(Pryde/Wisdom) The Greatest Miracle of All 15/?
Disclaimer: Main ones are Marvel characters, some will be mine, too, so don't sue because *looking around her room* I am just a happy, but poor college student. I don't have the money for those prosecuting and if i do *smirk* you can't have it because i need it for more comics.
Feedback: Very much welcome. I'll welcome any kind of feedback good or bad, but flamers don't make me tie anyone down. I've over and done with that but I'm sure i can find something to stake you down with and some creatures to leave to play with you.
Adoration's, Praise and Acknowledgments: To Tangles, Luba, and Winter, who all were ecstatic that there was finally more to this story.
To Luba, my present beta, cause her praise is enough to keep me writing more. To Winter, cause he loves her and sometime makes me think of things Pete would do. And Tangle Toy who is my push behind me getting to finish this story, because she loved it so much way back when I started it. Love to you all, you're the BEST!
After Uncanny X-Men #379 and before X-Men #99.
--------------
Part XV: "New Beginnings"
--------------
Katherine sighed and ran a hand through her hair until it ran into the messy bun held by a pencil at the crown of her head. Taking that moment to glance around the room, she looked at it again, somehow needing to memorize completely this room that she already knew blueprint schematics, and so many memories of. It felt like it was fading all around her. Like she might look back in a few seconds and it would just suddenly be gone.
It might have only been the Master control center for the Danger Room, accessible only through the War Room, but this place was so much of her growing up. She felt very defensively like someone had suddenly made it all into a toy and said it was time to put it away now because there would be no more use for it in her coming years.
The Danger Room wasn't used for training by anyone lately- except Logan, and she was still trying to figure out how he'd gotten into the house, into the Danger Room, done a few high level sequences and left again without anyone noticing at all. No one seemed to know where he'd been since last week. Like always there were no numbers where to reach him or notes about where he'd gone or when he'd come back.
She'd taken it as well as she could, but it still felt like someone had punched her a few times in a row whenever she thought about it. He'd left without a goodbye. Even after what she'd said to him. Everyone was leaving now. The house was sparse in people now; emptier than it seemed to have ever been in her entire life spent in this place.
Putting her chin on her hands she gazed through the glass. It was unused state, and didn't look like anything but a very large room made of metal, with one huge door and no other ways out. The room was completely bare. It seemed wrong for it to be so large and so empty. Thinking back on all she knew of its creation and redesigning across the years she let out another sigh.
"Problems, Katzchen?"
Kitty looked to her right to see a very human Kurt standing in the doorway. It was another of the little adjustments. When everyone lost their powers, it seemed safe to assume now, they lost and gained everything to become truly normal for the human genome. It she just looked at him, without the speech or movement, it almost wasn't him.
Pale peach skin where it used to be blue fur, blue eyes where they had been mostly yellow, fanged teeth turned blunt, five fingers, five toes, and no tail. A second later she thought wryly, because it popped up, and now no slight beard or goatee on the long gaunt face, either, although neither of those had been a power loss consequence, but a choice of his. He would almost look like a stranger if not for the fact the small thing, the ones that were so innately him and no one else, were not lost.
"Not new ones. It'll be a good day for as long as that can hold true," she said, as she let herself fall back into the padded chair. Staring up at him from it as she swiveled to the right to be facing him, she asked and reached up to tap a few buttons on the front console with her left hand. "Acrobatic bar set up number 12, again?"
"I hadn't thought anyone else would be up here," he said, even as he nodded to her, and she noted the slight differences in his voice once again. She'd been listing them as she talked to him. Even though none of them found this anything like a walk in the park, he was taking it harder than many of them had. It sounded slightly melancholy, sometimes too stretched, angry, sad. She wondered if everyone felt helpless to everyone else here?
This is what happens to heroes - she thought suddenly, forcing herself not to sneer when it hit her - when they were no longer needed.
