossed his arms over his chest. "Keeping out unwanted visitors."Daken looked him over for a moment. "Don't you want to invite me in? We can reminisce. Just you and me. A little fire. Could be fun."Noh bared his teeth again. "I can think of much more preferable ways to spend my time. Fighting Sabretooth for one.""I'll bet you can," Daken said with a growing smile. "When was the last time you spoke with Moonstone? She was looking for you not too long ago."Noh stopped cold and turned the full force of a furious glare at him. "I have not spoken with her since I was on that ridiculous team of ours, and you know it. Though perhaps I should have taken her with me — considering who she fell in with after I left. Even she deserves better.""I figured she was upgrading, really.""I believe the term is degrading," Noh shot back."Only on special occasions."Noh glared harder, his claws already sharpening almost unconsciously. "Get off of this property," he said low. "Neither of the people you came to see are here, and everyone else is asleep. You have no business here. And if those instructions are not clear enough and you still insist on darkening our doorway, I'd suggest coming back at a more earthly hour after having called ahead. Even Iron Man can manage that.""Oh, is he sniffing around too?""He's far more welcome here than you are.""He's never spent much time here before — what's the draw, Marvel Boy?""Something you wouldn't understand," Noh said with a smirk. "The two teams are trying to mend fences and create an atmosphere of cooperation and trust.""There are games for that; I could teach you.""I think not. I'm no child looking for games and amateurish pranks.""These are not children's games," he said with a leer.Noh took a step closer to put his index finger, claw extended, in Daken's face. "Leave. I promised my friend Wolverine I would not start anything, but as I said, he is not here.""If you are so insistent, then I guess I'll just have to wait until next time," Daken replied. "Maybe you'll be feeling a bit more welcoming then.""I very much doubt that," Noh sneered at him. He took a few steps back but didn't take his gaze off the unwanted guest. "I trust you can see yourself back to the town. Not that I would offer my assistance otherwise.""It's alright. I understand why you'd be afraid to be alone with me in a small space." He turned to walk away."Indeed. I'd break my promises to both Scott and Logan," Noh muttered low under his breath."Are you sure those are the only promises you'd break?" Daken called out as he walked away.Noh just glared as he headed back toward the mansion, deciding to climb in Jubilee's window from the outside instead of walking in just to give himself a bit of a stretch and something to take his mind off of the annoying feral who had just left the grounds.Part of Tyler's mentoring with Hank involved more than just scents. He was learning to extend his abilities, and he learned quite by accident that he could do more than he'd thought before. One of the younger kids had come in while he was discussing things with Henry. The girl had managed to cut herself on a broken beaker in science class, and it was deep enough that it needed stitches.Henry paused just before he started the stitches. "Tyler, would you like to assist me in this?" Tyler grinned and nearly tripped over himself as he made his way over and gently took the girl's hand in his."It's going to feel a little bit odd," Tyler warned before he concentrated hard, and a few short moments later, the deep gash was as if it had never happened. "You might want to wash the blood off before you go back to class," Tyler said with a little smile.The girl beamed at him before she headed over to the sink and started to wash, but then she frowned as she looked at her hand once the blood was gone. "You got rid of my scar," she said as she turned to look at him. "I got that when I was little.""Oh, I ... didn't mean to," Tyler said. "I was just trying to fix the cut." But Henry was watching the exchange carefully."No, it's fine — I hated that scar," the girl told him before she crossed the room and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you — really. This is awesome!" She gave him a huge smile for good measure before practically skipping out of the room.Tyler stared after her as she left until Henry cleared his throat. "I think ... you may have more of a talent than you realize," he told the tall, slightly bewildered young man. "If you're not completely in opposition to it, I believe that I would very much like to give you a small project."Tyler didn't even consider his options before he simply nodded, though the following day when Jubilee appeared in the lab, grinning at him, he was a bit concerned."Tyler," Hank said, closing his book and removing the glasses from his nose. "I have an assignment for you, my dear boy. Many years ago, a young Miss Lee found herself on the receiving end of a crucifixion." Jubilee waved at him with the tips of her fingers before she held up her hands for him to see the ugly scars on either side of her hands. "I would be both proud and relieved if you could erase their existence from her otherwise lovely hands.""Oh. Wow. Okay," Tyler said as he set his backpack down and sat down next to Jubilee, raising both eyebrows at the even more up-close look of her hands. He hadn't heard the story of what had happened to Jubilee — it wasn't reported — and he didn't want to get her hopes up after something that traumatic that it could just… go away. "I've never just worked on scars before," he confessed."Well I doubt you can make them worse," Jubilee said with a shrug as Tyler took one of her hands in his.Tyler looked nervous as he nodded. "Well I can only try," he told her as he concentrated hard on trying to heal the damage.As Tyler got to work, Henry just smiled to himself and turned half-heartedly to his research as he watched the boy as he screwed up his features in concentration. Hank did not expect Tyler to have any real progress. Jubilee's scars were deep and rather nasty, considering. But he wanted Tyler to push the boundaries of what he thought he could do, and he wanted to see for himself just what the young man was capable of.But, to both his and Tyler's surprise, when Tyler released Jubilee's hand and stepped back, the scars were lessened. Not gone ... but they stood out in less of a sharp relief than they were before."See? I knew you could do it," Jubilee said brightly admiring her hand as she flipped it over and then back. "Not perfect? But maybe another session or two?""I didn't fix it," Tyler argued, sounding disappointed already."Well, not completely, no," Jubilee said with an easy shrug. "But it's your first time trying. You'll get it. Look at the difference from one hand to the other! Amazing." She held up both hands for him to inspect, and sure enough there was a major, visible difference from one to the other."The fact that there is a difference at all is astounding," Hank said, resting a hand on Tyler's shoulder before looking over Jubilee's hands himself. "I think, if we continue to work at this, it could be interesting to see just how much the damage can be reversed."Jubilee grinned crookedly at Tyler. "Whaddya say? I'm game to try it if you are."Translations:From Swedish: "Så skyddande av hans nalle." So protective of his teddy(bear).
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It had been several weeks since Masque had come after Kate through Kurt, and Kate was finally starting to relax a little bit. But when Kate saw that Kurt and Logan were already in their uniforms and headed out, she couldn't help but frown a little and run after them to find out what kind of trouble they were getting up to without her."You boys need a third?" she called out as she rushed to catch up. "I can bring some Stark arrows if you think we'll need them. No reason for you two to hog all the fun."Both of them turned to face her for a moment, then shared a look with each other. "We would rather keep this group small," Kurt told her frankly. "Doctor Strange thinks he might have found evidence of — well, of my father outside the island. And if that's the case…" He trailed off and gave her a pointed look, finally coming to a stop to face her better. "It's not the best of ideas for the two of us together to be around him right now."Kate frowned hard and couldn't quite stop the little shudder. "Yeah… don't want a repeat of last time."Kurt gently cupped her face in one hand and pulled her into a kiss. When she still looked worried, though, he gently pushed back her hair. "Don't worry, liebchen. I have the best backup anyone could ask for.""So… just the two of you?" she asked carefully."Goin' to meet Strange," Logan said. "So, no. Not just us."She let out a little sigh. It was better than nothing, but she still didn't exactly feel good about it. She was still feeling a little irrational after New Orleans — but then again, so was Kurt. And she knew he was trying to look out for both of them — to keep them from getting caught up in anyone else's schemes. Finally, she let out a breath and stole one more kiss. "Okay. Three of you. Still. Be careful. He's a creep and he's mean and just ... yeah.""Thanks, Mom," Logan called out.She let go of Kurt for just a moment to glare at Logan and then let out a huff and spun on her heel, though not before Kurt snagged her around the waist with his tail and pulled her backward into a kiss that lasted until she finally stopped looking so murderous.Still, she stalked her way back upstairs and headed for her room — which, after Azazel's last visit, had changed; they were now staying next door to K and Logan so that Kate didn't have to sleep in a room where that guy knew where she was. She was almost to the door when she spotted K coming out of their room, and she went right over to her. "You know our boys are taking on Kurt's dad without us?" she half-demanded as soon as she was close enough."I heard as much," she replied, not sounding nearly as livid or upset as Kate felt like she should have, considering the bad guy involved. "Are you worried?""When it comes to this guy and Kurt? Yes. Of course," Kate said honestly, letting out a huff of frustration. "He just… likes to make Kurt miserable. And I hate that he can use me to do it.""I know the type," K replied as she leaned against the wall. "So... what would you like to do about it?""I'd like to be there to help? But also, I so should not be there to help. It's… stupid." Kate shook her head hard. "I mean, on the one hand — Kurt's right. I shouldn't be around to give his dad leverage. And on the other? I don't want to be leverage.""Well, I can honestly say I can totally understand that," K said with a nod."Yeah." Kate leaned over with one shoulder against the wall. "You would." She shook her head and let out a little sigh before she ran a hand through her hair. "So ... yeah. That's what's going on. Boys off to go fight a demon, and it's totally selfish but I'm just… really hoping they get back before church in an hour — which, so not happening, I know. But I… don't like going alone?" She gave K a sheepish smile. "It's all still a bit new, and I can see people giving me sideways looks to see the progression since I started attending with Kurt, and it's just a bit… I dunno.""Are you asking me out with you?" K asked."Would you?" Kate brightened a bit. "I mean — you don't have to? But it would be nice to have someone.""Been a while since I've been," K said with a shrug. "But ... if the building doesn't burst into flames when I walk through the door? Okay."Kate let out all her breath in relief. "That would be great. Thanks. I don't think I could handle it without Kurt today. Especially because I so shouldn't be thinking about demons in the middle of hymns, right?""It's no problem," K said with a little smirk. "Just let me change into something more appropriate. I doubt flannels and a tank top is going to do the trick.""Thanks a million," Kate breathed out before she darted over to give K a hug. "And thanks for putting up with me. You know. I'm still just a little…" She waved her hand. "Wedding planning and… and Masque and demons and... Not to mention confirmation in a few weeks — it's really messing with my nerves.""You need to relax. These are not earth shattering developments," K told her, pulling her arm around Kate before she went back into her room. "Wanna pick out my wardrobe? Might relax you."Kate nodded, though she was still pulling on the edges of her hair a bit as she helped her friend go through some of the dress options. It did help her nerves, though, and when they were finished and changed, K made only one request. "We are not taking that purple car."Kate let out a sigh and smirked K's way. "No one wants to take that car anymore," she said with a pretended pout. "I feel like I should be insulted.""Nah," she said with a little smile. "You should be proud that you rate high enough to have people recognize the car.""It is a pretty recognizable paint job," Kate said, smirking a bit. She paused and thought about it for a second before she spotted Tyler, wearing his Sunday best and clearly grabbing a bite to eat on the way to his own church service.It took her all of a second to make the decision, since she knew Tyler already knew where the church was — he'd been giving her a lift to her classes (and using the time waiting for her to study somewhere quiet) during the weekdays…."Hey, Tyler!" she called out, rushing over to where he was. "Can I ask you a favor?""You know you can," Tyler replied with a little smile. "What can I do for you on this fine day?"Kate gestured between herself and K. "We were wondering if we could get a lift to church," she said. "My usual ride is sort of… off fighting evil, and K doesn't want to take the purple car."He grinned at her and nodded his head. "Of course," he replied. "Anything else going on today?""Just the usual. Church and demon-fighting," Kate laughed, which just had Tyler grinning wider."Keep smiling like that, and we'll be forced to take you out to brunch as payback for your chivalry," K told him."It wouldn't be chivalry if I expected anything in return," he pointed out, still grinning and not showing any signs of doing anything less."Were you expecting me to offer? No. So. It applies," K said with a wave.He just laughed. "Well, let's get you ladies to church first, and then we'll talk about food later," he offered. "We'll take Dr. McCoy's car — he lets me use it on Sundays."The three of them climbed into Hank's car, and Tyler dropped them both off at the church, promising to meet them at the door when their meetings were over, before he drove another few blocks over to his own meetinghouse."He's like the polar freakin' opposite of his father," K said half under his breath as Tyler drove off."Yeah," Kate agreed, grinning. "I love that kid.""I can tell," K replied before she gestured to the large double doors. "Lead the way, cap-i-tan."Kate smirked at her before she put an arm over her friend's shoulders to steer her inside, though they hadn't yet taken their seats before Kate was already groaning. "Oh, great. It's Mrs. Benson. That lady hates me," she said, indicating a woman with features as severe as her expression sitting up close to the front."Well then," K said with a smirk. "We should go sit behind her.""Why? So she can be closer to give me the stink-eye?" Kate asked, wrinkling her nose."Basic rules of Catholic warfare — sit behind her so you can sing loudly off-key and then she has to wish you peace for it. For as close to the front pew as she is — she won't dare ignore you, just in case the priest is paying attention." K smiled almost pleasantly. "And it's all about how you look to the priest. You get extra points for bringing in a heathen today.""That… is only how it works in her head? And yours, apparently… But I still like the way you think," Kate said with a little smirk."Well, Kurt is an incredible guide to all things spiritual, I'm sure," K said as she took Kate's arm. "However, not everyone has such pure intentions in here. Those that look down their nose or try to make you feel uncomfortable? They are asking for it. Loudly. You are fully within your rights to try and teach them a lesson in manners any way you can."Kate gestured with her free arm for K to lead the way. "Clearly, you know more on this than I do. Lead the way."K looked at her for a moment so that Kate had front row seats as K put on the most disturbingly fake smile before they headed over to the pew behind the woman that had glared Kate's way. When they took their seat, Mrs. Benson barely glanced over her shoulder at them before she ruffled up a bit and made a point to stare forward. K elbowed Kate and tipped her head toward the woman with one eyebrow raised as if to say 'see'.When the Mass started, K made sure to stand directly behind Mrs. Benson. Kate flipped through the books to find the words to the hymn, but K simply did her best to belt it out — off key — Lucille Ball style, wrong words and all. When Mrs. Benson glanced over her shoulder, K grinned wider at her.The rest of the service was like that. K did a perfect impression of a sincere but clueless churchgoer, and when the part came for them to wish each other peace, K made sure to grasp Mrs. Benson's hand in a near death grip and wish her as sincerely as she could — slightly horrifying the woman, so much so that she looked relieved to shake Kate's hand as she quickly wished her well.When the service was over, K did head up to the candles at the side of the altar and lit three of them, taking a moment there, and then gave Kate a smile as they watched Mrs. Benson try to rush past the priest."I think... you'll find she'll just look your way to be sure I'm not with you for a while," K told her.Kate shook her head with a little smirk after she made it a point to light three candles as well — one for Kurt, one for Clint, and one for her sister, even if Susan was being stupid lately. "You ... are ridiculous, and I love you.""Let me know if anyone else gives you trouble. I can also loudly reply in four languages," K told her. "I can fake a whole service as someone who doesn't know English."Kate chuckled. "You're hilarious. But I think I can manage. Got a good teacher," she teased, bumping K's shoulder with her own."You have a wonderful teacher," K said. "And I'm sure he's going to be sorry he missed today too.""Well if he's found his dad by now, I'm sure he'll be missing any other thing he could have done," Kate pointed out as they headed for the door."Well, maybe he brought holy water with him for fun and entertainment factor," K said with a smirk."He actually usually keeps some in the jet," Kate said. "So it's possible.""You know, for the process they use to bless that stuff, I've often wondered why in the world they don't just, like … bless a whole lake.""Well then, what happens to the unsuspecting soul who decides to go skinny dipping in said lake?" Kate asked with a growing smile."Lucky them," K replied.Kate just laughed and shook her head at K as they went through the front doors to find Tyler waiting for them outside, sitting on the steps with a book on his lap."Oooh, and our ride is right on time. Lucky us!" K said, gesturing toward the tall blonde.Tyler just grinned widely as he put his book away. "It looks like you two had a good service," he said, leading the way to Hank's car."K is surprisingly good at getting the holier-than-thou types to shove it," Kate said with a smirk that had Tyler laughing a bit."Just gotta know how to hit 'em and keep it 'legal'," K said. "Not being a regular helps a lot.""And singing confidently," Kate teased. "Very confidently."K chuckled. "You know, I actually can sing. It's just more fun to do it that way.""I'd like to hear you actually sing now," Kate teased. "That would be an interesting compare/contrast.""I wouldn't hold your breath," K replied."Oh, don't worry. I'm still working on getting Logan to sing. It'll happen. But you're second on the list," Kate laughed."He has a nice voice," K teased."See — it doesn't count because you're his fiancee," Kate reasoned. "No, no. I'll figure this out. It'll happen.""Well, I encourage you to do so," K said. "But I don't think it'll be easy for the ones he sings ... I doubt you'd recognize them. They're old.""Well, my plan was to catch him off-guard with one of the twins when they get older. Send little Charlie in to ask him to sing with her. You know he would," Kate confided."He would," K agreed. "But it might be quicker just to get him drunk and happy. We have a bet. I'll have you know. It would probably work out well for you — but we're not going to try it out until this whole mess with the little bitch is wrapped up.""Yeah, smart. Probably doesn't need to be singing lullabies to Sabretooth," Kate said with as straight of a face as she could manage."Oh, I would. As I was kicking him," K said with a nod. "Sing about the two Irishmen. That's a good one for butt-kicking.""That… I can't even deal with the mental picture of you and him and lullabies, so we're going to just pretend you're not insane," Kate said through giggles."Denial is ugly, Kate." She shook her head at the laughing Hawkeye and threaded her arm through Kate's before gesturing to Tyler. "What say we take this fine young man out to eat before he wastes away to nothing?" K suggested. "I think we three qualify as protection — two team members with a susceptible student? Or do you think Scotty meant two team members for us? I can be your bodyguard, and you can be mine — what do you think?""I think that's definitely not what Scott meant, so let's do it," Kate laughed — and really, there was no way Tyler could do anything but let them kidnap him for food once they'd both set their minds to it.The three of them headed out to brunch, and took their sweet time, sharing little details about their adventures from the morning with Tyler as he talked about his own Sunday School classes before they headed back in fairly good spirits. Kate had even relaxed until they started to get closer to the mansion — and she started to wonder how Kurt's little mission had gone.It would be just like Kurt's stupid father to screw things up… Kate shook her head. If she hadn't wanted to give Kurt the cathedral wedding he deserved, she would have just suggested eloping so they could at least be done with that much. Though she wasn't sure if that would help anything at all. She might be more worried about him once they were married...When they got inside, both guys were there with Scott, looking relieved when Tyler put the keys back on the hook and the girls strolled in with little smirks in place. They knew that, considering Sabretooth's recent appearance, there was every reason for that kind of caution, but it had been a lovely Sunday, and they weren't about to let the boys get them down."I think they missed us for some reason," K said as Logan pulled her over. "Is yours the same way or …"Kate was already laughing as Kurt had wrapped his tail around her to pull her over to him and give her a peck on the cheek. "Think so," she teased before she kissed Kurt properly. "You'd think we were the ones gone off to fight a demon," she laughed."Well. Catholic Mass. Anything can happen," K teased. "I think we might have exorcised a demon ourselves this morning.""How did it go, anyway?" Kate asked, looking over the boys, who didn't look to be damaged in the least — though she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad sign."He wasn't there," Kurt told her, and Kate didn't even bother to hide her relief as she leaned against him. "It was a false alarm — he's still on that island, so there's no need to worry about him.""So it was just an excuse to get out of going to Mass," K surmised. "Typical."Kurt looked her way with a raised eyebrow. "No, apparently it was an excuse to get you to go," he teased right back."Yeah, well, Kate's not making that mistake again anytime soon," K laughed. "Though I think your priest liked me.""That doesn't surprise me in the least," Kurt laughed."I met Mrs. Benson," K told him with a growing grin. "She's lovely. We had a great time today."Kurt was already shaking his head at the mention of the obstinate woman. "Oh no," he said through his smirk. "I'm not sure I want to know.""Hey, I followed every rule, don't worry," K promised. "Ask Kate. She was a little nervous for some of it, but ... nothing harmful.""Very beautiful singing voice, this one," Kate said airily. "So sincere.""I do try," K said with one hand over her heart as she tried to look demure.Kurt just shook his head at the pair of them. "You're both troublemakers, I hope you know," he laughed as he pulled Kate a bit closer. "But you can't possibly have been gone to Mass this whole time. That ended a while ago. Where have you been — harassing old women in the parking lot?" he teased."Oh, darn," K said. "I knew we forgot to do something.""We had to feed poor little Tyler here," Kate explained, tipping her head at the young man, who was very clearly trying not to get roped into the conversation. "Growing boys. You know how they are.""At least this time no one mistook me for his mother," K said before she gave them a little wave and pulled Logan along behind her. "You kids have fun.""Speaking of your mother — isn't she coming to visit soon?" Scott asked Tyler, who looked relieved that he was being pulled into something other than a discussion of harassing churchgoers. "I know she was going to try to come for Spring Break if she could — did that get sorted out, or do you need some help with travel arrangements?""Dr. McCoy already made the arrangements," Tyler replied. "She finally heard back that she could get the time off of work. So... Spring Break? She's really looking forward to meeting everyone.""We can't wait to meet her either," Kurt said, grinning. "The way you talk about her — she really must be special.""Of course she is," Kate said, shaking her head at Kurt. "She raised this little angel over here.""She really is amazing," Tyler said with a little smirk. "She's been talking with , and she really wants to put faces to all the names." He paused as something seemed to occur to him and added, "So ... maybe I should warn you ahead of time? She has some pretty extensive scarring …" He looked up at them for just a moment as he gestured at his own face as an illustration for where the scars were. "It doesn't seem to get her down, but ... claw marks ...pretty distinctive."The three X-Men in the room glanced at each other for a moment before Kate was the one to break the silence by running over to wrap Tyler up in a hug. "She's beautiful to you, so she's beautiful to us," she told him sincerely."Besides, we make it a point not to be too concerned with appearances around here," Kurt said with a small smirk as he flicked his tail up to point at his own face.Tyler let out a little laugh. "I know, but it's good to be prepared too, you know?"Scott smirked the slightest bit as he nodded. "I'll let Annie know — and you know she'll smack anyone she catches staring," he promised, still smirking."Thanks," Tyler said as Kate finally let him go and stepped back — only for Kurt to snag her once more and disappear with her so he could ask her how Mass had gone.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
In an act of mutual cooperation, when little Gerry Drew's one-year party came around, Jessica was sure to invite the entirety of the mansion to the soiree — and she was extra sure to threaten Logan and a few of the more reclusive X-Men to get their sorry butts over there so she didn't have to come get them and drag them there by their ears.When they showed up, she looked entirely relieved to see Logan and made a point to give him a big hug in greeting before taking Kate's hand and pulling her in first. "Clint ... well. He really went all out," Jess told her.Kate had to grin at all the balloons and decorations in the house as well as the two cakes — one for smashing and a bigger one for eating — and the brand new bibs and ... well, everything. "He's been talking about this party for weeks," Kate said, grinning at Jess."I know. I just … I don't know, I guess I wasn't expecting all this," she admitted, looking around the party one more time. "You should go see your partner in crime. He's kind of over the moon right now.""Is he holding Gerry?" Kate teased. "Because that would do it.""No," Jess said with a laugh. "He has Cap holding Gerry.""No way." Kate looked at Jess with wide eyes before she simply dashed off to go see that beautiful scene for herself. When she all but skidded over, she wasn't disappointed in the least, as Cap was bouncing the little guy in his arms and had the best grin as Clint was making faces over Steve's shoulder for Gerry to laugh at."Oh. This is going on my blog," Kate said, grinning, though she'd only just pulled out her phone when she heard the click of a camera behind her and spun to see Peter Parker with his actually nice, professional camera snapping several shots of the scene.He grinned up at her. "Captain America kissing babies. It's like ... this is Pulitzer material," he teased."He could run for president like that," K said with a little laugh. "He'd have it in the bag in the first week.""Oh totally," Kate agreed, grinning, before she slid over to the two blonde men playing with the baby to look over Cap's other shoulder. "This is some party, Clint," she told him, grinning."Hey — first birthday. It's a big deal," Clint said seriously, though he was still grinning at Gerry. "You gotta do the introductions right, Katie. He's never had a birthday party, so he should have a birthday party.""You're spoiling him rotten," Kate accused her old partner."I sure am. I'm not even sorry," Clint said without hesitation, and Cap had to laugh at that."That's how you know he's doing it right," Cap added helpfully, and Kate rolled her eyes at both of them."Oh my God," K said, shaking her head at them as she and Logan walked by. "Captain America covered in glitter. Wow.""Don't worry. We captured the moment on film and everything. He can't deny it," Kate said with a grin as Cap shook his head at both of them."I fear for the poor unsuspecting girl he nabs," K replied, though Logan was chuckling low alongside her, not at all helping Cap's situation."You mean the future First Lady?" Kate teased."That's the one," K said pointing at her.Clint was grinning with a look that meant trouble as Cap looked flustered at the two girls antics — though Jess came in to save him as she swept Gerry up into her arms with a little giggle. "Alright. Time for someone to have his cake," she declared.When the little guy was set down in front of his cake, he didn't even hesitate to start grabbing little handfuls, to Jess' obvious delight, as Pete just kept snapping pictures. By the time the cake was entirely demolished, Gerry was wearing half of it and giggling madly, trying to offer little pieces in his chubby hands to anyone who got close. When Clint got close enough, he got pieces shoved in his face to try and 'help' him eat the cake too — which just meant that both of them were wearing red icing.With most of the Avengers and X-Men present for the party, there was also plenty of wrapping paper for Gerry to absolutely destroy, and lots of little lispy 'dank you's to give out as well. Jess cleaned him up a bit, and then he got sort of sleepy, though he was obviously trying his very hardest to stay awake with all the excitement going on. Jess had just managed to get the last of the frosting off of his cheeks when she more or less cornered Logan and handed Gerry over."Jess ... maybe someone else," Logan tried to protest as she gave him a sharp look. "I'm sure Steve would love it."She shook her head at him. "Nope. You've been busted out. Jessica and Luke already told me about you and Dani."Logan gave her a dry look as Gerry squirmed in his arms until Logan frowned and looked at the little guy with his brows drawn together. "Stop that now," Logan muttered to the little guy, and when he quit squirming, Logan shifted the way he was holding him so that Gerry could snuggle into his shoulder. He looked up at Jess and shook his head. "Not a word.""I don't even need to," Jess pointed out, tipping her head toward half the guests. "We all saw.""They knew anyhow," Logan said with a shrug."Like I said. I don't have to say anything," she laughed.Once Gerry was out, the party went on for a bit longer as everyone wished Jess well, though it was clear half the heroes in attendance were ready to get back to their homes — and for some of them, back to some fights they'd been putting off to come there.There was hardly anyone left when Jess pulled Clint aside to a quieter corner. "This was a great party, Clint," she told him honestly. "I think you really made Gerry's whole day."Clint just grinned widely in response. "I love that kid," he said.Jess nodded and looked thoughtful for a second and then put a hand on Clint's arm. "Well, that's good," she said. "Seeing as he's your son."Clint's entire expression lit up like a Christmas tree, and he picked Jess up in a hug that turned into a spin. "You mean it? For real? I'm not — you're not kidding me, are you — because you know I'd spoil that kid either way—""I'm not kidding you," she promised him, and that got another spin and a kiss on the cheek."We gotta get that kid a bow," he said, grinning wide.At that, Logan made his way over to the two of them and gently passed Gerry over to him. "About damn time you two got your shit together."Clint snuggled Gerry for a second with a huge grin that wasn't about to be stopped. "If you say so."It was the first day of spring break and Kate and Kurt had promised to take Tyler to pick his mother up from the airport. He was clearly nervous about the staff meeting his mother — but it had been long enough that he was looking forward to it more than anything else.They waited for her to appear, and Kate was keeping a sharp eye out for anyone that met Tyler's description of her — but when he spotted her first, there was no mistaking who she was as she let out a laugh and rushed right over to get picked up in a bear hug.If Tyler was considered sweet, then Daisy was the embodiment of sunshine. She positively beamed as Tyler introduced her to Kurt and Kate, and she wasted no time at all in wrapping them both up in a hug and thanking them for taking such good care of her baby boy. "I swear, you've grown since last I saw your handsome face," Daisy said, with her hands on both sides of Tyler's neck.She was as Tyler said — bright turquoise eyes, white-blonde hair and a beaming grin that seemed to completely overshadow the wicked claw marks across one side of her face.They loaded up into Hank's car to head back to the mansion, with Kate and Kurt in the front as Tyler excitedly told his mother about all the classes he'd been taking