Turning the chair to face the glass, she started typing across the board. Things started to move and pop out in the room below them both as she spoke.
"Before Ororo and Sara left to check out that camp advertisement, she asked me if I'd mind coming down here and seeing what we needed and what we didn't need down here now. Making a list of what was vital here still-" Kitty took a breath looking at the setup below her. This looked normal. It just didn't feel normal anymore. As her finger stopped typing things on the keyboard, she frowned slightly. "-and turn off what wasn't."
Just then she stood, pushing up with her hands on the edge of the desk, and letting the chair roll back behind her as she looked at him. "I've been down here since dawn and, so far, I've turned off the light in the bathroom."
~*~*~
"You are so lucky."
"Hmm?" Kylie mumbled, and shifted slightly, only halfway coming from her reverie at the woman's voice. The warmth was incredible, the way it laced up her legs, through her back and arms, filling her with liquid lava. She wished she didn't have to move ever again from this spot.
"Your boyfriend- he's like amazing hot."
"Boyfriend?" She lifted opened her eyes and lifted her head to look at the girl next to her. She had slightly darker skin and deep black hair. Her name was Reanann and she'd been present company since the first dinner on the boat. Pretty pleasant and nice company, too. Even if not the company she really desired. But the company she really desired liked to be alone and unsociable.
He always had.
"Yeah," Reanann said with a laugh as she rolled over on to her back and readjusted her bikini before folding her hands behind her head. "Talk, dark and handsome, likes to wait on your hand and foot. Ring any bells?"
"Oh, him."
"Oh, him?" the girl continued to laugh, making her curl slightly to one side while she kept talking to Kylie sunbathing. "What a funny one you are. I know I wouldn't be able to forget that type of man."
"Well," Kylie said, sitting up. She pulled up a small towel from where it was folded next to her and started dabbing at her skin with it. "That's because he's not my boyfriend. He's my brother."
"Your brother?" Reanann said, sounding startled. "Your guys don't seem like most siblings. I mean- swimming, eating, playing games, dancing. You guys are barely apart. I'm surprised he's not right here right now. And with that affectio-"
The brunette looked over at her as the girl broke off. It was always somewhere between uncomfortable and intriguing to find out what someone though of the two of them as siblings. She always just thought it was obvious. They looked so alike. "Yes?"
"Well, uh, I don't mean this as an insult or anything," Reanann said as she pushed up on one arm, making a glare from the sun momentarily blind a walker from the silver bathing suite. "It's just you guys are affectionate. Obviously affectionate. Always hugging, or holding hands, talking to each other, touching each other. I just thought.well, I just never imagined you guys were sibs. Wow, now I feel like a real ditz."
"Don't," Kylie said, looking off across the walk at the ocean beyond them. She realized she felt a little numb thinking about it. Did they really stick out that much? "It's really okay."
"No, - well, see, like I was telling you my dads one of the people that runs this boat and they have these pseudo cute-dumb awards that are given out during the trip. I put you two down under cutest couple."
"Oh."
"I-I," Reanann stumbled for a second, grabbing her towel. "I'll go fix it right now, so no one else gets the wrong impression from my vote. I'm so sorry, Kylie. I didn't mean to put you in this spot."
Kylie's mumble of "It's alright," got caught up in the movement of the girl grabbing her bag, and dashing off, saying behind her. "I'll catch you at dinner."
Pulling her knees to her chest, she looked out at the ocean. It was endless and rolling. It always seemed to her like it was singing to you if you just listened close enough. The song of the entire world, all its history and all its mysteries. They were all in the song of the ocean.
How long she stared at it, she didn't know, because she never stopped looking at it untill something blocked her view. She felt perturbed, even though the shadow cast over her felt slightly nice. Pushing her sunglasses up into her auburn hair, the red brought out even more by this trip, she looked up. For a second she felt almost startled, because she was looking up into Kyle's face and he was the one who'd suddenly blocked her.
He took a seat next to her, and held out one of the two drinks he was holding for her. For a moment she just looked at it, and then she took it. Almost hesitating to even touch it. She felt his reaction simply because she knew he'd realize she was acting odd. She could probably tell you in steps how his face reacted and then his mind.
Except she wasn't in there anymore. It was just old hat. It was habit. It was like breathing.
Now it was just remembering.
"Thanks," she said after a second and took a sip of it, going back to looking at the ocean. She sipped at her drink until suddenly she realized it was gone. She wasn't sure if she just faded out or simply lost time, until she heard her brother clear his throat. She pursued her lips waiting for it, because it was coming.
"So, are you going to tell me what's wrong or leave me to guess?" Kyle said, throwing a touch of amusement in with the concern that underlay it all.
"I," she started, but didn't finished, closing her mouth. She curled in a little more, then took a deep breath through her nose and tried again. "I was thinking, if it didn't bother you too much, we'd eat dinner apart tonight. Reanann's invited me to eat with her and her father, and I was hoping you wouldn't mind."
"Of course, I don't mind. Sounds like it'll fun." He said, sounding exactly what she didn't want him to sound like in that second. Completely understanding and soothing. Not grasping for her, or needing her to be somewhere right by his side. They'd never been that way. They just did things together. Simply because that's the way they liked it best. Never discussed or debated really, it just was.
And if the right thing to do was to put a little more distance between that and herself: why did she feel like the simple thing she was going to ask, even before that conversation with Reanann, was so wrong now?
~*~*~
Still not completely comfortable with the situation he found himself in seven days later, Pete Wisdom found himself on the way to the downstairs living room. It had a wonderful capability for everything and anything you wanted in music, movies, shows, and a minor selection of books that the people living here has transited from their main in-house library.
He hadn't expected the person to be in there who was, though, or what they'd be doing. He stood at the door for a few moments watching the man inside the room. He was hanging a portrait above the fireplace on the left side of the room, near the sliding glass door that led to the walk to the pool. It still had a drape over it but he caught a flash of a gold or copper edge as the man moved it back and forth.
He settled it into place and turned towards the couch, not noticing Pete yet. Gathering things into a duffel bag, he jumped slightly when he realized he wasn't alone.
"Leavin', are you?"
The large Russian brushed his ponytail over his shoulder as he nodded and lifted the bag to his shoulder, having gotten over the surprise already, but not looking anymore pleased than he really had to. Civil, but not pleased. "Paris; to visit a new art museum."
"Hope you have a blast."
"Thanks."
Neither of them seemed to be moving at all, just staring at each other. One nicely dressed in slacks and an almost polo button up shirt, both pressed. The other scraggly dressed in pants and a long white shirt, both rumpled. The tension in the room only seemed to escalate the longer the silence got. So, of course, he decided to simply break the silence with a sound at first.
Pulling out a cigarette, he lit it, saying. "You p'rolly have a taxi waiting, so why don't you just say what'ver is yer dyin' to say to me."
Piotr stared at him a while longer before he finally spoke, and there was a dangerous promise in his words that anyone could have told was true just from hearing it. "I'll find a new way to break you in half, if you hurt her again."
"It won't happen," Pete said, letting out a thin stream of smoke, walking into the main living room closer to where the Russian was standing. He didn't seem fazed on the outside at all, which on the inside he weighed the options. A metal formed colossus he'd have no chance against.but a simple man, maybe a foot or two taller? "But I'd love ta see you try."
"Do I get to choose which way you're both broken in half when Kitty hears of this?"
They both turned and both of their faces resembled what only little children with their hands caught in a cookie jar looked like, because there she stood in the doorway, not looking quite pleased with either of them.
"Kurt reminded me you were leaving today, so I came to see you off." Her arms were crossed in front of her, and Kitty looked between both of them before settling on Piotr. The picture on the wall distracted her for a second, with minor curiosity. "Done with your memory painting?"