and the friends he'd made, while the two staff members couldn't help but grin through the whole exchange.By the time they pulled up to the mansion, Tyler had almost finished telling his mother everything he could think of, though she seemed a bit distracted by the size of the school as they drove up.Storm and Scott were both waiting for them when they pulled into the garage, and it seemed to be a race between Storm and Daisy as to who would wrap the other up first in the tightest hug as Storm gushed about what a good student Tyler was and Daisy thanked her for being so good to her little boy.Scott stepped forward, intending to shake Daisy's hand, but got caught up in a hug that was accompanied not only by thanks for taking care of Tyler but by the additional warm gratitude for Scott's role in bringing Tyler to the school in the first place — and he looked a bit surprised by the whole thing as he hugged her back with a little smile and offered her a tour of the school.By the time they got to Hank's office, Daisy had seen most of the mansion and the classrooms as both the staff members and Tyler tried to fill her in on any questions she might have, even if she didn't ask them out loud."And this — this is my mentor, Dr. McCoy," Tyler said with a one-handed gesture as they entered Hank's lab, and Hank turned with a wide grin toward the group before he simply ... stopped upon seeing Daisy."It's lovely to meet you in person," Daisy said with her brightest smile when Hank still seemed to be a bit… speechless — to the amusement of the other X-Men present, considering his normal eloquence."It is nice to finally get a face to match the voice," Henry replied with a bright smile."Tyler's been doing great work here in Hank's lab," Scott said with a wide grin as he looked not at Tyler but at Daisy and Hank. "I'm sure he'd love to show you around — and then, I think, you should finish out the tour. You haven't seen the grounds. What do you think, Henry?" he asked, tipping his head at the still somewhat starstruck doctor."Of course," Hank said, perhaps a moment too late. "It would be my pleasure." With that, he offered Daisy his arm and tipped his head toward the exit."Do make sure you stop by the gardens," Kurt called out with a wide grin. "The flowers are just starting to bloom."But neither of them looked back as Henry and Daisy chatted companionably on the way outside.When they finally made their way back into the house, Daisy was still beaming — and K for one couldn't figure out how she kept it up, so she tried to maintain her distance. Thankfully, Annie was there to handle directing the two of them.She had Chance balanced in one arm as she directed Hank inside. "Charlie's being a bit fussy. Won't you sit with Scott and play with her? You know she loves it when you let her play with your fur," she said as she pulled on his arm with her free hand. "Don't worry dear," she added Daisy's way, "we've set out a spot for you too — why don't you stay with Henry and meet Charlie? She's a little less tired right now than this one." She tilted her chin down at Chance, who was hiding his face in his mom's shoulder. "He's not usually this shy."Of course, Annie didn't really give either of them much of a choice as she pulled them into seats and immediately sat down next to Daisy and started to relate how Tyler was such a "lovely boy" who "works so hard" and was a "delight," going on and on about how cherished Tyler was among the staff.Daisy turned to Annie with that same cheerful smile and went on to tell her how glad she was that they'd found him and gotten him out of the wilderness. "So many bad things could have happened to him," she said. "I'm just grateful that he found good people that wouldn't take advantage. I've heard some of the horror stories." She beamed toward Scott. "I am so tickled you offered him a chance to finish school. Really. Thank you.""Hey, we love having him here," Scott said honestly as Annie gave him a look until he handed Charlie over to Hank so the little girl could immediately reach up to try and grab a handful of fur. "He's a good kid, really.""He better be," Daisy said. "I didn't kick his butt into line for so long just to have him forget where he came from.""I don't think that's possible," Annie laughed. "Not with how often he talks about you.""Well … teenagers," Daisy said with a wave. "You can't tell if they're going to be good or give you a hard time on any given day. I guess I'm just lucky with this one.""You really are." Annie beamed at Daisy for a while and tipped her head Hank's way. "Has our good doctor told you about all the things they've been working on? He's incredibly gifted. Why, just last week, one of the kids sprained her ankle, and your son just picked her right up, sweet thing.""Well, he's always been good at taking care of people," Daisy said. "So I guess he got the right gifts.""You get what you get," Annie said with a little smile Scott's way. "Oh — but I'm interrupting. I'm sure Hank would love to tell you himself.""You are not subtle at all, Miss Annie," K said low as Annie returned to the kitchen. K had taken over stirring the various pots and pans while Annie 'welcomed' Daisy to the house."I don't know what you're talking about. Charlie loves Hank. It's not my fault he had a lady friend at the time," Annie said with a wide smile."Yeah, sure," K said with a shake of her head. "I'm pretty sure Hank is smitten anyhow — but I think he can handle it on his own.""The way y'all move around here?" Annie smirked at K and Kate in particular."Hey. Some of us move just fine, thanks. Just because there's not a bum rush to get married doesn't mean there's a problem," K defended. "Lacy, overly romantic Southern belle."Annie tipped her head toward Jubilee with a little smile. "What's it that Noh is always saying, sweet pea? Something about how if you love someone, you just marry 'em, and that's how it works?""Yes, that's exactly it," Jubilee said, nodding her head in agreement."Probably why the divorce rate is so high," K said dryly. "Diving in headfirst, too fast.""Hey, hey, I try not to ever say that word if I can help it," Kate said with a frown. "I'm getting married in December, and it took forever to get rid of that ghost? Don't invoke its name.""Well I'm just saying — I've been able to avoid the marriage thing for all this time. I don't see what difference a little piece of paper makes. Never stopped anyone from doing what they wanted anyhow."At that, Kate just smirked. "Hey. A smart person once told me: if you love him? And it makes him happy? Paper the boy.""Sounds like an idiot to me," K replied as she stared out the window. "You should disown whoever it was that gave you such terrible advice.""Yeah, I probably should," Kate teased. "Gonna have to find myself a different bodyguard for all those boring business parties.""Well, I thought that's what you were bringing Kurt along for," Annie pointed out."Ah, well, I'm bringing him to make sure no one in the company has a problem with my marrying him. Which, surprisingly? A few of them did.""Why? You're marrying one of the sweetest men on earth," Annie pointed out."That's what I keep telling them, but you know, people are stupid." Kate leaned back against the counter and tipped her head toward Jubilee. "Can't help that, but I can hire better ones.""How's that going, by the way? The hiring of non-idiots?" K asked. "I'll bet Santa Stark can set you up with a new secretary. He seems to have a pool of them at his beck and call."Kate snorted. "Actually, there's a kid that used to go to our school that I'm seriously thinking about fast-tracking to run acquisitions. He's good.""Isn't that cheating? Using the school as your personal hiring pool?" K said with a teasing smirk."Little bit, but I met him in person and made him send in a resume. He really is good." Kate smirked at K. "Actually, I met him just before I met you. It's his fault we were there in the first place.""Oh, well. If you weren't out poaching new talent, then some of this wedding hassle nonsense wouldn't be hanging around, right?" K said with a little smirk. "Who would you pick on?""For real," Kate giggled. "Though let's be honest — Annie could probably still entertain herself around here. Using her babies as bait.""She could, I'm sure," K agreed, looking almost put out. "Using your own children. Shameful, and so not subtle."Annie laughed at both of them. "Oh, I don't know. I think things are going rather well with them.""From the way Kurt described it, it would have likely gone swimmingly without any intervention," K said, lazily stirring a pot full of stew. "Smitten at first sight after months of long, Tyler-centered chats,eh?""It was adorable," Kate agreed, though she paused for a moment as she caught a movement near the kitchen window over K's shoulder. She frowned and put out a hand toward K. "Hey. Do me a favor — get Annie in the dining room.""What's up?" K asked as she pushed Annie out the door by the elbow."Saw something. Might be nothing, but still.""I'll take her to her darling, also not-subtle husband," K said giving Annie a look that clearly told her not to even attempt to argue.Kate glanced over at Jubilee, and the two girls slipped out into the evening air to investigate the source of Kate's distraction. They had just made it around toward the kitchen window on the other side when they found the source of the problem — a very familiar feral leaning against the side wall with a smirk."Oh, wonderful, the rest of the welcoming committee," Daken drawled out. "How nice of you to come out to greet me. Good to know I rate at least three pretty faces."Kate glanced at Jubilee for a second. "Oh, I know I'm gonna regret asking… Who's the third?""Your Kree friend in the deliciously tight outfit," Daken grinned. "Who else?"It was almost like a cue as Noh rounded the corner looking positively furious and nearly spitting."Why did you wait and watch for so long?" Daken asked him. "Waiting for something in particular?"Noh crossed his arms and tried to look a little less furious. "I was curious to see how you got past my security measures."Daken smirked his way. "Why the devil would I tell you?""Thus the waiting and watching," Noh said, tipping his head slightly. "Though I can always force answers from you if you continue to annoy me.""Anything to get your hands on me, isn't it?" Daken replied. "You could ask nicely. Very nicely."Noh had his hands in fists as he glared back at him. "Not in the way you are thinking," he all but spit out."You know he's married, right?" Jubilee cut in with a little glare. "So how about you just … take down the creep factor a few notches?""That's not possible with this one," Noh snarled Daken's way."Marriage has never really stopped too many in my experience," Daken said to Jubilee."Something we can agree on," K said as she stepped forward. "Jubes — why don't you go find Logan?" As Jubilee went by, K kept a relaxed, almost fluid posture. "What do you want now? Pat on the head? Cookie for bringing intel you could easily call in? Gotta be something.""Just a warning, really. One you should pay attention to," Daken replied. "I thought I'd deliver the message personally in the light of trying to build bridges and all that nonsense.""Then say what you came to say and get on with it. I think you're bothering our security chief," Kate said with a glare as Noh stepped slightly in front of K with a low hiss."I thought I'd wait for my father, but if it's that much of an inconvenience..." Daken shrugged. "I'd like a word with her for a moment." He tipped his head K's way. "Seeing as it concerns her."Noh stood even further in front of K. "Not alone," he snarled. "You can say whatever it is right here and then leave."K stepped out next to Noh and took his arm. "Spit it out already," she told Daken as Logan and Jubilee appeared from around the corner.Daken let out a heavy sigh as he glanced over to his father. "Victor Creed has once again escaped SHIELD custody. He is incredibly angry and he has less than pleasant plans. Whatever your protective measures are — I suggest you reinforce them if you want to keep her.""How do you know what his plans are?" Logan asked with a frown. "Unless he told you."Daken shrugged effortlessly. "He doesn't realize I've been trying to talk to you," he offered lamely. "And I'm not offering up that information freely." Logan just watched him for a moment or two before he very slowly nodded his head."If you find out when he's trying to make a move—""I'll give you a phone call," Daken said pointedly as he looked up at Noh. "Seeing as any other method is bound to have someone blocking my path and slowing me down.""Seeing as most people call ahead before they visit in person in the first place? I have no objections to that," Noh shot back."Then why don't you give me your number too so I can be sure we're all on the same page?" Daken offered with a grin."That ... is not the reason you want my number," Noh said, wrinkling his nose."I'm not the kind to send inappropriate pictures if that's what you're implying," Daken teased.Noh glared at him for a moment. "If your father sees fit to share anything with you, I will not fight his decision. But I will get a different personal number.""I'm not giving out your number, Noh," Logan replied. "I'll let you know first if I hear anything, alright?"Noh's shoulders relaxed the slightest. "That would be acceptable, yes."At that, Kate, Jubilee and K all were ushered inside by Noh while Logan and Daken shared a quick, quiet word. K didn't even have time to ask Noh what the heck he was doing before Logan stepped back inside and gave them a quick glance."So — he's looking for you," Logan said. "Which shouldn't be too hard, considering." He looked to Jubilee. "I'm not convinced he wouldn't do something to you either, though, so stay close to your favorite bug.""Don't worry," Noh said low. "He's not getting her. Or K."K watched Noh for a moment before she leaned over to Kate. "I think I've been adopted. Or whatever."Kate smirked. "I think you have too. Or whatever the reverse is, dear ol' mom.""Must have a soft spot for watching out for old ladies," K told her in a whisper that had Logan smirking her way."Something like that," Kate chuckled before she leaned over to Jubilee. "Hey. Kiss your Marvel Boy. He looks like he needs it.""Just mind the glitter," K said with a look before she took Logan's arm and headed back to the kitchen, where Annie was waiting for them to return. When they stopped at the counter, Logan cleared his throat a bit."Our problem, not yours," he told her. "You can relax."Her shoulders relaxed substantially when she heard it, and she leaned back for a moment. "I'm sorry to hear there's still a problem," she said as politely as she could."Been the case for better'n a century," Logan said with a little smirk. "Not likely to change any time soon."Annie nodded for a moment and then let out a breath. "Well, if you're all okay… I think it's time y'all actually ate somethin'. I can reheat your plates for you.""Don't trouble yourself," K told her. "Cold is fine for us. Kate, however — she needs it heated and her back rubbed and some snuggles for the experience.""Oh yeah, it was so awful," Kate said, rolling her eyes, then paused and made a face. "Well, the awkward, horrible flirting was, actually.""See? You need consoling. By an Elf. It's a serious problem. I'm going to take my consoling elsewhere — away from innocent eyes," K teased."Mind the glitter," Kate shot back."I do try," K replied as they headed toward the stairs.Kate saluted her with two fingers before she split to go follow K's advice and find herself an Elf."I just ... " Tyler let out all of his breath in a rush and tried to refocus. "I've been learning how to heal older wounds," he said carefully as he watched his mother. "I want to try ... and get those claw marks to disappear, if you would let me."It was the last day of spring break, and Tyler had been hedging, trying to pull up the courage to offer up his healing services to his mother, and it was finally a "do it now or wait until next time" thing. He was half expecting her to say no just based on how long he'd been learning. Or like she'd told him for years, 'the scars don't make the person,' or any of the dozen or so other things that she'd told both of them to gloss over it."You think you can make them a little less ... pink?" she asked, not fully understanding what Tyler was getting at. But he shook his head and asked Jubilee to come over. She held out both of her hands as Tyler explained."I've only worked on the one hand — but they were both the same," he told her as he showed her the difference, one of Jubilee's hands nearly completely healed up. "Yours ... I don't think are as bad as hers were. Just in a different spot." Jubilee then quickly explained how she'd gotten her scars and offered her opinion."I'll bet he can clear them up in the first session," Jubilee said, even though Tyler shot her a look that clearly begged for her to not raise Daisy's hopes up too high. But Daisy grinned at her son and nodded her head."Go ahead," she said. "I'm sure if it's fixable, you'll do it."He sat down with her in a quiet corner of Dr. McCoy's office and concentrated on the task at hand as his mother relaxed with a sedate smile on her face and waited for Tyler to tell her one way or another how it had gone.He took his time and probably was far more thorough than what was strictly necessary before he finally had to let out a sigh and admit that he'd done all that he could. When he opened his eyes to look up at her, though ... he was completely shocked to see that, of course, Jubilee was entirely right.The long, thin, twisting marks were totally gone, leaving not even the slightest hint of a scar anywhere on her delicate features. When Daisy looked in the mirror, she teared up the slightest bit and threw her arms around his neck. "You will do so much good in this world," she told him with a shaky voice before she thanked him and kissed his cheek. "I always knew that."She straightened herself up and gathered her composure after the two of them had a good long hug, and then she took a stern tone. "So. Don't think that you can slack in your studies. You should learn to be a doctor the regular way too."Tyler's own voice was shaky with emotion as well as he tipped his head at his mother. "Yes ma'am," he said with a small smile."Alright," Daisy said, trying not to smile too widely. "Let's show your teachers how hard you've been working, shall we? I'm sure they'll be pleased with how much progress you've made."It wasn't long at all before they all but ran into Annie, who was unsuccessfully trying to pretend that she wasn't lurking close by to see how things had turned out for Daisy, and when she saw the newly-healed, completely scar-free look, she simply flung her arms around both of them at once. "Oh, look at you both! Just shining like new and beautiful as the day you were born!"Daisy had to let out a little laugh as she returned the hug. "You are darling, you know that right?""Oh, it takes one to know one," Annie shot right back. She took a step back from the hug with a huge smile on her face as she pressed something into Daisy's hand. "And that, my friend, is the number for that EMT friend of mine I was telling you about. Her name is Lucy. If you want to call her up, I'm sure she could find you a job so you can be closer to your baby boy.""Oh, I'm not sure," Daisy said. "I mean — I don't know that he'd want his mother hovering.""The way he talks about you? I don't think he would mind," Annie assured her, then paused. "Unless you have someone you're wanting to get back home to? I can understand that."Daisy paused for a moment then burst out laughing. "Oh, no … no, nothing like that."Annie broke into a huge smile. "Great! Then you'd fit right in. Some of us new mothers would love to have your input and advice, you know — and besides, we've really all sort of adopted these kids. You'd just be part of the family, really.""That sounds wonderful, actually," Daisy said with a muted smile. "It's been a long time since I've been a part of any family outside of just Tyler and I.""I think you'll find this family is huge and just a little bit insane," Annie laughed."Well, I think a little insanity is certainly better than loneliness."Annie flung her arms around Daisy in another warm hug. "Oh, that's it. You are definitely going to live with us. Or at least let me find you a place near my sister.""That would be great," Daisy said warmly before she took a piece of paper from near Annie's recipe box and scribbled down her number. "Call me and we'll figure out the details."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Kamala knocked on the door to the mansion, she was surprised when it was Kate who answered the door instead of just waiting in the office like she usually did — though from the look on Kate's face, it was just too good to wait."Come in!" Kate beamed, grabbing Kamala by the hand as she pulled her inside."What, no Gambit this time? No 'Miss Kate's excited' and all that?" Kamala asked with a grin."Yeah, he likes to greet you when you come by because you're always five hundred kinds of nervous," Kate admitted. "Figures he's helping."Kamala laughed and rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, well, that's kinda true." She shut the door behind her and looked up at Kate, who was practically dancing in place. "So, what's the big news?"Kate grabbed both of her hands and beamed. "I've worked it out with a few movie executive contacts of mine, and they want to make your book into a movie. I'm talking summer blockbuster, Kamala!"The younger woman stared at her openly.Kate waited a bit for the news to sink in before she wrapped Kamala up in a hug. "So. We just want to make sure the contract's good — I know you'll want to make sure they stay true to your vision, that kind of thing… Let's chat. I brought ice cream."Kamala sat in the chair that Kate offered her for a long time as Kate poured some chocolate over the ice cream sundaes. She had finally more or less broken out of her near trance by the time there was a knock at the door — and Kate had to stifle her laugh as she went to go see who it was."Oh, hey, Kurt," she said with a huge grin. "Come to celebrate?" But her bright smile faded a bit when she saw the look on his face."Daken called ahead," Kurt explained, looking past her to Kamala with a small frown. "I'm sorry you stopped by the mansion when there's trouble, but we really need to get both of you to the War Room."Kamala peered up at Kurt with a look of surprise. "Well, what's going on? Maybe I can help! I'm an Avenger, you know.""I know, and I appreciate the offer, but this is coming from Scott — everyone to safety that isn't part of the effort to stop our intruder. And Scott has picked his team. I am sorry, but please, come with me," Kurt said, looking genuinely disappointed.Kate pushed out her bottom lip in an obvious pout. "That's stupid," she said, as both girls had their arms crossed over their chests, though Kamala relented first."I mean — we can… do the movie thing while we wait?" she offered, and Kate reluctantly grinned her way."Yeah, I guess… if Scott wants to be stupid…" She let out a breath and then shook her head and ran over to kiss Kurt on the cheek. "Don't know why you're not on the team.""Oh, you'll see why soon enough," Kurt promised. "It's a very good reason."When the three of them got down to the War room, it was quickly evident what he meant, as for the first time ever, Kate watched as Logan positively had to manhandle K to get her into the room."You can't go," he said with a growl and she squared right up with him."Like hell I can't — he's after me, so let me give him a little more than he's asking for," K shot back at him.Logan looked flat out angry with her as he called out to Kurt. "You got this?" he half barked.Kurt nodded and for good measure teleported right next to the two of them as a couple of bamfs hovered close to K, though they seemed a bit reluctant to actually touch her in the mood she was in.Logan let out a little breath in a huff and gave K a very quick kiss. "Just try not to cause trouble? This will be over soon. I've got Noh and Scott helping." She glared at him as he left and then turned to Kurt."Accessory," she said his way."A willing accomplice, really," he said with an easy shrug, though he at least had the sense to look like he wasn't too happy about the whole situation.But the second that Kate and Kamala were through the door, K slipped by them when Kurt's attention turned momentarily to the others gathered inside, and she flat ran for it. Kurt let out a sigh as soon as he saw that K had gone — and teleported over to grab her by the arm and 'port back into the room. "Sorry," he said, though he didn't sound sincere as he smirked at her a bit, some of the impish personality coming out."I don't care what Kate says: you are evil," K accused Kurt as he pushed her into an open chair, knowing full well that the 'port would have her dizzy."It has to come out on occasion," he said simply.Meanwhile, Scott, Logan and Noh were outside the mansion as the first of Noh's perimeter alarms went off, cluing them in to Sabretooth's position."He'll have been slowed down by that one. The magnetic field will at least keep him from getting closer for the few minutes it takes one of us to get there," Noh explained. He smirked the slightest bit. "I added that feature recently.""One of us, huh?" Logan asked. "Wonder who the quick one is."Noh shrugged openly. "If you'd like to get there first, we can race," he said with a little smirk, not quite as tense as the other two when he was too caught up in how pleased he was with his security improvements — which he had been making more and more of ever since Warbird left in disgust since he married Jubilee."I'm not dumb enough to take that bet. Go on; we'll catch up," Logan said with a wave.Noh grinned and nodded before he took off toward where Sabretooth had tripped the alarm, though when he arrived, he skidded to a stop and looked around with a small glare. "He's… not here."The other two glanced at each other for a moment, and Scott frowned. "Alright. Spread out. He's got to be here somewhere," he said, already moving to start the search anew, though considering the look on Logan's face, he needn't have bothered saying anything out loud, as he was already in motion as well.What they didn't know was that Creed had set up a few little traps around the perimeter for the first line of defense to come across. They were triggered to go off on their own to draw their attention further and further away from the mansion — as he crept closer. The initial alarm that had gone off was enough to draw their attention where he wanted it while he slipped inside. The other traps, he thought, should keep them looking in the wrong places. He had a score to settle after all.He watched from the little patch of bushes near the pool as the three men headed off to search for him — upwind of him, of course.Scott was the first to find a trap. He barely heard the slight click of the mechanism under his foot before the explosion went off, but it was still barely enough time to throw himself to the ground and miss the worst of the damage.His ears were still ringing, and there was a sizeable gash torn open on the back of his leg. He twisted himself around to try and stop the bleeding as he went to the comms. "He's got traps set out," Scott said through gritted teeth. "Nasty ones too.""Are you alright?" Noh asked over the comms."Just ... find him and stop him. This is probably just a distraction," Scott said, getting more irritated with every word as he could feel blood trickling down the back of his neck; he must have been hit in the head as well. "He's smarter than he likes to let on.""He would have to be, to get past my systems," Noh replied as he started to race around in a high-speed search pattern to try to find either another trap to disable it — or Victor.Logan was running the other direction searching for a scent — any sign that would tip him off to what was going on. But when he found it, he had to frown. The trail was too close to the mansion. "Noh, get Scott out of the woods," Logan said. "I think he's ahead of us. I'm gonna see if I can catch up to him."Inside the house, everything on the main floor was still, and Victor was irritated. The problem of course was that since they all lived there, the chances of following the right scent trail to his prey was slim. So, he took just a moment to try and remember what he could of the place before he headed for the stairs that led to the sub levels. If it was him, he'd have them tucked away safe and sound somewhere hidden. Which meant it likely wouldn't have a 'normal' scent pattern on it — and he could look for the fresh trail.He opened the doors at the bottom of the stairs cautiously and listened hard for any movement or talking. He had to smile to himself when he heard several discussions on going down the hall. He tipped his head to the side to better listen to them. He could clearly hear at least five voices. Most of them female, and one of them laced with a thick German accent that had him stifling a growl.If he thought for one second that Nightcrawler would be anywhere but with her, he would have gone the other way. But there was no way the Runt was stupid enough to leave him out of the fight and not have him babysitting her. He glanced down the hall, and his lip curled back to expose one long canine when he saw the little blue demons stationed around the hallway. Of course. An early alert system. Nothing to do about it then but to charge — and tear the little demons apart if they got too close.He narrowed his eyes and decided that maybe he could at least rely on fear being on his side, so he let out a bellowing roar and rushed forward.A couple of the little demons teleported out of his way with little squeaks, though a few of them pulled out little swords and returned his roar with little growls, teleporting out of his way only to reappear in his path, one of them getting close enough to growl in his face.With an irritated snarl, Creed's hand flashed up and simply batted the little guy away, though the claws sunk in deeply as he made his swipe, and the little bamf went crashing down as his friends made concerned noises and one of them teleported the injured little demon away — and back into the War Room, so that Kate could patch him up. After all, she was never short on bandages, and she was pretty good at quick patch jobs between Clint and then joining the X-Men.Kurt ported out to meet Creed with swords drawn, and the hallway all but filled with purple-blue smoke as Kurt teleported around him, blades flashing in the dimming light, though with another little bamf, another player joined with a bamf on his shoulder. Gambit's charged cards added to the eerie effect as their vibrant pink glow cut through the smoke, only to explode as they impacted the tall creep."I know she's here," Creed snarled Kurt's way. "Get outta my way, and maybe I won't gut you.""You're not getting through here," Kurt replied, baring his teeth as he spun one sword in his hand. "Turn around now and I won't run you through."Creed just laughed and took a swipe, though he came up with nothing but smoke.Inside the War Room, K was trying her best to get over to where the fight was without hurting anyone on their side, though little Kamala had gone all rubbery and more or less wrapped herself around K, anchored into the wall. "Sorry, sorry," she was saying as she wrapped herself tighter."If you were sorry, you'd let me go!" K said as she kept struggling against her. "I can help him!""I bet you can," Kamala said. "But Nightcrawler said to stay put, and he said you especially, so we should stay put.""Don't you know you're supposed to respect your elders? I've got him beat by a country mile," K said."Okay, yeah? But also, we're supposed to stay put so we don't die a terrible, terrible death," Kamala replied. "So… sorry."K let out a huff and relaxed her muscles a bit until she was sure she was in the right place to start tickling Kamala. "I'm not going to die a terrible death," K argued. "I'm going to hand one out."Kamala let out a squeal and started to try and squirm out of K's reach. "No! No cheating. Sto-o-o-p!" she breathed out between peals of laughter as tears started to form in the corners of her eyes at the laughing fit.As soon as K was reasonably sure Kamala had loosened up her grip enough, she slipped out of her grasp and made a quick dash out the door, diving into the thick smoke, looking for where the guys had gone. She held still for a moment to listen for them when Kurt appeared inches from her face. "I told you to stay behind," he said angrily."And I told you that you can use my help," K replied quietly before she pulled up both sleeves to show him the shocking bracelets that she'd had Tony make. "Two. Not one. Two. Let me help you stop him."Kamala came running up to where K was, wiping tears from her eyes and holding her sides. "Sorry, sorry! I tried to stop her," she half-panted as Kurt was still glaring."I'll give you one," K offered, gesturing to the bracelet-like device. "I just want him the hell out of here. And this will drop him. C'mon."Kurt crossed his arms and frowned at her for a good long moment before he simply grabbed her shoulder and teleported into the Danger Room, calling out his code to lock the place down before he disappeared again — taking one of her zappers with a "danke" that had her even more furious than before.When Kurt reappeared in the fight, it looked like Kamala had decided to try to help, seeing as Creed was getting closer to the War Room anyway and she could see the fight between Creed and just Remy in the time that Kurt was gone with K — especially because Remy had just taken a particularly hard hit that sent him sprawling into the wall. Kurt just barely avoiding teleporting into the path of one very enormous fist in the hallway as the little Miss Marvel tried to nail Creed.The little bamfs had returned as well once Kate had patched up their friend, and they were all growls and glares as they seemed to be more or less teleporting around just to fill the hallway with smoke and a brimstone smell to confuse Sabretooth's senses, a strategy Kate seemed to be encouraging as she ran into the hallway and helped Remy to his feet.Kurt called for the others to stand back as he abandoned the swords and went in trying to teleport limbs off of Creed — he was certainly furious enough for it to work for how close he was to his friends — causing Creed to go on the defensive for once, desperately trying to avoid Kurt and only just managing it. That is — until he turned with a punch where he was sure Kurt was going to appear and made hard contact with him, knocking Kurt down the hall and into the wall.With a snarl, Creed turned toward where Remy was and slashed through the thick smoke — the glow of his cards had given away his position for just long enough for Victor to make solid contact and tear open his chest before he slipped down the hall.Kate had rushed after Kurt as soon as Creed knocked him backward, and she quickly checked him over and roused him as best she could as Kamala looked over Remy and appeared rather panicked until Kate asked a couple of the bamfs to get him down to Hank — and fast."Where did you take K?" Kate asked quickly when she finally got Kurt awake, and Kurt had to take a second to shake his head and clear it."Don't worry — he doesn't know where she is," he said thickly as he grabbed up both of his swords and climbed to his feet. "We'll just have to make sure he doesn't tear the mansion apart in the meantime trying to find her."The three of them were headed down the halls after Sabretooth when they very nearly ran into the other three from outside — with Noh carrying an incredibly annoyed but badly injured Scott bridal-style in the direction of Hank's medical wing as Logan seemed to be trying to find Creed's scent — which was rather difficult with all the smoke and brimstone."Oh my gosh; is he okay?" Kamala asked with wide eyes as she pointed Scott's way, and Scott just looked very, very unamused at the situation."I'm fine," he insisted at the same time Noh said, "Blood loss, a nasty head injury, and severe trauma to one leg.""Shrapnel from a bomb," Logan clarified as he came up behind them. "Where is everyone?""Gambit's down in medical, and Kurt hid K when she tried to come out and fight," Kamala reported quickly.Logan stared at her for just a second and tipped his head. "Show me where they are."Kamala glanced toward Kurt. "Um. He knows? But Sabretooth sort of shoved him around and we lost track of him after he got Gambit. So…" She gestured toward the halls. "Manhunt in progress. Difficulty level: high."Logan shook his head. "Not that high," he told her. "He stinks. Easy enough to follow, even with the brimstone.""I took her down to the Danger Room," Kurt said low."Which is pretty much soundproof if he managed to find a way inside," Logan said just as low before Kurt simply took his arm and teleported the two of them away, leaving the others behind in an instant."Kamala, can you help Scott down to medical?" Kate asked. "I think I'm going to borrow Marvel Boy."When Scott looked dubious, Kamala grew about a foot and stretched out her hands to a large size before she nodded. "Yeah, I can do that," she said as she offered her help to Noh, who gently dumped the leader of the X-Men into her hands and made sure they were both secure.Kamala grinned widely at Scott and tried to make that grin as reassuring as possible. "Don't worry. I'm an Avenger."Scott still had his lips pressed together in a thin line, clearly annoyed still, but she hadn't dropped him yet, and she looked so excited to be able to help that he had to let out a breath and nod. "You know how to get to Hank's?""Yep!" Kamala said, unable to hide her grin before she grew her legs another foot or so — so she could get there faster with longer strides.Noh glanced at Kate and let out a little laugh at the younger hero's clear excitement before he grabbed Kate up in the same bridal sweep he'd had Scott in earlier to run her down to where the others were.As soon as they arrived, it was clear what was going on even before they got into the Danger Room doors, which had been all but torn open to make room for Creed to get in. They could hear Logan and Creed roaring at each other just a moment before they heard a familiar bamf, and Kurt appeared in the hallway with K — who did not look good. She was bleeding badly, and her clothes were torn in slash marks, and she was unconscious."Kate, I need you to look after her. Try to stop the bleeding," Kurt said, sounding a bit out of breath, only waiting long enough to see Kate nod before he teleported himself and Noh back into the room, leaving Kate to more or less stand guard by the bloody and bruised K, putting pressure where she could and swearing under her breath at the idiot guys the next room over.The sounds echoing out into the hall were brutal. Snarls, so so many snarls amid the echoing bamfs and shouts. Metal on metal screeched as Logan clearly slashed into the walls of the Danger Room, while Creed suddenly quit goading him.After that, it was clear to Kate that Kurt was simply teleporting Creed back to Logan to keep him from escaping into the hall where the two women were, because she could hear the seven-foot halitosis machine snarling at Kurt to let him go. Curses in German joined the shouts and roars until there was a heavy arcing sound accompanied by a loud, final-sounding thump, and shortly after that — both Kurt and Noh quietly and rapidly trying to calm Logan down.Kate finally peeked her head over the remains of the Danger Room door to see that Noh had pinned Logan by the arms to keep him from stabbing anyone as Kurt was muttering to try and keep him calm, while Creed was still smoking on the floor. It was quite the process, and Kate didn't want to interrupt it, because she knew from experience that it could get bad, but she didn't want them to get too distracted that they forgot about the Big Problem on the floor."So ... we should cuff him before he gets back up," Kate said at last."Get Henry," Kurt said. "He can handle restraining him.""Got it." Kate glanced once more at Creed before she took off for the medical wing, where Henry and Tyler certainly had their hands full with Remy, Scott, and the injured bamf, though the bamfs were giving Tyler little kisses after he'd fixed up their friend. "Hank, we could use your help. Creed's in the Danger Room, and he's down, but we'd like him to stay that way," she called out."Say no more, Miss Bishop," Hank said, pushing back from his work to grab a very large and imposing looking set of restraints from a cabinet behind his desk. "These did the job last time. I'm sure it will work again." With that, he took off at a run, and when he got to the Danger Room well ahead of Kate, he very quickly got Creed both muzzled and cuffed before he hauled the monster out of the room. "Please have Kurt get her down to the medical bay," he said, tipping his head K's way as he dragged Creed out of the room. "We happen to have a cell with Mr. Creed's name on it."Kate nodded and relayed the request to Kurt, who wasted no time in making sure that K was all settled in at the medical bay. Kate stayed behind to wait for Logan to calm down to let him know where K was and where Creed was as well after Noh finally released his arms."Hank's got him in a cell — pretty sure Scott doesn't want SHIELD taking him again," Kate said."Yeah, I'd say they blew it pretty thoroughly," Logan growled out as he headed for the med bay."So … are we keeping him here?" Kate raised both eyebrows high as she followed after him."For now," Logan said, though he didn't look happy about it. "We have a couple cells that will hold him. Only way he ever got out of them before was when some idiot let him out.""Do you have a plan for the long term?" Noh asked curiously. "I doubt it would be good for the mental well-being of our friends to keep him here.""You mean if Scott has an issue with me taking his head off? No. Not that I'm aware of," Logan answered, though he deflated a bit when he got to K. Tyler had been doing his best to stop the bleeding, but he still looked openly worried — especially since her wounds weren't closing up as fast as he was used to seeing, either from her own healing or from people he'd worked on healing himself."I guess I don't understand how healing abilities work," Ty said as he put pressure on a nasty looking wound. "I thought they took care of the worst stuff first." He looked distressed, but Logan just nodded."They do, but that probably isn't the worst of it," Logan told him seriously as he came over to help. He glanced up at Scott and narrowed his eyes. "I can keep this together — you better finish up with Slim. Before he passes out from blood loss. That head wound looks nasty."Even as Scott tried to protest that he was fine, Tyler had gotten behind him and made a face at the severity of the injury. "Actually, he's right," Tyler told him. "It's a lot nastier than it looks.""That is often the case with Terran head injuries," Noh said mildly as he sat down on the other side of K with a look of concern over how badly she was injured."I can fix it," Tyler said as he tried to part the hair at the back of Scott's head to see if there was any shrapnel in it. "But you need to hold still. You want to lay down for this?""No, I'm fine," Scott argued, sitting up a bit straighter to try and prove his point."Okay, I just thought you might want to try and relax a little for this." Ty shook his head and concentrated hard. "I tried to help K ... but I think her healing was fighting me.""Well, we're still not sure how your abilities work with healers," Kate said as she popped up into a seat beside the recently-healed bamf to cuddle him into her lap. "I mean, have you ever tried to heal one before?""No," Tyler said, half-distracted with the task at hand of fixing Scott's head. "But it was like ... fighting a current.""Interesting," Noh said, his head cocked to one side, though the little group fell quiet as they decided to let Tyler do his thing, while Logan helped with K — though both Kurt and Kate were occupied with handing him fresh material to try and staunch the bleeding."Must have bashed the hell out of her," Logan muttered mostly to himself as Henry came back through the doors, looking out of breath as he pushed his glasses up his nose."Yes, well," Hank said as he cleared his throat. "Let's not do more than what's needed. Though it would be good to know what all has happened, why don't we simply start a good IV to help with the fluids?" He washed his hands thoroughly before he gathered up the supplies and took up a spot across from Logan to get to work. He'd just finished up when he looked over his glasses at Tyler — who was still working."Is there a problem?" Hank asked, frowning slightly."No, no — I'm … just about done," Tyler said quietly. "Just finishing up, really." A few moments later, he finally took his hands off of Scott's head. "I didn't want to leave a scar. Sorry it took so long.""That's alright," Scott assured him, though when he tried to stand to leave, he looked unsteady on his feet."Perhaps you need an IV as well," Hank suggested. "Not all of us can lose half our volume and not encounter issues. You're bound to be at least dizzy after your injuries."Scott sat back down with a bit of a sigh but nodded his agreement as Hank headed over to get a second IV kit."You know," Noh said thoughtfully, breaking into the silence as Hank worked, "where I am from, such crimes as Sabretooth's would be rewarded with either execution or banishment.""I vote the first," Logan said dryly."You know that's not happening," Scott said with a raised-eyebrow look Logan's way."And that was not what I was suggesting," Noh said, holding up one hand. "But I think... perhaps we can banish him from this planet. I would be more than happy to build a module to send him into orbit.""Orbit of what planet?" Logan asked with a smirk."Any planet you choose," Noh said with a smirk to match. "Preferably an uninhabited one.""That would be nice," Logan agreed.Scott seemed to think it over as Hank cleaned up his arm, weighing out all the damage Creed had done over the years — not only to Logan, but to so many people. "What do you think, Tyler?""I don't really know," Tyler said as he picked up the discarded gauze, bandages and papers around him, his gaze on his work. "Not like I have any connection to him? Or want one. But if half of the stories about him that make the news are true? He shouldn't be wandering free.""The news only reports what they can't blow off as something else," Logan told him. "Most of the time, it isn't even a blip on their radar."Scott thought it over a moment longer. "Alright. What do you need, Noh?""I will need to borrow a few things from Forge. But that should be plenty," Noh said."How long?" Logan asked. "And if he escapes, does anyone have any issue with me handling it my way?""It should only take me about… oh, a week or two if I put aside my other projects for this one," Noh said thoughtfully. "As for escape possibilities, I can put in an early warning system if the capsule is breached, and we can come to that later.""I meant if he escapes while we're waiting for the capsule," Logan said with a little smirk. "I just wanna know if there's a chance he might lose something dear to him in the process.""Maybe you should take K out of here until it's ready to launch," Scott suggested."Any excuse for a romantic getaway for a while, huh?" Kate teased."Right, because my concern is their romantic entanglements," Scott deadpanned."You are such a romantic, boss man. Don't think I don't know about you helping Annie try and find Daisy a job. For reasons." Kate batted her eyelashes Scott's way innocently.Scott gave her a dry, dry look for a moment before he said, simply, "She asked me for help. I try to make her happy.""Uh huh." Kate grinned at him before she went back to spoiling the little bamf in her lap."We're not going anywhere for now," Logan said flatly. "But I am sticking with her tomorrow. Cancel my classes if you gotta.""I'll let Annie know," Scott said.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The morning after the attack from Sabretooth, Kurt was the first one awake, even before Logan slipped into the kitchen only to leave again with two mugs full of coffee. Scott wasn't up yet — which in and of itself was unusual, though he didn't put much thought to it, since Scott had been pretty severely injured the night before.But when Annie appeared alone, he only frowned deeper. "Is Scott not well today?" Kurt asked."I'm not sure," Annie admitted. "He was sleepin' pretty soundly when I got up, and considering the day y'all had, I thought I'd better let him." She went to get herself her usual glass of sweet tea with a sigh. "And Chance woke up in the middle of the night, so I'm sure he's catching up on a little overdue sleep.""He's probably just tired," Kurt said with a muted smile."And you know he so rarely relaxes; I didn't want to disturb him and mess with that," Annie said, laughing quietly. "Don't you worry, Kurt. You'll get your fearless leader back in time for the next adventure."Kurt gave her a warm smile at that and went back to refill his mug.As it turned out, though, Scott didn't actually emerge until Kate was awake and well into her third cup of coffee — which was a tipoff as to how tired he had been, since she was usually the last one up in the morning. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he drank his coffee like it was the only fluid he'd had in days and then made himself plenty to eat."You doing okay?" she asked, raising an eyebrow."Just a little tired," Scott admitted as he drained another cup of coffee. "Late night with Chance. And Tyler's healing takes it out of you.""Well, that'd do it," Kate said, returning to her notes for the alien tech class she was subbing for Noh while he worked up the capsule for Creed. After all, she remembered how it was — she'd been fairly starving after all the excitement of meeting Tyler when she took the time to sit down after he healed her arm. "Maybe you should take a vacation with Mrs. Boss.""With teachers checking out left and right? No way," Scott muttered into his coffee cup. "Someone's gotta get the work done around here."Kate just smirked as she got up and patted Scott's shoulder on the way out. "Got another two months before the end of the semester. Don't burn yourself out between then and now, huh?"Scott grunted to himself and went back to his breakfast. He had time still before he needed to be anywhere.Scott, Beast, and Bobby had a Danger Room session scheduled that afternoon, and by the time that came around, Scott looked much more like his usual self as he walked into the room in his uniform to meet the other X-Men."Alright, guys, we're just going to run a basic sim today," he said as he met the other two. "We'll run through some stuff with the Mutant Response Division — rumors are they're still intact and gaining a little strength, though I'm not sure who they're rallying under with Bastion gone."Bobby grinned and shook out his arms, bouncing from one foot to the other. "Sounds fun."Henry just smiled their way as Scott called out the codes and the room dimmed for a moment. When the lights came back up, it was a basic military-style infiltration of a shopping center. Right off the bat, Hank swung into action and simply started disarming MRD officers left and right, while Bobby slipped off on a sheet of ice, blasting them and freezing them to the spot.But the first one that Scott tried to shoot — nothing happened. Instead, the MRD soldier charged at him, and Scott had to dive aside, popping back up to take aim again, but still ... nothing happened."Oh, are we doing this one no powers?" Bobby asked with a confused look. "I guess I misunderstood." He hopped off his ice slide and went back to ice-free to take up a position nearer Scott to fight hand to hand."No, that's not…" Scott let out a breath of frustration as he tried to readjust his visor. "I think something's up with the visor — it was working fine yesterday, but I can't get a shot!" It was clear he was irritated as he fiddled with the settings until he just let out a shout of annoyance as he had to once again dodge out of the way of an MRD officer, and then simply clocked the guy with everything he had."You want me to pause the program and grab a new pair?" Bobby asked. "Maybe they're just worn out."Scott let out a sigh. "Yeah, alright," he said, obviously annoyed, though he was the one to pause the program himself as he stalked over to grab himself a new visor and Bobby and Hank shared a look.Moments later, after Scott finally let out a breath and checked that the others were ready, the program started up. Bobby and Hank were doing just fine, but Scott ... just… wasn't able to shoot. At all."Scott, are you alright?" Hank asked at last as he dropped down beside him.Scott all but growled out in sheer frustration as he stopped the program again. "I don't know what the problem is," he said. "I've even tried full throttle, but I can't even get a low-power beam."Henry frowned and looked up at his old friend. "Take aim at the doors and remove the lenses. Just to sate my curiosity."Despite his frustration, Scott had to give Henry the slightest of smirks. "Forge isn't going to like having to put the doors back on again," he said."He knew the risks of taking up that position," Henry countered with an easy shrug. "At least we're not asking him to repair Sentinels."Scott smirked a bit wider at that before he took a breath and did just that, screwing his eyes shut for a moment before he took off the visor and then opened them again — only for a moment — though again, nothing happened."A bit longer this time," Henry said quickly as Bobby joined them. Both of the old teammates were deeply concerned.The only sign that Scott was starting to panic was the fact that his hands were clenching and unclenching in fists at his sides before he took a breath and tried again, this time leaving his eyes open for at least ten seconds, without the slightest sign of red."Oh my stars and garters," Hank said in a bewildered tone. "I believe a few tests are in order."Scott took a steadying breath before he put the visor back on. He turned toward Henry with a deep frown. "It was working fine yesterday," he said in a low tone."It was working perfectly fine," Henry agreed. "Before Tyler healed the wound at the back of your head." He watched Scott carefully as he considered the conundrum. "I wonder," he said at last, gently, "if it was close to the damage you sustained as a child."Scott looked at him with an open expression of surprise. "...What?" he finally managed."He's been healing old scars for years — albeit unintentionally," Henry told him. "He has been working on fixing them purposely."And you think that'd do it?" Bobby asked quietly, looking totally serious."If my guess is right, Scott, you should — with a bit of practice — be able to have full control without the visor."Scott still looked simply stunned, staring at Henry, unable to find the words."But before we jump to any hasty conclusions, why don't we get you a thorough head scan to compare with your most recent one?" With that, Henry gently led Scott to the medical bay to run the required tests.Once they arrived at the lab, Scott was stock still for the testing, silently doing exactly as Henry asked — and quite obviously in a state of shock. He even went so far as to just sit there after the tests were done, simply waiting for Henry's conclusions with his hands clasped in front of him and his shoulders leaned forward."Hank?" Annie poked her head inside the medical bay, wearing the double baby carrier that Forge had designed for her — with Peter's input on the comfort levels — as she finally spotted Scott. "What's going on? Bobby told me Scott was here, but he wouldn't say what was wrong." Her voice had a distinct air of concern, which only seemed to intensify when she saw that Scott was just… quietly sitting there."I'm not entirely sure that we can say there is anything wrong," Henry replied, gently directing her over with one hand on her shoulder. "Simply … not what we're accustomed to." He pointed her to the two scans on the screen. "This is the most recent head scan we have of Scott — I believe that was taken shortly after a run in with Mr. Sinister." Annie nodded, and Henry then pointed out the new scan. "This was taken today. You can see … here," he pointed to one particular spot. "There is no longer any sign of the scarring that Scott sustained in his childhood. It appears to be healed.""But isn't that… Does that mean…." Annie looked between the scans and Scott a few times, her eyes widening with the comprehension even though Scott was still sitting stock still and staring straight ahead. "How?" she managed to ask at last. "I thought that was permanent.""He received a head wound while dealing with our intruder. Tyler healed the wound, and I think — intentionally or not — he healed the old scars," Hank explained. "Which, I'm very happy to report, seems to have made the constant use of his visor a bit outdated." He paused as he allowed that to sink in for Annie. "Of course, I don't recommend throwing it out entirely until he's learned how to control it — which he never has had the luxury of doing.""But he can do it?" Annie looked toward Scott, who was still in an obvious state of shock and something like bewilderment."At the moment, he's having more trouble turning it on," Hank said. "But he's likely to have a bit of a learning curve, I'm sure."Annie thought about it for a moment before, gently, she started to pull Chance and Charlie out of their little slings to hand them both to Hank. "I'd like to see. For myself," she told Hank. "You just hold these two." With that, and with absolutely no room for Hank to argue, even if he'd wanted to, she made her way over to Scott, who was back to wearing the ruby glasses again, just to be safe.It was the first sign of life from Scott when Annie reached for the glasses, and he caught her hand, shaking his head slowly. "I don't know how to turn it off again if it starts up," he told her in a low voice.She paused and met his gaze for a long moment before she gently pried his fingers from her hand. "Look at the wall first," she suggested. "And then look at me."For a long time, Annie got no response except for the fact that she could see his every muscle tensing. "Annie, I can't," he told her at last.She let out a little breath and leaned over to kiss him softly for a moment before she snatched the glasses right off his face while he was distracted. She kept a hand on his cheek and gently turned his head toward the wall. "You're not facing me," she promised. "Start there."It took him a long moment to screw up the courage to open his eyes at last, and he let out a small breath when there was no resulting eye beam. But he still seemed reluctant to turn to face her, so she stepped around to get in his line of sight, though he immediately tried to close his eyes on her until she smacked him in the side of the head. "You're fine," she told him. "I won't let you hurt me.""Well, if you keep hitting me like that, I might not be," he said with the tiniest of smirks.She laughed quietly and shook her head at him — and for as annoyed as she was by how reticent he was being, she was glad to see the sense of humor come back, even a little bit. "I wouldn't have to do that if you weren't so ridiculous, Mr. Summers," she told him. "Now let me see."It was a waiting game for a long moment as Annie stayed right there, her hand covering his as she waited for him to relax — though he seemed to be determined not to do that. When he finally let out a small breath, though, she knew she had him."Just for a few seconds if you're still nervous," she prompted, squeezing his hand again.He nodded quietly and took another small breath, held it, and finally opened his eyes for her.The thing that struck her most about him was the fact that she could see the terror right there, plainly in his eyes. Though that quickly turned to wonder as instead of the few seconds she'd asked for, he couldn't help but try to take her in — for the first time without the red tinge — for far longer than he'd intended to.He'd never seen her before — the brown hair, the deeper brown eyes, the slight red on her nose where one of the twins had hit her with a spoon yesterday. All of the details he'd never been able to see — not fully."They're brown," she said at last.He just nodded quietly, still staring at her in awe as Henry sidled out of the room to give the two of them some privacy.Kate was grinning widely over breakfast the next morning as she watched Scott and Annie playing with the twins — because Annie had talked Scott into not wearing the glasses for just a little while, and the look he was giving Charlie was nothing short of pure adoration and awe. Like he was seeing her for the first time — which, to be fair, he sort of was.And it was even more fun watching Charlie and Chance as they warily looked up at their dad, trying to figure out who this person without the red glasses was.Any of the other X-Men who came to breakfast couldn't help but get distracted by seeing Scott with his kids, either, because the look on his face was so… open. The funny thing was — it was the same muted smile, but his eyes were wide and practically shining with emotion, which totally gave everything away.Of course, no one said anything about it, because that would ruin the moment, but the looks exchanged between the team members were perfectly clear.It was a bit of a lazy morning that day anyway because it was Saturday, and so there were no classes to rush to, not even any field trips, so everyone was content to hang out, chat quietly, and grin at the looks on the faces of every single one of the Summers family members.Even Rachel had been through that morning to get in on the fun, tickled to pieces by this turn of events — and surprised outright when Annie pulled her into a hug and spent the morning simply gushing to her stepdaughter about the steps they were already taking, pulling in Alex from Hawaii once he could get up to Westchester, that kind of thing.And it surprised Rachel just as much when she caught Scott staring up at her with the same look of awe she'd seen when he was looking at Charlie.She cleared her throat and smirked at Scott. "That's a good look on you.""It's growing on me," he replied with a smirk to match before he grinned outright and then went back to holding Charlie and looking like he couldn't have been any happier than he was right there.It was just about mid-morning when there was a knock on the front door, interrupting the slow morning, and Kurt teleported over to go answer it, opening the wide double doors to find little Kamala Khan standing there with a shy smile as she waved at him with the tips of her fingers."Hey there," she said. "I was just… is everyone okay? Last time I was here, there was some pretty heavy awful, and I thought I'd stop by to make sure nobody's, like, dying or something?" She flashed him a little nervous smile.Kurt couldn't help but grin widely at her as he invited her inside. "No, no — we're all fine," he assured her, still grinning. "We have excellent medical care here. You should really meet our doctor-in-training.""You mean the tall blonde kid that was helping Beast?" Kamala asked with both eyebrows up. "Yeah, I met him when I brought Scott down. He's…." She shrugged up to her ears. "That's an unfortunate, um, family resemblance?"Kurt put a hand on her shoulder as he steered her toward the kitchen where the rest of the X-Men were still hanging out. "He's the opposite of his father in every way imaginable, I assure you.""Well, good, because that guy is kind of a jerk," Kamala said as she followed Kurt into the kitchen, though she stopped short when she saw Scott and Charlie and just… stared."Oh. My. Gosh." She was staring openly, jaw dropped, apparently unable to process more words than just that."Why don't you come sit down over here?" Kate said with a little smirk as she waved Kamala into a seat. The whole time, the younger woman continued to look like she just couldn't handle anything at the moment.Scott was shaking his head and trying to ignore the attention he was getting until he looked up to realize that Kamala wasn't the only one openly staring. Logan and K both had been watching him on and off, though K was certainly paying more attention than Logan was, since he'd seen him like this on occasion anyhow. "No wonder you kept all that covered up," K said with a growing smile as she headed over for coffee. She stood next to Scott while Logan got his coffee and she just couldn't help but to give Scott a kiss on the cheek. "Freakin' adorable. Dangerously lovely brown eyes. Yes. I approve." With that, she turned and headed over to the table. "You're lucky Annie scooped you up with eyes like that, mister.""Quit picking on him," Logan told her as he took the seat next to her. "He's turning all kinds of shades and all you did was kiss him on the cheek. You'd probably kill him otherwise.""Yes, please don't kill him," Annie said, her smile widening through the entire exchange as she leaned in to kiss Scott's opposite cheek as his face turned the same shade as his old lenses."I'll try to refrain — but be warned," K said pointing her finger his way. "All that … expressiveness? You are getting so, so, so many cheek kisses. I even like the little crinkly wrinkles in the corners. Rugged." She fixed Scott with a smirk. "You know I like the rugged look right? Most ladies do."He was giving her one of the muted little smirks at the corner of his mouth when he looked up at her, but his eyes were positively sparkling with laughter."That's exactly what I mean," K said. "Right there." She looked over to Kate. "The man candy around here just got a little sweeter.""Just drink it in," Kate laughed. "So, so pretty.""Lovely to see first thing in the morning," K nodded in agreement. "You are an open book, my dear. In a nice, tight little package."Scott's expression hadn't changed, except that the smirk was tugging a little harder on the corner of his mouth as he shrugged her way. "If you say so," he said, looking back down at Charlie, likely to hide the rest of his expression.K and Kate shared a look before they both snuggled into their sweethearts' sides. "Kurt, would you do me a little favor?" K asked sweetly.Kurt was resting his chin on the top of Kate's head as she snuggled into him and gave her a bit of a smirk as he looked over Kate's head. "I'm not going to wear brown contacts for you," he said dryly."I actually prefer the pretty blues over here," she said tipping her head toward Logan with an expression that was pure trouble. "I was just going to ask if you would be so kind as to refill some coffee for Kate and me."Kurt laughed quietly and nodded before he took both of their mugs to top them off, still grinning to himself as he did so. He slipped back into the chair beside Kate as he pushed the coffee mugs to their respective owners. "That's, what, your third cups apiece?" he teased as a couple of the bamfs nodded solemnly and pretended to look stern at the two girls, shaking their little heads and fingers."Two for me," K said. "Late start. And I only had one all day yesterday. Travesty.""That's just horrible," Kate agreed, saluting K with her coffee mug, though the light mood in the kitchen seemed to evaporate when there was a sudden and unexpected hiss. The assembled X-Men and family members looked around in alarm, but they couldn't see or smell anything — even as it was clear they were being affected by something when their muscles seemed to go rather slack.K and Logan both wrinkled their noses, but it was Logan that looked positively crestfallen suddenly as he realized what was going on. It took the two of them a short moment longer than the rest, but much quicker than he would have liked, the entire group was out.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Logan opened his eyes again, he was lying on the floor and staring around the dining room and kitchen area at the others that were also scattered around the room. He slowly sat up, his head pounding as he realized that they were light quite a few of their members. Noh was there, as was Bobby, Remy, and Kamala. But K was missing. And Kurt and Kate ... the entire Summers group, too.He was starting to realize what had happened when Kamala began to wake up too. "Are you okay, kiddo?" he asked. "Aside from the headache?" He was climbing to his feet to try and get a better idea of what they had to do next when he found the perfectly scripted note on the table and frowned down at it.She made a bit of a face and stuck her tongue out a couple of times. "Tastes weird, but I think I'm okay," she reported as she looked around at the still-unconscious X-Men and started to frown. "Um — Wolverine? Please tell me we're not the first ones awake and the others are just, like, patrolling or something. Because otherwise, this is a serious 911.""Mr. Sinister snatched 'em," he told her frankly. "Even left a little warning not to follow. Like that'll happen."Kamala frowned as she got to her feet and scrambled over to see for herself. "That's — that's a lot of X-Men that he took," she pointed out as she read the note over his shoulder:
Don't waste your time and mine in a ridiculous rescue attempt. They will be released when I've finished with them.