"Da," Piotr said quietly, obviously not comfortable with the fact his 'Katya' had heard him say what he'd held back from saying for a month already. "I was going to show it to you before I left." Walking a few steps back toward the fireplace, he lifted the top of the drop cloth from one side and pulled it off, revealing his picture and a small plaque with a name on it below it. Folding the cloth in his hands, he didn't look to her for a reaction quite yet.
Kitty though was staring in awe. If this was a memory he thought to bring back to life it seemed to be brought back enough to her. She felt a knot form in her throat as she stared at it, even though her lips formed into a slight smile.
It was a picture of Illyana and her long from long ago. She couldn't have been more than fifteen and Illyana fourteen, maybe fifteen, too. It was set in the side garden in a small, secluded spot where a bench sat surrounded by fountains of roses. They were sitting on the bench, looking not at all like heroes, but like best friends sharing a joke. Both seemed to know something so funny, that looking at the painting made you wonder what they were laughing at.
"Oh, Piotr- It's beautiful," she said after catching her breath. It seemed like someone just took a moment out of time and kept it fresh, and new, and perfect. It made her miss Illyana just a little more at that moment, but not in a bad way. It reminded her of all the best moments all at once.
At that moment, a beep sounded from outside, and all of them glanced toward a window, even though you couldn't see the front of the house perfectly from here.
"That would be the taxi," Piotr answered as he laid the drop cloth on top of one of the shelf edges near him. "I'm glad you like it. It's yours."
"Wow, thanks," she said smiling a bit brighter again. And stepped out of the doorway. "We'll walk you to the door," she added, casting a glance at Pete who didn't look that pleased at all, though she was happy to see that the cigarette he'd had in his hand had mysteriously vanished away once again.
"Right behind you," he muttered, following them out of the room. Right behind you..with a bat, or a crowbar, or something.something nicer, like your painting.
The walk to the door was short, and really had nothing to do with him. He'd already given Piotr all the farewell he was going to get from him, but with Kitty's word he followed anyway, grousing in his head about wanting to go back all the way. Especially once they started saying good-byes. He'd have rather not watched it, especially because of the painting already.
"We'll hear from you soon, right?" She asked as he opened the door and let sunshine in from outside, brightening even further the front walkway.
"Soon as I get there, if need be," he said with a small smile, staring at her from the vantage height.
"Good," she said and then she hugged. Which made her laugh, when he actually picked her up to give her a real hug, not having to bend down the whole time during it. He kissed her cheek and told her to call if she needed to and set her down.
Pete looked off to one side the second they hugged, picking apart the colors on the wallpaper, as he tried to completely ignore the swelling sense of jealousy that was growing inside of him. It was nice wallpaper. Bright. Drab. Boring. It fit the house perfectly.
"Enjoy Paris!" Kitty said louder from the front steps. "Bring back souvenirs, too!"
Pete looked up pretty much at this point to see the Russian man laugh and get in the taxi, and watch it speed away from the door, which Kitty was walking back toward now. She seemed happy. A constant flexible state she'd sometimes had during the past week, more often than he'd seen before at least. At least -she- was happy, right?
That was a good thing, right?
"So when do you get to have your getaway?"
"What?" Kitty asked, raising an eyebrow as she closed the front door behind her.
"Well, as near as I can tell," Pete replied as he walked down the hall with her. "Everyone is going their merry way. Either vacations, or family, or something else."
Walking up to the security box she reset the door. Something all too much habit, even though it didn't really need so much security now. "I signed on to stay and watch the house. This is my home. I don't have anywhere else I really want to be."
"Nowhere you even want to visit?"
"Not really." Kitty shrugged as she turned around, smiling wickedly. "Why, Mr. Wisdom? Are you afraid of playing house with me?"
Bloody hell, he thought. She's going to be the death of me. If somewhere between that smile and the jealousy I don't go crazy first.