"What's he mean — is that … does that mean he'll let them go when he's done? That's not how bad guys usually work, and especially not him and Cyclops." Kamala rubbed the back of her neck nervously and looked Logan's way. "I mean, at least, according to what I've heard.""It means he's gonna 'test' them," he replied looking flat-out worried before he headed over to Noh and started to shake him awake.Kamala was sticking close behind Logan as she followed his lead and tried to shake Remy awake. "We gotta move fast," she said, looking concerned.When Noh started to stir awake, it only took him a few seconds before he was on his feet with wide eyes. "That," he said, his lips pressed together for a moment before he continued, "that was not a drug I have encountered before. Whatever it was.""It was one of Sinister's custom creations," Logan explained to Noh. "Haven't seen him use gas … in a long time.""Sinister?" Noh repeated, his eyes widening at first and then narrowing to near slits as he took in the absences at the table."The gas means he wanted them unharmed," Logan told him frankly."Okay, but you say things like that, and it just shoots the creep factor up to about nine thousand," Kamala said as she helped Remy sit up."That's where it belongs," Logan replied. "I don't know a mutant alive that's crossed his path and not known how nasty he is."Noh looked around with a deepening frown. "We are missing several of our number," he said before he held up a hand. "Wait here. I'm going to check on our other friends." With that, he zipped off at top speed to go search through the mansion.Kamala had started shaking Bobby awake as she looked up at Logan. "Okay, so — rescue mission. Where's this guy's evil lair, then?""No set spot," Logan told her. "He's one of the few that travels frequently and sets up wherever he wants. I'm gonna find Rachel. Maybe she can hone in on one of them. You keep these guys conscious.""Got it," Kamala nodded, eyes still wide as she finally got a groaned-out response from Bobby.But Logan had only gotten a few steps out of the kitchen when Noh came skidding to a stop in front of him and grabbed him by both arms. "My Jubilee — he took my Jubilee!" he panted, more panicked than Logan had ever seen from the Kree fighter."We're gonna get her back," Logan promised. "Get the jet ready."Noh was looking somehow both thunderous and terrified, but he took a breath and nodded, calming down just enough to add, "Our new student, Tyler — he is also missing from Dr. McCoy's lab.""Anyone else?"Noh shook his head. "No. But that still makes nine captives," he said with no small degree of alarm."We need to get to wherever they are before he gets going on all of them. K can probably take it, but I don't know what he'd do to the rest of them," Logan admitted."I remember the threats made against my Jubilee, at the least," Noh replied with narrowed eyes before he tipped his head the slightest bit. "I'll prepare the jet. Bring the others as quickly as you can — I don't like to delay in a matter like this.""You're not alone, Noh," Logan assured him before he headed of to shake Rachel awake.The bulk of their ranks proved hard to rouse, as they simply didn't have the advantage of the healers to burn it out of their system faster, but once they had at least Rachel conscious and functioning, she made a beeline for Cerebro and got to work — searching for any of the mental signatures of the people who were taken.It took a little longer than any of the heroes in the room were comfortable with, partly because Rachel was still a little groggy and partly because Sinister was hard to pin down at the best of times, relying on psychic shielding and other defenses to keep them out. But, finally, Rachel looked up at the others."I found Jubilee, but I think that's because she's reaching out for me," Rachel admitted as she scribbled down the coordinates and Logan helped her toward the plane. It was officially an all-hands-available scenario — even if there weren't that many hands in good fighting shape just yet. Logan and Noh both had healed already, but Rachel was going to need a hand to wake up fully along the way. Still, they needed her, so she was coming.Kamala climbed into the jet as well, her own healing powers having ditched the gas effects long ago. "Room for one more?""You sure you wanna come along?" Logan asked her as he headed toward the cockpit. "This is the stuff made of nightmares, punkin'.""It sure looks like you guys need all the help you can get," Kamala pointed out."Well I sure ain't gonna say no," Logan told her. "Buckle up. Noh's a trick pilot.""Only when we are not speeding toward a rescue that I already fear we are late for," Noh pointed out as he started up the engines."So that's like every rescue we go on, ever," Logan pointed out as he buckled in himself."Yeah, pretty sure that's the definition of rescues," Kamala agreed, though she made it a point to buckle in nice and tight.Annie was still groggy, even as she came back to consciousness. It wasn't from the effects of the gas, either — this was a feeling similar to coming back from the epidural when she'd had the twins, only moreso. Her head was pounding ... and the dizziness was profound.In addition, she felt a bit heavy as she took in her surroundings. It was obvious she wasn't in Westchester anymore, and to her dismay, she realized that she was entirely alone — she couldn't see Scott or the twins anywhere in the little room with one door and no windows.As she tried to push herself up, she could only really get up to about a sitting position before she was tired out. Not to mention she felt like she was pulling something when she did, though that had her panicked as she took better stock of herself, paying closer attention not just to her surroundings and the absence of the rest of her family but the fact that, if the pulling and soreness were anything to go by, someone had cut into her. Recently.She started to truly panic, using the palms of her hands to push against the bed she found herself in, but that wasn't helping her. She was still groggy, and she didn't have the strength to do more than sit up and take stock of the wraps around her abdomen — until the tears welling up in her eyes and the bile rising up in her throat both released at the same time.Which just hurt everything that much worse as she clutched her stomach and let out a miserable sort of moan when she was finished.She felt horrible, and tired, and scared out of her mind on top of it all. She had no idea where she was — though she had only just started to get a hold of herself to try to think when the very man who had been the bane of her husband's existence opened the door from the other side, holding both of her twins.Annie felt sick all over again seeing him standing there and knowing that even if she could fight him, there wasn't a thing she could do in her state — and not a thing she could do that wouldn't risk the kids. It wasn't all that comforting that he was gentle with them, either, as he made his way over to her to hand them to her."What did you do to my kids?" Annie asked, a note of hysteria at the edge of her voice. She didn't even know what the man had done to her; she was beside herself at the thought that he had touched them in any way."Don't fret, Annette," Sinister said with a cold smile. "A few simple blood tests for my records. Please do take the children — I would like to see them fed and happy so they can grow to their full potential." He was already handing Charlie to her as he said it, and Annie didn't know what else to do except to take her kids and try to make sure they were alright. "It's just a shame you and Scott started to expand the family line before I could repair the defect in your gene sequence. It would be fascinating to study the full life of a mutant from gestation on — but, alas, I had no such guarantee with your genes." He paused, a smile playing with the corner of his mouth. "Ah well. Next time, I will be better prepared."With both of the twins now in hand, Annie could only try to glare at the tall, pale, creep. She was shaking both from the physical exhaustion and soreness of having thrown up earlier and from simple terror and rage, and there wasn't a thing she could think to say except, "You just keep your nose out," in a voice that had none of the fire she had been hoping for.But Sinister just let out the smallest of chuckles before he closed the door behind him again, and Annie heard the sound of the door bolting shut on the other side as she gently shushed her twins, trying not to let the tears of frustration and helplessness fall.On the other side of the door, Sinister's other captives could not move around nearly as freely as Annie was able to — and considering the fact that Annie could hardly get out of bed, that was really saying something. Each was tied down tightly so they wouldn't move as Sinister did his work, and what's more, Nightcrawler had an IV of something that was keeping him far too drugged to try and teleport any of them out of there.For the 'newer acquisitions,' Sinister had already taken a few basic tests — blood samples, a few bone and tissue samples, that sort of thing. And with the twins back with their mother, Sinister turned his attention next to the other women in his possession. He hadn't been able to get hold of Annie during her pregnancy, but at least the little feral was a promising prospect, not to mention the girl flitting around Nightcrawler, and he wanted to get a baseline for them, so he could chronicle a full mutant lifespan from the very beginning. As it was, the two Summers children were young enough for his purposes, and of course, if they had any of their father's potential, he would want to study them, but he still would be interested to see the full lifespan.He'd work next with the human girl before he moved on to the other two women, who were, after all, far more fascinating. The firecracker had a secondary mutation to study, though it was a shame she had chosen an alien as her partner, as his DNA would corrupt his results and make her unsuitable for his most recent interests. And as for that little feral with a temper, he'd love to compare her to her fiance — and to the other little healer in his possession.As he looked over the quick blood test he'd done for the human girl, his lips curled into a bit of a smile when he realized she was a carrier for the gene. With her genetics and Nightcrawler's parentage all but guaranteeing physical mutations from birth, if they did extend the family line, the child would likely be perfect for his curiosity and purposes.Of course, a near-guarantee was not quite good enough. It would not take as much to address the problem as it had with Annette Summers, but he set to work all the same.As Essex set her up for more extensive work, the girl glared at him, her muscles flexed as she strained against the restraints holding her down, though the loud and increasingly creative threats she was uttering didn't bother him in the least as he went about his work, absently resting a hand on her shoulder as he told her to relax while he finished his studies. And relax she did — when the anesthesia hit her system and knocked her out so that he could quickly and efficiently address the imperfections in her genetics, ensuring that she wouldn't pass on her inferior genes to her children. It was a modified, simpler process than what he'd done with Annette — though the end results were the same.If the X-Men would insist on marrying humans, than he would simply have to work with the material he had.When he was finished with her, he instructed one of his Marauders to take her to Annette's room — two women for two children; that should be more than enough to keep them happy while he finished his work. After all, he had yet more testing to do.Charlie and Chance were nearly asleep by then — after some serious snuggling and food — and Annie looked up in surprise when the Marauder arrived, shooting him the worst glare she could manage. Of course, it wasn't effective at all when the large man had no real mind of his own outside of Sinister's orders, and it was hard to glare when she was worried about her friend — and everyone else, for that matter.Annie's eyes were wide as she took in Kate's pale complexion, and she waited until Kate was starting to stir before she called out to her. "Are you… alright?" Annie asked, pausing over the last word, because she knew from experience that 'alright' was just not something that it was possible to be when it came to Sinister."Gonna feed that creep his own hands," Kate said through her teeth before she had even fully opened her eyes, though she took the time she needed to try to center herself as she recovered her senses. It was clear to Annie that Kate was just as panicked as she was, but the young woman tried for a light smile to hide it and kissed the top of Chance's head — the Marauder had set her down close enough to Annie to "help," after all. "The kids doing okay?" she asked."They were pretty scared," Annie admitted. "But they're calming back down a bit." She looked Kate over for a second. "Are you up to helping me? It would be nice to have a second pair of hands. As much as it pains me to admit he's right about anything."Kate took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can hold a sleeping baby," she said before Annie gently tipped Chance into her arms and the little boy immediately curled into her."And if he comes back, it would be nice to have a second pair of hands around to keep him away from them," Annie added, her voice a little harder than before."Trust me. If he wants these cuties, he's gonna have to go through me." Kate readjusted the way she was sitting with a little wince. "You know. For as much good as that's going to do.""What did he… want from y'all?" Annie asked tentatively."From me?" Kate gestured down at herself, and Annie bit back the panic at the familiar wrappings. "I wish I knew. I have an idea… he was talking about inferior genetics under his breath, but, you know, you'd think that would mean he'd keep his paws off."Annie wrapped one arm around Kate's shoulders and pulled her into a sideways hug. "Trust me, I know," she whispered. She hugged Kate close for a long moment and then, tentatively, whispered, "Did you… did you see anyone else?"Kate looked up at Annie for a long moment and slowly shook her head. "I didn't see Scott, sorry," she said quickly, clearly realizing that's where Annie's head was.Annie's entire countenance fell, and she just leaned her head over to rest on Kate's. "I'm sorry, honey," she whispered quietly, keeping her head on top of the younger woman's so Kate couldn't see that she was on the verge of losing it all over again.Kate nodded as Annie tried to calm Charlie down a bit, cooing and shushing her. "Sorry. I don't know anything else. I don't know who else he's got. I wish I did."Charlie was really starting to get fussy, and at about the same time Annie finally lost her composure and started to cry, so did Charlie, though seeing her mother upset seemed to have an effect on the little girl, and the tiny girl stopped crying to simply snuggle into her mother, her hand on Annie's neck.Kamala had to pry her hands loose from her seatbelt after the landing that Noh made, fast and tight enough to spin on a dime, before she took a deep breath. "Okay, yeah, you were right about him being a trick pilot.""It's even better when he knows what's goin' on," Logan told her without the tiniest hint of humor.Noh gave him a bit of a look before he climbed out of the pilot's seat and all but vaulted toward the door. "Come on — we have wasted enough time while our friends are in danger."The little group of rescuers poured out of the jet as Rachel led them toward where their friends were being held, though there were a few moments when Rachel had to grab onto Kamala for support as she saw glimpses of what was happening to their friends through Jubilee's eyes. Sinister had apparently moved on to more invasive testing on the captives, particularly Tyler and K.The rescue team made it to a house just past Navy Pier when they saw the first of the Marauders, and Kamala's eyebrows went right up. "That guy is big," she said."He will be easy cut down," Noh said, already narrowing his eyes as he crouched for an attack, though Logan beat him to it and jumped forward, claws already out as he went to town on the Marauder."Don't be kind to them," Noh advised Kamala as several more Marauders poured out of the house toward them. "They will not be kind to you."Kamala nodded, her eyes wide as she embiggened her fists and smashed into the nearest Marauder. "Ow," she squeaked out, shaking out her abnormally large fingers before she went back into the brawl."Yeah, Sinister's guys just keep getting bigger and meaner," Rachel told her as she threw a car at the nearest Marauder with her telekinesis.The four rescuers pushed their way through the Marauders that way, with Kamala tossing people around, Noh shooting and punching through everyone in sight, Logan putting his claws through Marauders, and Rachel tossing both Marauders and heavy objects or simply repelling them to either side to clear her path.One of the augmented monster bodyguards managed to get a solid hit on Kamala that sent her flying down the street and into a nearby wall that left a bit of a dent. "These guys are stronger than they look," she groaned as she started to pick herself up, squeezing her hands into smaller fists so that she was a more normal size as her healing started to kick in. "And considering how they look, that's really saying something.""You doin' alright, kid?" Logan called out to her just after he downed another Marauder.She nodded her head as Rachel picked up and threw a Marauder who was headed Kamala's way while she was healing. As soon as she felt like she was healed, she stretched her arms wide and all but whiplashed one Marauder into another, right through the doorway of the house.Noh and Logan glanced toward each other when they saw the opening Kamala had created for them, and they shared a simple nod before they both barreled toward the entrance.They split up once they were inside, Noh heading east and Logan west, though both of them were searching for a downstairs entrance. For as old-fashioned as this guy's tastes were, he seemed to prefer basements and sub-basements for his 'work' so that his nice houses wouldn't risk bloodstains and other kinds of inconvenient marks that went with his work.Noh was in a full white run by the time he made it crashing down the stairs to the basement, through five different Marauders, one of which had definitely broken all the ribs on Noh's left side, though of course, he couldn't feel it just yet.He spotted Jubilee first and rushed over to where she was, simply tearing the restraints off of her. He ran his hands over her, the white run evaporating entirely as he looked distressed over the state of her — pale and drawn and clearly upset."Jubilee," he whispered as he flung his arms around her and she wrapped hers around his neck with a little gasp as he moved to pull her off the table. "My Jubilee. Don't worry," he whispered into her hair. "Don't worry, Jubilee — I'm here. I'm sorry I took so long. I'm here."She buried her face in his shoulder, her arms around his neck as she let herself simply fall apart for a moment, pulling him tighter as he completely ignored his entire left side in favor of simply reassuring her that he was there.He helped her to sit up for a moment as he looked her over, his gaze thunderous as he took in the marks left behind by Sinister's 'studies'. "I will kill him for this," Noh said low before he clasped Jubilee tighter. "I do not care what Scott says about the rules for this team. This man cannot be allowed to continue.""And I'll help you," Jubilee promised, her hands tight in his shirt for a moment before she let out a long breath, pulling herself back together to address the rest of the problem. "But right now — Noh, he's got those cute little twins. I saw him carrying them around."Noh's eyes narrowed, and he took a steadying breath as he looked beyond Jubilee, already preparing another white run as he straightened up. "Will you be alright?" he asked her, and Jubilee nodded. He paused only long enough to hand her a couple candy bars that he had stashed in his back pocket before he burst forward.Logan, meanwhile, was already a bloody mess by the time he got down to the basement, and only about half of the blood was his own. He'd already lost most of his shirt as well, but he had cut his way through the Marauders when he came bursting into where Sinister was… playing with Tyler and K.For each test, Sinister would start with K, inflicting deep wounds on her before he crossed the few feet to where he had Tyler pinned down as well to inflict the same exact wounds. He took a step back to admire his work and to wait and watch as he observed their different healing powers. Tyler had an automatic healing system for himself, but it was obviously slower and less powerful than K's, as he was clearly taking longer to bounce back from the wounds Sinister inflicted.And all the while, Tyler was clearly panicking outright. When Sinister wasn't working on him, the young man was nearly hyperventilating, shaking, and had clearly been crying at some point — though that was long ago in the rearview. But K, on the other hand, was too still.So, instead of going right for Sinister, Logan faked and cut K free first, hoping that she'd snap out of it, though she didn't seem compelled to move in the least. He glanced her way for just a moment, a frown on his face at the trickle of blood coming from her nose paired with the vacant stare, and knew immediately that it was one test that Sinister hadn't performed on Tyler — or anyone else, for that matter. He growled when he realized what Sinister had done to her to keep her from fighting him before he launched himself back toward Sinister. He slashed upward and cut him deeply before he could move out of the way, though once first blood was drawn, Sinister made a point to simply teleport to the other side of the basement, where he had a large, stainless steel case waiting near the door."I told you that you could have them back," Essex called out with a little smirk. Logan snarled and turned toward him, ready to give chase when Tyler spoke up."Did … did you get everyone out?" Tyler called out, his voice small, shaky and raspy. "You're not … please don't leave me here." When Logan turned to look at him, he realized the boy was incredibly pale on top of his obvious shock. Logan nearly broke a tooth, gritting his teeth together, trying to decide which was the best route to take before he picked up his comm and asked Noh to deal with Essex if he could find him."No, I didn't get everyone out — and there's no way in hell I'd leave you behind," Logan said through gritted teeth as he cut Tyler loose. "Where are they?""I don't know," Tyler admitted, and seeing how freaked out Tyler was, Logan took a moment to try to steady him, one hand on his shoulder. "I saw Kurt down that way," he added, pointing. "But we weren't exactly… it was hard to see all tied down… and I ..." His voice choked out to nothing, and Logan let out a breath."Just breathe, kid," Logan told him as he helped Tyler mostly upright and glanced down the direction Tyler was pointing. "Listen. I have to go do this. I don't want to leave you alone — and I don't want to leave her alone. Can you stay with her for a few minutes? She'll heal — and I don't think you can do much to help the others right now either, so focus and take care of her for me."Tyler looked torn between falling apart and wanting desperately to do something before he had to nod his agreement, particularly when he realized what Logan was asking him to do. "Yeah, I'll look out for her… I can do that." He paused, just now realizing how wrong it all was. "Why isn't she fighting?""If you didn't see it, I don't think you want to know," Logan told him. He looked reluctant to leave the two of them for just an instant, but on seeing Tyler pulling himself together, he rushed off to find Kurt.When Logan found Kurt, two hallways over, the IV bag attached to his arm was empty, and he was obviously out of drugs — even if the effects were still going strong. For a moment, Logan was afraid that Essex had done to Kurt some of the same experiments he'd used on K — something that would be devastatingly permanent on a non-healer — but when he got close enough, Kurt reached out to him and sounded incredibly concerned for the others, flat ignoring Logan's questions on his own well-being."What did he do to you?" Logan asked as he pulled the IV out of Kurt's arm.But Kurt just shook his head at Logan. "Nothing out of the ordinary," he said, waving his hand and sounding halfway resigned to it. "Logan, we have to find them. I could only see Kate — I don't know….""Where is she?" Logan asked. "Do you remember?" When he pulled Kurt upright, the Elf swayed noticeably, grabbing onto Logan's shoulders to steady himself."I saw her pass this room," Kurt said with a little frown of obvious uncertainty. "I think one of the Marauders took her in the opposite direction you came.""That sounds like a good place to start. K and Tyler are back that way," Logan said. "You think you can walk, or do I need to carry you?""Give me a moment to get my legs back under me," Kurt said. "You go ahead — I shall catch up."Logan nodded and slipped off, though he stopped at the door and looked at Kurt seriously. "Do not try and teleport. I don't want to have to tear a wall apart to find you."Kurt just nodded and met his gaze. "If you say so," was the slightly slurred response.He scrubbed his hand over his face and let out a growl of pure frustration. "New plan — don't … just don't flamin' move. I'll be back here with Kate, got it?""No, no, just give me a minute," Kurt tried to argue. "I'll be right behind you.""If I leave you, you're going to do something stupid, and I don't have the damn time," Logan muttered before he returned and simply picked Kurt up. "If you can't walk, I'll carry you." He ignored Kurt's protests as he headed off with Kurt in a fireman's carry directing him on where he thought Kate would be hidden. Most of which Logan flatly ignored. "You're high; we're following my nose," Logan growled out.The two old friends searched several passageways before they found the right one, where Kate and Annie were in an incredibly creepy room that looked as if it had fallen out of an advertisement for dungeons. "There's your girl, Elf," Logan said when he had sliced through the bolt and swung open the door to the girls and the twins.Both of the women were pale, and from the way they were leaning on each other, it was clear the only reason they weren't both yelling at Sinister or his Marauders was that they were spending their energies on keeping the kids calm."We've got more people here," Logan told them both. "If you're not up to it, we'll get you out.""Have you found Scott?" Annie asked.Logan just shook his head as he set Kurt down. "Noh's after Essex. Tyler is watching over K. Still looking for Scott. You got any ideas on where he might be?"Annie just shook her head, her eyes wide. "I haven't seen him since we were all at the mansion," she admitted with a bit of an obvious tremble to her voice."He's gotta be here," Logan assured her. "Scott's scent was on him — he can't be far. I will find Scott and get him out."Annie looked relieved to hear it as Logan helped first her and then Kate to their feet. It was slower than Logan would have liked until Rachel and Jubilee arrived for much-needed help."They've been worked over pretty good," Logan said as the two of them made their way over to help the two worn and weary ladies. "Probably still feelin' the sedation by the smell of things.""We've got it," Jubilee promised. "Is this everybody?""Gotta get Ty and K out, and I'm still lookin' for Scott - unless you found him," Logan replied.Rachel shook her head. "Not yet — we searched the whole basement and ran into a few Marauders.""Where's little Miss Marvel?" Logan asked."Upstairs," Rachel said at about the same time the comm crackled again, this time with Noh's voice."Scott is upstairs, one of the bedrooms," Noh said tersely, though they could hear a light thump just after that and a short cry of pain.Logan stopped in his tracks and looked to the weary group. "Can you get everyone else out? Just keep going back the way I came from." Kate nodded and she and Annie took the twins the way Logan had pointed them, with Jubilee helping Kurt to stay upright as Rachel promised to get K and Tyler. He turned to shout after them to be careful with Tyler and to keep K as flat as possible before he dashed off, following the scents that converged to lead upstairs.He ran up the stairs, and when he reached the top, he heard the fight on going and headed right for it. He was nearly to the room where the disturbance was when Noh hit the wall with a heavy thud — on the wrong end of one of Sinister's energy blasts. He arched his back, wincing in pain, and Logan very nearly stepped on him as he threw himself into the room and almost directly into the advancing Essex.Before Essex could raise his hand again to do the same to Logan, the claws came down and sliced down his arm, shearing off a fair-sized bit of pale flesh. He was working off of pure rage and frustration — teetering on the edge of losing it completely. Though it wasn't the best state to be in for conversation, it did sharpen his senses and reflexes further, and even with his augmented abilities, Essex just wasn't fast enough to stop him.Logan nailed him with two quick hits, drawing blood that bloomed up fast and dark, but before he could get farther, the comm in Logan's ear went off and drew his attention enough for Essex to land a few blows himself."Hey, if anybody's still in the house?" came Kamala's shaking, nearly crying voice. "I found Scott? And those big guys totally tried to take me on, but I kicked their butts." She was very obviously exhausted. "It's just… he's kinda heavy… and I'm out of steam..."Logan made a frustrated noise and Essex grinned his way. "Oh, do you have to make a hard decision? Me or one of your friends?" He chuckled a bit and gestured to Noh, still laying on the ground near the hall. "Go ahead — I'll finish up here. Or have my Marauders do clean up. Either way.""Bug Boy!" Logan called out. "Can you get up, or do you need help?"Noh was clearly favoring one side as he tried to struggle to his feet, a rattling in his breath as he did so. It didn't matter if he couldn't feel it, not when he was hurt bad enough to slow him down to that point.And while Logan had his attention on Noh, Essex took the distraction to his advantage and simply teleported out of the room. After cursing up a blue streak in at least three different languages, Logan let out a huff and headed toward the Kree warrior. "C'mon, Noh — we gotta get to Scott before it goes further downhill," Logan said before he went to the comm to ask Kamala where they were, though he conveniently left out the fact that Sinister could be headed her way."It's like a bedroom I think? Three doors from the main stairs," Kamala explained.When they got to the room Kamala had pointed out, Scott was still unconscious, and Logan leaned Noh against the wall and had to take stock. "Can't get him to wake up, I take it?"Kamala looked to be on the verge of tears from stress as she muttered out a little 'no.'Logan headed her way first to rest a hand on both of her shoulders and look her in the eyes. "Keep it together. You got this." He waited, ignoring the rest of the situation until she gave him a slow nod and tried to take a deep breath.Scott was very clearly — to Logan anyhow — deeply drugged. "Can you help Noh outta here and I'll get Scott? He's not as heavy." He didn't wait for her to respond before he checked Scott over a little more closely and then braced himself to hoist him over his shoulder just as he'd done with Kurt — though he had to be slightly more careful about it, considering Sinister had worked Scott over pretty thoroughly. He sounded a lot more strained when he hit the comm to tell the others that they were on their way.Kamala took a deep and steadying breath before she put her shoulder under Noh to try and help him stay upright. "Let's get out of here," she said quietly."Creep's already gone," Logan grumbled bitterly. "Got everything he wanted and split.""That sucks," Kamala said with a little frown, then paused and tilted her head. "But… everyone lived?" she offered almost hopefully."He doesn't get what he wants out of runs like this if he kills 'em," Logan told her. "This is research, and we're the lab rats."Kamala pulled a horrible face. "Creep factor up to ten thousand now, just fyi.""Yeah, got the memo, thanks," Logan muttered half to the ground.She frowned at that and swallowed as she followed Logan out. "How is everybody else?" she asked cautiously."Kurt is high as a damn kite. Kate, Annie, and the twins all got worked over. Ty and K ... should rebound. Jubes too," Logan reported."Can we expedite the exit, then?" Noh asked in barely a whisper."They're waiting on us," Logan told him."Sorry," Kamala said quickly. "He's heavy.""I know. Don't worry about it. We're on the way. If Kurt was with it enough, he'd ask where we were and come get us," Logan told her, trying to force back the look of irritation at having let Sinister slip away — again."Would be nice to have some of the mini Nightcrawlers," Kamala said."If they had known where Kurt was, they'd have been here," Logan pointed out."Yeah… well. I'm going to need about a pound of churros when this is over.""I'll feed you something better than churros when we get back," Logan promised.By the time the last of the stragglers got to the waiting blackbird, the others were clearly ready to go. Rachel had prepped for takeoff, and Annie was directing a still somewhat out of it Kurt as she tried to fuss over both Tyler and K by proxy."How bout you trade me, Annie?" Logan suggested when he stepped into the jet with Scott.Her attention immediately snapped to Scott, and her eyes widened. "What happened? Why is he… What did that man do?" she demanded."He's drugged. It'll wear off. Everything else will heal, but leave it to Hank to tell you more," Logan promised. "If he's not awake by the time we get back, Hank'll give him a shot or two. If you want, I can start an IV now if Rachel can fly.""I can help," Kate offered, holding out both hands to show that they were steady.Logan nodded and went to get the kit for her. "Just be careful, his pressure's down," he warned before Annie got Scott settled in a chair, and then he headed over to K for a moment just to look her over and ask Tyler if she'd started to come around yet. When Tyler just shrugged, Logan retrieved a few more kits — for both K and Tyler.Kate's hands were still surprisingly steady as long as she was seated, and she stayed by Scott for a bit as she and Logan started up the IV's before Rachel very quietly headed for the cockpit."I'm just about as fast as my dad," she offered."Holler if you need help then," Logan told her. "Enough of 'em need this anyhow." He headed back to count out supplies and pulled out enough for the rest of the patients. All of them were going to get it.He started with the path of least resistance — K and Tyler — where K was not responding to anything, and Tyler was becoming concerned."What can I do to help?" Tyler asked, clearly in need of something to do as Logan carefully cleaned up the blood and debris from her face and looked visibly upset."Stay with her, keep an eye on her, and let me know if anything changes. It probably won't — but just .. it's gonna take some time for her to come back from this one," Logan told him. "I'd rather stay with her myself but I've gotta make sure everyone gets stuck. Then I'll be back.""I'll let you know if anything changes at all," Tyler promised. Logan let out a breath and put a blanket over his fiance."Thanks," he rumbled quietly. "I'll try to get us back quick, I'm sure you'll do fine — but you need to rest too." Tyler tried to hide the little tired smile and Logan gave him the out as he turned to watch Kate for a moment."You wanna handle Kurt, or do you want to distract him for me?" Logan called out to her.Kate chuckled the slightest bit. "I bet I could do both," she offered.He handed her the kit and headed toward Jubilee. "Let me know if you get too distracted yourself.""Pretty sure you'll know," Kate pointed out as she started on her kit and Kurt gave her the most earnest smile."Careful, Elf — she's tryin' to play doctor," Logan called out, getting a giggle out of Jubilee at least."Just nurse for now," Kate teased. "We'll work up to doctor when there's privacy.""Candy striper at best," Logan corrected as Jubilee extended her arm and closed her eyes.Kate whispered something that was only audible to Kurt and the resident ferals about needing a different outfit if that was the case that got an even wider grin out of Kurt.Logan just shook his head. "She hasn't been the same since Mojo got a hold of her," he said to Jubilee and Noh. "Wants a special outfit for every little thing.""Let me introduce you to my future husband, the drama teacher," Kate replied dryly. "This was not a new thing.""It's worse now though," Logan argued as he moved to Noh. "Since you're trying to mix it into the bedroom games."Kate just drew a halo over her head after she finished setting Kurt up on the IV and then leaned back, resting her head on Kurt's arm tiredly."You should tend to Kate," Noh whispered out in a rasp."I will. But I'm here right now. Arm." Logan held his hand out waiting. "I've got more than saline for you, big guy. Hank had a little packet tucked in here for you when you're hurt. So come on. Don't make me slap the crap out of you beforehand."Noh glared for a long moment before he relented and held out his arm. "I suppose if Hank had a hand in it…" he whispered.Logan handed him the little bag of medicine that was going to be put into the saline so he could read it himself while the line was set in place. "He said it was the good stuff. You gonna call him a liar?"Noh snorted out a bit of a breath as he shook his head and handed it back to Logan. "It will boost my healing considerably.""Then lean back and keep Jubes company," Logan advised before he finished up Noh's meds and then turned to sit across from Kate. "Arm," he demanded of her."For what?" Kate asked."You're pale as death, you need fluids. And water ain't quick enough. So — arm," Logan repeated."Fine," Kate said, rolling her eyes."And here I thought I was gonna have to threaten putting it in your neck if you were gonna be a pain," Logan said as he laid out the supplies."Yeah ... I'm too tired to do that. Maybe next time," Kate admitted.Logan nodded and worked quickly. "Too bad. Been awhile since I've done that one.""Now who wants to play doctor?""More like a patchwork medic," Logan argued. "And I consider myself more 'one who likes to stick people with metal objects'.""Hey, same here," Kate said with a smirk. "Only mine are attached to sticks.""Mine are attached to me," Logan replied, finishing up the line and handing her the bag. "Give me a call if you need anything. I'm gonna go check on Rach.""Sounds fun," Kate said as she settled back into the space next to Kurt.When Logan got up, he looked back at K and Tyler for a moment as he crossed over to Kamala. "C'mon. You're gonna learn how to fly."Her whole face broke out into a huge smile, and she all but bounced as she got up. "Oooh, yes please," she said, following him up.When Rachel stepped out of the cockpit to let Kamala's impromptu lesson go on, she was smirking all the way back to Kate. "Okay. How long do you give it before he snaps and sends her back?""Depends on if she's actually good at flying or not," Kate pointed out, still snuggled into Kurt's side."Fair point," Rachel conceded. She let out a sigh and looked toward where Annie was still sitting with Scott. "I'm going to make sure Annie and the twins are okay, and relay to Hank whatever I can get out of their memory of the events. Logan said K and Tyler should be fine if they can sleep. Do you two need anything? Blanket? Pillow? Curtain divider and ear plugs for the rest of the group so you don't get your sweet talk all over everyone?""All of those things," Kate chuckled, though it was obvious that Kurt was more than content to just sleepily snuggle in — and most of those in the jet seemed to be more than happy to follow suit and just… get some rest. It wasn't long before just about everyone was asleep, and the majority of the next forty-five minutes or so was spent in relative silence. About halfway through, even Logan was pretending to be asleep in the cockpit so Kamala thought she was flying solo.At least — until they finally got close enough to the school that Kamala reached over to 'wake' Logan and ask for his help in landing.He peeked up at her from under his cowboy hat and gave her a little smile before he sat upright again and began telling her how to land, though he did reach forward to hold onto the yoke to guide her through it. He only made the most needed adjustments, though, since Noh's programming made it so it could potentially land itself if need be.But she didn't need to know that.
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When the blackbird touched down in Westchester, Logan had been sure to walk Kamala through what needed to be done to switch the whole plane down, and she was positively beaming."Nice job," Logan said when they were done with their checklist. "'Nother seven or eight times, and Scott might let you try the simulator."She had to grin at that. "I think you have it backwards," she pointed out."I believe in learning as you go, on the spot — he doesn't always agree," Logan told her before he leaned closer. "You officially didn't do this. But you did a fine job for your first time not flying the blackbird."She beamed at him and threw her arms around him for a quick hug. "Thanks for letting me try this. That was really cool.""You're welcome," he said with a little smirk as he returned her hug. "Gotta give you some reason to come back that isn't related to a book deal. Seein' as I heard you were a superhero on the side.""Oh, you know. I dabble." Kamala grinned at him and then down at her little lightning-bolt uniform. She climbed out of the cockpit and looked back at the group, who were in varying stages of either still asleep or starting to wake up now that they'd landed. Even Scott was starting to stir the slightest bit, for the first time since they'd left Sinister's hideout."Hey Slim. Miss Marvel here would like to learn how to fly — any thoughts?" Logan asked, totally straight-faced."Sims Monday," was the reply before Scott had even opened his eyes.Logan smirked Kamala's way. "Lucky you.""Are you gonna get in trouble if he figures out that I know how to fly it already?" she whispered to him with wide eyes.Logan just laughed at her. "Let's just say you're not the first. He'll get over it as he makes you do it his way anyhow.""Yeah, but I'm the first when he's got the stink-eye going on," Kamala pointed out with a little laugh."He's always had the stink-eye going on," Logan promised as he headed over to check on K, frowning when he saw that there had been no progress at all."He just used to be able to hide it better," Rachel added in a little whisper as Kamala stopped next to her, frowning at Logan's suddenly tensed stance."Nah," Logan assured the two girls quietly as he gently picked K up in a bridal carry. "He was just easier for you to ignore when he was wearing the stupid sunglasses." He headed toward the open door before he paused. "Have Hank come up when he's done with checking everyone over. And try to keep outta trouble for the next few hours, alright?" He gave Kamala a little wink before he climbed down the steps and crossed the hangar, bent on heading to the room the two of them were sharing, pausing only to give Hank a heads up on how bad off the rest of the passengers on board were.Of course, with the two ferals, it was a matter of time, sleep, and food for their healing — but for just about everyone else in the jet, there was no way they could get past a screening by Hank before they went into the mansion proper. And he was waiting for them in the hangar and watching them over the rim of his glasses. Rachel grabbed Kamala by the hand and offered to find her a place to stay the night as she pulled her toward the elevators — but everyone else? He was not about to let them leave.A few of the other X-Men who hadn't been snatched and who had remained behind to be sure that Creed didn't try to take the opportunity to escape with so many of their number out of the game helped unload their teammates — and of course, when the bamfs saw their big brother, it was more of a mobbing than anything else. They had clearly been worried about Kurt — and several of them were making concerned noises over Kate as well, especially since both of them were still coming off of whatever drugs Sinister had given them. One of the little guys had even found a purple headband to replace the one that Kate had lost somewhere along the way, so that she wouldn't go without, and another was preempting Hank and checking Kurt's now-less-glossy eyes.They were a big help with getting everyone to Hank's med bay, too, taking care to 'port everyone in the positions they had already been in — lying down or leaning back, whatever was helping them to deal with the various levels of soreness and drug-induced tiredness. The situation was clearly dire enough that the bamfs weren't playing little pranks or giving Hank a hard time, instead honestly doing their best to help their injured friends and looking overly concerned, their hands clasped together under little chins as they watched the proceedings.There were a few exceptions to the 'porting, though, like the twins, who loved getting to snuggle Hank as he made sure to check them over first and foremost, because of how young they were. Of course, Charlie slept through most of the examination, exhausted from the whole thing, but Hank had to deal with a few tiny fistfuls of hair as Chance grabbed on a few times, also tired but much fussier about it.It didn't take much to determine that what Sinister had told Annie was true — that he'd only done a few blood tests on the twins — but it still took Hank several tries to dislodge Chance before Storm was finally able to get him to let go of Hank's fur so he could turn his attention to the others in his care. Remy, on the other hand, had zero problems with Charlie, who slept through the whole handoff and even snuggled into his trench coat.But with the little twins taken care of, Hank could turn his attention to the rest of his injured teammates, all of whom had been used and abused in one way or another, to varying degrees. Hank was sure that Kurt would be alright with some drugs to counter what was already in his system, and he had seen Scott often enough after a run-in with Sinister to know how to procede with him, but he wanted to do a far more thorough examination of all three of the little women in his care to determine what, exactly, Sinister had been up to.Every single one of them — Scott, Tyler, and Kurt included — was going to get a full physical and multiple scans. Rachel was able to give him some information to work with from their recollections of the ordeal, but the truth of the matter was that, for most of them, they simply weren't aware of what had happened. And so, a little sleuthing was in order.Jubilee smiled at Hank and waved at him tiredly when he made his way to where she was laid out. "Fix me up, Dr. Blue," she said with a little smile, clearly ready for a Twinkie. Noh nearby was just smiling at her and staying nearby as his own body stitched itself back together."Do you believe something is broken that would require fixing?" Hank asked as he got started with his preliminary exam."Uh, yeah. Sugar deprived, clearly," Jubilee said with a small, teasing smile. "And my usual source is all laid up over there," she added, waving at Noh. "So I clearly need Twinkies.""That's easy enough to remedy," Hank replied. "But do you have any more specific complaints that might expedite this process and allow me to release you into the healing arms of your certainly more beaten-up husband?"Jubilee's little smile faltered for a second before she blew her breath out hard enough enough to move her hair out of her face. "Well, honestly, Wolvie got everyone all set up with IVs, and that helped a lot," she admitted in a smaller voice that told Hank she was perhaps not taking this ordeal as well as she wanted him to believe."He's always been quick enough to do that much," Hank replied as he had her lay back and started to check her stomach, pausing and watching her more carefully when she flinched at one point or another."I'm simply grateful he didn't have you for longer," Noh said softly from close by. "He had promised to take my Jubilee apart — and it seems he only did so in the barest sense.""As nefarious as he may be, rarely does he waste any mutant specimens if he can avoid it," Hank said, though his tone was certainly irritated."Which… explains most of us, but…" Kate gestured to Annie and then herself."Yes, well," Hank said, nodding as he led Jubilee to the MRI to start her scan. "In that regard, he was probably simply exploring your potential. See if you carry the genes … and if so, to what extent. But I'll test further to be sure."Kate leaned her head back at that. "No offense, Hank, but I'm all tested out.""I understand," Hank said gently. "But luckily, some of those tests won't do more than to simply scan — with machinery. You don't think that I wouldn't have that to work with?" He watched her over the top of her glasses until she gave him a very small and very tired smile, which he returned. "And, of course a few blood tests. No more than one vial, though," he added when he saw her expression fall at that.Kate let out a tired sigh. "No, I get it. Just a little tired of being a guinea pig. Kinda thought I had a 'get out of jail free' card with my genetics?""I'm sorry, Katherine, that doesn't apply in this circle," Hank chuckled. "Guilt by association, it seems.""Great." Kate made a show of pushing out her lower lip. "This is what happens when you get engaged to older men, isn't it?""Yes," Hank replied, still smiling her way. "That's exactly what the trouble is.""I knew it."Hank shook his head at Kate and then glanced up to where Annie was reclined — with Scott at her side. He frowned and let out a sigh despite knowing that this was to be expected, really. "Mr. Summers … you shouldn't be upright yet.""I'm fine, Hank," Scott said, waving his hand at his friend without looking at him, far more focused on sitting with Annie and smoothing out her hair. Without the glasses or the visor, it was easier to see the honest hurt in his gaze, something he had always been so careful to hide before.Hank frowned at his old friend and slowly shook his head. "Yes. As I recall, you've said that same line at least a dozen times moments — before falling over. Forgive me if I don't buy it.""Just tell me what he did, and I'll be fine as soon as Annie's alright," Scott said, again without looking up."If I knew, I'd tell you," Hank promised, letting Jubilee up and bringing Kate over for her turn through the machine. "You'll just have to wait until I'm done with my findings. Perhaps in the morning, I'll know what's been done, if anything, beyond the testing.""You know he's talked about 'improving' her," Scott said in a soft tone — not quite able to hide the pure and unfiltered worry as he watched Annie, who was herself trying to reassure him with their hands clasped together and her other hand on his arm as a reminder that she was right there with him."Scott, everyone has the same concerns and questions," Hank replied. "And I am sifting through everyone's results as soon as they go through the proper channels. If I could make the process go any faster, I would, but I don't think I need to point out that it most certainly could have been far worse."Scott let out a breath and nodded, though at that, Annie just picked up their hands and kissed his. "You heard the man, Mr. Summers," she said with a tired smile. "If we're going to be waiting for a while, I'd rest better if you were recovering too.""I'm fine.""It's fine, Annie," Hank called out, his back to them both as he went back to Tyler for a moment. "I'll just put him on a gurney after he passes out.""That does not make me feel better," she grumbled."Nor should it, but I'm afraid that's just how Mr. Summers prefers to get his medical treatments," Hank said. "He's not the only one that's hard to treat either." He shook his head and was sure that his muttered out 'birds of a feather' was quite loud enough for Scott to catch and give him a dry look for.Hank was smirking at Tyler, who was quite obviously still shell-shocked by the whole affair, though he at least caught what Hank was alluding to and shared a small smile with the blue doctor. Tyler's injuries were consistent with what Hank had seen so far on the adults, though he had a few more extensive injuries beyond that which looked tender and openly painful. "Will it do you any good at all if I stitch them up?" Hank asked gently."I don't think so," Tyler said after a long moment's pause as he thought about it. "Not… that I've tried."Hank frowned and went to cleaning his injuries and bandaging at the very least. "If they don't start to close on their own any faster, I'm going to do it anyhow." He paused and let his voice drop low so the others wouldn't hear. "Do you know what happened — that you can tell me?"Tyler blinked in a bit of surprise before he nodded. "I know what he did with K, anyway," he said, his voice almost far away."From what Logan said in passing, he was going back and forth between both of you," Hank said.Tyler frowned at that and nodded again, slower. "For comparison," he said, but then shook his head. "But that's not — I meant …. I know about the lobotomy. I didn't see it, but I could 'see' it when I carried K.""Tyler," Hank said gently, resting a hand on the young man's arm. "That … would explain a lot. But I'm sure that didn't happen to you as well.""No," Tyler said, shaking his head."Would you feel better or worse if I kept a closer eye on you for the next few days?" Hank asked.Tyler let out a breath and glanced up at Hank. "Well, you've got plenty of patients," he said."Plenty of patients that have support," Hank pointed out. "And you've figured out something terrible that likely only Logan knew."At that, Tyler very slowly nodded. "Alright," he said. He paused. "I think I can help," he said."No pressure," Hank said, though he very nearly shook his head at the number of patients in his care for whom 'resting' was a foreign concept. "They'll get their answers as the tests come in.""Yeah, in the morning." Tyler shook his head. "I can help. I can't really… I can't do much healing when I'm healing myself." He gestured at the open wounds. "But I can 'see' what's wrong." He took another deep breath. "And I don't think ... sitting here is that great of an idea. I'd rather be doing something."Hank nodded slowly as he listened to Tyler's argument. He could see the way the young man was drumming his fingers on his leg and knew that, for those with that particular mutation, sitting still didn't come easy anyway. Finally, he nodded and gestured for Tyler to stand. "Then please, start with Annie before I have to do open heart surgery on Scott for the major attack he's trying to give himself."Tyler smirked the slightest bit at that as he got to his feet and made his way to sit on the other side of Annie. "Do you mind?" he asked, and when Annie shook her head, he took the hand that she wasn't using to hold Scott's and closed his eyes, concentrating hard. When he opened his eyes again, he was surprised to see Scott watching him steadily and nodded at him. "Right. Well, I can tell you it's probably just about what you'd expect… lots of little cuts and pieces… um, well. Bones, tissues, just bits — nothing life-threatening or big enough that your body won't heal it on its own." He frowned as he looked toward Hank. He might have been able to 'see' what was going on, but at seventeen, he didn't quite have the medical training to know the explanation behind some of it. "There's one incision I can't figure out," he said very quietly to the fuzzy blue doctor. "Nothing's… missing. But he was definitely poking around.""Hank," Scott said quietly."I've already taken her blood," Hank said. "All I can do is run it and get back to you. There are no drugs in her system.""I don't know if it will help," Annie said slowly, seeing as the three men around her seemed to be so worried over her, "but that man… he was talking about the kids."But that only had Scott looking more pained, as if someone had struck him. "Annie…"Annie took a deep breath. "He said he would be prepared next time, since the twins were born before he … well." She gestured at herself, and Scott didn't even think before he very gently leaned over to kiss her forehead in an attempt to comfort her."Scott, I think it would be best if I gave you a sedative," Hank said without even looking up at Scott."Hank, I'm fine," Scott said, his own gaze on Annie. "Let's just wait for those test results.""I truly hate the scent of lies almost as much as Logan does," Hank said, still without looking up, though with an obvious authority and even annoyance apparent in his tone. "Particularly when they go against your own best interests and that of your family.""Hank, just tell me what he did to my wife," Scott said, glaring up at him for a moment."Scott, if I knew I would tell you," Hank replied, finally meeting his gaze before he shook his head and gestured toward the door. "Go. Take your family upstairs. I'll call you as soon as her results are finished."Scott let out a little frustrated sound before he pushed himself to his feet and helped Annie to hers. "As soon as you've got it," he repeated, once again unable to hide the fact that he was so openly worried the way he usually could — though for the moment, Hank was the only one who could see his expression beyond Annie, and he wasn't going to say a word about it as he sat down at his desk."Kurt, would you mind terribly if your tiny assistants relocated the Summers family so as to avoid Mr. Summers passing out face first in the elevator?" Hank still hadn't looked up from his computer as he asked, as if this was part of the normal operation of his lab.Kurt nodded at that, and after a few whispered words to the bamfs in German, Scott and Annie disappeared in a poof of blue up to their suite, where Storm had already been watching the twins in their absence until they arrived."I can do the same for you as well," Hank offered to the remaining X-Men in the lab. "Inform you of the results as they come in.""Please do," Kate said. "I want to know what my 'get out of jail' failure was all about, honestly.""In the morning at the very latest," Hank said, obviously distracted as he combed over the scan results, comparing them meticulously to previous scans. "Rest, in the meantime.""I think he has just ordered us to bed," Kurt said with a small smile into Kate's hair, and she chuckled and put her hand on his arm before they disappeared.It was early the next morning when Hank sent along the results of his tests to the individuals involved, waking a few of them up, though Scott hadn't slept at all as he waited for the results. He read through the text a few times before it really sank in before he let out a frustrated noise and put the phone aside."Well?" Annie prompted him after a moment. He hadn't even known she was awake, and she certainly hadn't moved much, but she was peering up at him blearily with one eye open.Scott shook his head, his eyes narrowed the more he thought about it. "Well, Hank says the good news is that he didn't go so far as to 'enhance' your genetics, try to make you a mutant," he said slowly, trying to start there first, because the rest of it was his fault. He took a deep breath and couldn't meet her gaze as he continued, "He just made sure you and I ... we can't have any kids that don't carry my x-gene.""Oh." Annie leaned back into her pillow as she thought about it, the frown deeply settled over both her forehead and her mouth.Scott watched her for a long time, his own ears ringing with anger over all of it — and with his own shame. He had sworn when they were married that he would protect her, cherish her, and instead, she had been violated, experimented on — all because she married him.There was no getting around the fact that it was his fault. Sinister himself had said that Annie wasn't even a carrier — he would never have paid her the slightest attention if she had married someone else, if she'd just been allowed to have her normal life, teaching Kindergarten in Anchorage.It was his fault Annie was hurting, his fault Sinister had taken their four-month-old kids, his fault that Annie's dreams of a big family were more dangerous than they should ever have been.He was brought out of his thoughts as Annie laid a hand on his arm, and when he looked up at her, she was watching him openly. "It's not just you," he said at last as he laid out next to her to watch her frown carefully. "I can't ... he made sure I can't have any ... well, if we have any more, they won't be human."For a long time, Annie closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his shoulder. "Well," she said at last. "I hope you're not disappointed.""What?""You're over there lookin' like the world's ending. You think I don't want our family to grow just because that man wants a say in it?" She sat up a little straighter and fixed him with her most insulted look. "I don't care if they're mutant or human. So, as long as that's all he did... that's just our new normal, Mr. Summers.""Annie, he shouldn't have ever even looked your way," Scott said, shaking his head with a little glare. "The only reason he's even interested in the twins—""Oh, honestly," she huffed. "I told you when we got married we'd get through this together, so you're just going to have to accept that this is our problem now," she said. "It's not just yours anymore, because I sure as heck ain't givin' up on my vows just because you think it's your fault some psychopathic geneticist fixated on our family. That's not how this works."He blinked at her. "That's not what—"Annie rolled her eyes at that and simply pushed his shoulder until he was lying flat and kissed him deeply. "All he did was make sure our kids are going to be mutants," she told him between kisses. "He doesn't get to mess with anything else in our lives. I still love you, and I know you and the team — and I — will keep the twins safe. So, stop.""I'm just sorry he—"Annie let out a frustrated noise and then kissed Scott harder into the pillows, so the argument had pretty much run its course by then, as far as she was concerned. Not that Scott was going to complain, either.Down the hall, Kate and Kurt were having a similar conversation, though it wasn't quite as clear how they felt they should be processing it, all things considered. In fact, the two of them had been sitting in silence for some time since the text came in from Hank, both of them processing the ramifications of Sinister's studies."So," Kurt said quietly."Yeah." Kate took in a deep breath and let it out as she slowly put the phone away."This shouldn't have happened," Kurt said, watching her carefully, nearly perfectly still as he did so."No," Kate agreed, then glanced quickly up at him. "Second stupid creep way too interested in making me a baby factory," she grumbled, trying for a little tease when she saw that he was looking the way he was."He'll have to be disappointed then," Kurt said softly, bringing a hand up to cup Kate's chin as he ran his thumb over her cheek. "He and Azazel can sit and stew together.""Yeah," Kate said with a little nod, though she looked back down at the covers for a moment as she thought it over. "Are you? Disappointed, I mean," she said."That he altered even that much? Yes. I am," Kurt replied. "But nothing that has a breath to do with you."She smiled softly at that and stole a quick kiss. "You say the sweetest things," she said."I speak only the truth, Vögelchen," he replied."Yes. Well." She let out a breath and then flopped back into the pillows. "If someone had told me beforehand that you X-Men had such pushy bad guys to deal with, I'd've made an argument for you to be an Avenger — or a PI with me.""You'd have likely just found a more reasonable person to get involved with," Kurt replied softly."Lächerlich," she said with a teasing smile and a perfect imitation of his usual tone. "You'd look amazing in a trench coat. Watson to my Holmes and all that.""I do look amazing in a trenchcoat," Kurt replied. "But try not to sound surprised by such news."Kate chuckled at that and scooted over to snuggle in his side. "This doesn't change anything, you know," she told him after a moment, very quietly. "I'm still marrying you. I've made up my mind, and he can't stop me. We weren't planning on giving your dad any grandkids anyway, so this — this is just …. chalk it up to stupid and move on.""Even if we had children of our own, my father wouldn't get anything regardless. I won't allow it," Kurt replied with a bit of a bristled tone. His shoulders dropped slightly as he turned back to Kate and pushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ear. "Though you're right, of course," he said with a small smile. "And I'm sure you need some coffee for your strength."Kate glanced up at him with a little frown for a moment, watching his expression before she finally nodded. "Yes, please. I clearly need more caffeine to deal with this nonsense," she said, brushing past the whole… kids… situation. She wasn't sure she wanted to think about the look on his face at the thought.After all, it had taken her ages to get up the courage to marry him. That was a whole other thing — and no matter how pushy Sinister or even Azazel got, she knew for a fact she wasn't even close to thinking about it. Even adopting. She was enjoying being with him too much for anything else.He nodded once, stole a kiss, and in a plume of smoke, the two of them disappeared, only to reappear in the kitchen, where Jubilee was already working on a bowl of cereal — though much slower than usual."G'mornin'," she muttered their way, her mouth full. "Bobby made the coffee. Proceed at your own risk."Kate let out a sigh but went to fill up a cup all the same. "I need the caffeine.""Did you guys get your test results too?" Jubilee asked, frowning. "Freakin' creep. Poking his big pale nose all kinds of places it shouldn't be."Kate and Kurt glanced at each other before Kate nodded and sat down on Jubilee's other side, with Kurt beside her and his tail wrapped protectively around her leg. "Was he … I mean," Kate shook her head and trailed off. Yeah, she was definitely very bad at anything approaching this kind of conversation."Bone marrow, blood, all