To Be Continued...
Disclaimer: Main ones are Marvel characters, some will be mine, too, so don't sue because *looking around her room* I am just a happy, but poor college student. I don't have the money for those prosecuting and if i do *smirk* you can't have it because i need it for more comics.
Feedback: Very much welcome. I'll welcome any kind of feedback good or bad, but flamers don't make me tie anyone down. I've over and done with that but I'm sure i can find something to stake you down with and some creatures to leave to play with you.
Adoration's, Praise and Acknowledgments: To Tangles, Luba, and Winter, who all were ecstatic that there was finally more to this story.
To Luba, my present beta, cause her praise is enough to keep me writing more. To Winter, cause he loves her and sometime makes me think of things Pete would do. And Tangle Toy who is my push behind me getting to finish this story, because she loved it so much way back when I started it. Love to you all, you're the BEST!
After Uncanny X-Men #379 and before X-Men #99.
--------------
Part XV: "New Beginnings"
--------------
Katherine sighed and ran a hand through her hair until it ran into the messy bun held by a pencil at the crown of her head. Taking that moment to glance around the room, she looked at it again, somehow needing to memorize completely this room that she already knew blueprint schematics, and so many memories of. It felt like it was fading all around her. Like she might look back in a few seconds and it would just suddenly be gone.
It might have only been the Master control center for the Danger Room, accessible only through the War Room, but this place was so much of her growing up. She felt very defensively like someone had suddenly made it all into a toy and said it was time to put it away now because there would be no more use for it in her coming years.
The Danger Room wasn't used for training by anyone lately- except Logan, and she was still trying to figure out how he'd gotten into the house, into the Danger Room, done a few high level sequences and left again without anyone noticing at all. No one seemed to know where he'd been since last week. Like always there were no numbers where to reach him or notes about where he'd gone or when he'd come back.
She'd taken it as well as she could, but it still felt like someone had punched her a few times in a row whenever she thought about it. He'd left without a goodbye. Even after what she'd said to him. Everyone was leaving now. The house was sparse in people now; emptier than it seemed to have ever been in her entire life spent in this place.
Putting her chin on her hands she gazed through the glass. It was unused state, and didn't look like anything but a very large room made of metal, with one huge door and no other ways out. The room was completely bare. It seemed wrong for it to be so large and so empty. Thinking back on all she knew of its creation and redesigning across the years she let out another sigh.
"Problems, Katzchen?"
Kitty looked to her right to see a very human Kurt standing in the doorway. It was another of the little adjustments. When everyone lost their powers, it seemed safe to assume now, they lost and gained everything to become truly normal for the human genome. It she just looked at him, without the speech or movement, it almost wasn't him.
Pale peach skin where it used to be blue fur, blue eyes where they had been mostly yellow, fanged teeth turned blunt, five fingers, five toes, and no tail. A second later she thought wryly, because it popped up, and now no slight beard or goatee on the long gaunt face, either, although neither of those had been a power loss consequence, but a choice of his. He would almost look like a stranger if not for the fact the small thing, the ones that were so innately him and no one else, were not lost.
"Not new ones. It'll be a good day for as long as that can hold true," she said, as she let herself fall back into the padded chair. Staring up at him from it as she swiveled to the right to be facing him, she asked and reached up to tap a few buttons on the front console with her left hand. "Acrobatic bar set up number 12, again?"
"I hadn't thought anyone else would be up here," he said, even as he nodded to her, and she noted the slight differences in his voice once again. She'd been listing them as she talked to him. Even though none of them found this anything like a walk in the park, he was taking it harder than many of them had. It sounded slightly melancholy, sometimes too stretched, angry, sad. She wondered if everyone felt helpless to everyone else here?
This is what happens to heroes - she thought suddenly, forcing herself not to sneer when it hit her - when they were no longer needed.
Turning the chair to face the glass, she started typing across the board. Things started to move and pop out in the room below them both as she spoke.