kinds of tissues … creep," Jubilee grumbled.Kate reached over and pulled Jubilee's arm so she could give her a sideways hug. "Yeah, he's a giant creep," she agreed, then took a deep breath. "I guess with you he didn't — I mean, you're already a mutant, so—" Total failure, Hawkeye."He just never cared about my power set before," Jubilee said, looking incredibly uncomfortable. "I know what he does, I've seen the aftermath, I just … never had to put up with it."Kate hugged Jubilee again and then leaned back. "You doing alright, though?" she asked.Jubilee shrugged and turned a little more to face her. "I dunno. How about you? He got all of us pretty ones, right?"Kate smirked at that. "Yeah, that was the reasoning. All the pretty ones. Including Kurt.""Obviously," Kurt said with a smirk."Well, of course he's jealous of a natural blue," Jubilee said, waving her hand. "Creep."Kate nodded. "I'll be alright," she decided. "He — I mean, the whole point of the whatever he did was to make sure Kurt and I only have mutant kids, and seeing as we already told his dad 'no' on that front…""Oh. That's just … eew," Jubilee said, then quickly raised both hands up in front of herself. "No offense. Just … no.""Yeah, no kidding," Kate said. "I don't want him messing around with that either."The girls were both glaring about the changes Sinister had made when Logan and K made their way down, and though K physically looked like herself, she didn't have her usual bearings as Logan led her over to sit down across from Kate then head over to get coffee."Guten morgen, K," Kurt said with a gentle smile."Hello, hello," she replied softly. "Looks like we missed the start of the party.""Oh, nothing much, just comparing battle scars… talking about how annoying creepazoids are," Jubilee said airily.She shrugged and pulled a face at that. "I guess I'm out, then. No scars. And what battle did I miss?"The other X-Men at the table glanced at each other. "K," Kurt said gently, "do you remember anything that happened yesterday?"She frowned at him for just an instant. "What happened yesterday that I would forget?" She was looking at Kurt as if he'd lost his marbles just as Scott and Annie made their appearance — and the teasing little smile she had completely disappeared as she openly stared at Scott.Scott didn't notice it at first as he was focused on taking care of Annie, but when she was seated, he glanced up at the table and saw K and shook his head. "Yeah, I know. Good to see you up, K."But K just frowned and let her gaze rest on her hands as she sat back in her chair, letting the frown deepen a bit more."So… you don't remember Sinister waltzing in to stick his nose in?" Kate asked with a distinct frown.K shook her head slowly as Logan returned with their coffee. "Let it go, guys," he told them. "It'll come back with time if she doesn't try too hard to remember it."The other X-Men all shared looks of concern, though it was Annie that asked in a horrified tone, "What did he do?""You don't wanna know," Logan told her. "It'll heal, though.""But ... she doesn't remember yesterday," Jubilee said, her lower lip pushed out thoughtfully as the gears in her head started to turn. After a moment, she let out a little chuckle and elbowed Kate in the ribs. "Well, that's just great. We finally get her to give us a date on the wedding and she forgets. Typical.""Well that explains the ring," K said very softly.Kurt raised both eyebrows at that and looked between K and Logan, seeming even more surprised that Logan was taking it so blithely. He let out a sort of scoffing noise as his tail twitched behind him. "Really. This can't stand — making you forget something so wonderful.""It'll come back," Logan promised. "Or I'll ask her again.""This simply… Logan!" Kurt shook his head. "It took so long to get here.""That's alright. We still have a wedding to plan," Jubilee insisted with a little grin. "Right, Kate?"Kate couldn't help but laugh and nod. "Right. Two weddings.""Well, yes, obviously. Don't worry; I'll do the big stuff for the one that's not yours," Jubilee said, rolling her eyes as she popped a piece of gum into her mouth and grinned at Logan and K."Back off, Jubes," Logan warned.Jubilee just grinned that much wider at him. "C'mon, Wolvie, it's fine," she said, waving her hand around in a circle."No it's not," he argued. "I'm saying no. I won't go along with it. Even for a joke.""You two getting married is not a joke," she shot back, sounding halfway offended. "And it should happen, like, sometime before I die.""How else would you be a flower girl?" K asked with one eyebrow raised."See?" Jubilee gestured at K. "See?""You're not dyin' anytime soon," Logan countered. "It can wait.""We're not planning anything until K's back up to snuff," Scott put in firmly. "No one's getting married unless they're fully aware.""Might be a little while — or might be a lot longer," Logan replied. "Either way, I've got time."Kurt let out a little scoffing noise. "Just for the recovery," he told Logan with one finger leveled his way. "You cannot expect us to wait beyond that. We are not all ageless like you, mein Freund.""I've got no way of knowing what all is missing," Logan pointed out."Thus — recovery." Kurt gestured grandly. "After that…" He smiled. "Well, I know a good officiant.""Is that what you're going with this week?" Logan asked as K abandoned trying to figure out where they were going with it and snuggled into his side."If that is what it takes to get you married?" Kurt shot back."We'll have to see," Logan argued.Kurt tipped his head back and let out a noise of pure frustration. "So close, and then this happens.""I'm not going to wreck it," K said with her eyes closed. "Wouldn't have agreed if I didn't want to.""Yes, but you should remember your own engagement," Scott said almost gently. "Or at least, you should feel like you know what you're getting into.""Well, that much I know," she said. "I just don't remember the details. It all seems to flow? I'll get it. Maybe.""In the meantime," Annie said with a quiet smile as she got to her feet despite Scott trying to help. "You're healing. Let's find you something more substantial than coffee. I'm famished myself.""I can cook," K said, shifting to get up. "Logan said you guys were cut up pretty well.""Yes, well, that's what happens when that man takes an interest in things that are none of his business," Annie sniffed. "And I like to cook — use my hands — it's a stress-relief.""I know, but you should be healing too. I'm physically fine," K promised, heading into the kitchen ahead of her. "Go sit down before you pull a stitch."Annie sighed but still made it a point to give K's arm a little squeeze. "Fine. But when these stitches come out…""Then you can give me a hard time, not before," K shot back.Annie just laughed at that as she headed back to her seat. "It's good to see you back.""I didn't go anywhere," K said with a little frown, but then stopped a couple steps later. "Not. really.""Yes, well, we all did for a little while, but we're back now," Annie said gently.When K was well into her self-appointed tasks in the kitchen, Logan turned to Scott. "Everyone alright otherwise? I'll give you the report on her now if you want it, but I don't want her on any missions for at least a few weeks.""More or less," Scott said. "Nothing that won't heal, for the most part. But no one's going out in the field until they're cleared by Hank at least.""Hank said a few days, I'm adding to that from personal experience.""Alright." Scott nodded, though it was obvious he was furious as well, and only seemed to get more furious when his phone chimed and he looked down to see that Logan had forwarded everything Hank sent him on K."He didn't change anything, did he?" Kate asked after a moment."No," Logan said, shaking his head. "Not a thing.""Good." She sounded relieved as she leaned back.Logan turned to Scott and met his gaze. "I'm going to return the favor. Little bit rougher, though.""Not alone you're not.""You got someone to partner up with me?" Logan asked, almost glaring."Take Storm at least," Scott said. "No one should go after him alone.""Fine," Logan replied."She's watching Charlie and Chance," Annie supplied helpfully. "She and Forge.""Then maybe Bobby," Logan said. "Don't want to take away help you'll need.""Oh, it's fine," Annie assured him. "I'm sure no one else in this school wants to hold a sleeping baby," she added with a small, teasing smile. "They're not even four months; they're still not mobile. Any one of us could handle them.""Perhaps you should wait," Kurt said softly. "Your fiance should get reacquainted with you… if she's missing details…" He shot Logan a little smirk. "You should speed that part of her recovery along, at least.""Kurt …" Logan didn't look amused in the least. "She knows who I am.""Ah, but other important details seem to be missing," Kurt pointed out."It'll come back," Logan countered.Kurt shrugged openly. "If you say so."Logan ran his hand over his face and let out a long sigh. "If I'm staying for her, we're leaving.""That… doesn't make sense," Kate pointed out with her nose scrunched up. "You can't stay and leave.""Leave the Institute for the weekend," Logan said dryly."Take a bamf with you," Kurt suggested. "In case of trouble.""Your little demons won't want to go," Logan argued."It's not a bad idea to have an escape route," Scott pointed out."I'll take a comm," Logan countered."Well then," Annie said. "That's settled… but until the weekend, let's just get back to the school." She held up a hand Scott's way. "I can sit in a desk," she said before he could argue that she should be taking it easy."If you'd like a faster escort to your classroom…" Kurt offered with a small smirk, and Annie just laughed and nodded as the bamfs gleefully agreed to their new task of getting the teachers where they needed to be.The bamfs were taking particular glee in moving the teachers around to their classrooms while everyone was recovering — to the point that they were moving Logan, too, 'porting him to his history lecture with no warning and a whole lot of giggles.Which was not, in fact, making his mood any better, all things considered. He was absolutely ready to start a bamf hunting club by the time they'd hit mid-week, particularly when they started doing the 'ports wearing his cowboy hat and stealing his cigars.It really wasn't fair to his students, but they ended up having to bear the brunt of it anyhow.That morning, Logan was just about halfway through one of his first classes when a massive roar split the air and shook the windows, and of course, while it scared the crap out of the kids in class, he simply turned and darted out of the room, claws out and ready to tear into Creed the moment he saw him.But there was a gathered group of kids just outside of Bobby's math class, and he found himself frowning deeper as he rushed ahead, shouting at the kids to get out of his way. He slid into the classroom and almost deflated when he saw that although it was indeed a Creed — it wasn't the one he was expecting. And Tyler looked every bit as shocked as everyone around him."You," Logan growled out. "Come with me. Now." As soon as the words left his mouth, he retracted his claws with an echoing sort of snakt and he took one step back to wait for Tyler.Tyler still looked shocked as he got to his feet and was already shaking his head. "I wasn't — Sorry. I didn't mean to… do that.""Shut up and let's go," Logan snapped, though Tyler was not in any state to try and read Logan's body language at all.Tyler was convinced he was in trouble as he followed Logan to his office. Both of them took a seat, and there was a long stretch of silence before Logan finally spoke. "What the hell happened in there?""I — It was an accident. I fell asleep," Tyler tried to explain."You ever do that before?" Logan asked, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.Tyler shook his head. "No. I've never done that," he swore. "I just—"Logan held up one hand to get him to stop. "You're not sleeping at all outside of Bobby's boring class, are you?"Tyler let out a breath and shook his head. "I mean, I do, but—""Scott's class don't count either," Logan told him. "I know you wouldn't even try it in mine."Tyler smirked the slightest bit and shook his head. "I didn't mean to do it in Bobby's, either," he pointed out. "I just — well—""No, I don't blame you for Bobby's class," Logan said. "But you need to let Hank know what's going on. You gotta get over what went down with Essex. Don't ask me how."Tyler scrubbed a hand over his face. "Yeah, I know. I just — you're right, I haven't been sleeping. I've never roared at the guy in a dream before but, y'know—" He gestured openly. "Kinda hard to sleep."Logan tipped his chin toward the door. "Go talk to Hank. I'll let him know you're comin'. But you can explain. He's just been waiting to hear about the fallout anyhow. Happens to everyone sooner or later."Tyler let out a breath and nodded as he headed for the door. "Didn't mean to ... do that," he said. "Sorry about that.""Don't apologize. It wasn't that big of a deal. I've stabbed people with my own moments like that, roar ain't much."Tyler smirked at that and nodded before he slipped out of the office, headed down to Hank's lab.Translated from German:Vögelchen - little birdLächerlich - ridiculousGuten morgen - Good morning
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It had been long enough since Sinister's interference in their lives that the X-Men were started to get back to normal. K was getting back the details she was missing just as Logan had said she would — to Kurt's utter and obvious relief — and Hank had cleared the rest of them. Even the little twins seemed to be picking up on the slightly better mood and had discovered how much they liked giggling at each other — which was definitely helping, since literally no one could be sad around madly giggling babies.But that didn't mean that things were quiet around the house — especially not when they still had a seven-foot problem in their basement. Though that was soon to be addressed, too.Noh had asked Forge to look over his capsule designs to be doubly sure that Sabretooth would not be able to escape his newest jail, and the two men were hard at work running through their final checks of the failsafes and alert systems when Jubilee arrived. She was munching on a Twizzler as she leaned against the wall and watched them for a moment."Looks kinda small," she said when she saw Noh poke his head out from underneath the capsule."Comfort was not foremost in my mind when I was designing it," Noh replied with a little smirk."Well yeah, duh." Jubilee bit another chunk out of the Twizzler. "I would hope not.""We are quite close to being finished," Noh told her. "As soon as Forge double-checks my alert system."Forge also peered around the capsule at Jubilee and gave her a little grin. "This thing should stay in orbit for a century at least without maintenance, but we figured we wanted an early alert system just in case he decided to test that theory.""Good." Jubilee looked over the little capsule with a slight frown.The two men went back to their checks for a moment before Forge called out to Noh, "Looks good from here. All that's left is the occupant."Noh looked to Jubilee with his head tilted to one side. "Are the others ready?" he asked. "I can help if need be.""Everybody's just waiting on you two," she replied. "K has two of those shocker things that Iron Man gave her.""Doubt she'll use them if she gets the chance," Forge said with a little laugh. "I believe she was hedging for 'accidentally' removing his head.""Accidentally," Noh repeated with a little smirk before he gestured for Jubilee to lead the way. "I think I'd like to see this as well."The three of them headed back toward where the X-Men had been keeping Sabretooth locked up for the last few weeks, Noh and Forge tossing back technical jargon between the two of them as they ran through their mental checklists the whole way down.When they arrived, K was hanging back, well out of the way, though she was watching carefully. She had promised Logan that she would keep as far away as she could without being gone entirely, and Tyler was sticking close to her, still feeling a bit protective over her after everything that had gone down with Sinister. And for her part, she'd decided that if nothing else, she'd keep Tyler from getting too close when they moved Victor — also feeling a bit protective over him, all things considered.Logan and Scott were the ones to actually pull Creed out of the specially-designed cell, and when they finally got to the point where they had to handle the monster, Logan was sure to warn Victor that if he was dumb enough to make a run, he might forget about the X-badge for a hot minute and just do whatever came into his head first. To Victor's surprise, Scott didn't argue the point in the least.Even so, the two ferals were still unable to not growl at each other as Victor half-shuffled out of his cell and toward where the pod waited. It was going about as well as could be expected — right up until they reached the capsule."The hell is that?" Creed asked suddenly, coming to a full stop when he saw the inside of the pod from down the hall."A feat of Kree engineering with naught but the scrambled parts from this planet," Noh said with a proud smirk. "And your home.""You're not stuffin' me in that little tin can," Victor argued, pulling back against his two escorts."Yeah, well, maybe you should've thought of that before you broke into our home and came after our friends," Scott all but snapped his way as he got a better grip on Creed.It took a little doing, but between Logan and Scott, they had a solid hold on Creed — but when he saw Tyler standing behind K, he narrowed his eyes. "What's the story, Runt? Couldn't waste your time with your own kid, so you had to find one of mine?"Logan didn't look like he'd acknowledged him, but the little yelp that came right after a very muted snikt betrayed the fact that he'd sent a claw through Victor's kidney. "At least I didn't have anything to do with you not knowin' him," Logan shot back.They made it only a few steps further, with Victor fighting them every inch of the way, before he stood firm for just an instant and then bashed Logan as hard as he could, throwing him across the hall before he threw an elbow into Scott's stomach, folding him over.He dropped to all fours and bounded right toward K and Tyler. As Forge had predicted, K had her claws out and ready to fight — but she simply didn't get the chance, as a new roar echoed the halls, and the good Dr. McCoy came barreling right toward Victor. The two of them met in a burst of snarls, and it took K a solid couple of seconds before she even realized what had happened as tufts of blue and blonde fur flew.As Hank tore into Victor with surgical precision, K funneled the non-healers into Hank's lab and turned back to help if the opportunity presented itself, even though Logan had already made a point to stand between her and the mess. However, Hank didn't need anyone's help. At all. Scott and Logan were just standing back in a bit of shock as, far sooner than expected, the only snarl in the hall was Hank's — and Victor's growl had dwindled off to nearly a whimper."Would you like to help us introduce Sabretooth to his new home?" Scott offered at last to get Hank's attention as he took a few steps closer to where the doctor had been tearing into Victor the best ways he knew how. The seven-foot monster had long ago stopped fighting Hank, too.Hank blinked, stood up slowly, and used the inside of his elbow to push the glasses back up his nose. "No, I believe I've made my point," Hank said gruffly before he took a few steps back and cleared his throat. He glanced up at K and Tyler: Tyler just looked like he was in awe of Hank, and K had a little smirk on her face as he made his way over to the pair of them."That ... was beautiful," K said when Hank let out a little sigh, self-conscious about the momentary loss of his temper. She gave him a little kiss on the cheek. "You alright, Tyler?"Tyler nodded for a moment and watched as Scott and Logan dragged Victor the rest of the way to the pod. "I didn't know you could do that.""Yes, well," Hank dropped his thought as he cleared his throat and stepped forward to help stuff Creed the rest of the way in the pod. He certainly wasn't about to say anything out loud about the reason he'd lost his temper — not until Creed was well and truly locked away, at any rate. But the truth of the matter was that Hank had grown fond of Tyler in all his time not only mentoring the young man but in looking out for him since Sinister made his reappearance into their lives.Hank and Tyler had spent hours talking in the lab — about everything from Tyler's dream of a medical degree to the recent goings-on in the mansion and how Tyler was handling them. The young Creed was nothing like his father, and Hank had found that he looked forward to their little chats — so listening to Creed growl out his venom in Tyler's direction had simply sent the usually well-mannered doctor over the edge.Once the door was closed on Victor, Noh inclined his head toward the other X-Men for a moment. "I have two different moons in mind if you want to make the final decision, but I'm not sure who to ask."Scott turned his head toward Logan. "You care at all what happens to him?"But Logan just shook his head. "As long as he's not a pain in my ass? Don't matter one damn bit," Logan replied, then tipped his chin toward Tyler. "You wanna step outside? Don't think you need to be part of this — the marooning or whatever."Tyler looked a bit shocked for just a moment, but it faded quickly when Hank put his arm around his shoulders and steered him into the lab where the rest of the X-Men were gathered still — away from the snarls from earlier, since they couldn't heal like the others could.Noh watched for a moment before he leaned over the pod to start inputting coordinates. "I think I'll send him to the second choice," he told the others that were still there. "The first is a bit too close to Kree territory for my liking, and I don't trust my people not to use him as a resource should they find him.""It's pretty unlikely that he'd cooperate longer than it would take to get back here," Logan told him. "For what it's worth.""All the more reason not to allow it to happen." Noh smirked slightly. "I have found in my experience that the Kree in this universe do not take the loss of any such allies or advantages lightly — even unwilling ones."Logan nodded and just left it to Noh, more than happy to walk away from the whole mess as soon as it was over. Finally. "If this works, I'm gonna sleep for three days," Logan muttered to Scott."Wouldn't blame you," Scott muttered back as he watched Noh out of the corner of his gaze."You got this now that the pod is sealed?" Logan asked. "Or you want us to go with?""You're welcome to come, but I won't be doing much except making sure the orbit is stable and the pod isn't intercepted." Noh shrugged lightly. "Escort duty. It will be a relaxing trip otherwise. I plan to take my Jubilee and watch the stars — there shouldn't be any trouble.""Maybe we'll join you then," Logan said as he frowned at the pod. "I should see this to the end.""If you need anything, you can grab it now," Noh suggested. "Kate insisted on coming along to be sure there were no unexpected issues — and to get a little 'private time' with her friends and her soon-to-be-husband — so you will not be alone.""I'm sure K will love being stuck in a spaceship with Kurt pushing on her," Logan said with a little smirk. "Meet you back here in ten."Noh nodded for a moment with a small smirk of his own before he went back to his work, though he was so wrapped up in double-checking his sensors to be sure they would keep track of the pod after his ship released it that he was nearly surprised into crying out when Kate and Kurt teleported down with little smiles — and a small army of bamfs, as usual."We're ready to leave when you are," Kate informed him with a grin as Noh nodded and motioned them into the ship, climbing in after them once K and Logan arrived as well, though he had to smirk when he saw that the two ferals more or less headed straight to the guest room prepared for them before he headed to the controls.It was, for the most part, a quiet ride, like Noh had promised, and the three couples on the ship seemed content to relax and spend some time in privacy after the successful launch of the pod containing Victor Creed into the far corners of the galaxy — though Noh had to smirk when he spotted Jubilee peering around the halls of his ship with the camera on her phone out. "Are you spying?" he teased her."Spying? Moi? How could you even insinuate such a thing?" Jubilee asked, placing her free hand over her heart in mock disbelief. "I just ... thought I should document what happens when Logan actually gets to relax, with Creed for sure out of the picture."Noh chuckled quietly. "I take it this is newsworthy. Groundbreaking, even, from the look on your face.""I just … I have to send this to Scott," Jubilee said as she typed in the text to go with her picture. "I'm just ... keeping track? Like ... for the past … eighteen hours, I don't think either of them has moved a muscle." She grinned and turned the phone so that Noh could see the picture of the two little ferals curled around each other and passed out. "So ... you know." She looked over her text with a smirk and hit send.
When should I worry, Scott? I neeed to know. Because this … this is happening right now. The old people are relaxed. Like ... stage four relaxed. And neither of them have moved at all. I think we broke them. Should I poke them with a stick to make sure they're not dead? Where do I even find a stick in space? I need answers, Fearless. Real. Answers. Please Advise.