"Before Ororo and Sara left to check out that camp advertisement, she asked me if I'd mind coming down here and seeing what we needed and what we didn't need down here now. Making a list of what was vital here still-" Kitty took a breath looking at the setup below her. This looked normal. It just didn't feel normal anymore. As her finger stopped typing things on the keyboard, she frowned slightly. "-and turn off what wasn't."
Just then she stood, pushing up with her hands on the edge of the desk, and letting the chair roll back behind her as she looked at him. "I've been down here since dawn and, so far, I've turned off the light in the bathroom."
~*~*~
"You are so lucky."
"Hmm?" Kylie mumbled, and shifted slightly, only halfway coming from her reverie at the woman's voice. The warmth was incredible, the way it laced up her legs, through her back and arms, filling her with liquid lava. She wished she didn't have to move ever again from this spot.
"Your boyfriend- he's like amazing hot."
"Boyfriend?" She lifted opened her eyes and lifted her head to look at the girl next to her. She had slightly darker skin and deep black hair. Her name was Reanann and she'd been present company since the first dinner on the boat. Pretty pleasant and nice company, too. Even if not the company she really desired. But the company she really desired liked to be alone and unsociable.
He always had.
"Yeah," Reanann said with a laugh as she rolled over on to her back and readjusted her bikini before folding her hands behind her head. "Talk, dark and handsome, likes to wait on your hand and foot. Ring any bells?"
"Oh, him."
"Oh, him?" the girl continued to laugh, making her curl slightly to one side while she kept talking to Kylie sunbathing. "What a funny one you are. I know I wouldn't be able to forget that type of man."
"Well," Kylie said, sitting up. She pulled up a small towel from where it was folded next to her and started dabbing at her skin with it. "That's because he's not my boyfriend. He's my brother."
"Your brother?" Reanann said, sounding startled. "Your guys don't seem like most siblings. I mean- swimming, eating, playing games, dancing. You guys are barely apart. I'm surprised he's not right here right now. And with that affectio-"
The brunette looked over at her as the girl broke off. It was always somewhere between uncomfortable and intriguing to find out what someone though of the two of them as siblings. She always just thought it was obvious. They looked so alike. "Yes?"
"Well, uh, I don't mean this as an insult or anything," Reanann said as she pushed up on one arm, making a glare from the sun momentarily blind a walker from the silver bathing suite. "It's just you guys are affectionate. Obviously affectionate. Always hugging, or holding hands, talking to each other, touching each other. I just thought.well, I just never imagined you guys were sibs. Wow, now I feel like a real ditz."
"Don't," Kylie said, looking off across the walk at the ocean beyond them. She realized she felt a little numb thinking about it. Did they really stick out that much? "It's really okay."
"No, - well, see, like I was telling you my dads one of the people that runs this boat and they have these pseudo cute-dumb awards that are given out during the trip. I put you two down under cutest couple."
"Oh."
"I-I," Reanann stumbled for a second, grabbing her towel. "I'll go fix it right now, so no one else gets the wrong impression from my vote. I'm so sorry, Kylie. I didn't mean to put you in this spot."
Kylie's mumble of "It's alright," got caught up in the movement of the girl grabbing her bag, and dashing off, saying behind her. "I'll catch you at dinner."
Pulling her knees to her chest, she looked out at the ocean. It was endless and rolling. It always seemed to her like it was singing to you if you just listened close enough. The song of the entire world, all its history and all its mysteries. They were all in the song of the ocean.
How long she stared at it, she didn't know, because she never stopped looking at it untill something blocked her view. She felt perturbed, even though the shadow cast over her felt slightly nice. Pushing her sunglasses up into her auburn hair, the red brought out even more by this trip, she looked up. For a second she felt almost startled, because she was looking up into Kyle's face and he was the one who'd suddenly blocked her.
He took a seat next to her, and held out one of the two drinks he was holding for her. For a moment she just looked at it, and then she took it. Almost hesitating to even touch it. She felt his reaction simply because she knew he'd realize she was acting odd. She could probably tell you in steps how his face reacted and then his mind.
Except she wasn't in there anymore. It was just old hat. It was habit. It was like breathing.
Now it was just remembering.
"Thanks," she said after a second and took a sip of it, going back to looking at the ocean. She sipped at her drink until suddenly she realized it was gone. She wasn't sure if she just faded out or simply lost time, until she heard her brother clear his throat. She pursued her lips waiting for it, because it was coming.
"So, are you going to tell me what's wrong or leave me to guess?" Kyle said, throwing a touch of amusement in with the concern that underlay it all.
"I," she started, but didn't finished, closing her mouth. She curled in a little more, then took a deep breath through her nose and tried again. "I was thinking, if it didn't bother you too much, we'd eat dinner apart tonight. Reanann's invited me to eat with her and her father, and I was hoping you wouldn't mind."
"Of course, I don't mind. Sounds like it'll fun." He said, sounding exactly what she didn't want him to sound like in that second. Completely understanding and soothing. Not grasping for her, or needing her to be somewhere right by his side. They'd never been that way. They just did things together. Simply because that's the way they liked it best. Never discussed or debated really, it just was.
And if the right thing to do was to put a little more distance between that and herself: why did she feel like the simple thing she was going to ask, even before that conversation with Reanann, was so wrong now?
~*~*~
Still not completely comfortable with the situation he found himself in seven days later, Pete Wisdom found himself on the way to the downstairs living room. It had a wonderful capability for everything and anything you wanted in music, movies, shows, and a minor selection of books that the people living here has transited from their main in-house library.
He hadn't expected the person to be in there who was, though, or what they'd be doing. He stood at the door for a few moments watching the man inside the room. He was hanging a portrait above the fireplace on the left side of the room, near the sliding glass door that led to the walk to the pool. It still had a drape over it but he caught a flash of a gold or copper edge as the man moved it back and forth.
He settled it into place and turned towards the couch, not noticing Pete yet. Gathering things into a duffel bag, he jumped slightly when he realized he wasn't alone.
"Leavin', are you?"
The large Russian brushed his ponytail over his shoulder as he nodded and lifted the bag to his shoulder, having gotten over the surprise already, but not looking anymore pleased than he really had to. Civil, but not pleased. "Paris; to visit a new art museum."
"Hope you have a blast."
"Thanks."
Neither of them seemed to be moving at all, just staring at each other. One nicely dressed in slacks and an almost polo button up shirt, both pressed. The other scraggly dressed in pants and a long white shirt, both rumpled. The tension in the room only seemed to escalate the longer the silence got. So, of course, he decided to simply break the silence with a sound at first.
Pulling out a cigarette, he lit it, saying. "You p'rolly have a taxi waiting, so why don't you just say what'ver is yer dyin' to say to me."
Piotr stared at him a while longer before he finally spoke, and there was a dangerous promise in his words that anyone could have told was true just from hearing it. "I'll find a new way to break you in half, if you hurt her again."
"It won't happen," Pete said, letting out a thin stream of smoke, walking into the main living room closer to where the Russian was standing. He didn't seem fazed on the outside at all, which on the inside he weighed the options. A metal formed colossus he'd have no chance against.but a simple man, maybe a foot or two taller? "But I'd love ta see you try."
"Do I get to choose which way you're both broken in half when Kitty hears of this?"
They both turned and both of their faces resembled what only little children with their hands caught in a cookie jar looked like, because there she stood in the doorway, not looking quite pleased with either of them.
"Kurt reminded me you were leaving today, so I came to see you off." Her arms were crossed in front of her, and Kitty looked between both of them before settling on Piotr. The picture on the wall distracted her for a second, with minor curiosity. "Done with your memory painting?"