Noh laughed over her shoulder and kissed her just behind her ear. "If Scott were here and Logan awake, I think he would advise you on where to find a stick," he teased.Jubilee laughed a bit and shook her head. "He's not giving that one up. It's just ... I've never seen Wolvie so relaxed," she defended. "Like ... ever.""Then this is a good thing," Noh said. "And we should leave them be.""But: documentation." Jubilee laughed. "If this keeps up, the only difference from one picture to the next will be how heavy his beard is!""Ah yes." He pulled her in tight with his arms around her waist, still smiling at her as he rested his head on her shoulder and kissed her again, just below her jaw. "I should have learned from our encounter with a small Kate Bishop that you love to document.""Oh! That's it! I'll get Kate to help — she'll get a giggle out of it too.""I'm sure she will," Noh replied, still kissing her gently. "But ... do you not think the two of them have the right idea?""Well. I'll send that same text if you want to see who can snuggle longest," she countered before she turned to kiss him properly.He laughed and pulled her tighter. "Well, perhaps we will do more than snuggling.""I'm all in favor," Jubilee said brightly. "Your ship — your call, Cap'n."He grinned at her, picked her up, and kissed her warmly as he carried her off."Oh, hey look. We do have teammates on this ship," Kate said with a little smirk as the other four X-Men on Noh's ship finally made an appearance for coffee that morning."Not entirely by choice," Logan replied easily as he rubbed his hand across the beard that was starting to grow in nicely. "Someone woke me up.""Who dares disturb the sleeping teddy?" Kate teased."Jubilation, of course," Logan answered. "With some bull crap about 'checking that we didn't die.' That was a nice touch." He glared at Jubilee, though he had a sparkle in his eyes as K brought them both coffee and leaned against his arm."Well, we're certainly glad to see you alive and well," Kurt said with a little impish grin. "Perhaps we should have been worried too.""I doubt you would have worried," Logan mumbled. "More sense than that.""True," Kurt allowed as K's favorite bamf climbed up next to her with a chipper little 'bamf.'K smirked the bamf's way and held out her arm in invitation for a hug. When he dove right at her, she cuddled him close and gave him a little kiss on top of his head before she let him go, though he simply snuggled into her lap, perfectly content to stay right where he was."And that's why you're his favorite," Kate said with a smirk over the top of her coffee, absently playing with a couple bamfs with their tails wrapped around her arm as she said it."He doesn't expect much," K replied while she played with his curls."No?" Kurt was smirking her way for a moment. "Doubtless he's vying for ring bearer at this rate.""Hi, Kurt. Nice to see you too. I'm starting to miss the time that you were so sweet just because I couldn't remember things ... I'd say it's been too long but … nevermind. You're relentless again," K said with a little sigh."Your grace period is over," Kurt teased."I should just not ever change anything so you'll have a reason to talk to me," K threatened with a little smirk."What? And miss the chance to find new adventures to play with?" Kurt looked dumbfounded, though there was obvious laughter in his voice."I thought that you could pick more than one subject at a time," K replied with a little smile. "I was wrong. All the things that have happened, and you just want to play wedding planner. That is not what most guys want to discuss.""I take my duties as best man very serious, mein Freund," Kurt said, chuckling."Well, what else have you got plotted and planned already?" K gave him an actual smile. "I'm starting to think all you needed was the girl to fill the dress.""Oh no." Kurt put a hand to his heart and looked honestly almost hurt. "Each wedding is unique to the people involved. I've only started plotting and planning the specifics recently.""If I find out you've done this with all his girlfriends …" K shook her head. "I … probably won't be too surprised, really.""He's a romantic, our little Elf," Kate said with a grin as she laid her head on his shoulder, but Kurt was shaking his head at K with a frown."That - just isn't true," Logan argued. "He's a flirt, sure. But he's not big on planning and plotting.""Certainly not for something so important," Kurt added, sounding insulted as his tail switched behind him."Then what is all this picking at me? Just picking?" K shrugged lightly. "Doesn't seem like just picking. Feels a lot like plotting and planning."Kurt gestured at her hand. "Because there is an engagement, and because you are both my friends, and because I am happy for you," he pointed out, letting his irritation show."And you're not entirely out of Kitty's little camp of thinking that I'm trying to do something foul? Trample on this poor, sweet man's virtue?" K teased as she reached over to brush a lock of hair out of Logan's face. "Is that it?""Pretty sure that ship's sailed," Logan teased before he narrowed his eyes at her for a minute. "About the time you were born, likely.""Not my doing," K defended with a quick one-handed wave that got a chuckle out of Logan before she turned back to Kurt. "What do I need to do to get you to stop doing an impression of Scott when his books are out of order? Really.""It would help tremendously if there was a date to work toward," Kurt replied honestly.She watched him for a moment before she turned to look at Logan, who flat-out refused to react at all. "Okay. Fine."Kurt broke into a huge grin at that. "Wunderbar.""You're hopeless," she said as Logan pulled her into his chest again. "But — you will not go crazy with this … thing.""Oh no. That's up to you two," Kurt promised with a little grin."Yeah, right — think bluejeans," K teased."And beer," Logan added. K just nodded in agreement."It's a good thing I look fabulous in bluejeans," Kurt laughed."Think the bamfs would come in flannel?" Kate teased. "I know at least one of them has a good cowboy hat.""That might be a lot of bodies," K said with her nose crinkled up. "Hard to run away with a crowd on your tail."Kate giggled and gestured at the little bamf who was still curled up with K. "Look at his little face. Can you tell him he can't come? Seriously?"K looked down at him as he put on his best puppy dog routine. "No," K said, perfectly straight-faced. "Looks like I can." She gave Kate a grin and went back to her coffee."Heartless. Absolutely heartless.""With Creed gone, is there really a reason to make it a secret, tiny, runaway affair?" Kurt asked, trying to sound more off the cuff than what he was really getting at."I'm sure we could find somewhere gorgeous. Nice, outdoor venue. Maybe even have horses for your getaway," Kate offered, starting to brighten at the prospect of party planning."Hello, have you even seen Runaway Bride?" Jubilee asked. "Giving this one a horse would be practically begging for it.""First off, no I haven't seen it, and second off, I meant for the sendoff after the wedding." Kate shook her head at Jubilee and stuck her tongue out at her friend.Jubilee snorted. "Right. Like she wouldn't go all Wild West on you and just take one.""Then we won't do the horses," Kate said with a shrug. "Still. I'm sure we can work up something awesome.""I thought this was for him to get worked up about," K said quietly to Logan."You were wrong," he replied, just as quietly, as she put her mug down and flat gave up trying to figure out where she'd gone wrong while Jubilee and Kate went back and forth for a moment.K looked over at Kurt. "You did this on purpose. You knew she'd be like this," she accused him. "You have betrayed me. Again."Kurt just grinned at her. "I'm sure I had no idea that the woman who plans every Halloween party would jump at the opportunity to plan a wedding.""Twice, Kurt. Twice you've betrayed me now.""I will try not to do it again," he promised with a laugh."It's getting more serious, though," K said, leaning into Logan and pulling her feet up, then draping her legs over Logan's lap. "The first time, you nearly got me killed. Now, you're marrying me off. What next?""Well, if I stay true to that pattern, I suppose the only thing left to do is ensure your permanent happiness some way. Seeing as I seem to be improving the outcome each time," he countered.She tipped her head so she was looking up at Logan. "You never said being tormented by demons on a daily basis was part of the deal."He gave her a quick kiss and a squeeze. "Yeah, I kinda did," Logan defended. "But I'll work on that. I'm sure if you're completely miserable we could cut out and leave the team behind. Disappear in the woods .."Noh looked up suddenly as if he was just now entering the conversation, and for a second, his gaze darted between each of the people in the ship before it landed on Logan. If he'd been following the conversation, it almost looked like he was distressed at the thought of the two of them running off without the team, but that simply wasn't the case. "I… think I need to ask a favor of you all," he said cautiously."What's goin' on?" Logan asked, straightening up a bit as the others similarly left their teasing behind at the more serious tone.Noh frowned for a moment before he let out a long breath. "The Supremor just reached out to me," he admitted openly, gesturing to his temple as an illustration. "To ask for my aid.""Ask or demand?" K asked, frowning a bit and already thinking of the last time the Kree had gotten involved in Noh's life."In either case, I would not answer without asking you first," Noh promised, looking over the little group. "But as I am no longer a criminal there… I would like to help my people. It seems the Shi'ar have seen the weakness of Hala since J'son razed it nearly to the ground and have their sights set on conquering their former masters."The group as a whole shared a look, each of them considering everything. "If I tell you to shut up, are you going to shut up and trust me this time?" K asked. "As your lawyer? It might look bad if I have to backhand you to stop you from admitting guilt before I can find a loophole."Noh shook his head quickly. "That will not be necessary," he assured her."It will be if they think they can keep you there," Jubilee said."That was not what the Supremor asked," Noh pointed out."And they've been so honest with you in the past?" K challenged."Do they know you're not alone, and do they want our help?" Logan said in an attempt to cut the fight off at the knees. "They can be a little sketchy to deal with otherwise."Noh tipped his head toward Logan with the slightest of smirks. "I have permission to 'work with the Earthlings if I deem it necessary'," he said mildly, though he was clearly amused by the phrasing. "As it is, it seems we are well-positioned to help anyway.""Who's your contact?" Logan asked as K shifted slightly away from him as he tensed up."An accuser named Sinta," Noh said. "We've met, but I do not think he remembers it after Rachel's parting gift.""We'll know right off the bat," Logan said. "You guys give off the same emotions, scent wise." He nodded and looked to the others. "Anyone else rather run home to grade papers?""I think I'd rather stay with Noh and make sure there's no arrest to mark the wedding anniversary," Kate pointed out.Kurt nodded his agreement at that. "Yes, we should make sure that does not become a tradition.""You know you've got me," K told Noh. "Especially if there's any chance you might have to deal with -pants again. He's like an open book, that guy.""Then it's fortunate that you came with me for this little escort mission," Noh replied with a smirk."Fabulous," K said with a tight smile before she turned to look at Kurt. "Think you can take a break from wedding planning to save a planet?""I dabble in planet saving from time to time," he replied with a grin and a little wave of his hand."But that's not where your real passion lies, is it?" K teased.He just grinned impishly right back at her. "You're quite right. My heart lies on the open seas.""Is that what they're calling it these days? Weird. That's how you attract seagulls, you know.""Hawks," Kate corrected her. "I don't respond to other bird names." She grinned outright before she kissed Kurt on the cheek and looked over at Noh. "So, we headed to Hala, then?""Not to the planet itself, sadly," Noh said with a small sigh — clearly disappointed at missing out on his homeworld. "Sinta will meet up with us near the perimeter of my people's defenses. It seems the Supremor believes my experience with the X-Men in particular would be helpful in this… problem.""That sounds oddly specific," Logan said with a little frown. "Spill, Bug Boy."Noh raised an eyebrow Logan's way and paused for a moment before he explained. "The reports are not yet confirmed as to her exact position, but it seems one of the lead ships, filled with Imperial Shi'ar, will include in its ranks an old friend of the X-Men — Warbird." He kept his gaze on Logan as he added, "And it is likely she is leading them, as gratitude for her service to the emperor's son — not to mention any information she may have given them concerning Earth and the X-Men.""Sounds like her," Logan said with a nod. "Go on.""With the X-Men's experience with the newly christened Imperial leader, the hope is that we can deal with their ship, perhaps even overrun it," he said."Deal with — peacekeeping mission or total annihilation?""I believe the intention is more toward the latter, though I would not be opposed to an attempt to avoid bloodshed." Noh let out a sigh. "It's not likely they will listen, if they are amassing their forces to strike my home world.""Who's our best negotiator?" Logan asked."Well, we've got a pretty good lawyer here," Kate said, tipping her head at K. "Though Kurt can charm just about anybody, too.""It's too bad we don't have Bobby here if it's Warbird on the way," Kurt teased. "He might have a bargaining chip she'd consider." K turned to look at Kurt with her mouth open in mock shock as she mouthed out very clearly: 'was that a penis joke?'"Oh, I'm telling Bobby you're putting up his red light," Kate laughed, covering her mouth with her hand."I see what happens if you don't get married quick enough around this one," K said leaning in toward Kate. "Apparently, he dabbles as a space pimp too.""I'm starting to think Jubilee might be our best choice for negotiator with how the rest of you are behaving," Noh said, shaking his head."Relax," K said. "I have to pick on him when I get the chance. He wants to marry me off so he can move on to his next victim.""I'm sure he'll slow down once he's married himself," Kate teased."Doubtful," Logan deadpanned as he got to his feet and gestured for Noh to show him what he could.Noh nodded quickly and crossed the room to start pulling up holograms and diagrams as well as maps. "The fleet amassing from Shi'ar territory is formidable, but here," he said, indicating a spot on the map, "is where we will meet our contact. The Accusers are all that is left of Hala's defenses after Jas'n's recent razing of the planet, so we will have to be precise in how our forces are spread.""Kurt, fill K in on how the Shi'ar think," Logan said. "If we have a chance to slow down a total invasion, I'd like to go for it — but I doubt that'll happen." With that, he focused harder on the holograms in front of him. "Got topographical for me too?"Noh pulled a set of holograms toward him with his hands and then made a motion that put the whole thing into three-dimensional topography."Any heavy guns or weaponry laid out that we can make use of?" He was looking at old or battered turret towers and thinking of sending in the bamfs to cover a bit more if possible, but he didn't dare say anything until he had the numbers in front of him.Noh pointed out a few places for Logan. "I can mark them for you," he said. "And mark their level of usefulness.""Not necessary on anything more than their range," he looked up at Noh. "How many Accusers will work with us, and how much of this is up to us?"Noh looked a bit sheepish. "The Accusers themselves seem willing enough to aid us, but with the way the Supremor has them stationed ... it is likely we should not expect much aid unless we fail utterly.""You want me to put in the heavy on that one so she can guilt them into changing their position?" Logan teased.Noh smirked his way for a second. "Only if you think we will require more than we have here."Logan nodded and waved for everyone to come in closer. "Alright. No complaints, no arguments — got it?" He looked at each of them in turn and began to point out where the Shi'ar were most likely to hit, and the directions that they would fan out, none of which Noh argued with in the least."The towers that Noh marked will need two per tower. One to load and defend the tower, a second to fire." Logan looked up at Kurt as he rejoined them in their planning with K looking murderous after being told how the Shi'ar treated their prisoners of war. "We have enough bamfs to man the towers and to keep one with everyone that can't teleport." He snapped his fingers, and all the little blue demons just stared at him in surprise. "That's you guys. Pick a blue buddy that's not the big one. Pick a tower, and don't shoot us. Kurt will call you back when we're done."Aside from the look of concern on Kurt's face, he got no arguments from anyone on the subject, and he simply started pointing out where he'd like to see them. For Kate, a well protected tower near the center of the action that looked like she'd be able to shoot all around the tower. Kurt, of course, would just hop around as needed, while Jubilee got a spot that was a bit raised, but also had a safe cove to hide in. The two ferals and Noh had their own little areas to keep clear — each of them in a tactical spot. "If I can get two Accusers, that would lighten it up a little bit, but if not — I think everyone here is worth at least two of them.""We'll ask Sinta when we meet with him," Noh suggested. "I think you should come with me — your tactics are sound.""For as few of us as there are, we're not going to be separated unless we need to be," Logan told him."Good. I would not like to lose any of you in this fight," Noh told him honestly."Then if you have any oxygen assistance? That would help. Once we get moving, we're going to need all the air we can get.""I'll make sure it's prepared by the time we meet with Sinta," Noh promised."Then let 'em know we'll do what we can," Logan said.
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There was already a flurry of activity when The Marvel arrived at the appointed meeting place. Kree ships were buzzing further out from their position, and one well-adorned one in particular was clearly the Accuser ship that carried their contact. The gathered X-Men were totally ready for a fight, especially when they saw the full armor the Accusers were wearing, but when they met up with Sinta, the blue-skinned Accuser regarded Logan with guarded interest for all of a few seconds before he turned his attention to Noh."Anything that you can do to aid us would be appreciated," he said frankly, though he was speaking in the Kree language rather than English. "Unfortunately, the Shi'ar seem to have rallied strength under their new emperor.""We will do all we can," Noh promised him."You brought your Terrans with you," Sinta observed. "I have to ask: for a battle as important as this, can you guarantee we can trust them?"Noh tipped his head the slightest bit toward Logan and said, in English, "I think you will find that my friends are more than capable.""You know who we are," Logan said in Kree just to level the field and let Sinta know he wasn't as smart as he thought he was, his arms crossed over his chest before he switched back to English. "I know you've dealt with our usual team leader, but as far as experience goes, you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone with as much wartime under their belt as I got." He glared toward the blue-skinned Kree and was ready to continue, but before he could dive into it, he was quite rudely interrupted."Yes, yes." Sinta waved his hand impatiently. "We are well-aware of exactly who you and your allies are." He looked toward Noh for a moment. "It is not your competence but your loyalty that I am concerned for.""Listen, bub," Logan growled out as he took a step forward and pointed his finger toward Sinta's face. "If we didn't want to help you, we sure as hell wouldn't be here. If you're worried about old ties with the Shi'ar, they were severed long ago when they double-crossed Empress Lilandra and Charles Xavier. Anything we've done with them since that point was to keep them from wrecking our planet. So as long as you don't try to pull anything, we should be fine." Logan hands were in fists at his side as he frowned deeper at the Accuser in front of him.Sinta tipped his head the slightest before he looked to Noh. "I can offer you very little support, but if you need my aid, I will do what I can," he said, speaking once more in Kree.Noh just nodded softly before he looked to Logan. "I will let my friend explain our strategy to you. It is, after all, his plan. And I must say, I believe it is tactically sound." He was sure to speak in English, and to make sure that his friends were given the credit they deserved. After all, he'd been living on Earth for some time now, and he knew better than anyone how powerful — and how good — Terrans could be.Sinta just smirked. "I will decide that for myself, I think."Noh gave Logan a small smile before he threw forward his holograms and allowed Logan to outline the plan, standing behind him with his arms crossed and a growing smile as he watched Sinta the Accuser lean in a bit closer and really start to get involved in the planning.By the time Logan and Noh returned from their meeting with Sinta, the rest of the team was ready to go, and Jubilee was manning Noh's observation deck as little holographic indicators went off to show the approaching fleet."Looks like we're gonna have our hands full," Kate said as she looked over Jubilee's shoulder, one bamf behind her mirroring her every movement and wearing his own little plastic quiver — he was clearly the one assigned to her for the battle and was loving the assignment."Makes me happy that my blasts are that much nastier in space," Jubilee said with a raised eyebrow as she cracked her gum. Her own little bamf buddy had a piece of gum as well, but he was more concerned with folding up the gum wrapper into a springy shape and giggling at it than anything else."They will not see you coming, my lovely warrior," Noh agreed with a smile Jubilee's way before he directed Kate to the weapons station even as he headed for the helm.As soon as they were within hailing range of the Shi'ar, Noh tried to do just that, reaching out to Warbird on the lead ship with a warning. "This planet is well-defended. It will do you no good to continue this assault." He looked over his shoulder to where Logan was and added with a small smirk, "And my friend Wolverine would like to add that if you were truly so eager to get your backside handed to you, you did not need to go to such lengths to do it."He repeated the message a few times but didn't really expect a response, so he was a bit surprised when a simple message came through: "Tell the X-Men this is their only chance to leave peacefully, before I take them back home with me as spoils of war — in particular, Iceman."The assembled X-Men shared smirks and raised eyebrows at that before Noh relayed that they were not going to stand down, and with that, the lead ship simply responded with a shot straight at Noh's navigational port, and he piloted the ship out of danger in a second, turning to give Kate a good shot at the Shi'ar craft as he did so.As Kate returned fire, the other members of the team stayed close to Jubilee at the observation deck to watch as, between Noh's flying and Kate's shooting, the two of them were able to deal some serious damage to Warbird's ship and even shoot down two of the Shi'ar ships before a lucky shot from one of the Shi'ar ships hit their starboard side, sending them veering off-course as they saw a few Shi'ar ships screaming past them to start up the invasion, with Warbird's craft leading the charge.Kate fired a few more parting shots before Noh pointed them back toward the planet's surface, pushing the Kirby engines hard enough that they beat most of the ships down to the surface as the team took their assigned bamfs to their predetermined towers, teleporting ahead so that they were well in place long before the first of the Shi'ar showed their faces out of the invading ships."Looks like we're going to visit Hala after all," Kate said with a grin Noh's way."It's a good thing we were prepared for that eventuality," he said without even looking up at her, more focused on piloting his ship through the Shi'ar.When the invading forces hit the surface of Hala, it really did look like a swarm from where the X-Men were raised above the action as Shi'ar poured out of their ships, already firing both at any Kree they saw but also at buildings, their large and admittedly impressive weapons already dealing damage before they were even in range of where Logan had them set up.And when the first of the incendiary devices went off and the fire started just in the distance, the little bamf with Noh put his hand on Noh's cheek and patted him consolingly at the sight of the burning in his homeworld.Of course, the X-Men weren't content to just… sit back and watch that happen, and as soon as the invading Shi'ar got anywhere near where they had stationed themselves, they burst out of their positions in a flurry of movement that honestly caught the invading forces by surprise. Even Warbird's little group of Imperial Shi'ar were seemingly stunned by the sudden appearance of the X-Men, and though they managed to rally, the surprise worked in the X-Men's favor.The little team was just as good as an army as far as the invaders were concerned, with K and Logan slicing through anything in their way as Jubilee and Kate rained down explosions from above. Kurt was simply teleporting into as many Shi'ar as he could to either disarm or run them through, and Noh was in a full white run, not only shooting through the invaders but also leaving his claw-like nails in any exposed skin that he could get his hands on, mercilessly blowing up any Shi'ar that were unlucky enough to get in his way.And, of course, the bamfs were having a blast with their own assigned adventure, using the towers to shoot down more invading Shi'ar ships — and their giggles could be heard throughout the battlefield, though that somehow had a sort of eerie effect in all the smoke and debris, the giggles echoing almost through the smoke itself.It wasn't long before the Shi'ar had recovered their senses, though, and they were quick to return the favor, firing on the X-Men rapidly as Warbird shouted out orders in her native language that sounded very much like advice on how best to take down those that she had spent time with at Xavier's and therefore knew enough about to give suggestions.It was a good thing, then, that there was a bamf with each of the members of the team. The first sign of trouble came when one of the Imperial Shi'ar took aim with an incendiary device at Jubilee's position, and the little bamf got himself and Jubilee out of there just moments before the whole thing burst into flames, teleporting them over to where Kate was."Saw your big, colorful explosions," Kate said without pausing between arrows. "You were right — the light show is more impressive in space."Jubilee grinned outright at her and rolled up her sleeves. "I'm just getting started," she informed Kate as she built up another huge burst that simply bowled over an entire clump of Shi'ar soldiers.Noh, meanwhile, had found where Warbird was, and he had just sunk his claws knuckle-deep into one of her men when she turned toward him with a war cry that had him on edge because of his advanced hearing — Shi'ar knew best how to do that to Kree, after all.She already had her blades drawn as he turned her way, and he met her war cry with a low hiss of his own as the two of them clashed in what probably would have been the same kind of fight that they'd almost fallen into when they first met at the school if Logan hadn't stepped in. Warbird managed to get the first strike in simply because she had the advantage of the longer blades, though when she sliced through Noh's arm, he simply returned the favor by blasting two shots through her shoulder without hesitation.She shrieked in his face and he returned by hissing and then outright spitting at her, demanding through gritted teeth that she order her armies to stand down.For just a few moments, Warbird did just that — falling under the influence of the hallucinogenic mind control that she couldn't have possibly prepared for, not when Kree in this universe didn't have it. But while those closest to her had seen what Noh was doing and counteracted the orders, it was enough to cause a bit of confusion in the ranks — which the X-Men were sure to take advantage of as the Shi'ar paused, wondering who exactly was in charge there, and getting blown up or run through for their troubles.With Warbird temporarily in his thrall, Noh found himself on the receiving end of a lot more attention from those on her ship than he'd been entirely prepared for, so he very quickly simply shot her while she was still standing stock still for him before one of her Shi'ar lieutenants managed to grab hold of his uniform and literally pull him off of her. A few of her lieutenants managed to get her out — to Noh's frustration, since he would have liked to finish her off — and he barely managed to dislodge that grip before more Shi'ar were upon him.But now that they were forming a nice knot, it wasn't long before the two ferals on the team showed up to break it up, likely unable to resist the draw of so much action at once — and the Shi'ar that had just managed to level his blade at Noh wasn't able to finish him off when a set of three-pronged claws went right through him."Your timing is excellent," he told K, who grinned and helped him to his feet."Your Accuser friends decided to jump in and help once we did all the dirty work," Logan told him through the comm as he was on the other side of the knot from K as they cut their way through the Shi'ar guard. "Still don't think they can figure out how we did it."Noh chuckled a bit to himself as he dodged an energy blast that would have removed his head from his shoulders. "I've lived on Earth for years and still I don't think I understand how its heroes do half the things they do," he admitted, still chuckling. "The Accusers have no hope of understanding it.""Underestimating us," K tutted. "You think I'd be used to that by now.""Hey, I use it to my advantage. Don't look the gift idiocy in the mouth," Kate said over the comms with a laugh.K snickered to herself at that. "You're right. I should learn how to do that. I clearly haven't used that to my advantage yet.""Yeah, you should work on your subtlety and secrecy," Kate agreed with a snort. "You're just an open book you are. Bad guys can read you a mile away.""Stop, please," Kurt said. "Don't encourage her to be more closed off.""Sarcasm, sweetheart. I know it's hard to hear over the comms, but I think she got it.""Oh, I hear it, but I also know she'll take it as a cue to be a pain," Kurt half laughed before he ran through three at once."In that case," Kate said, laughing as on the other side of the comm they could hear Jubilee shouting insults at the Shi'ar soldiers, "K, you should eat more of Annie's sugar, get glitter all over you, and spill all your heart's secrets.""I'm sorry? I … I think I've gone deaf?" K said. "I … thought you just said you wanted glitter in your coffee?"Noh's chuckles could be heard over the comm as he broke in, "The battle must certainly be going well, if you are in such a… bantering mood.""Just gettin' monotonous," Logan said, though it was easy to hear the smile as he spoke. "You know. Snikt, stab, repeat.""Sad but true — winning can be so boring," Jubilee chuckled."Okay — okay … so," K said, which only got a little laugh out of Logan before she could continue. "Most. Creative Kill. You have ten minutes. GO.""Are you aiming for creativity in presentation or in terrifying the Accusers and Imperial Shi'ar?" Noh asked, clearly on board with this idea — especially because it would give him the chance to really hurt some Shi'ar."Yes," K replied. "I think that's the same thing?""Not necessarily, but I see your point," Noh laughed.With that, the X-Men jumped into the fight with a bit more vigor than before as their competitive sides started to come out. Jubilee was building up a plasmoid that looked like it would be a spectacular explosion once she released it, while Kate… was going more for mass presentation than anything else as she switched from head shots to crotch shots on every. Single. Arrow.As for Kurt, the blue X-Man was simply letting out a bit of his demon side as he started to find increasingly interesting ways to teleport Shi'ar into danger — from dropping them off of buildings to dropping them onto buildings — usually those that were either exploding or in sharp pieces.And Noh was back to his white run, starting to build up a little speed as he rushed through the Shi'ar. It wasn't immediately obvious what he was doing as he just kept disarming soldiers instead of dealing damage — until he'd collected enough weapons to set to work on a spectacular explosion that took out a huge chunk of the Shi'ar forces ... and which Jubilee followed up with an explosion of her own, streaked with yellows, blues, and pinks as the entire battlefield was all but covered in little sparks.Noh let out a laugh when he saw it. "Ah, that is my Jubilee. Outdoing me in every possible way."Logan had been the only one that had truly decided to keep out of that little contest, knowing damn well exactly how nasty his little fiance could get — and instead, he put his efforts into taking down the larger, nastier-looking customers that were advancing on not only the few Kree soldiers left but the handful of Accusers that had decided to come out to play.He rushed forward with a nice rhythm going from a lovely combination of claws and mixed martial arts that kept pace with everything they could throw at him. But then, the largest Shi'ar warrior that Logan had ever seen began making his way through the Kree and to him. Logan moved to engage the armored behemoth, slicing through armor, but still not doing the kind of damage that he was used to, and it wasn't too long before Logan found himself half-swamped by Shi'ar Imperial guards.They worked in concert, and he was still holding his own well until a well-placed body shot caused him some major internal damage that brought him to the ground. As soon as they saw the chink in his armor, they dove in, taking turns pounding on him.In a rush, the game was momentarily abandoned as K and Noh rushed to his aid. The Kree warrior dove in, picking out the hidden chinks in their armor that the X-Men simply hadn't had the misfortune of coming across yet. But as he was working the normal-sized Imperial guards, K ran up the one that had targeted Logan, swearing under her breath in Swedish as she cut loose his armor, sliced down his back on either side of his spine, and got started from there, breaking each rib from top to bottom.There were some extremely pained sounding shouts from the tall, broad guard — and those of his comrades nearest him simply paused to watch, half horrified at the blood-covered, tiny Terran that was inflicting devastating damage to him and smiling as she did so.When he finally fell to the ground, beyond a reasonable level of pain, K kicked dirt toward his wounds and snarled at the other Shi'ar Imperials closest to her in warning on her way to check on Logan.When she got up to him, he just shook his head with a half of a laugh as he healed, one hand resting on his side. "Was that your entry in your evil competition?" he asked with a smirk."Shut up and start stabbing bad aliens," K told him with a little wink and a kiss before she helped to pull him to his feet. "How are we doing, Noh?""Thus far, we've kept the fighting to the perimeters, so I would say well. And would also ask that we postpone all future competitions about creative kills until you are not entered in them," Noh said, the laughter obvious in his voice."I didn't even do it right," K replied sounding shocked. "I didn't have any salt to throw on his lungs ...so disappointing.""I'm sure we'll all agree that you still win," Noh said, shaking his head as he finally made his way over to where the two ferals were. The white of his uniform was nearly impossible to see under his own blood and the blood of the Shi'ar, but he was grinning widely. "Are you sufficiently healed, my friend?" he asked Logan."Even if I wasn't, I don't think these guys are dumb enough to approach," Logan laughed. "Not with the show they just got.""Very territorial," Kate added over the comms, snickering."Just a lil' bit," K conceded.Logan had been right about the Shi'ar and their reaction to K, as the invading forces seemed reluctant to get anywhere near the two little ferals — though K and Logan had no qualms about going after them.At last, between the X-Men's assault and the simple fact that the bamfs were gleefully laying waste to just about anything they could get in their sights from their assigned turrets, the Shi'ar were forced to turn tail to preserve what was left of their forces, and the shouts of victory that rang through the streets of Hala echoed in the team's ears even as the forces turned their attention from fighting to trying to contain the fires and destruction from the invasion.It was obvious as the X-Men saw some of the Accusers at work — and as some of the Accusers approached them to more or less 'keep an eye' on them — that almost no one had gotten out of the near-invasion unscathed. Noh's contact, Sinta, was badly burnt on one arm, and it looked like even Ronan the Accuser was singed in places as he made his way over to… well, it wasn't a 'thanks' by any stretch of the imagination, but he acknowledged the X-Men's hand in the victory. So it was close by his standards — though he seemed to be a bit wary of K, even if he wasn't sure why.Before he could address Noh, or say anything to any of them, the little bamfs appeared, and the one that K had adopted had clearly made a point to teleport back to Noh's ship before coming to see them, since when he showed up, he was holding out a flannel shirt for K.She gave the little guy a warm smile for a moment and simply slipped it over her shoulders, though once she had it closed with one hand, she made a point to bump Logan's shoulder. "Hope you know how to get this goop out; otherwise, I owe you a shirt." He smirked and tipped his head Noh's way for him to handle the 'official' word before they headed out.Noh stepped forward with the smallest of frowns in Logan's direction before he bowed slightly to Ronan with a far more practiced smile. "It was an honor to fight for Hala," he said simply, "but I have other duties I must attend with the Terrans. I'm glad to see Hala safe."Ronan frowned as he looked over the group. "The Shi'ar will likely return. To fight for Hala — this is what you were created for, is it not?"Noh shook his head with a little smirk. "I was created in a different universe to explore and conquer in the Empire's name. And I intend to do just that — explore." He gestured toward the X-Men. "I've pledged myself to their cause and even married one of these amazing Terrans. But should Hala be threatened again, you can contact me on Earth.""You waste your time on a primitive world," Ronan said, in Kree, very quietly."Some time ago, I was appointed protector of that world. I may not carry the title anymore, but the responsibility I take seriously," Noh replied just as quietly. "But as I said, I will not say no to helping Hala. Now, however, I have injured teammates to attend to, as well as other obligations that I put off for this battle." With that, Noh made a deeper bow; looked back toward the two ferals, who were watching the exchange closely; and simply headed back toward his ship."Your greatest obligations are to the Empire. It is supreme," Ronan said.Noh paused and turned back toward the Kree leader. "With the greatest possible respect — this is not my Empire." He held Ronan's gaze for a moment. "The Kree will always have my loyalty. Hala will always be my home. That is true regardless of what universe I find myself in. But I am still a visitor here. I have no obligations but those I choose to take upon myself." With that, he turned back to his ship, a small smile of disbelief at his own actions playing across his expression.K slipped her arm across Logan's back as he pulled her closer, following his lead out, no arguments, no fuss, no muss, with the rest of their rag-tag crew between the ferals and Noh.Noh paused as the group of friends boarded the craft, the last to board as always so that the walls would close behind them properly, but before he got on, he very suddenly stopped and put a hand against the ship to steady himself, and it took him a long moment before he shook his head and entered his craft, now frowning quietly."Kate, if you'd like to steer," he said softly. "I ... don't think it would be a good idea for me to fly right now."Kate nodded his way but tilted her head in an unasked question. Since they were all eager to leave Hala, she slipped over to the controls and got the ship in the air fast without pushing it — though she was curious as to whether he was just hurting (he was, after all, covered in blood) or if it was something else.Noh slipped over to where Jubilee was and pressed a kiss against her temple. "Thank you — all of you — for helping me defend Hala. That world… it means a lot to me, even if apparently I'm still unwelcome there," he added, his tone growing harder with that last part even if it had been warm before."Why?" K asked with a deep frown. "I thought Rachel took care of that.""Oh, yes. As far as Ronan and his Accusers are concerned, I could visit any time," Noh said, waving his hand. "But just before we left, the Supremor was sure to tell me that the Phoenix didn't purge its memory of events." He shrugged lightly. "Our actions here to save Hala meant that it was not inclined to seek revenge, but I cannot guarantee that the result would be the same if I tried to return for anything but a heroic effort on Hala's behalf or if I were to cross the Supremor again." He kissed Jubilee's temple again and added, "But they aren't actively coming after me — and as Earth is my new home, I think I am content with this arrangement anyway.""You better be," Jubilee said with a little smirk. "They don't like me very much there, and really, everyone on Earth that knows you loves you.""If you say so," he teased lightly. "At least those that matter, anyway. I can think of a few imprisoned people who would disagree.""They don't count," Jubilee insisted. "And … if they don't love you, we don't want to know them.""Agreed," he said with a laugh before he turned to the rest of them. "At any rate, it will take us a few days to get back to Earth. So, what say we return to our restful relaxation? There are shower facilities and plenty of food to be consumed.""Good," Logan said, pulling K along with him. "Don't wake us up this time unless it's an emergency."