"Da," Piotr said quietly, obviously not comfortable with the fact his 'Katya' had heard him say what he'd held back from saying for a month already. "I was going to show it to you before I left." Walking a few steps back toward the fireplace, he lifted the top of the drop cloth from one side and pulled it off, revealing his picture and a small plaque with a name on it below it. Folding the cloth in his hands, he didn't look to her for a reaction quite yet.
Kitty though was staring in awe. If this was a memory he thought to bring back to life it seemed to be brought back enough to her. She felt a knot form in her throat as she stared at it, even though her lips formed into a slight smile.
It was a picture of Illyana and her long from long ago. She couldn't have been more than fifteen and Illyana fourteen, maybe fifteen, too. It was set in the side garden in a small, secluded spot where a bench sat surrounded by fountains of roses. They were sitting on the bench, looking not at all like heroes, but like best friends sharing a joke. Both seemed to know something so funny, that looking at the painting made you wonder what they were laughing at.
"Oh, Piotr- It's beautiful," she said after catching her breath. It seemed like someone just took a moment out of time and kept it fresh, and new, and perfect. It made her miss Illyana just a little more at that moment, but not in a bad way. It reminded her of all the best moments all at once.
At that moment, a beep sounded from outside, and all of them glanced toward a window, even though you couldn't see the front of the house perfectly from here.
"That would be the taxi," Piotr answered as he laid the drop cloth on top of one of the shelf edges near him. "I'm glad you like it. It's yours."
"Wow, thanks," she said smiling a bit brighter again. And stepped out of the doorway. "We'll walk you to the door," she added, casting a glance at Pete who didn't look that pleased at all, though she was happy to see that the cigarette he'd had in his hand had mysteriously vanished away once again.
"Right behind you," he muttered, following them out of the room. Right behind you..with a bat, or a crowbar, or something.something nicer, like your painting.
The walk to the door was short, and really had nothing to do with him. He'd already given Piotr all the farewell he was going to get from him, but with Kitty's word he followed anyway, grousing in his head about wanting to go back all the way. Especially once they started saying good-byes. He'd have rather not watched it, especially because of the painting already.
"We'll hear from you soon, right?" She asked as he opened the door and let sunshine in from outside, brightening even further the front walkway.
"Soon as I get there, if need be," he said with a small smile, staring at her from the vantage height.
"Good," she said and then she hugged. Which made her laugh, when he actually picked her up to give her a real hug, not having to bend down the whole time during it. He kissed her cheek and told her to call if she needed to and set her down.
Pete looked off to one side the second they hugged, picking apart the colors on the wallpaper, as he tried to completely ignore the swelling sense of jealousy that was growing inside of him. It was nice wallpaper. Bright. Drab. Boring. It fit the house perfectly.
"Enjoy Paris!" Kitty said louder from the front steps. "Bring back souvenirs, too!"
Pete looked up pretty much at this point to see the Russian man laugh and get in the taxi, and watch it speed away from the door, which Kitty was walking back toward now. She seemed happy. A constant flexible state she'd sometimes had during the past week, more often than he'd seen before at least. At least -she- was happy, right?
That was a good thing, right?
"So when do you get to have your getaway?"
"What?" Kitty asked, raising an eyebrow as she closed the front door behind her.
"Well, as near as I can tell," Pete replied as he walked down the hall with her. "Everyone is going their merry way. Either vacations, or family, or something else."
Walking up to the security box she reset the door. Something all too much habit, even though it didn't really need so much security now. "I signed on to stay and watch the house. This is my home. I don't have anywhere else I really want to be."
"Nowhere you even want to visit?"
"Not really." Kitty shrugged as she turned around, smiling wickedly. "Why, Mr. Wisdom? Are you afraid of playing house with me?"
Bloody hell, he thought. She's going to be the death of me. If somewhere between that smile and the jealousy I don't go crazy first.
To Be Continued...