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While several of the X-Men were out in space dealing with Shi'ar, however, there were a few still in Westchester to greet Alex when he arrived with a grin that looked too wide to be allowed."Heard you were having trouble, Scott," Alex said, draping an arm around Scott's shoulders as soon as he was through the door, still with that same grin, though when Scott just rolled his eyes and pushed his brother off at the shoulders, it seemed to get wider, somehow, even though that didn't seem to be physically possible."This isn't a joke, Alex," Scott said, shaking his head."No, I know," Alex swore, though this time he moved around so he could get a better look at his older brother, grinning and shaking his head at the glasses-free look. "That is gonna take some serious getting used to.""Must be hard for you," Scott said dryly.Alex laughed outright at that and slapped his hand against Scott's back. "Come on. Let's head down to the Danger Room. I think I got a few ideas."The first sessions with Alex did not go well.It wasn't that Alex was necessarily a bad teacher, but when it came to his own powers, and trying to describe them to help Scott, he came up woefully short. He didn't know what to say when it came to turning them on except to "focus."Which, considering who he was talking to, was absolutely the worst advice he could give."What do you think I'm doing?" Scott shot back, clearly frustrated.Alex held up both hands. "Woah, hey, okay. Never said you weren't focusing. Geez, Scott. You'd think I insulted your school or something."Scott ran a hand through his hair and let out all his breath. He knew that Alex was trying, and he knew that he couldn't have been the easiest of students to deal with. He was, after all, working against decades of trying to turn his powers off.Well, he'd gotten what he wanted."Have you gotten them to work at all since they turned off?" Alex asked, stopping the training altogether to lean against the wall and simply chat with his big brother, since clearly, at this rate, nothing was going to change. Not with Scott as frustrated as he was, and not with Alex at a loss for what he could do to help him focus in the right direction, instead of wherever his head was at.Scott shook his head and mirrored his brother's body language, sitting down about a foot from him with a heavy thud. "Not even a glow."Alex frowned at that, all of the good humor gone entirely. "And … that is just an extra level of problem, since you never had to turn it on." He let out a breath and gave it his best attempt to look serious. "I'll be honest. I never thought you'd have performance issues, big bro." Scott gave him the driest look humanly possible as Alex held up both hands in his defense. "It's a joke, Scott. A joke? I thought you knew how to identify those now.""Nothing about this is funny.""A little bit is," Alex said, trying to tease. "I mean. Come on. All these years working with kids trying to get a handle on things and just now you get around to it yourself? If that doesn't sum up you and your entirely selfless … everything, I don't know what does."Scott shook his head to himself as Alex dropped his arm around his shoulders, jostling him. Yeah. He could see the irony of it … he just didn't appreciate it. All this time, and he'd finally just accepted that he had no way to control it without the visor — and now? It just wasn't something he thought he'd ever have to deal with at this point in his life."Come on, slacker," Alex said, jostling his brother one more time for good measure. "Let's get back to work."Scott had just let out a sound of disbelief when the perimeter alarm went off, and he had to curse under his breath at the timing. "Of course it would happen now," Scott grumbled as he started to scramble the team. "You're going to have to head out there," Scott said. "I'll make sure the kids and Annie are safe before I can help."The brothers broke apart at a dead run in opposite directions, though Alex had to swear under his breath when he saw the green uniforms moments before he let loose on the interlopers. "Isn't Hydra more of an Avengers problem?" he asked over his comm as Scott herded everyone to safety."Not necessarily," Scott replied. "Just … push 'em back. I'll be there in just a few minutes.""To do what, Scott? Are you going to give them a talking to?""I haven't spent all this time training just to rely on my currently uncooperative gifts."Alex flipped off his comm and burst out laughing before he got back down to business fighting back the invading Hydra forces alongside the rest of the X-Men that were still on the grounds that weekend.He was actually starting to get into it, even if he was feeling a little overwhelmed at the size of the forces advancing on the mansion when he heard the single most bizarre battlecry coming from a lunatic whipping a pair of katanas around. "How do you live this way, Scott?" Alex muttered under his breath as Storm took over on the troops, giving him the freedom to address one side of the attack rather than the entire half of the mansion he'd been attempting to defend alone.And the lunatic running his way was at the top of his list.It had been a long trip back from space to the mansion, so when Kate saw the call coming in from Wade, of all people, she very nearly didn't answer it, because she was just so relaxed hanging out in Noh's ship with her fiance that she didn't want to deal with whatever crazy he was up to.But then, if she didn't answer it? He might just show up wherever she was to insist she come along. He'd done that before.So, Kate just had to sigh and hit the little green phone button. "Hey, Wade, what's up?" she asked as she finished packing up what she'd brought with her to the space trip."I need you to do me an itsy bitsy teeny weenie little kind of favor and ask your boss to quit trying to kill me when I'm helping him," Wade replied. He'd started off sounding off the cuff and relaxed, but by the time he'd ended his statement, he was full on shouting. "Pretty please? With sugar on top?" He added sweetly.Kate almost had to laugh as she asked, "Well, are you actually helping him, or are you trying to help him take the stick out? Because you know how he feels about that.""Um... You know I'm not going to mess with that dynamic! That's his longest-lasting relationship — him and that stick. I'm not going to alter whatever works for him. I'm actually trying to help him, but he's too … stubborn to accept it." He paused just long enough to shout across whatever expanse was between him and Cyclops. "STOP IT, SUGAR! I'M ON YOUR SIIIIIDE!"Kate put a hand to her mouth to physically pull at her mouth to try and stop the smile, because she was half-convinced he could hear it if she responded while she was grinning ear to ear. "Sure, I'll tell the boss man not to kill you," she promised. "Anything I can help with? I'm good at fighting too, you know.""Just .. just the stopping of the freakin' lasers would be good. You know. I've got this one, Katie bug. Was just following some members of a certain Board and then there was an army? No big deal for yours truly, of course, but it would make my life easier if Mr. One Eye — I don't know — switched to decaf." She could hear him smile as he continued. "I'm on the case. No one is going to screw up things for you and your swashbuckling Romeo while I'm keeping watch!"She was grinning wide now as she had to nod, even though she knew he couldn't see it. "You're a sweetheart sometimes, you know," she informed him before she added, "Want me to call him — or you just gonna put me on speaker?""Speaker ...hold please," Wade said before he positively bellowed on the other end of the line. "Hey! Laser face! Can you just NOT for one minute? Listen!" He dropped his tone and leaned closer to his phone. "That's your cue, sweetness."Kate was trying hard not to laugh so that Scott would take her seriously as she said, "Hey, boss man, lay off the sweet merc who's just trying to make sure Kurt and I make it to the wedding, huh?""You so need to tell me the whole story because you …. you, young lady have utterly failed me in that regard," Wade said in an undertone as someone that was definitely not-Scott could be heard shouting back at Wade.Kate had to wince a bit as she realized that it was Alex out there, not Scott — though, of course, that made sense. Alex was due to arrive at the mansion and help Scott with the whole actually-turning-on-his-powers thing while they were out with Sabretooth, but… Wade probably didn't know about Scott's new glasses-free look."Oh, ok, um, Wade? Maybe it would help if I actually showed up. That's not Scott," Kate tried to explain. "That's the other Summers guy." She slipped the phone between her face and shoulder as she motioned for Kurt to come a bit closer so they could 'port over if they needed to."Oh! That makes a lot more sense, considering that the blasting bits aren't red," Wade said with the sound of complete understanding. "I didn't realize that there was a family reunion in place! I was just here beating down some really suspicious-looking types when laser … whatever he is started in at me. The baddies are still slipping through while he's got his panties knotted up at me! He just won't listen — just like his brother!""Well, I can help with suspicious-looking types and Summers-negotiations," Kate offered. "Just let me know where you are, and me and Kurt can help with… whatever this is.""Side lawn of the mansion — baddies are coming in from all sides," Wade replied as the sound of steel on steel echoed in the air. "I'm just gonna kill these guys and hope baby Summers doesn't hit anything serious in the meantime.""See you in a sec, Deadpool," Kate said just loud enough for some of the others to hear before she hung up and looked to Kurt. "Hear that? Bad guys at the mansion — sounds like the vacation is officially over.""Should we get the others involved or see how bad it is first?" Kurt asked with a little frown."Well, uh, I think K might try to stab Wade if they're in the same zip code. So maybe… we'll deal with Wade — and they can help with the bad guys on the other side of the mansion?" Kate offered."That sounds like a sound plan," Kurt said with a smirk.She kissed his cheek quickly and nodded. "I'll take one of our little friends and go help Wade. You can deal with the sleeping giants," she teased. "You're sturdier than I am, and that's clearly the more dangerous quest.""See you before you know it," Kurt said, giving her a quick kiss. "Don't take all the fun before I get there.""No promises," she shot back before she and her favorite bamf simply disappeared in a poof of smoke, only to reappear close to where Deadpool was, in fact, being shot at — by both bad guys and Alex Summers."Hey, hey, no shooting at my weird friend!" Kate called out as she ran over to where Wade was so that Alex could clearly see the high-five that they quickly shared. It was enough to get the high-energy blasts to stop for a second as Kate took in the scene.This — this was a lot of Hydra. And Wade said he'd been following the Board? Ugh. She rolled her eyes and squared her shoulders. "Hey, Wade, you and I are gonna have to talk about just how much of this is because you riled up Hydra and how much is Board nonsense, mmkay?""Watch it, Hawkeye," Alex called her way as she just managed to dodge a shot from one of the big guys — who were very suddenly interested in her rather than the mansion itself. "This crazy dude showed up with half an army of these guys.""I did not!" Wade shouted back. "I was here waaaay before they were! If I showed up with them, would I be stabbing them? Thusly? Or clashing with their horrible fashion sense?" He asked as he spun his blades toward two creeps."It's alright," Kate promised even as she shot an arrow over Wade's shoulder into a creep that was headed their way. "He's here to help. Call it an early wedding present. You know: make sure the bride survives to the wedding."The only sign that Alex was thinking it over was the fact that the energy blasts stopped heading Wade's way — for the time being — though he was clearly still shooting at the other creeps. Finally, Alex said, "We'll deal with these guys first and then figure out whatever the heck this… lunatic is up to, okay?""We need to get people on the other sides!" Wade insisted. "These guys aren't working alone — there are tons of them.""Kurt's 'porting our team down from Noh's ship," Kate promised Wade before she looked over to Alex, who met her gaze for just a second before he clearly reached for his comm to talk to Scott. She shook her head with a little smirk before she loaded up an explosive arrow, blew a few creeps back, and grinned over at Wade. "You been looking after things while we took Sabretooth out to see the stars?""Yeah," Wade said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, since I wasn't invited to launch him — which I so-o-o-o-o-o would have helped with." He made a little noise that sounded as if he was insulted at the scoff."Yeah, it was a bunch of couples relaxing in space. You'd have been bored," she teased him."But I could have drove while you all did your … you know." He turned his back to her and mimed a make out session with himself. "I could have been the cruise director.""I'll keep that in mind," she laughed as she shot another few creeps who were trying to take aim at Wade while he was doing his make out impression. "But then who would have been here to make sure these creeps didn't… whatever it is they're doing?""Apparently errant Summerseseseseses. Es. I didn't know they were in contact," Wade defended with his arms crossed and his nose up."It's a recent thing," Kate said with a smirk. It wasn't her secret to spill, so she didn't say more than that, especially when she knew a glasses-less Scott might just derail Wade entirely, and they had a fight to attend to. She turned to her little bamf buddy for a second. "Think you could check in the mansion real quick? I just want to make sure these creeps aren't, you know, pilfering stuff they shouldn't be pilfering."The little bamf just winked at her and teleported away, though before he returned, Kurt had also appeared, taking in the scene for a moment before he simply pulled out both swords and moved to help."As formidable as you are, I think those hired men on the other side of the mansion are having a much worse day," Kurt said with a smirk over Kate's shoulder just after she'd shot one of the creeps in the knees just to do it. "Our little stabby friends haven't had their coffee yet, and these guys are attacking our home."Kate couldn't help but smirk at that and nod. "Oh yeah. We'll just have to make sure the kids in the school don't go toward the windows on that side of the building. At all. For a while.""I'm sure that ship has sailed," Kurt said with a little laugh. "They love to watch little battles like this.""Well, I had to at least pretend to be a responsible adult. Just to try it on for size. I am a teacher here, you know," she laughed as her little bamf buddy reappeared with two thumbs up and chattered his report — it didn't look like anyone had gotten inside the mansion yet.She ruffled the little guy's hair affectionately with one hand before she reached for another arrow. "Thanks, bud. Glad to hear this place is still Fort Knox-y." The little bamf just nodded and perched on her shoulder with his own tiny bow and arrow set and a wicked grin.With the addition of everyone that had been on Noh's ship — and the fact that no one was trying to kill Deadpool who wasn't already also trying to kill the X-Men — it wasn't long before the big, ugly creeps were routed. Apparently, they simply hadn't banked on having to deal with Deadpool and the full contingent of X-Men and Scott's annoyed little brother, who seemed more put out by the fact that he was now stuck with Wade making snide Summerseseseses remarks than anything else.Those who had range shot off a few parting pot shots at the retreating bad guys before Kate shouldered her bow and turned to Wade with a wide grin. "I can't believe you haven't heard the whole story. Jubes recorded the entire engagement schtick right after it happened," she said, jumping right back into their conversation as if the fight hadn't happened to interrupt them."But she didn't send it to me," Wade replied, his arms crossed over his chest. "Why was I not on the list of approved viewers?"Kate smirked and shook her head. "I'll send it to you for the full just-got-engaged look," she promised. "I could tell you now, but the look on Kurt's face in the background every time Jubes cuts over to him is so much better.""I don't suppose you got the other engagement on film too, did you?" Wade asked at a stage whisper.She shook her head 'no.' "They're sneakier than I am, Wade," she said semi-seriously."Well," Wade chuffed. "Yeah, but — but … you have Freakin' Spiderman and his camera floating around. I thought for sure he'd have captured it. Somehow.""Considering the lack of squished spider around here? That's a no," Kate laughed."Well, fudgenuggets," he pouted, arms crossed and looking dejected. "Can I come in for coffee?" he asked brightly. "I did keep the place safe — you know…. Until Bitty Summers got involved." He started grumbling under his breath about 'stupid Summerses' in his very best Gollum impression."Not my call," Kate told him. "I mean, I'm fine drinking coffee with you, but a certain stabby friend of mine? The shorter one? Probably not so much.""Oh," Wade said waving her off. "She'll be fine. Those stabby little ones always let go of that kind of thing. She probably forgot all about it. They do that too. Forget things.""See, now I want to invite you in just to see you be horribly, horribly wrong," Kate chuckled, shaking her head at him. "But I also think the boss man might go… bonkers?" She tipped her head toward the back door of the mansion, where Scott had emerged to talk in quiet tones with his brother, his arms crossed over his chest as Alex was gesturing Wade's direction. Kate noticed that he was wearing his glasses, too — which… she reasoned, was probably because he didn't want to tip anyone off that anything was different or worth investigating."I think they're talking about us, Katie-bug," Wade said, bouncing in place. "Can we go talk to them, please-oh-please-oh-pleeeeaaaseeeeeee?"Kate just snorted out a little laugh and nodded, tipping her head toward the Summers boys. "Sure. Let's go point out you were helping and see if we can get anything like an apology from the smaller one," she teased as she let Wade throw his arm over her shoulders and all but strut over to where the two brothers were still talking.As it turned out, though, Alex shot a grin their way when they got close. "Hey, welcome back," he said Kate's way before he tipped his head at Wade. "You know what the Hydra freaks wanted? Or was this more one of your weird 'I happened to be in the neighborhood and decided to help' things?""They were bad, bad men, Ickle Summerses. Bad, nasty men," Wade told him in that same Gollum voice. He reached over to pat Alex on the shoulder. "But don't worry, precious. Big brother Wade handled it for you. No need to muss that gorgeous hair."Alex swatted away Wade's hand, shaking his head with a smirk in place that looked a lot like one Scott would wear. "Yeah, thanks for the help," he said, taking a slight step back to put some distance between himself and Wade as he was clearly unsure of what to do with the crazy merc.But Alex didn't have to concern himself for too long as Logan and K suddenly appeared silently from around the corner of the house. Both of them were barefooted and a bit ruffled from the fight they'd been in. "Hello," K said as she openly looked Alex over, then turned to Wade with a warning glare. "Anything of yours that touches me? Will be removed."Scott smirked at that and tipped his head toward his brother. "K, this is my little brother, Alex," Scott said.K looked him up and down much more carefully before she shook her head. "No," she said. "Scott — you win. He might be younger, but you're definitely the better-looking brother."Scott turned a bit pink but was definitely, definitely smirking at the compliment as Alex looked somewhere between shocked and betrayed — and largely entertained that this was his introduction to K. But it was Kate mouthing the words "brown-eyed boy" at K that had the bamf on her shoulder absolutely breaking down into inconsolable giggles."Smile lines," K countered in a sing song tone as she slid closer to Logan."But you can't sing that one," Kate teased, sliding out from underneath Wade's arm to instead attach herself to Kurt's side."Maybe you can't, but I can," K argued as she tightened her grip on Logan's arm. "Though I do prefer the Van Morrison ditty.""So, ah — Coffee then?" Wade asked as he leaned on Logan's other shoulder. "Been too long since I caught up with my little almost brother here." Logan glared looked from Wade's arm to Scott with one eyebrow raised before he shrugged the merc off.Scott crossed his arms as he looked Wade's way. "Yeah, that's not happening," he said, though it was unclear whether he was talking about coffee or Wade 'borrowing' Logan to catch up with him."Oh, come on," Wade whined. "At least let me have a cup of coffee with you guys. I won't pester the tiny stabby ones."Scott tipped his head the slightest bit. "If you really need coffee that badly, there's a good shop in town.""But … you're not there!" Wade protested."Exactly.""Then — fine. No coffee, but I neeeeeed to talk to the snarly one if I can't have coffee," Wade said. "I want to hear some stories.""No," Logan said flatly as he pushed K ahead of him and toward the doors of the house. "Not in the mood."Kate looked between the older X-Men and Wade and just let out a breath, rolled her eyes, and grabbed Wade by the arm. "How about coffee, some breakfast, and I promise I'll show you the engagement video and fill you in on some stories — at the coffee shop, okay?" she offered. "We can even invite Clint so he can shower us with the latest Gerry pictures.""Is that in preparation for anything … special?" Wade whispered over Kate's shoulder."Yeah. Training for when the mini bosses start walking and talking too," Kate replied without hesitation. "Though they've already got smirks down pat. Summers DNA. You know how it is," she added with a grin Scott's way."Of course they do … did they come out with tiny ruby quartz visors?" Wade asked with an obvious grin."No, but I'm sure there were some in reserve just in case," Kate laughed, pulling on Wade's arm with one hand even as she was already texting Clint with the other. "You know Clint's already got little toddler-sized bows for Gerry — I bet he could make itty bitty glasses if we asked him to.""I'm just waiting for itty bitty others," he said at a stage whisper. "You know. Others.""Yes, I know — the sparkly little half-Kree are going to be too cute for words."He made an excited noise. "Oooooh, I forgot about them! But … but I meant others." He even went so far to tip his head toward the closed doors of the house.Kate just let out a breath and shook her head at Wade. "Not happening, Wade, so just give up now.""But ... I need to get a chance to tell you know who that I didn't mean to tick her off, we were just having FUN."Kate had to smile at that and nod. "Well, you could always do what I did. Put a little apology note on a bag full of burgers or something," she said thoughtfully. "But I'll let Logan know you'd like to say sorry. That'll… help.""Presents," Wade said thoughtfully. "That might work. Logan won't take my calls."She pulled him along a bit harder this time. "Well, you made his fiance angry," she pointed out. "But maybe don't go overboard with the presents?""They weren't fiance-ed yet," Wade pointed out before he stopped cold and stared at her wide eyed. "Or were they?""No, they weren't," Kate assured him quickly."Are you sure? You said they were sneaky.""Pretty darn sure," Kate replied. "I mean ... I'm not sure when he started proposing, but I do know it took him a few tries, so… no. They weren't."He laced his arm through hers and started to skip almost in place. "Okay, if you say so — but now I wanna hear the story. Tell me a story, Katie-bug."She grinned at him and nodded as they headed for her little purple car. "Which do you want to hear first — the Elf-engagement or the other one?" she teased."Which one happened first?" he asked. "Maybe I want chronological order.""Then Wolverine engagement it is," Kate nodded decisively, twirling her keys in her hand with a little grin. "Though to be honest, maybe we should get Clint for that one. He gets the real credit for noticing the change."It was the end of the semester, and while the X-Men themselves were simply enjoying the peace and quiet that came from getting rid of Sabretooth — and the great mood it had put Logan and K in — the actual students in the school were enjoying the peace and quiet of finals being over."Got any plans for the summer?" Tammy asked Tyler as they left their last final — Bobby's math class. Her blonde hair was slightly bunched where she had been holding her head in her hand while she thought over particularly rough problems, but Tyler didn't think she was aware of it."Yeah," he said with a little nod. "I'm spending it with my mom.""That's sweet," she said."And what about you?" he asked as they rounded the corner. "Any big plans?""Pretty much the same as you," she admitted. "My dad and my sister live pretty close by, but we're thinking about taking a road trip for a little while." She shrugged. "Dad travels a lot for work, but he can get a few weeks off every once in a while.""Sounds great," Tyler said with a genuine smile.Tammy grinned widely at him before she gave him a little wave as they rounded the corner — headed in the opposite direction he was. "I'll see you later, then?""Definitely," he promised.He was still smiling to himself, in a good mood from how well the day had gone, as he made his way toward his own room. He was pretty sure he'd nailed the math final, not to mention the biology one — though he had a great teacher in that regard with Hank. In fact, Hank had gone one step above a good biology teacher and mentor for his own powers and was helping him to get in a little extra study, ever since he'd mentioned that he really did want to be a doctor, not just with his healing powers, either. He wanted to understand how it all worked, and Hank was more than happy to help him with that.Between Hank and his mom, he actually had a busy schedule over the summer not just with getting some sun and sand but with plenty to read. And he wouldn't lie — it was kind of nice to be making these kinds of plans for his future.So yeah, he was in a great mood as he headed up the stairs, and he grinned widely when he heard the bamf that meant Kurt had teleported close by. He turned to see the resident drama teacher smiling widely at him, and waved. "You done with finals now too?"Kurt nodded as he fell into step with Tyler. "Yes, it helps that I don't have any essays or papers to grade once the monologues have all been performed."Tyler chuckled at that. "So you're done early.""More or less," Kurt agreed. "Though Kate will be done soon as well — all she has to grade is the accuracy of the arrows.""Oh sure, take all the easy assignments for yourselves," Tyler laughed."Naturally," Kurt said. "And you? How was your first semester here?""Eventful," Tyler said, and Kurt laughed."Yes, well, they're always like that.""I can imagine," Tyler had to agree.As they headed upstairs, Kurt turned Tyler's way. "And you are going to spending the summer with your mother, ja?""Every summer," he agreed."And she arrives tomorrow?""Yeah, she has to work today."At that, Kurt broke into an even wider smile. "Perfect," he said before he put a hand on Tyler's shoulder, and the next thing Tyler knew, he was standing on the deck of a boat, and Kurt was already getting ready to set sail by the time Tyler got the brimstone smell out of his nose and had oriented himself enough to catch on to what was going on."What, last-minute field trip?" he asked with a grin.Kurt laughed and shook his head. "I simply heard a rumor that you liked to be on the water," he said, gesturing at the ocean around them. "And while this is no kayak, I thought it might be fun to sail together before you abandoned us for altogether greener pastures with Daisy."Tyler laughed at that. "Well, I'm better at canoeing and kayaking than sailing," he told Kurt. "I don't know the first thing about sailing, except a few knots I learned when I was a kid."Kurt just laughed and waved a hand. "Not to worry," he said. "You're a fast learner — and I have taught more difficult students than you how to do exactly this." With that, he showed Tyler how to unfurl the sail, and the two of them were skimming out over the waves in no time at all, with Kurt showing him not only what he had to do to keep them sailing in the moment but explaining the names of each part of the ship.It was a lot to keep straight in his head, especially after he'd just spent the entire day taking finals, but Tyler did his best to keep up with Kurt's rapid-fire explanations. And it really was a blast out in the bay with Kurt teleporting all over the sailboat to do the work of a few people to adjust for the particularly strong winds on the ocean that day.Finally, once they were farther out and Kurt seemed to think that Tyler had the knack of sailing, they put up the sail and sat back in the sailboat, grinning under the hot sun as they split some of the food in the ship's hold — which Tyler was sure Kurt had put there beforehand."You do this for all the new students?" Tyler asked as he leaned back.Kurt shook his head. "No," he admitted. "But I do sail with people I consider to be my friends."Tyler didn't bother trying to hide the grin at that. "Well ... thanks," he said after a moment. "I've never been sailing before.""And now you know how enjoyable it is, you will want to go all the time, ja?" Kurt laughed lightly."Oh, I see how it is," Tyler said, shaking his head. "You're just trying to turn everyone into pirates for your crew. Kate warned me about that.""Naturally," Kurt chuckled. He leaned back, his eyes closed against the sun as it beat down on them both before he spoke again. "Honestly, the school — the team — they are like family to all of us. And so if I want to go sailing with my friends and family, there's absolutely nothing stopping me from doing precisely that.""Probably helps that you can get to the ocean in a blink whenever the whim strikes you," Tyler pointed out."True enough," Kurt said, chuckling lightly before he got to his feet. "Well, shall we bring her back in to port?""I'll follow you."It was a little bit more difficult to navigate back to the dock because the wind was against them, but between the two of them — with Kurt calling instructions and Tyler putting his not-inconsiderable size and strength into play — they made it back well before sundown, both of them grinning widely as Kurt tied up the boat.